Shewsbury Town 2 Liverpool 2 (Jan 26 2020)

[dave u]

4 hours ago, Anubis said:

Agree with most of what you say, Dave, but not the need for Klopp to be in the dugout. The U23s are Critchley’s team that he’s been trusted with and which he knows best, and it would undermine him if Klopp just jumped in and took them for one game because it’s the FA Cup.

I don't disagree with that mate, but it's not what I meant. Not only do I think Klopp should be there, I think the fringe players who've hardly played should be there with him.

 

If we field the same sort of line up we did at Villa then we may as well let Critchley handle it. That wouldn't be my preference though.

[bigal]

Great report. I'd have hammered Origi who was pathetic with every touch until late on but those three were the main culprits and deserve the scorn.

The ref and the linesman should have spotted a clear handball first half and surely the linesman could see where Larouci fouled the Shrewsbury player, he is supposed to be in line. Those two decisions changed the scoreline but that's almost irrelevant given the nature of the performance.

Credit to them, I expected them to fade last 20 minutes after they put  a lot into pressing etc. but they kept going buoyed up by the occasion.

Agreed about having basically the same team plus other recovering players and giving them a week off afterwards and aws that the likes of Hoever and yesterday's youngsters should be pleading to be involved.

[scudger99]

1 hour ago, Captain Turdseye said:

They've been given the week off. Holidays is exactly what it is. 

I read an interview with Klopp that said that the players had been given their daily fitness routines and were expected to adhere to them, so it's not as if they've got a week to lie farting in bed.

 

[Anubis]

1 hour ago, dave u said:

The likes of Shaqiri, Lallana, Origi, Lovren, Keita etc should not be given a week's holiday when we have a game in that period. If there was no replay, then fine, but there is, so why would we send players off on holiday who have barely played all season?

 

Let the first team put their feet up on the beach for a week, and keep the rest here to play the replay and then give them a few days off afterwards.

Klopp has clearly promised them time with their families which, even if they aren’t playing, they give up during the rest of the season. They also have set individual training programmes to follow and have to check in with him each day. I think he’s told them they’ll have that time and he’s a man of his word - hence the bond the team has with him.

[Marcas]

Agree on the 3 you highlighted Dave, they were total balls and I’d be embarrassed if I were in their shoes. No doubt Klopp will have shared his ‘thoughts’ with them. Div as well, I know what you mean about playing out of position, but that ‘chasing back’ in the 2nd half when he looked like he’d been shot in the leg was shocking. Any of the 1st team squad players who haven’t played in a while should be drafted in for the replay. Keita would probably pull another four muscles and be out to the new year though....

[El Dangerous]

I think splitting the fringe players from the first 11 would seriously risk upsetting the squad harmony. Imagine going on the sick for two months then a couple of months after you return to work everyone gets a week off except you, you'd be well pissed off. Setsba bit of a us and them divide between the players.

[Leyton388]

For me the FA cup should never be devalued by this club considering our darkest hour was in this competition. 

 

I understand where Klopp is coming from though as the FA are idiots for scheduling replays in the winter break.

[mike23]

It's a tough one isn't it? And something that shouldn't have even been an issue but for some really unprofessional attitudes from the senior players involved yesterday. In seasons gone by and maybe even last season I'd have been so annoyed with them that I'd have wanted Klopp to tell them they'd lost their time off privilege and would be involved in the replay, but I'm just so proud of the whole first team squad this season that I'm feeling a bit more charitable towards them and willing to forgive them for one dodgy outing. Winning the FA Cup would be nice, but it's bottom of our list of priorities this season. Everyone in and around the first team squad might yet have a role to play and I wouldn't want to see anyone injured in the replay. I certainly don't think it would be fair to punish any of the other fringe players/those returning from injury by making them be involved if they'd already been promised a week off. 

 

It would be a shame for Shrewsbury if they missed out on a big gate receipt from the replay if there was either a poor attendance due to high ticket prices for what looks like being effectively an under 23 game, or because the club charges a heavily reduced ticket price. Maybe the club could organise a friendly with them for pre season and that would benefit them? 

[aws]

3 hours ago, El Dangerous said:

I think splitting the fringe players from the first 11 would seriously risk upsetting the squad harmony. Imagine going on the sick for two months then a couple of months after you return to work everyone gets a week off except you, you'd be well pissed off. Setsba bit of a us and them divide between the players.

The last thing I'd be is pissed off if I was competing with my workmates and I was presented with a golden opportunity to impress. Particularly if such chances were few and far between. In fact I'd be begging for the opportunity. 

[RedSand]

Cheers for the report Dave. 

 

A family friend recently remarked to my wife,  'Oh it's amazing how much your husband has grown,  he doesn't seem to get as upset after watching football on the weekends. I remember last few years he was really unpleasant to be around if Liverpool didn't win.' My wife (who is also a mad Red, but shows greater self control) replied, 'Oh that's because we've been kicking arse for about a year now.'

