Good riddance. The very definition of addition by subtraction.
No fee, but no payment to go away, either. Lops £90k a week from the wages.
Kind of makes one wonder how things could be if they could manage to stay the fuck out of their own way, doesn't it? Feels like they're due for a relentlessly stupid play like that at least once every four games. Luckily, scoring 4 goals gives you a good enough cushion to easily overcome that kind of dumbfuckery.As for the defense...as for Lucas...egads, man. At least Mingolet made some huge stops today.
Sakho’s late-night social media tirade could have severe repercussions for his Anfield career. After the defeat of Hull, Klopp said: “I was confronted this morning with the news that maybe it was something I should know about. But on a match day I am in completely the wrong kind of mood for something like this.
They only thing Klopp really said was that Sakho's remarks "weren't positive" .. It's still a bit of a stretch to get from there to "his Liverpool career is over". Of course Sakho's mini rant doesn't exactly help his situation.
As a squad, 'Pool are taking 8.7 shots/game outside the box, 9.4 in the box, and 1.1 within the 6 yard. The 8.7 figure puts them first among teams in the Big 5, a head of Napoli (8.4), Tottenham (8.1), and Torino (7.7). Now, Coutinho far and away leads the team in shots with 4.1/match and shots outside the box with 2.7/match. At this point, I don't think Klopp would play Coutinho as much as he has if this wasn't part of the plan. Coutinho is fantastically skilled at long shots, and a guy who can really rip them from 20-25yds puts stress on a defense when the counter pressing and dribbles quickly open up pockets of space between the midfield and back line. I'm inclined to think Klopp is putting Coutinho's best skill to use.When I look at the guys starting, Coutinho seems to be the only guy that hasn't bought in 100%. It's still working, but form time to time he reverts to the "I am going to shoot this from 25 yards no matter what opportunity presents itself" look. It's getting rarer but you still get the impression that he's trying to fill a quota in his head.
That's certainly true. But the only other player averaging over a long shot per game right now is Sturridge (1.2/game), and he's not exactly getting much run out there. Coutinho is probably being encouraged to take the long shots at the "right" time, and Phillipe's got to do to more consistently identify those spots.You can tell when he's forcing it and they cut to a frustrated/angry Klopp. This is another area that time should improve.
Not so eye-opening to me. The complaints about Rodgers weren't about the beginning, but the end. The team was a hair from a title in 2014. But Suarez ain't walking back through that door.
I know the conventional wisdom is that the team has improved dramatically under Klopp. So, these stats were eye-opening.
I always feel that coaches are overrated and GMs underrated. I don't think that Rodgers had too much input in building the team either.Also important to note that Klopp inherited a squad for about 2/3 of his matches thus far, whereas Rodgers had a summer to build his ideal squad.
I still maintain it's too early to compare the two, but Klopp has had some strong early returns this season, especially given the strength of opponent to date.
That 2014 had a historically good attack with her top two goal scorers scoring about half of the goals. Then they lost one of them to a transfer and the other to injury. Then they replaced them with Ballotelli who sucked and Benteke who sucked less. On top of that, they lost the long-time leader of the team who was in decline during the last two years.Not so eye-opening to me. The complaints about Rodgers weren't about the beginning, but the end. The team was a hair from a title in 2014. But Suarez ain't walking back through that door.
I think it is completely the opposite in soccer. More than in other sports the two jobs should be intimately connected, as system fit is absolutely crucial in putting together a winning side.I always feel that coaches are overrated and GMs underrated.
Seems more likely they were being held back by Rodgers and his system. Lallana, for example looks like he's "growing" back into the player he promised to be at Southampton.Klopp is a good coach, but I think he benefited from having a couple of solid transfers this year as well as certain players like Coutinho and Lallana growing us players.
This is absolutely spot-on. After the Suarez sale Rodgers managed to get less out of everybody in the squad. He stuffed his best eleven names into the side week after week, regardless of whether or not their position had been filled. Emre Can at the back, Firmino and Lallana as wingers in a 3-5-2, Henderson as a defensive midfielder... He was a tactical shitshow.Seems more likely they were being held back by Rodgers and his system. Lallana, for example looks like he's "growing" back into the player he promised to be at Southampton.