Pre Match: Liverpool FC V Hull City Saturday 24th Sept: 3:00pm

Guessing a 4-2-3-1 but I can't see Lallana getting dropped for anyone right now. Certainly going to be a tough team choice for Jürgen. About time our manager started having to make tough selections in terms of having to leave quality players out of the XI, exactly what we all wanted.

I think Jurgens got a couple of tough choices. Who plays in goal and which attacking player drops out. I think Karius may as well be given a start and up front ? I wouldn't like that decision, but I think Sturridge may be the odd one out, but I would probably rest Lallana if I had to make the decision and drop Couts into midfield.

Probable                Karius

Clyne         Lovren     Matip       Milner

            Henderson  Gigi    Lallana

            Mane     Firmino      Coutinho


 Mine                      Karius

Clyne         Lovren     Matip       Milner

            Henderson  Gigi    Coutinho

            Mane     Sturridge   Firmino   

4-2-4 ? Or dropping Coutinho back into midfield?

In attack we have mostly been playing a 4141.
 I doubt there will be much of a midfield battle so Gini could sit this one out if we go with the 4 that I mentioned.

Klopp just announced Danny is fit for Saturday.

I think Jurgens got a couple of tough choices. Who plays in goal and which attacking player drops out. I think Karius may as well be given a start and up front ? I wouldn't like that decision, but I think Sturridge may be the odd one out, but I would probably rest Lallana if I had to make the decision and drop Couts into midfield.

Probable                Karius

Clyne         Lovren     Matip       Milner

            Henderson  Gigi    Lallana

            Mane     Firmino      Coutinho


 Mine                      Karius

Clyne         Lovren     Matip       Milner

            Henderson  Gigi    Coutinho

            Mane     Sturridge   Firmino   

I've honestly no idea which way Jürgen will play it up front but I've very confident that Karius will be in goal. It's well reported that he would have started had he not broken his hand. As someone said in the match thread it was so nice to have confidence in the keeper, sure he'll make mistakes, sure they'll be costly occasionally but the difference will be massive (obviously in a positive sense) in my opinion.

Up front I can understand the case for both line-ups you've listed, I can also see reasoning for Coutinho to not make the starting line-up, despite how well he played against Derby. Personally I'd probably run with your first line-up but I don't mind which one as I think either will be too strong for Hull.

Klopp just announced Danny is fit for Saturday.

Interesting wasn't it, he said 'he had a few issues' or something along those lines, after also saying it wasn't an injury that brought about the substitution.

Interesting wasn't it, he said 'he had a few issues' or something along those lines, after also saying it wasn't an injury that brought about the substitution.

He said he didn't train because of a hip issue.
Will train today.

He said he didn't train because of a hip issue.
Will train today.

Fair enough, clears that up then.

Biggest game of the season

Need to follow up on taking points at Arsenal Spurs and Chelsea and beating the champions by putting these away. No more dropping points to teams we should be obliterating.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wtQIMGzU00

Sturridge and Mane must start for me. Firmino or Coutinho for the other spot.

Must go with a recognised striker and engage their CB's.

I don't think we'll see a formation as such.

I can't remember was it Klopp that said it recently or read it in some football article, but the way that we play attacking with our fluidity, movement and quick ball passing that we don't actually have a formation. The only time a formation is used is when we defend, in which case we have our front 3 guys press from the front, with 3 waiting behind. If it's from the side we have our wide forward, wide midfielder backing them up along with the full back & Hendo in the middle. Alternatively if it's much deeper than that, we have the 5 midfielders defending.

Where our front 5 play is kind of irrelevant I think for this game as they will chop & change as is needed.

An advert for a new product from Microsoft?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wtQIMGzU00

I f*cking love Jürgen

We need to beat Hull because we need to start killing 'lesser' teams. We need confidence to be patient but have the killer instinct without leave our back door open.

I trust in Klopp for the formation but I don't think that Sturridge would start. He did not train until today plus Klopp will either go with Origi or Firmino.

He said he didn't train because of a hip issue.
Will train today.

Wasn't it his hip that kept him out for a long time ?

Sturridge and Mane must start for me. Firmino or Coutinho for the other spot.

Must go with a recognised striker and engage their CB's.

Per Klopp, Sturridge had some issues following the Chelsea game. He will likely start from the bench.

The 3 attacking players will likely be Firmino, Coutinho and Mane. Midfield of Hendo, Gini and Lallana.

Back 4 picks itself with Milner, Matip, Lovren and Clyne.

Mignolet in goal.

Liverpool to win 4-0.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wtQIMGzU00

Love the bit starting at 14:20. Tell 'em Jürgen. Daft cu*ts, the lot of them journos. Why do most of them feel the need to just repeat questions? Are they not listening to what he's saying? Very annoying. He was spot on in everything he said.

Wouldn't want to be standing in Jürgen's shoes at the moment. Some tough choices to make with the goalkeeper situation and our attacking personnel! He called it 'luxury' in his press conference, which it is really. If you would have asked most of us to make a starting eleven at the beginning of the season, pretty much everyone would have Can, Coutinho and Sturridge (when fit) in there. Now I'm struggling to see whose place Can is going to take when he's fit again because our midfield has been performing really well and Coutinho might be one missing out too!

