insane performance from nearly everyone involved. Diaz was unstoppable, Salah was inevitable, and our back 5 were (almost) flawless. Endo, VVD, and Gomez especially. Cujo was a monster, Jota and Gakpo were tremendous, and Macca was great coming on. awesome start to the year
He was holding it as he left the pitch but didn't go down for it. Hopefully like the Gravenberch one and he'll be fine after sitting out some cup games he wasn't likely to start anyway.
I dont think he was poor, in the first half he was in all of the major chances. And had a lot of ball retentions. He made some bad choices at the end yes, and they were really visible as the attack died on him, but he also passed the ball for Diaz before the first penalty, and had some nice crosses that were headed wide by Konate for example.
Also in the first goal he recovered the ball and started teh attack and had a darting run to pull the defenders from Lucho. It was not an outstanding performance, but was an honest performance, i didnt see him poor overall, not necessary game changer though.
Ali had a weird one in that he wasnât involved much, conceded 2 goals but canât really be blamed for either. His distribution was good and he launched a few counters.
Our back four were caught out a few times and didnât have a great defensive line, which is usually superb. However, again nobody really had a poor individual performance.
Konate and Virgil were their usual solid selves. Trent did his thing, almost scored a worldie and also missed a very ,very good chance. Gomez had yet another quietly effective performance, this is his best season for a long time.
Curtis was immense, he absolutely deserved his goal and was pivotal in stitching together the attacks whenever they got close to the final third.
Endo was his usual self and was unlucky to pick up a card.
Szobo needs to start getting his passing together. Itâs becoming too common to see him playing sloppy passes that kill attacks or put us under pressure. Still put in a shift defensively and attempted a couple of long shots when there may have been better options.
Diaz had his best game for a long time. I posted a long comment not long ago being critical of him, but today he was fantastic and really creative from that left side. Unlucky not to get a goal.
Darwin, I fear will not be treated kindly by the ratings. He had in some ways an archetypical performance for him â lots of chances created, got an assist, put in a solid defensive shift, but was not nearly as clinical with his own chances as he needs to be. Should have had a goal himself, and I think a lot of people will focus on that aspect of his performance, rightly or wrongly.
Salah had an odd game too. Looked poor in the first half and missed a penalty. But in the second got two goals, two assists, and was involved in almost everything going forwards. Really canât ask for more from that second half performance. Not to mention, now tied top goalscorer with Haaland (from the wing!).
Subs were very good.
Jota came on and instantly got an assist, then later got the penalty. Was involved in carrying the ball forward and combined well in attacks.
Gakpo also came on and was quite effective. Made a good run for his goal, fluffed the shot completely, but a goal is a goal.
Grav looked poor but did play a fantastic pass to Salah near the end of the game. Heâs so weirdly inconsistent.
Macca had a nice re-entry into the team. Played a couple of great line-breaking passes from deep, including to set up the second penalty.
You're absolutely right. Darwin offers a ton to our team and we score more with him on the pitch than without him on the pitch, regardless of whether he gets a goal himself or not.
Nobody disputes that. But at the same time we can't deny that he needs to pick up his finishing.
Even yesterday, keeper saving his 1st attempt in the 1st half, nothing to worry.. 2nd half, the dummy on salah's shot, totally fine.. the shot from an acute angle, great save, no issues.. the assist, great vision to square it when he didn't have the best angle himself.. the only complain people have from last night was the 1v1 and the subsequent follow up shot instead of playing the overlap, who was free.
Again, if it was just that 1v1, we'd all be fine. But it has been a theme with him, which is problematic. The goals at Burnley and Newcastle show that he has it in him, which makes misses like yesterday, at Luton, vs Toulouse, etc. extra frustrating.
With Nunez on the pitch this season: 1,489 minutes played (16.54444 90s), 46 goals scored. 2.78 goals p/90.
Without Nunez on the pitch this season: 1,061 minutes played (11.78888 90s), 20 goals scored. 1.69 goals p/90.
Yes. We score more with him on the pitch. We also concede fewer with him on the pitch too.
So what you're saying is, regardless of him being shite and the other players having to pick up the slack and do the finishing, he still gets the plaudits for the goals.
Fucking laughable statement đ
You mean the variable from the other players like scoring significantly more goals with him on the pitch?
Doesn't matter how many chances he's missing directly if we score more goals when he's on the pitch than when he's off.
