Steven Gerrard must go, and all the reasons Liverpool have slumped this season
Gerrard #Gerrard
The Mailbox highlights why Villa should axe Steven Gerrard, while pinpointing why Liverpool are rubbish this season. It’s not rocket science, apparently.
Get your views in to theeditor@football365.com…
Gerrard out
Stevie G has to go.
This is turgid stuff.
Absolutely no improvement on Smith who were at least alot more fun to watch.
From a writer who used work for a website not a million miles from here:
‘Forest and Villa are basically opposites. One has a fine coach and a confused squad, the other a fine squad and a confused manager. The latter is easier to solve – and Villa should try.’
I couldn’t agree more.
Please, no more ex player celebrity managers.
Paul
READ MORE: Gerrard could be sacked with awful World Cup fixture run-in as Arsenal have chance to pull clear
Lessons in failure
I’m still basking in the warm afterglow of the Arsenal result, and beginning to whisper to myself that we will make top 4. I’m not deluded enough to think we can keep pace with City who look monstrous, but you’d have to be wilfully obtuse to say that Arsenal don’t look like the real deal. We are probably a couple of decent additions away from genuinely challenging.
However, I do not believe Arsenal would have made the start we have to this season if it wasn’t for our failure in the last. In my job we are taught to embrace the lessons failure teaches you. You learn far more from how things went wrong than when things go right. I’m pretty certain Arteta is telling his players exactly where they went wrong last year and how to fix it. He comes across as detail orientated and exact, which is perfect for young players who want to develop.
A young team can look to pain and failure and use it to fuel their development. I know the situations aren’t identical, but if you look at Spurs, you feel like their making top 4 was the target, and they achieved it. They now look lackluster this season (plenty of time to turn around) because they need a new focus. By making top 4, they were able to tell themselves that what they were doing was enough. Whereas Arsenal approach this season saying the last was not enough. It is a different mindset.
On an aside, I saw Auba stating that Arteta didn’t like players who spoke back, and he couldn’t handle big egos. That he only wanted players who did what he said. I think Auba is partially right. I don’t think Arteta couldn’t handle big egos, he just didn’t respect them. A name is not enough for Arteta. You need to demonstrate you are bought into his ‘process’. And as we can see, from last season and this, our team has demonstably improved following Arteta’s plan. Arsenal fans have had enough of Big names underperforming while picking up huge paychecks. This is why there is such a connection to our young team, we see them growing, but more importantly we see them fighting. The days of seeing someone moan after a misplaced pass are gone. Instead we have a team of battlers with an average age of like 24.
Years from now, I think many Arsenal fans will look back to this period with immense fondness
John (Has Salah got the curse of £350k a week? – it must be hard to motivate yourself with that much money) Matrix AFC
Emirates noise
Rich, AFC on Monday morning mentioned the reaction from the home support to Liverpool’s two goals yesterday evening. It was worthy of note.
Arsenal’s move to the Emirates was a tough one. Highbury already carried the moniker of ‘Highbury Library’ (although that wasn’t necessarily fair, and in truth just a stick to bash us with), and the atmosphere at the Emirates in those early days was dreadful at times. At the very beginning, when bands of bare concrete were still visible from the pitch, it just felt a bit… weird. Season ticket-holders were dotted around a giant, generic bowl with lots of new people and tourists sat in between. The atmosphere was fractured. Arsenal were still operating at a relatively pointy end of the table in those days, but then we hit our end-of-Wenger/post-Wenger era. That’s when things went from quiet to toxic. The stadium was never far from a meltdown; it lived in a constant state of tension and all it took was for a goal to be conceded and the atmosphere could turn sour. Quickly.
When you look at Tottenham’s impressive stadium today (believe me, I detest Spurs, but there’s no point being disingenuous – it looks a superb stadium), and compare it with the Emirates, it’s easy to conclude that Arsenal were well and truly left behind. Credit where it’s due: Tottenham appear to have taken some good lessons from across the UK and Europe (e.g. the creation of one continuous stand behind one of their goals, uninterrupted by corporate boxes – something which Arsenal failed spectacularly in, with their eyes on corporate riches).
