Are Liverpool running on empty?

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The Athletic FC.

Alright Red Sonny Evans, he will walk on you and Liverpool podcasts from the Athletic.

I'm here with Simon Hughes and Andy Jones from Bliss to Bruce. Liverpool were brought crashing

back down to where the Brighton. Today we'll analyse that performance, the costly errors and whether

this Champions League hangover is becoming a real issue. But first let's have three words. Andy,

you were down the Brighton weren't you? Yes, it's my annual trip to Brighton. I always seem to get

Brighton away, lovely travel, less so about the game. It's funny, Andy, it's funny how James

disappears for the longest journey of the season, isn't it? It always seems to you away for that one.

And I don't blame him to be fair, especially when you go and watch the team you cover and play like

he did. So I'll go with back to reality. Yeah, and what a lovely reality it is, say, yes,

end the season. Sorry, I know, I know I shouldn't be saying that, we should be saying, you know,

engage listeners, read our stuff. I just can't see Liverpool getting past PSG and at best they'll

stumble into the Champions League places, which I suppose is something to be relatively triumphant

about if they do it because of how poor they be. Yeah, well, that's what we think here's what

you're seeing. Rachel Feesney, believe us to doubt us. Jerry Cutlery, End of Era, Ray Nash,

Rippers Up, Tony McChain, Normal Service Resumes. To join our community of listeners on Facebook,

to search, walk on podcast and join the group. Yeah, well, I mean, the only positive thing about

the weekend, say, was like the weather report from Tenerife, where James is glorious, wasn't it? So

for listeners who might be a bit further afield, the weather in the UK over the weekend's been pretty

nice, isn't it? Especially on Saturday. Meanwhile, there were reports of snowstorms in Tenerife,

where James was, which was a smile to my face, I have to say. And then he confirmed that being

heavy rainfall on the Friday as well. So, you know, it's funny how things work out, isn't it, for

skivers? Yeah, and again, we know, we've already discussed something that it disappears every time

for Brighton, you know, it's him. And when you see a pattern like that, imagine, you realise that

he's not a man who likes real wear. Yeah, it's a partly as the first picture he looks for,

when he comes out of the start of the season, not man United, it's when's Brighton away,

and when's he'll book me all of the... Yeah, and then the 12 tears, he said, well, that was,

that was... Oh, yeah, that was him right away, wasn't it? You know, I mean, what's happened to you,

set off to get there? Oh, well, I made the smart decisions to go down Friday, because I thought,

once rain, mishap means I'm snookered, so I went down Friday, and enjoyed a bit of the evening

in Brighton. Where did you go? Where did you go in Brighton, Andy? Well, I just made my

meeting for a walk around, to be honest, just because I got there at about six in the end,

so then I just sort of went for a wander around, really, just took it in the sights,

and then retired to my hotel room for the early morning start. It's a great Monday, yeah.

Well, you know, I thought I'd keep a cool, didn't want to go too crazy, you know, because I thought

Liverpool would be of the same one day in peace. Well, I mean, you've just brought us back to the

football there, Andy. I mean, I was hoping that we could talk about Tenerife and Brighton,

another seaside resort for, you know, the whole 40-50 minutes, and I even mentioned the game,

because that was ugly, wasn't it? It was, unfortunately, not, not particularly surprising.

I think, obviously, we were all buoyed by the performance against Khaled Sasalai, and the hope

was that Liverpool might be able to replicate it, but I think, in the back of everyone's man,

there was a feeling that that probably wouldn't be the case. You know, the way things that did

were he was Liverpool with the quick tail around, and obviously the lack of options, and obviously

there was excellent injuries on top, and then even right at the start of the game. But it was

another sort of same old story type performance in Liverpool, and that, you know, how many times

of the opposition scored from the first shot that they've had, and the way it comes about with the,

you know, the two mistakes in possession to sort of give Brighton territory, because I thought

Liverpool had generally started the game okay, and obviously hadn't played much, because I could

have been on the floor for a fair bit of the opening sort of 10-15 minutes. But I thought it

looked relatively bright and started pretty well, and then typically, you know, as soon as the

opposition attacked the score, and then from that point, they had moments in the game, but I think

