Unironically, yes.
I think it's a slight overreaction as you'll always get here, but they still won 2 trophies, came 15 minutes from another and then were denied the biggest of the lot by a top goalkeeping performance.
The last time we lost to Madrid, the very next day we lined up Fabinho and then Alisson. We went from fuck we blew the big chance, to massively revitalising the team. I think the same needs to happen here.
What was evident last night was perhaps the need for another creative type from midfield. It has tended to be either Trent or Thiago dictating games this season, but the former was off it and the latter clearly not 100% fit last night. Though once Thiago went off, very little came from the middle of the park. Keita can be great at times but is extremely inconsistent.
What Liverpool need to find this summer is a back up right back. A creative midfielder and a clinical centre forward. Obviously the last of those is tough to find now, but if Mane is to leave then it needs someone to replace him. I do not buy the Diaz as replacement thing at all.
It’ll need to start soon. Van Dijk, Mane, Salah, Henderson, Allison, Matip, Thiago, Fabinho and Firmino all turn at least 30 at some point this year.
The drugs won’t work as well over the next few years. Konate looks a beast so you’re well covered there but you’ll need to recruit well fairly soon in midfield as well as up front. Jota and Diaz leading the line will have you in the conference league in a few years.
Mate, they did a bow to the crowd on the back of a 1-1 at home with West Brom.
Hopefully this Carvalho kid comes in and plays some part. As well as Elliott not breaking his leg next year. I believe they'll be long term replacements for Thiago and Frimino. You're right about the other outfield players though. They are ageing, but I will guess he'll only want to replace 1 or 2 a year.
If Mane does go it'll be quite sad. He was the first big signing Klopp made and he typifies everything he wants from the team.
Keep the crisis talk to yourselves please, we're fucking class.
I find it a bit premature to talk about Liverpool's demise sadly. Obviously the replacements for the 30 year olds will be key but not much has suggested recently that they will get it wrong. Losing by the odd goal/point is a pretty healthy starting point to be in.
Talk of turning 30 as if it's 1987. Most of those players have got years left in them yet. Waiting for players to become no good based on age is a mugs game. The only real danger is the 'last big contract' effect where you sign someone up to a massive one at 30 and they promptly turn to shite [Salah could do this].
I don't know if he's got it in him but I'd love to see Firmino drop back [back back?] into midfield. I feel the move away from playing him in the big games hasn't really worked even if he's the sort of player that, as a fan, you always think is on the cusp of becoming a really great player by adding goals to his game, but it never really happens [can see Havertz being similar].
Henderson probably needs to be shifted to a utility/totemic Milner style role over time.
I think it's just teams getting wise to what Liverpool are going to do. The same seems to happen to every "system" eventually. Then it comes down to if the manager has the ability to change the system. They usually don't ala Pochettino, Wenger, Mourinho etc, and just move to another club.
That and half the players being exhausted after months of Kloppball.
That's because of your early season form though. The wins have been pretty hard fought this side of Christmas. Especially since the United game. Wolves had your number for most of the game. 2 goalless finals. There is definitely a theme of them struggling to score developing.
Personally for the big games I’d start Firminio. He’s the one who knits things together if these rumours were true of Kane then I wouldn’t be against it him dropping into the holes that Firminio does whilst being a lot more clinical could work.
Even this bandwagon jumping of not winning the league because we didn’t beat any of the other top four is a bit off. We lost the league because of losing to Leicester and West Ham or drawing away at Brentford or at home with Brighton when we probably should have won games or at least got a point in each.
The form in the second half of the season has been more than fine I mean we won 16 games out of 18 it’s the sloppy points dropped in the first half of the season that cost.
They have but that’s how it was the year we won the league Klopp noticeably tightened things up in the second half of the season to just make sure we won games.
Plus we have played every 3 days since the middle of February I think in the end that has started to catch up with the players.
The French are claiming that 70% of the people in the stadium had fake tickets. I love when Cops make shit up to cover their ass.
How does that even work? Was there 70% more fans there or did they just bar thousands of legit ticket holders from entry?
Probably the latter. They probably stopped letting people in once they saw the stands looked at capacity.
TheTicketlessTicketed Reds getting donned by The Moody Ticketed Reds.![]()
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61653086
England will play their Nations League group match against Hungary in Budapest on Saturday with at least 30,000 fans in attendance - even though the fixture is being held behind closed doors.
Hungary have been ordered to play games without crowds after racist behaviour by their fans.
But their football association is using a Uefa regulation that allows children to attend, accompanied by an adult.
That's saying NO to racism alright. Fuck I hate this World sometimes.
Presumably we'll be doing the same for our one.
The only sanctions that hurt are sporting ones. Why they can't bring themselves to deduct 3 or even 1 point from qualifying groups for nations that have badly behaved fans I have no idea.
They're handing out a phonetic script of the Ukranian national anthem to the Scots tonight![]()
The charity shield is being held at Leicester this year for some reason.
Women's Euros.
The schedule this year is absolutely daft. Also five subs which I'm very upset about. Football edges ever closer to the players just being interchangeable running machines.
30 July: Diversity Shield
6 August - 13 Nov: Apertura
14 Nov - 25 Dec: World Cup break
26 Dec - 28 May: Clausura
All so that Sepp Blatter and Jack Warner can drink from the teats of Arabian milk and honey well into their 80s.
Hickey and Billy G start
Fkn into these greeting faced rats. More Zinchenko tears pls
I see Pardew's left CSKA Sofia because the black players got racially abused. That was quick.
I listened to a podcast with Brian Howard who played out there and he said the racism was on another level. They had a few Africans who just got pelters, especially when they lost.
Spoke with some random football marketing company today about the premier league's plan to release NFTs. Dearie me.
Hasn't that ship already sailed? Came and went faster than the ice bucket challenge.
Even the Englishman in our squad are belting it out.
Fucking mon
Goosebumps at that
Scotland should really lean into their one opportunity they'll ever have to be the baddies here. Waste time, niggly fouls, shout "'mon the Putin" at their opponents, that sort of thing.
Instead they appear to be desperately trying to let them score.
I can’t believe in this day and age we’re still starting Grant Hanley
We have been absolutely dreadful![]()
Mon the injury time winner.
Just give them the trophy now.
This hasn’t even been close. Absolutely outclassed everywhere.
Second booking for going to the crowd pls ref
Strange to see the likes of Next Makelele Billy Gilmour be outclassed by nobodies like Ruslan Malinovskyi (who is the spitting image of Kiko btw). God bless the gammon hype.
Glad they let them win.