*Sorry for this long post*
Liverpool fans and false hopes, plus the act of making themselves feel good baada ya matokeo mabaya.
First of all, we did not dominate Barca at all, and secondly, we werent unlucky at all. i've said this before and i'll say it again, hakuna kitu kinachoitwa *bahati* in football, na kwenye game ya jana ilikuwa ni battle kati ya "team ambayo inajua kumaliza its business and the team that is not good enough". its that simple.
we've been talking about squad depth na quality ya wachezaji tangu mwanzo wa msimu, We are doing so good kwenye league, but the truth is, we're failing to overtake city on our *own* kwasababu ya utofauti wa squad depth, we will always ending up coming short kulingana na hali ya squad yetu, we have a good first XI but hatuna strong backup options from the bench.
See, after Salah went off Vs Madrid at Kiev, everything changed, jana hatukuwa na Firmino kuanzia mwanzo (ill), and everything changed, the moral of the story is kama tungekuwa na strong backup options, scenario ya jana ingekuwa tofauti sana.
Yes, Origi/DS are not good enough, but hilo halikumfanya Klopp amchezeshe Wijnaldum as false number 9, i mean how can you filed Gini as a 9 at Camp Nou kwenye CL semi-final and expect to come out with an away goal? another bad mistake from Klopp, it was a tactical disasterclass.
You can be a World class manager, but kama huna enough personnel ya kuweza ku-entartain your tactics, then huwezi kufanikiwa, because no matter what you do you'll always come short.
Jana, Klopp na Valverde walijikuta waki-field-in same approach, (Combative defending with high pressing counters from half spaces), and guess who mastered it better? it was Valverde, na the whole world know kuwa Klopp is the key master when it comes to this setup, but he failed to master it y'day kwasababu hana enough quality mids wa ku-implement that set up, and Valverde won because alikuwa na wachezaji wa kuitengeneza hiyo shape, hence he started Vidal, along with Busquets and Rakitic (3 combative/Pressing CMs), kwa upande wetu we had Faby and Keita, and yeah Milly is good at pressing from half spaces, but you dont start a 34 years old at big stadium like camp nou and expect him to cover the spaces and maintain the balance at the middle of the park, hence ilikuwa inamchukua ages kurudi kwenye his line, na kumfanya Keita ashuke ku-cover vacated spaces za Faby tunapokuwa pressed na kuacha upande wa kushoto open, na alivyoumia Keita, the entire MF setup went down, forced Klopp to change to half space possession as a form of defending the deeper back-line (VVD/Matip/Alisson), it was a good move, but risky and Klopp knew it, because it gave Barca a lot of time ya kuji-orginize without the ball, and let Messi run into tight spaces to cause misunderstanding kwenye last back-line (forced VVD/Matip mistakes).
plan was to stop Messi, but Valverde had Vidal, ambaye kazi yake ilikuwa ni kutibua spaces za kuruhusu our ball progression through possession, hence it was so easy for Messi/Suarez to run into our half lines kila Barca (especially Vidal) anapowin mipira kwenye D zone.
Mane/Salah arent pressers, Klopp game play ingefanya kazi, au tungeweza kupata away goal kama Bobby angeanza, because he knows how to press high up the pitch and take the ball from deeper area, nasema hivi kwasababu key ya Barca kwenye combative setup ilikuwa ni Vidal, but kama Bobby angekuwepo, Vidal angekuwa forced kurudi nyuma mara kwa mara ili ku-battle it out na Bobby kwenye mipira inayopitishwa kutoka kwa Faby/Matip/Henderson or even Milner, but hatukuwa na hiyo mechanizm and ikaishia kuwa kitu kirahisi sana kwa Vidal.
