Stottie

Poor from Wood, but we're still in this. It doesn't matter how much the commentators lick the Liverpool ring.

We're losing, so there's probably only a point out there, but we've got the equivalent of a Rafa "20 minute game". Where you stay in it with a stout defence and have a go in the last twenty. We've forced them to use Salah and Fabinho, so that stops it being a walkover.

Keep this up and there's a point out there to be grabbed. Just continue pushing and get a bit of luck.

Got me rattled though. Keep it up lads!

Just like the ref stopped the game at Anfield when Hayden went down, not. Bent as fuck league.

Disappointing. Gifted them a goal by stopping after the "foul". Liverpool look to be in second gear, but we're not making much traction. Nice pressing in the first 10-15, but it didn't last. We need to change it up, and I hope Eddie does it soon.

Should be 2-0 there. Thankfully a team on the beach counter attack.

It was a gift, but still only one in it. Stick to the task lads!

The other way, it would be "he went to ground and was not in control blah blah">

Dive #1

Neutrals cheering on a European Super League team!? Fuck that sideways!

In fifteen games since Jan 1, we've conceded 13 goals. West Ham have conceded 19. This is in spite of them having a better DM. I think this is fair evidence of their defenders (and goalkeeper) not walking into our team. fwiw, in those 15 games, we've also scored three more goals than West Ham.

Yeah, my main fear is us being up against twelve or thirteen, not just the eleven of Liverpool. The ironic one is that Liverpool were one of the major drivers behind the European Super League and clearly have their sights above the Premier League as a fair competition. Neutrals should never forget this.

Please stick around WillDanceForChocolate! Great insight. It's a shame we have so many Championship era players to replace, because it is likely to limit what can be achieved in the coming transfer window. Ideally, we'd be getting to see just how ruthless Howe can be, with essentially every player aside from Bruno and Trippier in the crosshairs, but that would just rip the heart out of the team and leave us with a group of uber-talented strangers.

Those 23 games also began with one win, three draws, and four defeats. That was by a team and playing style now irrelevant to what we do now. Aiming for 7-10th with deadwood removed from the squad, more competition, and presumably better attackers next season strikes me as a step backwards. The aim has to be Top 6-7. If it isn't, the risk is that we'll lose Bruno just like Wolves lost Jota. I certainly don't want to see Bruno playing for Liverpool.

Pickford saves that with longer arms.

Pickford's gone full Flaposaurus.

It's getting to the point now where we're Top 6 (Chelsea have played fewer) over Howe's entire reign, not just since January or last fifteen games. That's 23 games now, so 60% of a season. Far too big a sample to fluke. Those 23 started with Joelinton as striker, Darlow in goal, and the likes of a Murphy, Clark, Lascelles, Ritchie back four. We only got six points in Howe's first eight games. When Pardew got fifth, there were Kurl heroics and opponents missing sitters. When Everton pasted us on the final day, it felt like it had been coming. There is no anomalous feel this time. While we've only had two routine wins, vs. Brentford with the sending off and yesterday, I suppose you could say Everton as well if you wanted, the team has been really solid and I can't see why this form would not continue. Wilson in a strong Howe team and with Howe's team's conditioning protecting his hamstrings etc. is still an unknown. I think there could be a lot of goals in there. His finishing is certainly good enough.

Thanks for that WillDanceForChocolate. While Bruno G is looking as amazing as all the European football nerds and stats people said he would be, I hope we still get to see Howe find more hidden gems like Targett and Burn. It would be a waste to have Howe as manager and just throw money at the same big names being mentioned for Spurs, Arsenal, West Ham etc. If we have a manager with an eye for players putting 12 hour days into the job, we have to make use of that. I would not swap Targett for Digne even if the latter is 0.1s faster going up the wing or averages 0.1 assists more.

Mo Salah will hit the deck like a bag of hammers at the first opportunity. He's done it twice against us in the past. Him and KDB are the best players in the league, but man, what a cheat!

Ignore the Spurs game and that is eight goals conceded in fourteen games. For context, Woodman conceded twelve (!) in our first four games this season. Even with the Spurs blowout included, thirteen against is only one more conceded than Man City. With our defence already this stingy, we do not need Kalvin Phillips. What we need for consolidation is to score more, and especially to get a second when leading. The few goals we are conceding tend to be from set pieces, Leicester, Spurs' first, West Ham, Everton, .... where a DM is not the issue.

Not helping Everton is it?

Don't understand why Almiron's not playing, I think we need to evaluate him before the summer. The rest is in Eddie we trust! He changed things up at short notice against Chelsea and that game went very well. I don't know if Howe likes that formation, but the players he's picked could play 3-5-2 with Murphy and Targett as wingbacks and Willock or Joelinton as second striker.

Gale's off in the summer so no point playing him. I thought Wood would play as a relatively easy game to score in and get some confidence.

Burnley gave us our biggest win of the season, the first one. If its going to be a meaningless game for us, perhaps we could return the favour. Salvation through sacking Dyche with no replacement is also a great managerial twist.