Slot was pretty honest afterwards, and, you know, admitted that Brighton deserved to win the game,

and particularly based on the second half performance, and Liverpool, you know, it was all a hit

again of, you know, not really creating much, and then, you know, as the game went on, you know,

post-70, there was one side, you looked physically a lot stronger than the other, and Liverpool were not

the ones who looked physically stronger. Yeah, I mean, say, I mean, tens of feet,

10 Premier League defeats, you know, I just, same as someone, it was a hard-earnable game

to watch, really, the only periods of the game where Liverpool played well, I think, was after

they went behind, they did well to get back into the game, and I thought they deserved to get back

into the game, but as soon as they did, it was almost like the east off again, and Brighton,

sorry to say, Brighton, bullied Liverpool a bit, which they are very bullyable,

yeah, oh, they are, I mean, I go back to the first couple of minutes, actually, of the game,

which were crucial. James Mellon, I thought, should have been booked in the first minute for

Leeds and with his elbow, he didn't, which then I think probably contributed to him

going in, and the tackle, which was an affair attempt on Eckertike, but if he's just been booked,

I don't think he tries to make that tackle, so there is a referee, an error in the first couple

of minutes, but nevertheless, Liverpool got to respond to that, you know, Mellon was putting

himself a ball, Pascal Grouch was putting himself a ball, you know, the wingers were being

aggressive, and Liverpool just couldn't, didn't seem to be able to deal with throughout the game,

which is really disappointing on all sort of levels really, but as soon as Brighton

were packed back to one all, I just thought it only looked like there was going to be one

way throughout the rest of the match, really, it was almost like Liverpool, they put a fair amount

of effort getting back into the game, and maybe through, so you thought, right, we can just start

playing now, and to be fair to Brighton, they were like, no, we've got a bit more about us,

and within a couple of minutes, they were on top again, it was a very seashore,

like performance, again, just to sort the roads, trust again, you just don't know what

version of Liverpool you're going to get, and this version, it's just very awkward to watch,

you know, so many of the players, there's a lot of focus on the run and status in the ball,

players just look exhausted and tired all the time, you know, heavy legs, I know they put a lot

into that gap, that's not a game, but some of them are struggling to move again, you know,

in the midfield particularly, and then the substitutions went great again, you know,

bit all over the place, I mean, the thing is, people will say about, you know, the structure of the

team and the tactics, but if the players aren't capable of running or we'll get into the pitch

of the ball, it's going to look sloppy, isn't it, no matter what you do, and whatever it is,

whether they're exhausted, whether they're not fit enough, I'm not sure, it's difficult to gauge

it, I'm all on board, they're just not capable of putting two performances together, really.

The one thing that struck me watching Milner, Andy, is like, I wonder where you make it

of the standard Liverpool, I could imagine that, I thought I wish he was still in the dressing room.

Yeah, because I feel like he might have had a few of them in a headlock, and it is like 47 or something

in there. Well, that's the thing, I mean, Simon, she's the two midfielders there, if it brightened,

you know, Milner's 40 and Grocer's, there's you four, and Liverpool have, you know,

got athletes in the prime of the career, and yes, okay, brightened out of each rest and things

like that, and it does play into it, but ultimately, like, you know, that's, it's pretty

damning of Liverpool's midfield, that they would be in overpowered, and sort of like two players

that sort of come to the end of the career, although Milner could play for another 10 years,

to be quite honest, you never know with them. Liverpool have got leaders in a sense in their team,

but it feels like they're lacking that sort of Henderson Milner type character who will,

when I was watching the game sat there and sort of numb to it, because it was, you know, a game

that was watching again, you know, play out basically a game we've seen so many times this season,

that didn't really seem to be anyone, you know, sort of, having a go at each other, you know,

you know, always want to see that, but sort of like if someone makes a mistake or, you know,

someone's not quite got to it, you know, doesn't, you know, not put the full sprinting or something

like that. So I want to just sort of put a rocket up of the backside, basically.

It brings up the question, what type of advantage? I mean, you know, it represses leadership so

often over the years, but you can't, it looks a bit as if he's given up. I mean, he started the

game in a ropey way as well, I thought, you know, he looks a bit laggy, I thought he's,

he's played a lot of games this season, as he's been the one constant in that defense of

you know, what's being constant rotation of players, basically. So I mean, I used to say,

you know, you could put a traffic cone beside the edge of hands, I can need luck good. But I

suppose from his perspective, you know, he's, his Liverpool career has been spent with largely,

certainly the same two fallbacks and the same goalkeeper behind him. Yeah, obviously Andy Robertson

hasn't played as much this season. Maybe we sort of exaggerated his capabilities at times and

but he is, he's obviously been a top class player for Liverpool over a long period of time. But

at the moment here, he's struggling as well, that they're all struggling, there isn't one player

really who you, apart from Zobbislite who's getting anywhere near the levels that the capable of.

