Not his fault, we needed a #6 in the summer and we failed to bring one in....then we were told (arrogantly so might I add), that there's no #6 in world football good enough for us bar Zubimendi.
That's the crux of the problem. No starting 6.
As much as we want to critique other areas of the team, it's the midfield where games are won or lost, and in the last two weeks especially we have been second best there. We played against a much weakened Madrid midfield at home, and a weakened Newcastle midfield at home, we coasted to wins in both games. In the other two games against Newcastle when Joelinton played, away and yesterday, it was a different story.
The Atalanta massacre last season, when Endo was rinsed throughout, that was the game that should have sent alarm bells ringing and had Klopp stayed there is no question a 6 would have been brought in. Just over 48 hours after that game Klopp then made his biggest mistake in his 9 years at the club when he again started Endo at home to Crystal Palace (an opponent who had also targeted him at their place earlier in the season), they again went after him, won tne first half, Endo was withdrawn at half time, and with panic setting in we failed to come back in the 2nd half and the lead was relinquished and the season began to fall away.
Grav is a quality player, but a 6 he is not. He is a silky, languid technical player, an 8 being asked to do the Roy Keane role. It's not him. Both he and another 8 in Mac who have dovetailed in the 6 position, we can ask no more of them as that role is neither's game. They have got stuck in, tried to do the defensive stuff to the best of their ability, but it's not the best characteristic of either player.
Endo is a good late option to come in and close games against tiring legs. We need to bring in a starting calibre 6.
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