Mohamed Salah

[Barrington Womble]

1 hour ago, Chairman Meow said:

I'm no lover of FSG.

 

In any other era Klopp would have 3 titles, quite possibly at least a second Champions League (assuming the ability to actually rest some players instead of chasing City in the league) and with him signing a new contract the possibility of being close to Paisley in terms of trophies won if not surpassing him.

 

However, there is this slight problem a little bit down the M62 who are bankrolled by a country, committing financial rule breaches all over the shop and buying a 100 million quids worth of full backs seemingly every summer which totally skews how the world works now. 

To be fair, they've not stopped us winning any more European cups. 

[dockers_strike]

The one club that has stopped us winning 2 more Champions Leagues under Jurgen is Real Madrid. In one of those finals, our keeper had a meltdown whether or not anyone agrees Ramos smashed both him and Mo. In the other, their keeper had a worldie and was awarded MoTM.

 

Even if the owners had backed Jurgen with more money, one, there's no gaurantee he'd have bought a different keeper to Karius who he promoted ahead of Mignolet far too early in my opinion and two, it still doesnt prevent Courtois being MoTM in Paris.

 

 

 

[gkmacca]

The romanticisation of Courtois is rapidly becoming an all-purpose fatalistic soporific to slip into everyone's beer. We've consistently fallen far short in finals of our usual standards in terms of creating and finishing chances. That's a practical problem to which we need to respond, rather than passively accepting the problem of good defending.

[m0e]

12 hours ago, Daisy said:

For the last two sets of financial results the matchday revenue average:

 

Arsenal = 89m euro

Liverpool = 82m euro

 

https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2022/03/deloitte-football-money-league-2022-10-clubs-who-make-most-matchday-revenue

 

 

That's without CL football for Arsenal.

[dockers_strike]

24 minutes ago, gkmacca said:

The romanticisation of Courtois is rapidly becoming an all-purpose fatalistic soporific to slip into everyone's beer. We've consistently fallen far short in finals of our usual standards in terms of creating and finishing chances. That's a practical problem to which we need to respond, rather than passively accepting the problem of good defending.

I agree with you about our under performing in finals. But what is the answer?

 

Take the League Cup final, I think Sadio should have buried that shot that Mendy managed to save. Why stick that ball at just the right height for the keeper who's scrambling getting across the goal in a prone position? I think Diaz did similar in the FA Cup final with a low shot when a chip or at least an effort higher up in the goal should have been unsavable.

 

Take the Champions league final and Mo's late chance. Again, courtois is scrambling to get across goal. Mo should have put the ball and himself and maybe even courtois, in the back of that net and get asked any questions after.

 

It's the same in that league game against city in 2019 we eventually lost 3-2 and the ball is what 8 centimeters from being fully over the line before stones clears it? Mo should have put his body or foot where it hurts and made sure that ball ended in the net and not being cleared.

 

Others will disagree. But the fact is, Courtois was given MoTM by the sponsors in the CL final so I really dont agree me or others are romaticising his performance.

[Torvald Utne]

Spectacularly poor finishing made him look good, didn't really do anything that Karius couldn't have done.  When we pass the ball into his hands every few minutes then the hyperbole builds "he's saved another one!!!"

[Leyton388]

We've been shite in all 3 finals last season, but getting the luck in the two penalty shootouts masked that. 

 

As for the CL final we were absolutely atrocious both in defending for their goal but also in attack. For all the billy big bollocks talk from Mo before hand he was garbage. 

 

This final pissed me off more than 2018. Absolutely piss poor and rolled over for madrid for a 3rd time in 5 years. 

[Freddo]

The Madrid final will rankle for a very long time, it will for me anyhow. Mo chatting like that allowed them to take the piss out of him after the game.

We got into some really good spaces only to not create the chance or chances that could have won us the game. 
As for the finishing, one of those things. Darwin, we hope may be that difference maker when it counts. Saying that Mo and Sadio numbers were and are incredible.

[El Rojo]

I wouldn’t criticise our two domestic cup final performances when we ultimately won.

 

We were piss poor in both recent European Cup finals against Real, though. We allowed them to dictate the terms in both games. 

