The latest episode of Analysing Anfield is here, with host Josh Williams joined by special guest Andrew Beasley for this week’s tactics and analytics podcast.
The lads discuss the current issues plaguing the Liverpool squad, what the Reds need in the transfer window and also any concerns they may have over the performance of manager Jurgen Klopp.
#LFC #YNWA #AnalysingAnfield
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Things have to change. Sometimes in life we need to take a step back to take 2 forwards. A huge overhaul needed in the summer. First thing is a good sporting director to find us players with good value, like Edwards did. We need to see whats happened to our medical department. And we need new managers, and i tell you why. We play heavy metal football every week, sometimes twice a week, some players don't have proper backup, and they are exhausted, we had only this season over 30 hamstrings, most in training ground, this is unacceptable. players come with no injury record, and with a few months injured. Diaz get a new injury the day he is back from months away. Every team knows how to play us, the bottom half just do a low block, because they know our mid lacks creation, and they will score against our exposed high line. Madrid beats us every time with a mid with 30 years plus, with quality, mobility and pass between lines. We signed thiago and jota and didn't sign a center back, and we always had injuries because of klopp, and our season was over but Alisson save us with that header. we are needing a midfielder, and he brings gapko and nunez, and again our season is over. How many times klopp will do this until we are in a position that we can't get out of ? this system is dead, not working, we don't have the man power to play like this every week, we don't and we won't have a squad depth to play like this. We need to retain the ball, create, control the game, that is why city and madrid are doing very well, they don't exhausted there players every game, they could because they have money to get squad depth, we don't, yet still we manage to get every single player in our squad from last season to not perform with injury record and burnout. I repeat we need new managers, sometimes in life we need to take a step back to take two forward.
Extended highlights of Bournemouth v Brighton and the standard of football coming from the away team, compare to Liverpool's currently, night and day. Whatever happens in the summer i can't help but think the squad will still have a cluster of midfielders that can't play together due to a lack of mobility.
Variety is the spice of LIFE
A good rest and a proper pre-season does the world of good for Mo, Jota, Fab, Hendo, VVD, Konate, Trent and Robbo. Nunez and Gakpo will have bedded in, Diaz will be back fully fit.
A couple of good signings in Midfield, Jude and Mount for example and we are different side again.
Fabinho needs to go as number 1 for six position. He can stay in the squad for rotation but should not be the number one choice. And shifts to third choice if the youngster Stefan comes back strong. It's all three midfield places need NEW first choice players incoming. Anyone who remains will do so as a strong back up. Need 1 central defender to challenge VVD and fill in when Konate is out. Need a right back to challenge Trent. So that's five in. And startb7sing Elliott in Salah's position. And stop using Milner at full back please so unfair on him so unambitious. And might need new back up goalie
Hear me out lads- sign Alexis mac Allister, Mason Mount, Ruben Neves, Enzo le Fee, Kim Min Jae and a decent gk. Total spend- 200 million. Sell- Matip, Nat Phillips, Fabinho, Kelleher 😢, Rhys Williams for 70 million, free transfers Bobby Firmino😢, Naby Keita, Ox, Millie, Adrian.
Interested to hear you both describe a summer whereby we signed ‘Mount and Bellingham’ as near perfect. Personally I don’t think this solves our major issues. Earlier in the piece you articulated our need in Midfield to be energy and pressing around Fabinho / Bajcetic. Although both ‘can’ press, I don’t think it is either’s natural game. A front six of, for example, Fabinho, Mount, Bellingham, Nunez, Gakpo and Salah would be low intensity, and thereby struggle to bring the full backs into the game. Personally I would prefer to couple Bellingham/or Mount with someone like Kone. Would love to hear you address this midfield balance question on the show.
1st if I was coaching/ I'll Identify the weak areas. The Captain.& Top players.
We all talk about the Midfield. we no this. However! we have other issues
Van_dyk no competition. he's lost it now. not fast, or dedicated to going into tackles, forecasting danger organising…it's all gone… why?
3 key areas to fill Fabino MO Salah and VVD
All those was leaders top players none we can rely on age hunger, whatever they need to be benched rested pre season needs to be evaluated on the staff, not the money making .
CL well don't expect it if not then Europa will be a pain who wants to play Europa this summer the more games for little honours wont work without a progressive academy.
LFC had that klop's always selling/ doing the books more Than favours for the Club that benefits the whole team
We cold of bought one mid every year for the past 4 years so the reason why the drop off was all Klop's fault
Remember FSG never said they don't want to buy players, it was klop senile behaviour that was obvious…. everyone's trying to move it on FSG. Well they never made any decisions on signings, or told klop the team wasn't ready… bias fanbase want fsg to interfere when it goes wrong, and shut up, take it in the a.. when its's all righ
I don't do romance i told u all from xmas klops finished
The team needs 6nplayers 3 midfielders one holding mid with guile creativity klop needs to change his style of play get the mid into more advance areas and play more triangles together instead of wingers outdated again like the 90's era Fergie
stop pressing high every game predictable means easy to work out.
