Do you see the lack of depth in Liverpool's midfield?
The heavy metal counter-pressing style of play that Klopp's era brought to Liverpool has proved to be very effective.
The interesting part of what we will discuss here is that the style of play is very exhausting. It requires Liverpool players to chase the ball all over the pitch with the intent to win the ball or force opponents into making a mistake. Even the attacking line is involved with this defensive duty and they chase the ball down to the penalty area of opponents.
If you've noticed, Luis Dias who is still fairly new to the team always runs out of breath 60 minutes into games. It's not easy to maintain a consistent solid performance every game week when playing gegenpressing.
The question at the moment is;
Do we have the legs and squad depth to win the league this season?
Think about that. For me, I know we don't have that squad depth at the moment.
To have a clear understanding of this, imagine Liverpool going on a run of games without Salah in the starting line-up. Who will bury those half chances he usually manages to squeeze in?
It's the same with the backline. Liverpool's defence is looking stronger at the moment, but without VVD at the back, we will have to watch a CB partnership between either Matip, Gomez or Konate. These guys are pretty good, but when Van Dijk is not there, I won't bet a quid on us keeping a clean sheet.
Also, if Trent picks up an injury, we will be in all sorts of shit because we don't have any standard substitute in that position. Even without being injured, having him play throughout the season will be too much to ask of him.
Fatigue will surely catch up with him and it will show in his performance. That's why we need someone that can come off the bench in that position and contribute as much or give 70% of what Trent offers to the team.
As for our midfield, that's the part that makes me livid.
Yet again, my club are making a dramatic mistake. We've seen this time and time again and yet we persist with this ridiculous principle of having a midfield filled with injury-prone players.
We just played the very first game in a season where we will likely be playing 63 games. Guess what?
Chamberlain is injured
Thiago is injured
Naby Keita is injured
I love these guys at their best but I'm never surprised to hear of their injuries. It reminds me of the injury history we had with Lallana in a liverpool shirt.
With these 3 rules out, we are left with
Milner... 36 years old
Henderson... 32 years old
Curtis Jones... yet to prove his worth
Harvey Elliot and Carvalho (the new lad) look promising, but will these young lads get playing time when Hendo and Milner are still in the squad?
To be fair, even if all the midfielders are fit, the only lad who is worth all his weight in gold is Fabinho. I say 'we need to bring fresh legs into the team or we will be in danger of sinking into another midfield crisis'
Am I the only one seeing this lack of depth in Liverpool's midfield?
No!!!
Check out this comment 👇 by @mckane
I think Klopp is taking his midfield problems for granted. With Thiago injured once again, Fabinho and Henderson have to start. Then, he's left with Keita, Milner and Elliot. The quality isn't there. That's where Liverpool will miss Sadio Mane. Diaz is good but he is a pure attacker who loves to have the ball ahead of him at all times. As for Mane, his ability to drop into the midfield and initiate an attack masked the lack of creativity. That will be sorely missed.
He knows! My man knows that Liverpool is in deep shit. What about you?
Do you see the lack of depth in Liverpool's midfield?
When it comes to adding fresh legs to Liverpool's squad, I like to stretch my patience towards Klopp, the scouts and our board because I have noticed that they have an approach which makes them buy players that are the most suitable to fit into our team.
I hope we get it right because the transfer window is about to close and we may be stuck with cheerleaders who watch from the sideline instead of solid midfielders.
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Klopp has worked miracle at Anfield with the caliber of midfielders at his disposal. The fact that Gini Wijnaldum - who left for PSG last season - is now a loan player at Roma is enough proof that the midfield has been packed with above average players for a while now. Will Henderson, Milner, Jones or Elliot start at Man City? No! Even the much respected Thiago will struggle to play ahead of Bernardo Silva and De Bruyne. Fabinho is a class act, and possibly the only consistent top performer they have.
The continued success Klopp has delivered despite the players he has is probably one of the reasons I always shy away from slandering him. However, with City winning four of the last five titles, and Liverpool losing two of their last three Champions League final to Real Madrid, a somewhat reckless team with world class midfielders, I think its high time Jurgen got himself world class talents in that department.
Looking at Liverpool's squad, there is no better gk in the world right now than Alisson Becker. Also, their starting back four is better than that of any team. With Salah, that front three can rival any front three in the world. The midfield department is the only one shorn of world class performers. If Klopp wishes to win his next Champions League final or wrestle the league away from City, he needs to plug that hole now! That's all he needs to move his team to the next level.
Exactly Man. The midfield are there and to be honest with you, they are not very impactful defensively or attacking wise.
Emre Can left liverpool and we all know how it ended. Same with wijnaldum. Coutinho is a nice lad but he also struggled when he left that system that was created by Klopp. Now, he is in Aston Villa.
The reason I don't like to point fingers at Roberto firmino is because most of the time, he drops into the midfield to play-in Sadio and Salah. His work rate is unquantifiable and his goal scoring record is never a true representation of what he brings to the table.
The major source of the creativity we have in the team always comes from our LB and RB.
Overall, we have all seen that Klopp brings out the best in his players and I'm sure that if he gets very decent midfielders that will be consistent and have nice substitute players in bench, it will make it easier for us to be creating chances from all angles of the pitch.
Maybe its time for Klopp to rely more on his midfield for creativity. I just can't imagine how that team will thrive if TAA and Robertson got injured at the same time.