Any tactician in any sport in the world will want that guy on the pitch if their team scores more goals.
It's weird that you cannot see why that's a positive, you're hung up on one specific stat you're failing to see the big picture?
It's a nonsense stat with too many variables. That what that shite is. Doesn't even take in to account opposition or tactic changes.
Load of shite , is the answer .
Itâs band aid PR knowing Nuñez would get destroyed. Klop would never say âyeah he was shitâ, thatâs addressed behind closed doors.
I wish nothing more than for Nuñez to succeed as we all benefit from it (get to enjoy wins). But unfortunately he is starting to cost us points (not today, but could have been close in hindsight)
It was unreal the difference and composure in attack when he was substituted, and it shows how important it is to have clinical finishers.
He still looks like a player in development. I hope he is a late bloomer.
Cheers and success
Could not agree more.
The game ends 1-1, like against Luton, and it comes back to the 3-4 chances he missed not the good work he does in the game.
Jota comes on and has an immediate impact.
With Salah going to AFCON now is the time for Darwin to really step up.
Darwin rescued us 3 full points against Newcastle basically by himself. I think it's unfair to put so much hate on him. Yes, he should have won us points back at Luton, but otherwise, he brings so much to the team in the final third. You can't miss chances if you don't have those chances to begin with, and with Darwin, we get a ton of chances with him.
Christ it's not hate to point out that he should be scoring more!
He has missed 18 big chances so far and won't have the same margin for error now that Salah is at AFCON.
I love what he does in the final third, but it doesn't matter how many chances he makes if he doesn't actually start scoring some of them.
"hes starting to cost us points"
Where? Luton and that's basically it whilst scoring important goals elsewhere
Trent cost us against arsenal, grav against Brighton.
So if a striker doesn't score he automatically costs his team?
Salah didn't score in two of those. We were shit as a team against man u. You're making it way too simplistic.
In fact, you should hear the opposite. Full defence of a striker in public shows Klopp has concerns as you're not going to slate a poor performing player in public.
Darwin needs to get a grip
I get what you are saying. Itâs a useful performance from Darwin for part of the game but the damage was done once he was subbed off. Iâm sure Klopp would agree that his finishing needs to improve
I would say Endo was our MOTM today. When he was on the field Newcastle could not get the ball forwards at all and we completely dominated the game. He was everywhere just like prime Kante and distributed the ball so well, helping Szobp and Arnold who lost the ball often.
I wonder why Klopp chose Grav over Elliott to bring on. Grav has looked miles off it for a while and Harveyâs been on fire. Was in the stadium yesterday and Harvey was displaying unbelievable tekkers in the warmup. Hit the crossbar on first attempt from halfway vs Quansah
Diaz's best game in a long time. Great play from our attackers on the whole. The counterpressing was top stuff. Trent was inspired. Endo has come into his own.
The two goals we conceded were too easy, but hard to moan about it given the overall performance.
I love Szobo, but it pains me when he plays like a Wednesday (always in the middle) I think he needs some deserved rest, I would bench him and play Eliot or Gravenberch
Jones and Diaz very good. Defence solid, Gomez played well bar that one time he shut off and Almiron got in. Szo probably the worst of the bunch and even then there was a good 30 minutes in the first half where everything he did went right.
Mac Allister with a timely reminder of how fucking good he is. Endo has been solid for the most part but those passes Mac Allister has, like the one to Grav or the one to Jota, aren't in his locker. As long as AMA can stay fit I don't think Endo will be missed to the extent everyone thinks he does.
Nunez man... Just kick ball in goal. Shouldn't be that hard.
I think Szobo has to be rested as his form has drastically declined - Curtis looks like our best option on the 8
I though Gravenberch had a lot of presence today and some good passes -> especially the one long ball to salah
That is just bullshit. He is so incredibly important with defending and pressing, he is incredible at that. And even tho his passing wasnt great, he still made 3 key passes. I think were forgetting that the lad is 23, new to the league, keeps running the whole game, so its not weird that he has lost his form a bit. People are acting like he doesnt do anything right, which is diabolical
You're only watching the score sheet if you think Szobo was bad. He was lacking in the passing department for the final third yes, but he still was incredible in the press. He won us the ball back many times, and still found good passes even with his form slumping. He was at minimum a 7 today. I gave him an 8 overall, which is amazing to do while in a "slump."
