Brighton (H) Premier League - 3/2/21 - 20:15

[an tha]

7 minutes ago, Nelly-Torres said:

Does anybody think that the instabilities in central defence have had a massive effect on TAA's role? 

 

His form isn't great. But he seems to have had his attacking instincts curbed a bit. When we go forward, he doesn't seem to offer the overlap as much as he did and seems to tuck in a bit and play as a central midfielder to offer a second central blocker in front of the centre backs. Probably a tactical tweak because Klopp doesn't want the makeshift defence exposed and he's also missing, in Fabinho, his best midfielder in terms of breaking up attacks. 

 

The attacking threat down the right seems to have dropped right off. 

Absolutely affected.

 

Him and Robbo aren't starting anywhere near as high up, or being able to spend as much time high.

 

And that is absolutely down to the centre half problems and the knock on effects caused.

 

Its all because our structure has been broken with the centre half issue and all the numerous knock on effects to full backs, midfield and our whole style of play.
 
The energy in middle of Hendo and Fabinho is lost, the defence don’t bring it out like our first choice 3 centre halves would and fire ball into them on move into space and as a result the full backs don’t start or stay as far forward....its a massive part of why we are impotent especially at home.
 

[s(k)aturation]

4 minutes ago, coachpotato said:

The miss by Salah in the first few minutes was crucial. Score that and their game plan has to alter, if not immediately then later in the game certainly, but that wasn’t the sole reason why Brighton won.

They based their game plan on solid defence, as have many teams against us this season, and they were able to carry it off because they were so disciplined.

Add to that they scored with the first chance from either side on target and we had no alternative plan and the result was all too predictable.

The depressing thing is that even with a lack of first choice players available, we don’t ever seem to be able to change the way we play, to try something different.

I’m not looking forwards to the City game at all.

 

My heart sank after that.

It was a nailed on goal, given his form in the past 3 games.

 

 

[3 Stacks]

2 minutes ago, Captain Turdseye said:

Tried telling you the other day. 
 

Buvac. 

Yeah ok, I can buy that. Colin Pascoe and Sean O'Driscoll are big misses too, imo. Only imo, though. 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

No point doing a list of who should go we all know them, getting rid is the problem.

What a change in a few months, we can blame Covid, injuries and poor officiating but the reality is certain players should not have been signed and others sold before now.

[Captain Turdseye]

2 minutes ago, 3 Stacks said:

Yeah ok, I can buy that. Colin Pascoe and Sean O'Driscoll are big misses too, imo. Only imo, though. 

Sounds like simple maths to me mate. 

[Creator Supreme]

3 minutes ago, an tha said:

The nightmare scenario is what the fuck will happen if we fail to secure a top 4 spot?

 

I hate this modern obsession with it as some sort of 'achievement', but with owners are very risk averse and a squad in need of work, failing to nail down a place could have really bad consequences for us.

Clever owners would have built a fucking dynasty on the back of a PL title win. Ours have made it so that will have been the high point of their reign!

 

Completely negligent this season! I'm glad I got to see us win it again because with this lot in charge I doubt I'll see it again!

[an tha]

2 minutes ago, Creator Supreme said:

Clever owners would have built a fucking dynasty on the back of a PL title win. Ours have made it so that will have been the high point of their reign!

 

Completely negligent this season! I'm glad I got to see us win it again because with this lot in charge I doubt I'll see it again!

It very much has the feel of a wasted opportunity about it...even with the rotten luck.

 

European champions one year, league champions the next...a clubs stock simply can't really be any higher....yet here we are currently on a par with Everton and West Ham.

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

3 minutes ago, Creator Supreme said:

Clever owners would have built a fucking dynasty on the back of a PL title win. Ours have made it so that will have been the high point of their reign!

 

Completely negligent this season! I'm glad I got to see us win it again because with this lot in charge I doubt I'll see it again!

This. Out of rep.

[Ronnie Whelan]

With the exception of Kel who was good, no other positives. It was probably worse than the Burnley game.

 

My only consolation is that next season, we will be a different beast. Huge players coming back and I think with the crowds in Anfield, we will look more like ourselves. I hope to God that Virgil, Gomez and Big Bird get lots of rest and are ready for next season. With Matip, get to the bottom of this shit once and for all. 

