Liverpool Banter Archive July 25 2015

 

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25 Jul 2015 23:26:55
None of the top teams have strengthened there squads (yet) to obviously a stand out bet for the title. We are not in the mix because we need to GEL a new squad so where is your money gambling Reds ?

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25 Jul 2015 23:50:28
we've been geling our squad since the mid 1990's - it is no longer an excuse.

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25 Jul 2015 23:56:51
Arsenal with cech says it all

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26 Jul 2015 00:06:57
No idea lol but I got 30-1 for us to win the league and 20-1 on Benteke for top scorer, so for a score each I won't complain if either comes in ha ha

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26 Jul 2015 00:52:53
Arsenal and Chelsea have the two best squads, as things stand. I'd still back Mourinho to outdo Wenger though. United won't be far off and have done well this summer, and may be about to get €60m for a rotational option. I'd argue our squad's better than City's though, we've improved this off-season much more than they have, if Rodgers plays it right we should be able to nick fourth!

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26 Jul 2015 04:06:08
Id say Chelsea to regain the title because of how solid they are defensively

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26 Jul 2015 06:00:18
I would say our squad is similar to city, except hart and aguero.

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26 Jul 2015 07:04:11
Chelsea need not add people while arsenal will bring in one class striker. UTD beat barca yesterday and they look like a very solid team.

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26 Jul 2015 08:48:24
I agree with Red Lenin. With the money Liverpool have spent over the last 2 decades and not one league trophy in the cabinet? A couple of near misses is all we have. Its a terrible statistic, everyone envolved in that time should hang their head in shame.

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26 Jul 2015 10:39:08
I would have to jump to Rafa's defence here rover. he had it hard ( mancs had Ronaldo etc and god it pains me to say it but great at the time)

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26 Jul 2015 11:19:09
Toddy, you mean the rotational fella they paid close to 80million POUNDS for if you factor in agents fees wages vat etc etc for half a season, that rotational fella? The same rotational fella they are about to lose probably about 30million on for as I say " around half a season of mediocrity "!

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26 Jul 2015 11:36:41
Love Terry as a player, but I reckon he'll he caught out thus season.

Wenger has been very smart by making a solid goalkeeper signing which they've craved for seasons.

I can see Arsenal flying.

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26 Jul 2015 13:08:56
Where does that put us, LFC and your pal, Rodgers, Davey?

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25 Jul 2015 21:13:03
Does anyone else find it amusing how we sign 4 Southampton players yet none were in the position we need DEFENSIVE MID and they have/ had Schneiderlin and wanyama

(We probably did need clyne)

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25 Jul 2015 23:07:51
No. Do you?

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26 Jul 2015 00:52:35
I'm not sure we need a DM, but if we did I'd find it tragic

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26 Jul 2015 02:30:27
Not amusing at all - although I do think Clyne was required at RB and Llalana will hopefully be a cracking player for us over time (even if not in a position we desperately needed)

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26 Jul 2015 07:33:47
The only player I wanted from Southampton was Schniederline. And I expect them to struggle this season.
None of our players in that position is on par with Schnieder.

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26 Jul 2015 10:27:04
European Glory you do talk some rubbish.

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26 Jul 2015 12:34:49
Essex

I am certainly not biased. Schnieder ll walk into our midfield and will bench a lot of fab players. Play him alongside Lucas and we have the best midfield in the league.

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26 Jul 2015 19:31:28
No he won't, EG. He isn't better than Hendo or Couts and he is not a DM who would he get in ahead of, exactly?

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25 Jul 2015 20:59:41
Hi eds been following this site for a while now and check it several times daily but Only just registered. I know you will be sick of this one, but what's your thoughts on Reus? Are we interested? Do you think we will bid? Do we have any chance of getting him?
Cheers again

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{Ed002's Note - Try the search engine.}

26 Jul 2015 06:29:15
For someone that checks the sight several times daily you surely should have know the answer to that one

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25 Jul 2015 20:17:41
Question for ed002, Liverpool say the stand will be ready for the 16/17 season, and you say the new TV money won't be awarded till the end of this season ( I think? )
So my question is, do you think the financial year of 16/17 will finally see Liverpool turn a profit, even with the repayments of loans etc. if not, do you see a time line/ light at the end of a tunnel, where we finally make a profit?
And a bonus question, when was the last time we actually turned over a profit ?
Many thanks, great work this summer.

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{Ed002's Note - Liverpool will not be paying off the stadium in the next year or two. IT is not really about profit, but avoiding crippling losses. The club is borrowing again future income right now.}

25 Jul 2015 20:14:46
Ed002, I've seen you mention that Liverpool have too many players in the squad to even register for this coming season. How many players over are we? I couldn't find this in a search and I don't recall seeing a post where you have said the exact amount of players

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{Ed002's Note - A couple right now - but the squad is very, very bloated.}

26 Jul 2015 06:31:33
God I hadnt even thought about that! I really think we could get lucky with a couple if teams start panick buying at the end of the window. Damn

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25 Jul 2015 20:24:15
Question for all of the posters on here. Would you lose coutinho to gain reus?? I know it's unrealistic eds but just a bit of fun on here. So guys reus or coutinho. ??

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25 Jul 2015 20:37:55
Coutinho. Reus is better right now but coutinho can eventually be better, few injury problems unlike Reus, and coutinho commands a high fee for the next 7 years or so

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25 Jul 2015 20:39:58
No. not at all, but I would trade Lallana for Reus.

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25 Jul 2015 20:42:24
I would hate to see Cout at any other club so I'd have to keep him. Both great players

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25 Jul 2015 20:45:13
Reus but I really wouldn't want to lose Coutinho

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25 Jul 2015 22:33:37
Coutinho

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25 Jul 2015 22:34:41
Why would we sell Coutinho to play Reus at left back?

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26 Jul 2015 06:32:11
Played out I'm afraid hoola :/

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25 Jul 2015 20:14:46
Ed002, I've seen you mention that Liverpool have too many players in the squad to even register for this coming season. How many players over are we? I couldn't find this in a search and I don't recall seeing a post where you have said the exact amount of players

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25 Jul 2015 20:40:31
We have close to 30 now.

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25 Jul 2015 22:39:01
We can register 25 over 21's for the squad (unlimited U21's); of the 25 8 have to be homegrown.

Looking at the squad list we're probably only 4 or 5 players over - that being said 40 players (over and under 25) are not going to get the necessary game time. So the sooner we sell about 5 (over the age of 21) then the better - listening to the eds though we have a price and the other teams do not want to pay it - let's hopr that changes before the transfer deadline.

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25 Jul 2015 20:04:11
I'm on my way to anfield! See you all soon

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25 Jul 2015 20:38:32
I'm afraid you've been in Sterling's stash again mate.

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25 Jul 2015 21:36:50
So Mr JW Henry was right all along! Cheers Marco. Can I recommend Fung Lok takeaway just down the road from the stadium, they do a very nice sausage dinner and their chips & gravy is boss.

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25 Jul 2015 23:26:04
Jeff what the hell do I have to do with this?

Yes I have been on the captain Morgans tonight but.

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26 Jul 2015 00:52:32
After JH tagged me on Twitter, I knew Liverpool was the right club for me. It was told I was a "top target" as the club are looking to collect as many attacking mids as possible for Brendan's new 0-0-11-0 formation next year!

