Liverpool Rumours Member Posts

MK Scouser's Posts and Other Poster's Replies To MK Scouser's Posts

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MK Scouser's rumours posts with other poster's replies to MK Scouser's rumours posts

21 Jul 2024 09:40:40
Rumours today that Saudi PIF are trying to make a move for Virgil happen. Sticking point is Liverpool asked for €55m and they could walk away at that price knowing that in 6 months he's free to negotiate a pre-contract. I think we need to drop that asking price significantly if we want to make a sale happen this summer. Virgil is apparently interested though.

Might explain why we suddenly switched to Inacio being No.1 target and put everything else on the back burner.

1.) 21 Jul 2024 10:08:43
Great info Mk thanks for sharing mate ??.

2.) 21 Jul 2024 10:09:18
I sincerely hope it doesn’t happen, Virgil in his decline is still probably the second best center back in the league and one of the 5 best center halves in Europe, also my concern is that even though inacio is excellent in possession, he doesn’t have Virgil’s other qualities defending the box, near invincibility one on one, mobility covering huge amounts of space in transition, he’s considerably smaller and not as intimidating of a physical specimen as Virgil is, so I really don’t know how that’s going to work out. That being said I haven’t seen inacio play much, every time I’ve seen him sporting have loads of the ball and he steps out into midfield.

3.) 21 Jul 2024 10:34:27
PB we have to replace vvd at some point in the very near future mate he is 33 and can walk for free in 12 months and only going to get slower so why not replace now why we can still get some money to help cover the cost of he’s replacement.

4.) 21 Jul 2024 11:03:42
Virgil is still the best CB in the world, by some distance. Bar the game at the Emirates, he had an excellent season last year. We should give him a new deal.

Inacio is not a patch on our captain. Behave.

5.) 21 Jul 2024 11:16:55
Am sorry but vvd isn’t even the best CB in the prem never mind the world. Ever heard of Saliba!

6.) 21 Jul 2024 11:53:31
I get that longthing, but losing our most important player and captain besides Ali while getting accustomed to a new coach and way of playing might prove rather too much for us to handle in a short span of time, Virgil‘s skill set is very difficult to replace (not to mention he’s always the biggest threat on any set piece in the box), and from what I’ve seen inacio is a brilliant player in the buildup but probably not capable of filling in for Virgil in other respects.

Who knows, maybe slot will play much more conservatively than klopp did and not use his two center backs (especially Virgil) as a get out of jail card, but from what I’ve seen of feyenoord his center backs do have a lot of responsibility on and off the ball, so I’m dubious to say the least.

7.) 21 Jul 2024 12:15:53
MK can the club not do two things at once? Just like last season a bid at a time and waiting until the last minute. If Virg is going get a CB while sorting Trent’s contract and putting offers on a DM. Seriously, imagine only being able to negotiate one transfer at a time. Worst thing is with inacio there is nothing to negotiate, they just need to pay the buyout in full.

8.) 21 Jul 2024 12:21:56
Longthing - Saliba is good at ground duels but he’s average at best in the air. Virgil was and is much better than Saliba, even with the massive protection Saliba gets from his teammates.

9.) 21 Jul 2024 12:23:59
I’d be gutted to see him go but I know it’s sooner rather than later now.

10.) 21 Jul 2024 12:41:02
All that from a rumour.
quality stuff.

11.) 21 Jul 2024 12:45:58
We will concede so many set pieces if VVD leaves. We have a soft centre already. I would fear for a top 4 finish if he does leave.

12.) 21 Jul 2024 13:28:56
Disastrous to lose Virg this summer, would seriously jeopardise our hopes of top 4.For me staying in the champs lge is worth more than €55m.

13.) 21 Jul 2024 13:35:16
I’d rather he went for free next year than sold now. To much of a transition new coach and tactics it’s not rocket science nor is it like he is terrible and has to go. Football and winning over saving money.

14.) 21 Jul 2024 14:16:07
Yeah I’d rather he stayed for another year and left on a free than accept €55m.

15.) 21 Jul 2024 15:00:08
I've not seen Inacio play but worries me that a 41 year old was played ahead of him for Portugal at the Euros.

16.) 21 Jul 2024 17:12:40
Where does this waiting till the last minute come from, Mac and szob were signed early in the window last year.

