newsted Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 We've played Man City since then, played the same way, and they didn't go on about it then. Seems pretty obvious they now realise they were talking shit. Apparently not. They were talking about Bournemouth on Sunday Supplement yesterday and some journo (Ian Ladyman?) brought us up twice before they defended Bournemouth. Another ignominious chapter of ours in the national memory along with always losing 4-3, Hereford, 1996, being deluded, etc. Sigh. A bit pesky but we must all be resigned to this stuff now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astroblack Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 I wonder how much not winning the league this year would take out of Klopp after being clear a few games ago (assuming of course City go on and win it)? He'll either be galvanised into going one better next year, but its just as likely that this is his best chance and he goes on and does a Rodgers next season. Step forward Steven Gerrard. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raconteur Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Story in the Guardian aimed squarely at the "bottling it" Are Liverpool wilting under pressure – or renewing their early-season steel? The club have lost the Premier League lead but a side who have not conceded in five games are hardly ‘bottling it’ Jordan Henderson was unequivocal about how Liverpool would handle the slip from leaders to chasers in the title race. “It will not change our mindset,” the Liverpool captain said at Goodison Park where, on the streets outside, Evertonians rejoiced not in a goalless draw from the 233rd Merseyside derby but depriving their rivals of two precious points in pursuit of the Premier League crown. The midfielder’s message was upbeat but not reassuring. It is form, not mindset, that Liverpool need to change. These are strange times for Jürgen Klopp and what seems his weekly appeal for calm and perspective around Liverpool’s prospects. Between two goalless draws away at Manchester United and Everton, decent and not unusual results in most seasons, stood the 5-0 trouncing of Watford, Liverpool’s biggest victory of the campaign and an exhibition to banish talk of “bottling it”. Four days later that creativity, inspiration and penetration were lacking in the face of an impassioned Everton team and crowd up for the task of stopping their neighbours. Goodison is an awkward old place for any opponent with title pretensions on those raucous occasions. Almost 32% of Merseyside derbies end in draws – 74 of 233 in total – and 34 of the 200 league meetings between the clubs have finished goalless, a record in English league football. Sunday followed an established pattern down to the forgettable nature of the contest but at a time when Manchester City have raised the title-winning bar each draw represents a damaging setback. Four such results in six Premier League outings reflect the inconsistency that has afflicted Liverpool in 2019. From seven points clear of City on the morning of 3 January to one point behind on 3 March Klopp’s side have stumbled in comparison with the champions’ relentless streak of nine wins in 10 league games. It is an exaggeration, however, to say the pressure of leading the title race has got to a team unaccustomed to the summit. Defensively Liverpool have rediscovered the solidity and organisation that underpinned their challenge from the outset. A team consumed by nervous tension does not keep five consecutive clean sheets in all competitions. Virgil van Dijk was again imperious against Everton and, with Dejan Lovren possibly back for Sunday’s visit of Burnley, plus Joe Gomez expected to return after the next international break, Klopp’s options should be fully restored for the run-in. A team cracking under pressure does not go 35 league games unbeaten at home either. Liverpool have dropped four points at Anfield this season, in draws against City and Leicester, and will host five of their remaining nine matches. Visits to Fulham, Southampton, Cardiff and Newcastle also compare favourably with a City schedule that includes trips to Selhurst Park and Old Trafford. Henderson, to his credit, insisted there was only one way for Liverpool to disprove the pressure theory. “It’s no good talking about it; we have to respond on the pitch,” he said. “We have a lot of games left to do that, so it is down to us really.” The captain also maintained Klopp’s players will not be disheartened at having to play catch-up in a campaign that has delivered only one league defeat. “I know how good City are,” he added. “They are a top team so you have to be on it every single week – and to be fair I think we have been. There have been one or two games where we have maybe dropped below the standards we have set but overall I think we’ve given everything and we’ll carry on giving everything until the end of the season. Fingers crossed it’s enough to win. “It will not change our mindset. We take it game by game and we need to carry on doing that. There are nine games left, so plenty of football to play. Football is a lot to do with mentality. Obviously talent, which we’ve got in abundance, and we need to show our mentality in the next nine games – plus the Champions League – that we can achieve what we want to achieve. It is down to us on the pitch to show that.” Liverpool’s defence and home form provide the foundations to sustain the title challenge plus hope that City’s slender lead can be overturned. Equally the inconsistency of their attacking prowess, with Mohamed Salah encapsulating the contrast between the Watford and Everton performances, and an insufficient goal return from other positions are unavoidable concerns. Klopp’s sparing recent use of Xherdan Shaqiri, so effective during a flawless December, invitesd the tactical questions that he evidently disliked at Goodison. There remains ample opportunity to silence the Everton taunts about winning sweet FA this season. “We shouldn’t need added motivation to win the Premier League,” said Henderson on that particular subject. “I know how much this group of players want to win every game and that’s motivation enough: to do it for each other, to do it for the club and the city really. That’s enough for us.” As an aside - who else remembers the Tim Flowers interview when he used the word "bottle" about 20 times in two minutes? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
newsted Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 As an aside - who else remembers the Tim Flowers interview when he used the word "bottle" about 20 times in two minutes? Aye. That was when they won the League wasn't it? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raconteur Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 As an aside - who else remembers the Tim Flowers interview when he used the word "bottle" about 20 times in two minutes? Aye. That was when they won the League wasn't it? Yup, all the talk was Blackburn didn't have the bottle to win the league, which clearly struck a nerve with old mate Tim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
