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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 5m

Yeah - exactly what I thought

Inconsistency is always what gets me - if this is the supposed “bar” for penalties then Salah should be averaging one or so per game (in past seasons)

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

Can see the merit in that post-hoc but beforehand I doubt anyone seriously considered replacing all of the front 3!

I think the Salah situation is similar to Hendo and Fab in 22/23 - no one expected the dropoff would be that steep and quick (tbf Salah still has lots of time to prove doubters wrong)

socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

Haha I don’t doubt that it’s soft and wasn’t that excised when it wasn’t given - it’s just how can you then give the Brentford penalty, which had even less contact and it also seems that he went down looking for it?

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Reposted

Andrew Beasley @andrewbeasleyfootball.com · 1h

My match review. Had to get this one out of my system quickly.

www.andrewbeasleyfootball.com/p/the-match-...

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

That’s an interesting point but for me it seemed like it was with measured, controlled play, then through the middle more with skilled strikers and midfielders. Winner against Newcastle comes to mind?

Not sure if I’m right but I thought Wirtz, Isak and Ekitike were signed to move on from Mo and TAA

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

… be not to start with players not match fit or with a significant drop off in intensity. But of course even with that I dunno how you can anticipate things like a poor midfield performance from the same midfield which did well just a few days ago

socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

Tbh I can see what they are set up to do and attack but the problem is more a lack of consistency in execution and, more crucially, in the off the ball defensive aspects

The indicator of former for me is our generally high xG, enough to win most games; in the latter the most obvious might …

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

… not pressing well enough, losing the ball too causally

What I’m saying is Slot was probably right in assuming that this team would play much better than it did, though in hindsight I’m still not sure how it might have been improved

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 1h

But tbf - this exact team, with the exception of Salah and Robbo starting - played well against Frankfurt. Some problems did arise on Kerkez’s side (but arguably u wouldn’t want Robbo in 2 high intensity games in a row), but IMO more of the issues came from our attackers and midfielders …

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

This was my take on it. The only way it made sense to me

bsky.app/profile/socr...

socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 3h

That’s an extraordinary incident. A very soft foul the ref decided to give likely coz he thought it was outside the box - but once he had given it he was locked into the VAR decision that it took place in the penalty box

Every game there’s fresh refereeing hell to marvel at 😔 #LFC

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Reposted

Stephen Drennan (BabuYagu) @babuyagu.bsky.social · 2h

There is a rule to dealing with moments like this. Don't talk about big picture or finish line when you are in the shit.

You have to just survive the next 5 minutes. Then the next. In our case its game to game. The league table, objectives, targets - they don't matter.

Just get out of the shit.

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

In this context you best make sure to minimise the dangerous situations he is put into - like Kelleher was when playing behind a settled defence - but unfortunately for him the rest of the team is still in transition

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Yeah not to throw shade at him coz our starter is Alisson - but the drop off is steep and not just from the distribution. Not physical enough at corners, pushes the ball back into danger, drops it when Alisson likely would’ve caught it - all round poorer

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

💯

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

… helping Kerkez, and Ekitike was too loose with the ball when he got it; Jones and Dom lost the ball casually too many times in MF; and Mama is a big drop off from Alisson

It’s a whole combo of factors

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

We left too big a hole by the end. Dom and Salah played decently towards the end but it doesn’t mitigate that they were largely poor during the game which left us in an uphill struggle

I see a lot of folks slamming their usual villains - Wirtz, Kerkez - but IMO off the ball Gakpo was poor in …

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Agree with the last bit, though the last 10 mins isn’t really the example I was looking for - we frequently weren’t able to progress the ball out of our half and conceded clear chances

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Lol that’s probably the first decision that’s gone against Brentford all game #LFC

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Do you think Dom and Curtis were better than him? Tough call tbh haha

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Lol wtf can’t even play the ball out of our area

socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Can’t blame them for trying since they’ve been getting decisions all game LOL

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

My point is more that I would put Dom and Curtis as being even poorer than him. The number of times they casually lost the ball in midfield was shocking

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

And he’s just scored! 😝

But yes generally agree. I think he would’ve gone off if not for Curtis pulling up injured

socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 2h

Yeah the pressing and what they do when they get on the ball has been poor

Tbh I would exclude Wirtz but more coz I think Dom and Curtis have been even poorer than him as his MF counterparts

Jones has such quality but seems to struggle for consistency and fitnes

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socrates80.bsky.social @socrates80.bsky.social · 3h

That’s an extraordinary incident. A very soft foul the ref decided to give likely coz he thought it was outside the box - but once he had given it he was locked into the VAR decision that it took place in the penalty box

Every game there’s fresh refereeing hell to marvel at 😔 #LFC

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