Excuses or common sense? And if you think that was our "next 11" then I don't think you have a clue what you're talking about. We have three possible holding midfielders but for different reasons we either couldn't or wouldn't play them (one had to play CB). We have two RB's but for differeing reasons we either couldn't or wouldn't play either. We have 4 senior CB's but for differing reasons we either couldn't or wouldn't play 3 of them and the 1 we did play came off injured after a couple of minutes. The balane of our side was shot to bits because we weren't playing even our 2nd 11 players in key positions.
Am I speaking a different language? Yes, I know full well it would be a completely different. I was responding to your argument about our strength in depth and the supposed drop off between our first 11 and that 11, which you seem to believe is our 2nd 11. My entire point is that we've not seen even our 2nd 11 because we weren't going to risk certain players in this game.
You do see defensive midfielders drop back into defence at times, I completely agree but you usually see them do it alongside an experienced back line around them and midfield in front of them. Fabinho was playing alongside the most braindead LB I've ever witnessed play football, a 16 year old kid who's barely played under-21 football and an 18 year old winger playing at RB + no natural holding midfielder in front of him. It's not an excuse - Klopp made the conscious decision not to pick VVD, not to pick Trent or Robertson, not to pick Fabinho in midfield or then one of Henderson or Wijnaldum to play the holding role. However the reality is we've just played a near full strength, very decent PL side away from home with a makeshift defence and midfield.
.