Our Attack

[Mil-ing Around]

Gather round mother fuckers. The creator of the once widely popular "our midfield" thread has something to say.

 

When I started that thread nearly 2 years ago the first two pages were full of people saying there is fuck all wrong with our midfield. They soon realised. I now have them peeling my grapes and throwing them up to my throne. 

 

Our attack is seriously lacking fluidity, timing, skill and guile. We have become a power team. Which is fine against shite but against decent teams or players it won't cut it. We don't actually create proper chances anymore. Or should I say we don't unless the game is open.

 

We shoot from the most stupid fucking places and that isn't the way a top side should always score goals.

 

Easy to say we miss a prime Firmino with all his class and skill around the box but we had Mane too, a very underrated passer of the ball. A player with an outstanding football brain. Peak fabinho played some quality balls forward. But It's not just about passing forward it's about when to release the ball and timing.

 

So what have we got now. Nunez, debate him all you want, but he isn't consistently going to play the correct pass at the exact right moment. Diaz, out of form & coming off a year out but he's a street footballer who rarely played the right pass at the right time anyway. Salah, well great finisher but how much longer will he stay and how long can he keep doing it? And does he actually beat his man anymore and release the ball at the right moment? Jota great finisher, but he's injured too much and isn't amazingly creative. Gakpo, he's decent but his first touch is always backwards at the moment.

 

Behind them, Endo? Doesn't see that pass forward quickly enough. Jones, too many touches, and rarely sees the right pass. Elliot? Don't get me started, his passing and vision isn't anywhere near good enough. Dom? Good player, he has decent vision and awareness. McAllister? Well I now see why Jürgen plays him there, he lacks defensively but he sees the right pass which helps us create good quality chances.

 

All of this results in Virgil, Trent or Matip/Konate having to play ridiculously difficult balls from defence to open the game up. It shouldn't be like that. And even if it is, once we get around the box the final product or chance creation is shit (once the front 3 have the ball). Some cunt will show me a stat of how we are top scorers bla bla bla. But I don't care. I know we don't create good quality chances anymore. We don't open up teams properly anymore. 

 

If you want to win the league and champions league again we won't do it with this type of football. That area of the pitch needs to improve dramatically. Either by adding another two players (and possibly selling 1 or 2) or by changing our system/tactics. To be honest, I think Klopp knows this. You can sense he's not happy. I don't see him making this attack hugely better so I hope he bites the bullet and sells a couple in the summer and changes it around. We need players with more football brains and more ability than what we have in my opinion.

 

You aren't going to win enough games by shooting from outside the box for 90 minutes. We need to cut teams open. Play 1 touch passes, play the guy in who's over lapping, play the final pass for a tap in, instead of shooting, have combinations around the box, do what your teammates are expecting you to do, run where you should run and when you should run. Attack in one wave, instead of one player slowing it all down and allowing the defences to re-group...we hardly do any of these things and it's why we don't create good quality chances. It needs to get much better to win the big prizes.

 

 

[Aventus]

I'm starting to think our players don't trust Darwin. They tend to hesitate when he's making a run like they're checking for a better option and when they don't see one the eventually pass it to him, by which point he's offside or has someone marking him again.

[LFC 6 Times]

Gakpo has been hugely under appreciated by Klopp this season. He deserves a sustained run in the side. Was superb tonight.

[Bjornebye]

We've got Gakpo and Nunez, and Jota to come back. We're in a great moment. Oh yeah, Salah and all. 

[Carvalho Diablo]

Darwin - time those runs better lad.

 

Mo - use your right foot more.

 

Diaz - use your left foot more.

[TheHowieLama]

It's not as good as it was.

[joe_fishfish]

Yep, too many poor decisions in the final third, too many wasted chances, no real cohesion. Might be down to tiredness. Might be down to certain players just not being good enough.