Jurgen has built his midfield to win the balls and spread to his full-backs, who are the major creative hubs of that team. Without Mane and Firmino, those full-backs may struggle to create on a regular basis.
Yep. That's pretty much what we saw in the first game. Mane isn't there. Subsequently, firmino became invisible because he was dropping into the midfield more often that supposed.
The midfield have to redefine their role. That's how they will be able to creatively play part in the games
Well, a particular Manchester club is about to sign the 'world class' Rabiot. They will gladly loan you either Fred or McTominay. Those dudes are good enough, right?
Also, they will play, we will pay; just enjoy their services. So, who's your pick of the two? Choose one!
Hahaha... Man United fans are already feeling livid about the players that will be coming over. Haha.
Rabiot? Haha. I also heard about Arnautovic. Lolz. I just hope they get De Jong so that Ten Hag will have some chips to work with.
With all the nonsensical rumours, if you were De Jong, will you choose to play for those clowns?
Their is no way in hell they're getting De Jong. I'll personally scold the guy if he somehow choose Man U ahead of staying at Barca or moving to Chelsea.
Bologna wanted more money for Arnautovic. Funny, right? Those board members who somehow wanted Arnautovic are wonderful. They need to be undressed and flogged in the middle of Old Trafford on a very hot afternoon for proposing and bidding for such a player.
I thought the departure of Woodward will make things better. Unfortunately, it's getting worse.
What you said is the truth because Man United are in a very unfavorable position to attract very decent players especially those that have their eyes on winning trophies.
Seriously, I don't understand the way Man United have been making signings in recent years. This reminds me of the signing of Ighalo. Haha.
These people will just receive paycheck for 18 months and move to other places.
The board and the scouts need to support this new era of Ten Hag. If he gets some of the players he needs for a start, we can look forward to seeing how Man United will be in a couple of years from now.
Those board members are businessmen. Their loyalty lies in what pushes up the price of Manchester United stock listed on the floor of the NYSE. That's why they are after high profile dudes who will transmit optimism to stock traders and investors.
Listing Man U was the worse thing that ever happened to that club. Since then, they lost the essence of sports and worry more about financials. Every manager since Ferguson only has sad memories of the club and they way they were treated.
Quite a lot of injured players you have there but I think Liverpool will go far this season..
Come to think of it, every team is equipping for the season and Liverpool is not left out.
Interestingly, you must have made this critique you are a fan of the REDS and want the team to be at best.
All other teams have some challenges too. But this Liverpool team have been together for a while and the selling point that could be a threat to other teams in the EPL this season..
Yeah. Klopp have found a way to bring the team together. Individually, a lot of them are bang average, but collectively, they are a world class team.
I really thought we will be getting a midfielder in this transfer window but seeing that we didn't get anyone until the beginning of this season, it's looking like we will have to work with the ones we have until January transfer window.
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It may seem there's lack of depth in Liverpool's midfield. However I doubt it will affect their overall game play.
The ghen ghen pressing comes with huge advantages as it forces oppositions to make mistakes. Liverpool's creativity is from their full backs and wingers which are on point plus not injury prone.
The players in the middle just needs to hold possession, win possession then get the ball to their creative flanks.
The fullbacks are on point. The fact that they both hold it together for the most part of each season is really adorable.
On the side of the midfielders, it's clear that the system works well without many world class midfielders in a team like liverpool, but Liverpool can do better with midfielders that contribute more to the overall performance of the team.
What we've been seeing in recent seasons is that whenever the front guys have a bad guy, we find it hard to see a midfielder in the team who can bang in goals or create 3-4 chances in each game.
I think Liverpool have to trust in Carvalho and Elliot otherwise what was the point in signing them? TBH, I'm not convinced by Curtis Jones and I do think that a world class midfielder will be top of the shopping list next summer.
Elliot is a good fit for the team. Last season, he started so well before he had that wicked injury which kept him at rehab until (almost) the end of the season.
I'm trying to convince myself that we have to work with what we have cus that's the only reasonable thing to do at the moment.
We are not being linked with anyone at the. Hehe. I hope I don't this midfield crises won't frustrate the team this season.
Barella seems like a long term target but can’t see that happening this summer as he’s just extended his contract
Yeah. That's some £75-£100m on the line for that deal.
For now, I'm looking forward to the adaptation of Carvalho to the team. If he fits in ASAP and Fabinho remains top-notch as usual, the midfield will click as we get into the season.
Squad depth is always where Mancity usurps Liverpool. Liverpool have an excellent first team, but the back up options are not always there.
They might probably survive a midfield crisis, but if TAA and Robertson get injured or suspended, then Liverpool is in deep shit because their midfield barely creates any chances. The bulk of creativity usually comes from the wide areas with the fullbacks and the wide attackers.
And considering that they've lost Mané, it would be interesting to see how they navigate the season without their first choice fullbacks
Yes. That's what I've seen so far. We are quite lucky that these two guys do not usually get booked and they don't often face injury problems. It's also obvious that they can't give 100% throughout the season because fatigue can come in between.
The midfield need to step up their game to make it easier for the whole team.
At the moment, EPL allows 5 substitutions, but if things are tough in a game, we can't really pick up to 3 players from our bench who can come in and make impact. That's where the lack of depth becomes a very big issue