17.) 21 Jul 2024 18:04:24
Lads it’s just a rumour, don’t go at each others throats. For the record I’ve been one of the main posters on here saying we should keep Virgil, Salah and Trent. They’re all world class in my opinion.

Again, just a rumour I’m sharing on a rumours site. No dramas.

18.) 21 Jul 2024 18:16:09
VVD is a leader and a big personality in the team. Good luck replacing that with someone who can pick that up straight away.

19.) 21 Jul 2024 18:38:35
There is a very good explanation as to why the Portuguese manager would choose a 41 year old ahead of him. The Portugal manager is Bob Martinez and we all know how clueless he is.

20.) 21 Jul 2024 19:44:15
I don’t can you give me a rundown as to why he is clueless, please @Victor?

21.) 21 Jul 2024 23:30:10
Roberto Martinez is possibly the best example of a manager failing upwards. He has left every position he's had worse than he found it.

The Belgium team he was the manager of was probably the best selection of Belgium talent on their history and repeatedly underachieved while also playing terrible football, a routine he's repeating at Portugal.

22.) 21 Jul 2024 23:38:38
Theslotmachine, I wouldn’t judge him based on the Portugal team given it was basically set up around Ronaldo, having said that Pepe had a pretty good tournament.

20 Jul 2024 07:30:11
Rumours we've bid for Baris Alper Yilmaz of Galatasaray. RW mainly who can also play LW, LB, RB and CF. Alleged bid is worth around 30m euro. West Ham also interested, and player is in London to decide his future.

7 goals and 12 assists last season in all competitions. Only 24 years old. Only saw him play in the Euro's. Pace and aggression is impressive and Van Dijk certainly struggled to get hold of him!

Could be nonsense but thought I'd share anyway.

1.) 20 Jul 2024 08:31:36
Is that milner?

2.) 20 Jul 2024 08:37:04
Now that is a believable Edwards/ FSG signing.
I expect the lean in August.

3.) 20 Jul 2024 09:21:02
Underwhelming is a fair comment. Huge jump in difficulty and quality from the Turkish league to the premier league and 6 goals and 7 assists in the league for a winger playing for probably the best and most dominant team in their league isn’t exactly impressive. Feels like match of the day fever because he had one or two good matches at the Euros, which isn’t a basis to sign a player.

4.) 20 Jul 2024 09:34:14
Looks like a grafter.
You need players like that who will put 100% into every situation.
For £30M I’d take him, might not be a game changer but a good squad player.

5.) 20 Jul 2024 09:58:43
Im with you, Ron. Lest we not forget how much Mo, Sane and Bobby cost-literally the best front 3 combo in our entire history.
Price does not determine class.
I wish we had bought cole palmer instead of Nuez, we would have saved 45m.

6.) 20 Jul 2024 10:29:27
I agree Ron and Vango. Does seem like a classic Liverpool signing in recent years. Yilmaz struck me as a player who would thrive with better players around him. Not a hugely exciting signing but we said the same about Robbo, Mane, Wijnaldum and Salah as well!

7.) 20 Jul 2024 11:38:50
The likelihood is any forward coming in will play 2nd fiddle (or 6th in the pecking order) to what we currently have unless we’re spending big on a proven player.

So any forward coming in will sound underwhelming.

Endo was pretty underwhelming last season when we signed and he had a decent season overall.

Nunez was a big name exciting signing at the time and we’re now at the 3rd season mark saying this will be the season that it clicks.

So there’s no actual blueprint of what will and won’t work.

16 Jul 2024 08:39:03
Lot's of reports about CB's this morning. Thought I'd share some of the stories that jumped out at me as more plausible. Which doesn't mean they're true or accurate, but they just don't sound ridiculous!

Yoro - Liverpool want him but accept he's Real Madrid bound. However Lille are pushing him towards Man United as they've offered more money. Sounds like we've backed off, but we're ready to pounce if Madrid pull out of negotiations.

Guehi - Liverpool have tracked his progress and are interested. However no negotiations thus far and Palace would want around £65m.

Simikan - another Liverpool allegedly like, however another we've apparently not contacted the agent or club about yet. Price tag reportedly set at 40m Euro

Inacio - reports this morning say we "lead the race" whatever that means. 50m Euro price tag seems to be pretty widely agreed on by multiple news outlets.

1.) 16 Jul 2024 08:55:42
And then someone completely different signs.

