Liverpool Football Club Season 2022/2023 - Onward to Greater Success.

[Jamesc]

Klopp told reporters:

Happy with the performance. It was necessary that we played tonight the game we wanted to play and not the game Everton wants to play. You cannot avoid that all the time but I think they didn’t have an extremely high number of set-pieces, so with all the aggressiveness you have to show you have to make sure you don’t overdo it because each set-piece is a massive threat and something they want to have, and I thought we did that really well.

 

“On top of that, we were super-dominant; switched the sides, played the ball, kept them running. But both goals came from counter-attacks, that’s allowed as well obviously. I loved both goals, loved the involvement of everybody who was around there. For both goals we had three options in the box I think when the pass came in. So, a lot of things were different tonight, so it was the best game for a while and that’s why we won it.”

Edited February 14, 2023 by Jamesc

[Hamburger]

Watched the highlights again and the one-two between Nunuz and Salah was sublime. Simply hot knife down a butter.

 

And yes, forgotten to mention Robertson was another player that worked his socks off.

[starry]

21 minutes ago, Hamburger said:

 

 

And yes, forgotten to mention Robertson was another player that worked his socks off.

That's true. For the last few matches, he often only bring the ball to the middle line and then pass backwards to the defenders.

Yesterday, he was passing forward more in addition to all the hard running from back to front and vice-versa.

[Kopites]

That Spaniard young boy Bajcetic resemblance thiago and fahbinho 2 in 1. Spraying passes and breaking up opponent plays.  A youngest version of Stevie. 😁

[Jamesc]

Records broken

13 seconds the fastest Premier League goal a team has scored following their woodwork being hit since records began in 2009.

Mohamed Salah 100th Premier League goal.

Opta have a metric called carries, which is when a player moves at least five metres with the ball at their feet. In terms of those which then lead to a shot or a chance created, Salah was Liverpool’s top man in 2021/22 with 53, or one every 52 minutes played, the fifth most in the Premier League (per Opta Analyst).

Yet this term Nunez is joint-third in the top flight standings, with 31, behind only Bukayo Saka (36) and Marcus Rashford (33). The former Benfica man has played far less football than them in 2022/23 too, giving him the pro-rata edge.

[Jamesc]

Liverpool could soon get their hands on the next Kaoru Mitoma as Jürgen Klopp sets his sights on Keito Nakamura.

 

[Jamesc]

 

[Fooblack]

On 2/14/2023 at 1:47 PM, Jamesc said:

Jamie Carragher has said on Sky Sports Premier League (9:20pm, February 13, 2023) that he saw a different side to Liverpool forward Cody Gakpo in the Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield on Monday evening.

The former Liverpool defender noted that Gakpo showed remarkable pace in the Premier League game against Everton that he had not noticed before.

He is very neat and tidy with the ball. We have not seen that before, that pace past players, unselfish as well.

Gapko seems to be favored by Klopp to be the false 9. Maybe Klopp still prefers not to play with a true no.9 hence Nunez is not shifted centrally.  or the plot is to interchange both nunez to Gakpo depending the false 9 role is turned on or off. I cannot make out which system Klopp used in the game vs Everton.  

The funny thing is that Gakpo is not exactly the short, low centre-of-gravity wide forward like Salah and mane. But he has the technical abilities to wriggle out in tight places and the pace to dribble past defenders. hence, it is touted that he may be the real-Firmino replacement for the longer term. 

Let's see how things evolve from here... Klopp is obviously loving these optionalities on hand.  

[Jamesc]

I think they bought Gekpo to be Firmino replacement because Klopp system uses counter press and the false nine triggers the press.

Gekpo plays left wing for PSV but false 9 for Holland and scored 3 goals in that position during the world cup.

Klopp like speed down the wings and In the Everton game the breakaway goal is because of the raw speed of Nunez down the wing.

The Everton player could not even get close enough to commit a foul.

But of course Nunez is an inverted winger in Klopp system with licence to cut inside and will play centre forward if crosses came in to use his height and strength.

And you are right if all our left wingers out Gekpo is the perfect option in that position.

39 minutes ago, Fooblack said:

Gapko seems to be favored by Klopp to be the false 9. Maybe Klopp still prefers not to play with a true no.9 hence Nunez is not shifted centrally.  or the plot is to interchange both nunez to Gakpo depending the false 9 role is turned on or off. I cannot make out which system Klopp used in the game vs Everton.  

The funny thing is that Gakpo is not exactly the short, low centre-of-gravity wide forward like Salah and mane. But he has the technical abilities to wriggle out in tight places and the pace to dribble past defenders. hence, it is touted that he may be the real-Firmino replacement for the longer term. 

Let's see how things evolve from here... Klopp is obviously loving these optionalities on hand.  

 

[Fooblack]

another thing I would probably speculate is that Nunez's pressing through the center has not been coordinated with the rest of the team's press. Maybe that has also caught the manager's eye...  he chases the CBs too rashly at times and the rest of team's press have to follow the direction... i may be wrong and hopefully not biased...  

[Jamesc]

Salah and Núñez are creating a chance for one another every 52 minutes.

Second — Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrović and Andreas Pereira 63 minutes.

Spurs' Harry Kane and Dejan Kulusevski are third (66).

Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne and Erling Haaland surprisingly only fourth 67 minutes.

Haaland is the best striker in the world but City system does not suit him.

They tiki taka and don't play the early ball to him.

He should have played under Klopp.

[Jamesc]

Joing City Haaland chose money over football.

I think Jude Bellingham will choose football over money 

And Haaland should come to Pool because Bellingham will play a lot of passes to him like at Dortmund.

[Fooblack]

Both Utd and Spurs under bids to be purchased by wealthy investors.  Pool? the current owners seem intent to be interested in trying to continue milking the cow and not willing to sell the club outright. 

the competitiveness of the club will continue to slide given the lack of dollars in player investments...  cant see this changing so long as the current owners remain in ownership. 

[Jamesc]

Stefan Bajčetić is so good he is keeping Hendo out if the team, Fabinho out of the and replacing Thiago because he is injured.

He is only 18 and was playing Under 18s last year and should be playing under 21s this year.

But he is playing so well he is keeping seniors out of the team.

Madrid manager Anchovy Roti was furious when he found out he recruitment team didn't get Bajčetić and he was coming to Liverpool.

Edited February 16, 2023 by Jamesc

[Jamesc]

 

[Fooblack]

Assuming VVD is fit for tomorrow's game, the only change from last monday's game will be he coming into the squad and Matip returning to the bench.  The midfield 3 and front 3 retains their places in the starting 11.  Important for VVD to get more minutes to prepare for the RM game next week.  

Jota and Bobby will likely get more minutes off the bench to regain their fitness and sharpness. Midfield wise, expect Keita and Milner to come on during the game to ease the load of the starting midfield 3. 

the squad is beginning to see more optionality and back to the old self. If Pool is to be counted as a challenger to the top 4, simply cannot lose this game as it will almost create a gap that is probably too much to catch up. 

[Jamesc]

I bet Liverpool is playing at a lousy time again this weekend.

 

[cashcow]

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Fabinho, Henderson, Bajcetic; Salah, Nunez, Gakpo

Substitutes: Kelleher, Phillips, Matip, Tsimikas, Milner, Keita, Elliott, Firmino, Jota

Must win game. Liverpool hoots ah!!!