So as individuals and as a team, you know, it's, it's just all over the place really. Liverpool

were lucky to just lose to one really. The goalkeeper, my madash really, doesn't seem to be able to

use the ball with his feet at all, which makes him quite a strange Shannon in some ways, but he

actually did make some good saves to keep Liverpool in in the game. You know, I think he made one

outstanding save from, he took the shot, but he was at full stretch to save it. A few others close

arrange. I mean, it could have been a lot more embarrassing for Liverpool and this always comes

up, doesn't it? When the team's not doing well, they're questioning the leadership and I think

recently online, there was a video circulating of James Milner and, and Baylor Van Dyke having

an argument on the pitch at one point in it a season a few years ago and people like to see that

only because they, it gives them the impression that the people are hazing and that they want to

do something about it. But I mean, we don't see what goes on in the dressing room, I guess. As I

mentioned, there should be some constructive discussions going on because as much as it is

about the manager, if I was a player, haven't lost 10 games for Liverpool this season as champions,

you can blame the manager, you can blame the tactics, you can blame everything, but you've got to

look at yourself as well and I'd be ashamed of that. Just before we wrap up the game, you know,

equity payoff engines, slots as you could play on Sunday, if you, you know, if you wanted to

a dead leg, so you should be alright after the international break. Well, again, yeah, sure,

it's a striker's anti. Yeah, and it was, it was a big blow because, you know, ultimately, slots,

you know, it looked in those open minutes like he'd set up in the same way that he had against

Galatasaray. I've seen a little bit of different person now with the most salivating unavailable,

kind of gap how coming in, but it looked like the blueprints sound replicate, you know, which,

you can't, you can't knock that really because of how well it had done in midweek and slot

expected, another intense game, a bit more open, but yeah, as soon as that, as soon as that happened,

you know, suddenly, and I know there was a lot of frustration, sort of with the frustration of

bringing Jones on and not in good mower. I think you can debate that one because I think in

good mower, it would have been a lot to ask because that would have been 18 minutes and, you know,

we don't quite know minutes wise management, you know, if you would have been able to do 18 minutes

and I also thought, if the game is in the balance of the players you've got on the bench,

who would you want to be bringing it on, which 20s ago to sign impact, probably in Galmower,

and to be fair to him when he did come on, there was, he had a couple of good moments, but he was,

he there was a very little sort of support around them, but as soon as Ekater here goes off, then,

you know, Gakpo is, we, you know, we've well documented struggles this season and didn't really

look at threat at all, he has one shot doesn't he second off, which, which forces us to save, and

there's one moment just after I think Brighton have taken a lead where Viet put a nice ball through,

and you know, Gakpo just doesn't take the chance really at all, you know, just about get to shot

off, but I think it gets blocked, doesn't it? So yeah, it was a big blow because ultimately,

it's suddenly everything that was in the game plan changed because, you know, Viet pulled Viet into

into the front, into the front line, and I thought to be fair Viet to start it quite brightly,

you know, sluts head afterwards, when you haven't got Ekater K, E, Zach and Sale, you know, who

would be Liverpool's three top goals scored as if fits and played all season, it is difficult.

It's that time of year again for Texas. We all know the stress of the old way of filing.

You send your documents off and then absolute radio silence. You're stuck refreshing your inbox

and sending awkward, just checking in texts, wondering if they've even started. But with TurboTax

expert full service, I know my TurboTax expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me every

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The best part? You can get experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day.

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You're listening to walk on.

What went wrong started off with the lead up to this game as so many times happened this season.

When we played a very good game and before we could bring that level to the next game or even better,

we had most shall I injure it, we had halos and injures, and after two minutes you go,

it gets you out so that that has happened so many times towards this season.

Well, that was lost after the game, but you know, the Champions League angle was a real issue.

The player had 62 hours 10 rounds, not much, and it does have an impact on performance.

But what that really says to me is that the squad is really thin.

