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Thread on @LFC:
There's no particular order to this, but numbering helps, so here it goes.
1) Covid. Yeah every team is dealing with it, but it's still weird and still probably fucking with the team. It's unprecedented in how it's affecting everyone, so we can't ignore it.
There's no particular order to this, but numbering helps, so here it goes.
1) Covid. Yeah every team is dealing with it, but it's still weird and still probably fucking with the team. It's unprecedented in how it's affecting everyone, so we can't ignore it.
2) Injuries. Sure other teams deal with injuries too, but our two best cbs are out. The 3rd best is often injured. Which means our 4th and 5th best are our best CMs. Should they have signed another cb in the summer, yeah, defo, but we'd still have one of our cm's at cb.
3) Injuries continued. Other players in other key positions have been out too. Ox, Keita, Jota, Shaq, Hendo, Trent, Mo...you get the point.
4) Players out of position. Hendo and Fabs have played marvelously at cb (as have the youngins), 8 goals against in 13 matches isn't something to shake your fist at.
5) But adjusting to either Hendo and Fabs or both playing at the back, has been less than stellar. Part of it is losing the connection/chemistry that they have with the front three and wingbacks.
6) That also means that Robbo and Trent, even the more enterprising cm's are less willing to take risks. They hold on to the ball longer not because they want to keep it, but because they're worried about losing it, even when Fabs and whoever his partner is are playing well.
7) All of this allows the other team's defense to settle in, hunker down, and just play out the 90 mins. Seriously, what happened to that team over the previous two seasons that played quickly, aggressively in the final third. That's what losing VVD and Gomez does.
8) Combine all of that with Bobby, Mo, and Sadio just having zero form right now. Like it's evaporated. Maybe Jota not coming off the bench or starting hurts because there's not a 4th or 5th option in the 65th minute, idk. It sucks nonetheless.
9) xG over the last 4-5 matches is close to 7 (or at least 6) getting half of those would have us walking away with more points. I'll let you play out those scenarios, tho.
10) this is similar to what happened to Klopp at Dormund in his last season. Form dipped, but xG and xP indicated that the club should have been higher up the table than they were in the first half of the season. Sometimes clubs are unlucky.
11) Undefeated runs come to an end, they always do. It was going to happen, I'd rather it be now in a covid/shitshow of a season than at any other point.
12) the officiating has been abysmal. But it's been largely abysmal for everyone except United and maybe even City...don't @ me. Like @Biggies_MaIIs said on the weekend, it's tough to get excited about matches when you know there's a good chance the ref will eff it up.
13) I'm sure there's more, but this what I have. Would be interested to hear your thoughts: @babuyagu @PhilTalksFooty @TwoRedGringos @Simon_Hughes__ @Biggies_MaIIs @Stokes334 @mbfraier @learnedbreddrin @gauthamrao @pucksherburn @jejtobin @coffeycoly
@edgeofcoaching forgot to tag you too