 

Pity there is all the international tournaments and Egypt will probably doubly fuck us over with African Nations and the Olympics. We need to put the foot down.

 

If it wasn't for this top 4 shit, I'd be giving Kelleher, Tsimikas, Kabak and a few young lads serious game time to get them experience for next season to be proper squad players (Kelleher has shown that this season to be fair to him) and letting the rest of the lads more or less concentrate on the Champions League. Our best bet in that is if they do it like a cup competition like last season for the quarters/semi/final. 

 

A horrible season where everything that could go wrong has. Next year will be much better and looking forward to seeing what gems Jurgen picks up. He isn't going anywhere.

[Aventus]

Just now, an tha said:

It very much has the feel of a wasted opportunity about it...even with the rotten luck.

That's the most upsetting thing about this. 

 

When we were shit I could almost accept it, but this team should have been cementing legendary status. We should have been better than this. 

[Megadrive Man]

8 minutes ago, Nelly-Torres said:

Does anybody think that the instabilities in central defence have had a massive effect on TAA's role? 

 

His form isn't great. But he seems to have had his attacking instincts curbed a bit. When we go forward, he doesn't seem to offer the overlap as much as he did and seems to tuck in a bit and play as a central midfielder to offer a second central blocker in front of the centre backs. Probably a tactical tweak because Klopp doesn't want the makeshift defence exposed and he's also missing, in Fabinho, his best midfielder in terms of breaking up attacks. 

 

The attacking threat down the right seems to have dropped right off. 

 

We had the perfect players for our system last season. Of the Eleven that started today, only five were playing in their normal position. Of the other six, five are clearly weaker, some significantly and Thiago in the Henderson role is difficult to judge because of this. 

 

We can't push up the way we could with VVD and Gomez in the team either due to the lack of pace that Henderson and Phillips have, so its no real surprise how much we've dropped of compared to last season. 

[El Rojo]

Kelleher was excellent again. Good that we have an able deputy given that, his brilliance aside, Alisson is an unreliable sicknote at this stage. Misses so many games for so many different reasons. 

[Jennings]

8 minutes ago, Creator Supreme said:

Clever owners would have built a fucking dynasty on the back of a PL title win. Ours have made it so that will have been the high point of their reign!

 

Completely negligent this season! I'm glad I got to see us win it again because with this lot in charge I doubt I'll see it again!

 

The same happened in 2005.

 

I was sure we'd kick on and great players would be drawn to the club.

[an tha]

4 minutes ago, Aventus said:

That's the most upsetting thing about this. 

 

When we were shit I could almost accept it, but this team should have been cementing legendary status. We should have been better than this. 

We had the choice to build from a position of unparalleled strength or to sit on on our hands (even when faced with a crisis) we chose the latter.....and only even reacted to the crisis (which we have had for months) when Matip finally forced our hand at last moment.

 

We could have had a centre half pairing that wasn't one that kills our midfield and full backs by now if we had acted quicker and more decisively.

 

 

 

 

[Jennings]

A City fan at work said to me "You're like Joe Dolce. One hit wonders."

 

Snot came out of my nose, I laughed so hard.

[KevieG]

It's just a clusterfuck of the same problems that we all rehash every second day. The domino effect through the team caused by the centre half problem, Bobby being a shell of what he was, various sicknotes adding nothing, stingy owners not replenishing the squad properly. 

 

Just need to tough it out now and secure top 4. 

 

 

[VERBAL DIARRHEA]

4 minutes ago, Jennings said:

A City fan at work said to me "You're like Joe Dolce. One hit wonders."

 

Snot came out of my nose, I laughed so hard.

That means nothing to me!

[TheDrowningMan]

21 minutes ago, an tha said:

Absolutely affected.

 

Him and Robbo aren't starting anywhere near as high up, or being able to spend as much time high.

 

And that is absolutely down to the centre half problems and the knock on effects caused.

 

Its all because our structure has been broken with the centre half issue and all the numerous knock on effects to full backs, midfield and our whole style of play.
 
The energy in middle of Hendo and Fabinho is lost, the defence don’t bring it out like our first choice 3 centre halves would and fire ball into them on move into space and as a result the full backs don’t start or stay as far forward....its a massive part of why we are impotent especially at home.
 

Yep.

