Football News: Some Positives About Liverpool FC

I've seen a lot of negativity on the Liverpool Rumours site, and understandably so. Which is why I wanted to attempt to play devil's advocate and consider some positives instead. To reflect on what might happen in a successful context, not simply to offset the concerns, but to provide a glimmer of hope in what has been a troubling last few months. Just to be clear, open and honest, I am very much on the negativity side of things, but believe that this could be the start, admittedly a messy one, to an important moment in what comes next.

For me, I feel like this season will become a turning point, where things begin to unravel for Liverpool. A time when Klopp realises such glaring deficiencies. That the system, player roles and instructions are unsuitable and do not work in tandem with each other in order to achieve a positive result. And, if such positive results are not achieved consistently - and we end up floating around mid-table - then I believe that will be the signal to return to what has worked for us in the past.

I also believe that if Liverpool are going to achieve a reasonable level of success, internally and within the fanbase, then we need to manage our expectations. I understand we were previously title challengers, battling City every step of the way, but we are not that team anymore. We do not have consistent quality throughout the squad, nor the depth to sustain a challenge on multiple fronts, in comparison to teams above. For me, we need to see progression from last year, to go from Europa League to Champions League by any means necessary, whether than be by winning the Europa League or achieving a top 4 finish. It is a small step, but one that could provide a foundation to achieve even more.

Development of youngsters could provide the foundation for future success. I honestly believe that Ben Doak, Conor Bradley, Jarell Quansah and Stefan Bajectic will play a much bigger role this season, a supporting one but a vital one all the same. With the inclusion of Europa League to our remit, this will provide opportunities for these players to perform, while giving senior players a rest when needed. This will provide vital experience that cannot be received in the u21's and allow them to combine and perform with first team players.

Another recognised fault has been the lack of rotation. Last season, and for consecutive seasons, I believe we have overloaded certain players, vital to our system, and not provided them suitable competition that will allow for rest. And, while it was a big reason why we achieved so much in the last 5 years, it just so happens to be a contributing factor as to why we are struggling right now. Fabinho, Henderson and Milner should not have been put in a position to play so many matches, in quick succession and back-to-back. That is indicative of poor planning and poor player acquisition.

On a more positive note, our offensive options are truly something to be envied by other clubs. To be able to play any combination of Salah, Gakpo, Diaz, Jota, Nunez, Szoboszlai, and to a lesser extent Doak and Elliott, is what most managers would dream of. These are players that can combine well and can get us the goals we need to pull through even or uneven games. Many of these players are versatile and can play a number of positions along the front 3, which is another positive because opposition won't know the combination until the team sheet is announced, meaning less time to prepare and counter act this.

Gakpo in particular, has the skill set and characteristics to be an integral member of this group moving forward. His football intelligence also appears to be very high. The way he supports the play, knows what spaces to vacate and invade, when to hold and release, plus his striking technique is very clean and efficient. I genuinely believe he has to play in the first 11, whether as a ST or as an advanced midfielder. He is that good. I will admit to thinking him a mistake, hung up over our need for midfield reinforcement, but I am so grateful he is with us and not United.

Nunez, I still have so many reservations about him, but we now have midfield options that can find him with incisive passing and intricate combinations that will provide him more chances. He obviously needs to improve his finishing, and, for me, he becomes far too detached from matches, both in offensive and defensive plays. His off the ball movement, however, can be very good and, should we find him in behind the defence, he will have more opportunities to find the back of the net. Whether he'll find it, I honestly don't know and I suspect neither does he.

Diaz, has shown a real desire since returning from a significant injury lay off. Yes, he can over complicate things. Yes, he can hold onto the ball far too long and become swarmed because of it. But these are things that will be learned and coached out of his game through experience. When Diaz gets on the ball, he can make things happen out of nothing. His ball mastery and work rate will be a positive influence this season. We missed him dearly last season and, as long as injuries do not persist, he could be a real game changer for us.

Salah, what more can be said. An incredible player that, even though he was left isolated most of last season, still found a way to contribute massively. Our top scorer and assister. The connection he is looking to create with our offensive options, especially Nunez, is also really encouraging. If he can continue to provide, as he has every previous season, then he will remain a mainstay. Doak will hopefully fill in for Salah during Europa matches, in order to give him a rest and keep him fresh for league matches.