2.) 16 Jul 2024 09:14:14
Always the way isn't it Vango. But if rumours weren't so fun to discuss and debate this site wouldn't exist!

3.) 16 Jul 2024 09:21:00
From teamtalk phonelines at 1 pound a monute, to this site-what a long way the tech/ delivery/ autenticity has come. yet us old geezers are the same as ever and still love a good transfer rumour as we did when we were nippers.

4.) 16 Jul 2024 09:30:50
Then we will end up with a £15m player no one has heard of because Liverpool are sticking to their guns and won't be taken the p. out of over prices, yaaaay.

5.) 16 Jul 2024 09:55:27
Scrapping the absolute bottom now ??.

02 Jul 2024 16:52:49
Please don't shoot the messenger, but Hancko has given an interview and claimed he spoke with Slot about his new job as Liverpool manager. Hancko said it's very unlikely he'll follow Slot to Anfield because Slot isn't looking for a player in his position. I'm just passing on a rumour here and it could well have been lost in translation as I doubt he gave the interview in English. Hughes might have plans to overrule Slot and sign a CB regardless of his ideas. Or maybe Slot was just letting him down gently because he and Hughes want a different CB?

Who knows, just thought I'd pass it on as this isn't the first rumour in recent weeks that we might opt not to sign a CB. The Mainz Sporting Director has even said in an interview recently that their planned move to sign van den Berg was likely to be delayed because Liverpool want to assess him in pre-season. Still very early days so this could all just be Chinese whispers. 2+2=5 during the transfer window more often than not.

1.) 02 Jul 2024 17:22:33
Cheers MK.

Kinda feeds into the stuff I've been hearing myself. Not saying I'm connected to club but all the talk is about on the wings, midfield and a clearout over the next couple of transfer windows of non-Edwards/ Hughes players.

2.) 02 Jul 2024 18:10:39
Hanko would be a bargain at the 30m being spoke about, sell gomez for 20-25 easily. Know which 1 I'd prefer.

3.) 02 Jul 2024 19:38:03
I reckon Hancko ends up at Atletico.

4.) 02 Jul 2024 19:46:18
@Magico - once again, what has Joe ever done wrong?

5.) 02 Jul 2024 20:17:49
Maybe will be given a chance then sis slot work with him previously?

6.) 02 Jul 2024 20:59:48
Cheers MK.

7.) 02 Jul 2024 18:57:00
ed002 seems to think we'll be signing a cb, though? probably one who can play left back too (pacho, as we've been hearing all along)

{Ed002's Note - I have explained about Pacho and Hancko. - and others.}

8.) 02 Jul 2024 21:27:47
I hope that is not true about not wanting to add a defender.

9.) 03 Jul 2024 06:13:10
Perhaps by "position" he means his overall position in life, ie taking in to account age etc. Maybe we want Pacho as he is younger. English is not this mans first language after all.

10.) 03 Jul 2024 07:14:02
As ed2 has said above he expects a signing, the club has targets.

11.) 03 Jul 2024 07:42:12
Slot wants to assess all of the current players during pre-season before deciding which position should be strengthen. And when they have decide it. all of our target players already not available on the market anymore #lol.

12.) 03 Jul 2024 07:52:16
Slot talking directly to a player.
Taking a leaf out of Klopps book re tapping up players

??????.

13.) 03 Jul 2024 09:12:01
@JLC Hardly tapping up if he is telling him that Liverpool aren't interested in him. Also, I'm pretty certain that you don't have to sever all ties to anybody that you have had previous relationships with just because you move clubs. Surely you are still allowed to talk to your friends.

{Ed002's Note - So you think Slot and Hancko had some kind of relationship?}

14.) 03 Jul 2024 08:01:02
He was Hancko's coach, I'm sure they have a great personal relationship and talk to each other on the phone all the time, what is Slot supposed to do, delete him from his phone once he signs a Liverpool contract?

{Ed002's Note - No, but if he is using the opportunity to speak with ex-players about transfers - that is tapping up. Liverpool need to move on from years of tapping up, hacking, cheating, having to buy off other clubs not to make complaints etc.. They are trying to move on.}

15.) 03 Jul 2024 14:32:50
Surely if Hancko is aware that tapping up is illegal he wouldn't be disclosing to the press that his boss/ friend is trying to soften him up for a potential move or putting the feelers out? What if Hancko himself asked if he'd be interested in taking him? Is Slot supposed to say 'sorry, conversation ends here, let's leave it to the agents'? I don't personally know the answer to these questions but Hancko divulging this information to the press suggests that he feels like everything is above board?

