Klopp on tonight's game:
...for me the team looked tonight – and it’s long ago we looked like this – fatigued, mentally fatigued and that leads to not the best legs as well. It was a tough week and today we were not fresh enough, that means then [not] good enough to break the formation of Brighton. ...
Sorry, but personally do NOT buy the tiredness line at all.
We didn't look tired against Spuds and WH, and won those games pretty comfortably, scoring a few in each.
Yes we have injuries at the back, so are missing guys from the middle who would improve us there.
But the teams playing us at home are not really putting us under sustained pressure at the back - like, I don't even think we're getting as exposed as we might if teams actually came with an intent to attack, rather than defend.
So, we have a lot of the ball, but just can't fecking score !!
Burnley were sh*te, that was the worst of the recent home results imho, not being able to score and then have those useless fuckers nick a goal. F**k that was dire. Least Brighton looked a bit dangerous [I know, Brighton].
Main problems for the home games for me are the form of the forwards, missing Jota, rest of team [apart from front 3] not chipping in enough goals, and having a planB:
Bobs form has been like a yoyo, Mo is getting goals but missing a bunch of chances though can't be too hard on Mo, and even Mane is having a dip - when the bus is parked in home games and the opposition crowd the box, the interplay needs to be so precise, and its not.
In the first third of the season, Jota was coming on in games where we were struggling to break teams down and was getting some important goals - he was brilliant, best of the front 4 imho for a while - we've really missed his pace and clinical finishing.
VVD, Matip, Fab, Hendo used to chip in with important goals - and we're missing those putting more pressure on the front 3 to score - not sure if Nat/Rhys/Thiago/Milly/Shaq etc have scored, Gini's got a few - didn't google it. But doesn't feel like we've got many outside Bob/Mo/Mane/Jota
In general play, we don't seem to be changing things up much in these games. Subs come on, but do the same things. Side to side across the middle, over to the FBs, cross it into a crowded box, big lumps head it out/clear, we go again. Too predictable.
Can see forwards making runs when CBs/CMs are deep, but they're either not trying the pass, or hitting it too long. Surely we could try that more, it only needs to work once.
And on the few times guys take a pop from just outside the box, it just looks like they're desperate/not hitting it with any conviction, miles over/wide, not even making the keepers, who are sometimes sh*te, work. One of the things I'd hope they are practicing in training is that.
We could also work on set pieces, our free kicks/corners etc, have been pretty crap, not sure much has come from them in recent home games.
Make the keeper work more - we have had quite a few chances in a lot of games, but are not even hitting the target with them, its unreal.
We've CBs to come in, injured players to come back, the season is not over yet. But we need to find a way to beat bus parkers at Anfield, cause teams can see how to get points there. Loosing against Brighton was bad with everyone round us winning, but lot of twists left you'd think.
We have the best manager in the world who has had ridiculous injury problems to contend with - know he won't be giving up any time soon.