 

Anyhow,  my 'mood' retuned this Sunday after that shambolic performance. I was filthy all day.  Still undefeated all season and I was livid.

 

Well played Town. They kept at it. Didn't pack it in after giving away a soft second goal. Well in the crowd too

 

But now that I've recovered from my darkness, I'm kinda glad this happened...sorta. 

 

The 'thing' that makes us such a formidable opponent,  is not just the attention to minute details, the herculean fitness or the flexible tactics during a game. 

 

Our mentality is what separates us from the rest.
The unshakable belief in our excellence. 
In whom we are, what we do,  how we do it and doing it again, and again and again. 
It's Shankly's line about..... 'We believed we were the best and worked hard at becoming the best.'

 

What we learned after that game is that NOT everybody in the Team has this mentality. They are not ALL mentality monsters.  And I'm referring to the senior players you mentioned.

 

This is good news. Now we know,  we either work with them to improve their mentality or ship them out.  Clearly it'll be the former,  as Klopp has guided,  cajoled and mentored the entire Club into this mentality. But this is a good wake up call. 

 

Or.... we all just had an off game,  at least it happened in this round and we'll sort it next game. 

 

Onwards. 

[TheBitch]

The fringe players should be knocking on Klopp's door demanding to play a part in the replay, not only to improve their own fitness should the need arise for them to be involved from the bench in the near future but wanting to guide the younger players through a difficult match after this clusterfuck.

[s(k)aturation]

I think our best possible "alternative" side should play.

I reckon the "alternative" senior players should want to play - especially the ones who failed to impress yesterday.

And I'd love it if Jurgen managed the game, and explained the reason for his turnaround: that his dedication and integrity in leading the club - and respecting paying fans - overrode his disillusionment with the convenient sense of propriety and inconsistency displayed by the nation's leading football bodies.

That, to me, would be making an even bigger stand than the one he's currently planning on making.

 

 

[beejay]

Dave is 100% right in singling out the centrebacks who were laugh out loud awful. Lovren was in full-on Coco mood, complete with clown shoes and red nose. We've seen this from him before and generally speaking, he starts as he means to go on - so sure enough he got progressively worse until he gifted them their 2nd goal by stumbling over his oversize boots. Spent much of the 1st half with his hand in the air like he was a schoolkid caught short in the classroom while their forwards ran through on goal unchallenged and the 2nd half he looked like he had just got out of bed, I swear he was yawning at one point although that may just have been because his mouth was open in shock at his own dismal performance. Alongside him, Matip gave a pretty good impression of Billy the Brontosaurus, slowly lumbering around the pitch with a complete disconnect between mind and body. Every time the ball was in the air, his long neck catapulted his pin head in the general vicinity of the ball but the aim was poor and he either missed it completely or the ball skimmed off in an unlikely direction. Dozy, gormless and totally oblivious to danger he was eaten alive by a T Rex in the form of their sub. Just goes to show once again how awesome Virgil Van Dijk is because either of these jokers seems to play great alongside him.

[StevieMax]

1 hour ago, beejay said:

Just goes to show once again how awesome Virgil Van Dijk is because either of these jokers seems to play great alongside him.

I thought about this after my earlier post and came to a similar conclusion - what if it is the "Virgil ring of confidence" that has made them perform so much better than this in previous games this season.

Clearly Joe didn't suffer from this in game against Everton - if anything he shone more than usual as a result of being out of Virgil's shadow.

[dockers_strike]

1 hour ago, beejay said:

Dave is 100% right in singling out the centrebacks who were laugh out loud awful. Lovren was in full-on Coco mood, complete with clown shoes and red nose. We've seen this from him before and generally speaking, he starts as he means to go on - so sure enough he got progressively worse until he gifted them their 2nd goal by stumbling over his oversize boots. Spent much of the 1st half with his hand in the air like he was a schoolkid caught short in the classroom while their forwards ran through on goal unchallenged and the 2nd half he looked like he had just got out of bed, I swear he was yawning at one point although that may just have been because his mouth was open in shock at his own dismal performance. Alongside him, Matip gave a pretty good impression of Billy the Brontosaurus, slowly lumbering around the pitch with a complete disconnect between mind and body. Every time the ball was in the air, his long neck catapulted his pin head in the general vicinity of the ball but the aim was poor and he either missed it completely or the ball skimmed off in an unlikely direction. Dozy, gormless and totally oblivious to danger he was eaten alive by a T Rex in the form of their sub. Just goes to show once again how awesome Virgil Van Dijk is because either of these jokers seems to play great alongside him.

Harsh assessment but fair.

[Leyton388]

I really hope Klopp leaves Kieta, Fab and possibly Milner back to play in this game. They dont need the time off. I really want us to win the cup. 

[aws]

1 hour ago, Leyton388 said:

I really hope Klopp leaves Kieta, Fab and possibly Milner back to play in this game. They dont need the time off. I really want us to win the cup. 

Don't think he will. I wonder if he'll spring a surprise with Minamino  who has already had his winter break.