Liverpool banter 7

16 Sep 2026 09:30:04
So what we think lads? Should Koumas get more minutes?

16 Sep 2026 09:47:30
He's already getting plenty 👌.

16 Sep 2026 10:22:55
Good player him. Gives everything!

16 Sep 2026 11:02:43
Koumas already getting more minutes than he ever dreamed of going into the season.

I say, keep feeding the beast.

16 Sep 2026 11:06:02
Isak won't start or finish every game. Lewis will get plenty of time until Hugo is back.

16 Sep 2026 11:08:00
A good start from the lad. Presses a lot but let's not go overboard here. He's young but will need to start contributing towards goals before he replaces Isak who is proven and will likely improve a lot as we also improve as a team this year and he gets more confident that his body will hold up.

16 Sep 2026 11:22:15
Koumas does what andoni demands and wants. I would absolutely start him if he continues in the same vein.
We've quite a few players that are not andoni players and I simply can't see them suddenly becoming that type of player.

16 Sep 2026 11:31:01
The problem is though Ron Funk is doesn't he have the quality to score 20 plus goals and or assist loads for a pl team. I don't think he does, but I do think he is a valuable squad option.

16 Sep 2026 11:35:57
With you Todd, he's can be a very good HG squad player which is really needed.

16 Sep 2026 11:37:03
He's doing what he needs to do, knocking on the door and showing Isak what's required in terms of effort off the ball. I'm sure he's going to be the first thing on Iraola's mind if Isak needs to come off in the second half going forwards.

16 Sep 2026 11:57:57
Superb effort from the boy covered every blade of grass and was unlucky not to grab a goal. More of the same please Lewis!

16 Sep 2026 12:28:56
I think that once Koumas gets off the mark for the season, his confidence will grow and we will see even more from him.

16 Sep 2026 12:56:01
You don't have to have the final pass to be involved in an assist (unless your under 20).
As long as he's involved and contributing!

16 Sep 2026 13:19:01
Thought Nyoni and McConnell looked fantastic as well. Nyoni ran the game for large parts.

16 Sep 2026 16:59:48
Koumas definitely gives 110%, still doesn't get the head up often enough for me, if he did he would have had a goal last night, chalk it up to wanting to impress for now but it's not the first time I've noticed it, let's see how he develops. He did well, A+ for effort no doubt, good squad option, very much capable of putting defenders under pressure, very useful in the press.

Nyoni looks good, keen to see him getting more minutes, but he still needs time to develop, there were a few moments where he was caught out, it would have cost us against better teams, he doesn't quite look ready to play a regular starting role to me.

Can't honestly say I was impressed by McConnell, he was misisng for a lot of the game in my opinion, not taking anything away from him, he did well for a young lad but I need to see more.

We were extremely unsettled for the first 15 minutes or so, and lucky not to go a goal or 2 down, could have been a totally different game. Once Macca got the first goal it took the sting out of Tottenham and settled our nerves. The 2 lads in the middle did much better after that.

16 Sep 2026 18:32:50
I think Andonj is easing them in and not rushing them, which shows good management from him.

Trey and Koumas will probably get plenty of minutes this season and it's a good thing to not throw them straight in the deep end. imgine rushing them to start and they have a bad game due to nerves and get subbed off at half time, you crush their confidence. kind of similar to what Slot did with Quansah on the first game of that season.

16 Sep 2026 20:13:04
Man. of. todd, we don't need him to do that. What we need from Koumas is to spell Isak and give the oppo. something else to deal with because you ay not have noticed, w e have the wide forwards either side of him to score goals.

And also, AI had Evanilson who is essentially a Koumas type player and wasn't a goal scorer. They had Tavernier, Kluivert & Kroupi to do all that. It's the exact same scenario with Koumas.

16 Sep 2026 06:53:25
Quick question for Ed001. As it's in the news a lot recently I was just wondering what you know about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the game.

I know there have been data analysts around the game for years and that loads of player metrics are measured, but was just wondering whether teams were using models which, based on patterns of play, could make real time adjustments to tactics and personnel? Could the age of the 'tactical genius' manager be over and they be replaced by analysts and data scientists in the dug out, who respond to data being relayed to them as the game is in progress?