ponsaelius Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 The Napoli game was initially announced as being forbidden to anybody without residency in the Campania region. This meant I bought a Napoli Fan ID, and then a ticket, in order to be able to get in. This was later announced to be a miscommunication between the Italian Government and the ticketing company, meaning I had wasted 40 euros, and could have just got one on the day. No refund - of course. Standard Italy. I guess it isn't that difficult. The website is workable, although s***. And there is places in the city to buy them on the day, although badly advertised. But you need your ID/passport to be able to buy one, and then need to show it together with the ticket when entering the stadium going through the multiple security checks. Like you would at the airport. It makes the whole thing that little bit more arduous to do, and when every game is on TV, I can only see this would put people off. Wow that's bad, but the infrastructure around Italian stadiums looks terrible. I'm off to watch atletico on Saturday and it's an e-ticket downloaded straight to my phone. Yeah it was an e-ticket for the Napoli game. I guess it's not too difficult a process, only that the website is clunky and again it needs linking to a passport/ID. As somebody who collects the tickets from every match I go to, I'm firmly against e-tickets! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mole_Toonfan Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 As usual i'm massively late to the party but i'll give my two cents anyway. I don't think Liverpool are bottling it, they are just running out of steam. They play very aggressively to begin with so eventually you're going to tire out, especially so when Klopp seems very hesitant to use his squad which is going to amplify the overall fatigue you see right now. Also i feel like when this happens you notice their flaws more, mainly that they rely so much on their front 3 for a source of creativity and goals and their midfield doesn't do anywhere enough. Fabinho, Henderson, Milner, Wijnaldum are all good players but they aren't going to break down a team when the front 3 is struggling to provide and need the desired help. In general what you see right now is City have a better squad and Guardiola is more prepared to use that squad and rely on it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Astroblack Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Spurs full stregnth. No messing around from Poch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Prophet Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Klopp is definitely losing the plot. It certainly has the hallmarks of a bottling. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikky Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 What on earth has happened to Isco? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinitely Content Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 What on earth has happened to Isco? Canny few injuries this season including an appendicitis. One of my favourite players in Europe to watch. Just incredible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest neesy111 Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 What on earth has happened to Isco? Canny few injuries this season including an appendicitis. One of my favourite players in Europe to watch. Just incredible. That's not the main reason he hasn't been playing, he's missed 8 games from injuries this season. He doesn't get along with Solari, that's it. https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2019/02/07/5c5c9dd4e2704ea76b8b4584.html Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaqen Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Klopp is definitely losing the plot. It certainly has the hallmarks of a bottling. Gives Pardew a run for his money in terms of his excuses . I think he's been quite negative in some of their big games recently too which you don't usually associate with him. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinitely Content Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 What on earth has happened to Isco? Canny few injuries this season including an appendicitis. One of my favourite players in Europe to watch. Just incredible. That's not the main reason he hasn't been playing, he's missed 8 games from injuries this season. He doesn't get along with Solari, that's it. https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2019/02/07/5c5c9dd4e2704ea76b8b4584.html Good news, he should move to the PL. Liverpool or City would be great moves for him. Arsenal or Man Utd even... Would love to see him here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemtizz Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 He hasn't got along with any the mangers they've had since he's been there. Doesn't help that Real haven't played with a 10 for years, as Benzema kinda does that role. Should go to City (because they need more centre attacking mids). He'd be perfect in that team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinitely Content Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 He hasn't got along with any the mangers they've had since he's been there. Doesn't help that Real haven't played with a 10 for years, as Benzema kinda does that role. Should go to City (because they need more centre attacking mids). He'd be perfect in that team. Would be the perfect David Silva replacement but Bernardo looks like he’s taking that role. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
midds Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Not even Spurs could Spurs this up? Surely? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemtizz Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Ajax 1 up Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinho lad Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 would love to see real go out - not least for Ramos. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Ziyech is a star in the making. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nemtizz Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Davies keeping Reus on there surely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribesman Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Derby doing their near end of the season collapse again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeyt Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Ziyech is a star in the making. Gonna have to get a move quick, he's 26 in a couple of weeks. That long ball pass that he did that was all over Twitter the other week was lush Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Geordie Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Ajax 2-0 up :: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tribesman Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 I would love it if Real Madrid got knocked out especially to Ajax. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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