 

I’m like a broken record on this, but it’s imperative we get Fabinho and Henderson back in midfield. Along with Phillips, the centre backs we’ve signed aren’t likely to reveal themselves to be Van Dijk in disguise, but we’ve brought them in presumably thinking they can fit our style of play, so get them in because we’ll continue to be a team that wins 3 or 4 in 10 if the decision is that we’ll stick with the status quo. 
 

I’d rather go down fighting with an untested combination at the back against City than meekly concede prior to kick-off, which is what we’ll be doing if the team is set up to play in the same pedestrian style as we have been.

[Moo]

3 minutes ago, VERBAL DIARRHEA said:

That means nothing to me!

Obscure reference, well done.

[Megadrive Man]

13 minutes ago, Ronnie Whelan said:

With the exception of Kel who was good, no other positives. It was probably worse than the Burnley game.

 

My only consolation is that next season, we will be a different beast. Huge players coming back and I think with the crowds in Anfield, we will look more like ourselves. I hope to God that Virgil, Gomez and Big Bird get lots of rest and are ready for next season. With Matip, get to the bottom of this shit once and for all. 

 

Pity there is all the international tournaments and Egypt will probably doubly fuck us over with African Nations and the Olympics. We need to put the foot down.

 

If it wasn't for this top 4 shit, I'd be giving Kelleher, Tsimikas, Kabak and a few young lads serious game time to get them experience for next season to be proper squad players (Kelleher has shown that this season to be fair to him) and letting the rest of the lads more or less concentrate on the Champions League. Our best bet in that is if they do it like a cup competition like last season for the quarters/semi/final. 

 

A horrible season where everything that could go wrong has. Next year will be much better and looking forward to seeing what gems Jurgen picks up. He isn't going anywhere.

 

You forgot to mention having Mbappe up front?

[an tha]

Just now, TheDrowningMan said:

Yep.

 

I’m like a broken record on this, but it’s imperative we get Fabinho and Henderson back in midfield. Along with Phillips, the centre backs we’ve signed aren’t likely to reveal themselves to be Van Dijk in disguise, but we’ve brought them in presumably thinking they can fit our style of play, so get them in. We’ll continue to be a team that wins 3 or 4 in 10 if the decision is that we’ll stick with the status quo. I’d rather go down fighting with an untested combination at the back against City than meekly concede prior to kick-off, which is what we’ll be doing if the team is set up to play in the same pedestrian style as we have been.

I hope i am wrong, but i think it will be a month (and more poor results) before we see a centre half pairing without a midfielder in it.

[Moo]

1 minute ago, TheDrowningMan said:

Yep.

 

I’m like a broken record on this, but it’s imperative we get Fabinho and Henderson back in midfield. Along with Phillips, the centre backs we’ve signed aren’t likely to reveal themselves to be Van Dijk in disguise, but we’ve brought them in presumably thinking they can fit our style of play, so get them in. We’ll continue to be a team that wins 3 or 4 in 10 if the decision is that we’ll stick with the status quo. I’d rather go down fighting with an untested combination at the back against City than meekly concede prior to kick-off, which is what we’ll be doing if the team is set up to play in the same pedestrian style as we have been.

Agree with your last paragraph 100%.

[El Rojo]

Imagine this: 

 

Alisson

 

TAA

Virgil

Matip

Robbo

 

Fabinho

Henderson

Wijnaldum

 

Salah

Firmino

Mane

 

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Neco Williams, Jones, Shaqiri, Milner, Thiago, Jota

 

 

 

[Baltar]

11 minutes ago, El Rojo said:

Kelleher was excellent again. Good that we have an able deputy given that, his brilliance aside, Alisson is an unreliable sicknote at this stage. Misses so many games for so many different reasons. 

Absolutely. We need a top new goal keeper in the summer. Not to replace Ali but to be available when Ali inevitably gets injured. It's just mind-boggling to think of a goal keeper that is injured as often as he is.

[an tha]

1 minute ago, El Rojo said:

Imagine this: 

 

Alisson

 

TAA

Virgil

Matip

Robbo

 

Fabinho

Henderson

Wijnaldum

 

Salah

Firmino

Salah

 

Subs: Kelleher, Gomez, Neco Williams, Jones, Shaqiri, Milner, Thiago, Jota

 

 

 

Salah is good but....