{Ed001's Note - that sounds like my worst nightmare but also probably very likely. The players are already robotic enough, I wouldn't be surprised if they even shift over to using robots so they don't have to pay wages as well. I don't actually know for sure about AI, it is something I personally hope is banned, as it is not intelligence anyway. It is just scraping other people's work and copying it. I am sure there is a usage of it to sift through stats etc, but I hope it never reaches the level you are talking about!}

16 Sep 2026 08:29:52
Thanks. Appreciate your response. Suppose, at this stage, the models are only as good as what someone tells them to do.

16 Sep 2026 09:50:59
this future is genuinely not far from now. it could be 2-3 years away. there are already features in smaller games (i mean playing area sizes, given the capabilities to cover an entire football field + its complexities) such as pickleball.

recordings of a game can be read and itll disect game by game moments by the player chosen (likely atm still works because the AI can identify the players, unless twins wearing similar outfits) and u can get clips of your own plays to analyse.

i know this sounds incredibly basic but this is accessible to the public, like u and me. with tech the improvements made are vastly incremental, consider how long ago was the will smith spaghetti video and now AIs are making video clips of kanye singing in chinese.

im not for or against but some form of it is inevitable.

16 Sep 2026 10:07:58
To a degree isn't Brentford already like this in some way? Or the RB teams? Everything is in place and changing the manager doesn't make too much difference unless they are truly hopeless.

16 Sep 2026 10:19:40
Replace the refs first. This would actually be good for the game.

Machine learning based models for systems, tactics, player action are already being used by analytics departments. Currently this information is supplementary to coaches and recruitment to inform decisions. Is it possible to make those model more prominent in the decision making? That will depend on the coach and sporting directors being willing to defer to agents on decisions. I could see some startup club owned by a crypto degenerate trying it out just for publicity and curiousity but would be quite surprised to see it become mainstream.

More likely might come augmented reality viewing experiences - make your home feel more like you're in the stadium with your mates.

Whether the game will make the leap to players having information/data being fed to them via technologies, it's difficult to tell. Surely players would push back on that on account of them not wanting to be seen as robots on the pitch.

And you wonder in the growing world of live streamers, some players might be under pressure to reveal a bit more of their lives and personalities online in this attention economy, whether for individual or club marketing income.

Weird times indeed.

16 Sep 2026 17:22:13
Teams are already using AI, but it will never replace coaching, AI isn't actually intelligent, it's not capable of coming up with new ideas, it can take what it's been taught in spit out variations but it's never going to have the awareness required to spot the infinite subtleties a human is capable of picking up on.

It shouldn't even be called AI because it's really just machine learning with a chat function. When it comes to something like football, it's really not that useful except for gathering and sharing data, the unpredictability is such a massive factor that just cannot be computed.

Not to mention the human factor, it doesn't pick up on the subtle tells of body language, mental state, emotion and so on, it has no instincts whatsoever. A football coach can see 10 different things at once and immediately KNOW what's wrong, whereas AI can only run the numbers and use probability to speculate an answer. Sure Paddy Power already does that.

16 Sep 2026 06:21:09
Macca is coming back to his best it seems. Looks good.
Love his english.😭.

16 Sep 2026 07:22:02
Playing for a new contract like Gravenberch may be?

16 Sep 2026 08:22:05
The way it should be Sonic.

16 Sep 2026 08:56:18
No World Cup to worry about now.

16 Sep 2026 10:08:10
Or maybe he struggles with Slot ball.

16 Sep 2026 11:08:25
Think it's more of a case of he's decided to get his finger out to help get what he wants. Think enough players have struggled this season to show it wasn't all down to slot all.

16 Sep 2026 11:23:45
Florian mate. The season has barley kicked off, let's not write off any players yet specially with the big shift in tactics and intensity which surely comes with some teething pains!

16 Sep 2026 12:12:26
Wasn't writing anyone off ASB. Im not the one mentioning ripping up contracts, selling or even just giving players away. What people have been criticising a lot players for hasn't been struggling with a new system it's been playing for themselves, not following orders, showing little heart and also just been not good enough.

16 Sep 2026 01:03:05
Missed the game as I was working, were we really as bad as everyone is making out on here? ED001 thoughts?