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26 Jul 2015 06:02:49
You showed great character

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25 Jul 2015 19:28:35
Hi ed01 was just wondering what you ultimately think will happen with ballotelli. Will the club bite the bullet and lower the fee being asked, will he go on loan or will he stay because he sure won't see any action with us now. Also am I relight in saying the players the club were trying to sell but asking too much markovic balo illori borini Enrique. Is there anyone we are actively trying to sell

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{Ed001's Note - he will go for whatever we can get for him I would expect. Stupid to keep a disruptive influence like him around.}

25 Jul 2015 20:46:06
We haven't received any offers for him yet have we?

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{Ed002's Note - Not for a sale.}

25 Jul 2015 18:37:18
Banter please:

Some of the opinions on here are just in cuckoo land!!
are you guys seriously saying we need to buy ANOTHER cb?? We have loads!!!
Lovren, skrtel, sakho, ilori, toure, wisdom, Gomez now too. All expensive additions that we were all delighted about when they signed. They were expensive because they were good. They didn't just turn bad. It's clearly the system, tactics and lack of communication.
Unless we sold 2 maybe 3 of them, we cannot buy another!!
Wake up, why do you think we brought in 3 new coaches for the 1st team???!

Natural

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25 Jul 2015 19:17:08
Steady on The Natural. You are now talking way too much sense for this forum. I blame Skrtel!

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25 Jul 2015 19:34:22
We don't need any more centre backs, what we need is a midfield. I don't class attacking midfielders as midfielders. They are forwards.

Midfielders are the ones that protect the defence by a) recycling possession, and b) defending.

I know it's stating the obvious, but the more we have the ball, the less defending we have to do. Therefore, we need passers. Lucas is the only player we have that plays this kind of football, and that is a concern.

Many fail to realise that the reason our defence has been under so much pressure for the past few years, is because of how poor we are in the middle of the park. Next time you watch us play, observe the gaping hole that regularly appears in front of our centre backs and you will see where the problem lies.

It's very naive and poor judgement to blame the centre backs solely because they are the last line of defence.

Red Rum

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25 Jul 2015 19:34:54
I'm pretty most people want to get rid of Skrtel and would be happy with a pairing of Sakho and Ilori.

We just got to hope the new coaches can teach BR how to set up a defence

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25 Jul 2015 20:08:54
Red rum

I really feel for you as you are fighting against a loosing battle. People are convinced we got a good midfield.
Some blame the system but very few got a clue what as system actually is?

People jump and beeps up when we buy offensive full backs and throw random names to be a DM.

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25 Jul 2015 20:17:17
Red-Rum I agree, in most of the teams who do well in the top tier in the EPL usually have a top defensive midfielder. We don´t have to buy more CB we have plenty, but we do need to use our best CB´s and at the moment it doesn´t look like it will happen.

The thing is, that Skrtel and Lovren do not fit in a side who plays a high line. They don´t communicate, and it has been seen time and time again that both of them often are out of position. As Amrit says, a pairing of Sakho and Ilori would be intriguing as Sakho is a natural leader and can organize the defence. Both of the players are good at anticipating and both are fairly pacy, so they would fit in better at a side playing a high line.

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25 Jul 2015 22:33:50
That about sums it up Irish rover ;)

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25 Jul 2015 22:54:16
Lucas, Allen, Henderson, Can, Rossiter are all more defensively minded.
Lallana, Ibe, Firmino, Coutinho are all attacking midfielders.
Benteke is a Centre Forward, as is Lambert.
Sturridge, Origi, Ings, Borini, Balotelli are all forwards as they can move out wide too.

Simples.

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26 Jul 2015 14:16:11
Fuzz is spot on. Andy, I disagree that Allen, Hendo and Can are defensive minded. They are not. Allen played DM last season for the dreadful results we now know about and Can and Hendo are box to box, period. Lucas is the only defensive minde mid we have and we should have brought one in to compete with him but BR doesn't believe in playing a true DM, which is stupid because all the other top teams play with one in Matic, Carrick, Coquelin, Bentaleb and Fernandinho. Our cbs are very good. It is the coach who after spending a king's ransome on cbs, still can't fix a defence which is pretty simple. Find your best paring and play tha pairing in the system you want and offer them protection in midfield via a tru DM. It's not that hard. What does BR do? He wants to play a high line with a GK who is good ball to feet. Yet he plays Mingo who can't pass the ball and Skrtel with Lovren who don't communicate and lacks pace in Skrtel's case. Yet he wants rid of Sahko and Ilori who are fit to play in the high line and wants rid of Lucas who is a DM. Digest that for a second and let me know if that makes sense to anyone on this forum?

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25 Jul 2015 18:19:41
All said and done over the last couple months.

Lads and lasses kick off in a couple weeks.

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25 Jul 2015 20:26:35
Are you langers or what?

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25 Jul 2015 23:36:58
I'd say I'm what.

What are you?

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25 Jul 2015 16:34:59
So the big question of the day, is the roof truss the only thing lfc will be lifting this season or does anyone fancy us for a cup?
Would love eds1 opinion

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{Ed001's Note - cup is a lot down to luck, we have the attacking options to win one, but I wouldn't want to put money on us.}

25 Jul 2015 18:41:09
The season would be entertaining for the neutrals, As Liverpool ll be scoring a lot and conceding a lot.

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25 Jul 2015 22:36:08
I fancy us for the fa cup therefore everyone put 20 quid on it!

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25 Jul 2015 23:30:14
Benteke e/w Shane

He was 20/1 now 16/1. Prestons my tip at 40/1 e/w

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25 Jul 2015 15:55:44
Re centre of defence. I'm hoping sakho stays I would've tried to get Alderweild and have ilori and gomez as cover sell the others. My opinion.

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25 Jul 2015 16:32:18
So everyone's moaning about our defense and how Skrtel is shocking at defending and Lovren not far off, this I don't deny.

One of the greatest things I think the puchase of Benteke will do is highlight just how poor the pair are and to what level. When Villa came to Anfield Benteke thrived against our defence and now he is our player, what I'm getting at is imagine training this year Benteke is going to wreck most of our defenders.

Now some will rise to the challenge of Benteke and I can see many crumbling. Skrtel will be praying Benteke is on his side in training games and if this year doesn't provide an examination in how bad our defence is then the coaching staff are blind.

Ings will be making constant runs in behind, Benteke will be sheilding the ball, Coutinho finding pockets, Firmino using his trickery so all our defenders should come on leaps and bounds in theory this year as training will highlight their flaws long before Stoke city do.

Peace!!

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25 Jul 2015 19:42:00
I get your point but benteke isn't going to be using his strength in training like he does in games, he's not going to be flooring skrtle every 5 mins.
Also why isn't villas defence brilliant?

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25 Jul 2015 20:11:25
Two goals out of all he scored against us were due Allen not able to put in a tackle when Benteke was bursting through the midfield.
His goals have come through the middle as none could simply stop him with a tackle.

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25 Jul 2015 12:31:30
If West Brom get Diaby on a pay as you play deal, they have a great player. Only problem with him is injuries, but when he is fit he is one of the best players in the PL. Shame we have too many midfielders already, would have taken him in a heartbeat.

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25 Jul 2015 12:49:00
That's a joke, right?

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25 Jul 2015 12:59:14
Injuries always make players better than they ever were. People make this kind of ridiculous statement it's the same for sturridge it was the same for wilshire flanno etc

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25 Jul 2015 14:00:27
Torres??

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25 Jul 2015 14:17:19
It's pointless even on a pay as you play. Even if he was fit he may not be the player he was, he also takes up another place in the squad that comes at a cost to someone else. You couldn't build a team around him and would just end up using more resource trying to get him fit. He's made 32 appearances in 4 years ( including as a sub) he's never managed over 30 in a season. Every club should steer well clear.

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25 Jul 2015 14:43:08
Would be another BR masterstroke. Would be nice for Sturridge to have a friend in the physio room though.

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25 Jul 2015 14:10:57
Sam

Injuries create a fear in your mind of not repeating it again. People often become cautious and doesn't try enough.

Lucas is the biggest example.

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25 Jul 2015 15:17:43
So it was a joke, then.