{Ed002's Note - Scratching around trying to get out of an embarrassing situation.}

16.) 03 Jul 2024 14:42:03
Well I don't know what the insinuation is here, ed? That Slot is cheating like Klopp did? Or just that our club is a disgrace of an institution and always will be, so Slot should be careful not to further sully a name that's already been dragged through the mud? Nobody will defend Klopp for always trying to take the 'direct' route to sounding out a player's interest, he was misguided and for some reason simply thought it was a legitimate way to make a direct call before the board slapped his wrists for it. Calling Liverpool an embarrassment for Klopp's mistakes isn't going to offend me because I don't condone it, I think you're really quite mistaken that I'm scratching around, personally.

{Ed002's Note - It wasn't me who suggested he is making direct contact with players about transfers.}

01 Jul 2024 11:52:18
As we tick over into July I think the transfer window might start to liven up a bit now ??

Kelleher and van den Berg have said they want to leave and fair enough. I can't bring myself to be too critical of players who wants more than being a back up. That means we'll need a new back up keeper though and a new CB to replace Matip. No idea who we'd want in terms of a GK but the CB's we're linked with (Pacho, Hincapie, Murillo etc) are all the right kind of profile. Able to play LB and CB, young enough to learn from Virgil, but good enough already to start if needed.

Thiago has also left, and I think the DM/ CM replacement for him will be vital in terms of taking some of the load off of Endo. Ederson, Varela and Koopmeiners are all linked frequently and I'd be happy with any one of them in a 2 man holding midfield duo next season. This is probably the most important signing of the summer to get right. I wasn't keen a couple of months ago on signing a DM, but once I realised that Slot sets the team up with the legendary "double pivot" I quickly changed my mind.

Lastly, it seems Diaz is going to get the move away his Dad reliably informs us he is so desperate for. Of all of our forwards he scores the least goals so I'm not stressed about it at all but it's a shame because I think we'll all miss his work rate and flair. The RW/ LW players linked (Gordon, Bakayoko, Summerville, Neto etc) wouldn't be my picks but they're all decent and pacey players who score and/ or create goals.

Don't get me wrong, there are other players in the squad that could arguably be improved on (and we can all debate about who they are until the cows come home) . However there's a lot of decent young players returning from loan deals who might fancy their chances at becoming 1st team squad players next year. So if we can simply replace those 4 (Kelleher, Matip, Thiago and Diaz) I think we'll have had a very good window. Everything else can wait and who knows, players who haven't shone under Klopp might thrive under Slot. Exciting times ahead.

1.) 01 Jul 2024 13:11:57
Out of that lot I'd say Neto is probably the best, but he's injured all the time, Gordon is probably the second best option, and has the, unfortunately, but Bakayoko is excellent in one on one situations and has a high upside/ promising attitude, from what I've seen of him he is quite similar to Doku in terms of not producing great numbers but always being dangerous in isolation situations (Diaz is that way too lol) . Summerville looks to be bad news attitude-wise but Mane was before he joined us too, so who knows.

2.) 01 Jul 2024 13:46:55
Neto won’t score goals. He’d flatter to deceive when fit and then be injured for half the season. If ever there was a player made for Spurs, it’s him.

3.) 01 Jul 2024 13:41:06
PB, you’re probably right about Neto being the best option of those 4. Sure we have other players on the radar too though. My personal preference would’ve been Bowen or Mbuemo. If Neto stays fit though he’s very good.

4.) 01 Jul 2024 14:21:40
We definitely need a player in DM role if its going to be q double pivot. Emerson would be the pick of what you suggested MK, I'm not fully sold on him or the others you mentioned tho.

For me, CB is not a pressing issue, as we currently have 4 and possibly chambers. If the right one is available, then fair enough. Get him, if not. We can wait.

If Diaz goes, we don't need a LW imo. We are stacked in this area and for the RW. I would go and get Bakayoko, he will be a better all round player than Doku imo.

5.) 01 Jul 2024 14:23:25
I actually agree VV.

6.) 01 Jul 2024 14:24:04
Victor, I actually agree with you to an extent.

He is lightning fast and very creative though. 9 Premier League assists last season, so although he only had 2 goals he isn't exactly ineffective and Slot allegedly prefers more creative wingers. Neto maight also build on those numbers as well with better players around him.

