Nah klopps just creating a narrative, fake news. No injuries, we need to get wumminator to start a thread to get the media to pick up on our injury mind games.
Liverpool 2020-21
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
I think it's impressive we're still in the title conversation looking at that. I don't think we'll be able to keep up with City though.
The Matip news explains why we brought in 2 today, as opposed to doing it earlier in the window. Losing Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip to season ending injuries in the same season is pretty outrageous bad luck. Yet we find ourselves 3rd in the table, 4 points off the top, which is crazy, considering. We’ve really missed Jota as well, who has been out for a couple of months now and we definitely could have done without Thiago being out for like 2-3 months as well. What a horrible season, injury-wise. Now we’ve got Mane and Fabinho out.
I’ve got high hopes for Davies and Kabak, personally. How often has Klopp gotten a player from a poor/weaker side and given them the platform to show what they’re really capable of? Robertson being a prime example. Jota was double the player he ever was for Wolves when he came here as well, scoring game in, game out. I’m backing Klopp to work his magic on these new defenders. Phillips has looked fantastic, also.
A lot to be optimistic about.
I’ve got high hopes for Davies and Kabak, personally. How often has Klopp gotten a player from a poor/weaker side and given them the platform to show what they’re really capable of? Robertson being a prime example. Jota was double the player he ever was for Wolves when he came here as well, scoring game in, game out. I’m backing Klopp to work his magic on these new defenders. Phillips has looked fantastic, also.
A lot to be optimistic about.
So now it looks like Henderson or Fabinho in the back with one of the kids for the foreseeable future unless we catch lightning in a bottle with one of these transfers. I guess it comes down to who we are playing at the given moment and who compliments Thiago better.
It’s a testament to the quality and mentality of these lads and the structure we have in place, but also we’re sadly competing with a side than can sign 50million pound defender after another till they get it right. Whereas we need to strike home with every transfer just to compete. I think it’s unlikely we win, but with this manager and squad I’d never bet against them. It’d be the most impressive title win for any side imo.
So they got 2 defenders? Ben Davies and Kabak?
Remember when Arsenal had that reputation for crocked players on the treatment table during the latter Wenger years? it's funny how we've gotten a surge of injuries all of a sudden since we appointed their head doctor of 10 years Gary O'Driscoll, last March.
I will never understand why Kabak is so highly-rated 
I’m hoping he comes good but honestly I’m with you there. I would have taken diop over him and most of the other players we were linked with bar mustafi.I will never understand why Kabak is so highly-rated
Sending Minamino to Southampton is a strange one in some regards. Whilst I think he’d definitely be behind jota Shaq and maybe even ox, he’s a useful player in a congested season. The caveat being I suppose he hasn’t had a look in even in our lowest moments which probably suggests he’s not doing enough to improve in training. His best game ironically was his last at palace and he hasn’t had a look in since. Extremely weird but he also seems like a player who needs a run of games in the team, his style isn’t really suited to impact off the bench which is what we’ve asked of him basically. I know the lads all raved about him after the CL clashes we had with Salzburg but it seems like he hasn’t adapted to the demands here. I can’t see how origi offers more but he’s had far more minutes recently so he must be doing something. I think a big factor is the height as we’ve lost a lot of threat in the air both defensively and offensively due to the absence of VVD and Matip. We’ve gone from it being one of our major strength to jsut being par with the rest of the sides in the league. With the continued absences, it’s likely getting worse and we did concede a set piece from the zone he was occupying after we subbed him. Only reason I can think of other than experience.
Hopefully he has a good loan spell but I’d rather have kept him.
Hopefully he has a good loan spell but I’d rather have kept him.
To get a quality centre-back in the winter transfer window is of course difficult and he is surely a better option than R.Williams & Phillips but not even Klopp can bring Kabak to the level of really good quality.
He's what, 7th or 8th choice?
I don't see him getting a game at Southampton ahead of Ings or Che Adams.
Who did he replace and why did ye get rid of the other guy?
He won't be direct competition for Ings, given how Soton plays he's more likely to take Armstrong's or Walcott's place imo, maybe Adams too as second striker. He has quality enough to improve their starting XI and Southampton wouldn't have moved for him if they didn't think he could improve their starting XI either imo.
