Mails: Fraudiola? It’s Jurgen who’s been found out

Mails: Fraudiola? It’s Jurgen who’s been found out

If you have anything to add of any subject, mail us at theeditor@football365.com

Well we didn’t like to say…
Does this mean F365 were right all along in suggesting Liverpool should have signed Shane Long…?

#foresight 👀
Rob, Kingswinford

Dear good teams in Africa…
Can one of you be so kind as to knock Senegal out of the African Cup of Nations.

Thank you.

Regards,
Alex (On behalf of all Liverpool fans)

…Not that I’m advocating this sort of thing, you understand, but could we not kidnap Mané and bundle him on the next airplane to Liverpool John Lennon? We have been fairly rotten without him! Perhaps we could draft him into the side for Wolves by doing that truly weird thing Arsenal fans do by anglicising every single foreign player in their ranks (Terry Henry and Bobby Pires, anyone!?) as we could certainly do with Sam Main terrorising Wolves.

The only thing that matches the levels of Scouse giddyness after a run of good results are Scouse levels of panic after a couple of bad results and after 1-in-7 can someone check on Brian, LFC? Anyway, I called it on the YourSay boards recently that the Liverpool way is for a good showing against United, Chelsea and then Spurs with limp performances and results against Swansea and then Hull. I still cannot work out if we are still a huge club who have an ingrained arrogance hence slipping up regularly against teams you might ordinarily expect to best or a small club with appropriate mentality who can still bloody the nose of the big boys in any given match up…
Gregory Whitehead, LFC

Has Jurgen Klopp been found out?
Seems like this Klopp geezer is more of a fraud than Guardiola.

Can we say he has been found out yet?

A year in charge and his defence are no better than when he took over.

Pep is getting hammered at the moment, but this grinning douche who looks like he is chewing his jaw off due to the MDMA gets far too much praise, because his players run a lot and do some passes.

Maybe now people will stop fawning all over him so much.

Probably the best result in fariness, as he would only have bottled it in the final.

I don’t dislike Klopp but the way he everyone jizzes in their pants every time he speaks like loyal lickspittles is embarassing. A bit like what everybody seems to not like about Pep.

Lets end on a positive. Respect to Claude Puel, he is quietly going about his business and seems to dip under the radar. He is doing a really good job at Southampton. Hopefully he wont have his best players sold in the summer.
DANNY B, MCFC

…Well Mr. Klopp…in the words of Count Adhemar from that timeless classic, A Knight’s Tale; you have been weighed, you have been measured, and you have been found wanting.

Claude Puel has laid out the blueprint for all to see, just how to beat Klopp’s Liverpool. Three matches, zero goals against, two for, and a berth in the League Cup final as reward. Fully deserved Mr. Puel.

As for Liverpool, who couldn’t get a goal past a CB pairing of Maya Yoshida and Jack Stephens, it is ominous news. No penetration, no inventiveness, no drive. Although the Reds did make it easy by bombing the loveliest crosses in for them to get their heads to.

Sadio Mane must be hoping Liverpool sneak past Wolverhampton in the FA Cup this weekend, at least then he will have something to play for when he gets back.
Nathan (January for the Reds feels like Arsenal in March), Cape Town

…As an Arsenal fan, I am firmly in the Wenger in ™ camp for one simple reason; I don’t think that anyone out there has the capabilities to keep us consistently near the top as Wenger has done over the years. Don’t get me wrong, supporting Arsenal from 2006-2013 definitely took 10 years off of my life but looking at it objectively, would any other coach have done better than Wenger given the circumstances. Prior to this season I would have been led to believe that both Pep and Klopp would be definite upgrades on Wenger and probably would have been happy for either of them to replace him but their respective struggles this season has shown that there are no garuntees in management. I don’t expect to get published as I know opening a Wenger in/out debate can be tedious but I needed somewhere to vent!
Eoghan (haha Liverpool) AFC

It’s time for Jurgen to take a risk
Sky Sports made the mistake of showing us as lining up in a diamond before the game. I was quite excited because I thought we would finally use a formation that would break down the opposition through the middle and get the best out of Sturridge.

Oh how foolish of me.