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25 Jul 2015 18:29:42
He is decent, but nothing more. As for players trying less after injuries, EG, that is a massive generalisation and it depends entirely on the player in question.

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26 Jul 2015 00:46:41
And the type of injury fornax. Harry is being harry best to just ignore him when he is in this mood.

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25 Jul 2015 10:51:18
Why does BR not understand that to be a successful manager in the premier league you need a solid defence, and the ability to go away and play a defensive counter attack style from time to time, Mourinho can do it, and is multi title winner, United and Arsenal's successes came from a solid defensive base. You could drive a double decker bus through the middle of our defence?
And still no changes, I don't think Benteke will be BR's downfall, it will be his inability to set a team up other than to attack/press. STILL NO PLAN B?????

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25 Jul 2015 11:11:07
Are you serious? Have u seen the strength of our bench? If we go into the season with a midfield 3 of can milner Henderson with coutinho firmino and benteke then we will have the likes of markovic, ibe, lallana, ings and sturridge will be in the mix when he's back. Ibe and markovic add pace. Are u seriously trying to suggest that benteke doesn't offer anything more than ings or sturridge? That he is a similar player? If things aren't going well bow we can easily switch to a more direct style, which benteke can play to perfectly. So don't say we don't have a "plan B" because we have a better backup plan than most of the other top teams

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25 Jul 2015 11:38:30
Did you read my post??? You haven't mentioned the centre of defence once??? Benteke gives us variation in attack but what about our central defensive partnership?? Sakho our best defender is apparently interested in a move to Lazio, which leaves Skrtel and Loveren, They were all over the place at times last season and this has not been adressed. they were all over the place yesterday against a malaysian XI?

Are u seriously trying to suggest that benteke doesn't offer anything more than ings or sturridge?

Where did I say that?

Some think that we will need to change our style of play to suit Benteke which I agree with.

My point was about the defence and was quite clear so respond to that.

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25 Jul 2015 11:59:52
Why do you have to sign players in order to improve the defence/team?

You don't.

Training, teamwork, tactics, coaching are the bedrock of a good defence - George Graham proved it many times.
Pre-season performances don't mean a lot either. Just wait until we've kicked a ball this season before you slate the manager/team/defence.

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25 Jul 2015 12:12:26
jowens if i read dave above right, the post is about no plan B for defence. Most of us know there is a plan a,b,c to z for midfield/attack, read the posts , we argue over it all the time.

during pre-season (and it is only pre-season) our best centre half has played a minor role and scored a booming header. his replacement has been played in majority of games and has been poor (by many accounts) at either end.

at the moment is does look like we are short in DM and people will argue over Lucas/Can/Allen/A.N.Other. it is a priority position that needs sorting quickly, especially due to us conceding so many goals.

there are positives in the full back areas, clyne settling in, moreno getting sharper, joe gomez a revelation. negative probably wisdom getting next to zero chance so far.

put out any mix of our mid/forwards and we will score, maybe even for fun. which is exactly why it is vital that we get our defence solid. skyrtle and lovern are preferred by some, others prefer Sakho and Ilori. time will tell which pair are more solid.

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25 Jul 2015 12:57:25
Skrtel was all over the shop a few times again last night and that won't change. There was a time where Lovren plays the offside and instead of Skrtel just stopping and let the guy run offside, he stupidly follows him and keeps him onside which led to a tame shot at goal. The guy is useless at communicating and anticipating runs. In the same game, instead of dropping off on a long ball to see where the bounce would go. He goes to win it rashly, the guy just bodies him off the ball and is thru on goal until Lovren comes in and saves the day. For an experienced defender, he defends like a schoolboy. I know semi pro defenders that defended better than him in my time. Trust me folks, if I can see that, you bet other coaches have seen that and they will target him all season.

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25 Jul 2015 13:03:34
Ron

Graham was a very good coach in terms of setting up defences. But the first thing he did was get himself some raw material to work with. Dixon, Adams, Bould, Winterburn.

Coaching alone won't be enough to turn the centre back pairings Brenda will play into good defenders. It will make them less bad that's all.

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25 Jul 2015 13:45:54
User013. Couldn't agree more. Firstly you need the raw materials to work with. Skrtel and lovren aren't it.Secondly brendan has demonstrated he is woefully inadequate to sort out our back line. Comparing him to George Graham is laughable.

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25 Jul 2015 14:04:35
Ron, If BR even utters the word defence in any Training, teamwork, tactics, I will happily eat my underpants.

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25 Jul 2015 14:52:11
ohio: and lovren communicates? you just don't like skrtel. no probs I don't like BR. Rafa never had these probs with him. if he would of won that header then what? Some players have NO heart BR buys them. Maybe not the best defender in the league but having to carry the can for poor tactics and players around him that should be further up the field!

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25 Jul 2015 13:58:55
I said exactly the same mate but as ever on this site got called every name blah blah blah. Considering it's an online blog/forum whatever you're very rarely allowed an opinion and they are certainly not respected.
Personally I thought Inigo Martinez and Alderwielde would have been very good realistic targets, then take your pick from the remaining 4 as who stays. Opinion only but I would have gone sakho and Ilori, with Gomez able to slot in also.
I to an extent like skrtel, toure and wisdom but find them unnecessary to be honest when you consider who we could/should have brought in. I'm afraid I think nothing of lovren and the sooner he goes the better.
Dm wise I like Lucas, would have loved to see a Kondogbia type come in, big strong and powerful. However with Henderson and milner I believe Lucas will have a decent enough season.
All in all things desperately needed to change, I personally haven't seen enough during pre season to suggest that anything has. Pre season games mean a lot, especially with us playing nothing but first team players. Whatever they learn from the training ground should be getting used on the pitch, thus far it's an instant replay of the last 3 seasons.
Gonna say I really hope I'm wrong but a season of failure beckons I'm afraid.

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25 Jul 2015 14:12:34
Red

Whet exactly BR has to do in the training ground to help our defenders? Why do we have assistant and coaches then?

Do you seriously want him to write on a piece of paper and give it to the players?

Jeeezzz

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25 Jul 2015 15:10:15
Basically LFC heirarchy employed a manager without a CV that contained actually winning trophies, or even a winning percentage of games played.

I know every ( most at least ) managers have to learn their craft to become successful, very very few do it from anonymity, Rodgers has absolutely no record of success at every side he has managed.

Unfortunately, and sadly for all us die hard fans, and everyone connected to LFC, we will have to wait and endure at least another season of poor tactics, and no plan A, never mind a plan B.

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25 Jul 2015 15:11:19
Didn't we bring in 3 new COACHES to our first team set up???! Seems fairly drastic to me. Just sayin.
None of our cb's are bad, none are fantastic either don't get me wrong. But with the right coaching, communication and set up, they can indeed become "good".

Natural

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25 Jul 2015 15:32:48
Scouse, you are wrong. I don't dislike any player. Skrtel doesn't pick himself hence, BR is at fault, period. I don't care for either of them, really. Winning the header or not is not the point. It is the fact that he was badly positioned that is and has always been the prob. Is that so hard to fathom because I'm not the only one saying it? You say he's tough yet gets bullied by every big man he faces makes no sense. Saying that he never had a prob with Rafa's tactics shows how much you know about defensive systems. Now, Rafa plays a deep defensive system with two DM's just like Chelsea do because they have no pace to play the high line like Skrtel and Agger or Carra did not. BR wants to play the high line yet plays defenders like Skrtel or Lovren who don't communicate along with a GK who is woeful with the ball at his feet. How does that make any sense. Also, your thinking that Skrtel carries the can for BR and other players is laughable because he is the one who doesn't communicate hence, making his fellow defenders poor. I bet you if you put Ramos or Kompany next to him, he would make them look bad as well just like an equally poor Mangala makes him look useless at City. And to finish, if Skrtel was that good, how did he get benched for a semi retired Jaime Carra for the final three months of his final season? Care to answer that?

