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The 2015-2016 Football Thread

Bore draw between Lei and City. Kompany out for another 3-4 weeks apparently.

All of a sudden, the Southampton defeat looks less damaging. Arsenal really do not have an excuse now...but i have a feeling they'll wither away at the end of Jan.
 
Arsenal top of the league going into the new year. It's still City or Arsenal's title to lose.
Unfortunately Wenger won't fix the squad in Jan, so it still leaves City as firm favorites this season.

United 5 points off what I think is the target set by the board to LvG - top 4 trophy.
 
Alphazoid said:
Benteke gets 'Pool over the line taking them level on points with Utd
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He missed a sitter today though. Given that Benteke is basically a penalty box striker, it's vexing. Had he scored a second and Liverpool won 2-0 it all would have seemed much more convincing. As it stands, beating Sunderland 1-0 doesn't look like top four form even in this crazy season. A win nonetheless.

Level on points with Man Utd - but only one point ahead of West Ham, Watford and Stoke. Lots of football left to play.
 
Alphazoid said:
He isn't Klopp's main striker though. Origi is...for some unknown reason.
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Benteke is a penalty box striker, a finisher. He doesn't run around a lot, and that's the opposite of what you expect from a striker in a Klopp-style gegenpressing team. Origi is more mobile, and thus preferred.
 
Lord Blackadder said:
Benteke is a penalty box striker, a finisher. He doesn't run around a lot, and that's the opposite of what you expect from a striker in a Klopp-style gegenpressing team. Origi is more mobile, and thus preferred.
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But less of a finisher...which is kinda the point. Unless you're a winger or number 10
 
Klopp likes mobile, multifunction players - and Benteke is neither of those. Still, despite being less mobile, I'm not entirely sure why Benteke has been so far out of favor - Klopp apparently tried to sign him (along with Origi and Firmino) when still at Dortmund. I can only speculate that Klopp doesn't like what he sees from Benteke during training in terms of fitting into the system.

Danny Ings has a high work rate, a good strike rate and more experience in English football than Origi - had he not picked up a season-ending injury I suspect we'd be seeing a lot of him as well.

Either way, Klopp is now going to have to use Benteke. Sturridge is basically a Michael Owen - good strike rate but seriously injury prone, probably for the rest of his career. Ings is out, and that leaves Liverpool with Benteke, Firmino and Origi apart from youngsters. Allthree have great potential but none have really consistently shown it this season. Maybe a long run of games will jumpstart one of them.
 
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I seriously doubt Klopp wanted to sign Benteke, Origi, Firmino while at Dortmund
These things sound like some media PR bs so that the fans can buy into the whole "our strikers are what the gaffer originally wanted"
 
throwthedice said:
I seriously doubt Klopp wanted to sign Benteke, Origi, Firmino while at Dortmund
These things sound like some media PR bs so that the fans can buy into the whole "our strikers are what the gaffer originally wanted"
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Fair enough - I'm sure they were scouted, but how interested Klopp was in signing them I don't know. Firmino had a good reputation in Germany, so I would not be surprised if Dortmund were genuinely interested in him. Origi looked pretty good in the last Wrold Cup, and Benteke had a great period of form at Aston Villa. They were all playing better than they are now.
 
Firmino I'm sure had a reputation in Germany. However, Benteke doesn't appear to me as a "Klopp" striker from what I've seen of Dortmund and (admittedly very little of) Liverpool (under Klopp). His success at Villa also was more due to him being the focal point in attacks and he's a very PL "striker".
Origi only looked good at the world cup. If I remember correctly, he didn't exactly live up to the hype when he was on loan after signing for 'pool.

I wouldn't be surprised if Klopp went looking for a striker more suited to his needs in january. The problem is there are hardly any good strikers available whom liverpool can afford and most likely won't move in Jan. So they'll probably take a punt on one or two - leading up to yet another vicious cycle.

I see Man Utd heading the same way - there is an absolute lack of clarity at the club. LvG seems to be going through a rough patch and if the board decides to replace him with Giggs, then that's probably a decision worse than appointing Moyes. Even with all the resources at his disposal, I don't think Giggs can hack it as a manager in the PL.