I think in the summer you’ll see Kevin Stewart leave the club. If he can’t get a game when Can and Wijnaldum have been in such poor form then it’s safe the say the manager just doesn’t rate you. Ojo is young but he must also be wondering what he needs to do to get a game when the forwards have looked so poor for so many games.

The issue is that when a manager feels the pressure they turn to what they think is safe and proven. In a way it’s better to turn into the pain and take a risk to find a solution. Arguably Moyes and LVG did it with Januzsaj and Rashford and it worked out whilst Brendan Rogers trusted the turd he bought all the way to his own doom.

It’s time for Klopp to explore a riskier solution; whether it’s a new formation, a new face in the team or something else. But what is entirely clear is that the 4-3-3 isn’t working. It could be Mane related or it could be poor central midfield form or it could be that teams have worked out how to cope. But in all three cases wouldn’t it be worth exploring solutions rather than quietly sauntering out of every competition we are in along with the top four?
Minty, LFC

Stop with the Firmino thing now…
Bitterly dissapointed with how Liverpool went out of the League Cup yesterday. Clearly Southampton were better over two legs and they deserve to be in the final.

While others might try to blame individual players, ownership, referee decisions, the buck surely stops with Klopp.

I will never understand Klopp’s decision to move Firmino out right in order to shoe horn an out-of-form Sturridge but that was the decision. All season Liverpool have been most fluid and dangerous with Firmino up top. It’s a decision Matt Stead has gone into great detail with so I’ll move on.

News of Coutinho’s new contract was littered with details about contracts for other XI members such as Lallana and Emre Can. While Lallana is expected to put pen to paper Can is “some ways off”. On current evidence Can doesn’t deserve it.

Time after time Can insistence on taking multiple touches slowed down Liverpool’s attack allowing defenders to organize. Klopps decision to start the German over Wijnaldum may have undone Liverpool. With questions about what Wijnaldum offers floating around for months, it’s undeniable that Liverpool is more fluid with the quick-footed Dutchman than without.

If Liverpool hope to win anything any time soon Jurgen has to learn how to manage the winter period. A signing this window would not have patched up the holes in this side.

The loss in the semi-final will definitely be a blow but the games are coming thick and fast and there is no time to dwell on results. A top-four finish is paramount for Liverpool’s progress and a win over Chelsea will surely lift the dread currently hanging over Anfield.

Fans would do well that remember that this is the beginning of Klopp’s tenure and shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water because of a few results. Mane’s return will lift the club and it’s up to players to fight till the end of the season.
Brian (Moving Firmino out wide to accommodate Sturridge…smh)LFC

Anybody will believe in Daniel Sturridge?
Does anyone out there still believe that Daniel Sturridge is ‘world class’? No? Good. I’ve said for many moons that he’s a decent top-flight striker, an heir apparent to the likes of Jermain Defoe, Darren Bent and Chris Sutton, but nothing more. However, for a time it became difficult to argue my point, because after joining Liverpool his strike rate could easily be used as a stick to bat it away with. Those stats can now be reassessed; with Suarez and after Suarez.

With: 49 Games 35 Goals (43 and 31 in the league)
Without: 56 Games 23 Goals (37 and 13 in the league)

When not playing alongside someone that is genuinely ‘world class’, his strike rate has dropped off markedly. Part of this will be due to the amount of assists laid on by Suarez (and some ridiculously good ones too) and partly due to him occupying two, three or four defenders, thus creating space for his strike partner. Now that he’s in Barcelona, the real Sturridge has been revealed, and it’s the same one that City allowed to leave, Chelsea allowed to leave and Jurgen Klopp seems happy to let leave. That’s a lot of good managers happy enough to get shot. Are there any ‘believers’ still out there?
Lewis, Busby Way

…I know F365 has been cheerleading ‘Sturridge for England’ for a while now, but come on…Kane is a far superior player.

