27 Jan 2024 09:51:38
It'll be interesting to see how Klopp's announcement over his decision to leave will impact the rest of Liverpool's season.

I remember when Sir Alex announced he was going to retire in 2001, our season fell apart and he backtracked on the decision.

Liverpool are in a title race and have their noses just in front. Will the uncertainty over the clubs future and all the media attention this announcement has caused mean the players take their eye off the ball and performances drop?

Or will it make them super focused to get the job done for Jurgen.

It seems an odd choice to make the decision public now. Klopp apparently decided last summer so it's not a recent decision. Had he told people at the club at the start of the season, or more recently.

Maybe there is a job Jurgen is interested in, and he needed to throw his name into the hat, or is there a manager that the club would like to appoint that could be looking to take on another.

Personally I expect Klopp to take a break for a while before taking on either the German national team job or Bayern (seems less likely to me, they don't seem like the kind of club he has an affinity for) .

Either way big changes happening, I also wouldn't be surprised to see Pep leave City in the next 18 months. While Pochettino seems on borrowed time at Chelsea, and there is a INEOS shaped question mark hanging over the head of our own manager. It very well could be that four of the traditional top 6 sides will be starting next season with a new manager.

1.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 11:00:54
We won't be anywhere near top 6 Shappy, if we do not buy/ loan a striker, far too few goals from us.

2.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 11:46:09
The problem isn’t the striker but the service into the striker. We need to get Mount fit, and our wingers to lift their heads up.

No doubt the biggest problem in our side at the moment are Rashford and Antony. Both are incapable of crossing the ball and the manager needs to address this first and foremost.

I wouldn’t be against trying Antony on the left with the clear instruction of crossing the ball early. PL full backs are too good for his predictable play on the right side.

Rashford I would drop for a sustained period as he’s too selfish, while we try to sort out this problem of creating and finishing chances.

3.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 11:58:36
Try Antony at left back then.

4.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 11:58:36
I think Klopp is just being honest. He’s burnt out and needs a break. I think he didn’t want to spring it as a surprise, and have the decision hanging over him for the rest of the season. A lot of people try to push through burn out and end up in a far worse place.

If he returns to management, I do see it in international football. But I see him taking a complete break for a few years.

5.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 12:17:04
I respectfully disagree Wazza, that our problem isn't the striker, although I do agree about the very poor service, it is shocking. Hojlund does not attack the space enough he is too often caught on his heels or static, he needs help to bring on his game, someone to play off, someone to learn off.

The only trouble is we have wasted an enormous amount of money on players not suited and given out ridiculous 5 year lucrative contracts, so now to buy a top striker, we will struggle to finance the deal within FFP.

6.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 12:59:16
Jrred, Striker depth is an issue with our side, we need someone to rotate with Hojlund.

Yet the real problem is the service to our strikers, far too many times Hojlund makes a great run and no one finds him.

My analysis is that we lack control in midfield meaning our ability to progress the ball through the middle is sporadic and inconsistent. While we have wide players who play with their head down looking to score rather than create. It's not necessarily about pinging crosses into the box, but about trying to create better quality chances for the team. Can they look to play a give and go pass, will they make off the ball runs to pull the opposition out of place for someone else to get a better chance, will they look to progress the ball into better areas rather than shoot from distance or narrow angles themselves.

This has been exasperated by injuries in defence and us losing Martinez and Shaw for much of the season, as they are the only two defenders we have who can progress the ball beyond the midfield to create chances further forward. Without them all of our defenders can only pass to the defenders alongside them or the midfielder in front of them. Short 10-15 yard passes. That makes it easy for teams to press us higher without fear of the ball bypassing the midfield.

That midfield aren't good enough on the ball or press resistant enough to take those passes and move through the press either by carrying the ball or through quick accurate passing.

That leaves us to being able to create only by playing balls into the inside channels for our wide forwards to run onto, yet as discussed they then play with their head down looking to cut in and shoot. Which every side is prepared for, almost completely blunting us.

We need to rebuild the base of our side, the centre of defence with players who are press resistant and able to progress the ball with great passing. We then need a couple of midfielders who are press resistant, and able to consistently progress the ball and control the game.

Then we will relieve pressure on our defence, and stop leaking goals. While also having more of the ball higher up and be able to create better chances for our forwards in more dangerous areas, higher quality chances will lead to more goals its that simple.

7.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 14:41:54
Jreed, personally it’s Hojlund’s movement that has been one of the most impressive things I’ve seen from him. He does need to work on his timing and that will come with experience. He’s always looking to peel off the centre back, but the ball rarely comes, and if it finally does arrive he’s barely expecting it. This comes down to the style of play which has been lacking.

We need to move away from the fear of losing the ball by crossing it. We lose the ball anyway because our midfield can’t string 3 passes together, so we may as well lose the ball by putting crosses in, which at least cause a problem for the opposition.

I’ve staunchly backed this manager and still think he’s the right man for the job but he needs to learn very quickly that the obsession with controlling a game isn’t going to work with people like AWB and McTominay who can’t control the ball, Rashford who runs head first into the opponent, and Antony who is predictable 100% of the time.

Hojlund does need more experience to learn from but at the same time I wonder how many more he’d score in a team that gets the ball into the box quickly and creates overloads on the flanks.

8.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 17:39:18
Klopp could end up at Real Madrid, before taking the Germany role in a few years.
But makes more sense to do that in reverse, Germany then Real, then retire.

9.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 18:31:41
I can but hope that Liverpool fall apart on the back of Klopp’s announcement and tumble down the league to relegation. It’s Liverpool! Does anybody think for a single moment that they have any sympathy re our current predicament? Couldn’t care less.

10.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 20:27:47
I agree with Wazza. Hoijlund does not know what the wide payers are doing so has no idea where to be.

But that said we do need a quality addition to the forward stocks.

I still remain bewildered with the whole playing out from the back, which is an abject failure with the cattle we have and the obsession to walk the ball into the net. But I am an old fart!

11.) 27 Jan 2024
27 Jan 2024 22:10:58
Rashford and Antony are never going to be players that are going to get balls into the box, and it’s not how ETH wants to play either. The reliance on wanting to turn in is so predictable it’s beyond belief. If he continues on wanting to keep playing them, he needs to get those two to constantly interchange throughout the game and keep opposition full backs guessing.

12.) 28 Jan 2024
28 Jan 2024 03:22:58
Complete rubbish about hoyland being caught on his heals. He came in and made the runs and moone found him. He still makes the runs, but all our wide players either cut the ball back to noone. Or shoot.

Hoyland biggest problem is not having the stature in the team to demand his team mates find him. I don't believe Kane was ever in the picture, but a player of his stature would demand service from his teM mates and his manager. Hoyland has not been strong enough to call them out for it.

He will be a class CF if we can just start playing for him. Imagine that, trying to create scoring chances for your striker!

13.) 28 Jan 2024
28 Jan 2024 14:42:37
Klopp says he informed the club of his intention in November. It does seem odd to publicly announce it with Liverpool top of the Prem but I suppose it would be very hard for them to sound out his replacement in secret. Can't see why he'd leave this job and jump straight into Barcelona or another top club where the pressure would be even higher. I think he'll spend a year on a beach somewhere.