Liverpool Banter Archive February 07 2017

 

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07 Feb 2017
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Believable3 Unbelievable0

07 Feb 2017 18:03:05
Ed001,
I read in a few places the arguments of go out and spend loads and get anyone to fix the gaps or wait and find the right player for the team and Klopp style (I think you're in this group looking at replies below) .
My question for you is do you believe he will find the right players when you look at his purchases here and when he was in Germany?
Thanks mate, the site seems to be really heating up lately so you must be flat to the mat.

Believable0 Unbelievable0

{Ed001's Note - I trust Klopp and his team, it is our scouting dept that I do not trust. So I am not sure they will present him with the right players to choose. He had a good team helping with recruitment in Germany, I am not sure that he has the same at Liverpool.}

07 Feb 2017 18:43:26
Ed001, I reckon we had one of our best summers, the one which just passed in a very long time. We got rid of loads of players who were never going to take this club anywhere and added players who present more value. I have nothing against Joe Allen, I would rather have Wijnaldum in the team, all we need him to do is get his arse into the box!

Pretty sure Klopp would have recommended Matip, especially with him coming from the Bundesliga? Who knows.

What I am thankful for is that Klopp did not go bananas in the January window when he made it clear that the players he was after were not available and in return did not waste squad space and funds on players who would have likely been fit for the bench. We do not need players who are happy to sit back and collect their pay.

Think there is more direction with Klopp at the helm when it comes to Klopp having the final say. He has made use of all the players he has signed this season except for Grujic who unfortunately has been injured.

Luckily we did not see signings like Markovic at a ridiculous fee and with no intention to see the player succeed which has lead to complete failure for the club and the player.

We need to finally start getting things right in the transfer market otherwise there will eventually be no way back for LFC.


{Ed001's Note - I agree.}

07 Feb 2017 19:18:51
Ed would you ever think that JK could change the scouting set up? Yes I understand that there all ready has been a shake up.


{Ed001's Note - it will have to be changed and I am sure he will see that. So yes, I expect him to change it.}

07 Feb 2017 20:10:03
Eds1 your posts give me confidence.


{Ed002's Note - Are you sure it is not wind?}

07 Feb 2017 21:43:25
You would think if FSG want to follow the model of buying young players who we can add value to, it would make sense to hire the best recruitment team available. Who can recommend these young players or players in lower leagues who are not well known (Kante for example) .
However, if they did get such a system in place no doubt there would be criticism that we are buying unknown players instead of superstars and wouldn't give them a chance to prove themselves. I guess for every Kante and Mahrez there's a Biscan and Cheyrou.


{Ed002's Note - This is truly not how it works.}

07 Feb 2017 23:02:40
Well said Max, I think last summer was one of our best summers in many Seasons in terms of bringing in quality that actually fit the side. Hopefully this one will be as effective and we only need 3-4 top signings to make a big difference. Quite a few players were given the chance to prove themselves but dropped the ball badly and/ or have come to the end of the road IMO (Moreno, Migs, Sturridge, Lucas and possibly even Lovren, Can and Stewart) . That should hopefully some transfer fees to bring in fresh players, as well as space for youngsters to step up.

I trust Klopp to have figured out what he's missing given it's been glaringly obvious we've struggled with Migs, Sturridge, Lovren, Moreno, Can and then when Hendo, Coutinho, Matip and Mane were out injured in particular.


08 Feb 2017 08:31:46
Worst thing we did last summer was fail to sign a proven top quality keeper. It's fairly obvious that part of our problem in defence is that no-one has confidence in our current keepers be that down to them being rubbish (Mignolet) or inexperienced (Karius) .

It's OK Mignolet being the hero and saving the occasional penalty but his pish poor effort for the 1st goal on Saturday is his default setting and has been for the past 3 seasons.

Karius may come good - I hope he does - but we needed experience in summer not potential.

Bad decisions yet again by someone at the club.


{Ed002's Note - Klopp got the goalkeepert he wanted in the summer.}

08 Feb 2017 09:18:58
Bandit, FSG don't practise that system nor do they indulge in the Moneyball nonsense as that has been debunked by the Eds many times so repeating the same thing, doesn't make it true.