I must admit though the injuries are a worry hence why I wouldn't be at all disappointed if we looked elsewhere. I actually really wanted him 4 years ago but the muscle injuries seem relentless.

7.) 01 Jul 2024 14:31:37
Mbeumo is a pretty low risk option, MK, probably the least exciting out of all the players we're linked with but he's proven he can do the job in this league, my guess is Bakayoko is probably pretty high up the list, I imagine he doesn't cost as much as the other options on the list and has the highest ceiling, though that being said he is also the riskiest (besides Neto, considering he would cost a hell of a lot and has consistently missed games throughout his career, so he shouldn't be considered imo) .

If money wasn't a problem I would go all out and just buy Kvaratskhelia, he is pretty much on the cusp of being a world class footballer if he isn't already there, he wants to leave for a CL club, he's a big game player who can handle being the man in clutch situations, he can play both wings or through the center, he's physically strong and incredibly fit, he carries the ball from deep incredibly well and scares the life out of defenders, my only reservation is he likes to have a speculative shot from distance once or more times a game, but that can probably be curbed. I'm sure we're not interested in him for some reason though.

8.) 01 Jul 2024 14:58:53
I’d pick

Jaros give him a go
Hancko
Koopmieiners
Mbemo.

9.) 01 Jul 2024 15:17:58
Thefields, that's fair enough pal. I really like Ederson personally. Koopmeiners as well. Varela is the one I've seen the least of so unsure what to make of him as he reminds me a bit of a young Jorginho, who himself blows hot and cold. Who would you like for DM out of interest? Also agree with you on CB. For some reason people here think I hate Gomez because I don't blow smoke up his rear end, but as 4th choice CB I think he's low risk and I'm not desperate for change thanks to the emergence of Quansah. Also agree we need a RW more than another LW. Although Gordon and Summerville can play there they are better on the left.

PB, I really like Mbuemo. He's a very good RW and a good CF as well. His aggression and work rate is top notch, but he's also got a decent technique and eye for a pass too.

10.) 01 Jul 2024 15:29:28
If Diaz were to leave, i hope we go all in for Nico Williams. Prob most exciting player in a team full of stars.

11.) 01 Jul 2024 15:54:01
There’s absolutely no point signing a player like Neto, doesn’t score anywhere near enough goals and hasn’t managed more than 20 league games in a season for the last three seasons, that simply isn’t good enough. Unless the plan is to keep the physios in work then I see no reason to sign him. Mbuemo would be a better option as he is at least consistent, scores goals and works his arse off, pretty sure his injury last season was a contact injury unlike Neto, who appears to be made out of crisps.

12.) 01 Jul 2024 16:00:25
nico williams is on extremely high wages and will ask for more to move, word is that his attitude is suspect too, no doubt he is elite one on one though.

13.) 01 Jul 2024 16:42:28
I think it breaks down to four categories:

Dream signings (highly unlikely) :

Kvaratskhelia
Williams
Goes

Realistic (likely) :

Mbuemo
Clare Balding doppelgänger

Outsider:

Bakayoko
Bowen (unlikely because of age and English tax)

Absolutely should be avoided:

Neto - injury prone poor output
Raphinha - poor output, slow, too old
Sane - poor attitude, has made multiple disrespectful comments about us as a club, too old.

14.) 01 Jul 2024 17:32:47
11 goal involvements in 18 games is hardly poor output though is it vv, I agree Neto should be avoided because of his injury history but he’s not some kind of show pony.

15.) 01 Jul 2024 17:39:47
I will be happy if we can retain Kelleher, buy Calafiori, give a chance to Basejtic and Morton to get the DM/ CM spot, retain Diaz and and give a to Ben Doak and Dans to be part of the team this season.

16.) 01 Jul 2024 17:53:47
MK, I'm not really a fan of the new style of DM if I'm honest. When the topic of greatest comes up, I always go with Roy Keane ?. I want them to be an animal and not overly concerned with the attacking side of the game. They have to be a defender first and foremost and there is nothing wrong with them doing a little side/ forward/ backwards pass, to relieve pressure and let the likes of Trent Mac Calister do the passing. Which is why I think Endo is a quality player.

There is only 1 player I have seen semi regular play that stood out, and that is Ugarte. We should be all over him. As for the rest, I will get behind them regardless of who we sign.

