Liverpool FC Premier League Champions 25/26 - Talk /Gossip/Rumours

I wouldn't be counting on Mac for the Arsenal game,Slot said after the game last night that he had to withdraw from training two days before the Newcastle game. On top of having no preseason it wouldn't surprise me if we don't see Mac until after the international break

Have you watched Arsenal this season ? Played off the park against Utd and beat a championship team. Hardly setting the world alight.

I'd be more worried who is playing centre half than centre mid as it will be like playing Stoke Newcastle again

Yeah I wouldn't be selling anyone. I know there's rumors of Elliot leaving but I'd be keeping him. We look think.

Get Guehi in first. I think that's more important than Isak.

9/10 outfield players touched the ball in the build up to the winner, utter brilliance.

Turin?

Virgil Van Dijk.

I think I've done this speech before.

But we won't fully know what we have until it's gone.

He won absolutely everything yesterday, while not doing a thing wrong with the ball at his feet. He is the best CB I've seen. I believe there are 'greater', because there are players who have won more, but in terms of the ability to defend, I've never seen anyone better at it.

And all this with a complete donkey performance beside him in Konaté, a useless Kerkez, and a makeshift (though impressive) RB in Szoboszlai.

Make no mistake. Not only do we not win yesterday without him, we wouldn't have even drawn without him.

Virgil was unbelievable yesterday. He'll be harder replaced than Mo...

Also its been a encouraging start to the season from Dom. He gets some heat from some Liverpool fans, but I think he's very underrated in our side.

I also thought last season, our worst performances came on the back of Dom, either not playing or on a off day. But our best, most dominant games, Dom was very central to it all.

UTD 3-0, both City wins and the Spurs 6-3 spring to mind.

One positive is 7 goals in two games, best in league. Need to tighten up at back though, silly mistakes and weak play costing us.

Maybe a few issues can be solved in one:

Wirtz to LW so we can have 3 solid midfielders, Gakpo to the bench so that he can come on and play up front when Ekitike comes off.

I'm not suggesting Gakpo be "dropped" as I think he's been really good so far, but we show a clear lack of presence up front when Ekitike leaves the pitch and a fully fresh Gakpo coming on for the remaining 20-30 mins could alleviate that.

e.g

I think that I may have seen a different game to the one that some people are talking about. The knee jerk reactions and criticisms of Wirtz and Kerkez are ridiculous.

From the first minute Newcastle were playing their sh!t housery game. Trippier, Burn, Guimaraes, Tonali, Joelinton, Gordon were all spoiling for a scrappy game, it was nothing that we haven't seen before. The referee was falling over himself to give them decisions and Newcastle's game plan was based upon winning set pieces and throw ins.

Liverpool weathered the atmosphere for 30+ minutes and when Newcastle inevitably had to take a breather Gravenberch stuck the ball in the net, Scharr may have got a touch on it but it was going in anyway. Sky went big on the stat for touches in the opposition box to show that Liverpool didn't deserve the lead, it was pantomime stuff.

About a minute before Gordon lost control Dan Burn committed two bookable fouls on Salah, the referee had a clear view and left the first one go, Salah got on with it and Burn took a second bite. That kind of nonsense from the referee is what gave the Newcastle players license to over step the mark.

Gordon was too wound up and how the referee thought his attempted tackle on van Dijk was only a yellow card offense is anybody's guess. The pair of fools (Rob Hawthorne and Chris Sutton) that were on commentary for Sky thought the yellow card was fair until the referee was called to the monitor, all of a sudden it was a case of "The incident looks worse on every viewing…".

The second goal was a thing of beauty, Newcastle kicked off and lumped the ball forward in the hope of winning the second ball or a throw-in, 18 seconds after kick off Ekitike passed the ball into the Newcastle net and all was good. At that point it should have been game over but Newcastle's game plan remained the same and were always going to be a danger on set pieces.

The first goal conceded is on Ekitike. Newcastle setup the long throw and Ekitike was facing Guimaraes.

Ekitike remained rooted to the spot watching the flight of the ball as Guimaraes made his run.

His momentum meant he was always going to beat Kerkez in the air. The replays don't do Kerkez any favours but it was Ekitike's mistake that led to the situation. That was the life line that Newcastle needed.

Their second goal was also avoidable, the decision to keep the high defensive line meant the ball was always going to be delivered in behind. We had successfully defended all the previous set pieces by dropping deeper so it was a surprise that van Dijk kept the line so high for that particular set piece. Alisson could have done better but by closing the distance to the ball he left himself with no time to react to the shot from Osula.

Rio Ngumoah's goal was simply icing on the cake.

My takeaway from the game is that Liverpool are going to be far more clinical in front of goal this season, we will score goals from fewer opportunities. It seems obvious that we are still bedding in new players and some of the established players are carrying some additional baggage. To write off the new signings because Newcastle tried everything to rough them up is plain silly.

Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed

I haven’t seen it mentioned here as part of the suggestions of putting him on the left but was it not part of the discussion over his transfer than him playing central in his preferred position was discussed as part of his conversations with Slot?

It was a tough game for his style of play yesterday so wouldn’t read anything into it and I thought he did pretty ok in the first came for his debut too.

But he wasn't brought in to play midfield, he was promised the 10 role, to link the midfield and attack. A position we haven't played with in 10 years. So it just goes back to my opinion, where does he fit? If we go back to a midfield 3, we need another midfielder into the squad.

Wirtz mostly played off the left in a 3-4-2-1 at Bayer, I don't see him working in a 4-3-1-2.

Put Wirtz on the LW but it just feels like an ill thought out transfer then.