PODCAST: Napoli 4 Liverpool 1 - Match Reaction

[tlw content]

You know things are bad when the Rocky analogies come out and in this episode we've got more of them than you can shake a stick at. The Reds got trounced in Naples as the bad start to the season continued.

 

Chris Smith is joined by John Gallagher and TLW Editor Dave Usher and the shellshocked trio try to make sense of what happened and ponder where we go from here.

 

 

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[Daisy]

Joe Gomez has not been brilliant in any game this season. 

[Daisy]

The players have definately downed tools. Why would you keep running through brick walls if the owners continually under invest in the squad to enable the team to get over the line in the big competitions? 

[halewood pete]

42 minutes ago, Daisy said:

Joe Gomez has not been brilliant in any game this season. 

Played very well.in the Derby I thought

[Daisy]

Just now, halewood pete said:

Played very well.in the Derby I thought

Horse shit. Several mistakes and they run through us at will 

[dave u]

1 hour ago, Daisy said:

The players have definately downed tools. Why would you keep running through brick walls if the owners continually under invest in the squad to enable the team to get over the line in the big competitions? 

 

Downed tools? Behave yourself.

[Pidge]

Well done with that, good listen again.  We're all reaching for answers, but a lot of it will be related to morale as well as personnel. Hopefully a 3pm Sat brings Anfield out in good voice again.

[dockers_strike]

Great pod again, boys. Think Chris makes some great points about the mentality monsters, how often can you go again when you give your absolute best and get beaten to the title by 1 point not once, but twice in a couple of seasons and lose the CL final we all know we should have won?

 

On the whole, Im a bit concerned because no resolution to the team's problems appear in sight plus, all the twatter twats and other degenerates will soon be questioning Jurgen's position if this slump goes on much longer.

[ManéMan]

9 hours ago, dave u said:

 

Downed tools? Behave yourself.

Demoralised maybe for the same reason. Seemed to be the case in the 2020/21 season when we didn't get a defender, and this season it's the midfield.

[Gumsy]

Good point about Robbos comments.

 

Virgil was spot on I thought:

"We need each other, we need to stick together – not only us as players but the whole club. Obviously we've been through it all and that's the message. Obviously we're all human beings, we want to try to perform as good as we can, sometimes you can have a bad patch and at the moment we're in it. But I'm confident we can get out of this and enjoy our football again."

 

"We need each other, we need to stick together – not only us as players but the whole club. I'm confident we can get out of this and enjoy our football again."

 

 

[stringvest]

On 08/09/2022 at 07:22, Daisy said:

The players have definately downed tools. Why would you keep running through brick walls if the owners continually under invest in the squad to enable the team to get over the line in the big competitions? 

Are you 12?  These are highly paid professional people.

[dave u]

He's assuming footballers think the same way that angry fans on twitter do.

 

While fans are kicking off that Milner (to name one as an example) is still here and getting games, to the players it's not the same. He's one of their best mates and someone they respect massively.

 

Do people really think Trent, Virg, Mo and Robbo are playing shite because they have a titty lip that Milner and Hendo weren't replaced?

 

There are loads of things wrong at the moment and loads of possible explanations for it. I'm just not buying that players sulking because we didn't sign midfielders is near the top of any list.

 

I do agree that it almost certainly crosses their mind from time to time though. I just don't think it's as big a deal from their perspective as it is for a lot of fans.

[Daisy]

Where did I say it was anything to do with their mates playing? 

 

Point is why would you push yourself past extreme physical exhaustion week after week, which requires enormous mental strength - when you know in the back of your mind the squad is not quite strong enough to win the big honours. One year the mind can put down to bad luck, but not three. 

 

 

[Chris]

27 minutes ago, Daisy said:

Where did I say it was anything to do with their mates playing? 

 

Point is why would you push yourself past extreme physical exhaustion week after week, which requires enormous mental strength - when you know in the back of your mind the squad is not quite strong enough to win the big honours. One year the mind can put down to bad luck, but not three. 

 

 

 

Fuckin' Professor Xavier over here inside the minds of the players. 

 

 

[Pidge]

Looking forward to the commemorative special edition podcast this weekend.

[Kevin D]

You really let Trent off the hook in this.

[dave u]

Don't even remember what we aid about him. I thought we all pointed out he was shite (again), and I know what I wrote in the report and in the diary. The standing around ball watching is happening a lot and it is a worry, mainly because I think there's something going on with him mentally. 

 

Not really sure what you're wanting me to say? Say we should sell him? Call him a twat? Have him publicly flogged up against the Shankly Gates?

 

I'm not going to do any of that and I'm not going to call him lazy or complacent either because I don't believe that's the case. It sure looks that way though and I can see why others are saying it, I'm just not going there as it makes no sense to me. 

[stringvest]

1 hour ago, dave u said:

Don't even remember what we aid about him. I thought we all pointed out he was shite (again), and I know what I wrote in the report and in the diary. The standing around ball watching is happening a lot and it is a worry, mainly because I think there's something going on with him mentally. 

 

Not really sure what you're wanting me to say? Say we should sell him? Call him a twat? Have him publicly flogged up against the Shankly Gates?

 

I'm not going to do any of that and I'm not going to call him lazy or complacent either because I don't believe that's the case. It sure looks that way though and I can see why others are saying it, I'm just not going there as it makes no sense to me. 

