The battle for 4th place definitely isn't a forgone conclusion. There's a few teams between 5th-9th that are within touching distancing of gate-crashing the 4th position now!

The battle for 4th place definitely isn't a forgone conclusion. There's a few teams between 5th-9th that are within touching distancing of gate-crashing the 4th position now!

 

I think realistically it's between Man Utd, Leicester, Liverpool and Chelsea. Surely Liverpool can't keep dropping points forever, mad to think we're only 6 points off 2nd and are in an absolutely dreadful period of form. Just can't see Everton, Spurs, West Ham or Villa averaging over 2 points a game between now and May AND needing a few teams above them to hit some dreadful form.

I'd be very very concerned if I were you. You're in one of those stages where you're wondering where the next win is even gonna come. It's not just a blip, Liverpool have literally been in the bottom 6 for form since the turn of the year.

 

Agree that Everton are the chief bottlers this season, losing easy home games out of nowhere and will be miles off the top 4 come season end, same with Spurs, but West Ham & Villa are proving time ad time again they're not going anywhere and will be fighting till season end. Leicester can easily throw it all away again, they were in a MUCH better position lasts season and still ended up 5th.

I'd be very very concerned if I were you. You're in one of those stages where you're wondering where the next win is even gonna come. It's not just a blip, Liverpool have literally been in the bottom 6 for form since the turn of the year.

 

Agree that Everton are the chief bottlers this season, losing easy home games out of nowhere and will be miles off the top 4 come season end, same with Spurs, but West Ham & Villa are proving time ad time again they're not going anywhere and will be fighting till season end. Leicester can easily throw it all away again, they were in a MUCH better position lasts season and still ended up 5th.

 

I'm not concerned at all, we actually played really well against Leicester before the VAR farce. It is concerning that we let the VAR get inside our heads though, but it's done us over royally this year. The Leicester game was literally Liverpool pre-Van Dijk, we've had plenty of those games before where the momentum turns in an instant. Even if we miss out on the Top 4 this year, I'm not concerned at all, I've accepted it may happen. We've been decimated by injuries since the Goodison Park game in October. We miss Van Dijk and playing midfielders at centre back for half the season is not a good sign. The irony being as well that over the past 5 games Liverpool have picked up as many points as Man Utd, but only one of those teams gets slaughtered in the media!

The VAR excuses are just tiring now. What about all the times it went in your favour last season? Some decisions go your way, some don't that's always been the case. The Leicester one was the correct decision anyway. And decimated by injuries is a massive exaggeration imo. Other than your 2 CB pairing you've barely had any of your first XI out for a sustained period. And not having any defensive cover can only be blamed on the manager & board especially when injuries were obviously gonna be more commonplace in this truncated season. I don't even think your defence has been the main problem this season, you've completely lost your attacking spark.

 

And on your last point, fair comment but the difference is you are the champions something like 24 points worse off this season whereas we weren't even in the conversation at the start of the season and are currently 12 points better off than last so expectations vs reality etc.

 

The VAR excuses are just tiring now. What about all the times it went in your favour last season? Some decisions go your way, some don't that's always been the case. The Leicester one was the correct decision anyway. And decimated by injuries is a massive exaggeration imo. Other than your 2 CB pairing you've barely had any of your first XI out for a sustained period. And not having any defensive cover can only be blamed on the manager & board especially when injuries were obviously gonna be more commonplace in this truncated season. I don't even think your defence has been the main problem this season, you've completely lost your attacking spark.

 

And on your last point, fair comment but the difference is you are the champions something like 24 points worse off this season whereas we weren't even in the conversation at the start of the season and are currently 12 points better off than last so expectations vs reality etc.

 

It only went one time in our favour last year which was Trent vs City. You need that bit of luck sometimes, look at City with their call vs Villa a few weeks back. It's these moments which affect players mentality either in a positive or negative way. Some of the VAR calls are horrendous, they drew the Firmino foot off his bloody shadow! So you compare the Mane offside vs Everton.. there is literally no difference, mind boggling.