Edit:

I'm not disputing or questioning as to the accuracy of those 3 guys being scouted previously by Klopp's team. I'm assuming that they would scout a lot of players before signing them.
 
Firminho played consistently superb in the BL - can't think of a playerthewent into the PL without adjusting problems (KdB did good so far).

Benteke: quite sure there weren't many talks since he was just going to be too expensive (proven PL striker). That year Klopp bought Immobile instead, who was a box-stiker as well since his tactics weren't as successful as the years before hence the need to change up (no Lewa sub affordable if even existing). That was for the BL - not sure if that's his plan for the PL too. Somewhat doubt it since more money = more possibilities.
 
The more I read about the history of football, the more it becomes obvious that people have become terminally impatient for results - and it all comes down to the incredible amount of money in the game these days. The Premier League/Blatter FIFA model has done this to us.

People talk of a new manager "building a system" or a club in a state of "rebuilding" - but the reality is that there is no time for such luxuries anymore. Managers have to fashion success out of the previous managers' squad plus maybe a couple new players who have no time to adjust to their new team/system/living conditions. There is very little time to really "build" anything.

Giggs as Gaffer at Man Utd: a total disaster in the making. Giggs was a great player. We know next to nothing about his managerial abilities, and Man Utd is not an appropriate place to start one's management career. I'd love to see it happen for the drama value but it would not be good for the club (or for Giggs).

Firmino and Origi may both yet come good - they have the ability and Firmino has proven he can do it, albeit in the BL. Benteke has also proven his worth, and if Klopp used Immobile (great name for a footballer!) as a target man than he should know how to use Benteke.
 
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He didn't know how to use him though. ;)

Got sold asap to Sevilla (haha) to keep the loss in check. Somehow that eveb worked out.
 
twietee said:
He didn't know how to use him though. ;)
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That was going to be my next question...if he wasn't able to use Immobile, he will struggle with Benteke. Gegenpressing often operates a high line, with many players in the middle of the pitch, so Benteke might maintain contact with the midfield even if he lingers high up the pitch, but he's not the kind of player who will scurry around to help hunt for the ball (like Suarez did, for example).

Benteke needs to be allowed to lumber around slowly in the opponent's half so he can make short runs into the box to finish crosses or short passes in traffic. If Klopp is going to get goals out of him he's going to have to gegenpress without Benteke...
 
We'll see. :D

Always 'funny' to see the big PL teams with their billionairs squadd press a little (2-3 players) but not as a team. Doesn't work out st all if you ask me. That's why I think Klopp could have some success in the PL (+some new players that he'll need)..

Anyway, off to dinner and club now so cheers all!
 
Lord Blackadder said:
The more I read about the history of football, the more it becomes obvious that people have become terminally impatient for results - and it all comes down to the incredible amount of money in the game these days. The Premier League/Blatter FIFA model has done this to us.

People talk of a new manager "building a system" or a club in a state of "rebuilding" - but the reality is that there is no time for such luxuries anymore. Managers have to fashion success out of the previous managers' squad plus maybe a couple new players who have no time to adjust to their new team/system/living conditions. There is very little time to really "build" anything.

Giggs as Gaffer at Man Utd: a total disaster in the making. Giggs was a great player. We know next to nothing about his managerial abilities, and Man Utd is not an appropriate place to start one's management career. I'd love to see it happen for the drama value but it would not be good for the club (or for Giggs).

Firmino and Origi may both yet come good - they have the ability and Firmino has proven he can do it, albeit in the BL. Benteke has also proven his worth, and if Klopp used Immobile (great name for a footballer!) as a target man than he should know how to use Benteke.
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Yeah, I agreed on all.

And Giggs should test drive a lower division club then move up to a big club.
 
Once again, Klopp's Liverpool fail to deal with a team who simply park the bus. You cannot be vulnerable to such elementary tactics if you want to succeed in the Premier League.
 
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