I watched Whitaker in a recent under 23 game , he was next to invisible , I can see why Martin is not using him .
Maybe he was next to invisible because Martin is not using him?
If I was constantly ignored I wouldn't be interested in giving 100% in a meaningless U23 game. Also, I would do everything to leave the club.
I will never accept the argument that 3-4-2-1 is the only suitable formation for our passing football, and that we don't have place for more attacking-minded players in the starting XI. We could easily switch to 4-3-3 with Cullen, Piroe and Whittaker up front, Paterson and Ntcham/Fulton behind them, Grimes or Downes as defensive anchors, and four at the back. That's how Liverpool play. This formation has many advantages over the current 3-4-2-1 formation.
First of all, up front. We dominate possession but we do fuck all with the ball, and that's simply because we attack with defenders and defensive midfielders who are not goal-scorers. Piroe and Pato are the only players who score regularly and we shouldn't be surprised - they are the only attacking-minded players in our starting XI. Smith and Ntcham are central and defensive midfielders. Bidwell, Manning and Laird are full-backs. Grimes and Downes are defensive midfielders. The others are either centre-backs or full-backs.
Second, our pressing game sucks. Not because we don't win the ball back, but because the defensive-minded players in our squad are defensive-minded, they don't know what to do with the ball, so they instinctively pass it backwards. Or even worse, they don't have any options up front because there aren't any. There is only Piroe there.
Third, we have full-backs who play so high as wing-backs that they are waste of space because they don't score goals. It doesn't make sense to have players who are not natural goal scorers so high up the pitch.
Fourth, our full-backs play so high that they don't offer any protection at the back. That's a mind-blowing paradox. They are not goal scorers/strikers and they are not defenders. So, what are they? Yeah, they provide some assists, but that's far from enough. Players who play so high up are wingers, and wingers, just like Mané and Salah, or Bernardo Silva and Sterling, have to score goals and provide assists.
Fifth, we currently play with one centre-back Naughton. The other two centre-backs are acting like full-backs. That's a double-trouble. Why? First of all, none of our centre-backs has pace enough to play as full-backs and to counter the pace of the opposition wingers. Second, our centre-backs play so wide that we lack hight in front of goal when opposition puts in crosses.
Sixt, we play possession football and dominate the ball, but the pattern of our attacking game is identical to the pattern of the Steve Cooper's ball.