I look forward to this being proven wrong.
It sounds like you're basing his ability on just this season, where the entire team has been terrible. There are many great players that you could claim are bad, by judging them on a similar small sample size. By all accounts, he was brilliant last season, and was brilliant at his former Club. After watching several YouTube videos of him, it is quite clear to see what Klopp sees in him. He looks great at carrying the ball out, he looks great in the air and he looks to be a bit of a beast, physically, with a very strong tackle in him.
Worst case scenario, he isn't that good and we just give him back and go for one of our original targets in the Summer. Best case scenario, he's brilliant and we get him on the cheap in the Summer. Edwards has played a blinder here.
Personally, I think he is going to be a hit.
I follow the Bundesliga since a long time (I have even lived in Germany for 10 years) therefore i have seen enough matches of him.......i accept your opinion but he was never "brilliant" for Stuttgart & Schalke in my eyes (And to be honest yes the entire Schalke team is terrible this season and he is one of the main reasons for it).
I agree with you that this isn't a bad deal for Liverpool but i just can't see that he will be good enough for Liverpool.
How much have Liverpool paid in a loan fee?
Would it feck
you're the current PL champions and were rightfully the favourites for the title at the start of the season. You aren't some plucky underdog!Silly comment, tbh. We've lost our first, second and third choice CBs. That is enough to seriously decimate any team. City fans pinned a lot of their failures last season on losing just Laporte. To be where we are, having lost VVD, Gomez and Matip to season ending injuries is incredible. Imagine City losing all 3 of Dias, Laporte and Stones for the rest of the season. Imagine United losing all 3 of Maguire, Lindelof and Bailly. It is massive.Would it feck
Agree with this.
Fernandinho is doing an excellent job in midfield again. Imagine him and Rodri having to be sent back to CB duties, would leave midfield light with KdB injury too.
For Utd I'd imagine Matic and Mctominay (can't trust Tuanzebe like we can't Rhys) would drop back. More defensive work in CM for Pogba which changes his, and Utd's, game for the worse.
I can't imagine either team being top three under those circumstances with all due respect.
We've gotten by just fine with plethora of injuries in the past. The difference is that the league is piss poor this year hence you're in it. Hence why a team like ours was top.
Shh. Let them pretend they're performing miracles while potentially being 7 points behind a City team that started the season hopelessly.Would it feck
It's incredibly fecking different. First off, you have Fabinho who is probably your second best CB behind van Dijk in reality. Playing McTominay, Fred or Matic at centre back would be completely different to having someone like Fabinho who is able to drop back there with ease. He often played as a rightback at Monaco so he obviously has the tools. There are absolutely no standout teams this year hence why you're still in the running. Every single recent season proceeding this one there would be teams on 50+ points by now. I'm sorry, but the competition is incredibly weak. If you really think Liverpool winning it this year would be the most impressive title win of any team you're absolutely delusional and are blatantly trying to puff up the significance in case you do win it. We've dealt with far worse injury crises and still performed.
It's bizarre and hilarious in equal measure. I get that their win last year was a damp squib, but feck me. They'll say and do anything to be remembered as the most speshul team ever.
Greatest 2nd/3rd placed team ever. Let's get the T shirts printed and set to go.
Just realised that he also implies that it would be even more impressive than Leicester's title win. FFS
Right?! There are loads more special and impressive title wins to be honest, a few injuries doesn't suddenly equal the most legendary success story of all time. It'd be fecking depressing if it did.Just realised that he also implies that it would be even more impressive than Leicester's title win. FFS
Good to see Liverpool signing Manchester United fans. Well done, Agent Ben.
Apologies if this has been posted already.
Apologies if this has been posted already.
First of all, there's no need to swear.
Secondly, Fabinho is not our 2nd best CB. That is revisionism at its finest, and a futile attempt to make your argument stronger and invalidate mine. Ask any Liverpool fan, and they will select Gomez and Matip ahead of Fabinho without hesitation.
Thirdly, having Fabinho at CB has cost us having, debatably, the best DM in the League in midfield, so it has had a knock on effect. Similar to what happened to City when they moved Fernandinho into CB last season. He performed admirably at CB (like Fabinho), but at what cost?
