Liverpool 2018/19 season + Game Threads

[danfo driver]

[danfo driver]

How do you define a Loser?

[can04]

Fantastic league season. Absolutely fantastic. Fell short in the end, losing the title to an incredible Man City. On to Madrid.

[marko]

Liverpool has had a brilliant season, if they win the champions league, it will be the icing on the cake, even if Spurs wins by a margin of error, they still had a brilliant season, playing back-to-back champions league finals is no mean feat!

[heavyd]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

[txj]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

[mcal]

...there must be a 1st and a 2nd, both are mean fits. Congrats to the 2 clubs.

[mcal]

RUNNER UP TROPHY! WE GO AGAIN

...ain't easy being 2nd. Some will kill to be there

Sure! Like the commentator said today "sadly in a few years, no one would remember this great liverpool team and how far they came."

Let me restate that, "Thankfully, in a few months, no one would remember that these losers took second."


You either come first or you did not win! Simple as that! Only born losers celebrate second place.

...you clearly sound like the American, Donald Trump, after winning still whining. Did City win in a wayo way you trying to camouflage

[tfco]

[FATHER TIKO]

Kudos to Herr Klopp for making this season this exciting...

Now Senor Guardiola knows he won't simply 'walk' the EPL like 2017/18 season...

Given that Klopp ate up a 25 pts deficit in one calendar year...
I wager 2019/20 would be even tougher...

easy to "eat" when you spend:

90 million on one defender,
80 million on one midfielder
65 million on a defensive midfielder
70 million on a goalkeeper


give me that money and i will "eat' too. the difference is, unlike KLOPP the loser, i would have won the league

Ask Pep Guardiola if "Klopp is a loser"...

Unlike other 18 managers in the EPL, Herr Klopp is the only one keeping Pep up at night currently...

Kudos to Klopp...

[ohsee]

Yes, Liverpool put City under pressure, et cetera. But some of us are trying very hard to ignore a fundamental problem, something that happened many times to Arsenal during those glory years when they were battling with Man United for the title. When City lost games, Liverpool could not take advantage, and just kept dropping points. How is it that a team that lost four games beat one that lost only one? There is a problem here that no one wants to address.

[FATHER TIKO]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

Oga, 'failure' must be taken in context...

City beat Liverpool by 25 pts in 2018/19 season...

Its incredible that Liverpool made up 22 pts in 1 year...

Liverpool lost 1 game (away to Man City) all season...

You may question the 7 draws; yet Man City lost 4 games...

Its not 'failure' by Liverpool if Man City went on an incredible 14 match unbeaten run...

John Barnes is right: Man City merely sustained their quality over two seasons; Liverpool actually made an 'incredible' improvement and narrowed the gulf between both teams...
That is not failure, abeg...

[FATHER TIKO]

Yes, Liverpool put City under pressure, et cetera. But some of us are trying very hard to ignore a fundamental problem, something that happened many times to Arsenal during those glory years when they were battling with Man United for the title. When City lost games, Liverpool could not take advantage, and just kept dropping points. How is it that a team that lost four games beat one that lost only one? There is a problem here that no one wants to address.

Liverpool's 7 draws...

But that's nit-picking...Liverpool couldn't really do much more than they did...

To beat this Man City, Liverpool had to amass a minimum 99pts...that's two points less than the 101pts Man City amassed in 2017/18 which nobody thought was likely to be repeated again...

Reason Guardiola says this is his hardest title win...Man City needed to be 'perfect' to achieve it...A stupendous 14 game winning run is as close to 'perfect' as could be in the EPL...

I wager if Man City sustain their form, and amass a points total close to 98pts in 2019/20 they win the title again...nothing any other club can do about it...
That's how good this Guardiola's side is...

[FATHER TIKO]

100 pts in 2017/18...
98 pts in 2018/19...
Guardiola is the man


But kudos to Herr Klopp...

Whereas Carlo Ancelotti, another contender for the job in October 2015, had presented owners Fenway Sports Group with a shopping list of three star players in defence, midfield and attack that he felt were needed to lift the tired Reds out of mid-table mediocrity, Klopp told the Americans in a meeting in New York that the main thing was to "activate the crowd".

