Liverpool 23-24: The Long Klopp Goodbye

[67YAZ]

Update from the infirmary by Dr. Klopp:

Jota “out months” with a knee injury. Rotten fucking luck.

Alison’s hammy has no timeline yet.

Curtis Jones has to pass 5- and 10-day check ups, so that’s at least a couple weeks.

No mention of Mo, which is good since there was one Egyptian source saying he’d reaggravated his muscle problem. Maybe that was a bit of lashing out since some Egyptian national team folks felt Liverpool forced Mo away from AFCON.

Also no mention of Nunez, which should strike fear into the heart of woodwork everywhere.

Trent also without a timeframe.

But Sozboi is close to a return to training.

Thiago? LOL

 

[SocrManiac]

Love it when when our injured eleven can compete for a European spot.

 

[Vinho Tinto]

Jota “out months” with a knee injury. Rotten fucking luck.

Record in Portugal reported two months yesterday.

 

[67YAZ]

Record in Portugal reported two months yesterday.

That sounds better than the vague “months.”

LFC are battling on all fronts now, but their last EPL match is May 19. If this really is a 2 month injury, Jota might be a much needed super sub down the stretch as he rebuilds fitness - 15-30 minutes a match of that Diogo magic. Fingers crossed for that.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Not satisfied with putting Gravenbirch on crutch’s a later tussle with Endo has the same result … this beggars belief …


Wataru Endo injury latest as Liverpool midfielder spotted on crutches
https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/wataru-endo-injury-latest-liverpool-28702509?utm_source=app

 

[67YAZ]

My god, I’m going to miss Klopp.

Teenagers all over the pitch - I had to google Danns to figure out where he was going to play. And there was Chelsea sending on a £70m winger to no avail.

 

[SocrManiac]

Credit to the medical team for having enough crutches available. Looking forward to seeing where the U20s finish.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

Just a little extra fun for those of us still feeling the afterglow from yesterday. Here's Darwin's reaction to Virgil's goal. No word yet if Curtis Jones is now out for any additional time.

View: https://www.facebook.com/reel/3674036469548376

 

[SocrManiac]

Shocked he didn’t put Jones into the railing.

 

[CPT Neuron]

As someone reported in the Echo...even when injured, Darwin has to Darwin

 

[67YAZ]

As someone reported in the Echo...even when injured, Darwin has to Darwin

Darwin reminds me of the old Al McGuire quote (paraphrasing because I can’t google up the original) - “having one donkey on your team can be useful, but if you have 2, they breed.”

 

[67YAZ]

Report from the infirmary by Dr. Jurgen:

“It’s touch and go for Darwin (Nunez), Mo (Sarah), Dom (Szoboszlai). We will have to see what they can do today. Wataru got a proper knock as well. I wouldn’t say the situation is much improved since Sunday.”

Gravenberch has ligament damage, but not as bad an initially feared. No timetable for return.

Endo definitely out for Weds, will have to see where he is for Forest.

But some good news for Bajcetic:

“I had lunch before and saw Stefan training. I sat there and thought ‘why is he not playing?’ He’s gaining fitness, running around but he hasn’t had the green light for team training yet. He’s completely pain free which is the most important thing. All scans done again, bone looks good.”

 

[67YAZ]

View: https://twitter.com/lfcgreyx/status/1762463162962735164?s=46&t=GfuLFvTYcOxcFiCZjyIYZw

 

[67YAZ]

Liverpool released its 2022-2023 financials today’s. The summary:

They posted a £9m loss this years, largely due to getting knocked out of the Champions League earlier (less prize money) and not going as far in English tournaments (fewer home matches).

Debt increased by £78m, now about £194m, as work to expand the stadium continued. The new section is now open and, if filled, can generate up to £1m per match. A large portion of the debt (£71m) is a loan from FSG, those terms are flexible.

Salaries and player acquisition costs rose 2%, and there should be a similarly small or no rise for the 23-24 year as the departure of several high salary veterans offsets wage increases and bonuses.

Commercial revenue is banging - up £25m to £272m. To includes several new partnerships with blue chip companies (Google, Peloton, UPS) as well as a string of new stores across Asia.