{Ed001's Note - I thought we were ok, after initially being poor. When you consider the mixed up side, I thought it was a decent performance from a couple of the kids, Koumas in particular, and the side overall did enough to win. There was a short period after Szobo and Gravy came on that they were very slack and allowed to Spurs to get into it, but as soon as they scored Szobo stepped up a gear and cut out the slackness and then scored. It wasn't a great performance by any means, but there were some good signs - particularly the pressing by Koumas which caused so many problems. To be fair though, Spurs are an awful side, they play themselves into trouble constantly.}

16 Sep 2026 07:24:25
Not difficult, but so much better and more enjoyable to watch than last year's performances.

16 Sep 2026 07:29:06
Koumas aggressive pressing was great to see, mcconnell in the 10 also particularly as game went on. Made a real difference forwards pressing like they meant it.
Both full backs had there best game of season also I thought.

16 Sep 2026 08:23:01
Iam with you Digger Kumas living the dream, love to see putting a real shift in.
Would absolutely love to see this kid push on as I think we have a real talent with loads of heart for this club we love.
Great home support as usual.

16 Sep 2026 09:02:34
McConnell, Nyoni, Koumas all excellent, Mamardashvili brilliant shot stopping performance. Not sure why anybody would say that was a bad performance from us, if we were bad then Spurs were truly wretched. Started pretty badly but really grew into the game, second half was another example of us going ahead and then clamping down to take the sting out the game.

16 Sep 2026 07:57:34
I thought Spurs played into our hands by playing from the back. As Ed said we gained control in the game after an unconvincing start. The midfield looked much more balanced with Grav and Nyoni as the pivot. Grav I thought played better but he still wants to be in front of the ball, which unbalances the team.

He really does need to step it up.
Koumas pressing was great, he missed a good chance too. At times I thought his hold up play was good too.
Frimpong looked strong and aggressive against Tel probably a reflection of how bad Tel is but you have to give Frimpong credit as he didn't look so lightweight for a change.

16 Sep 2026 09:30:02
Ed01 if I may re: Koumas and is ability to run for days and press the oppo. well, does this not remind you of what Evanilson was doing under Iraola at B'mouth? because that was what he was known for, not scoring goals for fun because they had/have Tavernier, Kluivert, Kroupi and Rayan to bank on. Or even Alex Scott.

Hence in a perfect world in our situation (I know, good luck with that), do you think that AI would rather an Evanilson/Koumas type player as the CF, one who presses and pursues then oppo.'s defence and who also has the striking ability Isak in front of goal? Cheers, man.

{Ed001's Note - yes, I think he is a better fit on that performance and Isak's performances so far this season. I think that was obvious by the way Isak came on and ran about for a change. He must realise that his place is now in jeopardy after the way Koumas played. The youngster showed him up.}

16 Sep 2026 09:52:39
I mean no disrespect, I Just disagree on the Isak part, Isak is Just getting fitter by the day. They are on a different planet quality wise and I am convinced Isak will prove his worth soon enough 🙏.

16 Sep 2026 10:03:46
Ed, what do you think about Nyoni last night? I didn't watch the game as they don't broadcast the Carling Cup in my country, but many said we lost control of the game once he and McConnell were replaced by Dom and Grav.

That's not a good thing, is it? We allowed Spurs to get into the game and only stepped up when they scored. Good sides won't allow that to happen.

{Ed001's Note - Nyoni was very good, he held position and did his role without trying to be a hero, like Gravenberch does. That is why the control vanished without him, as suddenly there was a hole at the base of midfield at times. Gravy initially sat in but soon started wandering. I would say Nyoni, like Koumas, showed the most last night to suggest they could push the first choice players.

I have seen a lot of praise for Mamardashvili, but he was not good. He made one very good save, one good save and one was hit at him, that was the good, but everything else was horrible. He kicks every ball to the opposition. He flaps miserably at corners and crosses, costing a goal. And he is so slow to do anything that it invites pressure from the opposition. He is not what we need at all. He creates more problems than his shot stopping even comes close to fixing.

McConnell grew into the game and got better, after initially not playing well. By the time he was taken off, he was playing very well.

Rio was again poor, at best. He gives the ball away far too easily and often. Even the goal that came from his run was luck it broke the right way after he messed up, rather than him doing well.

Gomez was ok, looked rusty but showed some good pieces of defending. I liked that he was aggressive and looked to make challenges early, but there were moments you could see he was just back after a long break.

The full-backs both had their best games for us yet, Kerkez in particular was good.