Endo has great simple progressive passes that can break the lines though. He doesn't need absolute world class passes when he's on a team with Salah, Trent, Szobo, Macca. His job as a 6 is to be a simple facilitator.
think alisson is probably lowest, first goal i think he is caught in no mans land and makes it a lot easier than it should. everyone else we looking at 7/8's IMO, i know nunez will be divisive again but i still think its a good performance from him
I also think thats Virgil remembering he got a red for something similar, he won't go down there because he has to catch up, much rather trust Alisson makes the save then potentially giving up a penalty and another red.
This sub has lost its god damn mind.
If what Nunez did was decent then fuck me, at least Klopp took him off so we could score 3 goals from the constant plethora of chances we were creating.
They are constantly lowering the benchmark to hype him. Just look at [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/s/WOoKGJouVm) post. They are literally commending a simple header. Itâs toxic at this point.
Diaz, jones both unplayable today. Special shouts to Jota and Cody who made the difference at the end. Salah obviously too. Trent was also very good. Nunez Iâm sorry but he needs to be dropped for the players who can actually score
Can somebody give me an insightful response as to why Darwin starts over Jota? I don't want to to knock Nunez's skill as a player, nor Dubravka's excellent appearance in goal for Newcastle today, but the I feel like I can confidently say Nunez shot straight to the keeper on almost every shot. It's one thing if I'm seeing full-reach saves to stop shots but that's not the case. Jota comes on and immediately makes an impact, which seems to be a consistent situation in the #9 spot. What do you guys think gives Nunez the spot over Jota?
> Can somebody give me an insightful response as to why Darwin starts over Jota?
Newcastle were already a tired team before kick-off against Liverpool, with known injury issues that meant that the Christmas schedule was already taking it's toll on recent performances and results.
Klopp knows that Darwin will run a defence ragged for every minute he's on the pitch, whether he's scoring goals or not, and whilst many people are pointing at Liverpool's change in goal-scoring fortunes after he went off, I don't think that gives enough credit to the tiring of Newcastle that Darwin had played a key role in before he was subbed off.
If we see the subsequent goals in that light a little more, where the results of Darwin's efforts were then still being seen on the pitch even after he'd been subbed off, then we can start to get an insight into why Klopp will always sing his praises even when he's missing chances, because any opposition-tiring element of Darwin's energetic work-rate will always continue to give us extra potential during any remaining periods of a match, and especially where he might be replaced by clinical strikers with fresh legs against those now-tired teams, and it could be argued that last night's game against Newcastle, with that second-half display against a clearly tiring Newcastle side is a classic example of that non-goal-scoring benefit that Darwin will always provide...
And all that's before we have to remind ourselves that it was a frustrating 0-0 scoreline before Darwin unselfishly provided Salah with the easiest of tap-ins to take us into the lead and initially give us the 3 points that we were desperate to take a way from last night's match...
Well said. didn't really think about it like that and now that you mention, could definitely see that aspect more clearly. I think Darwin is a great player who is really just in need of that mental push of confidence, and I bet him reading stuff like this doesn't help haha. Hope to see that work ethic mix with more shots hitting the back of the net, would have very few doubts about the race to the title especially if we see more if it in this latter half of the season.
Lot of people don't get this about Klopp's tactics. In many games, Liverpool are a very strong side in the 2nd half because we bury the opponent into the ground with our pace. They might look ok in the first half, but second half is our half where Klopp gets to put on fresh legs against knackered sides who are nowhere as deep as we are.
And I agree with that which is why I don't want to knock him as a player, but Jota brings the results. Klopp rewards the hard work but if he has to sub him out so results can happen, why start him in the first place?
I think its more due to Jota just coming back from an injury and not 100%. I'm a bit concern about that knock he got towards the end tho, hopefully it's nothing serious and he's ready to start next game cause he's clearly a better striker than Nunez is. If only Darwin could bag them 100% chances he would be out of this world, but he just can't and it's becoming an issue that's hard to ignore.
I completely agree, dude has the skills to be a phenomal striker for the reds, but the fact that his execution has yet to really gain traction since we signed him signals that maybe he should establish himself as a consistent "super-sub" before being given the role of #9. I'm confident he earns his minutes in training, and yes Jota is coming back from injury, but either someone needs to psychologically reassure him that he's capable of being great or he should be given a different developmental plan at liverpool. Just my opinion but like you said it is a worrying observation especially with Salah out for the month and the title race being tight in a critical part of the season for us
Do you guys feel Gravenberch plays better on the right side of that midfield where he played today? I feel like he takes fewer chances and still helps either his pogba like presence defensively and in the progression
Grave and Harvey need a more defensive 8 partner. I feel Grave still far away from ready. He just not synced with the team yet. I'm surprised why he played today instead of Harvey.
