Does Klopp Want To Prove A Point Or Win Trophies?

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Heavy Metal. Sometimes it gives you an adrenaline rush. Sometimes it blows your ear-drums out.

Heavy Metal Football. Most of the time it has been great. Certainly entertaining. Competitive enough to get very close to silverware and has returned us to the Champions League.

Against Manchester City the Reds came out with a formation made up of two centre-backs, one notoriously attack-minded full-back, another who is seen as a future attacking midfielder, and six other outfield players who were either bought as, or have said they prefer to be attacking midfielders.

If Klopp is correct in winning this way it will prove everyone else wrong. But, is that really necessary? He has, to his credit, built a team that is in a position to have a major say in who takes home major silverware in England and in Europe this year. So now that we’ve made the long climb to this level, do we need to be part of some football experiment?

Manchester City came out at home with a back-three of Otamendi, Stones and Danilo with Fernandinho shielding and Mendy as left-back. Would Jurgen Klopp consider Pep’s set-up ‘weak-sauce’ for having five naturally defensive outfield players at home? (Notice I didn’t include Walker in that count)

Plenty of supporters argued coming into the City match that Liverpool’s front-three were the top attacking group in the league. What is the point of having such a strong group at the top of the formation if you feel the need to supplement them with six other attacking players?

Maybe Klopp thought we only had a chance if Liverpool turned this into a back and forth, chaotic, coin-flip game. If that’s the case and we’re that mismatched against City, why is the squad that short in the first match back after the close of the transfer window? At the end we were beaten so badly that it might have long term effects, especially on young Trent Alexander-Arnold, who was jogging behind City wingers as they put in ball after ball as the minutes mercifully wound down at the Etihad.

So what were Klopp’s choices? He mentioned in his pre-game press conference that Joe Gomez was unavailable because he was worn out from his service for the U21’s. That’s that then, right? Our 20 year old CB/FB needs rest, so we’re left with no option to tighten up the defense in a critical game.

That has to be absolutely unacceptable for the supporters, the ownership, the front-office and for Klopp. This isn’t the year when Klopp should be challenging himself to see what he can do with the deck stacked against him. In theory we have Flanagan as a defensively inclined full-back, but in practice we know that he’s not physically able to compete at Liverpool’s level anymore.

On Wednesday night against Sevilla, if we’re up 1-0 late and trying to escape Anfield without giving away critical points towards our group who does Klopp bring off the bench? Sturridge? He has no options to dial his heavy metal down a bit from 11. One has to ask why Lucas and Stewart were sold without defensive midfield replacement. Surely all hopes for our defensive improvement weren’t wrapped into the effort to sign Virgil Van Dijk, were they? Even if that deal were wrapped up we’d be dealing with many of the same problems in this set-up. Clubs that win things are rolling out double the defensive-minded players than Liverpool. The Reds line-up with real live human beings in defensive positions, however that isn’t what they were bought for or brought up training as and there’s probably a reason that approach hasn’t worked or even been tried in other successful clubs.

Klopp has changed doubters into believers again and again and at the end of the season that might be the case. I’d personally be a very happy Red if that happens. At this point in time however it looks like he’s rolling the dice when he has enough behind him in terms of squad depth and transfer funds to not have to gamble. If Klopp needs to prove some point beyond that he can win trophies with Liverpool, and instead that he can reinvent the wheel it will likely be a bumpy ride the rest of the way.

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19 COMMENTS

  1. @Paul. Even though the writer is wrong he makes a valid point. What he meant is that Klopp has no options to bring on from the bench that can help Liverpool see out the game. It won’t be an away goal, but it will be dropped points. A draw is worth 1 point.

  2. JK is floored….the back is brittle and the front is completely wretched.
    Can this be the team to handle epl and cl??…
    I am doubtful.
    Even with Mane send off for whatever reasons or any forward for that matter, the rest should makeup for the deficit and not rue bad refereeing whatsoever.
    The whole team should reorg immediately to face the rivals instead of feeling down.Team with champion materials will never giveup but reorg and play a different approach.
    The flexibility of the team depends on the leadership of JH and the mgmt skill if JK.
    From my view…liverpool is still far from the expectation of winning trophies at this moment in time.

  3. Why am I not surprised by how fickle our fan base is. One poor performance and result and we all become doubters again after being believers post-Arsenal. Two good wins this week and we’ll be potential champions and Champions League winners.

  4. No one should blame the guys for yesterday’s humiliation. They obeyed their “all knowing” coach to continue going on the attack even when one man down. Mourinoh would not do that. That is why he is a winner.