Mac Allister, Gakpo and Araujo were all good, helped the team to find its feet together. Mac Allister was particularly good, to be fair, he looks like he has realised Mourinho is not coming in for him and so is working for that new contract!}

16 Sep 2026 11:05:41
Thanks, Ed01.

@Arne, I see your point and do think Isak is getting fitter and more confident. I see it a diff. way. I see it as us having two options to pick from who offer diff. qualities.

And for Koumas with a bit of luck, could have scored last night, as well.

16 Sep 2026 11:34:06
Thanks for the complete summary, Ed. I really appreciate it.

Who would you go for in midfield this weekend? I would personally go with Nyoni and Macca as the pivot with Wirtz as the 10. I think that would be the best midfield going forward.

{Ed001's Note - I am with you on that. I think Dom needs that kick up the arse. He was terrible until Spurs scored.}

16 Sep 2026 12:02:34
Kerkez was magnificent I think. Also agree with you about Mamardashvili ed, but that save he pulled off from the deflection was one of the very best I've seen in recent memory, and not sure he could do too much about the goal we did let in.

Overall he doesn't have the skillset to do what we need a Liverpool keeper to do, the young Belgian lad coming in looks special though and could be a worldie in a few years.

16 Sep 2026 12:02:34
Kerkez was magnificent I think. Also agree with you about Mamardashvili ed, but that save he pulled off from the deflection was one of the very best I've seen in recent memory, and not sure he could do too much about the goal we did let in.

Overall he doesn't have the skillset to do what we need a Liverpool keeper to do, the young Belgian lad coming in looks special though and could be a worldie in a few years.

16 Sep 2026 12:54:17
After seeing the evidence of the last few games and pre season the starting midfield and front four should be Trey and Macca, Gakpo left, Szob central, Barcola right, and Isak upfront. Wirtz and Koumas can swap out for Szob and Isak if it's not gelling.

Reality won't be that but on merit that's probably how you'd start.

16 Sep 2026 14:29:54
I think Archie Gray's subtle nudge on Mamardashvilli did the damage on the goal. Yes, he should have been stronger but it was a clever move from the Spurs player and just put him under the ball by a foot or so, so he flapped at it.

16 Sep 2026 01:03:55
The narrative around Rio is the exact reason why we can't replicate Bournemouth's scouting strategy and bring in player's before they make their name

This is amplified at our club imo.

16 Sep 2026 02:45:30
Agreed, Rayan has 0 goals and 0 assists this season but no one notices because he's at Bournemouth.

16 Sep 2026 03:50:31
There is no "narrative" around Rio. Apart from that one post on the rumours page, I have not seen discussions in any fan forum about him being sold or anything. Everyone realises that he has immense talent and can blossom into a truly great player if he can work on his weaknesses.

That thread was just some fans highlighting his weaknesses currently. We don't need to blow everything up for no reason.

{Ed666's Note - it’s just discussion mate. People are just airing their thoughts. No one is blowing anything up..in my opinion no one player indispensable in this team. Honestly out of the whole squad the only ones I’d keep are Ali, Leoni, Jacquet, Virgil, Ronald, Isak Nyoni, Munoz and Wirtz the rest are saleable assets. Not because they’re bad players but I don’t think they fit the system.

16 Sep 2026 04:25:38
E dry so gle player uses other clubs interest to drive up wages or try and get a better deal. No difference in what he's doing. His contract runs u til 2028 anyway so no rush. Let's see how he does this season.

16 Sep 2026 07:59:57
What narrative?

He has potential but has everything to prove. His decision making needs to improve as he has a tendency to run into blind alleys.

I think the general consensus is hope and excitement he will develop into a top player.

16 Sep 2026 08:25:02
Good point fifth element. And many a fan would be happy to spend £130m on that lad.

16 Sep 2026 09:34:21
Spot on Fifth & Flo. The Rayan "narrative" is one I don't care to get into because like Rio, he has just as much to prove.

If anything, Rio when it comes to end product, has done a bit more than Rayan has.

16 Sep 2026 10:48:19
Rayan has done far more than Rio and he's a better player.
He's played for Brazil- not a good Brazilian team, I must add- and scored in a WC tournament for a start.
That said, I wouldn't be paying £130m for either of them.

16 Sep 2026 11:50:51
One thing that's the most important thing that i feel playing for us is effort ed01 mate, and right now, no one is putting the effort that koumas has been putting, its been a joy to watch him.