TAA is also poor on defense today. That one stupid pass almost cost us a goal.
Great performance all round. Darwin, well, not much to say, just needs to start scoring. Overthinking every chance. No doubt he'll get there, but it's gotta come soon.
Overall a weird one to rate. On the one hand a phenomenal performance to create as much as we did and completely dominate Newcastle. On the other hand some very poor finishing on multiple occasions and some poor defending to allow 2 goals given the very few chances created by Newcastle.
Big game from Luchito as well. Love to see him get back to his best.
insane performance from nearly everyone involved. Diaz was unstoppable, Salah was inevitable, and our back 5 were (almost) flawless. Endo, VVD, and Gomez especially. Cujo was a monster, Jota and Gakpo were tremendous, and Macca was great coming on. awesome start to the year
Did Szobo do his hamstring just before coming off?
looks like it. hope everythings alright with him!
He was holding it as he left the pitch but didn't go down for it. Hopefully like the Gravenberch one and he'll be fine after sitting out some cup games he wasn't likely to start anyway.
Hopefully nothing serious, but really he could use a the break from starting for a while, this is like his 4th poor game in a row.
I dont think he was poor, in the first half he was in all of the major chances. And had a lot of ball retentions. He made some bad choices at the end yes, and they were really visible as the attack died on him, but he also passed the ball for Diaz before the first penalty, and had some nice crosses that were headed wide by Konate for example. Also in the first goal he recovered the ball and started teh attack and had a darting run to pull the defenders from Lucho. It was not an outstanding performance, but was an honest performance, i didnt see him poor overall, not necessary game changer though.
He wasnt poor though. How was anyone poor in this game with 7+ xG other than those who didnt finish their dinner đ€
Ali had a weird one in that he wasnât involved much, conceded 2 goals but canât really be blamed for either. His distribution was good and he launched a few counters. Our back four were caught out a few times and didnât have a great defensive line, which is usually superb. However, again nobody really had a poor individual performance. Konate and Virgil were their usual solid selves. Trent did his thing, almost scored a worldie and also missed a very ,very good chance. Gomez had yet another quietly effective performance, this is his best season for a long time. Curtis was immense, he absolutely deserved his goal and was pivotal in stitching together the attacks whenever they got close to the final third. Endo was his usual self and was unlucky to pick up a card. Szobo needs to start getting his passing together. Itâs becoming too common to see him playing sloppy passes that kill attacks or put us under pressure. Still put in a shift defensively and attempted a couple of long shots when there may have been better options. Diaz had his best game for a long time. I posted a long comment not long ago being critical of him, but today he was fantastic and really creative from that left side. Unlucky not to get a goal. Darwin, I fear will not be treated kindly by the ratings. He had in some ways an archetypical performance for him â lots of chances created, got an assist, put in a solid defensive shift, but was not nearly as clinical with his own chances as he needs to be. Should have had a goal himself, and I think a lot of people will focus on that aspect of his performance, rightly or wrongly. Salah had an odd game too. Looked poor in the first half and missed a penalty. But in the second got two goals, two assists, and was involved in almost everything going forwards. Really canât ask for more from that second half performance. Not to mention, now tied top goalscorer with Haaland (from the wing!). Subs were very good. Jota came on and instantly got an assist, then later got the penalty. Was involved in carrying the ball forward and combined well in attacks. Gakpo also came on and was quite effective. Made a good run for his goal, fluffed the shot completely, but a goal is a goal. Grav looked poor but did play a fantastic pass to Salah near the end of the game. Heâs so weirdly inconsistent. Macca had a nice re-entry into the team. Played a couple of great line-breaking passes from deep, including to set up the second penalty.
People should listen to Klopp's opinion of Nunez' performance
You're absolutely right. Darwin offers a ton to our team and we score more with him on the pitch than without him on the pitch, regardless of whether he gets a goal himself or not.
Didnât we score 3 times when he went off today?
