KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum 3 points from last 12 = Relegation form

It's very frustrating at the moment but I think our injuries throughout the season are pretty unprecedented. OK we could cope with having Fabinho in defence but to need both him and Henderson back there is warping things too much. Having said that We should still be winning some of the games we have played recently.

You could say not replacing Lovren was a mistake but long term injuries to both of our main CB's is very bad luck. Klopp isn't the type of manager to just buy anybody for the sake of it to be part of a close knit squad.

I think as well we need to take some of the officiating we have had against us into account, the amount of poor calls we have had just haven't stopped coming. We should really have had a further 3 points from Everton and Brighton which would make things look a bit easier right now, you could even throw the Newcastle keeper holding Manes leg in there too, the Southampton game again was a farce for officiating. Perhaps Mane scores against United if the ref doesn't inexplicably blow his whistle early after seeing Mane running through on goal. All these things don't explain why we have been below par but it certainly doesn't help.


If you gave me the option of winning nothing this year but having everybody back next year and challenging again I'd be happy with that.

That's not to sound defeatist but I think the reason we are back on track with FSG and Klopp is everything is long term, there are no knee jerk reactions to things.

We still have a proven world class manager, Thiago has been fantastic and Jota has been possibly buy of the year for us again so our recruitment team are doing something right. If we can get through this season with our squad in tact ready to go for next year that would be great.

I agree with what you are saying around being unlucky and the way Klopp is for recruiting players, not bringing in someone for the numbers, they have to be the right person etc.

My concern is that the team is starting to age, so writing off this season would be a major waste, we are PL & World champions, having been European Champions until recently, now is our strongest time in a long time, so we should be using that to attract the best players we can and winning trophies with out best team in the last 30 years.

The front 3 are all at their peak and approaching their 30's, Henderson, Wij (probably leaving), Matip & VvD similar, we do not know if VvD & Gomez will be the same players, they have had really bad career changing injuries.

This team will need some major rebuilding in the next few years, Klopp has started this with players like Jota etc, but this team could go onto win trophies for the next few years, beyond that there are no guarantee's as recruitment is notoriously difficult, though we have done a great job over the last years, add to that Klopp will probably leave in 4 years, now is the time to strengthen when we are at our strongest.

We have been unlucky in our timing of winning the PL, with the pandemic allot of plans/investment have gone on hold, we have not been able to use the PL win like we would have for marketing/recruitment etc, most clubs have suffered similar, but as PL champions, it feels like we have suffered most. Similar happened when the PL started in the early 90's, our 70's & 80's domination had just come to an end in the early 90's, then Man Utd dominance started just as huge money/media interest started flooding into football, making them a super club and a global brand/money making machine.

The PL is going to be very close this season, with lots of contenders dropping points as we have seen already, seems short sighted to me that we are going to persist with changing CB all season to who is available/can do a job, when, if we brought in a quality CB, that could be the player to secure the defence and help us retain the PL, allowing the likes of Fab & Henderson play in MF where they are best, imagine a MF of Fab/Thiago/Henderson, I am sure that's what Klopp had in mind in the summer, but the bad luck/risky planning has wrecked that.

I fact the only unprecedented thing is that we have lost VVD long term, the rest was nothing new, Matip is always stop and go, it's not the first time Gomez got injured long time, we should have replaced Lovren, there was a reason he was in the team. If the Liverpool hierarchy cannot see that or cannot do anything about it, they don't deserve to be champions, as simple as that.

Last season many things went for us and we had the title in the bag by the end of Jan. This season many things have gone against us, and we're 3 points off the top.

The only real problem I see is a new top CB. Never completely convinced with Gomez, but with him and Matip's injuries, we should put everything into a partner for VvD next season.

We've an abundance of midfielders and a world class strike force, albeit out of form. We've also finally got the class 4th striker we've needed, and also injured.

Our first choice midfield is Thiago, Fabinho, Henderson. World class yet we probably won't see it this season. Trent's been out of form to compile the problem.

I'm disappointed we couldn't take advantage of a weak league but it's been a f**ked up season and we live in hope. We don't have any kind of long term worries.
I think we've a better chance of the CL if VvD returns and gives eveyone a lift.

I think we have to remember as well we have played outstanding football for 3 years now, really in any other time period without the freak show that is Man city would would be here now with 2 Premier Leagues and a Champions League in the last 3 years. Salah Firmino and Mane are now into their fourth year as Carra said on MNF it might just be a bit of a transitional period where we have to wait for Klopp to bed in a couple of new players and a new system. It doesn't mean Klopp is a bad manager overnight or that all our squad is failing, just a bit of a perfect storm at present leading to a dip.

Lovren would hardly have played anyway. And if he did he would have been a liability again. So to replace him with like for like would have been ok would it?

This side needs its best 3 players in midfield. I would take a chance for the Burnley game and/or the cup game v United of playing Rhys Williams and Nat Phillips at CB and playing Fabinho, Henderson and Alcantara in the midfield. Without Fabinho in midfield and Henderson leading the team we are being caught out by other teams who play 2 quick passes and get in. We should not play the low block but maybe drop back 5 to 10 yards deeper all over and let the opposition have the ball for longer.

Perhaps with this line up we don't play out from the back. We need to make other teams make mistakes through sloppy clearances and misplaced and bad hurried passes. It's going back to finding different ways to beat teams rather than playing our own game. We are not making keepers make saves (apart from Newcastle) and that is worrying.

Absolutely spot on !

For me the loss of our first team central defence has unbalanced the team as we moved midfielders in that area and we are probably more cautious, taking less risks when we are attacking, ie, long time to build up