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Our Liverpool blogger, Dave Tindall, is looking into the latest team defeat in Europe and believes that we have to give up a specific combination of midfielder.
Being a fan of Liverpool in recent years has been an exercise aimed at managing ridiculous ridiculous ups and downs. You would have thought that it could become easier when we swing from one to the other within a few days.
This is not the case.
Saturday night, it was all smiles. Another goal by Mo Salah, a superb free-kick from Trent Alexander-Arnold and a welcome shot from Roberto Firmino highlighted a difficult match at Vicarage Road.
There was even a very beautiful symmetry. In our first full season under Klopp, we lost 3-0 after being overwhelmed. Last year, at the opening day, Liverpool, a crazy and exciting, drew 3-3. And this time, the current Reds, more mature, have completed the opposite by excluding them, but by scoring three times.
Watford's result reflects the evolution of Reds
From 0-3 to 3-3 to 3-0. These results against Watford were a faithful reflection of our evolution.
That meant that after 13 games, we had 33 points – our best total in the Premier League season after that number of games – and we were still unbeaten (Best previous 32 in 2008-9, the year we finished second).
The goals against column were even more impressive. Only five conceded in these 13 games. A remarkable recovery from the previous season when we shipped 18 at this stage.
And then came Wednesday night.
In itself, the 2-1 loss to PSG was not a crime. And yet, he completed a trio of defeats out of the country in Group C.
Why have we become so fragile on the road in Europe and yet we have recorded an outside record in the Premier League with five wins, two draws and no losses? Goals conceded in three away matches: 5. Goals conceded in seven Premier League matches: 4.
Jurgen even called us "stubborn" after Watford's victory. Where did this quality go in Europe?
Is it just the strength of the opposition?
European concern
It was supposed to be the PSG that could not adapt to better teams after facing a poor opposition every week in its championship, but hey, maybe it's us.
Crystal Palace, Leicester, Huddersfield and Watford have won four of their five away victories. the 1-1 at Chelsea and Arsenal.
Maybe the contrast is only a question of tactics.
Our new functional approach seems designed not to concede goals and the weakest teams in the Premier League do not need the class to dismantle. If we score two or even one, that will probably suffice.
In Europe, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lorenzo Insigne have all been net against us. Eden Hazard and Alexandre Lacazette both fired one after the other.
Or maybe we are simply caught between styles in Europe.
Jurgen Klopp tries to give us a more solid platform by playing a flat midfielder and rather strong, but he turns against. We still concede goals and yet it also limits our potential for the future.
Take this Statistics of SimonBrundish on Twitter: 13 shots on goal in 782 minutes of football with Wijnaldum-Henderson-Milner in the middle of the field.
13 shots on goal in 782 minutes of football with Wijnaldum-Henderson-Milner in midfield
– SimonBrundish (@SimonBrundish) November 28, 2018
That's half a goal goal per game.
Individually, these three people receive a lot of praise (Well, Henderson divides the opinion as nobody) but play them all at once and the midfielder becomes an overweight bull, unable to charge forward and use his horns.
Mid-field solution
Ironically, the solution may be right under our nose.
Klopp recognized the same mid-field problem some time ago and created a distinction by buying a defensive bumper and a more mercurial intriguer.
It is fair to say that he has had very few returns from Fabinho and Naby Keita so far, but this is sometimes the case. They do not become bad players. Patience is necessary and, in the meantime, we are vulnerable in big games.
To be honest, the problem of free time is not a new phenomenon.
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While the thrilling 7-0 and 5-0 victories at Maribor and Porto suggest we would not be better off, last season we also drew in Moscow and Sevilla in the group stage. And in our last two days in Europe, we lost 4-2 in Rome and 3-1 in the final against Real Madrid.
In other words, it's a feast or a famine. We are either one or concede a lot and usually lose. Klopp now seems to be able to succeed in the Premier League.
The good thing is that the boss had a number of problems to solve during his tenure in Liverpool and found many solutions.
We could not beat the leaders who came to defend themselves. We needed a new left back, a central defender commander and a guard. On the Klopp spreadsheet, there is a tick next to all those now.
And that should give Liverpool fans the assurance that they will find more answers.
While Naples, Belgrade and Paris were all depressing nights, we still have a playing card to get out of jail to play in the Champions League. Beat Naples 1-0 or two goals, and we are in the round of 16 despite the trio of one-day outings.
Another famous night at Anfield is waiting for December 11th. It is not finished yet.
Dave Tindall
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