Thread by @EBL2017

West Ham are a top team, and going 1-0 down early on against them with a goal that arguably shouldn't have stood makes the game 10x harder considering how the gamestate suits their style (they can be content with sitting back in a deep block & countering because they're winning).

https://twitter.com/NiHADlfc/status/1457733216865906689

So, for Liverpool to lose to a team who are that awkward to play against within that game state when some decisions didn't go their way is fine. This is the Premier League - there are many top, top teams - West Ham could easily make it to a CL quarter final & be competitive in it

Liverpool did well to sustain pressure and worked some nice angles to get crosses into the box vs West Ham's low block and were typically dangerous in all other phases of play too (counters, second ball situations, transitions, etc, etc). But again, it's a tough game for any team

As for the Liverpool's lack of compactness in midfield narrative, I don't buy it. Firstly, if Wijnaldum played fans would've bemoaned his lack of creativity. Secondly, Liverpool are still compact in midfield - Gini is missed, but the midfield is still compact and is not empty.

Profile-wise, Liverpool's two central midfielders are 2nd phase orientated - it's not like they spend all of their time between the lines. Sure they have license to rotate on the sides, but the other interior drops to keep the midfield/unit compact as opposed to attacking the box

So, Liverpool's central midfielders don't empty the midfield in possession, & they don't do it out of possession (collectively - at least 2 are always back). It's not ideal that Ox is the balancer in that LCM role, but that's unfortunate because Thiago/Naby/Jones/Milner are out.

Again, people will say Liverpool lack depth in midfield but it's another nonsensical narrative. LFC probably have too many midfielders on paper, but the problem is the two ideal profiles are injury prone. Again, however, behind those two are Milner and Jones - that's top depth.

There's also been a lot of talk about Liverpool's combinations on the sides tactically and the new roles of the outside midfielders in relation to interchanging positions to create angles to combine, cross, whatever. This isn't new - Klopp is merely becoming more rigid with it.

And what I mean by that is he's coaching it more. Henderson has always overlapped on the right wing to create space for Salah to cut inside or for Trent to operate in the half space. Ox was the same. Even Gini did it when he played in that RCM role.

However, it's simply being focused on by Klopp more so than ever before because he always had to focus on more crucial tactical aspects (compactness in midfield, settled pressing, vertical compactness, etc). Klopp's system is complete, he's just squeezing every inch out of it now

And this extra coaching has seen Trent have even more creative influence than ever before. He was always ball dominant but now most things run through him because Klopp has designed Henderson's role to act as a runner to create decoy's for Trent and Salah to operate in.

Henderson goes on the outside, Salah can cut inside or use him. Again, Henderson goes on the outside even in a 2nd phase situation, Trent can come inside & operate in the half space in (relatively) advanced areas which gives him even more opportunities to create. Brilliant stuff.

Anyway, fans are fans and when they see losses they attribute it to things because it's in people's nature to analyse events with a results-based mentality - if a team loses, there must be something wrong and something must be fixed. However, that's not reality. Liverpool are OK

West Ham are a good team and the gamestate suited them. They also scored from most of their chances (two of which being set pieces) and VAR decisions went their way. Liverpool have little in the way of major problems - they're a top team and they'll be challenging for the PL ✌️