I would retire Trent to bench play him in different systems that works for the team not one person attacking the whole team relying on him while the league waits for the opening
FANINO he has no creation, we need a Alonso type, all he does is kick , block, now he's liable for bs slow tackle's arguing with the ref because there nothing else to offer basic joe
VVD No good need to spend bug or get replacement leave him Hendo to have extended rest if u want the best this season and no touring unless u have a full squad with rest
MO This has to be klop's worse demise with Trent always playing little on field stop it salah's played 100games in 2 seasons klop stop the work horse slave mentally dead brain over worked Donkeys
spend replace him with the Napoli forward Khvicha Kvaratskhelia magic player, sometimes it's not numbers, it's all about the quality. They all have to be as good, or espier to being better than lose seniors niv'e listed above in order to go on to the next Level.
Transformation with these players must be on point, not like this season.
Waiting on boll.. KLOP waited to long to upgrade due to dementia now LFC playing snakes & Ladders down the table. There's no excuses for the demise.
klop c…
For the next Q&A can someone pls pls pls ask Josh who cuts his hair 😅
The problem is, we have 6 forwards that cant play in all areas, even though it's Documented.
NUNEZ
Good on the left W, so we have 3 left sided forwards, what we will see more of the tail end this and next season, good work there.
2nd
GAKO A good left sided and centre forward player
3rd DIAZ Amazing…we hope going forward, however!
LD Mastered the left side wing, that can float around from time to time…he's not mane.
4rd
NUNEZ Can play the left side wing, doing a good job…
Now centre is meant to be his area, and Salah, jota can also play centre forward.
Firmino.
Original player, who's leaving, also plays in one Area. Because he's to slow on the wings.
So all six players are good playing from the left forward line, swinging into the centre, this makes the team an unbalanced front line.
The 1st problem is Salah plays 100 games on the right? No replacement
who else can play there, or has? Major issues,
Jota's is a issue, he's best in the middle, however! ( he's meant to be a Left sided player! Jota hasn't scored in 8 months, with injuries 'we know. Unless he's in the box, & LFC's on top Jota could be surplus to requirements in the near future @45 Mil??
Debatable, however another chance unique fox in box style can only be better than Dirk kyt off the bench.
If Jota could play on the right, it may be worth over looking him this season.
jota's good in the air, fox in box, not asking to much the facts are his all round game not fast and physical more creative for the rest minded? .
This might make him obsolete in the near future. if u want to be successful, & counter productive at the same time, then sell Jota get assensio Madrid type right sided player more balance game time happiness, or hope Joa Felix doesn't sign his loan contract at Chelski lol , I would Love (Khvicha Kvaratskhelia Napol) and reinvent him on the right attacker to test salah's last season before the club sell the old cow, don't expect miracles but we should be prepared if salah burns out or want to leave and before someone say we cant get all those then even without Bellingham, we can still be successful with other wolves Napoli out of contracted players on a good quality budget price. Don't put all in one basket as we found doing this has left the club in diabolic bs incompetent dinosaur over played worked Donkey team.
Our midfield is dirt tbf hendo shouldn’t be near that team.
And first time since klopp has been here he’s planting a seed of doubt in my head.
Something not right
I think Fab will be fine next season, yes he's struggled this year but so has all the team, the whole team seem to be a yard off pace so it's little wonder Fab has looked off it especially in such a exposed position.
funny how this conversation asking if Fabinho is past his peak keeps cropping up but the same isn't been asked about Trent who's been the teams worst performer this season imo, not every footballer hits their peak in their late 20s, players like Fowler, Owen, Dele Alli and even Rooney peaked far younger so who's to say Trent hasn't peaked
Klopp will be great manager for 5 years, he will build a winning team in 2 years, but will be too loyal for a good number of players to miss the transition point, just like he did at Dortmund and Liverpool.
On the Klopp issue, whilst I don't think he's having a particularly good season, I don't particularly think he's doing anything different to what he does in a normal season, it's just that with the way we're playing it's being exposed more. He's notorious for late substitutions, rarely does he ever change the game from the bench, the problem is that normally it doesn't matter because the players carry his weaknesses as a manager through. This season they're not, so when he does make a late substitution, or his substitution doesn't bail us out of the ditch we've dug for ourselves, it highlights his weaknesses more.
A hugely enjoyable podcast, even though things are going awry at the club.
What's up with Mo Stewart?
Lfc's problems began when we lost always available 75k a week Gini with a crock called Thiago. 200k a week for a player who's regularly missing and blows hot and cold when available. The worst major signing since Carroll.
I have spent many hours researching and analysing Liverpool this season.
I have concluded that the main problem is that the players are not very good at association football.
I think resting Trent and trying out another quality right back would be good for LFC moving forwards, it all starts to feel a bit cult-like in terms of the continuing bypassing of his poor performances. If he's the new Gareth Bale then LFC need to be brave and move him out of right back to somewhere else up the pitch, or alternately, use a different option to give more defensive solidity.
Perhaps, along with new player for Klopp, he could do with a new No.2 in the coming transfer window.
The players are burnt out, both mentally & physically. It wouldn't surprise me if the backroom team aren't also fried. An aging squad playing the most intense season in the history of the premier league & then having the majority of the squad take part in a World Cup MIDSEASON was always going to impact any endeavours in at least the short-term. The fact that Liverpool's distance covered this season is one of the lowest in the league is a huge indicator. If you don't think the players are lazy or trying to cheat manager/fans, then that is the only conclusion that can be drawn.
As a side note it's always interesting to me that Henderson is never criticised for his contribution or lack thereof when discussing the midfield issue, especially given how bad his numbers currently are.
Great show, thanks