Costs for running the stadium have jumped significantly in recent years due to inflation and expansion, up 70% over 5 years.

The statement from the team president called this “very sustainable.” And it’s keeping with the trend of Liverpool living within its means while making significant capital investments to improve revenue.

 

[67YAZ]

Over the last 2 days we've gotten dueling stories about Michael Edwards possibly returning.

Yesterday, Paul Joyce wrote in The Times that FSG remain interested and may be willing to offer a CEO-type job with complete footballing authority and just possibly, if necessary, an ownership stake to bring Edards back.

Today, Simon Hughes writes in the Athletic that FSG is curiously focused on Edwards when he has been very clear that he was no interest in working for any club right now.

Sounds kind of like Joyce has club sources and Hughes is Edward's mouthpiece. Maybe this is a bit of negotiating in public or, more likely, Liverpool's affections are unrequited.

If FSG's goal really is to build top-down - bring in a sporting director to reorganize/rebuild the footballing side of the house including make the manager hire - then they need to sort it out soon. There's some big contract negotiations to handle in addition to the managerial hire, not to mention the transfer window.

 

[InstaFace]

Just leaving this here:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C3KzmC7vY38/?igsh=dTZrdGoyOXB6bjc1

 

[SocrManiac]

EA is doing incredible things to make sure they capture every nuance of the play.

That said, whenever this thread is topped I assume somebody else is injured.

 

[67YAZ]

That said, whenever this thread is topped I assume somebody else is injured.

Konate is an injury doubt for City.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

This sounds very promising - Edwards to return

https://theathletic.com/5322977/2024/03/08/liverpool-michael-edwards-who-fenway/?source=user_shared_articleMichael Edwards close to FSG role with Richard Hughes as Liverpool sporting director

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

And it’s official - Michael Edwards is back in the fold …

https://theathletic.com/5322946/2024/03/12/michael-edwards-liverpool-fsg/?source=user_shared_articleMichael Edwards agrees to senior role with Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group

 

[67YAZ]

And it’s official - Michael Edwards is back in the fold …

https://theathletic.com/5322946/2024/03/12/michael-edwards-liverpool-fsg/?source=user_shared_articleMichael Edwards agrees to senior role with Liverpool owner Fenway Sports Group

Quite a turnaround from even a couple weeks ago! Now let’s go get a new manager and start working on some contract extensions.

Interesting parallel with Theo coming back to the Sox, too. Once an FSG man, always an FSG man?

 

[67YAZ]

And FSG going to get into the football group game?

View: https://twitter.com/fabrizioromano/status/1767525478095585434?s=46&t=GfuLFvTYcOxcFiCZjyIYZw

 

[saintnick912]

And FSG going to get into the football group game?

Eyes on an out of market MLS team as a stick in the eye to Kraft? To put alongside the Penguins and the future inevitable Vegas Lebrons.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

Eyes on an out of market MLS team as a stick in the eye to Kraft? To put alongside the Penguins and the future inevitable Vegas Lebrons.

I doubt the allure of overseeing the acquisition and management of the Columbus Crew is what brought Edwards back to the fold.

They are probably planning to buy some distressed club in France or Spain, just like Chelsea and City, with the idea of dumping developing their loan and academy players there.

 

[Pesky Pole]

Eyes on an out of market MLS team as a stick in the eye to Kraft? To put alongside the Penguins and the future inevitable Vegas Lebrons.

Please take my Union from Jay Sugarman's miserly hands. FSG would seem like Todd Boehly to Union fans.

 

[nayrbrey]

Richard Hughes to be appointed Sporting Director, currently at Bournemouth.
Per Fabrizio:

Spoiler: Instagram

View: https://www.instagram.com/p/C4trpDmIkS9/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link [/spolier]

 

[67YAZ]

Good news - Bradley scored today the only goal in Northern Ireland’s win over Scotland. But…Robbo subbed off after a heavy tackle. Heading back to Liverpool for a full assessment. JFC.

 

[67YAZ]

Robbo avoided serious injury, only twisted his ankle. He's a possibility for Brighton, but looking likely for Sheffield United.