Injuries have clearly stopped Sturridge from reaching his potential. He’ll be be West Ham’s next flop striker for sure.
Roo ‘Real Talk’ Cumner-Price

Oh when the Saints
Wow, oh wow! Every player fought for that place in the final and it showed! I am still on cloud nine…yes this may just be the EFL Cup, but our last trip to Wembley was for the paint trophy…this is unbelievable.
Simon C, Saints (cheering on Hull tonight)

Wemberley, Wemberley…
How did Fraser Forster get back to reach that? A clue is in this hilarious clip of Forster and Davis being interviewed together after the game (from about 40 seconds in).

Steven Davis. Cow’s arse. Banjo. When not wearing a green shirt.

But then again Shane Long finally scored (I can hardly credit him for that fag end of a goal against Norwich last week)

Let’s just say I’ve seen them given when the ball hit Shane Long’s upper arm.

If Saints players were auditioning to be the next to join Liverpool, then who will it be? Based on last night/this month the scousers need more speed and directness when Mane isn’t available, so how about Redmond or Sims (what a composed pass for the goal after a 65 yard dash)? A tough, hard-as-nails holding midfielder. I give you Romeu. Or what about a composed and calm central defender: Jack Stephens or the new, and quite unbelievably/implausibly, improved Maya Yoshida. VVD who? Incredible how we didn’t miss him at all.

Oh, and Fonte left Saints to play in big games/win trophies…

Talking of Liverpool, they have failed to score in only six games this season. Three of them against Southampton…

Talking of clean sheets, a question for Degsy. What were the odds on Southampton reaching the final without conceding a goal? And all against Prem opposition (if you count Sunderland and Palace).

As Leicester proved last season, do you really need possession to control a game? 32% in the first leg, 27% last night.

This is fun.

.@ShaneLong7's winning goal at Anfield is better with Titanic music. pic.twitter.com/wPHbADzgzo

— S. (@Ahoybjerg) January 25, 2017

Yes I quite enjoyed last night.
Rob, London
PS. I expect Arsenal to stuff whatever reserve/academy team Puel puts out on Saturday.
Credit for Yoshida
F365 included Maya Yoshida in the winners section last weekend because he can apparently count himself lucky to start for a middling Premier League club.

Yoshida has suffered a bad rap since his debut in a 6-1 Arsenal thrashing that it took him a while to recover from. He has since served as understudy to increasingly strong centre-back partnerships (Fonte and successively Lovren, Alderweireld and Van Dijk). Due to limited game time I can understand that F365 missed his transformation into a solid and occasionally classy central defender. Southampton fans however will not have been surprised by last night’s performance.

Okay, he is probably never going to grow out of his tendency for a suicidal backpass but the man deserves a little credit.
Tobi, Dubai

All hail Oriol Romeu…
What a cracking game that was last night. Both teams went at it hammer and tongs, and the speed at which the game was played was incredible. Both teams had plenty of chances to win it and only some poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping kept it at 0-0 on the night. But the main reason I wanted to comment was the performance of Oriol Romeu; that was one of the best midfield performances I have seen for a very long time. He was absolutely everywhere, showed superb control and composure, made plenty of tackles and interceptions, and some of his forward passing was excellent. I watched the game with the sound off, so I don’t know how he was being discussed in commentary, but I’m glad to see he got man of the match. It’s been questioned in the mailbox what United’s post-Carrick plan is; if he keeps up that level of performance then I think we could do a damn sight worse than to look at Romeu. Also, how long before Liverpool try and buy Ryan Bertrand? He’s exactly what they’re after: a left-back, English, relatively young and in his prime, and – most importantly – plays for Southampton. It’s bound to happen.
Ted, Manchester

Let’s talk about Kante
Well I haven’t written in much recently mostly because the travails of the 15th-placed team in the Premier League does not make for a fascinating read, nor do I particularly feel like writing about it as it makes me a touch sad.

But I can talk about Kante all day long, and will attempt to do so here for as long as F365 will let me.

If you look at the league table now, and the final league table of the 2014/15 season (Leicester were 14th) then in a nutshell you can see the difference N’Golo made – 13ish places!

I am not, for one second, claiming this is the only reason for our title success, Don Claudio’s genius, his back-up team and a whole host of other factors all combined for one spellbindingly magical season that will be imprinted in my memories even after the dementia takes hold in 50ish years.

