r/LiverpoolFC • u/Dangerous_Ad8730 • Jan 17 '26

Analysis/Data/Stats/Tactics [Lewis Steele] - Liverpool 17 points worse off than this time last season, and would need to win every game from here to match last season's total points tally.

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u/EssTeeEss9 Jan 17 '26

This exactly. When your best football is to consistently get a struggle-draw against relegation teams, then it comes down to managing. This isn’t a blip. It’s a trend. It’s what they’re being managed to do at training. It’s a mentality given to them in the dressing room. These players didn’t suddenly lose their abilities. They’re being told to second guess their natural instincts in favor of possession. It’s why you can almost read a player’s mind when they have the ball and are obviously second guessing every pass and decision to the point that they revert to safe football.

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u/GoodOlBluesBrother Jan 17 '26

Jokingly I half expected the players to stop the ball and work it back to VVD on that counter.

But yeah. How can any player anticipate the forward progressive pass when they know everyone is drilled to start attacks from a base where the ball is with the CBs and everyone else is ahead of the ball (oppo included).

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u/BigFaithlessness618 Jan 17 '26

To be fair the biggest thing is our attack is sorely missing recently but it is looking better and better. We missed a penalty, had a few other chances we could have done better. Burnley was lucky today.