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25 Jul 2015 15:45:39
You have hit the nail on the head The Natural. If you have the same defenders under Rafa he would find a way to concede less goals. It might be at the expense of being more gung ho or playing a more counter attacking style but we would concede less. Hopefully the new coaches might be able to instill some defensive ideas. Who knows!

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25 Jul 2015 16:38:55
As I have always said about Rodgers his arrogance doesn't allow him to learn anything new.

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25 Jul 2015 16:57:43
Just to turn it on its head. If Skrtel was that bad why has he played consistently under Rafa, Hodgson, Kenny and now Rodgers? Are they all bad judges of a player. So Skrtel got left out for 3 months! doesn't every player lose form. The fact remains 4 managers have picked him regularly. Far better at picking a good player than me i would guess. Some on this forum might think they are better than the 4 managers.

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25 Jul 2015 19:09:57
Let's be fact based.

Skrtel played 54 league matches out of 114 possible under Rafa. His highest total of league appearances in any of those seasons was 21.

In Rafa we trusted. He clearly didn't trust Skittles 100 percent. And that was 5 years ago anyway. And at that time has was the lesser partner to much more talented CB partners.

Neither Woy nor Kenny were around long enough to bring in other options so I'm not buying that anywhere.

As I've said before, Skittles' commitment to the club is beyond doubt and I'm grateful for all his efforts. But he's like a cow on ice and he is not the Rock on which any defence should be built.

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25 Jul 2015 21:58:46
User
Between Roy and Kenny was 2 full seasons. It is more than enough.

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25 Jul 2015 23:50:43
I don't think that he is useless or awful, i am just not sure he will ever succeed at the high press and i think someone else needs to be tried.i haven't seen enough of Ilori to have an opinion and i am not sold on Wisdom fully. Gomes looked great in the two games i watched down here and you can see a future but maybe not yet. Maybe start with Skirts and bleed in his replacement.

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26 Jul 2015 19:42:40
You have just been debunked again, Scouse and your pathetic reason that Rafa and the others played him more just got shredded by User's stats. Face the facts, borough Skittles is a loser and poor and the fact that BR who is useless at coaching defence plays him all the time over better cbs only shows and confirms his incompetence in thesis area.

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25 Jul 2015 09:53:22
Hi eds I know a while ago you mentioned that benteke wanted gauge teed playing time, do you know if this was agreed with him, I mean you would think so anyway but if he loses for ings is knocking them in and sturridge is fit then how do you fit him in?

Another thing I am worried about is the club's tendency to mess players about. Players you have mentioned that have been told they will play are milner, llori, gomez (or he would go out on loan) firmino will have to play, as will coutinho and Henderson. Can has been told he will have a role in midfield, benteke as I mentioned above will have to play. And then you have lucas who with all the players above most likely will not play which is unfortunate.

All this said I am really optimistic about the coming season as we always are! Once that whistle goes at Stoke I will forget all this and just hope we give them the whipping they gave us last season

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25 Jul 2015 12:09:06
One thing is for sure, Big Ben isn't coming to Liverpool to play second fiddle to Sturridge.

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25 Jul 2015 13:54:44
We have two new centre backs joining the squad this summer in illori and gomez? What more do u want? Another 20m CB on top of the deals we've already done? We have addressed the most important positions we needed such as a RB a ST and a gerrard replacement, as well as gomez for CB. Scoring goals was a bigger problem than our defending last year. We conceded 10 more than city last year and 12 more than arsenal, but scored 31 goals less than city and 19 less than arsenal. We conceded 16 less than Chelsea but scored 21 less than a team dubbed as "boring". We have already brought in clyne at right back, illori is in the squad for the first time, we bought another CB in gomez and if reports are to be believed, we may be showing interest in Digne, meaning we could potentially have four new defenders to the squad, potentially an entire new back 4, so it is unfair to say we are not addressing the issue. Mignolet was one clean sheet off golden glove for god sake. And don't forget wisdom is back and can play CB. Just because we haven't brought in a big name CB doesn't mean we haven't strengthened the defence, and its preason playing in heats and conditions the players are not used to, give them a chance. We are not made of money, we have three potential CBs who weren't in the squad last year, and to be honest we had much more important positions to address which we have done

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25 Jul 2015 15:34:49
IMO you can buy as many defenders as you want, if you don't know how to coach defence, you are wasting your time. BR is just aweful at it and until something changes, our woes will continue.

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25 Jul 2015 18:28:48
As ed2 said if sludge stays fit back end ov season done be suprised see him sold. Think ings n bentike is the way we are going forward. Congrats ed1 aswel.

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{Ed001's Note - thank you Walton.}

25 Jul 2015 10:21:44
I think agger was one of the best defenders around but he often gets injured, same with sakho.

Skrtel hardly gets injured and that probably is the reason y he is the main man. he does play 30 plus games, stay fit, make rough tackles in box still escapes, so why not skrtel.

Believable5 Unbelievable7

25 Jul 2015 10:49:45
The lad can´t communicate with his fellow defenders, he wouldn´t have to make last second tackles if he had any sense of positional awareness - I Suppose he looks like a worldbeater when he makes these tackles, and perhaps this is why BR keeps using him, but he is far from being a great defender.

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25 Jul 2015 11:02:36
Red fuzz
Thoroughly agree and I made same comments about Carra when people lauded his ability to put in a last ditch tackle.

The best defender , IMO, I have ever watched at LFC was Jockey and he was extremely adept at reading the play, stepping in and nicking the ball before having to make a tackle.

We seemed to have moved away from this "intelligent" type of defender to a type that is big, strong and will put body on line.

Huge loss - if front players have clever movement, swap positions more then the ability for a defender to read the play becomes even more important.
I would say our defenders have a distinct lack of this

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25 Jul 2015 11:53:09
Central defenders work in partnerships.
Hansen worked well with Lawro
Hyypia with Henchoz and Carra.

You can't judge defenders in isolation IMO.
Agger never fulfilled his potential IMO.

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{Ed001's Note - Agger was too busy carrying Skrtel.}

25 Jul 2015 13:02:13
Yes you can, Ron. At City, Mangala so far, is aweful and playing with Kompany won't change that until he improves his game. Varane was a beast already 17 and we did not need to see him play with Ramos at RM or Sahko with les Bleus to know that. I can keep going. Skrtel is poor regardless of who he plays with and dare I say, makes his partner worse cost he doesn't communicate, doesn't listen and lacks, anticipation, intelligence of the game and defensive awareness.

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25 Jul 2015 13:09:11
ED01, Have you ever met Agger?

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{Ed001's Note - yes mate. Why?}

25 Jul 2015 14:02:12
How is he as a person? He loves the club don't he?

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{Ed001's Note - very much so. He was very much in love with Liverpool, the city as well as the team.}

25 Jul 2015 15:53:04
Dagger standing at the gates of melwood signing autographs posing with the kids for photos spending time. Others drive out ignore the kids don't give ----!!!!!.

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25 Jul 2015 09:57:34
Its tough to see how brendan going to fit in our best players into a 3-3-4 formation.

For The top three we have benteke/firmino/coutinho and ibe who deserves a starting role. All of them should be starters. but how? And in the near future studge should be included in the mix (Not going to mention the others as i see these must be top draw for forward positions but ings deserves a shout for sure)

Obviously in midfield a pairing of henderson and milner is certain. and behind them either lucas/allen/can as well. i hope its can!

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25 Jul 2015 10:33:41
We'll play 60 odd games next season. There'll be more than enough games to go round for everyone. I expect the personnel to change depending on the opponent, injuries and player fitness. It's a good problem to have.