Both at Mainz and at Dortmund, Klopp had learned that a strong bond between fans and players - a unified purpose - could push a team to the very limit of its capabilities and sometimes beyond. Tactics and systems were important, of course, but Liverpool could only become a force in England and Europe again if they could harness the special energy they used to generate.

Klopp is convinced that success comes from within. Liverpool had to reconnect with their identity as winners before they could become winners once more.

"He talked a lot about the team trusting itself, about belief, and not fearing any other team," Adam Lallana said of Klopp's first few days at Melwood, which resembled a lengthy therapy session.

"He definitely had that confidence himself, that aura and belief that he is a top manager. He walked through the door and you could feel it. And I think that automatically filters through."

"A coach must love his players," the 51-year-old once told a staff member at Dortmund. Klopp, like many who excel at their job, really does love coaching too.

As a child, he wanted to be a doctor - "I wanted to help people" - and he sees his task as looking after the heart, body and soul of his charges to enable them to perform to their best abilities.

To do so, he finds out about their hopes and fears in lengthy talks, and adopts a specific psychological approach for every single player. A close look at his post-match demeanour over the years showed that his famously tactile appreciation of his players came in a number of varying degrees.

A long hug symbolised great praise. Lesser performances were greeted with a friendly tap on the shoulder, while a young player in danger of getting carried away could find himself gently slapped in the face. Klopp's physical closeness defines and strengthens the social structures within the dressing room and enhances the bond between him and his men...

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/48243730

[txj]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

Oga, 'failure' must be taken in context...

City beat Liverpool by 25 pts in 2018/19 season...

Its incredible that Liverpool made up 22 pts in 1 year...

Liverpool lost 1 game (away to Man City) all season...

You may question the 7 draws; yet Man City lost 4 games...

Its not 'failure' by Liverpool if Man City went on an incredible 14 match unbeaten run...

John Barnes is right: Man City merely sustained their quality over two seasons; Liverpool actually made an 'incredible' improvement and narrowed the gulf between both teams...
That is not failure, abeg...

No its not failure in the sense you think I am referring to. I'm just stating the simple fact they failed to come 1st.

But to say they bottled it, is mere regurgitation of cliches...

Nobody can win every game. But I thought in some of those drawn games, the team should've pushed harder. But that's easy to say from the outside.

City deserved it. They had the depth of quality to play to the optimum in every game. The question was always the mentality and they had a manager who would not let them flag...

[pajimoh]

Everyone just seem to be brandishing "bottled it" like it's trendy.
All the quality Man City bought with all that money made the difference, a solitary point.
Liverpool tried and stood toe to toe with City.

[FATHER TIKO]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

Oga, 'failure' must be taken in context...

City beat Liverpool by 25 pts in 2018/19 season...

Its incredible that Liverpool made up 22 pts in 1 year...

Liverpool lost 1 game (away to Man City) all season...

You may question the 7 draws; yet Man City lost 4 games...

Its not 'failure' by Liverpool if Man City went on an incredible 14 match unbeaten run...

John Barnes is right: Man City merely sustained their quality over two seasons; Liverpool actually made an 'incredible' improvement and narrowed the gulf between both teams...
That is not failure, abeg...

No its not failure in the sense you think I am referring to. I'm just stating the simple fact they failed to come 1st.

But to say they bottled it, is mere regurgitation of cliches...

Nobody can win every game. But I thought in some of those drawn games, the team should've pushed harder. But that's easy to say from the outside.

City deserved it. They had the depth of quality to play to the optimum in every game. The question was always the mentality and they had a manager who would not let them flag...

For the sake of the league, I pray Klopp has the fire to chase down Guardiola again in 2019/20...
To beat Guardiola, Klopp would probably need to target 100pts in 2019/20, as I can't see Guardiola's side dropping off from their current level...

Unbelievable...

[green4life]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

Sorry my brother but the depth of the squad had nothing to do with it. When you blow a 7 point cushion (or 'pillow' as José called it), that, my friend, is the definition of a bottle job. Liverpool and Klopp only have themselves to blame. And my preference was Liverpool over City.