But there’s one silver-lining to the Emirates’s now slightly dated look and feel. It’s beginning to feel lived in. It finally feels like home.
The change in atmosphere, which started early last season, has been a complete revelation. I’ve held a season ticket since those early days; I’ve been through the quiet periods when it was difficult to get a basic chant going; I’ve survived the shower of froth during the toxic period. Others (mainly those who watch from their armchair, or who are being wilfully ignorant) will refuse to accept it, but the atmosphere at the Emirates is now on par with anything the Premier League has to offer.
The Clock End’s Ashburton Army gets a lot of deserved plaudits for improving the atmosphere, but the North Bank has found its voice too. As Rich, AFC comments, the noise yesterday from Liverpool’s travelling fans after both of their goals was utterly consumed by a counter-attack roar from all four stands of home support, willing the players to dust themselves off and go again.
There are several reasons for the change in atmosphere. Mikel Arteta and his team of young, hardworking players deserve a lot of credit for bridging a gap that had previously been widening each time we added another over-paid mercenary to a squad that was then much harder to love. There’s been a notable change in demographic around the stadium as well; teenagers and younger adults who are being priced out of the game have made a revival as season ticket spots have opened up. Fair play to them – for many of them it’s a disproportionate investment in these tough times, and they’re bringing the noise. Last, but not least, I genuinely believe the Arsenal support found its voice during the protests that took place against KSE’s ownership during the first lockdown. That was a defining moment; an outpouring of passion in response to the ownership’s complete lack of it.
I can’t possibly say for certain that the toxic atmosphere won’t creep back if/when our current trajectory takes a dive south. But it does to me feel like the Emirates is finally a stadium full of support, rather than expectance and entitlement. That shift stands a good chance of weathering more disappointment on the pitch.
Dane (In The North Bank)
Van Dijk, Trent and the ballad of Leroy Brown
Have you ever heard the ballad of Leroy Brown? He looked mean and acted tough so everyone assumed he was. Until someone took him on, found that he wasn’t and the aura was lost forever.
Now, to segue into my actual point, Liverpool, TAA and VVD have benefitted massively from the aura of invincibility around VVD and many of their respective problems this season are because that aura has been smashed (in fairness to VVD, his reputation was well-earned, unlike Leroy Brown’s) Attacking teams hesitated momentarily when facing Van Dijk, giving the defence a second to set themselves and assess what they were facing. And VVD knew how to make use of the psychological advantage he had earned. Sometimes he would pounce on the hesitation, sometimes he would let it fester and watch them come undone . Think of Sissoko in the champions league final. While he remains an excellent defender, he now looks fallible and he is without the psychological edge that he held. This is something he needs to adjust to, to account for in how he plays.
Van Dijk’s reputation allowed TAA to be an attacking full back whose defensive duties were minimised. He played in a system that was set up to maximise his attacking, creative abilities and reduce his defensive workload, with cover from centre mid and centre back.
The way Liverpool play has changed. Salah is playing as right winger, sticking to the touchline rather than cutting inside. This reduces TAA’s space for attacking. With Salah spending less time in the centre, there is more work in that space for the midfielders, meaning they can’t cover TAA as much. Van Dijk is operating at a level that not quite imperious. Liverpool’s system was not built around TAA but it definitely played to his strengths. It could all be a mentality issue, having played for years with the understanding that you have cover, adjusting to a new system where you don’t or you are expected to be the cover could take some time and maybe a spell out of the team. But that is for Klopp to decide. They are still elite players, with strengths and weaknesses that can be accentuated and minimised. I wouldn’t be writing them off just yet.
Kev (Liverpool missed their chance with Martinelli, he is a perfect Klopp player)
Go, Joe
At half time of the Arsenal v Liverpool game, I was thinking that Klopp had to take Trent out of the team for a spell over the next few weeks. I didn’t realise it would actually happen at half time, but injury or not, it’s surely a blessing in disguise.
