Newcastle (A) - Sun 27th Aug 2023 (4:30pm)

[Trumo]

Work-rate. Incisiveness. Nous.

 

I don't ask for much.

 

This is how it's gonna be. Build from the ground up.

 

The Geordie sportwashers have up to now given the impression of being cautious - the complete opposite of other regimes taking over clubs and spending like pissed up sailors on leave. Chelsea have done so twice! Man City immediately broke the British transfer record. PSG went on a splurge when the Qataris took over. Newcastle have spent big money but they've been at pains to make it look about on par with clubs like Villa for example. They've also managed to get a tune out of their new signings for the most part, and others who were there pre-PIF have found a new lease of life. Almiron and Joelinton for example. Not so long ago, they only looked to pose a threat if Saint-Maximin turned up. Last season he was marginalised, and this season he's enabled them to 'massage' the books after being flogged - pardon the pun - to the Saudi Pro League. If anything, PIF have done with that what many expected would happen at Newcastle.

 

Last season's fixture was great for the first half an hour. The Geordies had looked to come flying out of the blocks and we took a little while to get going. But we grabbed the first goal thank to some instinctive finishing from Darwin. He's better when he doesn't have time to think. Benteke was like that too, although there is more to the Uruguayan's game. He seems a bit slow in he head mind you. Cody doubled the advantage after some more incisively play. And then Nick Pope had a brainfart, charging out of the Newcastle goal to thwart Mo before inexplicably batting the ball away while still outside the area. The Geordies were down to 10 so surely we'd grab some more goals right? Wrong. We just eased right up and played without much purpose after that, and too often looked like we were a man light. Only as the game entered the final 10 minutes did it look like Newcastle had run out of steam.

 

Since the spring of 2022, we have made a habit of starting games sluggishly and being too open. At that time, we were still winning practically every game, but last season we kept getting punished. This season, while we haven't yet been made to pay, it's still something that we have yet to eradicate. Trent and especially Ali were taking the piss early on against Bournemouth last week. We've got to be more switched on, from first minute to last. I would actually advocate a cautious set-up and approach to give our players defensive confidence that they can quickly plug gaps and not give up so many chances. Then the attacking game can be allowed a bit more freedom. Don't give teams hope that they can remain in a game when they play us.

 

The last week of the transfer window is still where many fans are focused. Will we address the gaps in the squads and sign the right players to fill them? Will it be a damp squib folowed by an apology video from Henry? Our focus should be on the game. Concentration, attitude and application need to be tip-top. Don't give reason for the crowd to get up for it. Go grab the 3 points and show that we are still a formidable side. Whatever else is for another time. Get it gone!

[Bruce Spanner]

As always, fuck the Barcodes, bunch of simpleton goons.

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Macca's availability makes me feel more confident than I otherwise would have been.  We've done these twats before and we can do them again.

 

Just get these beat, Reds.

[johnsusername]

Play Nunez. 

[Pete]

Twat the cheating journalist murdering cunts. Oh and beat Newcastle United FC too. 

[Jurgen Knows]

https://x.com/bosslfcgoals/status/1694617635533590783?s=46&t=rTM5huSAdkyumn9JrNS_MQ

[manwiththestick]

I had a meeting with a manager of one of our suppliers early this week. Sound guy and I was aware he was a Newcastle fan and as usual the conversation turned to football and this game.

 

What surprised me was usually the conversations are fairly mild, no real digs at each others team etc, all very cordial but this time he broke character and went on one about how he can't stand Klopp, he's a horrible bully, they have better players and he hopes they smash us everywhere.

 

I was taken aback somewhat but just played it cool saying it should be a good game, I expect goals both sides etc.

 

If we win I'm emailing him one minute after the final whistle with loads of laughing gifs, emoji's etc.

 

Just win.

[Bobby Hundreds]

Saudi FC at Newcastles old ground isn't going to be easy, they defend brilliantly, full of energy and will exploit those weaknesses in our side that even the blind can see but for some reason we are oblivious too. I think Newcastle win this, its a bit grim how we've allowed teams to overtake us so easily.