Now regarding the OP's post, Klopp said in an interview with Jaime Redknapp at Christmas, "Managing a club is already difficult. Now if you do what everyone wants you to do then it becomes impossible and you have no chance". This sums up Klopp's ethos regarding transfers and I fully support him in this.

LFC of all clubs, know what it is like to panic buy and live to pay the price so no need to delve into any of that. Many just want us to sign someone, anyone regardless of how he will help the team, if he has the technical, physical and mental attributes, his eagerness to work hard for the shirt etc. Then when the player signed to appease the fans, starts struggling, he will get the blame for not waiting till the summer if he found no value in Jan. See how the hindsight geniuses are never wrong?

Klopp has shown that if he wants a player, he will do all in his power and FSG will provide the funds to get him. When he wanted Mane and he would be worth 34m, many like me said he wasn't worth it.

Mane's deal was done in 10 days. Also, those moaning have conveniently forgotten that Klopp last Jan, went after Alex Texeira like crazy and only walked away after Donetsk refused to budge on the price. Moral of the story? If Klopp thinks there is a player that can improve us, he will do all he can to get him in winter or summer but the moaners just don't get it.

I agree that we need the right players to improve us and I trust Klopp to do that as he has brought in Mane and Matip who have improved us BUT our scouting needs to improve and massively if we will be getting rough diamlonds like Ngolo Kante, who LC got when people didn't even know who he was or where he was from prior to.


08 Feb 2017 10:04:06
Problem with scouts network is they are like leeches that stayed too long, removing them will take effort and pain. They are like good old servants who ain't contributing but knows important people in club.


08 Feb 2017 13:21:14
I get that Ed002 but wouldn't a better scouting team have said "Ok, he's one for the future - great - but we think you need one for right now as well"


{Ed002's Note - Karius is not "one for the future" - he is Liverpool's first choice goalkeeper.}

07 Feb 2017 14:41:50
Ryan Sessegnon Fulham 16 year old left back eds? Any interest from us? Think he has 16 apps for fulham and 4 goals and 2 assists this season?

Believable0 Unbelievable1

{Ed002's Note - Lots of people are interested but he is still a child and not any sort of solution for the first team.

07 Feb 2017 17:06:47
Juanma is older and more experienced already at Barcelona and with the U23's and the staff think he's the real deal, like TAA. Why not use him?


07 Feb 2017 17:48:20
Juanma is not ready; he has missed a lot of games through injury and is currently once again out injured. I don't get where he is ready from?

He has only played 5 games for the U23s this season, and only 2 of them were starts. He is nowhere near ready.


07 Feb 2017 17:53:30
There's a good question for the manager, why not try Juanma if every says he's so good. He's 20 years old so old enough to be on the bench and given some time especially if he's seen as our future fullback. Why not start integrating him into the team know so he's some experience for the start of next season.


07 Feb 2017 19:21:03
The only person who says he's good ed001 who's been told by a coach or two perhaps. I've seen him play once or twice and didn't see anything special. Klopp says although he picks milner Moreno is very good in training and he's one of the best trainers so it would be a huge let down for him if he was overlooked for a player who's been here 6 months and played a handful of u23 game and had lots of injuries. Personally I think it's unfair on him the club and klopp to say juanma is ready now. Obviously nobody will know until he plays but I'd like to make an informed decision rather than just pushing any kid who plays that position in the academy.


{Ed001's Note - Michael Beale also made it very plain publicly on leaving that Juanma was excellent and he thought he was on the verge of the first team picture. Since then he got injured, so it is moot now anyway.}

07 Feb 2017 17:59:05
You think Juanma will get a chance this season Ed? Or do you know if Klopp rates him?


{Ed002's Note - I rarger doubt it but have no idea if Klopp is looking to him.}

07 Feb 2017 21:24:02
Again I'm not trying to go up against you 001 but he's not likely to come out and slate him etc he's trying to keep the lads mindset positive while he's recovering perhaps? I don't know I'm just speculating I just think this is slightly unfair to be pushing him at the moment.


07 Feb 2017 21:29:05
If we looking at him it could make the Juanma to the 1st team. I know it's a lot of money and we look at the kid from lesicester last year .