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25 Jul 2015 10:39:10
Was thinking this and maybe he will play no one behind Henderson and Milner. I am sure they are both disciplined enough to know when one goes forward and the other doesnt.

Then have either 3 behind Benteke say Coutinho, Ibe and Firmino or Firmino up top with Benteke.

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25 Jul 2015 11:02:04
I think we might start with the diamond with can at the base, milner and hendo either side of him, coutinho at the tip and benteke and firmino up front, with firmino playing more of a free roll

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25 Jul 2015 12:11:55
People believe playing at DM is the easiest job in football.
Henderson and Milner discipline?

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25 Jul 2015 13:04:31
EG is right. DM ain't easy an in most good teams, is the most important player on the team like Matic at Chelsea, Masch with Argentina bar Messi, Marcos Senna with Spain at the Euros, Deschamps with les Bleus an so on.

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25 Jul 2015 13:23:50
Go on the why could them two players not be disciplined? Please enlighten us with your vast knowledge.

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25 Jul 2015 14:47:40
What? Matic is more important to Chelsea than Hazzard? I would have to disagree.

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25 Jul 2015 14:14:47
Marco

Have you seen them play? Tell me what's the best attributes in Henderson?

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25 Jul 2015 15:39:22
Any coach with a brain will tell you that. Aime Jaquet, Mou, delbosque and so on all thought Deschamps, Matic, Makalele we're more important than any other player because without them being water carriers, doing the dirty and thankless work, your Hazard, Zidane, and the other flashy players won't can can't shine. In fact, Mou said that about Matic and Makalele. Is that proof enuff for you, Irish?

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25 Jul 2015 15:45:48
Yes I have seen them play and they are both hard working and can get up and down the pitch for fun and are both the type of player that will do whatever job they are asked.

But I was asking why they can not be disciplined as you stated they can not. So why can they not? So please answer my question

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25 Jul 2015 16:16:54
Marco

What exactly you mean by discipline? Neither Henderson or Milner are good reader of the game that makes them less efficient in the center of the midfield.
They run up and down making their physical presence inside both the boxes. They are hard working midfielders
Vidal is the closest of Henderson.
You play these players alongside a top class DM or DLP.

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25 Jul 2015 16:25:27
Is that right Redohio? It wasnt that long ago that "Mou" stated that Hazard was the best player in the league by a long way. Surely that should be Matic if he was that important to them?

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25 Jul 2015 17:03:36
The Irish

Chelsea had a dip in form last season mid way through and it was due Matic suspension.

There is a difference between best player and most important player.

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25 Jul 2015 17:13:45
I am on about if we do not play a dm to acomodate Ibe, Firmino and Coutinho with Benteke. So just two in the centre.
So I am on about if it is Milner and Henderson in the middle and one attacks the other stops back that's what I mean by discipline.
We do not have a world class dm

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25 Jul 2015 17:58:22
Hazard may be considered the best player but only because in today's footballing world we consider offensive players the best however the most important player is matic by a country mile. Matic is the link between the defence midfield and believe me if he gets injured Chelsea will not replace him easily and will leak goals .
Practically every team has a Dm even Barcelona free flowing football had busquets as the pivotal player.if we added hazard to our team we would look better but add matic and we would look solid.

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25 Jul 2015 18:47:53
Marco.

If you restrict Henderson and Milner in the center line to accommodate others, what's the point of buying Milner?
Y not play Lucas and Henderson and drop Milner?
Henderson and Milner are attacking midfielders they does not possess defensive attributes.

You have too many similar players in the same position except a Creative CM and a top class DM.

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25 Jul 2015 18:49:16
Agree with Morroc, we don't need hazard or Reus, But Matic ll make us title contenders.

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25 Jul 2015 18:51:40
Morrocan Red
If we added Cech to our team we would also look more solid. Matic is important but no more than a top keeper or centre half. The point being that Mourinho has never stated that he was "the most important" as some would lead you to believe but he has said that Hazard is the best player by a mile. Opinions are one thing, we all have them. Putting things over as facts are completely different.

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25 Jul 2015 09:51:12
The more I think it about it, the more I agree with what ed001 said at the time, milner is a good player, but not what we needed at all, similar to hendo and will mean can plays less. If we wanted to buy a midfielder, we needed one who offers something different, for certain matches, mainly a creative midfielder, who can tackle too.

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25 Jul 2015 10:29:00
Milner ll score goals at the expense of Can who would be on the bench. But what's the use if you concede as many as you score. Our team is not balanced.

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25 Jul 2015 10:43:46
Milner won't take us up a level but he's a solid player and getting him cheap means we had more money to spend elsewhere. He was a good piece of business.

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25 Jul 2015 12:13:45
Must
Getting him cheap? He is the highest paid player in the club history surpassing Gerrard and has backed a huge signing on fee.
One reason Wenger did not buy him.

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25 Jul 2015 13:05:39
We already had a Milner in Hendo who can score and assist so like Muscat and Fencey, I will never understand his signing.

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25 Jul 2015 15:45:17
He is not the highest played player in our history. You are just making things up now. He is played a lot though.

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25 Jul 2015 16:18:08
Jaz

I am sorry but as much as my knowledge serves right he is above What Gerrard received and Gerrard was the highest in the club baring a 6 months deal for Suarez.

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25 Jul 2015 19:35:04
Milner's reported to be on £150k a week. I'm not sure how long the contract is but let's say it's 4 years. The life of his contract will cost £31.2m.

Let's say we brought Kovacic for £20m on a 4 year deal at £80k a week. Whole life deal is £36.64m.

£5m cheaper, proven performer at top end of PL, bags of experience vs unproven potential.

Milner was a great deal.

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25 Jul 2015 20:16:32
Mus

Get a life bro, Milner is 30 years old and has 0 sell on value, Kovacic is 21 years old Verratti who in future could be sold to close to 50 mill.

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25 Jul 2015 20:17:15
Any idea how much would he have bagged on signing on fee?

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25 Jul 2015 20:48:12
Kovacic wouldn't have had a signing on fee? Kovacic might be worth £50m in the future, he might flop and be worth nothing.

Milner is proven, getting him was a great piece of business.

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26 Jul 2015 19:47:57
Proven at being a backup at City.

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25 Jul 2015 09:41:01
Skrtel!!! Why so much unwant for him? Agree lovren hasn't performed well at all and doesn't show any signs of improving! Sahko has been decent but Skrtel has been are best performing defender for last two seasons imo! Also some of the highest tackling and aerial duel stats in league over past few seasons! Skrtel and sahko should on paper anyway make for a solid central defence! Shawcross Williams or Reid would have been a better pick over Lovren! Really not sure why BR didn't bring in Williams actually! Maybe wasn't actually his choice?! I for one I'm looking forward to next season Frimino and Coutinho should be exciting at least. Of course if we start badly everyone will be crying for BR sacking. Then we could see what most people are hoping for. Klopp at the Kopp

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25 Jul 2015 10:27:27
We share the same name mate, but I couldn't disagree more with you on Skrtel. Absolutely awful defender who fails to communicate at all with the rest of our back line. If he becomes our vice captain, then Rodgers really has gone insane

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25 Jul 2015 10:30:35
Lovren was BR pick. Now he is struggling to play him.

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25 Jul 2015 11:32:54
Toddy skrtel and lovren together equals a shambles

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25 Jul 2015 13:08:58
Toddy, you post actually proves he is aweful. Why? If he was as good as you think, he would not be on top of those atrocious stats you put out. A good defender with skill, intelligence, awareness and positioning, all the things your boy lacks, should not be topping those charts.

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25 Jul 2015 13:16:23
@Harry, if he was Rodgers choice and he struggles to pick him I would consider that strong management - having the balls not to play his own expensive choice who is not performing well.