However, it is fairly obvious that the biggest factor for our revert to the norm is Kante. Okazaki stated as much in an article for Jonathan Northcroft in the Sunday Times at the weekend and who are we to doubt his assertions.

I remember watching him in the early days of last season and being rapt with wonder that this little pocket dynamo was in the blue shirt of my team. I am not at all embarrassed that that fact brought a tear to my eye. Yes Vardy and Mahrez provided the dazzle at the other end of the field and that too was a thing of joy. But it was always Kante for me, especially as I spent much of the game wondering just how the hell he intercepted that ball, how the jiggins did he out-muscle a hulking great opponent and how on God’s green earth did he win that header against that 6ft 2in forward? There are many players out there who can dribble past a few bamboozled defenders or strike a volley from 35 yards into the net (although not normally for Leicester I may add) but players who can break up play with such regularity and then begin a devastating counter-attack do not grow on trees, no sirree. Kante freed all the other players to play in a system that was so perfect for them the result was the biggest sporting upset of all time (I’m entering bombast territory here but who can blame me eh?).

And now he is doing the same thing at Chelsea to the same effect. Chelsea finished 10th last season and now they are first. Only nine places this time but the same end result. Not only that, but Conte has used him in a different role pushing further forward in a completely different system and he has adapted his game accordingly to suit the team.

One final point, there is a poll to the right of this page for the ‘best player in the Premier League right now’. I didn’t vote for Kante on this, as I don’t necessarily think he is, but he is certainly the most important, by a long way. Despite his defection to our title rivals (haha!) and subsequent drop in standards this has caused my team, I still think he is the most wonderful player and, potentially, the greatest central midfielder in Premier League history if his success continues at the same rate for the next few season.
Rob (I recommend Johan Cruyff’s autobiography – a fascinating read), Leicester

Should Spurs really want Isco?
The ‘Isco to Tottenham’ transfer saga has popped up every few weeks for about a year now. These reports mostly pop up when his playing time with Los Blancos has been restricted and I admit as a Tottenham fan I was very excited to see this. I thought about how his dribbling, finishing ability and fluid movement could benefit us as he could play as one of the three behind Kane in a 4-2-3-1 or as a part of the front three in 3-4-3.

Then as I thought more about a potential move I started to think it would be a bad move for the club. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of Isco but the Tottenham team now are much more than an assembly of good players, they are first and foremost a good team. Tottenham have a very strict wage structure and it is full of team players. I can’t help but think that Isco, arriving from Real Madrid which probably has the most dysfunctional team spirit on the planet, would poison the morale of the Tottenham players.
Isco is a superstar, Tottenham currently have no such star (yes, they have world-class players in Alderweireld, Kane, Eriksen, Alli etc. but none of them display the egotistical demeanor of superstars, see Zlatan, Ronaldo). I think Tottenham’s team spirit and solidity is their greatest strength at the moment and to throw that away for any one player is ludicrous. I would prefer we’d buy a young player like Lemar or Ousmane Dembele’esque players which can be moulded in to team players. The current success Tottenham are having needs to be self-sustainable and the best way to do that is to keep buying young hungry players and promote promising youngsters to the first team and mould them in to the Kane’esque figures who can lead the team to glory in the future.

I am curious to see what other Spurs fans think about this, please reply to this mail if you have a different opinion.
Sibbi the Icelandic Spur

Football autobiographies ahoy
​Someone asked for some football book recommendations. These autobiographies I have found interesting:

Stillness and Speed – Dennis Bergkamp
Taking le Tiss – Matt le Tissier
I Think Therefore I Play – Andrea Pirlo

Also, for a different perspective on refereeing, Graham Poll’s Seeing Red is a good read.
Nathan, Cape Town

…Just a quick one to Vinod in Chicago who discusses player autobiographies not being as good as other sports stars like Michael Jordon or Andre Aggasi, I’d agree for the most part. The exception in my eyes is the truly heart breaking autobiography from Paul McGrath. Back From The Brink is a harrowing and very often heartbreaking yet honest insight into a player who battled some horrendous demons. I’d  highly recommend it. Just be aware of the emotional investment you will put into it.

Regards,
Miguel Sanchez, LFC, Eire (No release clause in Coutinho’s contract- Liverpool are learning)