07 Feb 2017 22:30:49
Put Juanma in the first team then treat him like Karius when the inevitable mistakes occur. Far too many "supporters" don't have the first idea of how a club works and think that being a supporter means getting on player's backs for the slightest mistake. And half these "supporters" can't even spell the player's names when they slag them off! But they can't tolerate anyone else's mistakes.


07 Feb 2017 23:06:53
Moreno is too one-footed for me, cannot cut inside at all except for passing it back to our CBs which means he's easy to defend against and can't take on players one on one. Likewise his crosses aren't precise enough to be reliably dangerous. Given attack is supposed to be his strong suit, those are two glaring weaknesses.


07 Feb 2017 21:24:02
Again I'm not trying to go up against you 001 but he's not likely to come out and slate him etc he's trying to keep the lads mindset positive while he's recovering perhaps? I don't know I'm just speculating I just think this is slightly unfair to be pushing him at the moment.


{Ed001's Note - Beale had left at the time. He had no reason to big him up if he didn't really rate him.}

08 Feb 2017 08:43:33
Another player being over rated and over hyped here. More pressure on the kid then.


08 Feb 2017 09:20:57
Spot on, Flash. What's the point of putting him, Karius or any other young player in the first team anyway? The moaners will chew him up as soon as Gary Neville criticizes him.


08 Feb 2017 14:00:45
I don't really understand people saying don't put him in its too much pressure. The only reason these kids are in liv youth academy is coz they desperately want a chance in the first team. If Juanma is decent give him a few chances to get a taste of first team footy.


07 Feb 2017 11:31:46
Hi ed001, love your work

You mentioned that the team has a very bad attitude problem which rears its ugly head when they play the 'lesser' teams. Which players do you believe are the biggest culprits? You mentioned Mane and Wijnaldum of having some history with it, but Mane has been absent for virtually the entire form crisis, while Wijnaldum didn't even get a minute against Hull.

You also mentioned that Liverpool have actually not been found out, they just haven't brought their real attacking game recently, indicated by the lack of tempo and movement around the opponents' 18 yard box. This may well be an attitude problem, but couldn't it be a bit of a Klopp problem too? Because I believe Emre Can's presence has a lot to do with it. He's been tasked with pulling attacking strings from midfield, yet he is slower and a sloth and has brought absolutely no tempo, yet for some reason Klopp persists with him. When we had the trio of Lallana, Hendo and Gini, the midfield far more zippier, and consequently the team was far zippier.

Believable0 Unbelievable1

{Ed001's Note - yet Can was fine when we were on a good run, it is not one player, it is the group as a whole. We have really just two players who have shown a consistently good work ethic and desire to win in Firmino and Henderson. We have lots of players who work hard, but there is a difference between working hard like Lallana and that driving will to win that someone like Kante possesses. It is that we lack, so we are sloppy, less focused until it is a big game in front of the TV cameras and the crowd are driving the players on.}

07 Feb 2017 12:52:59
Can was fine when we were on a good run because he was on the bench, wasn't he? Look, he's okay when teams don't park the bus and afford us space, but when they do park the bus, he is ineffective.

I do love the attitude of Firmino and Henderson, but even if we had a team of Hendersons or Firminos, do you reckon it still lacks a dominant galvanising personality? The kind of player with absolute confidence in his ability, and the confidence to berate his team mates when highest possible standards are not being met. A player who doesn't rely on motivation that is quite frankly not always there. You know, someone like Carra, Drogba, Terry, Keane, Vieira, C. Ronaldo, etc. Because even if you have eleven players on the pitch with the perfect attitude just not performing on the day, that galvanising personality can bark at them and help them find that extra gear. We don't have anyone like that. We don't have anyone that gets really angry when things aren't going the way they should be. It seems to me that this team relies way too much on motivation, predominately being either a big match or the crowd. This is why they get unstuck, because that kind of motivation isn't always there.

I agree about Lallana, he works hard, but sometimes without the sight of what is actually supposed to be achieved.


07 Feb 2017 13:05:49
Someone like Steven Gerrard, His ability to score from anywhere. We do lack his excellent set piece delivery, His sublime free kicks and how about his long rangers. We lack that quality midfielder.