Picking him in the first place can be argued as a mistake. I expected Lovren to be a great signing and I think every transfer is a risk. I'd say the likes of signing Balotelli I would always say was a bad idea but not Lovren, he just hasn't worked out as of yet.

Continuously playing Skrtel will always baffle me.

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25 Jul 2015 13:54:04
I'm saying Skrtel Sakho is best option we have. I don't rate lovren at all just don't think Skrtel deserves as much stick as he gets! Looks like we are now stuck with the central defenders we have. Not sure what the crack is with ilori and can't see BR putting Gomez in centre with Sahko. Cylne should definitely be an improvement at RB at least as for Moreno the dury is still out on that!

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25 Jul 2015 14:20:20
Sean

The difference is Lovren was his pick and Ballo by the transfer committee. He would give more chances to Lovren than Sakho.

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25 Jul 2015 14:21:47
Toddy

BR will give countless opportunities to players he bought. Allen, Migs , Lovren.
Llori was never his choice as well Sakho and Markovic, all would be moving out.

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25 Jul 2015 15:42:43
Skrtel should have been let go and never resigned. But the Defensive Guru who at the same time thinks our defensive woes are uncoachable chose to stupidly keep him. Go figure.

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25 Jul 2015 18:15:02
Was lovren brought in to lead the defence and communicate as Martin was not up to it. Hasn't played out like that tho.
Why can't we try lovren and sakho play together? I'm sure we've tried it but I just can't recall seeing it.

Natural

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25 Jul 2015 18:51:53
The Natural

The fact is Lovren is an average defender whom we overpaid and was made looked excellent by Wanyama and Schniderlin.

We don't have that Schniderline type player with us, A playmaker who could defend.

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25 Jul 2015 20:37:44
@Harry, I'm saying it was good of Rodgers to leave Lovren on the sideline at times last season as he was playing so poorly. His pick and he had the balls not to play him when his form was very poor. Rodgers does deserve credit for that.

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26 Jul 2015 19:49:28
And if he flops, BR should be getting the blame as well.

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25 Jul 2015 09:38:15
Mng Eds and Reds

I just can't believe the fact FSG got convinced by BR buying shell load of attackers would solve all our problems.

Why do we have a TC who I believe don't watch our games at all.

Liverpool were best in while Europe when we had two outstanding midfielders in the center, Xabi-Mascherano.

Unless you don't replace the above this team will never be stable.

People who has previously slated Moreno leaving gaps behind when he commits forward, Expect Clyne to replicate it on the other side as we don't have a Wanyama

Banter pls.

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25 Jul 2015 10:41:03
EG, what I love about you is that you're convinced our transfer window is a failure before we've even played a minute of competitive football.

Lack of goals was a bigger problem than goals conceded last season so damn right we needed to spend money in attack. Our midfield is actually pretty good, I'd say only Chelsea have us outgunned there. Our defence is now our weakest area but that will have to wait to get more investment.

Let's see where we are after 5-10 league games before we judge this year's team.

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25 Jul 2015 10:55:07
We understand your frustration, but you're saying the same thing every day, maybe just wording it differently. You want a new midfielder. We're not going to get one.

I do, however, agree with you on some points. I believe there should be three in the middle of the park based on the current squad to provide a bit of balance. That leaves just three to pick from up top. If we had a different kind of central midfielder then we could play just the two and have a more dynamic attack, like four up top interchanging (4231 as everyone likes to put it.)

Just relax though, we'll see what happens during the season and knowing the posters on this page and how we remember things, we'll be the first to say you were right.

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25 Jul 2015 12:17:43
Musc

You should explain how our midfield is only second to Chelsea. Do you seriously think we will finish just behind Chelsea this season. As much as I know Their midfield won the league for them.
We are just above Spurs and par with Everton.

My frustration is a just a pout that has not been addressed in the window and will go along way deciding where we finish.

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25 Jul 2015 12:19:47
Arsenal have a better midfield than us too

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25 Jul 2015 12:20:34
The reason I wanted Kovacic, he would replace the creative spark in the middle when you bench an attacker for Milner / Can.
Wenger decided to play Carzola and coquelin in the middle to balance the creativity and stability when you bench an attacker.

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25 Jul 2015 12:22:18
Must

I did not say our window was a failure but I am making you realize our motto of the season and window is to outscore the opposition.

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25 Jul 2015 12:49:57
id really like to see BR utilise 2 up top, with the players we have it shouldn't be an issue like it was last season.

What I think we may see is a mix of different formations ie (442-4231-352-433-343) just based on what we've witnessed over the last 3 years.

It's now or never for BR so he needs to employ all the good aspects from each different system he has used whilst banishing the dross. If he can do that imo he's got a chance.

Harry, we would all like to reload the team from 07-09 and go again but sadly it's not an option. We can't just reset to last good configuration. We had to build again.

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25 Jul 2015 13:10:50
EG, out scoring the opposition does not work and we have proof of that two seasons ago when it contributed to us not winning the PL so why do it again?

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25 Jul 2015 13:11:32
EG, Hendo/Milner/Cout (or Lucas) is better than Schneider/Herrara/Schwein and City's midfield (Toure is passed his best and losing interest). Aresenal may be better but aren't streets ahead, hence only Chelsea have us outgunned.

Also I didn't say I think we'd finish second, there's more to a team than midfield.

As I've said before we prioritised what we fixed because we couldn't fix it all. Fixing attack is more important than fixing defence.

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25 Jul 2015 14:00:07
Redohio, are you insane? 2 years ago proved that scoring goals let's you compete.

You may not win the league scoring goals but you certainly won't win not scoring them.

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25 Jul 2015 14:05:53
Redohio

Our logic in buying shell load of attackers says outscore your opposition.

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25 Jul 2015 14:09:13
Must.

Neither Hendo, Milner or Countinho are holding players and have no positional discipline to be one. Don't just throw random names just because you got a lot of similar players.

Lucas or a DM / DLP is a must in a team and Countinho best position is to occupy the third attacking midfielder.

Where would Can play if Milner is assured game time and position?

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25 Jul 2015 15:52:01
Are YOU insane, musc? You post as if it is impossible to score goals and keep clean sheets yet many teams in the world get it done. And have done so for decades. Stop making pathetic excuses for our defensive woes. BR can't coach nor fix defence because he is simply not interested, period. He has spent near 80m on CBs yet doesn't know who his best pair is. What does that tell you? It says that he is clueless at it and has no idea what to do. The fact that he said our woes are uncoachable tell you that he is out of his depth in this area. you'll never be right here because the facts don't support your opinion and I am posting facts here. Out scoring the opponent is just a bandaid on a wound that will get worse instead of giving it full treatment and getting the tactics and defensive systems right. That is the main issue. Finally, you don't need to out score the opponent to compete because Utd proved that, last season by being hard to score on.

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25 Jul 2015 17:09:19
Agree with Red there. Our window should have prioritized on all fronts.

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25 Jul 2015 08:29:54
Eds Lots of talk about our best 2 CB's Skrtel and Lovren, Skrtel and Sakho etc etc but after watching Joe Gomez play out of position LB in a couple of pre season games in which he was totally unflappable, great turn of pace, reads the game well can you see him given a chance to play as a CB? I know people always talk about age for CB's but to me if your good enough your old enough!

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{Ed001's Note - I hope so but Rodgers tends to prefer experience at the back.}

25 Jul 2015 09:46:45
Lol Ed, Brendan's preferred experience at the back has worked wonders for him!

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25 Jul 2015 15:52:32
Experience at being poor, more like it.