[VladimirIlyich]

I thought our recent performance against Real was much better than the first,the second half at least. It was also worth remembering that we were running on fumes while Real had wrapped up their title a lot earlier than we finished. I'm sure I remember them being allowed to play on a Friday night while we had a Sunday game with something at stake the week before? The big problem,in hindsight,was playing so many games that actually mattered. It would make sense to not prioritise the domestic cups again if the PL and CL are obviously priorities.

[Jose Jones]

4 minutes ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I thought our recent performance against Real was much better than the first,the second half at least. It was also worth remembering that we were running on fumes while Real had wrapped up their title a lot earlier than we finished. I'm sure I remember them being allowed to play on a Friday night while we had a Sunday game with something at stake the week before? The big problem,in hindsight,was playing so many games that actually mattered. It would make sense to not prioritise the domestic cups again if the PL and CL are obviously priorities.

Yeah, we were well on top in terms of the overall play in the last final which is why it was so frustrating that we couldn’t put the ball in the net.

Most big tournament finals are generally rubbish.

[Babb'sBurstNad]

We were the better side in overall play in all three finals in my opinion, but our forwards couldn't put the ball in the net. Play those finals with pre-AFCON Salah and I reckon we win them all inside the 90.

 

Against low block sides, we usually find a way to score. Low blocks utilising top class defenders and goalkeepers we seem to have a problem with. Our forwards are more instinctive than cold and clinical. Hopefully this is an area Nunez helps with.

[Barrington Womble]

I think we just weren't clinical enough. And we're often not clinical enough (and in clinical I mean final ball every bit as.much as finishing). But we often play teams that are poorer than Chelsea and real Madrid, with worse keepers too. So we can get away with not being so clinical because we create so many chances. I don't think it was coincidence that we failed to beat Chelsea across 4 games, spurs in 2, real Madrid and we picked up a win in 3 against city when they had rotated and few out and we for once we were clinical (aided and abetted by that joke of a keeper).

 

Chelsea have also had similar problems imo, but without looking at stats, I think they create less than us, which is why we're so far ahead of them over the season. 

 

Real Madrid last season in the CL made an artwork out of punishing teams for giving up chances. It's not a big deal if you take your own, but we just didn't. 

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, VladimirIlyich said:

 The big problem,in hindsight,was playing so many games that actually mattered. It would make sense to not prioritise the domestic cups again if the PL and CL are obviously priorities.

Totally and utterly agree with you on this. Have said such elsewhere.

[an tha]

We didn't 'prioritise' the domestic cups....

 

We simply were able to use our squad depth a bit more than we have in recent years and got some decent draws which opened things up for us for a change.

 

Us winning those cups had no negative effect on our efforts in the league or europe IMO...In fact if anything they only had positive effects from the buzz of winning and the buzz of picking up trophies - the thing that Liverpool Football Club along with being a sense of pride for it's supporters exists for.

[TheHowieLama]

28 minutes ago, an tha said:

We didn't 'prioritise' the domestic cups....

 

We simply were able to use our squad depth a bit more than we have in recent years and got some decent draws which opened things up for us for a change.

 

Us winning those cups had no negative effect on our efforts in the league or europe IMO...In fact if anything they only had positive effects from the buzz of winning and the buzz of picking up trophies - the thing that Liverpool Football Club along with being a sense of pride for it's supporters exists for.

Off the back of one of the greatest seasons in clubs history - now we don't want to compete.

[Bjornebye]

38 minutes ago, an tha said:

We didn't 'prioritise' the domestic cups....

 

We simply were able to use our squad depth a bit more than we have in recent years and got some decent draws which opened things up for us for a change.

 

Us winning those cups had no negative effect on our efforts in the league or europe IMO...In fact if anything they only had positive effects from the buzz of winning and the buzz of picking up trophies - the thing that Liverpool Football Club along with being a sense of pride for it's supporters exists for.

This. We won two cups last year and came second and got to the final of the big one. Fuck me, as the disappointment of the end of may subsides it's clear we had an absolutely unbelievable season. Two games away from doing something no club has ever achieved. Fuck me it hurts, still does and will for ages but I wouldn't swap this for anything. 

[No2]

On 26/06/2022 at 21:58, FrenchEyeGlass said:

The situation we have found ourselves in with Salah (and Mane before he left for pittance) is awful. It's borderline amateurish.