{Ed001's Note - I am really impressed with him. I would start him personally, but I can understand why it probably won't happen.}

16 Sep 2026 08:16:33
Ed 666 I agree with your list of keeps and would add Hugo.

{Ed666's Note - with a heavy I’d sell Hugo also because it will take him a very long time to get to his best if indeed he does after such a nasty injury and we haven’t got time for passengers. But I love Hugo I truly hope he gets back firing on all cylinders but if not get rid.

16 Sep 2026 11:19:59
Ed666 you wouldn't keep Dom or gakpo?

{Ed666's Note - No mate. Gakpo doesent have the skill set of what I require from my left winger (although he’s going through a purple patch now) and Dom has been found out football IQ wise.

16 Sep 2026 20:18:13
Rigsby, playing for (a dead) Brazil is no longer the flex you think it is and i'm not arsed about any of that. Just as I don't care that Macca won a WC because it has nothing to do with LFC.

I compare them both based on what they have done in England and Rio (altho still raw and young) has done more than Rayan has in terms of actual end product.

17 Sep 2026 07:48:55
OliRed, that's fair enough but what is the actual end product you are talking about?
Rayan has more goals and assists than Rio Ngumoha.
Is it step overs?

15 Sep 2026 23:55:57
Here's hoping for a Macca, Nyoni, Wirtz midfield against Bournemouth. Don't want to see Dom play in the pivot. It's him or Wirtz for the attacking midfield role.

{Ed666's Note - Or play Dom at RB as he’s pretty good there and if he’s not happy sell him in the summer, get a lot of money for him and sign players that will play anywhere on the pitch just because they are proffesionals and they want to play for the shirt

16 Sep 2026 00:45:56
Dom did say to Gerrard in his interview that he is happy to play anywhere when needed but did prefer the 8/10 roll. At Salzburg he was playing lw and lm all the time then at Leipzig rw and as a 10. He needs that free role like Stevie had with Alonso and Mascherano behind to cover.

16 Sep 2026 00:46:06
Play Dom on the right of the three :

Trey - Macca

Dom - FW - BB.

16 Sep 2026 00:57:56
is the Dom the new whipping boy?
Where can I get updates to keep up with who we're bagging on next.

{Ed666's Note - when players aren’t performing well have a right as a fee paying fan to criticize. People pay hard earned money to garnish footballers salaries in every capacity be it TV channels, merchandise, going to the game etc etc..I think that gives us the right to at least vent when someone who’s on circa £250k a week is playing like a cnut. Don’t you? Or do we just keep quiet and don’t say nothing pretending it doesn’t bother us? I am ashamed to admit I’m old enough to remember when the King went through a bad spell of form when he played for Liverpool and I ripped his posters off the wall and called him every name under the sun because he didn’t score for a few games. Does this make me less of a fan? Or does this make me a fan that is passionate about my club and want them to do well? If you want whipping boy updates..tune into my editing I’ll tell you how I feel when players aren’t pulling their weight for the inflated salaries they are earning. Ridiculous that we can’t criticize these prima Donna’s

16 Sep 2026 01:03:04
I'd play Dom at RB. I just don't think you can play him at RW when we've bought Barcola for one wing and you got Gakpo banging in the goals and assists, and Muñoz in decent form.

I think Dom at RB is an awesome option and also rotate with Wirtz on the 10.

16 Sep 2026 01:18:38
Although it's a small sample size, trey has shown all the necessary characteristics of being the starting six for Liverpool. He's calm under pressure, doesn't lose the ball, has great positioning, is actually rather strong defensively against duels, and my favorite characteristic is his progressive passing between the lines.

I agree he should be starting or at minimum playing a lot. We can let Dom and Florian fight for the 10 or as others have said, we can look at moving Dom to a right back or another position.

16 Sep 2026 01:43:42
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I rekon between Macca, Dom, Grav and Nyoni, we have four really good midfielders who can deliver in that double pivot system.

more games together will help them embed the system and understanding of their movements, when to cover space etc.

As they build confidence, then the rest of their game will open up

Nyoni is definitely ready for more game time. But let's also give the kid a chance to fail safely. Looking at the praise turned critique of Macca, Grav and Dom, it won't be long until Nyoni is thrown to the scrapheap on here too.

16 Sep 2026 00:59:30
Szoboszlai also said if he and Gerrard were in the same team he would play 10 and Gerrard would play right back, so clearly he is delusional.

16 Sep 2026 02:26:31
triple6 - I confess I didn't read all of your reply. I stopped at the emotionally and politically charged line of "fee paying citizen".