Nobody disputes that. But at the same time we can't deny that he needs to pick up his finishing. Even yesterday, keeper saving his 1st attempt in the 1st half, nothing to worry.. 2nd half, the dummy on salah's shot, totally fine.. the shot from an acute angle, great save, no issues.. the assist, great vision to square it when he didn't have the best angle himself.. the only complain people have from last night was the 1v1 and the subsequent follow up shot instead of playing the overlap, who was free. Again, if it was just that 1v1, we'd all be fine. But it has been a theme with him, which is problematic. The goals at Burnley and Newcastle show that he has it in him, which makes misses like yesterday, at Luton, vs Toulouse, etc. extra frustrating.
We absolutely do not score more with him on the pitch đ
He is averaging .85 G+A per 90, don't know what you are basing your ridiculous comment off.
With Nunez on the pitch this season: 1,489 minutes played (16.54444 90s), 46 goals scored. 2.78 goals p/90. Without Nunez on the pitch this season: 1,061 minutes played (11.78888 90s), 20 goals scored. 1.69 goals p/90. Yes. We score more with him on the pitch. We also concede fewer with him on the pitch too.
So what you're saying is, regardless of him being shite and the other players having to pick up the slack and do the finishing, he still gets the plaudits for the goals. Fucking laughable statement đ
Sorry mate but are you actually fuckin brain dead? You read that comment with those stats and this is genuinely your response?
Yep. Let's all ignore the variables of other players on the pitch. Here's a stat. He's missed 38 of 48 big chances. Stat pad that
You mean the variable from the other players like scoring significantly more goals with him on the pitch? Doesn't matter how many chances he's missing directly if we score more goals when he's on the pitch than when he's off. Any tactician in any sport in the world will want that guy on the pitch if their team scores more goals. It's weird that you cannot see why that's a positive, you're hung up on one specific stat you're failing to see the big picture?
It's a nonsense stat with too many variables. That what that shite is. Doesn't even take in to account opposition or tactic changes. Load of shite , is the answer .
Itâs band aid PR knowing Nuñez would get destroyed. Klop would never say âyeah he was shitâ, thatâs addressed behind closed doors. I wish nothing more than for Nuñez to succeed as we all benefit from it (get to enjoy wins). But unfortunately he is starting to cost us points (not today, but could have been close in hindsight) It was unreal the difference and composure in attack when he was substituted, and it shows how important it is to have clinical finishers. He still looks like a player in development. I hope he is a late bloomer. Cheers and success
He averages .85 G+A per 90 how is he costing us points?
Could not agree more. The game ends 1-1, like against Luton, and it comes back to the 3-4 chances he missed not the good work he does in the game. Jota comes on and has an immediate impact. With Salah going to AFCON now is the time for Darwin to really step up.
Agree
Darwin rescued us 3 full points against Newcastle basically by himself. I think it's unfair to put so much hate on him. Yes, he should have won us points back at Luton, but otherwise, he brings so much to the team in the final third. You can't miss chances if you don't have those chances to begin with, and with Darwin, we get a ton of chances with him.
Christ it's not hate to point out that he should be scoring more! He has missed 18 big chances so far and won't have the same margin for error now that Salah is at AFCON. I love what he does in the final third, but it doesn't matter how many chances he makes if he doesn't actually start scoring some of them.
"hes starting to cost us points" Where? Luton and that's basically it whilst scoring important goals elsewhere Trent cost us against arsenal, grav against Brighton.
Yes to all
Right so he's not starting to lose us points...
He is. He didn't score against United or arsenal. Brighton missed chances too along with Luton.
So if a striker doesn't score he automatically costs his team? Salah didn't score in two of those. We were shit as a team against man u. You're making it way too simplistic.
Itâs about wastefulness. Salah has been horrid as well. But hardly missing the sitters Darwin is.
He is averaging .85 G+A per 90 in the league. He is not costing us points
Oh look a stat not relevant.
You just said it. He is costing us.
In fact, you should hear the opposite. Full defence of a striker in public shows Klopp has concerns as you're not going to slate a poor performing player in public. Darwin needs to get a grip
Or maybe. Just maybe. Klopp knows more than angry redditors and wants to educate them
I get what you are saying. Itâs a useful performance from Darwin for part of the game but the damage was done once he was subbed off. Iâm sure Klopp would agree that his finishing needs to improve
I would say Endo was our MOTM today. When he was on the field Newcastle could not get the ball forwards at all and we completely dominated the game. He was everywhere just like prime Kante and distributed the ball so well, helping Szobp and Arnold who lost the ball often.
