Liverpool 2019-2020: Let's Talk About Six, Baby

67YAZ

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The prize for winning the League Cup is £100,000. The prize for winning the Club World Cup is £3.9 million. That might influence their thinking.
Since the Wet Ham match is being rescheduled, they can also take the team to a resort in Qatar after the CWC - couple days of R&R before returning to the tough holiday stretch.

Boxing Day at Leicester
12/29 host Wolves
1/2 host Sheffield United
 

PedroSpecialK

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Fabinho out up to 8 weeks with an ankle ligament injury. Gonna be a rough set of fixtures to get through in December - I'd hope this means more Keïta and Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield with Henderson back as the 6, but realistically it's probably more Milner and Lallana.
 

Clears Cleaver

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Fabinho out up to 8 weeks with an ankle ligament injury. Gonna be a rough set of fixtures to get through in December - I'd hope this means more Keïta and Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield with Henderson back as the 6, but realistically it's probably more Milner and Lallana.
he and Virgil are two guys they really cannot replace. My guess is Henderson drops into 6 role, and I bet Klopp will go more conservative given how many goals they've given up this year. so more Milner and less Keita and Lallana
 

SocrManiac

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Devastating loss. Fabinho has been their best player this season and a big part of the reason TAA and Robbo can go forward with such confidence. The system is built around having rock-solid reliability, strength, and work rate in front of the back line. They can’t plug anybody else in and expect to play the same way.

I agree that it’s going to be Henderson, but he’ll be combining a lot with Milner. Those guys can make up for their lack of Fabinho’s positioning with shear work rate, at least in spurts. If Henderson can pace himself for a 60 minute shift, you can plug Milner in behind him. Henderson has more of a tendency toward Gerrard-style Hollywood distribution, which will be somewhat wasteful compared to Fabinho’s patience.

Crap timing, too.
 

Mighty Joe Young

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The Echo was reporting (musing) that it might mean a switch to a 4-2-3-1 with Henderson and Wijnaldum operating as twin 6s .. presumably Ox or Shakiri replacing Fabinho in the 11. the side benefit meaning Salah getting more opportunities with a central role. Most of the league fixtures for the next few weeks are with sides from the bottom half of the table .. lessening the impact of Fabinho's absence.
 

67YAZ

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Fabinho out up to 8 weeks with an ankle ligament injury. Gonna be a rough set of fixtures to get through in December - I'd hope this means more Keïta and Oxlade-Chamberlain in midfield with Henderson back as the 6, but realistically it's probably more Milner and Lallana.
Fucking Lovren.
 

67YAZ

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Harry Wilson with 2 more goals today, netting him 6 on the season already. He'd look great in rotation up front, allowing Salah and Mane some day off.
 

SoxFanInCali

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CL draw will be Monday. Liverpool can't play Spurs or Chelsea because of country protection, or Napoli because they were in our group. So it's looking like the options are:
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk Atalanta
Atletico Madrid (or Leverkusen if some strange stuff happens today)
Dortmund
Lyon

So chances are pretty good of getting a tough matchup, but the second leg being at Anfield is nice.
 
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thehitcat

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CL draw will be Monday. Liverpool can't play Spurs or Chelsea because of country protection, or Napoli because they were in our group. So it's looking like the options are:
Real Madrid
Shakhtar Donetsk (unless Zagreb pull off an unlikely comeback against City)
Atletico Madrid (or Leverkusen if some strange stuff happens today)
Dortmund
Lyon

So chances are pretty good of getting a tough matchup, but the second leg being at Anfield is nice.
Question do they take Coefficient points into account to seed within the pots? Or is it just Winners vs. 2nd place with country and not your own group's second place team protections in place?
 

SoxFanInCali

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Question do they take Coefficient points into account to seed within the pots? Or is it just Winners vs. 2nd place with country and not your own group's second place team protections in place?
It's just the first place teams in one pot and the second place ones in another pot. Other than country and group protections, any first place team can draw any second place team.

And it looks like I read the tables wrong, Atalanta looks like they are going to jump over Shakhtar in group C.
 

PedroSpecialK

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Per Joyce and Pearce, looks like LFC are set to activate Takumi Minamino’s £7.25m release clause in January.

In addition to his strong showing in this year’s group stages (especially against Liverpool), he’s torn up the traditionally stout Iran backline on the international stage as well. For that price, tough to argue with additional attacking cover - especially as it seems Brewster will go out on loan in January.
 