07 Feb 2017 14:04:54
Have to disagree Harry. Midfield is just about the only place we don't lack quality. Henderson is excellent, Wijnaldum is very under rated, Stewart is a great little back up, Chirivella is a top talent, Lallana has done great moments, Mane is arguable our best player, Coutinho is a genius at times, Lucas is Mr reliable, Wilson and Woodburn have vast potential, Grukic has barely had a sniff, Can is not a bad option for more physical games. I fail to see how we lack quality in midfield. I think we perhaps lack pace in the wide areas. Hopefully we pursue Brandt and rectify that.

For me though, we lack a goal scorer, and then decent defenders. Origi is young, Firmino would be better just off a striker and Ings and Sturridge are injury prone and will likely be sold. Mariano has been touted on here.

When you look at the defence, we lack decent full backs on either side which hurts is in terms of stretching the play into wider areas. Aside from Matip, we have no top centre backs. And the goalkeeper situation doesn't need explaining!

Midfielders? Not for me. I think we have enough in the squad that Klopp should be able to find an internal solution. Every year we seem to sign midfielders and every year it is at the expense of us actually solving our glaring issues. We have never replaced Suarez, Riise, Finnan, Carragher or Reina.

We have signed Hendo, Coutinho, Lallana, Can, Wijnaldum and Grujic for midfield in the last 5 years. When does it end? We need to address the problem positions and stop stockpiling midfielders. The only change i would make is to replace Can for a pacey wide man.


07 Feb 2017 14:54:33
Look, last summer, most agreed we needed a top goalie, we signed a midfielder, most agreed we needed a left back, we signed a midfielder,
we are still leaking goals, goals that a top side should not be conceding, some of the goalkeeping this season, ha also last season has been soo bad, we don't deserve top four, Klopp is thinking long term, we want a top team right now,
its so obvious that the squad is too thin, that we have too many average players in the team, come on Klopp, wake up .


{Ed001's Note - I would rather Klopp kept thinking long term, rather than bought short term fixes. That was the mistake Rafa made, just bringing in someone to fill in gaps, rather than waiting for the right player to become available. We tried to sign a left back, we were unable to complete the deal, so Klopp made do with what we have. He managed his resources, like he is paid to do. To me that is a good thing.}

07 Feb 2017 15:19:00
Mk what planet do you live on? Midfield is the only place we don't lack quality. We have zero creativity in our midfield hence how we never break teams down. Teams also take a leisurely stroll though our midfield on the break and score.


07 Feb 2017 15:22:53
Yes ed, but while he is managing his resources and we are winning nothing, the likes of Coutinho and Firmino will have had enough and want away. So in a few years time we will still be saying he is managing his resources, because we won't have CL football.


{Ed001's Note - so you would rather we went bankrupt chasing the dream? Or just buy any old left back when the ones that improve the team and fit the way we want to play are not available? That is exactly why we are where we are, because we just bought any old crap (such as your namesake) to fill a hole, rather than only bought the right players.}

07 Feb 2017 15:24:01
think MK was not thinking when he said about that midfield. Seriously .


07 Feb 2017 15:45:24
If Chelsea needed a goalkeeper or left back, they would go out and get the best, no wonder they are top of the premiership, and were struggling for top six, we need to look at the bigger picture, and not just think about the next transfer window, meanwhile, the whole squad is very low on confidence, and can only get it going for the Big games, something is very wrong, sort it Klopp .


07 Feb 2017 15:52:30
How can anyone in their right mind say we lack creativity? We create more chances than any other team in the league. If it is creativity we lack than that would suggest we replace Coutinho, Firmino and Mane! What we lack is a goal scorer. Somebody to get into the right areas and knock a goal in games we are not on song. We had 22 shots against Hull. We get into the right areas but nobody makes that decisive run to get into a goal scoring position!

Our midfield dominates every game as well. Sorry but people are barking up the wrong tree and if you all stopped for long enough to think about it, you would realise it! Lacks creativity?! Our team has loads of creators. What we lack is a guy who will score 15-20 goals a season!


07 Feb 2017 15:58:11
When Chelsea needed a goalkeeper of a left back they would go out and get the best? When they needed a goalkeeper they went out, got Courtois and let him grow and mature. They then slowly introduced him into the first XI and even when during the second half of last season when he looked bang average coming back from injury they kept the faith.

And when they needed a LB they went out and got Alonso. Not an awful player but hardly the best and the FB positions despite the investment are still the most obvious weaknesses in the side.