17.) 01 Jul 2024 21:56:20
@PB, does the club have money problems?

18.) 02 Jul 2024 08:26:32
Thefields, I think Ederson fits that mould the most to be fair. He's a lot like Endo in terms of aggression and tough tackling. But I can see why that might put you off Varela and Koopemeiners who are very much ball playing DM/ CM players. That's a fair enough reason though mate. Bet you miss Mascherano then! He was as close to an animal as a DM gets.

Can't say I've seen enough of Ugarte for PSG to comment. He was good at Sporting though.

19.) 02 Jul 2024 08:33:36
I think Neto is a very decent player and in the right hands could be a diamond in the rough.

Injury is perhaps the only real worry not goals, but his body is young enough if the right care is taken. I don’t think because Mo was hardly prolific at 24.

In the right hands, with better quality squad and supply around etc his un-deniable talent could be nurtured.

20.) 02 Jul 2024 09:02:45
Not sure Koopmeiners can be pegged as a DM, he's more like a box to box all action athletic midfielder who has an excellent engine, presses extremely well, puts himself about cutting out passing channels and then driving up the pitch, gets into the box or in shooting position outside the box (where he is quite excellent at striking the ball), can play out wide in the attacking third with the winger moving inside, carries the ball exceptionally well from deep. He could definitely play 6 or 8 but is much more of an 8 to me, if he's played in a double pivot as the more conservative ball winning midfielder I'm not sure it's that well suited to him.

21.) 02 Jul 2024 07:07:59
I don’t mean to suggest that they have money problems, but they just don’t tend to splash the cash on a top recognised option on big wages, unless that player has already been identified as a top priority that needs to be secured at all costs (which I would hope is the case here, given that KK probably tops all the statistical metrics required to gauge who the best wide forward on the market right now is) . I’m just bracing myself for disappointment if he ends up at a big moneybags club as will invariably be the case.

22.) 02 Jul 2024 10:49:57
PB, Koopmeiners is a very complete player. He even played CB under Slot in his younger days. Though he actually played AM most of last season under Gasperini. He’s just one of them who can play virtually anywhere outfield and be excellent. It’s not that he can’t play DM it’s more that it is a waste of his talent going forward for me.

Ederson is younger as well as likely to be cheaper because he isn’t anywhere near as versatile but he’s still an excellent player. Reminds me of Mousa Dembele back in his prime at Spurs.

{Ed001's Note - can he be 'excellent'? He always seems just decent whenever I have seen him. Not great or anything, but also not bad. Just ok. From what I have seen, he is simply not particularly outstanding at any aspect of the game, so he is the one that gets shunted around to make space. He is a utility player who is not quite good enough to nail down a spot for me.}

23.) 02 Jul 2024 12:22:09
I can only go on the games I've seen of him Ed001 to be fair. In the maybe 10-15 times I've seen him play he's always been one of the top 3 players on the pitch. I think he's a better version of Milner. Better because he's quicker, stronger and more composed in the box.

However, what I would say is I think Ederson has been the best player on the pitch on the 3 occasions I've watched them play together! Smaller sample size but Ederson does look a real talent. What are your thoughts on him out of interest?

{Ed001's Note - I like him a lot, but just not convinced at all that Koomeiners is as good as you say, nor better than Milner.}

24.) 02 Jul 2024 13:19:46
It’s always an opinions game though Ed001 so it’s cool if you disagree. Everyone sees things different I guess. It does often depend on what games you’ve watched of certain players too. I’ve still never seen a game where Wirtz has played well for example and I think he won Bundesliga player of the year. So he must’ve had plenty of good games, but he was terrible every time I saw him!

{Ed001's Note - really? I really like Wirtz.}

25.) 02 Jul 2024 14:07:45
I have come to the conclusion that I’ve just caught him on bad days Ed001! The numbers Wirtz has posted offensively coupled with winning the player of the year, he simply cannot be a bad player. Yet I’ve watched him about 5 times last season and he was nothing short of dreadful every time. In fact every time I watched Leverkusen they played poorly but got bailed out by Xhaka, Grimaldo or Frimpong. Except the Europa League final where nobody saved them and they were just poor. It’s frustrating because I keep reading Alonso had them playing great football and Wirtz was a future star, but I’ve literally not seen any evidence ? if I was a fan, I’d stop watching them because I think I curse them.

