The English Football Thread

[Blue Armour 4,290]

1 hour ago, Johnnyeye said:

they will for sure, and worse thing is they might go unbeaten this season, urghhhh

On the bright side, Arsenal will no longer be 'The only unbeaten team in the PL'

[killer1257 3,282]

City should have won the game. Aguero and Gündogan missed 100% chances.

 

 

Gesendet von meinem SM-G920F mit Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

[LAM09 6,752]

How did I miss this -

Mourinho's reaction to finding out Sterling was already on a yellow during that second PK incident. His antics will always make me chuckle.

[Special Juan 27,429]

City got what they deserved yesterday, another inept performance of the highest order.

 

[Atomiswave 6,072]

City going backwards imo

[Vesper 28,864]

The secrets of Fortress Anfield and ‘a pitch as finely tuned as the athletes who play on it’

https://theathletic.com/1570062/2020/02/02/liverpool-anfield-fortress-pitch/

Many dismissed it as a lame excuse when Jurgen Klopp lamented the dryness of the Anfield pitch after Liverpool were held to a dour stalemate by Southampton in May 2017.

“I know nobody wants to hear it but I am brave enough to say it. The pitch was really dry,” he declared. “We gave it all the water we had but after 15 minutes it was really dry again with the wind. You could see it… a lot of passes you thought ‘why are they playing this?’ But it was difficult.

“In a possession game you need to have the best circumstances, if possible, in a home game especially, but we couldn’t have this. That’s nobody’s fault. It is not what I want. To be successful you have to have a fortress at home.”

Klopp felt that Liverpool’s ageing playing surface was holding them back. It was too slow and inhibited their attacking play.

Fenway Sports Group (FSG) took action, sanctioning a multi-million pound investment in the club’s infrastructure that summer. To say that the owners have had a decent return on that outlay would be something of an understatement.

On Saturday a resurgent Southampton suffered at the hands of Klopp’s juggernaut. A dazzling second-half blitz secured a 4-0 triumph as Liverpool equalled Manchester City’s Premier League record of 20 successive home league wins. “Wow, the Kop was in full voice today,” declared FSG president Mike Gordon as he greeted reporters waiting to speak to the players post-match.

Klopp has built an imposing fortress and these days Anfield brings out the best in the Premier League champions elect. The array of improvements made to the playing surface are a key part of that.

“A lot of teams come to Anfield and play compact and that means there isn’t a lot of space,” Liverpool goalkeeping coach John Achterberg tells The Athletic. “In the past we struggled against teams who sat back with 11 men behind the ball and we’d drop points.

“But the owners made the pitch so much better with the new surface and the water system they had installed. We always have a wet pitch now and that helps the speed of the game so much.

“I always used to be worried that on a sunny day we’d struggle because the pitch was too slow to move the ball quick to create things. Now the players know how to break teams down and where to find the solutions.”

Liverpool had a new state-of-the-art GrassMaster pitch installed; a hybrid field consisting of 97 per cent organic grass combined with three per cent of artificial fibres. Some 25,000 miles of artificial fibres were stitched into the pitch — the equivalent of the earth’s circumference.

Anfield became the first stadium in the UK to fit the Permavoid irrigation system to speed up drainage and allow for the entire surface to be watered in less than three minutes. A new undersoil heating system made up of some 19 miles of pipeline was also put in place to help aid growth and prevent the pitch from freezing.

Work was completed in time for the start of the 2017-18 season. Since then Liverpool have played 51 home league matches — winning 42 and drawing nine. It’s now been more than a year since any top-flight team left Anfield with something to show for their efforts.

Maintenance of the turf is the responsibility of grounds manager Dave Roberts, who joined the club in April 2016. He previously carried out the same role at Southampton before working for public school Charterhouse in Surrey. Klopp’s attention to detail means that he’s in regular dialogue with Roberts to ensure the pitch is exactly how the manager wants it.

“Dave is one of the unsung heroes,” Geoff Webb, chief executive officer of the Institute of Groundsmanship, tells The Athletic. “Pitch technology has moved on massively over the last 10 years and Dave has been ahead of the game on that. He’s a brilliant groundsman and is well-respected by his peers. There aren’t many around with the skill he’s got.

“He’s got a very good working relationship with Klopp and that communication is very important in terms of creating a surface that the players really trust and feel safe and comfortable on.”