You literally have no idea of the topic you're talking about. You're just frustrated and want action. But sometimes inaction is the best long term action.


07 Feb 2017 16:14:11
And as for people strolling through, that is nonsense. We concede less shots per game than any other side because the midfield is so good and cutting out opposition attacks. The issue is on the rare occasion a team does get out, our defence crumbles due to a lack of composite under pressure or someone dives in and gets left in no mans land etc. And then when they go past the defenders, we don't have a keeper we can rely on to dig us out every so often.

People are just frustrated at our form and throwing mud at anything it will stick to! The midfield is absolutely fine. If we sign a midfielder, who gets benched? £25m Gini still in his first season? £16m captain Hendo? £28m (arguably) player of the season so far Lallana?

It is whining nonsense. We already have a plethora of young talent waiting in the wings. Chirivella, Stewart, Grujic and Ejaria are highly rated. Brannagan and Virtue are valued highly. Wilson, Woodburn and Arnold can also play as attacking midfielders.

Sorry, but I will happily swim against the tide here because you are all talking bull.


{Ed025's Note - this plethora of young talent you allude to have done nothing to make me believe they are anything better than mediocre MK, TAA has done fairly well and i suppose ojo shows some promise but the rest need to step up markedly for them to be classed as great prospects mate..

07 Feb 2017 16:42:38
I think we lack someone big in the middle like carvallo or a matic.


07 Feb 2017 17:08:51
Nah MK, I'm sorry but it is you that is talking complete bull if you think that midfield has enough quality to take us forward. The only genuine central midfielder that is anywhere near good enough for me is Henderson. Lucas, is a decent squad player but his days of being an underrated force in midfield are over and he will never get a run of games under Klopp so he is on his way out. Everyone knows the insufficiencies of Can, they are very clear now and it is obvious he shouldn't be a regular first team player at this moment in time. For me Can is only useful against certain opposition. As for grujic, there's an obvious issue there, I'm not sure what it is but he is completely out of favour even when fit, I assume he'll probably go out on loan or something. Stewart, is simply not good enough, I'd rather that squad player be someone like Can instead of Stewart, he's a decent young player but he won't cut it at Liverpool, I think the best move for him would be a move to one of the newly promoted sides next summer. Some of the other ones you listed have done nothing to suggest they are ready for the first team yet so they shouldn't be in the way of an impending signing that may add real quality in midfield. In an ideal world you would like to say well we don't need to sign anyone in midfield because we have chiravella or ejaria coming through but it isn't the case. They will get the odd chances here and there but holding back a signing that might fix this area, no not for me, we will never compete that way. It's unfortunante but it's football.

If you consider lallana and wijnaldum genuine central midfielders, then you have a problem understanding midfield. It's the system we play that allows these two to play more centrally but let's face it, the one doing the midfielders work in midfield is Henderson. Lallana and wijnaldum apply pressure high up the field and sometimes track back but with no real defensive quality, there job is to create and add fluidity from midfield, which wijnaldum doesn't do often enough. So if we are talking about a midfield three, I would say the area that needs improving is either the CDM role where hendo plays which then pushes hendo forward alongside lallana, or where wijnaldum plays, someone with more central midfield quality, someone that can play box to box and can contribute both ways effectively playing alongside hendo and lallana. That's an improvement on the first 11 we need to make, midfield is a very weak area. In terms of personnel I think it might be the weakest. It will cost but I believe we need to make quality over quantity signings this summer for the first time in ages. That might mean a decent spent on certain areas that need fixing in the first team. For me these areas are LB, CB, CM and forward of some sort maybe a winger or striker depending on who leaves and possibly a goalkeeper depending on if Mignolet leaves. That's 4-5 players, I hope we keep it simple.


07 Feb 2017 17:17:32
we are out of top four cos other teams are getting better results right now, we were right behind Chelsea only a short time ago, they look really strong now, and have so many great players, we really need a to buy and sell this next transfer window, I only hope Klopp gets in the right players, we seem a million miles away from winning the premiership right now . but I can see us getting our act together soon, but only when the players have recovered, all the high pressing has taken its toll on a paper thin squad, if only Klopp had brought in one or two players in January, a blind man could see that once Mane was gone, and the players missing, points would be hard to find, top four seems gone, top six, well maybe .