Jota, I genuinely believe that, despite Salah's collection of goals, that he is our best finisher. Injuries have robbed of the chance to show this consistently. When one on one with the Keeper, it always feels like he has that killer's edge. Shows great industry too and, if the recent pre-season games are anything to go by, developing a much-improved teamwork ethic. Some of his passes, slipping through Gakpo, etc, was a major part of his game that was missing. And, now, it looks like he is finally making steps forward in this regard. Still struggles with that creative side, but at least looks like he is willing to develop it.

I also believe that a return to the 4-3-3 system may be on the cards, if results do not highlight the positive intentions behind our move to this hybrid role, which I genuinely despise. In this system I also believe that Trent needs to be moved into DM or RCM for his own benefit and for that of the team. If this is going to be a transitional period, which many expect, then why not give Trent the year to learn the position while reinforcing the full back position, with Bradley acting as cover or even stepping in to fill the void. Stabilise the squad and provide it with greater balance. Stop trying to be too clever, overthinking and complicating matters, and simply play a system we have performed in before and acquired much success with.

Robertson is also someone I would like to highlight as he has received a lot of stick for his struggles with his new role. Robertson is suffering from Klopp's need to get Trent into more advanced areas of the pitch. He has been forced to sacrifice all of his strengths, and by extension his impressive assist record, in order to get more out of Trent. When opposition teams counter, he is left with far too much room to cover on the left and becomes overloaded. He is one of the best left backs in world football, I genuinely believe that, and he needs to return to that position and not this LCB role he is being asked to play. It doesn't work, doesn't suit his strengths and in fact highlights his weaknesses that much more. The sooner we realise this, the better he and we will be.

Also, while many people seem to believe that teams figured us out, our tactics, etc, I personally believe that not to be the case. I believe the players were simply no longer capable of executing Klopp's instructions, whether due to tired legs or their focus being directed to other parts of the game. We needed to freshen the squad with new players that could perform their required roles, not rely on those that had done it previously and consistently for 3-5 years. Klopp's inability or unwillingness to rotate, or provide sufficient cover, is a major fault on this part, and one that should have been identified and addressed.

In terms of our additions, Mac Allister and Szoboszlai are two players that appear to have the skillset, mentality and capability to complement one another and provide a positive platform to supply our offensive players with opportunities. Both also appear to be good in the press, willing and have the fitness to sustain it for the majority of the match. However, their roles do not make much sense to me. Mac is being used as the advanced midfielder, tasked with unlocking the defence with intelligent passing while Szoboszlai is being used as a facilitator, someone to continue the tempo of our passing. I thought, when both were signed, that it would be the other way around, but that doesn't appear to be the case. I could be wrong, and Klopp has seen something I have not, but I have no idea why we are doing this. Either way, both are an improvement on what we had before but require a starting DM to further develop a relationship and understanding with. Whether that is Trent or someone else, does not matter, but we need to be decisive with this and soon.

Last but not least, we have the best Goalkeeper in world football. One on one he has bailed us out on numerous occasions and has shown no sign of regression while others around him have shown full on or small drops in quality. He remains consistent in the face of all this. He will, no doubt, be called upon once again, and I have full faith that he will single handedly see us over the line when the pressure mounts. We are truly blessed to have him, and this can not and should not be overlooked. When I think about where we would be without him. better not to think about it.

This was much longer than I anticipated and probably swayed more towards negativity then I had intended. However, I still believe there are positives to see in amongst the misery. We have parts of a finished puzzle; we're just missing a few small and yet key components. As long as we reinforce, work on forming the basis around a cohesive unit, then our outlook could very well change. I believe that we can challenge again, last season was the start, and it was very messy, but sometimes you have to cause a bit of chaos to set things right. I am hopeful that is the case now.

Fingers crossed we experience a change in fortunes, and apologies Eds for writing such a long, possibly even meandering post. I just wanted to get my thoughts across and present a different outlook. Not one I am fully behind, but one that could cut through the gloom and misery we all appear to be experiencing right now.

All the best and have a great day.

Written by LFC-S MANGO August 04 2023 15:53:31