Supremolad

What the fuck are you on about? Fiddling with the rules isnt the main issue. VAR keep sticking their noses into the game every few minutes micro-analysing almost every incident. The challenge system would limit such VAR interference. The game would flow naturally with the on field decisions being final, the way it used to be. The game would only stop a maximum of 2 times per half for a VAR check IF a team makes a challenge. And the teams won't want to frivously waste their challenges because they wouldn't have any extra. So they would only use it when they believe it absolutely necessary.

There is no coherent argument against a challenge system. Only the "this is football" shout. Some of us already called for the challenge system when VAR was being introduced. There are definitely more positives to it. 1) The challenge system would let the game flow better. VAR won't get involved every few minutes. It would only be called into action if a team uses their one challenge per half. 2) It leaves almost every decision to the on field officials. Almost the way it always used to be. 3) It moves pressure off the officials and onto the team to make a judgement call whether they want to waste a challenge or not.

It is this type of arrogance that is plaguing football at the top level regarding reforms. Rather than see what works best in other sports like tennis, rugby, NFL etc we would have the likes of people at the top implementing a system stupidly because "this is football".

Playing below par doesn't make it ok for very bad decisions to go against a team though. "Oh, we've been shite today, hence we deserve to get a legit goal chalked off?" Weird logic. We've been poor in many games over the years and won or drawn. Should we return those points because we apparently didn't deserve them?

The two games we've lost this season have basically been because of major fuck ups from the officiating team. At some point, I truly hope it "evens out" as many people usually claim. We are definitely due an outrageous VAR decision winning us a game, preferably against City at the Etihad.

It's debatable if it was. But even if it was handball, it occurred in a different phase of play. And more crucially, the rule has been changed to ensure such goals are only disallowed if the direct scorer handled it before putting it in the net. Disallowing it was wrong on two levels.

Yeah the VAR chat was quite entertaining. Good points made on both sides of the argument. Needs to be pointed out that Liverpool kicking up a fuss after the Spurs game did bring about a couple reforms from PGMOL. They've improved the communication process and there is now clarity when checks are being made. No more vague "check complete" bollocks.

Great podcast, Dave and Co. I agree we didn't use the width of the pitch well enough against Luton. But the solution simply isn't to ask Trent to keep running down the flank all game. In this box midfield system, when Trent tucks into midfield next to the DM , the onus is upon the right sided attacking midfielder to make runs out wide when Salah drifts in. Hendo was tasked with doing that last season and executed the first part well. He made the runs but lacked sufficient quality on the ball. Enter Szobozlai. Big Dom is the one who has regularly been providing some width since he signed. He even did it in the previous league game against Forest where he kept getting in that side and eventually provided an assist. Same way he set up the chance Gravenberch should have put away against Brighton. That's how the system works. Unfortunately, Szobozlai was well below par against Luton for whatever reason. Barely made any runs and was sloppy in possession. That was the problem.

Klopp might not always get his subs right, but again this is evidence he is better than most managers out there. These numbers don't even include the times his subs provide crucial assists, like Harvey did for Diaz. I reckon there are many of those assists too.

You keep banging on about taking chances. Even the very best forward players have a chance conversion rate of 25-30%. Meaning the likes of Haaland or Messi or Ronaldo tend to miss 70-75% of chances. You need to stop damning him with faint praises. He's still 23, so of course he needs to improve further but it's ridiculous to behave as if he is still majorly flawed.

I was discussing this elsewhere too. His shot against Bournemouth and winning of the penalty at Brighton haven't been classed as assists. Same way Darwin's shot which led to Jota's goal on Sunday isn't being given as an assist. It's daft that the Premier League don't consider such situations as official assists. But in Fantasy Premier League (which is sanctioned by them), those are accepted as assists.

Brilliant point and it is one I have alluded to a few times on here when people think this hybrid system isn't the best option currently. It's not a perfect system. No system is. But we've played around 25 games in all comps with it and lost only once through a robbery. That says a lot. We simply have more control in the middle now with Trent drifting in there. It limits the number of times we get broken through the middle, which is what was happening a lot in the previous version of the 433. Of course, we cant dismiss the energy of Jones and Dom in there as a factor too. City started using this 3223 system for the same reason. Rodri is great but they still needed Stones (previously Zinchenko) drifting to the middle to help limit teams breaking on them too often. Arsenal have been using Zinchenko similarly. Trent in this system won't get many assists but we would generally be more secure in most games since we wont be relying on only Mac Allister in defensive transition.

Apart from that bit I posted above, I enjoyed the pod. Good mix of Darwin chat, insight, humour and calling for proper punsihment of cheats.

