Ratings:
Mignolet: Thought he dwelt too long for a couple of hung up crosses that caused us a few issues at back posts which could have easily been avoided. Didn't really do anything for their goal but not sure there was much he could have done. 6
Moreno: Thought he played well but delivered poor crosses, linked well with Coutinho and won the duels he needed to. Was never a free-kick on this side where he was called 'rash' in my opinion. 7
Lovren: Thought late on he committed a god awful challenge, didn't cover or look assured too often and to me looks slower at the moment. Perhaps that's to do with the painkillers but he doesn't move smoothly right now. Aerially he did ok and was definitely denied a clear pen. 6.5
Matip: Will get it in the neck for their goal but out of the pair of CBs he was the only one that had the recovery pace to get anywhere near him, got the challenge in and from there on I thought it was just 'one of those things' that seems to be constantly against us right now. Much like Kenny's last season when we were hitting all the posts this has a similar theme where if it can go wrong it will and no matter how much we dominate or are the better side karma/luck/whatever just has it in for us right now and today was Matip's turn to get the short end of that stick. Other than that he was solid, bailed out Gomez more than once and also unlucky not to be given a pen imo. 7
Gomez: Poor, both in attack and at the back, looked like a kid out there far too often. His nerves got the better of him with his passing, he wasn't decisive and generally looked like this was a bit much for him right now. 5
Henderson: Again, I thought he played alright, not as good as the last 3 but still decent. Broke up more of their play than any other player out there and pinged a good few passes around. Heard him trying to communicate with the other lads plenty and I'm not sure there was an awful lot more he could have done defensively. Didn't offer enough going forward but he can be expected to venture less when away from home I suppose. 7
Wijnaldum: Awful, surprised he stayed on the pitch but then the other lads really couldn't argue going off either. I'm exhausted and frustrated watching him, I want him to do better but I now expect him to be bad. His level has dropped to the point where if he does something ordinary I'm like "that's it Gini, come on!" as if he's done something good. Needs time out of the team but without Lallana available I wonder if Jürgen will drop Bobby into his role. 5
Coutinho: Clearly the highest quality in the side today, still don't think he did enough with the opportunities he had but to be fair he produced an absolute world class finish, contender for goal of the season probably just for the sheer power and placement. 7.5 MotM
Salah: Mixed bag for Mo, thought he should have scored earlier when Sturridge put him clear, kind of got his feet in a muddle but also played well in spurts. Just an inconsistent day that tuned with the team, the rhythm just wasn't there. When Bobby came on he also sparked into life more and the interchanging with Solanke as Dom drifted out wide was good, could see it's something we've been working on but didn't get to see it with Sturridge unfortunately. 6.5
Sturridge: One good pass, one missed sitter, 2 offsides and falling over at the end and looking 'injured' when really tired about sums it up. Static, lacking energy, unable to sprint, poor end product. If this is what starting him buys you then even a bang out of form Firmino is a better option unfortunately for him. 5
Mane: Wasn't working for Sadio today, didn't have much help around him or movement to give him that space but still his passing was slightly off and he was left to contend with too many players on him. I think a few players contributed to this ganging up on Sadio and that was Sturridge, Coutinho and Wijnaldum. Coutinho I thought was more tactical, we played him from deeper and therefore left more defenders free to pick up the free players, but Wijnaldum and Sturridge just didn't move for the lad. He'd beat one, or look inside/outside and there'd just be nothing. Sure he played poor, but when people ask can dropping Firmino make Mane or Salah play worse, then watch this match with any other this season that Bobby played and see the contrast. 5
Solanke: Did well when he came on, unlucky with his glancing header, could do little else but nicely beat the defender. Inter-played with Mo and Firmino much better and really worked it side to side. Saw real promise in that performance, want to see him given more minutes. 6
Firmino: Gave us the movement, the winning the ball back and base to advance from which we needed much earlier in the half. Had he and Solanke been on earlier I'm sure we'd have had a couple of goals because they compliment each other and I wouldn't be surprised if we see more of this combination in the future. That front 4 of Solanke/Mane/Salah/Firmino could be devastating but it's whether we can afford to risk Coutinho/Henderson as the remaining two. Not sure we could if I'm honest but it might be the way to go even still. 6.5
AOC: Missed a good chance, think he was being pushed in the back but Newcastle did a good job of wasting time at the end so he really didn't get a chance to show much more.
Klopp: Bowed to the calls for dropping Bobby and fairly too, but I think next time that decision comes up it's either Ings or Solanke that gets the nod. Visibly frustrated at Sturridge and Gomez near half time when both lost the ball, thought he wanted to punch one of them. Obviously he didn't but as Rush says that's the angriest he's been at LFC (there's a few notches higher to see yet). Left his substitutions too late though and allowed Newcastle to escape with the draw rather than truly earn it in my opinion and today was a bad day for Jürgen.
Think he has a few selection questions to answer when we play again. Expect Bobby back in is easy, but start Solanke, drop Wijnaldum, drop Gomez (this seems without question). Time to earn your corn Boss, being the better team is winning us nothing right now and the vultures are just waiting to take a bite. 5
« Last Edit: Oct 01, 2017 08:10:26 pm by KopiteLuke »
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