rgk_lfc

There is a false equivalence when comparing Rafa's systems and Southgate's. Yes, both are defensive, but they could not be more different in terms of sophistication and strategy. Rafa's systems were about making the whole punch above the sum of its parts. Southgate's system, as of now, is anything but that.

India is playing Pakistan? Which sport?

Southgate and Gordon having a falling out and Southgate being an idiot is not mutually exclusive.

In a final appearance on his podcast, Marsch said he “wasn’t treated very well” by US Soccer during the manager hunt without elaborating. “You know, US Soccer had the chance to hire me,” Marsch told the Guardian in May. “They have nobody to look at but themselves, especially if that’s the question they’re asking. In the end I have the freedom in my life to do what’s best for me and myself.” https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/jul/05/canada-coach-jesse-marsch-says-the-usmnt-lacks-discipline-after-copa-america-knockout#:~:text=In a final appearance on,the question they're asking.

He cried more when he missed the penalty than when Portugal was knocked out.

Southgate supporters always compare his record of reaching semis and finals to past managers. To be fair to Southgate, you can only beat what is before you. But is international football at its weakest in a long time? My first World Cup memory is Italia 1990. Sir Bobby Robson's England had to face the Netherlands, Ireland, and Egypt in the group stage. That Dutch team had Koeman, Gullit, Van Basten, Rijkaard. I remember that Ireland team being tough to beat as well. That tournament had Italy, Argentina, the Netherlands, and West Germany as the top teams. Every tournament from 1994 to 2012 had at least two teams which was so much better than the current versions. Or is it just me starting to grow old and grump.

Ronaldo is going to show up in WC 2026, isn't he !!!!

His performance in the WC22 final was unbelievable. If France had won the penalties, it would have been recognized as an all time great.

In my experience, when too much specifics is provided, it is often a load of BS.

Not a single reliable LFC journalist has written a story on this. I would be very surprised if the Craig Hope article was true. It is common knowledge that AG is a LFC fan. Given that info and your need to raise some money, I wouldn't be surprised, if we made an enquiry. My guess is it ended at that.

Austria Portugal will be tasty if it happens

His ability to land on the easier side of the draw is world class.

Every normal LFC fan has been saying this for ages - TAA is a great attacking RB and not a midfielder. His best performances have always been with Fabinho and Henderson pressing the hell out of the opposition. Then he had Salah upfront pinning the opposition. Give him that platform, and TAA will put in pinpoint crosses to Kane every minute of the game.

Fair enough. Have no clue about the Ashworth business.

Not exactly following the rules, but that is the way most transfers are done. If NUFC is interested in a player, then one of your representatives will reach out to the agent and get a sense of the interest, salary expectations, other clubs you are competing with, etc. The details and the fine print may be negotiated once the bid is accepted, but the general terms are almost always agreed before then. What is the point in Newcastle engaging in protracted negotiations with another club only to find that the player wants twice what you are willing to offer in wages? Hughes is very close to Iraola's agent, who is also Alonso's agent. So Alonso's agent conveyed to Hughes and Edwards very early that the chances of Alonso moving to LFC are slim to none in the summer. It is not right, but it is the way things work.

Klopp has been open about the fact that Salah was Edward's signing. The difference of opinion happened with contract renegotiation. Klopp wanted extensions for Hendo and Gini and Edward's didn't. On a different note, I read some of the suggestions that Howe wanted folks from Bournemouth as they were his mates. Irrespective of what you think about Howe, there are certain things we can agree upon. He is intelligent, talented, motivated, driven and absolutely wants to succeed. Why would such a person offer potentially the most important job after him in the organization to his mate amd not to the best available person?

Honestly, I'm unsure as to what really happened. I don't think we shifted to a manager-buying model. Maybe Klopp had more input? I can never really say. FSG is committed to having a bit of separation from manager and player purchasing. I do believe even though Edwards left, the underlying background team was still there, providing all the input. I wish I knew more. But other than gossip from journos, I don't think anyone has any real clue as to what happened other than Klopp and the team.

Multiple things can be true at the same time. Is this a win for Man Utd? Yes. Is this a short term loss for you? Yes. Will you be fine in the medium term? Absolutely. To me the DOF approach's success is more about the owners than the individual DOF. Brighton, Brentford- they all deem to do well even after important people leave. After Edwards left, there was a dip in our transfer hit rate but we seem to have recovered. Your owners seem committed to this model. So you should be fine.

City are a monster team in the second half of the season. They play almost perfect football in the PL. This season, the chance to pull away was when Haaland, KDB, and Rodri were injured. Now they are within firing distance, and a three to six-point gap is nothing for them.

Outside of the physical injuries, don't discount the mental effect of dropping out of the CL after giving such a good account due to obvious refereeing mistakes. When you get so near and miss out, it takes time to rebound from that. The mental effect of getting close to the quad and missing out was highlighted by several of our players last year.

Whether we create a gap or not will not matter. City now have Rodri back. At some point, they will get KDB back and click into gear and win 20 games in a row. We have all seen this movie multiple times.

I know it is not a popular opinion around here but Klopp is a brilliant manager. He has been luck or clever enough to pick jobs where he is supported by a brilliant back office infrastructure at Dortmund and Liverpool. Howe is a brilliant manager too but still figuring things out. He is at Klopp's Mainz or early Dortmund stage of development. You also have a brilliant background team but which is still establishing itself. When you are improving a club based on processes and innovative practice on and off the pitch, patience is required. It is not always linear.

What you are experiencing is exactly what we experience under Klopp when there are large number of injuries relative to fixture congestion. Once this eases, I have no doubt you will finish strongly. By the way, full press tactics is plan A and plan B and plan C. I remember Klopp stating if plan A is not working, then we fix it. You either commit to it 100% or you don't. It is not possible for a squad to commit to it, and then go back to a more defensive style and then return back to it. For managers who believe in counterparts, it is more of a squad ethos thing than just tactics.

Rumors that Everton are going to be hit with a 12 point deduction due to FFP breaches.

Give him time and patience, Poch will fix the mess that is Chelsea squad.