Well, he has sorts of acknowledge that in a round out way, and it's quite interesting to hear

Slot talk about it in the way that he talks about it, because he tends to say things as a matter of

fact, doesn't he? So he got into hot water with a few people, and well, I suppose including

myself earlier this season, when he tried to explain away the challenge of these low blocks,

and I came across like he was complaining about it almost, you've got to do something about it,

mate, sorry. That was the response to it at the time, where he's obviously now suddenly

he said about the squad and having to sort of more or less pick the same players because of the

model that Liverpool have. So the timing of that is interesting, because they've had to play two

games with a shortage window in between, but hey, that's Liverpool, that happens a lot.

You can clock, complain a lot more aggressively about this issue over a long period of time.

You know, if you're playing a game late on Wednesday, should you be the first kickoff at 12-30?

I mean, I personally think if you want to be a successful team, you have to find a way to deal with

that. I don't think that is a particularly, you know, unreasonable length of time between games,

even being asked. But there's more pressure on you if you're not doing particularly one of the league,

if you don't have the depth of options to change things around. I'm not only that, if the players

that are the alternatives are particularly confident at the moment, and you want to get a bit of

momentum into Liverpool's season by selecting the same players, it can become more of a problem for

you. But it was the first time, really, that sloshers acknowledge that Liverpool are operating on

a smaller squad. Last season, they had injuries, but not injuries right across the pitch in the same

positions all at the same time as they have done on an impaired this season. So it's difficult

at the moment to decide whether, you know, there's a combination of things to play. Sometimes Liverpool

Liverpool's players look too tired. That leads to a suggestion that they're not fit enough,

any training hard enough. Or is it just that the same players are having to play over and over

again because the depth of the squad isn't there as well? There's all thing, you know, all these

things could be true at once, of course, it might not just be one thing. But it seems to me, I mean,

it did seem strange to me that you've got to look back to the previous game against Spares.

McAllister was absolutely dead on his feet against Spares and carried on and only came off after

Spares equalized. He then plays, I think, did you play the whole game against Gallup Sasseray?

Put a lot into that game, but you know, he was surrounded by players close on the pitch to

who could help him. But then again, you know, just tails off against Brighton as, you know,

he's not alone, by the way, they were all the players. You know, Liverpool made a lot of noise

last summer by signing all the players that they did for the moment. They also sold a lot of squad

players, albeit squad players who didn't actually play that many minutes of football.

The success of Liverpool last season was based around the consistency of the team selection,

the slosh, sluck caps. He hasn't been able to do that this season. So at the moment, they just look

unfit, unenthusiastic at times, slow, out of eyes is, and it's a lethal combination really.

Look at Brighton's bench, just seeing it and they bring on Matoma who then ran Liverpool

ragged for the final 20 minutes of the game. I know Rio Encombo came on and you know,

did bits and pieces, but that's a 17 year old. You know, is Liverpool sort of better options

off the bench? And that's part of the problem. You look at Liverpool's bench and it's

ultimately the season, it's been bar one or two players. It's been made up of youngsters who,

you know, slot doesn't want to use too much, understandably. And then players, you know,

like a kiezer who he just doesn't really want to use, bar, you know, later on in games. And

you look at some of the other benches around the Premier League, even of sort of mid-table teams,

and they've got more options and better, you know, more options that they can use and then

bring them on and have a stronger, stronger finish the games in Liverpool, just don't have.

That's what I feel like that is on the mental side of, you know, Liverpool players are probably

looking over at the Brighton bench and seeing Matoma coming on. It's not like the great season,

but he can't be a real threat. And he's like, oh, not this feeling now. After it means

he's run them ragged for the first 65, 70 minutes of the game, where is the opposition?

Probably look at Liverpool's bench and don't have that same fear of sitting players coming on.

Well, and he does any team actually want to finish fifth.

Liverpool got one point to show from the last three league games.

You know, they're still in fifth and Chelsea lost again. You know, Newcastle got bees

because they've been up on, you know, the red shoals there. Given the porosity of the other teams

around, can't we still feel confident about finishing at least fifth?