[green4life]

RUNNER UP TROPHY! WE GO AGAIN

...ain't easy being 2nd. Some will kill to be there

Sure! Like the commentator said today "sadly in a few years, no one would remember this great liverpool team and how far they came."

Let me restate that, "Thankfully, in a few months, no one would remember that these losers took second."


You either come first or you did not win! Simple as that! Only born losers celebrate second place.

...you clearly sound like the American, Donald Trump, after winning still whining. Did City win in a wayo way you trying to camouflage

Yes. America unapologetically celebrates winners. If you don't win, you may have come last. In sports, especially if you are a massive club like Liverpool, winning is the only thing that should matter. Only consolation is the opportunity to win the CL which, notwithstanding the disappointment of the league, will still be a massive accomplishment for Klopp and the club and kick them into next season with heads held high.

[txj]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

Sorry my brother but the depth of the squad had nothing to do with it. When you blow a 7 point cushion (or 'pillow' as José called it), that, my friend, is the definition of a bottle job. Liverpool and Klopp only have themselves to blame. And my preference was Liverpool over City.

Of course JK and LFC have themselves to blame; they did not get the job done ultimately.

But its not a bottle job. That's just lazy analysis...None of the two teams could've won all their games; its just not possible...

City dropped points when they lost those games, as did LFC when they drew all those games. But over the course of the campaign, City proved to last longer...

They lasted longer b/c in part they had the depth of quality to do so. Is that an excuse? Absolutely not!

LFC lost and City won; period!

[danfo driver]

RUNNER UP TROPHY! WE GO AGAIN

...ain't easy being 2nd. Some will kill to be there

Sure! Like the commentator said today "sadly in a few years, no one would remember this great liverpool team and how far they came."

Let me restate that, "Thankfully, in a few months, no one would remember that these losers took second."


You either come first or you did not win! Simple as that! Only born losers celebrate second place.

...you clearly sound like the American, Donald Trump, after winning still whining. Did City win in a wayo way you trying to camouflage

You either win or you lose. There is no middle ground. Second does not count. In a few months, people will forget this Livrpool team and their "triumphant gallant fight to second place) LiverF00L LOST! In the words of Robbt, "Kpom Kwem!"

[danfo driver]

Kudos to Herr Klopp for making this season this exciting...

Now Senor Guardiola knows he won't simply 'walk' the EPL like 2017/18 season...

Given that Klopp ate up a 25 pts deficit in one calendar year...
I wager 2019/20 would be even tougher...

easy to "eat" when you spend:

90 million on one defender,
80 million on one midfielder
65 million on a defensive midfielder
70 million on a goalkeeper


give me that money and i will "eat' too. the difference is, unlike KLOPP the loser, i would have won the league

Ask Pep Guardiola if "Klopp is a loser"...

Unlike other 18 managers in the EPL, Herr Klopp is the only one keeping Pep up at night currently...

Kudos to Klopp...

The only thing keeping Pep up at night is the alchohol he drank and the toto he sampled yesterday night to celebrate winning his back-to-back title! Best believe that!

[danfo driver]

Guys i know we had a great season... put in a massive effort playing scintillating football along the way but if we have to be honest we need to say we bottled it in the end. We had many chances to see City off but couldnt do it. We are the only team who has led the table in January and not won the title... and this has now happened 3 times. Its a failure however you want to look at it. The consolation is the Champions league final. We HAVE to win it. IF we dont then we probably wont win anything under Klopp.

When you don't win you failed. Period. However to say we bottled it is simply incorrect.

In the end City proved the stronger team over the full stretch and had the deeper squad to see it through, in a contest of very fine margins.

Oga, 'failure' must be taken in context...

City beat Liverpool by 25 pts in 2018/19 season...

Its incredible that Liverpool made up 22 pts in 1 year...

Liverpool lost 1 game (away to Man City) all season...

You may question the 7 draws; yet Man City lost 4 games...

Its not 'failure' by Liverpool if Man City went on an incredible 14 match unbeaten run...

John Barnes is right: Man City merely sustained their quality over two seasons; Liverpool actually made an 'incredible' improvement and narrowed the gulf between both teams...
That is not failure, abeg...

kai! LOOOOOL