[Code]

Salah: 24 games - 15 goals - 7 assists

Jota: 17 games - 8 goals - 0 assists

Nunez: 25 games - 7 goals - 7 assists

Gakpo: 22 games - 7 goals - 1 assist

Diaz : 21 games - 5 goals - 0 assists

 

 

 

[coachpotato]

We have been very good at creating loads of chances, from when Mane and Firmino were tearing it up with Mo, up to and including now, but we haven’t always been very good at taking them.

I accept we’ve been up there with the best in terms of goals scored, but I’d venture we are one of the more average teams in terms of goals scored per chances made. 

[SasaS]

At least we now finally have goalscoring midfielders. This may come handy.

[Scott_M]

5 hours ago, joe_fishfish said:

Yep, too many poor decisions in the final third, too many wasted chances, no real cohesion. Might be down to tiredness. Might be down to certain players just not being good enough.

Despite the amount of goals we scored with Mane, Salah & Firmino, we were incredibly wasteful at times. 
 

Personally, I don’t have an issue with our attack. They haven’t grown old together and they are at various points in their mid-20’s. There will obviously be some natural attrition, it doesn’t require the major surgery the midfield eventually did. 
 

I also still think we’re learning on the job this season. New players settling in, players coming back from long term injury, adjusted tactics… IMO, we’re ahead of where I anticipated us to be. 

[Babb'sBurstNad]

I stopped reading at the criticism of Elliott's passing and vision. Blasphemy.

[VladimirIlyich]

35 goals and top or second top scorers indicates our attack is pretty fuckin good. 

[Kevin D]

On 21/12/2023 at 14:56, Code said:

Salah: 24 games - 15 goals - 7 assists

Jota: 17 games - 8 goals - 0 assists

Nunez: 25 games - 7 goals - 7 assists

Gakpo: 22 games - 7 goals - 1 assist

Diaz : 21 games - 5 goals - 0 assists

 

 

 

Those Salah numbers are remarkable.

 

Played 24 and scored or assisted in 22.
 

That’s not exactly what I’ve been seeing, performance wise, but you can’t argue with stats like that.

 

Is there a Home/Away breakdown? He must be better than 1:1 at Anfield.

[Jordy Brouwer]

I thought the OP was decent enough but a bit lacking in answers. Things like 

 

On 21/12/2023 at 00:17, Mil-ing Around said:

do what your teammates are expecting you to do, run where you should run and when you should run.

 

Well........................ yes. 

 

On 21/12/2023 at 00:17, Mil-ing Around said:

Attack in one wave, instead of one player slowing it all down and allowing the defences to re-group.

 

I think there is something to that. I think we move the ball forwards too slowly so the opposition ends up in a block. The goal is then to pass the ball around their formation looking for gaps and overlaps but its hard when a team is already in a block. Its the reason Klopp likes counter pressing so much - you can get attacking situations where the opposition isn't in a block. Unfortunately our counter press can be a bit hit and miss these days. It was boss last game though. 

 

On 21/12/2023 at 00:17, Mil-ing Around said:

Play 1 touch passes, play the guy in who's over lapping, play the final pass for a tap in,

 

Yeah, I think they are trying - its hard against a team in a low block. 

 

Personally I'd like to use more width against low blocks. Drive to the the line and cut the ball back. City do it all the time. Our wingers now cut inside all the time. That's one of my answers insofar as I have any. If they are great at blocking like United were, make them mark up, intercept and clear - see how good they are at that. 

 

Shooting from range isn't the worst thing in the world - sometimes you get lucky.

 

I agree in general - its our weaker area of the field. 

[Kevin D]

Diaz and Nunez constantly go into business for themselves, Salah must be shaking his head that Firmino left and we refuse to start his replacement.

[Lee909]

Can we talk to Milan and Forest and get Divock on loan for 6 months 

[Mil-ing Around]

On 22/12/2023 at 22:20, Jordy Brouwer said:

I thought the OP was decent enough but a bit lacking in answers. Things like 

 

 

Well........................ yes. 

 

 

I think there is something to that. I think we move the ball forwards too slowly so the opposition ends up in a block. The goal is then to pass the ball around their formation looking for gaps and overlaps but its hard when a team is already in a block. Its the reason Klopp likes counter pressing so much - you can get attacking situations where the opposition isn't in a block. Unfortunately our counter press can be a bit hit and miss these days. It was boss last game though. 