07 Feb 2017 17:23:10
I love Ed's first response. If you wanna single out Can, then I can single out Studge, Origi, Lovren, Migs and the lot. That is too easy. Our whole team is struggling right now and it is down to attitude issues and a willingness to bring our A game in EVERY game we play. How do you explain us being the best team vs the top six since Klopp arrived yet have MASSIVE issues vs lesser teams. our team as a whole, don't ashow the same level of passion vs these teams like we do vs the top 6 and this sadly, predates Klopp. This mentality has held us back for over a decade now and will continue to do so if not sorted.

Check the Swansea game for a minute. We only played for 15 minutes when Firmino (one of the true warriors in the team) single-handedly dragged us level. Show me another player that plays out of his mind like he does. Bar prolly Hendo who plays injured and gives his best on one leg, you won't find any. That is the issue.

That sense of urgency, drive and desire to win (or lack thereof) is what we had in the first half that we are screaming for. Even Klopp blew a gasket reportedly at half time at Hull so if we can and he can see it then, you know it's there. Players will have to step up and be counted cos there is nowhere to hide anymore. This is GO time.


07 Feb 2017 17:24:18
What a strange thread. MK I'm with you on this one. Zero creativity in our midfield with the likes of PC and Mane. Nonsense! For me, the way we play relies on fluidity and understanding which has broken down due to injuries (annoyingly through pointless internationals) , AFCON (ditto) and confidence sapping results with perhaps a lack of being up for it thrown in for good measure. The creativity is still there just need to recapture that form.


07 Feb 2017 17:33:15
Someone big? Like 6ft Hendo, 6ft Can, 6ft5 Grujic, 6ft Stewart, 5ft11 Lucas?

Yeah I see your point. Load of oompa lumpas in midfield! Get them all out!

Matic and Toure aside, how many centre mids in the top 6 are actually 6ft3 or taller? I think Pogba might just be 6ft3. Hardly helped him in the air against our 6ft2 Lovren though did it! Dier maybe who can't get a game ahead of Sissoko or Wanyama?


07 Feb 2017 17:39:58
To go against the mold, I think it's simply defence and GK that are the problem.
Think of all the Lucas/ Klavan/ Mignolet and Karius howlers this season alone.

Even if you just took out the howlers, we'd be better off.
Hendo and Lallana are having brilliant seasons, Can and Wini not quite there.
Our strike force has been in formidable form since our dip.
I think sometimes it's easy to make problems bigger than they need to be.


07 Feb 2017 17:25:56
Got to disagree there Ed025. They are all good prospects in need of a chance. Particularly Chirivella, Wilson and Grujic.

Look at your man Davies. Nobody outside of Everton knew who he was and now he has been given a chance he is flying.

Liverpool have farcically gained a reputation as a club who give youth a chance, and yet we don't. 180 minutes in a reserve team against Exeter or Plymouth does not count.

Arnold is our only lad who has had a proper chance in our first team, and as you rightly say he looks the best prospect. Is that because he is the best, or because he has been blooded in properly?


{Ed025's Note - a very fair point MK, we all like to see a youngster come though and make his mark and its a pity that more managers dont give these youngsters a chance as it could save the club a fortune mate, but it seems they would rather buy a foreign player who may or may not cut the mustard than give a kid a chance, so in the words of the late great john lennon..."all we are saying..is give kids a chance".. :)

07 Feb 2017 17:43:46
A string midfield presence would help IMO; someone who knows how to manage the game, street smart would help both the attack and defence.


07 Feb 2017 17:55:29
I agree with Kman; the midfield is not as good as we think it is (and I don't include Coutinho or Mane as midfielders here) . I particularly agree with him that we cannot just wait and hope that Ejaria or Chirivella will be ready to play regularly for Liverpool in the future. We have already seen with Emre Can having made no real progress in the 2 and half years he has been here and if we don't act in the summer and bring in players who are ready to take the next step (like Kante at Chelsea, Wanyama at Spurs), we are going to go through the same cycle we always seem to every 2 years.