I know you touched upon it in your 16 conclusions on the match, but Liverpool have a more than capable option in Joe Gomez. I think people have forgotten how good a defender he was before his injury. He has looked a little bit shaky at times this season, in the dribs and drabs of time he’s got on the pitch – Napoli away springs to mind – but trying to play your way back into fitness and form in this Liverpool back line at the moment can’t be easy! Saying that, he did well yesterday, coming into that match halfway through, up against a blistering Martinelli. Although Martinelli was always a threat, that side of the pitch certainly got a lot more under control, and a lot less Trent.
Now would be a great time to give him a run in the team. Van Dijk never looked better than when he played with Gomez, albeit now he’d be at right back. Get his sharpness and confidence levels back to where they were, and that defence will stop looking so fragile. He is a defender first and foremost and is much better in tackling; positioning; recovery; aggression; heading; and faster than Trent too. Liverpool will lose an element going forward, of course, Trent is the best in the world at that, but Gomez isn’t exactly terrible with the ball either. At the moment the priority has to be getting the defence solid again anyway. Let the midfielders and attackers take some responsibility going forward. Salah anyone?
And who knows, if Gomez does well, it could be a surprise blessing for England too. If Gareth wants to play this back 3, and if Maguire and Walker are going to be injured/terrible, then slotting Gomez into the 3 could be the best option we have. A fit and in form Stones-Dier-Gomez trio isn’t immediately making me want to sit and rock myself to sleep in a dark room. Compared to other options anyway.
Trent looks frazzled mentally. He’s developing a severe case of the Maguires. Give him a break. Take some time out of the limelight and get your s**t together son. The World Cup isn’t happening for him, so forget it. He just needs to get himself right again.
Seems to me to be win win all round.
Yours,
Big G (That is until Gomez inevitably gets injured again)
Why Liverpool suck
– Mane leaving has left a huge DEFENSIVE hole.
– Darwin doesnt run back the same way Salah, Firmino & Mane did.
– The geggenpress is long gone
– Leading to more defending to be done by the back 4 + 2 mids
– This has led to easy turnovers in possession and unable to get the advantage of “defending from the front”
– If Liverpool had not gotten Darwin, I believe there would be no change in the play philosophy, and Liverpool would be way better off.
– Getting in a 80m Darwin means you need to permanently change the gameplay to fit in an out and out striker, accommodating his needs and style of play.
– Liverpool always had a below average midfield that performed together as whole when all the parts were working well.
– The change of philosophy has exposed TAA, Salah and the midfield too.
It’s not rocket science. Compare just the front press when Darwin plays to the press of the last 2 years, its a difference of day & night. Liverpool have lost their identity, and do not have the players to function well with a proper number 9, no matter how good or bad he is. They always performed to a 120% with a team of 80%. Now that 80% is performing at 60% due to a lack of cohesion. This is the first and likely last challenge Klopp will face as a Liverpool manager, and i fully expect him to be sacked by 2023 December. The team needs a whole revamp, new mids & a new defense to even remotely compete again.
On a side note, remember when United conceded first almost every match, and we looked helpless and useless? Liverpool are exuding the same vibes. Literally exactly the same vibe.
Regards
Aman
Mr Cheat Code indeed
Matt Stead’s piece describing Harry Kane as the true Premier League cheat code gave me a giggle because just before scoring that goal, Kane had raised my ire with a deliberate handball in the box. Saka had one too in the Liverpool match; there’s no bias here!
Does this bother anybody else out of all proportion? I get genuinely, absurdly indignant at this kind of cheating, even when it’s my own club. Except then it’s more an “I’m not angry, I’m just disappointed in you” kind of thing. It attacks my sense of fairness in a way that, say, professional fouls do not. This probably just makes me silly.
But it does make me wonder: does professionalism mean that winning is more important than fair play? Because when NUFC wins a game that they didn’t deserve because a player cheated, it tarnishes the victory for me. Kane, Saka et al don’t seem to feel that way. Professionalism? Or mere cynicism?