Alison & Trent are both working their ways back, looking like mid-April returns.

 

[67YAZ]

Xabi isn't walking through that door. This is great for Leverkusen and good for the game all around. Hard to be upset at this amazing story.

But it's on to the next candidate.

View: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1773684206507294924?s=20

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Xabi isn't walking through that door. This is great for Leverkusen and good for the game all around. Hard to be upset at this amazing story.

But it's on to the next candidate.

View: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1773684206507294924?s=20

I think he really wants the Real Madrid gig which will probably available next year. Sucks for us though …

 

[67YAZ]

I think he really wants the Real Madrid gig which will probably available next year. Sucks for us though …

Yeah, I see that. He’s really betting on himself in that case. Madrid is a fickle beast, though. If Leverkusen struggle with fixture congestion and the loss of a couple top players next season…if they slide several places in the table and bounce out of the UCL group stage…all of a sudden Xabi isn’t quite belle of the ball anymore. It’s a tough business.

 

[Pesky Pole]

So, it’s on to Amorim or de Zerbi? I guess it’s the trade off between Premier League experience and Amorim’s formation flexibility and ability to bring along younger players. I think we’ve all seen de Zerbi who has done a good job despite losing Caicedo and MacAllister. I’ll admit I’m intrigued by what I read about Amorim but I’ve never seen his team play. If Portugal is one of rumored second club locations, I wonder if that plays into the decision.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

So, it’s on to Amorim or de Zerbi? I guess it’s the trade off between Premier League experience and Amorim’s formation flexibility and ability to bring along younger players. I think we’ve all seen de Zerbi who has done a good job despite losing Caicedo and MacAllister. I’ll admit I’m intrigued by what I read about Amorim but I’ve never seen his team play. If Portugal is one of rumored second club locations, I wonder if that plays into the decision.

There’s a lot of buzz that Bayern Munich are in for de Zerbi as well. I think the smart money’s on Amorim.

 

[swiftaw]

I’m seeing lots of stories saying Amorim is the top target.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

The Athletic with an excellent overview of the manager search with a recap of the Alonso interest and the subsequent shortlist.

https://theathletic.com/5377617/2024/03/30/liverpool-xabi-alonso-manager-what-now/?source=user_shared_article

They claim RM hasn’t been sniffing around - but the emphasis on Alonso’s own patience and contentment with his current gig could mean he’s there for a while.

As for the shortlist I’d say Amorim’s the favourite with Nagelsman a strong second. It does sound like they have a sound process in place.

 

[candylandriots]

I love that he’s staying with Leverkusen. Even if it’s only one more year. Even if it’s bad for Union Berlin. Even he’s doing this so he can be at Real Madrid. Anything that slows down the process of these 10-12 clubs being the black hole of global football, absorbing everything in their path.

 

[Auger34]

The Athletic with an excellent overview of the manager search with a recap of the Alonso interest and the subsequent shortlist.

https://theathletic.com/5377617/2024/03/30/liverpool-xabi-alonso-manager-what-now/?source=user_shared_article

They claim RM hasn’t been sniffing around - but the emphasis on Alonso’s own patience and contentment with his current gig could mean he’s there for a while.

As for the shortlist I’d say Amorim’s the favourite with Nagelsman a strong second. It does sound like they have a sound process in place.

Having read this article, it seems as if it’s very likely that Amorim is the next manager

 

[67YAZ]

FSG hire Pedro Marques, Benefica’s youth technical director, into an undisclosed high level technical position - maybe the technical director for the emerging FSG football group? Marques spent time working for the City Group as an analyst and scout, so he’s at least one person who has been on the inside of this sort of set up.

 

[67YAZ]

Curtis is in contention for tomorrow’s match.

Trent, Alison, and the Diogo Jota are doing individual work and are on track for team training next week. So glad to hear Jota is getting close.

 

[InstaFace]

Eyes on an out of market MLS team as a stick in the eye to Kraft? To put alongside the Penguins and the future inevitable Vegas Lebrons.