At Melwood, Roberts is tasked with ensuring Liverpool train ahead of home games on a pitch that replicates Anfield in every possible way but at other times he has to adapt.

Towards the end of last season, Klopp anticipated Cardiff City boss Neil Warnock would do everything in his power to slow Liverpool down. He therefore asked for the training pitch not to be cut or watered to prepare his players for what they might face in the Welsh capital. His hunch was right. Cardiff’s sprinkler system appeared to have been given the day off but Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners.

Anfield is now pristine all-year round. Eight heat and moisture sensors help monitor the best growing environment, while ground staff use 15 grow lights to cultivate the grass. Temperature and humidity can be controlled to speed up growth.

“It’s about 10 per cent soil, 90 per cent sand and that pitch is as finely tuned as the athletes who play on it,” Webb adds. “Even the technology behind grass seed is huge. It’s genetically modified for each particular stadium taking into account the environment and things like shade tolerance.

“Tests are done regularly and everything these days is data driven. Areas are flagged up and work is carried out. It’s about getting the balance right in terms of stability and drainage. The lighting rigs have made a massive difference as they give you the opportunity to create sunlight and help grow the grass, no matter what time of year it is.”

Premier League rules state that match delegates must measure pitches before every game to ensure the grass is no longer than 30mm (1.2in). Anfield is around 23mm (0.9in) — “just about the perfect height for football”, according to Webb.

There was no slowing Liverpool down on Saturday as they zipped the ball around at pace and turned defence into attack in devastating fashion during that second-half onslaught. “When my team starts rolling, the power we create in these moments is really incredible,” beamed Klopp.

Ten passes and 25 seconds after Danny Ings had stumbled over in the box appealing for a penalty, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain fired home the opener. There were nine seconds between Alisson having the ball at his feet and Mohamed Salah converting Liverpool’s third after a pinpoint pass from the outstanding Jordan Henderson, which skipped perfectly off the turf. The slick exchange between Salah and Roberto Firmino in the build up to the fourth had Anfield on its feet once again. It was another good day at the office for Roberts and his staff.

Liverpool have taken 100 points out of the last 102 on offer and have equalled Nottingham Forest’s 42-game unbeaten league run in 1977-78. Now they have Arsenal’s record of 49 from 2003-04 in their sights.

Shrewd recruitment has been at the heart of the transformation Klopp has overseen. But FSG have also committed £200 million into the club’s infrastructure with the Main Stand redevelopment, the pitch, the retail store and the new training complex in Kirkby, which will open its doors in July.

Where once their surroundings held them back, Liverpool now have everything in place to flourish.

[Fulham Broadway 16,863]

It's also the only ground where all the ferals  constantly booooo the opposition when on the ball....

[Vesper 28,864]

39 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

It's also the only ground where all the ferals  constantly booooo the opposition when on the ball....

[Atomiswave 6,072]

18 minutes ago, Vesper said:

Dont act dumb now Vesper....we know those are the kind you love to go out with

[Vesper 28,864]

9 minutes ago, Atomiswave said:

Dont act dumb now Vesper....we know those are the kind you love to go out with

I would rather drink antifreeze until my tummy burst

[Atomiswave 6,072]

20 minutes ago, Vesper said:

I would rather drink antifreeze until my tummy burst

Lmao

[Milan 17,854]

The gk just making sure

 

[Vesper 28,864]

23 minutes ago, milan.cech said:

The gk just making sure

 

lol

assclown

[Fulham Broadway 16,863]

29 minutes ago, milan.cech said:

The gk just making sure

 

Chelsea keeper Dave's son 

[Vesper 28,864]

19 minutes ago, Fulham Broadway said:

Chelsea keeper Dave's son 

the Beasant gene pool must have a large shallow end in terms of GK potential

[Vesper 28,864]

 

[Laylabelle 9,359]

So tommrow dun dun dunnn..still think we will play Liverpool. Good on Klopp for standing by players and the break but hardly like the ones who will play have never kicked a ball..plus magggggic of Anfield. Blahhhh

Knowing us Shrewsbury will win and then we go out.

[Fulham Broadway 16,863]

32 minutes ago, Vesper said:

the Beasant gene pool must have a large shallow end in terms of GK potential

Amazing Beasant Senior went on till aged 58 !