Chris C, NUFC (e-i-e-i-e-i-o, UP the Premier League we go)
Martial awe
It’s impossible to know where United would currently stand had Martial not been injured days before the season opener. His tantalising form shown through pre-season never had the opportunity to manifest yet it remains that under Ten Hag United have not looked better than with the Frenchmen leading the line. His meagre 133 minutes of competitive football have produced 3 goals and 2 assists and the forward line looks far more balanced and threatening with him up front than it does with Rashford or Ronaldo.
He seems the perfect fit for what the manager wants to achieve in attack, as quick as Rashford and at least at clinical as Ronaldo he does what neither can’t, play with his back to goal and act as a fulcrum for midfield runners. Injuries have persistently hampered his United career but at last he has a manager who understands his best qualities and knows how to use him, it would be a shame if fitness prevents this potential from being realised.
Also just wanted to mention the improvement made by De Gea over the last few games. In particular against Everton he was quick off his line on numerous occasions to sweep up balls played over the top as the Toffees looked to exploit the space behind United’s high line. Nice to see him adapting when its likely he’ll be off at the end of the season, still worryingly rooted to his line for corners though.
Dave, Manchester
VAR, United and Arsenal
Ok, so there were some shockingly inconsistent VAR and non-VAR decisions at the weekend which all come down to one thing, technology only works with black and white rules but the rules of the game are far from black and white. There may be a letter of the law for certain things like ball crossing the line or field of play but for handballs and fouls the game is very subjective and should stay that way.
VAR should be used to help referees to apply the subjective nature of the rules of the game. At the moment, in the attempt of simplifying rules to make VAR decisions black and white it is screwing up the subjective nature of the job of a referee and essentially changing the rules by shoving them squarely into round holes. When can we finally admit that referees have a very difficult job that could be much improved if VAR was simply another pair of eyes to help them to make a decision? Then the VAR official just becomes an extra part to the on-field team who shares their opinion with the rest when they think it worth sharing or if the on field ref asks (e.g. exactly how the linesmen operate).
I’m glad the Rashford handball did not change the result but also annoyed that all the comments are on that rather than on Utds performance. Utd have come on leaps and bounds since the first few games and City was an understandable hiccup. The passing is much better, there is more confidence, actual passages of play and there is a little more depth to the side (not up top). They clearly are a work in progress as some of the wasteful giveaways showed in the latter stages of the second half.
Well done Arsenal for beating 2 out of the 3 top 6 teams they’ve faced this season. BTW, we’ve also done that. I hate to admit it though, I did quite enjoy some of the Arsenal play and while City are still overwhelming favourites, no-one wants to see a one-horse race so good luck Gooners, better you than the noisy neighbours. As for the scousers, their players just seem to be waiting for someone else to do something magical while they used to operate as a team worth more than the sum of their parts. Could be a quick fix, probably not though, welcome to the top 4 trophy race.
We’re still in knee-jerkery season however, 10 games done and you can comment with a little more authority. Newcastle, Spurs then Chelsea for Utd in the league, a tough little spell that may need a little more than we’ve shown over the last 3 games.
Jon, Cape Town (need to get an extra big TV in office for upcoming cricket and footy World cups)
Enock’s news
Gutted to hear Enock Mwepu has had to retire at the tender age of 24 due to a heart condition. Seagulls fans will always remember his goal at Anfield. A real loss for Mwepu, the Zambian national team and the Seagulls. Very best wishes to him from one and all I am sure.
Danny, Brighton
Postcard from the Palace
*That was an important win for Crystal Palace. The performance was not great against Leeds United, and scoring with their only effort on goal in the first half was a throwback to Roy Hodgson. Depending on which part of the game you considered most important, this was somewhere between getting out of jail free and Homer Simpson’s boxing tactics. However, and I accept it is easier to say this when you win, the result was more important than the performance. While their first seven games of the season had not really yielded any surprises, they only narrowly avoided slipping in to the relegation zone because they only won six points. Sunday was fairly close to a must-win game for the Eagles, to properly get their season on track.
