08 Aug 2016 11:35:21
Hi Ed001

What do you make of Emre Can going into this season? In my opinion, needs to be given a simplified role, I don't know if he's got the game smarts to be an attacking genius like he kind of tries to be sometimes. When his game isn't simple, he overplays himself too much by running into dead ends and getting positionally caught out.

I'm hoping he can do a Kante kind of role, which is just simply disrupting opposition attacks, and then quickly advancing the ball forward initiating the team's attacks. He has all the attributes to do that, he just needs a little discipline.

Do you have any word on what Klopp is trying to do with him this season?

cheers.

{Ed001's Note - Can is more of a forward runner, more of the way Yaya played at Citeh, than a breaking up attacks guy. He just does not have the defensive discipline or positional sense for it. That is why we were wide open in midfield without Hendo, who is very good positionally. Can needs to be played in front of a defensive midfielder, if anything.

Kante was able to break up play and get forward to support, Can is just not physically able to put in the workrate, even if he had the positional sense to spot the attacks. There is no point trying to force him into a role that he is unsuited to, just hold back the fullbacks or put a proper defensive mid in there. Then he can have the freedom to make those marauding runs.}

1.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 12:27:51
Edd001 where do you see Wijnaldum playing mate? I assumed he was brought in to be a box to box midfielder.

{Ed001's Note - I am expecting him to play a few different roles to be honest.]

2.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 12:46:06
Id like to see can and Stewart given s chance together. Both big strong lads, won't get bullied, and Stewart naturally holds the middle.

3.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 12:51:28
Can really needs to start keeping control of his temper too, he loses it far to often and picks up ridiculous yellows.

4.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 13:42:41
To be fair, a few of our senior centre midfielders are big lads!

Hendo is 6ft, Can is 6ft1, Stewart is 6ft.

I don't think their is an argument that our midfield lacked strength or power. I think our midfield lacked goals. Something which Grujic and Wijnaldum will bring. The only other thing it lacked last season in particular was positional discipline, but with Henderson fit and Stewart looking every bit ready to play if required we now have a very good midfield. We are a left back and a right back away from what I would consider a perfect summer in terms of signings. If we just get a left back though I'll still be pleased.

5.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 13:54:01
MK - true, except Hendo was injured for our key games last season, Stewart wasn't trusted on an experience basis which left Can standing alongside the fairly short forms of Milner and Allen. We now have created a deeper well of pace and physical power (not to mention height) that mean the inevitable toll of a season will not deplete our ability to be versatile.

6.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 14:41:58
I'd personally give grujic a chance against arsenal. Looks very promising and is a goal threat from midfield.

7.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 14:43:14
Fans of other teams fear Emre Can over our other midfielders. I'm constantly getting told how amazing Can is by United, Spurs, Everton and City fans.
None of them rate/ fear Henderson and Milner in the slightest. Funny. But That's from an outside perspective.

8.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 15:07:48
I am personally not a huge fan of Stewart and feel posters make a lot more of him than there is just because he is a young lad.
He makes far too many mistakes getting caught on the ball in our own half, and doesn't have a very good range of passing either.
A good lad no doubt, but let's call a spade a spade, and not a world beater. Reminds me of how everyone on here thought Coady was the next Big thing a couple of Seasons ago.

9.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 15:22:18
I don't think you have to be a world beater to do a job that's required of you. Kante was plucked from oblivion and see how well respected he is now. Stewart may not be a world beater now, but you can't fault his application and his desire to get better. It's not an exaggeration that he can become a highly rated defensive midfielder in the near future. For a player who used to be a full back few years ago, I think he deserves any praise that comes his way.

10.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 16:03:47
MK, Stewart is 5'6. have you actually watched him play or are you just going on Wikipedia?

11.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 15:47:10
Thanks ed :) Also, what do you think of that fitness coach Raymond Verheijen, that albeit well-credentialed big mouth who criticises every manager under the sun on twitter?

{Ed001's Note - funny you should mention him, I had a conversation not so long ago with another coach who knows him well. We are both in agreement that he is just a brilliant self-publicist who is doing well in marketing his coaching product. The problem is that the product is not a good product, imo. Every training system should be individual, as you are working with individuals. So any of these systems people follow are no better than fad diets. He just criticises all and sundry to create more exposure to sell more of his system.}

12.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 16:12:58
He seems to advocate this idea that players shouldn't be trained while they are under fatigue. He was tweeting about how muscles are 'slaves of the brain' (which I don't deny), and said 'tired brain > slower reactions > more contact injuries and twists'. So would I be right in saying that he's a fan of that stupid 'red zone/ green zone' conditioning method? Pull players from training when they are in the red fatigue zone?

He seems to be overlooking that players need to be pushed while their brains are tired, while their muscles are tired, so they can increase their base fitness level. They need to learn how to play under mental and physical fatigue during a match. He then predictably slammed how we played against Mainz 24 hours after smashing Barca, and noted Grujic's ankle twist of how stupid it was, 'because he was mentally and physically tired and shouldn't be playing'.

{Ed001's Note - very much so, like I said, he is just a self-publicist with a flawed method. And I totally agree, players lack fitness due to this stupidity of the red zone. Liverpool used to play a lot more games, the players used to go out and have a bevvy and still had the basic fitness to play many more times due to being pushed harder in training. Shankly's sweat box, for example, used to put them through a far harder routine than anything in modern football. It was compared to torture, it was that tough on them. Because of the way they were pushed, they were much fitter than the modern day player, who is now trained like a sprinter, even though the league is a marathon.}

13.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 16:35:04
Exactly ed, exactly. The guy thinks that footballers are sprinters. Sprinters don't through fatigue like footballers do.

What's your opinion of playing two matches 24 hours apart anyway? And how Klopp managed it? I assume he started some the same players twice in a row just to build their fitness levels while under fatigue?

{Ed001's Note - I don't have a problem with it, players should be able to manage it, especially during preseason, so long as they get r&r afterwards for their body to rebuild itself. They will be better for it, if you ask me. I don't know how it was managed though, I avoid taking notice of this time, you can end up getting false ideas of players due to not knowing their fitness levels.}

14.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 16:53:11
Surely you watched our game against Barcelona at least? Really missed out on something if you didn't. Yes, only preseason, but still players like Mane were superb.

{Ed001's Note - no interest in moneymaking matches with no meaning.}

15.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 18:00:05
Rayman, not a chance Stewart is 5'6, I'd say he's slightly above average height, probably 6ft! Not sure who you are confusing him with?

16.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 18:58:11
No rayman, Stewart is 6ft haha. 183cm to be exact.

If you think he is 5ft6 then you definitely haven't seen him play!

17.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 21:09:35
Transfermarkt says he's 183 cm, 6ft in old money. He's not 5'6" in a million years. I'll go with that as they're reasonably reliable. I'm not sure he's 100% ready. But also he strikes me as a hard worker, so maybe with a bit of work he could be the defensive midfielder we need he needs to concentrate more and work on his awareness but I wouldn't write him off.

18.) 08 Aug 2016
08 Aug 2016 22:32:09
The other reason you want to push people when they are tired is that is when you get to see how mentally strong they are. And they do as well. So when they are feeling knackered in a match, the coach and the players know what they are capable of and can push on.

On a side note, FIFA did some studies into the affect of fatigue and backing up on players. They found that if the players played a match within 2 (I vague as to whether this is the correct number) days, they would be able to play at their normal levels for about 2/ 3 of the second match but then their output would drop to about 70%. So people backing up from Champions League should be Ok but explains why Europa can smash teams. Note those figures are rubbery because I don't have the study at hand.