Inverted

This is a Brighton-esque display of finishing.

I think it’s gotten to the point where you might as well just go with Kabak and Davies. A decent Bundesliga defender and a good Championship defender, who are at least natural CBs, with Henderson and Fabinho in front is probably a lot better than those two in defence with Wijnaldum and Thiago in front.

Depends. I'd rather have Foden has a wide attacker or attacking midfielder but if I need more a normal centre mid or a box-to-box player I'd go for Mount.

No, that's what I'm saying. It's one thing to keep a single struggling player in a team which is otherwise playing well, and giving him a show of confidence. That's often a good idea. But at the moment it's like Klopp is trying to do the same thing with 5 or 6 players at the same time. When things have gotten that bad, it seems pretty obvious that drastic changes are needed.

I keep seeing a lot of stuff on twtter and TV about Klopp needing to change the shape which I think is not the main point. Within the possibilities of the players he picks, he actually does seem to be tweaking stuff a lot - having Mane play more central, Salah hanging wide, Robertson playing higher and wider than TAA. That kind of thing. The main issue is the personnel itself. When it comes to pressing, ball retention, making chances, finishing, defending their box, and all the things a top team are expected to do regardless of shape, the players just look shot mentally. And rather than drop people, Klopp is more inclined to stick by them and try to show confidence in them. Which has maybe done well for him in the past, but doesn't seem likely to work when it's most of the team which is misfiring - if almost everyone is having a nightmare, there's no platform to build confidence, unless everyone suddenly snaps out of it at once. Most other managers would probably have brought Davies, Keita, Shaqiri, Minamino and the like into the team much more over the last few months.

Liverpool play a style that’s very dependent on belief - like you try that low-percentage pass or cross it might work, or that if you throw yourself into a high-risk pressure, you can cause a turnover. And I think when that confidence drains, those low-percentage balls become hopeless balls. And those efforts at pressing just become a set of motions you go through rather than a sincere threat.

It is mental how often Oxlade Chamberlain can come on and make virtually zero impact in a game. I can see it’s a bit of a meme that when he comes on it’s game over, but he does quite literally add nothing, ever. No idea why it’s not worth throwing in Keita or Shaqiri if you’re chasing a goal - especially when it’s proving so hard to keep the ball in tight areas. Chamberlain only really excels with space to drive into, which you’re not going to get against a Tuchesl team which packs the middle of the pitch with four midfielders and three centre backs.

Mane or Firmino could be coming off for Jota if he’s as ready to play as has been said. Both looked sloppy in possession and not so dangerous in the press either.

My instinct was he was clearly off but he was actually closer than I expected. Harsh but technically right, I guess. A very good, even game so far. Salah and Mane are almost recreating what Chelsea are trying to do with Ziyech and Werner.

Nonsensical decision. The handball had no causitive effect in leading to goal, since it was going to hit him anyway at the exact same spot. A confused application of an already stupid rule.

They were always a big deal for sure ever since the 1960s, but there was nothing set in stone that said that United would become the superclub they are today - look at Villa, for example. There's a few English clubs with European pedigree, huge fan bases, and big trophy cabinets, but United made a few great decisions at a crucial point, and it has put them financially out of reach of those other clubs. Seemingly permanently, but who knows what the future holds.

No, but he took United from a mid-table club with a big history back to being competitive at the highest level, just before the big Premier League boom happened. He made the club the most attractive and exciting one in the country, just at the time when the money was about to start pouring in. Obviously, a lot of work then needed to be done to maximise those gains, but Alex Ferguson was the guy with the biggest part in positioning the club to exploit the opportunities of the late-90s.

To me Manchester United are kind of like an old middle class couple who bought a semi-detached in London before the housing boom and it has since became about 10 times more valuable. They've sold up, and are now minted for the rest of their days because they were at the right place at the right time. It's not that they've done anything wrong, but they've not exactly done anything particularly brilliant to merit their position, either. Apart from hiring Alex Ferguson.

Top 4 seems like it's going to get more and more interesting. With Leicester and United drawing, Arsenal looking decent, and Liverpool seemingly coming of of their death spiral, looks there will be a proper battle for all 3 spots after City.

Sounds a bit like the Neil Lennon situation - all his old mates like Sutton and Hartson back to him to the hilt, up until the point where the situation is totally unsalvageable. All the while the fans, who had clearly seen everything that was coming, are dimissed as being too hasty - and then they're dismissed after the fact for being self-righteous about having been proven right.