I mean, Set up waliyoanza nayo Klopp na Valverde (Combative defending with Counters), ni kuwa wanakuachia mpira all the time wakati wanakuwa wanatengeneza ball channels (3-4) na waki-win the ball wanatumia hizo channels kupitisha counters, this set up requires 3 good CMs, wawili wanakuwa wanapress (deeper and higher) na aliyebakia anakuwa the last ball winner kwenye half space, (poch used this in the 2nd half Vs Ajax, Ten Hag noticed and switched to 4-5-1 shape, then nikamuona Poch akitingisha kichwa, from that moment he knew Ten Hag did him dirty haha)
Klopp jana, baada ya game, he praised Messi, people wanaweza wakaona tu kuwa jamaa kamsifia Messi kama watu wanavyofanya kila siku, but Klopp had his reasons, kwenye 2nd half, zile dk 20 za mwanzo we were on top of the game, and kama mlimwangalia Messi and also Suarez, they werent running that much, they were relaxed (especially Messi), Klopp as any other WC coach noticed that, and kept telling his players to go harder and attack to the maximum ili kupata goal and then change to defending from deep (and kama tungepata goal na kubadilsha set up, klopp angekuwa amechange shape (set up) mara tatu, but i think plan ilikuwa ni start with Combative defending with pressing counters, then change to deep areas defending after kupata away goal but kama nilivyosema hapo juu kuwa Keita injury forced him to abandon the first set up), this is bacause Messi (and Valverde), knew exactly kuwa we will be desperate to score, so they let us run down the ground (it was risky, but what can you do when you have Messi?), baada ya Messi kuji-organize vizuri and good after those 20-25 minutes, Valverde subbed on Semedo, and shifted Roberto (2nd ball winner in the middle), and from there Klopp knew we were fucked, (hence he instructed the players to remain with the same shape na kujaribu ku-nick a goal because hakukuwa na jinsi tena (Again, lack of personnel=limited tacticts), it was Messi's experiment show from that moment, hence mpaka filimbi ya mwisho he was making long runs from the middle (last Dembele's chance), and baada ya filimbi you can see alilala chini kutuliza pumzi. (he's 31 fgs).
Man, y'all can call me bitter LFC fan, but Klopp need to know kuwa he needs a quality squad to compete with the likes of Barca/Madrid/Juve and even City, i mean we're doing so good right now (thanks to him) but beating these teams kwenye trophies kunahitaji depth, lasivyo tutaendelea kuwa that *second* team, Dortmund's Klopp ingepata positive results at Barca y'day because he had quality players ambao walikuwa wana-fit perfect kwenye his tacticts and set ups, now we have good team but hakuna enough qualities za kwenda toe to toe na the likes of Barca etc.
we need to accept kuwa, we're not there yet na kufikia tunakotaka kwenda ni lazima tukubali changes, lazima Klopp aambiwe ukweli kuwa some of his trusted players are not good enough, ameibadilisha team kiasi kwamba kuna wachezaji anaowakumbatia wamekuwa outgrown na team aliyoitengeneza mwenyewe.
Against, Barca he had good tacticts in mind, but where is the personnel? kwanini kila siku urudie the same mistakes wakati unaweza kubadilisha with just 2 good signings?
he put Gini as a false 9 because ni presser mzuri, kwa kutegemea kuwa atafanya kazi ya kama ya Bobby, but kwanini usitafute a strong back up ambayo inaweza kufanya the same job kama ya Bobby? why repeating the same mistakes?
Klopp, swallowed his pride baada ya ile kiev Final and went on to buy Faby and Alisson, hope he'll do the same thing baada ya jana.
Having a good first XI with average backups, is not good enough, because ending up short will always be an option.
and, its mad, we're here as a team because of him, yet his mistakes/ego and stubbornes vimetu-cost finals/trophies and points, and we can praise him kwa kutufikisha hapa (as a club), but having no trophies to show for it will be painful hata kwake pia. he need to start winning trophies and he can do so by adding quality depth kwenye squad and stop trusting average players.
i've said here before, people (especially medias) wanaomsifia now, ndiyo watakuwa wa kwanza ku-ask for his head kama akiendelea ku-compete bila ku-win trophies, and trust me mtaanza kuona hizo articles baada ya huu msimu kuisha, they will start by asking for trophies, and after 7-8 months wataanza ku-call for his sacking by shouting out SG or Carragher kama next managers.
And, you know whats funny? sisi ambayo tunamkosoa kila siku (well known as haters by Echo), we'll be the ones backing and defending him.
......because, sisi wengine tunaamini in "Accepting both (Compliments & Criticims), because it takes both rain and sun for a *Flower* to grow"