07 Feb 2017 17:55:36
Well, we had a chance to stick with Karius BUT the moaners on here took sides with a manc who was bullying him cos he made two mistakes (clearly he's the only GK in history ever to make a mistake) and failed to protect him all in the name of "he's losing us the PL" nonsense, in favor of a benched, known failure in Migs. Now that the known failure is back to being a failure, we have a GK prob. IMO, we don't. What we do have, are impatient fans who can't wait to slate our own instead being patient with them.


{Ed025's Note - i agree that karius needs time noah but when you are in one of the box seats for the title like you were you cant afford passengers mate, karius looked very green and made mistakes that cost points (not that migs is any better) so you can understand the fans frustrations on that score, liverpool should have bought a top quality keeper and got shut of migs for me, they knew he was a liability but failed to address the problem...how many times do you need to get punched in the face before you learn to duck, as they say..

07 Feb 2017 18:02:54
Spot the people that do not know the difference between central midfielders and attacking midfielders/ forwards. Mane and coutinho play RW and LW respectively, they are forwards in our set up not part of the 3 in midfield.


07 Feb 2017 18:54:43
Ed25 - I think tho that we weren't really expecting a title challenge this year. Although that is obviously our aim every season because "we are liverpool". but in reality if we think back we forget easily that this team was still slowly putting pieces together. I really think our early success derailed the reality of what kind of team we truly are.

And to MKs point about the midfield, we do have very strong players there but the for me is still a bit imbalanced. Lallana, gini and hendo i think is our best combo there as it provides a lot of running and a touch of creativity. But I still think its too heavily loaded towards runners. Lallana has great skill but isn't a great technician or link up player. Sevilla's midfield tore us a new one by technique not by running us to death and that subtle difference is something I think needs addressing to take our midfield to the next level.


{Ed025's Note - it seemed to be working very well early on faith..

08 Feb 2017 07:50:47
I still believe Roy Keane was spot on when he said if you match your opponent's physicality and aggression, your superior class will win you the game. Liverpool have been sorely lacking at times.


08 Feb 2017 09:28:35
People thought we were in a title race. I never thought so as I posted at the time that, we are a year too early for it BUT people who got suckered into thinking the title was on, got desperate and beat up on Karius, who I think is a talented GK. Whether it worked out early on or not, is irrelevant cos we all knew at the time that this team had holes in it and still needed improvement.

Klopp picked Karius and the sane knew he would need time to adapt but others thought he was the second coming of Thibault Courtois and were suddenly shocked to learn that lo and behold, he's just a young, talented GK that needed to adapt and needed a good system to protect him while he bedded into the PL. Just saying.


07 Feb 2017 11:36:10
Liverpool should bring one of four in the summer:
Julian Weigl
Mohammed Dahoud
Dani Parejo
Jorginho

We desperately need some class in the midfield. Unless we don't replace Alonso with a similar quality we will never boss the midfield. I don't know who gets dropped or sold but you need really quality in that midfield.

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07 Feb 2017 12:47:02
Replace Alsonso?

I'm sorry what year is this?

Do you mean Xabi Alonso? The player who left us 8 years ago?


07 Feb 2017 13:14:11
In defense of Harry we haven't had anyone of Alonso's class and composure in midfield since he left. If we could bring in an equivalent player it would go a long way to bringing us the title.


07 Feb 2017 13:37:47
Dahoud is a bit out of place in that list. He more akin to Lallana or Coutinho, than Alonso.

Not seen Jorginho enough to judge, but Weigl is a very good talent, though I don't think he is any better than Chirivella. Parejo is too similar to Henderson if you ask me.

I do think we should go back to a holding midfield 2, with a striker ahead of the 3 though. Looks like we may pursue Mariano in the summer to be that striker. The holding pair could very easily be Gini and Hendo though as I think they are both vastly under rated with regards to the defensive work they do. I just think they are being asked to do too much in the current system.


07 Feb 2017 14:35:47
Well in that case we need to replace Ian Rush.


07 Feb 2017 17:27:11
We never replaced Jan Molby, super sub Ronnie Rosenthal or Johnny Barnes in my eyes. Until we do we will always be in transition. Ha ha, Transition AKA Harry AKA mathematics :-)


07 Feb 2017 17:41:12
Because you can buy someone as talented as Alonso every day?


07 Feb 2017 17:58:29
We can always go back in Dr Who's time machine and try to replace these players, can't we Harry?


07 Feb 2017 18:46:18
A goalkeeper (which puts Wards place in question), a left back and a centre back.
I don't think we need a striker. Not with Sturridge and Origi. Though the problem this season is they haven't done enough to pressure Firmino or Klopp.


