Jurgen Klopp’s main achievement so far has been integrating his clumsy players with his skilful players.
He’s got them all playing high-tempo football.
THAT’S A CONSIDERABLE FEAT.
His touch players can now play the same game as his momentum players. They win the ball, knock it around first time, prod it here, flick it to a nearby teammate, switch it across the field quite well without slowing the move down too much. They play in groups, run in groups, use a style that is very energetic -and they only take two touches when they can’t take one.
Unfortunately, high- tempo football often tends to create half-chances, difficult finishes.
Best thing LVG has done is sign the kid from Monaco.
The stylish Anthony Martial zooms over the grass as if he’s being drawn by a jet-ski.
But his contributions are intermittent.
WHY? Because Van Gaal’s rigid style is so slow that the ball takes far too long to reach Martial. He is wasted in a Van Gaal team.
Martial is a Red Devil who could get 60,000 people off their seats.
But the Glazers are financial people who live in Florida and will never understand about horses for courses and never comprehend why LVG was exactly the wrong manager for the Theatre Of Dreams.
Last weekend Arsenal drew at Anfield but this weekend Man United won there. King Louis’s style works better away from home because it’s a game of percentages.
In 66 Mata came on for Jesse Lingard and then Emre Can hit a tremendous shot which David De Gea did well to save by diving to his right and then De Gea clawed away Firmino’s follow-up effort.
Then Mata’s excellent cross was headed against the bar by Fellaini and Rooney smashed in the only goal of the game from six yards. The header hit the bar quite hard, the rebound bounced quite high.
But Rooney’s instinct is backed up by colossal experience: he knew exactly how high that ball was gonna bounce and his execution made the chance look easier than it was. He blasted that goal in as if he’d scored it 300 times. And maybe he has, if you count training matches.
Roll on August, September, October.
I wanna see what Liverpool are liked when Klopp’s got some of his own players and when he’s had a proper pre-season to work on shapes, on finishing, on how to keep a clean sheet.
Right now, Liverpool are a mid-table team. Right now, they need a centreback, a keeper and a striker.
Let’s face it, Liverpool right now are not even the best team in Liverpool.