 

The concept that one of the best players in the world (who carries a personality of unrelenting self-belief and a justified high self-worth) was going to "blink first" in the contract stand-off is laughable. You're not negotiating with Jordan Henderson. 

 

If you were 20K-30K apart in negotiations, then fair enough, maybe let it drag out. But what's evident is that we are nowhere near close on valuations, and as such have snookered ourself. It's justifiable for the club to decide not to break their wage structure to spend 300k p/w on him (justifiable...but I think many on argue on here as being myopic) but then why the fuck not just be brave with that stance and put him on the market this summer? If the club think they're clever enough to replace him with somebody who wants 150Kpw, then back yourself.

 

He will end up going to PSG, Real, Bayern or City. If you think he won't go to City then you're bilnkered. They will all offer attractive money, so it will be about the project. Bayern will entice him with Mane link up; Real will entice him with CL and La Liga promises; PSG will entice him with Mbappe and co; City will entice him with Pep and Haaland.

 

You either sell him or you pay him what he wants. Anything else and you are taking a massive L. Quite literally your biggest asset walking out of the door for free can never be spun as a good thing.

We let Steven Gerrard walk out the door free. Every player has their day, the grown ups are paid to calculate when they think that will be. When Mo's contract is up we will have had his best years and 18 months to identifyhis replacement, that is indisputable. The ideal situation is we get 2 more years from him.but that isn't happening. 

[kemskem]

I wouldn’t mind us going all the way in the League Cup again and winning it, even if we’ve got higher priorities, because aside from the feeling, everyone shitting themselves about us doing a quadruple in the age of oil cheats was boss. If you’ve got the squad it’s always going to be on because the players play to win.

[gkmacca]

5 hours ago, Babb'sBurstNad said:

We were the better side in overall play in all three finals in my opinion, but our forwards couldn't put the ball in the net. Play those finals with pre-AFCON Salah and I reckon we win them all inside the 90.

I'm not sure that's often going to be the case. I'm struggling to remember any major final when our strikers were in top form rather than carrying knocks and/or greatly fatigued. It's just a fact of life at that stage in the season. Kenny was never at his sharpest in finals, I guess Rushie was in the domestic ones, but I think you have to expect your attack will probably under-perform to some degree - which makes what you have on the bench all the more important. It's the same for the opponents, of course. It just seems unfortunate our options are diminishing just when, with the five sub rule change, the quality of the squad becomes even more pertinent.

[TheHowieLama]

4 minutes ago, gkmacca said:

I think you have to expect your attack will probably under-perform to some degree - which makes what you have on the bench all the more important. It's the same for the opponents, of course.

Madrid's first sub came on in the 87th minute.

[Aventus]

8 hours ago, VladimirIlyich said:

I thought our recent performance against Real was much better than the first,the second half at least. It was also worth remembering that we were running on fumes while Real had wrapped up their title a lot earlier than we finished. I'm sure I remember them being allowed to play on a Friday night while we had a Sunday game with something at stake the week before? The big problem,in hindsight,was playing so many games that actually mattered. It would make sense to not prioritise the domestic cups again if the PL and CL are obviously priorities.

The damage in the league was done early on, most of our dropped points came directly after the early rounds of the cup games, when we mostly played our squad players and our main guys in theory should have been well rested and ready to go. The later rounds didn't cause many immediate negative effects on us despite it being our main lads putting in the minutes. 

[gkmacca]

2 hours ago, TheHowieLama said:

Madrid's first sub came on in the 87th minute.

Yes. I was being kind.

[redheart]

Has he left yet?

[Barrington Womble]

2 hours ago, gkmacca said:

I'm not sure that's often going to be the case. I'm struggling to remember any major final when our strikers were in top form rather than carrying knocks and/or greatly fatigued. It's just a fact of life at that stage in the season. Kenny was never at his sharpest in finals, I guess Rushie was in the domestic ones, but I think you have to expect your attack will probably under-perform to some degree - which makes what you have on the bench all the more important. It's the same for the opponents, of course. It just seems unfortunate our options are diminishing just when, with the five sub rule change, the quality of the squad becomes even more pertinent.

Yeah, that fucking 78 European cup final, Kenny was shit.