Finally, I was not defending whoever said that this would be the most impressive title in in the history of the PL. I don't agree with that, personally. I was directly addressing your post that said we entered the season as favourites, as it was disingenuous and completely ignored that fact that we have lost our 3 first choice CBs since then. I stand by my comment that it is incredible that we are where we are, considering.
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Well I'm sorry, but you did start the season as favourites. As unfair as it may be, people don't care or remember the number of injuries a team suffers. In one game we played with Fletcher at right-back, Giggs at left-back, and Evra and Carrick at CB. That probably happened a fair few times. We definitely played Carrick there on multiple occasions. I've mentioned it before on here but the year that City just pipped us to the title in 2012 we had played over 40 players by January. Vidic, Rafael, and Fletcher missed over half of the season, Smalling missed over 15 games and Evans and Ferdinand missed loads of games too. We were still rightfully considered as one of the favourites throughout the season. That expectation doesn't just evaporate. It's the same situation with Liverpool regardless of the fact that you've had some injuries and dropped points.
Fair enough if you think Gomez and Matip are better CB's than Fabinho. I've heard plenty of people say the opposite, though. I agree that shifting him back into CB means you miss him not playing as a DM but that is a big reason as to why players that can play multiple positions effortlessly are so valuable. You're stacked in midfield with loads of options so I'm not feeling particularly sympathetic to be honest.
This isn't about what people remember or care about, it is about facts. Losing your 3 first choice CBs to season ending injuries is devastating. For me, a Liverpool team with VVD, Gomez and Matip as options vs a Liverpool team with none of them available have very different expectations. We are no longer favourites with any of the bookies and Liverpool fans are talking more about securing top 4, as opposed to winning the title.
As for the injuries you've listed from the 2011/12 season, it really isn't the same, is it? You lost Vidic for the majority of the season, which is the only comparable one. He only played 6 games. You were still able to play Rio for 29 games, Evans for 28 games, Jones for 25 games and Smalling for 14 games (all PL starts only). To put that into perspective, this season, VVD will only play 5 games. Gomez will only play 7 games and Matip will only play 10. That is 102 vs 22. Not even comparable, mate. All teams lose players throughout the season all over the pitch, (we lost Thiago long term, Keita is never fit, Fabinho is now out for a bit, Mane is currently out and has already missed several games earlier in the season, Shaqiri missed the majority of the beginning of the season, Jota has been out for nearly 3 months, we lost Alisson for a couple of months too.) but to lose your 1st, 2nd and 3rd choice players in one position is a whole new level, especially when there's 2 spots to fill.
They are producing garbageball once again at home to a lowly outfit.
Incredible that the football fraternity at large hasn’t cottoned on to this fact yet. You’d swear they are playing other-worldly football week after week with how the media and pundits wank them off incessantly but they are playing shit-on-a-stick stuff with twelve months or more now.
It’s genuinely preposterous.
Incredible that the football fraternity at large hasn’t cottoned on to this fact yet. You’d swear they are playing other-worldly football week after week with how the media and pundits wank them off incessantly but they are playing shit-on-a-stick stuff with twelve months or more now.
It’s genuinely preposterous.
They got beat there against Brighton.
Good
Good
What has happened to them this season? I know they have lost some players, but they are on course to drop 30 points on last season. On course for only 69 points from 99 last season. I expected them to get less than 99, but this is awful.
It's like they can't keep up a press anymore. Their players are completely off. Even Mane doesn't look all that great at the moment.
It's like they can't keep up a press anymore. Their players are completely off. Even Mane doesn't look all that great at the moment.
Injury plagued, disjointed and lacking belief, you love to see it.
They’re 7 points behind City having played a game more. They’re going to get dragged in to a top four scrap at this rate. Only two points ahead of 5th placed West Ham.
Spoiler alert: They were never that good in the first place.
A perfect storm of a mature XI peaking simultaneously, no injuries to speak of, beneficiaries of insane good fortune with opponent mistakes gifting them inexplicable goals, favourable officiating... absolutely anything that could have went their way, did so, and for an unprecedented amount of time in football terms (nigh-on three seasons).
Thankfully, the chickens are coming home to roost now and it’s beautiful to witness. The most unbearable football club in world football getting taken down a deserved peg or two. You love to see it.