Some might, I don't, because, you know, when you look at Liverpool's remaining fixtures,

you know, it's just, there's a lot of tough games in there and a lot, you know, maybe Liverpool might

rise to them because they are against sort of, you know, bigger opposition, if you like. And that

has been, you know, when Liverpool have been able to perform this season, it has generally tended to

be against better sides, although not necessarily in the league. But I mean, the destiny is in their

own hands because ultimately they've got to play pretty much everyone who's in a rounder,

including the chase and pach. And who would have thought that after a week of, you know, a weekend

of results, the way they've gone, that it almost feels like heaven. I've got the, of any team,

I've got the momentum to finish fifth, which is a ridiculous statement to be saying. But, you know,

the way that they sort of, that victory over Chelsea was, you know, felt like could be at the

final moments in terms of them moving to that new stadium. And Liverpool still got to go there.

We don't quite know what that's going to look like. Which it feels quite daunting at the minute,

doesn't it? It's going to be a long answer. That's still pretty good. It is, but at least Liverpool aren't

losing, which when they come back, there's a decent, I mean, they've got to go to City away. PSG,

you know, that's nothing to worry. But you're right, the, the might, they might find a way to

just about manage to finish an affid spot. But what they haven't done and what, what the balls game,

the Tottenham, I felt before, you know, heading into the international break, then we will have

a real chance with the fixes that they had to build a bit of a gap towards. And whether, you know,

if Chelsea had performed, just to make sure that it was them and Chelsea and nobody else was involved.

And maybe you were the drag developer down into it because you picked up the points, just sort of

catch them up because of the form they've been in. But when you take one point from Wolves away,

in a game where the opposition didn't have a shot until the 78 minute and you lost 2-1.

And then to draw against Tottenham. And I don't know if you've watched Tottenham yesterday.

But how Liverpool didn't beat them, sort of sums up how well Liverpool are because...

Oh, that's, that's, that's maybe, angriest role.

Yeah, exactly. So to take one point from that, like, Brighton away is a difficult fixture. Like,

it can be tricky. So you can, you can drop points there. You, you know, if Liverpool got a point

to taking seven from the last three, even if they hadn't played particularly well at Brighton,

you would have such a different outlook on it. But because they've taken one from that one point

from nine against two of the teams who are probably, about a look of it, probably going to get relegated.

Wolves nailed on Tottenham, you know, a real, real big trouble now. And now you've got to go and play

the teams that are third, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth for the rest of the season. And like,

even the home games, like the mid-table bankers, if you would like to think of Fallam and Palace,

they had two of the teams who've come to Amfield and caused everyone real problems in recent seasons.

And there's no, there's no reason why they won't come and do that again. So they're not, you know,

there's very little guarantee to Liverpool here. And, and that sort of the problem, the only,

you know, any hope really is that the other teams around them are, are just as capable of dropping

points. Some teams are going to, you feel like some teams are going to go on a run where they put

three or four, maybe not wins, but results together. So maybe it takes 10 points from four games.

That probably might be enough. But I'll Liverpool capable of doing that with the fixtures.

I don't know. Well, I think they should be. They should be people.

It's that time of year again for Texas. We all know the stress of the old way of filing.

You send your documents off and then absolute radio silence. You're stuck refreshing your inbox

and sending awkward, just checking in texts, wondering if they've even started. But with TurboTax

expert full service, I know my TurboTax expert takes taxes fully off my plate and updates me

every step of the way. So I don't have to worry. That way, I can get back to the things that

matter to me by going on vacation in the spring or enjoying the NFL off season. So stop chasing

updates. It's time to switch to the modern tax filing solution with into TurboTax.

The best part? You can get experts progress right on your phone while you go about your day.

So go for a run or grab a coffee. You'll know your dedicated expert is handling it, looking for

every last deduction to get you the best possible outcome and every dollar you deserve.

File with confidence. Visit TurboTax.com only available with TurboTax full service experts.

Real-time updates only in iOS Mobile App.

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We're always more than willing to hear your thoughts and answer your questions on the pod.

And that's what Paul's done. He says, hi, Tony and team, regular listener over here in Dubai.

He would stay safe there, Paul. Paul continues, do you think that given the change in

approach from Liverpool recently towards set pieces in the tactical shift towards this in general,

will this effect our transfer strategy on forward? Could this mean that plays such as

there to become less influential as we move towards a powerful physical game?

Is your view that this is here to stay on another short-term playing style based on our success?

Up the reds, thanks, Paul. Well, say, do you think that the team, well, we know the squad needs

to be bigger, but do you think, no in terms of manpower, but physically as well?

