cuppatea

We play 2 wide forwards every single match but only have 2 players who can play there in the entire squad, which means if Mane or Coutinho are missing we either move Lallana out of position into the front 3 (which kills the midfield) or shift Firmino out wide (which kills the attack). I'd honestly take someone as shit as Wayne Routledge and play him in Mane's position if it meant actually being able to play Firmino and Lallana where they're most effective and not have them plugging gaps.

Which is probably why we look more fluid when he's on the field and as the stats show we miss him when he's not on it.

What stats? As I said previously, our record when he hasn't started is P6, W5, D1, Scored 20, Conceded 4. The last game he didn't start was Watford and we were 5-0 up by the time he came on for the last half hour. He then came back into starting XI for the 0-0 at Southampton.

He makes himself available for the ball, shields it well and usually finds a teammate (although that's aided by some extremely conservative passing) but there's absolutely no evidence to suggest we're worse without him.

He is the kind of player who is more noticeable when not playing.

Our record when he hasn't started this season is P6, W5, D1, scored 20 and conceded 4.

We could do a lot worse than Wilfried Zaha as a Mane replacement. 

We could do a lot fucking better an' all

Lallana

Origi

Mignolet

Another keeper having a worldie against us.

Did you see our second goal?

Fuck off Costa.

A draw is the by far the best result for us here.

Karius going long every time he gets it. Presumably under instruction?

Karius decent with his feet.

 

Doesn't seem any more aggressive on corners than Mignolet, though.

I don't think coming for crosses is his game.

Henderson

Lovren

Lallana

Never in doubt.

An absolute worldie:

https://twitter.com/Football365Life/status/771423168091283456

They were saying on the Guardian podcast that Sterling's camp were blaming his poor form on a lack of individual coaching from Pellegrini, which he was getting from Rodgers and is getting now from Guardiola. Apparently Manuel just left him to get on with it and the poor lad didn't like it.

Reckon he's been largely underwhelming as a 10. The bulk of his goals, assists and best performances have come as a false 9. I don't think he's linked up particularly well with any of our strikers when played behind them.

He's not the best keeper in the world but if we sold Mignolet he'd have no problem getting regular first team football at another Premier League club. Our direct replacements for Clyne (Randall or Alexander-Arnold), Can (Stewart) and Mane (Ojo) are Championship level at best, at least on current ability.

I said when our fans turned on Rodgers that if they genuinely believed all of the club's problems were entirely his doing and that replacing him with a manager who had won another league would fix absolutely everything they were setting that man up for the same sort of kicking they gave his predecessor.

If managers had the sort of impact English football fans believe (and could be as easily and objectively identified as good or bad as they believe) then they'd be the ones moving for £100m fees and £350k a week wages and Spanish clubs, who tend to just hire whichever high profile former player fancies the job, wouldn't be completely dominating European football.

If Klopp doesn't deliver the miracles expected of him by our fanbase (as in, they genuinely believe he will perform them, having heralded him as some sort of infallible deity because he won the Bundesliga and is extremely charismatic) then they'll be giving him the full Rodgers treatment in 12-18 months time, if not much sooner.

As long as we're selling to English clubs who are all awash with cash we're laughing when it comes to shifting players. It's dealing with foreign clubs who are all fucking skint that we struggle to recoup any sort of meaningful fee.

If we're loaning players out with a view to selling them we're better off sending them to the Championship than abroad. It's alright Aspas, Alberto, Suso, Illori etc doing well on loan in La Liga but if they're not good enough for the top 3 and none of the others have got a pot to piss in then we're never gonna shift the cunts.

Brother asked me earlier what he should do with the £100 burning a hole in his pocket and I had a look at the betting odds and told him to lash it on Ibrahimovic to score 1st in a 2-0 win at 35-1. Should have heeded my own fucking advice.

I'll celebrate the fee if/when we reinvest it. Even if you think he's shite, selling our 2nd top scorer from last season and not bringing anyone else in only weakens the squad. Great news for FSG, though.

So it turns out there IS a limit to the shit I will watch in aid of Olympics-fuelled nationalism.

Coutinho

Mane

Klavan

Early days yet so I may be jumping the gun but I've yet to see any indication at all in that half or any of the friendlies that Wijnauldum knows how to play centre mid.

Bring back Gregory Vignal.

Seems like Ings is barely ahead of Balotelli in the pecking order.

I resent the fuck out of having to spend half of my waking hours working. I'm essentially selling a significant portion of my limited, precious time on earth for money. People will look back on us poor cunts working 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with pity.