We will go around and around the mulberry bush and it seems it's Dom's turn. Do your thing and run the players through the ringer, if we were in charge we'd not have a squad for the weekend.

{Ed666's Note - I actually said fee paying fan..but if I was in charge mate I’d tell them it’s club before ego and hence why I loved Klopp so much. He was a father, friend and foe on any given day. When AI gets his own players we will click. I feel sorry for the guy he’s inherited some players not all that he probably wouldn’t choosen if he had the choice...so let’s see what’s transpires. Gonna be a rocky ride this season that’s for sure. Hopefully post Xmas we can pull it together and win the Eurovision Song Contest

16 Sep 2026 04:30:54
Faith can you point me in the direction to post where someone has said Dom's is poor or rubbish. We are simply discussing what we as fans think is his best position. I mentioned his positions at his previous alluding to the fact he has done well there. In our title win he was the 10. Following season he was helping the team being at RB and has done well.

For me and other posters plus ed he simply isn't good enough in the pivot. You wouldn't put Stevie in a two as he was so dangerous going forward. This is a forum for posters to discuss things or vent if I happy about players. Ultimately Andoni will decide what's best.

16 Sep 2026 08:28:04
If Dom has to play RB(something that caused absolute chaos on this site last year)then it should only be until January. Get a RB in and let Dom and Wirtz compete for the No.10 spot. Let the best man will. That will improve both the RB and No.10 position.

16 Sep 2026 09:47:38
Flo, where is the competition? because I don't see it at all. Dom simply does not possess any of the qualities (guile, vision, intelligence, eye for the key pass or pre-assist, weight of pass in the final third, etc.) that you need to be effective in those pockets of space in the final third, all of which a at basic level, Wirtz possesses.

All of the above is not Dom's game as his has no creative bone in his body. Now if you want to play him as the most advanced midfielder behind Isak as we did in the season we won the title then, you need to go get Trent back, Macca in the 8 and VVD who could just send the ball 60 yrds to whom? Yeah, Mo Salah and we are off. because these guys were the ones doing near all the creating stuff, not Dom. He was the runner and presser, covering ground and chipping in with a goal here or there.

If you're not going to do any of the above (which we can't) then, Dom is useless in the creative no. 10 position as a creator. Just my take.

16 Sep 2026 10:14:55
If we're all honest, dom came on last night had a mare and scored a screamer.

The goal will mask his performance, Jt was fantastic, but he was objectively poor when he came on.

He has the ability to be a fantastic midfielder, but he isn't one yet. Fantastic athlete and a great striker of the ball, my worst fear is his issue could be in game intelligence, he can press for days, yet when he does he picks the wrong time/trigger and opens up passing lanes for the opposition.

If Iraola can tweak his weaknesses he'll be phenomenal, but at the moment there's a disconnect.

16 Sep 2026 11:20:59
"Dom simply does not possess any of the qualities (guile, vision, intelligence, eye for the key pass or pre-assist, weight of pass in the final third, etc.) that you need to be effective in those pockets of space in the final third, all of which a at basic level, Wirtz possesses"

The problem is with this paragraph that a lot of posters haven't seen this from Wirtz either🤷‍♂️. Like it or not he's been a passenger in too many games and blaming other players isn't going to change that. Being completely honest Isak has stepped up more in the very early part of this season and Wirtz hasn't so far.

16 Sep 2026 11:27:32
OliRed, where's the evidence that Wirtz can do it as a creative ten?
I'm not saying he can't but the logic you use to describe Szobozslai as 'useless' can also be applied to Wirtz.
If you want Wirtz to 'cook' then doesn't he need the runners that we don't have or the players he played with at Leverkusen? Because at Liverpool he just hasn't done it.

15 Sep 2026 20:23:25
Imagine being a Liverpool "fan" and not rating or seeing the enormous potential of Nghoma 😆.

{Ed666's Note - imagine being a Liverpool fan and not appreciating fellow fans have counter opinions and perspectives on the same subject.

15 Sep 2026 21:01:45
Rio still has a point to prove. He hasn't done enough in my opinion to warrant the hype he gets.

When you break down his performances and style, there's not a whole lot to them in terms of contribution to the team. Of course he shows some glimpses of potential but his flashy skills deceive to flatter and as of now, he's more of an individual player with above average skill than a team player contributing much to the team performance.