I think Liverpool spends much of the season responding to the changes around them,

whether that's trying to get up to speed on set pieces, you know, to keep on getting

that wheels out now, you know, these scored X number of goals from set pieces in January,

which yet I accept that. I certainly don't think the manager should be implementing something

that he doesn't believe in, because it'll show very quickly, you know, it's very clear to me that

Arthetta is doing something that is truthful to him. You know, I think we probably get fooled

into thinking with Arthetta, who's been the leader of this sort of change of more direct football,

you know, more set piece space goals, because he, because he played for Arsenal and Davenger,

because he was a coach at Manchester City under Guadiola, that he is sort of indoctrinated into

this way of playing. Well, actually, Arthetta spent much of his playing career, you know,

playing for Everton, where there was another way of playing, which was the David Moe's way of

playing, going back 10, 15 years ago, and lots of experience of the Premier League, you know,

and as a technical player who understood how to get through matches, the physical elements of

matches, he was acutely aware of what the Premier League challenge was. So I'm not that surprised

that he's delivered this show to team. I mean, we always think to hope Marineo, he coached a

Barcelona under Bobby Robson, and then delivered some of the sort of more dour football that we've

seen at certain times. He'd been more exciting teams to watch on the Marineo than we care to

remember sometimes, but the point that I'm making is a manager can only follow what he believes to

be writing. It's very clear to me that I don't think slot, slot wants to see football plays in a

certain way, and it's not that way. Now, he has to react to, I don't think he should follow and

just do what everybody else is doing, but he has to be prepared for what they're going to try and

do to him. I think that's the best way of putting it. And too often this season, it's felt like

Liverpool haven't been prepared for that. Unforged errors, if Liverpool wants to be

going on the ball and be teams by playing football, they have to be better on the ball. They haven't

been going on the ball. That's it. And points they've given the ball way far too easily, whether it's

at the back or further up the pitch, too much of a hopper site at what times, players that have

done well for Liverpool over a number of years, you know, Salas, you should have ball this season

being poor. So I don't think any manager should betray what how he believes the game should be

pays and what he wants the game to be played like, because it will show very quickly, you know,

he'll look like an imposter very quickly. But nevertheless, I do think that they have to wise up to

what the opponents are trying to do to them. For all, if you say we want to play a set and why,

you've all, it's a truism and football, you still got to end the right to do that. You still got

first in the first, you know, in the first few minutes, you know, it's like going back to the

Brighton game, the first few minutes, Brighton lay a marker down by putting on a few rough tackles

that they got away with. And it's just in the same like Liverpool, we're ready to deal with that

throughout the whole game. And I think even if you want to play football and a set and why you've

got to be aggressive, whether it's with or without the ball and Liverpool just be neither.

And I think this is overstate of personally, because you locked away the turn around the set

pieces, Andy, those struggles at the beginning. And there are different ways of bullying people in

football. You can bully them by kicking them up in the air. You can bully them with passing,

you can bully them with Christmas in possession. And, you know, if the league is indeed getting

more physical, then it leaves a gap for teams with great technique to pick apart the teams that

are less mobile, let's say. Yeah, great. And I think you can bully teams through intensity.

And I think intensity is being a real, really lachen from Liverpool and the season. But I think,

like, Saturday or Marne, I think a pessimist is this type of, you don't necessarily need to be

the biggest store. Yeah. You know, but he he played with an aggression where he would make sure

he won every other, he would press the life out of anyone he was near.

Marne, Salah and Firmino, none of them were huge specimens. Yeah. But, you know, they're

press scared people. Exactly. So you don't have to necessarily be the most physical team. But if you

can, you know, if you can bring that in sensitivity and Liverpool can't this season, they've got

players, certain players, you can't do it. And sort of the collective fitness issue, I think,

which we've obviously spoken about is not allowed them to do that in the lack of rotation things

like that. But I think it doesn't, I mean, I hope football does get out of this,

because I can't be bothered watching two, three more years of this type of Premier League football.

But I think you can support you. You are always looking for physical, but you know, Premier League's

always been physical league, but you you don't have to necessarily look for the every player who's

six foot four, for example, you can find it in different ways. And I think Manning sort of

epitonises that and that his intensity in the way he played made him feel like he was six foot four

to go back to the question about sort of Viet's influence and things like that and how it might

impact. Ideally, you want to surround him with the type of players that let him flourish.