  5. Summary of the season so far:

    Watford. Three goals conceded.
    Palace. Atrocious team just about beaten with a late winner.
    Arsenal. A non football match against a bunch of sissy boys.
    Then yesterday’s debacle.

    Liverpool haven’t improved from last season. Still:

    Two dodgy goalkeepers
    One good centre back
    No holding midfielder
    No 25 goal striker
    A manager whose impression of Keegan us getting scary.

  6. Summary of the season so far:
    Watford. Three goals conceded.
    Palace. Atrocious team just about beaten with a late winner.
    Arsenal. A non football match against a bunch of sissy boys.
    Then yesterday’s debacle.
    Liverpool haven’t improved from last season. Still:
    Two dodgy goalkeepers
    One good centre back
    No holding midfielder
    No 25 goal striker
    A manager whose impression of Keegan is getting scary. All attack. No defence.

  7. You lot are ridiculous. Have a little perspective instead of lining up on the ledge after one poor performance. If you are all this negative throughout life then seek help before you do yourself harm. YNWA

  8. I don’t know why the coach has failed to rectify his centre back line.Matip and Lovren totally not good enough.better to use Joe Gomes for centre back.clanavan and lovren should be benched.milner can be taken to play wing right back,Robertson should replace moreno as he is good defensively and offensively.

  9. Nobody is lining up on a ledge. We are just pointing out that Liverpool cannot defend and didn’t address the issue at all over Klopp’s four transfer windows. This is just a fact. Being a supporter doesn’t mean deluding yourself that the team can defend when it can’t. Nothing to do with ledges.

  10. Nobody is lining up on a ledge. We are just pointing out that Liverpool cannot defend and didn’t address the issue at all over Klopp’s four transfer windows. This is just a fact. Being a supporter doesn’t mean deluding yourself that the team can defend when it can’t.

  11. The reason Klopp has lost five finals consecutively is because his players are shattered by May after Gegenpressing the opposition, their own wives and Mums for nine months 🙂

  12. Klopp has always conceded 40 goals plus. He will need to score 100 goals to win the title. Keegan philosophy indeed.

    “I would love it if we kept a clean sheet….. love it…”

  13. I love Klopp’s heavy metal too much! But only when it works. Liverpool just need convincing, personnel and training to switch to plan B at the right times. I’d say something like Keita, Clyne and a new CB, coupled with serious training (in switching to a defensively solid plan B) would allow Liverpool to be successful while keeping heavy metal in tact.

  14. Let’s face it our players and the Manager hasn’t a clue how to handle Mancity after losing Mane which I would put this down to Klopp tactics. Mangers always are always good readings about matches well before hand, but not our manager he is like a pole in a pond. Every supporter has being telling him to built a solid back he looked the other way.

  15. Think we should have set up to absorb city and counter.
    We were lacklustre but scared the shit out of City in 20 minutes,had Salah been more clinical or insightful this game would have been out of sight then and this negativity would be sqaushed.
    Get pissed off at Christmas but not three games in.
    Klaven gets drawn out of position because Moreno pushes up at the first sight of a break,and thats where the gap is left for the first goal. Poor defensive coaching is costing us dearly.
    We will batter City at Anfield.

  16. I heard some clown said that we were PL winning candidate after the Arsenal game. I was laughing inside and it didn’t take long to prove me right. Who ever said that obviously, jusk like Klopp has no clue how dodgy our defenders and goalkeepers are. We are just one good team away from a disaster and comes Man City. Think about, whatever his reasons, Klopp sent out TAA and Klavan to face the most expensively assembled team in the whole league. I also must applaud Pep by the way, it just took him one season to learn from his mistakes or at least he is willing to learn, he replaced his dodgy defenders and goalkeeper. As for Klopp who is in his second season, he still lives by his dodgy defense and keepers.

    I am very curious about the brief that FSG gave to Klopp when he was hired, was it ” OK we just want you to play heavy metal football, whatever happens “. Did FSG specifically told him that he has to actually win trophies, specifically the PL then the CL?
    Why can’t our club hires someone like Mourinho or Conte, guys that actually wants to win titles.
    I think Klopp is too full of himself to care that at LFC, we do take winning titles seriously and we take pride in winning games and actually NOT getting thrash.
    We actually are crying out for a good defender but he actually refuse to give a second chance to Sakho and sold him but readily gives in to that brat that ACTUALLY submited a request to move to that b*****d club. Again his pride matters more than our club

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