67YAZ

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Leaving Sulzberg with more than 3 points. Also, I love when players from minor footballing nations make it to the biggest clubs.

Hope he beds in quickly. The front line needs cover.
 

SoxFanInCali

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He certainly looked impressive in the 2 CL games against Liverpool, and at 24 he's potentially got several prime years left.

He also cost about what Rangers paid Liverpool for Ryan Kent. That's some good business.

If Liverpool have ever had a Japanese player before, I can't think of him. On top of his quality on the pitch, it certainly won't hurt the club when marketing in Asia, as well.
 
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CPT Neuron

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The stability that provides moving forward can only help recruitment - it is really a pleasure to watch this team operate from the bottom up and top down at the moment. Great era to be a fan!
 

Mighty Joe Young

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Quite surprised (and obviuosly happy) by Klopp's extension .. I thought he'd be gone when his current deal expires (2022). Wonder if he had any second thoughts waking up this morning to the news of that debacle of an election. With Brexit now assured life is going to be more complicated for English based teams.
 

67YAZ

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The stability that provides moving forward can only help recruitment - it is really a pleasure to watch this team operate from the bottom up and top down at the moment. Great era to be a fan!
Would be great if the Red Sox owners valued stability like this.
 

JayMags71

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Just to play devil’s advocate here, isn’t there a concern that any manager’s ideas become stale after a while? That seemed to be a major factor in Pochettino’s exit from Spurs. Heck, isn’t that why Klopp himself left Dortmund?
 

pedro1918

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Per LFC, Milner just re-upped. No details.

Just to play devil’s advocate here, isn’t there a concern that any manager’s ideas become stale after a while? That seemed to be a major factor in Pochettino’s exit from Spurs. Heck, isn’t that why Klopp himself left Dortmund?
Sure. It's possible and Klopp has stated as such. But it's definitely a risk worth taking. It's also worth noting it's only two additional years.

I'm going to trust Klopp to be aware of that possibility and act accordingly.
 
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67YAZ

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Just to play devil’s advocate here, isn’t there a concern that any manager’s ideas become stale after a while? That seemed to be a major factor in Pochettino’s exit from Spurs. Heck, isn’t that why Klopp himself left Dortmund?
With the Bayern job open and Madrid perpetually sizing up their next manager, it makes sense to lock Klopp in now before any rumors start swirling. And if/when things go South - the team burns out, Klopp burns out, the tactics get stale - Liverpool has the profit margin to swallow a couple years of salary and still chase top targets.

The Milner extension is fantastic news. He’s the ultimate squad player - willing and able to slot in wherever the coach needs him - and a tremendous role model for the young players, to boot.

 

SoxFanInCali

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Liverpool will play Mexican club Monterrey in the semifinals of the Club World Cup.

Interestingly, Monterrey employs the twin brother of ex-Everton player and noted dickhead Ramiro Funes Mori. Origi should be allowed a free shot at him just on principle.
 

67YAZ

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Here's the squad list for today's Carabao Cup match vs. Aston Villa:

Liverpool: Kelleher; Hoever, Van den Berg, Boyes, Gallacher; Kane, Chirivella, Christie-Davies; Elliott, Longstaff, Hill. Subs:Winterbottom, Clayton, Norris, Clarkson, Dixon-Bonner, Bearne, Stewart.
90% sure Winterbottom and Dixon-Bonner are made up names.
 

SoxFanInCali

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The kids actually dominated for a few minutes, but one goal against the run of play and a very unlucky deflection for another has them down 2.

Shots are 6-1 Liverpool, corners are 4-0 Liverpool.
 

SoxFanInCali

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There can't have been many games in English football history where the lowest squad number for one of the teams is 51.

Enjoying Thomas Hill sporting the Wild Thing Ricky Vaughn 99, as well.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Assuming Liverpool does the job tomorrow, the final vs Flamengo will be Saturday at 12:30 EST on the FOX mothership. All you need is an antenna to watch what should be a great match for Qatar to complete its World Cup dry run.
 

67YAZ

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Very interesting. 2 midfielders in the back 4 - should be an adventure!

I this looks like a 4-4-2 line up, so it should offer more protection to the back 4 and fewer marauding runs forward by the full backs.