Football News: Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Liverpool v Crystal Palace

Liverpool have reverted back to the slow, measured play of the early part of the season after the return of the injured players. The kids brought energy and enthusiasm, plus the bonus of a return to the high intensity ‘heavy metal’ football, that made watching Liverpool under Klopp such a pleasure, as that is the way they have been brought through playing. Unfortunately, as soon as the first teamers were fit, the kids were dropped straight back down to the U21s and replaced with the first teamers and the return of Pep Lijnders patented ‘I can out-Pep Pep’ methodology. It failed miserably last season when tried, but this season Klopp has doubled down on it and gone all in on the passing for passing’s sake, no width and slow, boring football that Lijnders advocates. That this team is in contention at this stage of the season is a minor miracle, one which Klopp has contrived to almost throw away completely in the last few weeks. It amazes me that someone with Klopp’s knowledge and experience in the game has listened to Lijnders, who showed in a spell as a head coach that he has absolutely no tactical clue whatsoever. Excellent coach that he is, Lijnders is not a tactical expert, he has no original ideas, even when taking the credit for all sorts of ‘new’ things introduced at Liverpool since his return, he admitted that all of them were simply copied from other clubs. You do not beat the richest club in the world by simply copying them, but that seems to be the current plan. It makes no sense when they can simply buy better players for that system.

The problem is that all the momentum has gone out of the season now too, which is going to make it extra difficult for the coaching staff to turn around with them all leaving in the summer. This is where the problem comes with Klopp announcing he was leaving so early in the season. Initially it creates a determination to win for him, but once that has gone there is little Klopp can really have to work with when it comes to pushing the players to do more in training and in matches. Now he is reliant completely on the good feeling that has undoubtedly built up between him and the playing staff – but that can only do so much. It can make the players run all day for him, but it can’t make them suddenly turn poor tactics into brilliance. It is not going to magically move all the defenders out of the way so that all those shots in a crowded penalty area can be calmly aimed into the corners…