Liverpool playing 433 with fullbacks bombing on. Getting battered, opposition running right through wide spaces in central areas. Losing and drawing often. Pressure building on Klopp. Liverpool fans: We've been found out with this 433. Klopp needs to do something different. Klopp changes the system. Trent starts drifting into the middle, giving more control and support in the central areas alongside the DM. Liverpool go on a great run. Over 25 games, mostly winning with the only defeat being the robbery at Spurs. Liverpool fans: What the hell is Klopp playing at with this new system? Let's go back to the 433 which other teams had figured out. Let's go back to a system that would expose our lack of a mobile 6. It would surely work.

Love how very often you read of a player having a great run of form and then they have to point out that the player hasn't been better than Salah though. "Only Mohamed Salah has more ...". He is truly exceptional.

I think Trent (or Gomez) drifting into the middle when we're building up play isn't only meant to be a means of creative play. People have to recognise that the team needed more stability when we were getting beat almost every other week earlier this year. Having two in the middle areas during that phase gives us a bit more security if we are getting countered on through the middle. It doesn't work perfectly because no system is completely perfect. But it's way better than the previous standard 433 with our full backs high and wide. If we went back to that system, Mac Allister would be getting even more exposed.

Yep, Robertson definitely isnt very good at holding lines.

While it's true that we arguably had our strongest 11 starting on the pitch (bar Jones), the lack of options from the bench has to be properly acknowledged. Most of the wins we have had this season have been heavily influenced by quality we could bring on from the bench. Missing Jota, Gakpo and Jones. And having Gravenberch as the only real option to throw on. That wasnt enough. Even at that, he did get the chance to kill the game.

Speaking about Oliver's decision to give a yellow and not a straight red for Kovacic's lunge at Odegaard's ankle, a tackle which was nowhere near the ball - "Webb maintained it was the right decision for the VAR to not interject as that would have been “a re-refereeing of that decision”. OK, so why did the "VAR interject to re-referee" the Jones yellow card and recommend upgrading it to red when he actually got his studs on the ball first? This kind of inconsistency is what pisses off many fans.

Great podcast. The manscaped bit was brilliant. So disrespectful to TLW brand. They seriously have some balls, pun intended. I was half expecting Dave to mention whether his Dad gave Alisson pelters for some of his dodgy kicking. And also for that missed punch which resulted in the ball bouncing towards goal till Quansah cleared it. Rather, we got some discussion about an incident involving Gomez which I don't even remember.

Actually, the linesman did his job correctly in that incident. He flagged only after the ball hit the net, which is what they're supposed to do. They let the phase of play get completed when not sure if it is offside or not, and then raise the flag.

Generally I see a good number of people trying to absolve the referee of much blame. Some going as far as to show sympathy to Hooper. I still think he is a massive cunt though. If it's true that he knew of the massive clanger during half time, then the way he officiated the 2nd half was inexcusable. The Jota incidents should have been treated with the utmost leniency. See how Trent wasn't given a 2nd yellow in the Newcastle game. Knowing what he knew, Hooper could have let Jota off with a last warning. Then he also gave Spurs a very generous foul when Mo was in on goal. And booked Mo for his reaction. Robbo also got booked when he didn't need to be. On a normal day we would have been fuming about those decisions. The fact that the ref knew a Liverpool goal should have been awarded in the 1st half, and still went ahead with a high handed approach in the 2nd half confirms to me he is a massive cunt.

That's a good shout. Although that was pre-VAR so they can possibly be given benefit of doubt. The one other game which is up there as being one of the worst officiated Liverpool games in recent memory has to be the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park. Assault on Van Dijk by Pickford ignored while VAR focused solely on checking for offside. Then a late winner disallowed when there was no clear evidence of offside.

While some people are too focused on the chances he misses, the fact is all forwards miss good chances. The conversion rate for even the best of them would be around 30%. Which means even the best miss close to 70% of chances. What such people seem to ignore with Nunez is his incredible movement off the ball. Many of the chances he gets actually become chances because of his movement. Which is why he is rarely quiet in any game. Even the best defenders can't keep a tab on him all game. He is always bound to get a chance or create one. One of the best quotes I have seen about him is below.

Dave is right. Gakpo has played more than a few games at LW. His most effective game there was in the 7 nil win over Utd. But most of the other times he played in that wide position, he was ineffective. Hence, Klopp shifting him to the central areas as a false nine or an 8. I still believe Jota is our best option wide left. Diaz very often flatters to deceive, runs into dead ends and doesn't display as much guile as Jota does. And while Diaz is certainly a very good player, I'll trust Jota who drifts in more as a poacher who can sniff opportunities more regularly.