Okay it was great to see VvD again tonight, but I was really worried to see him yelling at his leg when Herta was scoring their 4th goal..
I thought it was classic that VVD stopped a 2 on 1 but because of his rust ended up tripping. Good to see the recovery pace.
I'd love to see Ox settle into that Bobby role, he is a very different player for the oppo to deal with, and a much greater goal threat I think.
That strike was as clean as you are likely to see. Rarely since Gerrard have we had a player who offered that type of goal threat.
We lucked into Firmino have the perfect skillset to create a role that didn't exist in football before he became it. I'd almost prefer to see the evolution of Salah as the central player with Mane and Jota either side. I think it is the most likely way the side transitions to being less 'known' to the opposition than we have been seeing as it is unlikely we'll be splashing a bunch of cash on a new attacker.
dunno Tips, I can't recall Mo being particularly effective in the middle. it requires different skills from the ones he brings to the table. Bobby and Ox tag-teaming, then Harvey growing into it, might be the way to go? it is unlikely we'll be splashing a bunch of cash on a new attacker -- certainly looks that way unless we get a late-window surprise. not holding my breath. .
There are two things that Ox (and Minamino) does not offer in the false 9 role. He does not know how to play with his back to goal and hold up the ball. He is not good in the air. When Ox got a free header in front of goal yesterday I couldn’t help but think that Firmino would have buried it. Firmino also has the ability to play with his back to goal and to receive it in tight areas. While Firmino is definitely not the typical number 9, he is capable of doing number 9 type things. Klopp does seem committed to giving Ox a try there. It is the only position he has played in 3 preseason games. I think Jota playing centrally worked really well last season and want to see more of him up front with Salah and Mane this season.
agree on the heading issue - not sure I've ever seen Ox head the ball on target. he can learn how to play with back to goal but he'll never be Bobby in that regard. but he doesn't need to be a replica of Bobby. tbh I don't know which player anywhere has his blend of skills. Ox has attributes Bobby doesn't have - stronger and faster when running with the ball, stronger shot (esp from distance), and maybe also a better engine.
https://metro.co.uk/2021/08/01/virg...ter-injury-returns-15021460/?ito=newsnow-feed Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez returned from their respective serious knee injuries on Thursday in a friendly against Hertha Berlin, but Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says it will remain a slow and steady process for them to return to full fitness. Both centre-backs missed the majority of last season after Van Dijk damaged his ACL in October and Gomez suffered a serious knee problem in November in England training. It was a cruel blow to Liverpool’s Premier League title defence, which proved unsuccessful, but both are now ready to compete again. Neither would be considered match fit just yet, having just played 20 minutes in a friendly in Austria, but Klopp says they will be in action again this Thursday in a friendly against Bologna, although he will be very careful with their progress.
Harvey Davies, Conor Bradley, Billy Koumetio, Jake Cain, Tyler Morton and Mateusz Musialowski all left Liverpool’s training camp when the squad moved to Evian. Owen Beck, Marcelo Pitaluga, Ben Woodburn, Leighton Clarkson and Kaide Gordon travelled to Evian.
I think he should often be subbed in there with 30 mins to go.... definitely flummoxes defenders in a direct way...
Or we just stop worrying about shoehorning someone into a position perfectly suited for the skills/abilities of a completely unique player and we adapt our game and make ourselves less predictable in the process...
= my point about Ox in that position. many thought we were doomed when Coutinho left ... we didn't try to replace him with a similar player ...didn't turn out too bad.
Jürgen Klopp has confirmed Thiago Alcantara will miss Liverpool's contests with Bologna on Thursday due to a minor injury. The midfielder reported to the Reds' pre-season training camp last week after an extended break following his participation in Euro 2020 with Spain. While Thiago will sit out the team's pair of hour-long friendlies with the Serie A side, Klopp is optimistic he can make a full return to training next week.
He has a well documented history of missing large chunks of every professional season with injuries...
Both Gini and Bobby are completely unique players, maybe one or two others could copy their style. Thiago/Keita/Fab all could be replaced with like-for-like replacements but neither Gini nor Bobby could be.
Team to face Bologna (first game): Kelleher, Alexander-Arnold, Matip, Van Dijk, Robertson, Milner, Keita, Elliott, Jota, Mane, Salah.