Would be a pretty plausible backer for an expansion team... but MLS hasn't really had interest in multi-club-ownership situations (NYCFC and NYRB are the only ones and that was eons ago in MLS's lifespan), and I think they've generally preferred primary owners with local roots who have some marketing knowledge of the area, and an emotional commitment to stay rather than relocate or cut bait during the hard years.

If Liverpool wants a farm team, I'd think South America would be the most obvious spot. Or perhaps a second-tier UEFA league - Netherlands, Turkey, etc. Or maybe they think they can turn around a Ligue 1 team, since the other clubs have the business sense of a baguette.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

Would be a pretty plausible backer for an expansion team... but MLS hasn't really had interest in multi-club-ownership situations (NYCFC and NYRB are the only ones and that was eons ago in MLS's lifespan), and I think they've generally preferred primary owners with local roots who have some marketing knowledge of the area, and an emotional commitment to stay rather than relocate or cut bait during the hard years.

If Liverpool wants a farm team, I'd think South America would be the most obvious spot. Or perhaps a second-tier UEFA league - Netherlands, Turkey, etc. Or maybe they think they can turn around a Ligue 1 team, since the other clubs have the business sense of a baguette.

There have been rumours they might be interested in League 1 Lille

 

[67YAZ]

Well, this has been a rough week. Taking it to Palace - and keeping a clean sheet for the first time in 8 matches - is vital to get this squad back on track.

The Jota cameo was very welcome. They need his uncanny finishing touch.

But more than that, they need to control a match. We all know Klopp’s system forces the CBs to make a lot of 1v1 plays, but Atalanta flooded the attacking zone and ran the defenders around like a Benny Hill yackety sax skit.

Klopp’s valedictory hangs in the balance here. Get it together boys.

 

[Carbo Loading]

Well, this has been a rough week. Taking it to Palace - and keeping a clean sheet for the first time in 8 matches - is vital to get this squad back on track.

The Jota cameo was very welcome. They need his uncanny finishing touch.

But more than that, they need to control a match. We all know Klopp’s system forces the CBs to make a lot of 1v1 plays, but Atalanta flooded the attacking zone and ran the defenders around like a Benny Hill yackety sax skit.

Klopp’s valedictory hangs in the balance here. Get it together boys.

Unfortunately this post didn’t age well

 

[67YAZ]

How’s that line go, better to fade away than burn out?

Have to put the screws to Fulham this weekend. It’s about morale as much as results now - this squads needs to stump some asses and get it’s swagger back.

 

[Mighty Joe Young]

The FA Cup loss seems to have been the beginning of the end - they have been pretty dreadful ever since. I think the self belief is gone.

They had the perfect start yesterday with the early PEN but, after an initial push they lacked any urgency at all. The second half changes were counter productive.

 

[Morgan's Magic Snowplow]

David Ornstein says that Amorim is unlikely to be the choice at Liverpool and that West Ham may be in the frame.

He could be wrong but I doubt he'd go this hard against the grain without good sourcing. And I doubt West Ham would waste their time courting Amorim unless they had some reason to believe he wasn't going to get the Liverpool offer.

View: https://twitter.com/David_Ornstein/status/1782410916622987577

 

[67YAZ]

It’s not so surprising that Amorim is not the top candidate despite fans’ interest. He’s young, his resume is short, and he reportedly has a €17m buy out. Thats not a knock on his achievements or potential. It’s a reality check that taking over a mega-club is a different beast.

based on nothing other than my own dread, I’m starting to fear a Tuechel hire. His personality would cause a constant gripe-fest among the Reds faithful.

 

[Pesky Pole]

Jose Mourinho was at the game yesterday. Just to make you feel better about Tuchel (who I would hate also).

 

[JayMags71]

Is Pep Ljinders definitely leaving with Klopp? Why wouldn’t FSG try to convince him to stay?

 

[SocrManiac]

I'm having less and less confidence about this transition. I think Klopp did his best to set the organization up in a way that Wenger and Sir Alex never even attempted, but it really seems like so much of this is based on his unique blend of motivation, tactical acumen, and sheer personality. I feel like the direct successor matters less than the adjustments they make to be ready for the manager after.