08 Feb 2017 07:56:29
Dahoud is nothing like Coutinho. He is more like Modric with excellent range of passing and setting the tempo. Doesn't score enough nor run enough but he pulls the strings in that midfield.

Wijnaldum will never become a holding midfielder. The people who are behind him would turn their opinion just like they are against Can. Wiji is a solid attacking midfielder with immense Strength and pace which works in his favor against the likes of Lallana. Hence he scored two bullet header due his sheer strength. Play him behind the striker not deeper. Give him license to bomb up.

We have too many attack minded player and not one disciplined holding player.


08 Feb 2017 09:29:37
Real, it is the fact that both Studge and Origi failed Klopp, is why Mane's absence loomed so large.


07 Feb 2017 11:20:32
If you missed it, Ed001 has written an article about FSG / Liverpool FC, which is on the Liverpool Other Posts page if you would like to read it.

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07 Feb 2017
New image uploaded to the
Liverpool Player Sightings page entitled, Without a doubt Gerrard was 1 of the best players in the world

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07 Feb 2017 07:45:11
Ed001, I completely agree with regards to the level of complacency from certain members of the squad against the 'lesser' teams.

Surely Klopp must be aware of this? And we'll likely see these players moved on in the summer for players with the desire and hunger?

Last question; which players possess the desire that you would go for in the summer? I personally think that players are so pampered these days that they are few and fair between, certainly in the top tier of the European leagues.

Many thanks for all your work.

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{Ed001's Note - off the top of my head I can't think of any I have seen recently. You are right, they are not as common place as they once were. Admittedly this season I have been so busy with other things I have not watched the huge amount of football I usually watch, but they do seem to be getting rarer. However they are there, Leicester filled their team with them last season.}

07 Feb 2017 11:42:43
Hi Ed1, I think zings is one of those players and it's been such a shame that he's been injured so much. Do you think he'd have made a difference and will he stay next season?


{Ed001's Note - erm who is zings?}

07 Feb 2017 11:59:57
Sorry Ed forgot to proof read, Ings I meant.


{Ed001's Note - I should have guessed! Sorry, now you say it, the name seems obvious. I think you have a point there. He has the workrate, but also hunger and desire to prove himself, shame it will be a long time before he is back to his best. You only have to look at Falcao, it has taken him what four years(?) to return to something like his previous level. Same with Flanno, he needs to be given more time to get back, as he makes a difference with his infectious attitude and desire.}

07 Feb 2017 12:06:35
Most likely referring to our very well hidden gem, Zidanny Ings.


07 Feb 2017 12:09:15
Troy Deeney, Wes Morgan and Joe Hart may not be the best players, but if we had players like them we would not be struggling to beat lesser sides.

I always feel gutted for Deeney and Morgan when I see Watford or Leicester play this season. They care so much, yet play with a group of guys who don't seem to care at all.

Sanchez is the only world class player in Prem with the desire to match his talent.


{Ed001's Note - Morgan looks shot to me and Hart is the English Mignolet - crap with a poor attitude. If you think he would help us I fear for you. He would be another hindrance. Hart has no desire, well other than to make more money for crap ads. As for Deeney, maybe, but I feel he plays for the shirt at Watford as he owes them for standing by him when he was trouble. I don't think he would be any good elsewhere, as he wouldn't have the same desire.}

07 Feb 2017 13:14:10
Not saying any of them are of the quality we require, I just think they are 3 examples of players who care.

Hart is dreadful as a keeper, but I think he is a great leader. He seems like the sort who just wants to win football games. Of course, I could have him all wrong and he might be a tool off the pitch.


07 Feb 2017 17:27:01
There must be some kind off media-induced campaign to get Joe Hart a job with a PL club as he is dreadful beyond belief. if they let you go so a crap GK calike bravo can replace you then sorry, you should not be anywhere near LFC. I'd rather work with Karius and get him a new GK coach to help him as he is more talented and has better upside than Hart or Migs.


 
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