That will be the idea. And you know, he has bulked up himself, Viet, and I think you do see a

physical difference from, you know, not all the time. I think he has lost rhythm since that

that little injury that he had. And I think he's trying to find that again, because I was always

in really good rhythm before that. But it's about having to blend this in it ultimately,

because you don't want to just a load of trees in your scene. You need the, especially if you

want to be a top team and be challenging for the league and the Champions League, you need to

have that blend. But physicality is important. It's an important part that deliverable have

to recruit. But it doesn't necessarily just have to be big sense that I have. So big midfielders,

you can only tackle. It's about the blend of the physical and the technical.

Yeah. Well, I mean, you know, to the Viet, I'm getting a lot of stick on the Spotify comments

for, for, who said about Viet, you know, you know, he was all right against Galatasaray.

You know, he was against Brighton. He doesn't strike me as a sort of personality who

is going to go into a team and, you know, and make it his, and make it his. And in fact,

to me, even the reason he rich says, I can't believe I agree with Tony. All right, Rich.

But Viet was just a bit above average against Galatasaray. And as we hear,

a bit of average, you know, neat and tidy. You know, I prefer a bit messier, to be honest.

But yeah, Tony, we expect more of all the plays this season. Yeah. And like people, I think

Zabasla has done well this season. But, you know, the way we talk about him, you know, he's been,

he hasn't been well class. He's just done well. And the bar has been so low. You know,

if Zabasla offers the same yields and they pull out a good season, I don't think we're talking

quite as much, you know, I think he's good. He's good. I think he can still offer more in certain

parts of his game. But the rest of them are just being so poor. I have, not simply, but like,

there is mitigation for Viet. Sad as low to mitigation. I mean, there's tons of it for all shows

of different reasons. I think there is obviously a good player there. But at the moments, you know,

on Saturday again, against Brighton, it felt like he was running in quick sand at certain point

to the game. I obviously would have expected more from him, you know, given the amount of money,

the expense on him, expected more from E-Zach. Obviously, he's barely being available. I mean,

that is the E-Zach sign and is in danger to going down. It'll pull going to be able to get him

on the pitch. You know, it hasn't even been on the pitch, at least Viet has been on the pitch.

You know, I was just thinking, E-Zach at the moment is going to potentially.

Andy Carroll in the way of signing from Newcastle.

Stakes. Now, Andy Carroll is all right. Well, Andy Carroll scored an FA Cup semi-final against

that. So he's got that to hold on to, you know, he hasn't looked at Liverpool player by any stretch

at any point when he's been on the pitch. I think E-Zach. I was impressed by him against Newcastle,

when he played for Newcastle against Liverpool. Being impressed by loads of players that

are playing against Liverpool over the years, and you've shown them have come to Liverpool and

just not been able to hack it, but I'm concerned about him more than E-Zach, more than Viet at the moment

because of his allowable ability. Yeah, well, and international break, normally, at this point,

I'm alone about it. The leg action, Premier League action doesn't return until the 11th of April,

which seems a long way away. Well, that's good. It's a break for people who are interested

in the welfare of Liverpool, but it's not a break for the players, is it? You know what I mean?

There's some big games coming off for some of Liverpool's players. A lot of pressure around them,

so it's invading misleading titles in it, the international break, because it isn't a break.

It's just a change of environment. I'll actually be going over to Holland's to watch the Netherlands

against Norway, South Van Dyke against Holland. So, I'll be interested to see our Van Dyke does

for the Netherlands, because there's a lot of expectations of them over there as well.

I think, certainly, in the Premier League, he's regarded as one of the all-time greats,

which I think he is, but in Holland, that's the captain of Holland,

of a team that hasn't really, he hasn't really led the team to the point where people deem it

acceptable. Well, that's it from this episode to work on. We'd like to leave you with a bit more

positivity. Well, I think it would be forced. Well, if you want to get your questions

in during the international break, we'll look to answer them over the next couple of episodes,

emails at workonatheatheletic.com. So, thanks to Andy and Sai, and thanks to you too for listening.

We'll be back on Thursday, we'll catch you then, and maybe we'll be feeling a little bit more

positive. You've been listening to Walkon from the Athletic FC. For more great football podcasts

like this one, including the Athletic FC podcast, the Totally Football Show, and our dedicated

tactics show, Search for the Athletic in all the usual places. Walkon is an athletic media

company production.

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