 

Also RE the injuries that is completely wrong. Yes in hindsight you could say we did not have enough defensive cover, but losing your two CBs to ACL/PCL injuries within the first 10 games is just unlucky. You can't plan for that, likewise the likes of Williams/Phillips could do a job for a game or two but not for 85% of the season. The CBs being out is our major problem. The reason our attacking play is suffering is we have to compensate our attacking risk for defensive play - thus less chances created, but we concede less big chances too. Whereas last season we would give up big chances quite regularly as we were so agressive with 2 fast CBs. Likewise, usually Klopp rotates the midfield, but we have not been able to do so this year due to injuries, so we barely press which is the hallmark of our midfield and winning the ball high up. Without the press our midfield is average and not even on the same technical level as City.

 

This season Allison, Gomez, Van Dijk, Henderson, Tsimikas, Thiago, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Trent, Matip, Fabinho, Jota, Shaqiri, Keita and Mane have all missed more than 5 games. We have literally been running with 6-8 injuries since Goodison. You can accept 2-3 at a time but half of those players have been long term. Every other team that has the same level of injuries as we have have absolutely fallen off a cliff too (Palace and Newcastle). But in summary any team that loses their key CB will struggle. Man Utd lost the title when Ferdinand got injured in 03-04 I think, City struggled without Laporte last season, heck even look at Burnley's form without Mee and Tarkowski at the start of the season.. it is what it is but in no way longer term am I concerned.

 

I will totally agree we should be doing a little better and Klopp has come out and said it too. But there is no way you have be champions with that level of injuries. I just find people writing off our demise, wanting Klopp out etc. are just too short sighted. There are other good teams in the league too. Totally agree about your point about Man Utd too, but no-one is noticing now that Man Utd were there or thereabouts above City until they self destructed. Obviously not quite the same, but reminds me of 13-14 when Liverpool lost their heads against Chelsea and City won the title. Everyone forgets that season that it was Chelsea's title to lose up until March.

 

Rant over :lol: but take it from someone that watches 95% of our games, while there are a few problems throughout, losing Virgil and Gomez has completely killed us and that's without everything else.

The only farcical thing about the VAR at Leicester is that it wasted three or four minutes to reach the same outcome as would probably have occurred if they had just gone ahead with the penalty. The eventual goal from the free kick was not offside.

The only farcical thing about the VAR at Leicester is that it wasted three or four minutes to reach the same outcome as would probably have occurred if they had just gone ahead with the penalty. The eventual goal from the free kick was not offside.

 

https://twitter.com/DaleJohnsonESPN/status/...3056766977?s=20

 

Take a look at that if want a different perspective from someone who doesn't have a bias. No one can look at the image there and tell me definitively that it is onside- they have guessed. Dale Johnson, who calls a spade a spade usually, says its offside as well. The referees that use the technology are hopeless. It's the referees still making these decisions not the technology. You only have to look through that thread to see how hopeless referees are in this country, not even making basic checks for some decisions.

 

I'd be absolutely fine with the goal being given if the Mane goal was given in the Derby (along with a few other ridiculous calls from other clubs). If it is marginal, I am all for giving the attacker the advantage but they haven't done this all season so why start now?

https://twitter.com/DaleJohnsonESPN/status/...3056766977?s=20

 

Take a look at that if want a different perspective from someone who doesn't have a bias. No one can look at the image there and tell me definitively that it is onside- they have guessed. Dale Johnson, who calls a spade a spade usually, says its offside as well. The referees that use the technology are hopeless. It's the referees still making these decisions not the technology. You only have to look through that thread to see how hopeless referees are in this country, not even making basic checks for some decisions.

 

I'd be absolutely fine with the goal being given if the Mane goal was given in the Derby (along with a few other ridiculous calls from other clubs). If it is marginal, I am all for giving the attacker the advantage but they haven't done this all season so why start now?

The whole argument depends on whether the still is from the right moment which makes the whole debate a nonsense. When is the ball "played". Is it when the player first makes contact with the ball or is it when it leaves his boot (or body)? Before VAR, the issue was irrelevant. Now, we are supposed to take it on trust that it has been frozen at exactly the right moment. One frame either way could lead to a different conclusion. The Twitter picture looks pretty inconclusive to me as you can't see exactly where the defender's boot ends.