9 out of 10 times I'd rather play Koumas than Rio because Koumas works relentlessly and always looks for a team mate or a goal opportunity. Rio on the other hand puts his head down and runs into defenders 80% of the time trying to dribble past them.

When I look at it that way, Koumas has the bigger potential for me to contribute to a team performance to win games, which is what matters at the end.

15 Sep 2026 21:09:02
Rios clearly talented, but people are acting as if he's an Lamine Yamal-talent. As of right now, what has he actually shown that makes people so certain he's not just another Madueke?

Im watching the game right now. hes struggling which i guess is normal for a lad at such young age. but what's bothering me is the workrate. Its fine losing the ball, but just strolling back afterwards is not.

That said. I'd love for him to succeed, we really need some english core-players.

On another note. I love watching Koumas. that boy runs.

15 Sep 2026 22:00:57
Koumas covered every inch of grass. Fair play lad.

15 Sep 2026 22:09:31
He held it up well too.

15 Sep 2026 22:17:34
Rio is an excellent talent who just turned 18 and atm is being trained to play a position he has never played before. I find it very sad that people are calling for him to be sold.

15 Sep 2026 21:07:53
Imagine being a fan, you'd be awful dizzy.

15 Sep 2026 22:09:01
Haven't seen a single person acting like Rio is Lamine level, stop making stuff up to suit your arguement.

15 Sep 2026 22:16:57
Another SuperFan laying down the law for the rest of us wannabe's.

We are not worthy 🙌.

15 Sep 2026 22:37:05
Counted at least 15 passes from back to front for Alexis to feed Gakpo and 2-0, that's an Andoni Iraola goal, slick forward pass and move?

15 Sep 2026 22:59:17
Potential means very little in reality - he will succeed or fail based on his actual performances - not some perceived level of potential anyone decides to make up in their own minds.

Just out of interest what are people classing as his potential:

Regular starter
Golden boot winner
Player of the year
Ballon Dor's
England captain
Global superstar
Leader of the rebellion
Britains got talent winner

He's a kid who's played a few games and scored a few goals, he's done nothing and still has a lot to learn and improve - that's not guaranteed - there's hundreds of young kids that had potential who didn't make it, and a fair few that did then fell off a cliff - he has an OPPORTUNITY - to force his way into the team, he then has the OPPORTUNITY to stay there - potential does not a great footballer make

Is he good for his age - off course he is
Is he one of the best attackers in the prem - not even close
Does he have an opportunity to get better - yep
Will he be all that and a bag of chips because some people have used a mental Time Machine and leaped into the potential future - no idea
It's boils my p**s hearing potential XYZ, it gets in kids heads and they start to believe they've made it before they've even started, then the ego, strops, demands follow

The kids got a lot of work to do, the prem is no joke, hard graft will determine his future, not whatever potential people may or may not think he's got.

15 Sep 2026 23:51:43
He plays like a youth player because that is exactly what he is. He is nowhere near first-team level or rotation level. That is the problem: his people expected that when he signed for Liverpool, but for me, he needs a lot of coaching to be anywhere near good enough to have a current influence on the game.

{Ed666's Note - I agree. If we can’t get an obscene fee for him send him out on loan for a year or two to the championship toughen him up and come back and let’s see if he’s as good as most people say he is.

16 Sep 2026 00:27:58
As long as he stays away from nitrous oxide, his career won't end like Sterling's.

On a serious point, I wouldn't sell him.

To Ed0666s point on the Rumours thread, I don't see that we HAVE to sell him in order to get purchases in, I'm still not sure why we didn't buy a CDM, but I doubt it's affordability, and more likely to do with what/who AI wanted? I am guessing, but I base that on our last financials and the trading we did.

He's also not taking up a non-HG slot anymore in our UCL squad - He'll be U21 for 3 more seasons.

He's not the finished article by any means, but he is only 18 and still being coached by AI who has a track record of improving especially young players.

So personally, I would get his contract signed (as long as he doesn't want to leave) and see how he develops over the next couple of seasons at least.

{Ed666's Note - you make sense Zeddicus. I had this 3 paragraph rebuttal ready but I lost it and can’t be bothered to write it again as it took a lot of my one brain cells energy.

16 Sep 2026 00:49:47
@Bekind, most fans can see the massive potential, some fans have seen the massive potential for two years and have a reasonable expectation that some of the potential would have grown into actual playing ability.