*Patrick Vieira reshuffled his defence for this fixture, welcoming back Joachim Andersen but starting Jeffrey Schlupp at left-back in place of Tyrick Mitchell. He played his most attacking midfield trio, but picking Eberechi Eze and Michael Olise put a lot of pressure on Cheick Doucoure to protect the defence and win the ball back. The Malian is nothing if not tenacious, but he received a yellow card for a foul that was definitely “orange”, and United felt he should have received a second yellow (though MOTD 2 did not consider this highlight-worthy).
*United started this game incredibly strongly. They had a clear plan to press high up the field and they succeeded in overrunning the home defence, forcing mistakes and scoring a well-deserved goal. However, this tactic is not always sustainable for 90 minutes, so it felt like they needed more than just the one score to give themselves a buffer when they ran out of steam. Instead, they missed three chances before conceding an equaliser. Olise’s free kick from the right wing had tremendous whip, and Odsonne Edouard timed his run to meet it perfectly, for precisely the sort of centre-forward’s goal we’ve wanted from him more often.
*After the break, Vieira tweaked his system and his side began to dominate the play. As Dion Dublin highlighted on MOTD 2, they started playing long passes to keep the United pressers honest, which in turn opened up space in midfield for Eze and Olise. As the game continued, it looked more likely the Eagles would take the lead, and when it came, it was a goal of the month contender. A long pass from the right-back area reached Jean-Philippe Mateta on the edge of the area, who played the ball out wide to Mitchell. He then passed to Wilfried Zaha, in the space Mateta had vacated, and the Ivorian’s flick pass to Eze takes four defenders out of the play. Eze, moving to his right, feints round one defender and fires back across his body, low to the goalkeeper’s right. A tremendous goal.
*This provided an opportunity for Vieira’s men to prove they could put an end to one of their most unwelcome habits, that of conceding late goals. This time, they were able to hold United at bay, and secure the three points. Ultimately, this was far from the perfect performance, but if it was perfect, it wouldn’t be Palace.
*Next up for the Eagles is a trip up to just down the road from me for a televised game against Leicester City. Just as Palace will see this as a chance to keep their momentum going, City will see an exorcised demon, a team who used to have their number but against whom they have taken four wins and two draws since the start of 2019-20. Or, if you prefer, a team they haven’t lost to since they sold Harry Maguire to Manchester United.
*The Guardian Fiver on Friday referred to Steve Cooper as the Sheriff of Nottingham. In 2010 I won a competition in the local paper to go to the premiere of Robin Hood. Sadly, it was the Nottingham one and all the film’s stars were in Cannes, so I didn’t get to meet Alan Doyle from Great Big Sea. One of the guests of honour was the real Sheriff of Nottingham, and people were not sure whether to applaud her or boo her. I expect Cooper will get similar reactions at the City Ground if things don’t improve.
Cooper’s main objective is to make the new manager contract bounce a thing. If he had been replaced, his successor would have walked into the training ground and had to quickly familiarise himself with a whole squad of new players before moulding them into a functioning side capable of winning games. The only difference for Cooper is that he has been there for a year and has already had his office inductions.
*A few years ago there was a surprising trend among the biggest clubs to have a surprisingly weak player at the traditionally important position of centre-back: Shkodran Mustafi at the Arsenal, David Luiz at Chelsea, Harry Maguire at Manchester United and even John Stones at Manchester City before he improved.
At Liverpool, meanwhile, this problem means more as they have a stiff competition that dubious honour. Pretty much since he returned from injury, Virgil van Dijk has repeatedly been guilty of ball-watching; this season, Joel Matip has been every bit as bad. Too many of the goals Liverpool concede have had this as a factor. I wouldn’t presume to know more than Jurgen Klopp but it does suggest that either Alisson was bailing them out regularly last season and somehow isn’t this year, or that the midfield screen in front of them needs a tune-up.
Whatever happens, both Matip and van Dijk are 31 years old, and should be setting the example to their younger teammates. Unfortunately for one 24 year old right-back, that’s what they seem to be doing.
Ed Quoththeraven