The whole argument depends on whether the still is from the right moment which makes the whole debate a nonsense. When is the ball "played". Is it when the player first makes contact with the ball or is it when it leaves his boot (or body)? Before VAR, the issue was irrelevant. Now, we are supposed to take it on trust that it has been frozen at exactly the right moment. One frame either way could lead to a different conclusion. The Twitter picture looks pretty inconclusive to me as you can't see exactly where the defender's boot ends.

 

These are from the TV pictures which is allegedly when the ball was played. These pictures were out there on the exact game. Like you say, it is inconclusive but a VAR referee has decided it is onside but the journalist has pressed PGMOL for an answer and their justification doesn't sit with him, whereas if you read the thread he's then understood other decisions in the letter of the law. I'm fine with VAR calling this as onside as long as all other marginal calls are given as onside (which isn't the case).

 

But this the point, if it's inconclusive the on-field referees decision should stand, pundits and fans are brainwashed in to believing these decisions are 100% right "through the power of technology" when they're not. The Soucek red card is another one which was absolutely horrendous.

Ok NOW I will concede the title is 100% done. Thought these few last games may prove tricky for City but they've absolutely demolished everyone and this relentless winning run is absolutely insane especially without their 2 best attacking players! Another domestic treble absolutely guaranteed.

 

But as long as they keep flopping in the Champions League that's all the ammunition any rival fan needs :)

Ok NOW I will concede the title is 100% done. Thought these few last games may prove tricky for City but they've absolutely demolished everyone and this relentless winning run is absolutely insane especially without their 2 best attacking players! Another domestic treble absolutely guaranteed.

 

But as long as they keep flopping in the Champions League that's all the ammunition any rival fan needs :)

 

I just don't see where they drop points, I do think they got a bit lucky with this fixture postponement but even so their defence and tucking in of Cancelo to support is another level since the West Brom game. Worryingly I think they have a good shot of the Champions League this year too.. but a lot depends on Pep's mind as he ALWAYS overthinks in the big games.

Patrick Bamford let down millions (myself included) of Fantasy Premier League mangers last night :lol: , though to be fair it was a very close call for his goal that got disallowed.

Thought we were good against Leicester, Leipzig and in times against Man City but no excusing that today, we were awful. This is a by-product of not having Van Dijk or even Gomez though, teams can by-pass any sort of press and we're vulnerable defensively.

 

When it rains it pours though, that's our captain and two vice captains out injured and yet another new CB pairing on display today. I genuinely can't believe the ref gave the penalty too. We would have been beaten without it but Christ, referees don't even know any sort of rules RE phases of play, so it was a completely new phase of play and not sure what you can do when someone knees your head. Wake me up when this season is over :D

Come on might blues

Aye Liverpool are shite at the minute but by god that penalty was an absolute disgrace even if it wouldn’t have changed the performance and maybe the result but Kavanagh was clearly desperate to make the decision

Aye Liverpool are shite at the minute but by god that penalty was an absolute disgrace even if it wouldn’t have changed the performance and maybe the result but Kavanagh was clearly desperate to make the decision

 

It wouldn't have changed the game at all like you say, but it just sums up our luck. Kavanagh just couldn't wait to give it, think another record was broken for shorted time at the VAR monitor.

 

Annoyingly, we are actually creating good chances and opportunities but for some reason no-one is gambling on chances and we're weak as piss defensively which just upsets the balance of the team.

Always think Phillips does all right when he plays, not a world beater but decent and is a handful at corners. In future I wouldn’t start a midfielder in defence just throw Kabak and Phillips or another defender and put fab and Hendo in the middle, Thiago can then go forward and give more balance! Him and Gini just take the same positions in the middle!

Always think Phillips does all right when he plays, not a world beater but decent and is a handful at corners. In future I wouldn’t start a midfielder in defence just throw Kabak and Phillips or another defender and put fab and Hendo in the middle, Thiago can then go forward and give more balance! Him and Gini just take the same positions in the middle!

 

The problem is neither Kabak or Phillips are blessed with great pace as shown by Dominic "Usain Bolt" Calvert-Lewin and the penalty. I think he is decent and he has clearly grown in confidence but we have to change our whole shape otherwise we give up big chances for fun.

It’ll surely do for the rest of the season for now, Hendo isn’t exactly the fastest and Trent will have to learn. The penalty came from us committing near the end to equalise.