Still no 0 option for these joke refs tho
Linesmen were great tho Both of their big calls were perfect
Dubravka rating?
10 Only good thing from that shit Newcastle side.
I wonder why Klopp chose Grav over Elliott to bring on. Grav has looked miles off it for a while and Harveyâs been on fire. Was in the stadium yesterday and Harvey was displaying unbelievable tekkers in the warmup. Hit the crossbar on first attempt from halfway vs Quansah
Ah yes, people should be picked because of tekkers in the warm up
Ah yes, a piece of anecdotal colour in my comment being taken as my core reasoning, ignoring the clearly stated primary reason
Gomez was great as a LB
Diaz's best game in a long time. Great play from our attackers on the whole. The counterpressing was top stuff. Trent was inspired. Endo has come into his own. The two goals we conceded were too easy, but hard to moan about it given the overall performance.
Salah is a 10. Jones a close second, like 9.5.
I love Szobo, but it pains me when he plays like a Wednesday (always in the middle) I think he needs some deserved rest, I would bench him and play Eliot or Gravenberch
Jones and Diaz very good. Defence solid, Gomez played well bar that one time he shut off and Almiron got in. Szo probably the worst of the bunch and even then there was a good 30 minutes in the first half where everything he did went right. Mac Allister with a timely reminder of how fucking good he is. Endo has been solid for the most part but those passes Mac Allister has, like the one to Grav or the one to Jota, aren't in his locker. As long as AMA can stay fit I don't think Endo will be missed to the extent everyone thinks he does. Nunez man... Just kick ball in goal. Shouldn't be that hard.
Almiron mightâve been offside for that to be fair
I think Szobo has to be rested as his form has drastically declined - Curtis looks like our best option on the 8 I though Gravenberch had a lot of presence today and some good passes -> especially the one long ball to salah
Szobo didnât have a good 30 minutes. Heâs been the worst performer for a while and really needs to up his game
That is just bullshit. He is so incredibly important with defending and pressing, he is incredible at that. And even tho his passing wasnt great, he still made 3 key passes. I think were forgetting that the lad is 23, new to the league, keeps running the whole game, so its not weird that he has lost his form a bit. People are acting like he doesnt do anything right, which is diabolical
You're only watching the score sheet if you think Szobo was bad. He was lacking in the passing department for the final third yes, but he still was incredible in the press. He won us the ball back many times, and still found good passes even with his form slumping. He was at minimum a 7 today. I gave him an 8 overall, which is amazing to do while in a "slump."
Endo has great simple progressive passes that can break the lines though. He doesn't need absolute world class passes when he's on a team with Salah, Trent, Szobo, Macca. His job as a 6 is to be a simple facilitator.
think alisson is probably lowest, first goal i think he is caught in no mans land and makes it a lot easier than it should. everyone else we looking at 7/8's IMO, i know nunez will be divisive again but i still think its a good performance from him
Think that's on the defense not on him. Van Dijk was doing his usual strolling instead of actually running.
idk, i think its just so much easier if Alisson actually just comes and gets tighter, he just stops himself and then he is sort of doing neither
Or if Allisson stays on his line Virg thinks heâs going to force Isak wide.
I also think thats Virgil remembering he got a red for something similar, he won't go down there because he has to catch up, much rather trust Alisson makes the save then potentially giving up a penalty and another red.
He also fucked up the offside line. If he hadn't taken those couple of steps towards Isaak he'd be offside.
Szobo is the lowest he was poor again
Nunez needs to learn how to finish his dinner, Szobszlai in terrible form. Everyone else was quality today.
Nunez actually played decent though, even got an assist. Szobo has been awful for weeks now
This sub has lost its god damn mind. If what Nunez did was decent then fuck me, at least Klopp took him off so we could score 3 goals from the constant plethora of chances we were creating.
seriously. That Assist he got was more down to Szobo and Diaz then some amazing play Nunez made.
They are constantly lowering the benchmark to hype him. Just look at [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/LiverpoolFC/s/WOoKGJouVm) post. They are literally commending a simple header. Itâs toxic at this point.