 

 

Yeah, I think they are trying - its hard against a team in a low block. 

 

Personally I'd like to use more width against low blocks. Drive to the the line and cut the ball back. City do it all the time. Our wingers now cut inside all the time. That's one of my answers insofar as I have any. If they are great at blocking like United were, make them mark up, intercept and clear - see how good they are at that. 

 

Shooting from range isn't the worst thing in the world - sometimes you get lucky.

 

I agree in general - its our weaker area of the field. 

 

For the first 15 minutes of the 2nd half the counter pressing was exceptional. We won the ball back high up so many times.

 

After that we did fuck all with it. We wasted so many great opportunities/positions with bad passing or decision making. 

 

Our attack is not on the same wavelength, lacks cohesion and makes poor decisions.

 

Diaz has been here 2 years, Nunez 18 months, Salah a long time. You'd think one of the best attacking managers in the world can get them linking up better. But he can't. They all make the same bad choices over and over. I'm not even having a go at them. I'm sure they try, but they just don't have the ability/awareness to do it. 

 

Klopp has a big decision to make. He never usually bins off his signings quickly. He tries to coach and improve them for their entire contract .But they've had long enough and are showing little signs of becoming a fearsome attack. Will be interesting to see if he bites the bullet in the summer, sells 2 or 3 and rips it up to start again. In my opinion he needs to, because this attack ain't it. 

 

 

[TD_LFC]

Diaz gets a pass, he's coming off a serious knee injury and a serious family event which he missed very little football for.

 

Hate having to praise Fergusons UTD teams twice in a week but he'd have been shipped off on a mid season break to get himself together.

[Tenfolder]

7 minutes ago, TD_LFC said:

Diaz gets a pass, he's coming off a serious knee injury and a serious family event which he missed very little football for.

 

Hate having to praise Fergusons UTD teams twice in a week but he'd have been shipped off on a mid season break to get himself together.

 

I have no doubt the lads knee still isnt 100%(as evidenced yesterday) and more so he is absolutely emotionally beat from everything hes gone through with his family(again evidenced yesterday by him having what looked like a bit of a tear up after coming off), he 100% gets a pass from me for now.

 

What he does need is to not have to play every game and get a bit of a break but unfortunately the other main LW player spends half his season injured and Klopp doesnt seemingly trust anyone else to do the job.

 

Interestingly i guess if Carvalho does end up coming back from his loan I do wonder if Klopp begrudingly plays him in that spot given we lose Mo in January and I can see Jota being pushed out to the right with Elliott as his rotation If Jota is even ready in time.

[Red74]

Diaz was never this great player people think he was. He was very good coming off the bench and would change the game against a tired defence but when he started, he’d gas early and would offer what he’s giving us now.

 

Shaqiri, minamino and Origi offered us far more than Diaz, Nunez & Gakpo and they were fringe players. 
 

 

[Section_31]

2 minutes ago, Red74 said:

Diaz was never this great player people think he was. He was very good coming off the bench and would change the game against a tired defence but when he started, he’d gas early and would offer what he’s giving us now.

 

Shaqiri, minamino and Origi offered us far more than Diaz, Nunez & Gakpo and they were fringe players. 
 

 

 

Put that crack pipe down, right now.

[3 Stacks]

Diaz was a great talent whose career has stalled. He has gotten much worse than when he first started playing for us. 

 

Nunez is just braindead and cant control his body. 

 

Gakpo was always meant to be a supporting piece in the squad anyway. Same for Jota, really. 

[Red74]

48 minutes ago, Section_31 said:

 

Put that crack pipe down, right now.

Watching these bums has drove me too it

[Jairzinho]

If we played with fullbacks like we used to we could play 4-3-1-2 when everyone is fit (no laughing at the back), with Gakpo playing just off Salah and Jota. Diaz and Nunez could be used to stretch teams late on in games.