[Barnesey]

We’re due a 5 or 6 there aren’t we?

[niallers]

And so it starts.  He didn't even make it to 3 games, 1 a week, before being injured.

 

[an tha]

If Klopp believes 3 injury prone centre halves and VVD is enough then he is sadly going to be proven wrong - just like the midfield situation from last year.

 

It is like we refuse to learn.

[Mook]

I was fairly confident going into this game but if Konate is out, we could be in real trouble at the back. 

 

That is a huge loss and as most of us have been saying all summer, we are very short there with massively inferior cover.

[etho]

The only positive I see with the Konate injury is that it's happened early and before the window closes. We are going to have to play Matip against a very good Newcastle team who will target that side, so we'll see exactly where we're at with this squad suited to this system by the weekend.

 

To my mind konates papering over the cracks with his pace

[LFC 6 Times]

Klopp’s insistence of going in short is infuriating.

[an tha]

I think we need to stick to the old more rigid 4-3-3 if Konate is out. Wouldn't want to see Matip being asked to cover loads of ground and be oulled all over the shop as TAA pushes into midfield. Isak will have a field day in that scenario.

[an tha]

15 minutes ago, Mook said:

I was fairly confident going into this game but if Konate is out, we could be in real trouble at the back. 

 

That is a huge loss and as most of us have been saying all summer, we are very short there with massively inferior cover.

Same old...all comes down to needing proper depth in terms of not just numbers but profiles to be able to play how want to - we have been lacking it for a while now - so when we have to make changes we suffer, because we don't have enough proper like for like to come in and replace seamlessly.

[johnsusername]

18 minutes ago, etho said:

The only positive I see with the Konate injury is that it's happened early and before the window closes. We are going to have to play Matip against a very good Newcastle team who will target that side, so we'll see exactly where we're at with this squad suited to this system by the weekend.

 

To my mind konates papering over the cracks with his pace

 

We went into the second half of a season with Phillips and Williams then decided to get Davies from Preston who never even played for us and the walking disaster Kabak. 

[diamondjoe]

Fuck this.

[magicrat]

I’ll be pleasantly surprised if we get anything against these. They are not going to let us away with 20 minute lapses of shambolic defending in the way Chelsea and Bournemouth did.

[No2]

When Trent got injured last week I wasn't overly upset at the prospect of him missing this game. If it's Konate instead that leads to the inverted system having a game off then I can live with that. If its the inverted system with no Konate then that's just recklessness/stubbornness/stupidity, take your pick.

[Megadrive Man]

52 minutes ago, an tha said:

If Klopp believes 3 injury prone centre halves and VVD is enough then he is sadly going to be proven wrong - just like the midfield situation from last year.

 

It is like we refuse to learn.

 

It's infuriating.  We have to sign another centre back before the window closes. 

 

[an tha]

3 minutes ago, Megadrive Man said:

 

It's infuriating.  We have to sign another centre back before the window closes. 

 

Hopefully we will.

 

Klopp:

 

"We will try to do our absolute best to have a squad next week where we can react to pretty much everything, is that possible? We will see."

[etho]

58 minutes ago, johnsusername said:

 

We went into the second half of a season with Phillips and Williams then decided to get Davies from Preston who never even played for us and the walking disaster Kabak. 

 

Slightly different in that we were completely comfortable with the system we played at the time and nobody could have foreseen all of van dijk having his leg snapped off by Pickford, Gomez doing his ACL and matip missing half the season. Once that happened it was negligent we did nothing agree.

 

This is different because we have the same number of personnel, however it appears to all of us that the new system is unsuited to matip, and Gomez looks shot to pieces. So currently our whole season looks dependent on a top form vvd and Konate remaining fit for every game.

 

 

[Jairzinho]

I'd cut your head off for a point.

[joe_fishfish]

Matip did okay in the 3-box-3 against West Ham away last season. Wasn't he man of the match?