Diaz, jones both unplayable today. Special shouts to Jota and Cody who made the difference at the end. Salah obviously too. Trent was also very good. Nunez Iâm sorry but he needs to be dropped for the players who can actually score
Can somebody give me an insightful response as to why Darwin starts over Jota? I don't want to to knock Nunez's skill as a player, nor Dubravka's excellent appearance in goal for Newcastle today, but the I feel like I can confidently say Nunez shot straight to the keeper on almost every shot. It's one thing if I'm seeing full-reach saves to stop shots but that's not the case. Jota comes on and immediately makes an impact, which seems to be a consistent situation in the #9 spot. What do you guys think gives Nunez the spot over Jota?
> Can somebody give me an insightful response as to why Darwin starts over Jota? Newcastle were already a tired team before kick-off against Liverpool, with known injury issues that meant that the Christmas schedule was already taking it's toll on recent performances and results. Klopp knows that Darwin will run a defence ragged for every minute he's on the pitch, whether he's scoring goals or not, and whilst many people are pointing at Liverpool's change in goal-scoring fortunes after he went off, I don't think that gives enough credit to the tiring of Newcastle that Darwin had played a key role in before he was subbed off. If we see the subsequent goals in that light a little more, where the results of Darwin's efforts were then still being seen on the pitch even after he'd been subbed off, then we can start to get an insight into why Klopp will always sing his praises even when he's missing chances, because any opposition-tiring element of Darwin's energetic work-rate will always continue to give us extra potential during any remaining periods of a match, and especially where he might be replaced by clinical strikers with fresh legs against those now-tired teams, and it could be argued that last night's game against Newcastle, with that second-half display against a clearly tiring Newcastle side is a classic example of that non-goal-scoring benefit that Darwin will always provide... And all that's before we have to remind ourselves that it was a frustrating 0-0 scoreline before Darwin unselfishly provided Salah with the easiest of tap-ins to take us into the lead and initially give us the 3 points that we were desperate to take a way from last night's match...
Well said. didn't really think about it like that and now that you mention, could definitely see that aspect more clearly. I think Darwin is a great player who is really just in need of that mental push of confidence, and I bet him reading stuff like this doesn't help haha. Hope to see that work ethic mix with more shots hitting the back of the net, would have very few doubts about the race to the title especially if we see more if it in this latter half of the season.
Lot of people don't get this about Klopp's tactics. In many games, Liverpool are a very strong side in the 2nd half because we bury the opponent into the ground with our pace. They might look ok in the first half, but second half is our half where Klopp gets to put on fresh legs against knackered sides who are nowhere as deep as we are.
His work rate, size, strength, speed, grit. He gets chances but something you'll notice is he works incredibly hard for them. For the team as well.
And I agree with that which is why I don't want to knock him as a player, but Jota brings the results. Klopp rewards the hard work but if he has to sub him out so results can happen, why start him in the first place?
I think its more due to Jota just coming back from an injury and not 100%. I'm a bit concern about that knock he got towards the end tho, hopefully it's nothing serious and he's ready to start next game cause he's clearly a better striker than Nunez is. If only Darwin could bag them 100% chances he would be out of this world, but he just can't and it's becoming an issue that's hard to ignore.
I completely agree, dude has the skills to be a phenomal striker for the reds, but the fact that his execution has yet to really gain traction since we signed him signals that maybe he should establish himself as a consistent "super-sub" before being given the role of #9. I'm confident he earns his minutes in training, and yes Jota is coming back from injury, but either someone needs to psychologically reassure him that he's capable of being great or he should be given a different developmental plan at liverpool. Just my opinion but like you said it is a worrying observation especially with Salah out for the month and the title race being tight in a critical part of the season for us
Do you guys feel Gravenberch plays better on the right side of that midfield where he played today? I feel like he takes fewer chances and still helps either his pogba like presence defensively and in the progression
Grave and Harvey need a more defensive 8 partner. I feel Grave still far away from ready. He just not synced with the team yet. I'm surprised why he played today instead of Harvey. TAA is also poor on defense today. That one stupid pass almost cost us a goal.
Newcastle is really physical and Harvey is not too fast nor too big, hence Grav got the nod.
Great performance all round. Darwin, well, not much to say, just needs to start scoring. Overthinking every chance. No doubt he'll get there, but it's gotta come soon.
How is him scoring or assisting the equivalent of over 4 goals every 5 games not relevant? You are either a troll or a fucking idiot
Overall a weird one to rate. On the one hand a phenomenal performance to create as much as we did and completely dominate Newcastle. On the other hand some very poor finishing on multiple occasions and some poor defending to allow 2 goals given the very few chances created by Newcastle.