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25 Jul 2015 08:28:02
Jordan Ibe chant

To the tune of Poison ivy

"Jordan Ibe heeeeeeeeee
Jordan Ibe heeeeeeeee
Will ghost right past ya, because he's must faster than yooooooooooooou"

Believable2 Unbelievable4

25 Jul 2015 07:49:28
Is it just me or firmino looks like Miley Cyrus lol

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25 Jul 2015 08:39:06
Ha. I think markovic has a look of Rodger federer when he was younger!

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25 Jul 2015 09:46:47
87
Spot on

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25 Jul 2015 07:28:49
Looking forward to the new season :)

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25 Jul 2015 18:25:06
Inspiring

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25 Jul 2015 07:14:06
In this debate what was our main problem last year defence or our forward game, I am strongly with the latter. First, you have the statistics. Compared to the top4 we conceded 10-16 goals more (less if you take out the six against Stoke which wasn't typical) but scored 10-31 goals less (31 less than city, 20 less than chelsea, 19 less than Arseanl). In 14 league games, a third, we did not concede at all.

Second, even you do say our defence was not great, for me the main problem were not the back 4 but how easily and how often teams run through our midfeild and how often they were near our box. In chelsea, because they are so dominant in midfield, teams get much less near the box (and yes aI agree their back 4 and GK are also better than ours but een them would have conceded more had they have so much attacks near the box).

Also my own impresson of watching the matches, I never thought our defending was shocking but it was really hard to watch us going forward. So wastefull, so many times not knowing what to do with the balls. Our first halfs last year were particulalry awful which also contributed to us concede more. When you concede first you have to take mroe risks defensively in order to come back, this doesn't help. If Benteke and Inges together score 15-20 goals more than our forwards last year I am happy with us conceeding as many.

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25 Jul 2015 07:31:02
We have a very ordinary midfield pair in Lucas - Allen / Henderson. Don't shoot me but that's a fact. They are neither hard tacklers or creative enough to get the game moving.
Teams by pass our midfield very easily and reach our 6 yard box ( goal against Brisbane ) is a typical example.
Adding as many attackers and strikers would never make the team balanced.
We need a creative CM like Carzola and a string DM to challenge for the title. Till then it's a long hard battle for the fourth spot.

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25 Jul 2015 07:48:56
I fully agree with this European Glory. The gap betwent he quality of our midfielders and those of the other top teams is higher than the gap between our defenders and the others defenders or our forwards and theirs.

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25 Jul 2015 08:07:56
I'll agree from last year where we played Gerard at DM and Allen in midfield, but this year with Milner, Coutinho and Hendo available (who I do think is as good as anyone) and Lucas, Can, Llalana also in the wings if required, we'll be very competitive with the top 4. Only arguable slight weakness would be at DM where Schneiderlin, Matic, Toure are arguably marginally stronger than Lucas.

Around the rest of the pitch our forwards are competitive now IMO with Benteke and Ings on board to backup Sturridge. Our FB's are just about good enough now with Clyne on board and hopefully Moreno improves with more time in the PL under his belt.

The areas that still really worry me however are
1) We clearly don't have a solid partnership formed at CB yet - when are we going to give up on Lovren/Skrtel playing together? Give me Skrtel/Sakho, or Lovren/Sakho, or just play Illori instead.anything but Skrtel/Lovren and I'll be happier
2) if BR tries to play Allen regularly this season, I think we'll be in trouble. I like the guy but he's not solid enough for DM, or dangerous enough going forward to justify being a top 4 starter IMO

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25 Jul 2015 08:11:42
Think quality is a bit harsh as have some really good midfield players, personally think Henderson is a top player and same with Lucas (when fit) - Milner looks good and even my Everton mates think Can looks quality.

Problem is Can, Milner, and Henderson seem suited to the box to box role and besides Lucas don't have a DM. Not as current as I'd like but remember eds saying Lucas may go and seeing the money paid Milner and Henderson may be our midfield, worry that both are very similar and we could have benefited massively by buying a DM to cover the back four. Attack wise we have an abundance of talent and personally think we have some good defenders (think sakho and toure/ilori should be tried) but midfield is a bit unbalanced.

Worries me as we do have some good midfield players but not sure how it can all fit together, and in fairness midfield links defence and attack so if that fails - it's game over man!

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25 Jul 2015 08:49:28
It's the defence without question, look how many goals Suarez and Sturridge scored and we still couldn't win the league, why? Because the defence and keeper weren't good enough, and the nucleus of that defence are still in the side so why people still think we will do well next season baffles me, hope we do but I'm fearing the worst.

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25 Jul 2015 09:17:51
To all above

We have quite a lot midfield players name who are very much similar. None are creative typical CM.

Lucas is slow, he would never reach the danger coming into him quickly leading to concede free kicks and then goal.

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25 Jul 2015 09:52:35
Waro

You are wrong there mate, majority of the goals conceded were lack of a strong tackler in the midfield which Gerrard is not. But Gerrard was one reason we scored 100 goals. He was sublime in picking up players perfect in fast counter attacking set up.

If your midfield is good enough the ball would not reach the back 4.

Terry is 36 year old and cannot run while Cahill is a very ordinary player. Their full backs doesn't cross the half line either. So who saves their life?

Matic doesn't allow someone to reach them.

This club at some pint in future will recognize the important of such player and would buy one, till then we ll concede even if you play Varane or Thiago silva.

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25 Jul 2015 10:04:49
Henderson not a hard tackler? Not creative? One of the best midfielders in those areas in the prem. We have enough creativity in front of him anyway.

Lucas may not be quick but positionally he is fantastic. Those free kicks he concedes break down play and most likely save us 5+ goals a season.

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25 Jul 2015 11:03:35
Matic doesn't stop everything as you think EG. The Chelsea defenders and the keeper stopped more goals being conceded than one player. The idea of thinking that one player solves everything is nonsense. It is a team game afterall.

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25 Jul 2015 12:11:47
You are deluded if you think Matic makes all the difference in the world for Chelsea. They are setup that way to be defensive, and Matic helps.

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25 Jul 2015 13:16:06
Ag
So who do you think would help our set up. Our full backs will bomb up ( we bought offensive full backs ) that leace gaps behind them and would pull skrtel / Lovren out from their position.

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25 Jul 2015 15:56:51
EG makes a good point. Southampton won't be as good if Wanyama and Morgan weren't there to cover the fullbacks bombing forward and protecting the CBs which made Lovren and Fonte look good even tho Fonte is more than competent. That is a simple illustration of EGs point.

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25 Jul 2015 17:44:30
Skrtel does need "pulling" out of position, he has an inate ability to do that naturally. It must work though as Brendan let's it carry on, and on, and.

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25 Jul 2015 18:27:40
Spot on zimbo, couldn't agree more!

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25 Jul 2015 03:36:47
I think we should not slate out defense, whole att mid and centre mid were playing with out purpose, when you lose posession regularly you are prone to be attacked.

We were very close to top 4. but there was not any striker scoring 10+ or even 5+.

No team is going to win without strikers playing their role. I don't believe our defence is going to make us win, let's hope we score 70-80 goals, which should keep us in contention for top 4.

Hopefully, coutinho and firmino gets into double figures, same with ben. i am sure hendo, lallana and milner will chip in with some goals.

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25 Jul 2015 04:28:09
Ridiculous. This is the sort of attitude why LFC's defense has been at a Sunday league level. Under Brendan Rodgers, LFC's has conceded 187 goals in 155 games.

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25 Jul 2015 05:08:24
We have spend all our money improving the attack. There is not a penny left to do any kind of business. We would concede close to 50 this season, with a the new coaching set up, all we could hope to out score.

There are too many poor players and that's a hard truth.

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25 Jul 2015 08:11:11
The biggest issue is BR hasn't yet clicked we need to play with a true DM like the other top 4 sides Chelsea (matic), Man Utd (Carrick), Man City (Yaya) or Arsenal (Coquelin). We need that cover to give our attacking midfielders cover if we lose possession.