As you infer he has massive potential nut he is were he was 2 years ago.

16 Sep 2026 01:45:50
WDW - how do you assess progress of a teenage kid? like, what are you expecting to have seen today compared to when he arrived two years ago?

16 Sep 2026 06:26:29
Sorry mate, I'm a Liverpool fan and I've never heard of "Nghoma".

16 Sep 2026 07:46:31
Wdw agree mate, he probably wouldn't be in the first team if it hadn't been agreed when he signed

If we were offered good money I'd sell, he will end up leaving if his team think they can get a better deal for him, they allegedly agreed terms.

16 Sep 2026 07:59:34
He was heavily involved in the first 2 goals.

16 Sep 2026 09:49:43
Indeed, JLC. And we (LFC fans) are not the same either.

16 Sep 2026 09:52:30
Prior to this season Rio had played the equivalent of just 6 full 90 minute games for the first team, just 6 games, I really think everyone should stop judging him, the kid barely has his foot in the door and already we have know it all 'fans' with crystal balls saying he'll never make it, get over yourselves, give the kid a chance, some of you were crying out for a washed-up Chiesa to get more game time despite never producing anything.

16 Sep 2026 16:32:30
Well said Chewy.

15 Sep 2026 20:16:44
Hello guys! Not sure where this should go and not sure if it's ok to post! Does anyone know where I can get tickets for the Liverpool vs Villarreal game? It's a birthday present for my boy so Thank you in advance guys x.

15 Sep 2026 20:58:23
I'd try hospitality, M-J.

15 Sep 2026 11:12:16
Some of the stuff written by members of this site used to make me angry, nowadays I visit for a giggle! The Eds must be LOL every single day at the lay and uninformed gibberish that some write 🤣🤣🤣.

15 Sep 2026 17:55:35
To each their own, MR

I mean, there was a time when the rumours page was actually "exciting", in the sense that you never knew what was going to come next.

Nowadays, there are so many "ITKs" with such strong connections within the club, or with agents, or indirectly with players' families. you just can't keep up.

It's now more like the BBC transfer gossip page, where they'll put anything out there just to get the clicks.

For eg:

A few days back, I came across some random piece speculating about a Wirtz-Olise swap. I mean, why would Bayern Munich sign a struggling Wirtz while giving up one of their most valuable assets? Like, why?

If they really want Wirtz, they can just have him without giving away Olise.

I mean. it's obvious Wirtz is struggling / hasn't matched expectations yet (for whatever reason), so that will give people an excuse to link him away. And the most obvious destination is Bayern. It's the same logic as linking TAA with a return to Liverpool just because there's a convenient narrative to build around it.

That being said. this site is still the better platform to banter and whine about Liverpool FC.

Cheers!

15 Sep 2026 18:20:46
This Wirtz-Olise swap made me chuckle 😂.

{Ed025's Note - and me, it will obviously be Wirtz plus £120m for Olise..

15 Sep 2026 18:22:00
Btw, Long time, TRK! Good to hear from you. Hope all's good with you mate!

15 Sep 2026 18:11:06
If only we were as wise and wonderful as some on here.

15 Sep 2026 19:02:16
Ed025 you little scamp you😂.

{Ed025's Note - i have done the calculations FM.. :)

15 Sep 2026 19:16:23
Why don't you go back to your Man utd pages, if you want a better giggle, you won't be giggling when Southgate comes through the door, it will be us giggling and you angry! when we read all the gibberish on your Man utd pages.

YNWA "All LFC Supporters" you ain't one?

P.S. Striker Andy Cole's Law? it's just cabbage like your post! LMAO.

15 Sep 2026 19:13:41
Gibberish eh? I'll look out for your next enlightening post 👍.

15 Sep 2026 20:32:55
All hail the informed!

16 Sep 2026 04:06:05
Exactly the type of post I was referring to 007, well done, well done!

This great club has been in my blood since birth and that's a fair while now. The greatest thing I have noticed along the way especially in the ground, at the games, is the respect, trust and appreciation that the club and its professional backdrop are far more equipped than the fan base to do a fine job. Competition makes it hard to always come out on top but some of the posts I read often suggests this great club is failing us. Never will it fail me! YNWA

P. s. Rover - I care little what you think about my posts pal. One thing I won't do is speculate and another to think I can do better than the experts! That's less than common on here!