I honestly have no idea how I would line up. I want all of Sturridge, Mane, Firmino, Coutinho, Lallana, Wijnaldum and Henderson to be in it. I think we'll be seeing the same line-up we used against Chelsea, including Mignolet, with Firmino taking back his place and Coutinho starting on the bench. If Sturridge isn't fully fit, Firmino up top and Coutinho coming in.

We all talk about selection dilemmas, but the reality of the Premier League season often makes those selections for managers. These attacking players in particular get mincemeat made of their feet and ankles over the course of a campaign. The depth of quality we have up front is in no way a luxury. We will need every bit of it to be successful. Same with midfield where one of Can, Gini, Hendo and Lallana will likely always have to start on the bench, but they all should en up playing more than enough matches to satisfy their own professional demands, especially with a good man-manager like Klopp running things.

Klopp: We need to be angry against Hull

“We need to be angry v Hull,” said Klopp. “They want our points. We have to think about why people think we have problems against bus-parking. I don’t know why people think we have problems with this? I didn’t see too much space against Chelsea [last Friday].

“It will be difficult. But if we accept before that it is difficult then we can perform and that is what we should do. We have to go to Anfield on Saturday afternoon in the most positive mood we have ever been in. I know we will ready.”

Klopp remains undecided over who will be in goal. Simon Mignolet had started every match this season up to Tuesday’s 3-0 EFL Cup victory at Derby County, when the summer signing Loris Karius started. The £4.7m arrival from Mainz played in pre-season until he broke a hand and was sidelined.

Karius was relatively untroubled at Derby but did impress with his sweeping abilities having regularly taken a starting position just outside the penalty area. “It is not the place to announce line-ups but of course we have to think about it, but in a positive way,” said Klopp on Thursday. “I was never a goalkeeper – my father was so I am a little bit experienced with goalkeepers – but it is obviously a little bit different to an outfield player as no one asks whether he can start this day and another player can start the next.

“I am not sure I will make a final decision for the next game but it doesn’t mean we will go like this for the next five years.”

He added: “It is a decision at a very high level because I am really happy with both of them, but there is nothing to say about this here. Like always, when I decide for the next game then it is a decision for a player and not against another player – you will have to wait and see.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/sep/22/Jürgen-klopp-calls-on-liverpool-to-be-angry-against-hull-city

Migs/Karius...

“I am not sure I will make a final decision for the next game but it doesn’t mean we will go like this for the next five years.”

Hmm.

Klopp: We need to be angry against Hull

“We need to be angry v Hull,” said Klopp. “They want our points. We have to think about why people think we have problems against bus-parking. I don’t know why people think we have problems with this? I didn’t see too much space against Chelsea [last Friday].

“It will be difficult. But if we accept before that it is difficult then we can perform and that is what we should do. We have to go to Anfield on Saturday afternoon in the most positive mood we have ever been in. I know we will ready.”

Klopp remains undecided over who will be in goal. Simon Mignolet had started every match this season up to Tuesday’s 3-0 EFL Cup victory at Derby County, when the summer signing Loris Karius started. The £4.7m arrival from Mainz played in pre-season until he broke a hand and was sidelined.

Karius was relatively untroubled at Derby but did impress with his sweeping abilities having regularly taken a starting position just outside the penalty area. “It is not the place to announce line-ups but of course we have to think about it, but in a positive way,” said Klopp on Thursday. “I was never a goalkeeper – my father was so I am a little bit experienced with goalkeepers – but it is obviously a little bit different to an outfield player as no one asks whether he can start this day and another player can start the next.

“I am not sure I will make a final decision for the next game but it doesn’t mean we will go like this for the next five years.”

He added: “It is a decision at a very high level because I am really happy with both of them, but there is nothing to say about this here. Like always, when I decide for the next game then it is a decision for a player and not against another player – you will have to wait and see.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/sep/22/Jürgen-klopp-calls-on-liverpool-to-be-angry-against-hull-city

Migs/Karius...

“I am not sure I will make a final decision for the next game but it doesn’t mean we will go like this for the next five years.”

Hmm.

Looks like it could well be Migs for this game then. Unfortunately.

Looks like it could well be Migs for this game then. Unfortunately.

Chin up, after Hull its Karius for the next 5 years

Chin up, after Hull its Karius for the next 5 years

Reading between the lines, that's exactly what I took that as.  Feel like it would almost be a better league career baptism to throw Karius in against United than Hull. 

Reading between the lines, that's exactly what I took that as.  Feel like it would almost be a better league career baptism to throw Karius in against United than Hull. 

With the amount of high balls Man Utd will be pumping into the box, not a lot of people would fancy Mignolet's chances.

As many have stated, this is the kind of game and opposition that in recent history and even this season that we have struggled against.
Have to treat every traditional lower level club as if they were Chelsea and so on.
No point beating the chavs if you don't claim maximum points against the smaller teams.
I just want 3 points, a clean sheet and a strong performance.
No team in the prem can be dismissed as easy...our premier league history has shown that.