Debatable if related or not but the other big issue is failure for Skrtel and Lovren to click as a pair. yet again BR insists on playing them together.

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{Ed001's Note - Yaya is not a dm.}

25 Jul 2015 09:20:36
It's not a fact EG it is merely your opinion

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25 Jul 2015 09:20:57
All above teams have top class CM players to play alongside their respective DM. We should have signed Kovacic and should be our first priority.

UTD ll look a world better with Schnider alongside Carrick.

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25 Jul 2015 15:58:41
BR can't coach defence, period.

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24 Jul 2015 23:59:02
We've been so poor defensively for the past 3 seasons, the one mainstay throughout that time has been Skrtel. Why hasn't Rodgers figured out that he may be the issue? More fantastically how has no one else in the coaching staff detected this? Has Skrtel kidnapped Rodgers' family or something? How is he still getting a game? We're on the verge of losing the club's best CB in favour of playing Skrtel. Just let that sink in.

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25 Jul 2015 01:22:22
None of our defenders are great to be honest

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25 Jul 2015 00:37:25
It's because we're playing lovren

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25 Jul 2015 03:27:38
I really do not see us finishing in the top6 let alone the top4 with Skrtel and Lovren as our first choice CB pairing. Giving Skrtel a new contract was a blunder on Brendan's part and Lovren seems to be getting worse with each passing game. Cannot believe the entire coaching staff is so oblivious to the fact that Sakho is the best CB we got and the club has treated him shabbily. While Brendan is is charge, the club will not break into the top4 and i will continue to keep my fingers crossed that he gets booted out ASAP and we finally appoint a competent manager who know how to spell DEFENSE.

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25 Jul 2015 05:10:43
You guys are delude if you think everything will be fine if you drop skrtel. He was dropped for Sakho - Lovren and was equally a disaster.

The last two goals we conceded had nothing to do with skrtel.

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25 Jul 2015 06:14:00
try sakho ilori/gomez eg.

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25 Jul 2015 07:24:34
It needs consistency, dropping skrtl for a game here and there isn't going to solve anything. Whatever the back 4 are they need a run of at least 8-10 games in a row to build an undertstanding. Last season we were changing formations and shoehorning players into defensive roles- hardly a surprise they didn't know what each other was doing.

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25 Jul 2015 07:32:20
Kaizer

By now we should have had a strong CB pair and we are still trying with different people.
Hopeless if you ask me.

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25 Jul 2015 09:10:29
Sakho and Skrtel will be quality this season, I have always rated Skrtel and think he brings alot, I certainly wouldn't offload him anytime soon, he's probably the best we have. Sakho will make a name for himself more this season.

Not too sure about Lovren, he could turn out decent and hope he does, he certainly has the potential but I think we need some better back up.

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25 Jul 2015 10:03:35
Skrtel is a poor defender and the only reason he gets picked all others are poorer than him. BR lost the plot with the signing of Lovren whom he wanted to pair with Skrtel, in reality Lovren has been hopeless till now he has no choice other than Skrtel to partner Sakho.

Things might change this season.

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25 Jul 2015 13:22:46
I'd rather Sakho-Toure than Lovren-Skrtel.

Sakho and give Ilori a try would be my first preference though.

It's a pity Lovren hasn't settled and hasn't looked comfortable at Right CB when he has played there. Then again he hasn't looked comfortable anywhere.

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25 Jul 2015 16:04:28
BR wanted and maybe still wants Sahko gone which is why he bought Lovren to replace him, per Ed01 last season. The fact that BR has been here four going FOUR years yet doesn't know who his best CB pair is and is trying to sell our most competent CB tells you all you need to know about BR's blatant incompetence on this issue. He kept Skrtel, bought Lovren to replace Sakho, who he has always want(ed) rid of and wants Lucas gone so as to play Allen as DM. Common denominator here? BR!

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24 Jul 2015 23:53:30
I have to laugh over these a Origi comments - "great movement but he needs to work on his finishing"', "blah blah blah but he needs to work on his finishing", "puff pant puff but he needs to work on his finishing". Correct me if I'm wrong lads, but a centre forwards bought to finish, that's his job. Borini moves but he couldn't finish his dinner. Mark my words, Origis no different to David Ngog so don't pin your hopes on the lad,

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25 Jul 2015 00:50:03
Errr, I am not all too impressed with Origi myself, but comparing him with Ngog is below the belt!
From what I've seen, the lad actually has a good finish when he puts some thought into it (which still isn't too often), it's his movement I find problematic - he simply doesn't seem to position rightly, missing good crosses and passes from the midfield.
There is a lot of energy and power in him, he needs to add tactical awareness and, most importantly, proper decision-making.

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25 Jul 2015 00:17:32
Yeah what an piece of garbage. Almost twenty and not yet world class. No business at our fine trophy winning club.

Give the kid some friggen time. He has just moved to a massive club and is desperate to impress because he knows if he doesn't fans like you will jump down his throat.

Will Origi be good for us? I honestly don't know but I think he has the potential to be an exceptional player. The only way he can become that player is if we don't kick his ass to the curb before he has ever played a competitive game.

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25 Jul 2015 00:32:45
Origi has potential although most of his attributes are currently physical he can work on the other aspects. You're right forwards a generally judged on goals which atm he doesn't look like he's capable of bringing but he can work on it and it's generally expected that things like finishing and positioning get better with age and composure if these things come which I'm beginning to doubt purely based on the fact he doesn't seem to of improved at all since the World Cup in which every 10 chances of so he'd score a goal, he'd run fast, he'd be a physical presence with average feet. He's still that player that's what worries me a little. Borini technically is a huge upgrade on origi currently and is probably a better finisher. Origi can still come good we've only seen him in preseason friendlies remember I would imagine he will score 5-7 goals this season in cup games mainly but with ings benteke and sturridge all scoring 15+ in all comps lallana 10 coutinho 7 hendo 9 (pens inc) Milner 5 firmino 10 ibe 5. I think we can expect to score around 100 goals in all competitions next season. Obviously most of that is complete nonsense and guess work

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25 Jul 2015 04:29:40
I think it is very clear that Origi will need a lot of work done on him to be a PL regular. I foresee a season on the bench for him.

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25 Jul 2015 05:13:30
Brendan Rodgers will regret using Origi and world class in the same line : ed02
Top draw mate. bang on.

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25 Jul 2015 06:57:09
He's still a kid, how many are world class at his age? He has played zero competitive minutes for us, give him some time for gods sake

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25 Jul 2015 09:14:48
I agree but who knows he could make it in a season or 2, he could surprise us all this season but can't see it happening, I'd be loaning him out to preferably a premier league club, get him some experience in the league, he's not used to the league and he is far from the level of what we expect up front

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25 Jul 2015 10:00:13
Totally agree with fencey. How about stop dragging him off. You have seen him in 3 preseason games? Maybe some world cup games. Let him get up to speed before judging him

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25 Jul 2015 16:07:58
Waro, your post is shameful. We all knew the boy is still raw and needs a lot of good coaching. He isn't world class and BR saying it doesn't make it so. He needs some work and many realize that. Slagging him off after four preseason games is a poor excuse for an appraisal of his future development. You should know better than that.

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24 Jul 2015 23:25:14
Lots of you dissing our defence - well you're right they're arse and have been for a while. We can't expect massive change without changing the CB personnel or manager. Looking forward to a season of awesome attack and shocking defending - Not forgetting dependable Migs. Still fancy us for top 4 though.

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25 Jul 2015 01:52:36
I fancy us for 5th. 4th if the team gels, benteke scores for fun and the new coaches organise the defence though.

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25 Jul 2015 05:14:31
We need a stable midfield. The ball shouldn't reach out backline unless they are hoofed up top.

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