I think he's struggling with what he's being asked to do, which increasingly looks like being asked to be in two places at once.  It looks worse than previously, because I believe Salah is also being asked to play in a slightly alien position, which means that he's not doing the amount of covering he used to do, and Elliot is still adjusting.  

[Chris]

2 hours ago, stringvest said:

I think he's struggling with what he's being asked to do, which increasingly looks like being asked to be in two places at once.  It looks worse than previously, because I believe Salah is also being asked to play in a slightly alien position, which means that he's not doing the amount of covering he used to do, and Elliot is still adjusting.  

 

That's as reasonable an explanation as any I've heard. 

[MOGLET]

The team has not downed tools at all, some players are not at their best for sure.

Gomez is not at his best, yes totally agree, Salah, seems to have been weighed down by his new pay packet, deffo.

But, and its a big but, he isnt getting the service he is used to.

Bringing in the front players has sort of put him out of whack, but then, for the money, for me he doesnt do the work expected of him.

wtf has happened to TAA and VVG, both not giving what we expect.

Matip made the difference after the change the other night for sure, but why wait for it to be so obvious?

Sadly JM is too old and slow now, despite being one of the stalwarts, and Hendo is just only cutting the mustard to the closest of margins.

An ageing team, that needs a massive revamp, despite all they have achieved, we cant keep asking for more more more, especially when they have given loads loads loads.

 

[Kevin D]

17 hours ago, dave u said:

Don't even remember what we aid about him. I thought we all pointed out he was shite (again), and I know what I wrote in the report and in the diary. The standing around ball watching is happening a lot and it is a worry, mainly because I think there's something going on with him mentally. 

 

Not really sure what you're wanting me to say? Say we should sell him? Call him a twat? Have him publicly flogged up against the Shankly Gates?

 

I'm not going to do any of that and I'm not going to call him lazy or complacent either because I don't believe that's the case. It sure looks that way though and I can see why others are saying it, I'm just not going there as it makes no sense to me. 

Aye, I reckon you were fair in the diary and the report.

 

If you listen back to the podcast, though, Chris said that Gomez was culpable on all the three goals(true) but you didn’t mention that Trent was a co-conspirator on at least two.

 

Becomes a bit more glaring because John said last season that the idea that Trent can’t defend is a “myth”.

 

I think he’s clearly knackered, but if you’re playing badly, you’re playing badly and you boys pussyfooted around Trent’s odd performance, even though you had time to have a go at Robertson for correctly identifying the problem in the team.

[Chris]

5 hours ago, Kevin D said:

Aye, I reckon you were fair in the diary and the report.

 

If you listen back to the podcast, though, Chris said that Gomez was culpable on all the three goals(true) but you didn’t mention that Trent was a co-conspirator on at least two.

 

Becomes a bit more glaring because John said last season that the idea that Trent can’t defend is a “myth”.

 

I think he’s clearly knackered, but if you’re playing badly, you’re playing badly and you boys pussyfooted around Trent’s odd performance, even though you had time to have a go at Robertson for correctly identifying the problem in the team.

 

I never know with your posts whethere you're playing some character or whatever, but I'll take that at face value.

 

I'm not sure we did let Trent off the hook to be honest. I referenced Trent's walking act for the third, we spoke about how disjointed the back four looked as a whole. Trent has come in for more criticism than most on the pods this season. This was more of the same, performance wise, so to continue making the same point when Virgil and Gomez' struggles were more pronounced, seemed a bit superfluous. 

 

Trent can defend. For whatever reason he isn't doing it very well at the moment. 

[Kevin D]

13 minutes ago, Chris said:

 

I never know with your posts whethere you're playing some character or whatever, but I'll take that at face value.

 

I'm not sure we did let Trent off the hook to be honest. I referenced Trent's walking act for the third, we spoke about how disjointed the back four looked as a whole. Trent has come in for more criticism than most on the pods this season. This was more of the same, performance wise, so to continue making the same point when Virgil and Gomez' struggles were more pronounced, seemed a bit superfluous. 

 

Trent can defend. For whatever reason he isn't doing it very well at the moment. 

 

Not unreasonable.

[Paul]

21 hours ago, Chris said:

 

That's as reasonable an explanation as any I've heard. 

I'd throw another factor in: he’s not getting anything like the midfield protection he’s had previously. 

[Paul]

1 hour ago, Chris said:

 

I never know with your posts whethere you're playing some character or whatever, but I'll take that at face value.

 

I'm not sure we did let Trent off the hook to be honest. I referenced Trent's walking act for the third, we spoke about how disjointed the back four looked as a whole. Trent has come in for more criticism than most on the pods this season. This was more of the same, performance wise, so to continue making the same point when Virgil and Gomez' struggles were more pronounced, seemed a bit superfluous. 

 

Trent can defend. For whatever reason he isn't doing it very well at the moment. 

And as for the idea of “letting off” some players, I mean, we’re just lads having a chat and recording it. It’s not like it’s the fucking Guardian Football Weekly or The Athletic or whatever. We just have a chat about what’s on our minds, whether critical or supportive. “Letting off” makes it sound like there’s some obligation to be comprehensive or neutral. It’s just a load of dickheads talking shite about The Reds. We want it to be entertaining and thought-provoking I guess, but we don’t owe anyone anything bar saying what we think. If Trent isn’t on people’s minds or isn’t one of the main takeaways, then that’s just the way it is.