Hope we do better than the last time we had a long, warm-weather-training break. 3 points, please and if we could get a clean sheet, too, that would be ace. Thank you in advance.
Went right from Porto to Malaga/Marbella for 4 days of warm weather relaxation/training. Then back to Angryland.
They're coming to the US? SORRY, SORRY! Not trying to derail this thread (even if we have tons of time to fill).
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Will Klopp pick the same team that faced Porto? Tough choices because Can, Ox, Matip, Gomez, and Lallana will all be in contention for starting places.
All this makes me think of is how far the US has slipped behind the rest of the world "In many things" When you ride the Bullet train in Japan or the TGV in France. The Amtrak feels prehistoric.
Klopp said recently that they rotated earlier and now the best will be playing. We have another week until Newcastle, which is followed by Porto and Utd, so I'd expect to see our strongest in this game, some rotation in Newcastle and Porto in preparation for Utd. For me that means Can comes in for Milner and possibly Gomez in for Trent. I think we may see some rotation in the midfield for Newcastle, but the first choice front 3, with a strong midfield for Porto with a rotated front 3.
Well, I think that (despite Milner being one of the best performers vs Porto) Klopp sees Can, GW and Hendo as the main three..... Remember that Can was suspended for that tie ... I think Hendo might get rested in one of these next two games and th eporto game...
Yes I agree that is probably our first choice 3 right now. Hendo probably misses Porto, but plays the league games. I suspect Klopp isn't going to push him into games on 2/3 days rest if he can help it.
I think that’s right. Henderson will be in the midfield when it matters to help our energy. He’s essentially going to play holding mid.
It’s very hard to decide our best 11 right now. Matip and Lovren have been alternating games since Virgil arrived. Gomez and Trent have been alternating games all season. Nobody has been consistent enough in the midfield 3 to solidify their place. Milner, Hendo, Can, Gini, and Ox are all in contention. And when fit, Lallana could be the best player out of all of them. Everyone will have to be on their game to keep their place, and Klopp can rotate without seeing drops in quality. Karius, Virgil, Robertson, and the front 3 are the only players that are firmly in the first eleven.
This is all fair, but considering Lovren has played Spurs and Porto, it suggests he's being selected in the bigger games. Regarding midfield, yes there is some inconsistency, but there is also a bit of horses for courses as well. Hendo, Can and Gini is probably our most solid midfield and we saw it produce some excellent performances early in the season before Phil and Ox came in. Milner simply isn't an every game CM and with Ox we can rotate effectively as necessary. Lallana had his peak for a couple months at the beginning of last season, but he's not currently anywhere close to being our best CM, even if he does get fit.
It was more than a couple of months..... I reckon the trick with him is to play more games, but right now that will need form him a couple of big performances to get in there
For me I'm giving the keys over to Ox, Lallana, Gini, Ings/Solanke and trusting them under the Anfield lights to get the job done. With a 5 goal cushion, I'm not too worried. I keep Hendo, Can, Milner, Salah, Mane, & Firmino fresh to go get a result against United...
if a goal is needed ( to win or draw ) in the last quarter of a match, i would rather have Lallana on the pitch than most of the alternatives, except maybe Ings, but that would depend on who is being subbed out. Lallana for Mane, yes. Mane doesn't provide quite so much in terms of creativity as Lallana. Mane is a better finisher at this point, but maybe that's not what would be needed. Lallana for Firmino or Salah, no way. Then I would want Ings. Firmino can do things that Lallana can do but Firmino would be superior. Salah is the best player in the EPL, IMO, so if he can keep moving, he stays on the pitch. If you want to sub for Gini or Hendo or Can in a home match that's a draw at the time, Lallana is as good a choice as any. But Ings wouldn't be a BAD choice.