{Ed001's Note - I think you maybe a Jonah.}

26.) 02 Jul 2024 14:53:00
That's what the missus says too, Ed!

{Ed001's Note - and she makes a good point.}

27.) 02 Jul 2024 16:36:49
Metrored, Neto’s injury history and lack of end product are both huge red flags. He’s far too fragile and injury prone to even remotely consider, notwithstanding the fact he’s never scored double figures during his career. It’s all very well doing the odd fancy step over here or there, but not being able to score goals or stay fit should rule him out entirely.

28.) 02 Jul 2024 17:14:07
Yeah MK I miss Mascherano, although he could be reckless and had is deficiencies. Emerson does sound more of Makele or a Fernandinho from what I have been reading/ hearing, so would probably be pick of the rest.

On a side note, Anthony Gordon. His heads been turned by Newcastle offering him to us. Why they would offer a Scouser to his boyhood club is laughable. If we could get him for no more than £80m and if Diaz leaves it is a no brainer for me. He will improve, another Scouser in the team and he won't want to go off to one of the Spanish giants like the rest being mooted. Williams will be far costly and will want to go to a Spanish giant in future, Neto to many injuries, Kvaradona see Williams.

{Ed025's Note - i see a lot of you want Gordon now, when he was at Everton he was described on here as a little diving prick and a serial cheat, oh how fickle the modern day supporter can be.. :)

29.) 02 Jul 2024 18:36:34
I will be honest Ed25, that's only because he played for the Bitters ?. I miss the old days when the likes of Barmby swapped clubs haha.

He was always and is still considered to be a top talent by some reds, we just said behind closed doors when he played for you lot ?.

{Ed025's Note - i think you are the bitter ones Thefields.. :)

30.) 03 Jul 2024 06:22:56
I’d go mbeumo or Wirtz and as wildcard Eds is there any interest in Enciso from Brighton. Guarantee when he gets more game time this season everyone will be fawning over him. Can play left or right or behind forward.

{Ed002's Note - There is interest in Enciso but not from Liverpool.}

MK Scouser's banter posts with other poster's replies to MK Scouser's banter posts

24 Jul 2024 15:38:47
So the Tour squad has been announced and there was some surprise inclusions and some possibly quite telling exclusions. Just wanted to give my initial/ early thoughts and theories on some of it really.

Koumetio and Williams are surely finished at Liverpool now after being excluded. Clark and Danns were possibly left behind due to us looking at loan moves for next season given the players ahead of them are likely to really limit their game time. They may also just have niggles though.

Luca Stephenson and Harvey Blair making the squad was quite a shock to me. They're players who looked like their careers with us would fizzle out so this is a bit of a lifeline for them. Luca's versatility might hold him in good stead, as being able to play RB, CB, DM and CM is very Milner-esque. Blair on the other hand is only versatile in that he can play both RW and LW but he is still very much a specialist winger. Hopefully they can play their way into Slot's thinking, as unlikely as it seems.

Phillips, Kelleher, Morton, Carvalho and van den Berg all making the squad despite being heavily linked with moves away is probably down to lack of senior options than anything else but they've all got a good opportunity now to lay down a marker and possibly catch the eye. Realistically I still think they'll all move on before the window closes, and this might even be about putting them in the shop window as they're all good players who should be fetching 8 figure transfer fees in my opinion.

I think the game at Preston hinted at some positional changes also; Jones may be seen as a DM by Slot and Salah may be seen as a CF. Be interesting to see how that develops as it could've just been because we were missing a lot of players but that doesn't really tally up because we had a lot of other DM players in the squad (Endo, Morton, McConnell, Bajcetic) and plenty of younger lads who could've played CF (Doak, Danns, Carvalho) so Salah could've gotten started with learning what Slot expects from a RW in his system.

The last thing that stands out to me is the decision to take Beck and Chambers on the tour despite the fact that Robbo and Tsimikas are both in the squad. 4 LB's might indicate that Beck and Chambers are is a straight shoot out with Kostas for his place in the squad next season.

For anyone who wants to watch the pre-season tour, if you subscribe for LFCtv you get 1 month free membership. I'm looking forward to see how things play out for a lot of the fringe players I've mentioned above.

1.) 24 Jul 2024 16:46:39
Mk who played on the right v Preston

I’ve seen articles online suggesting Slot sees Mo as a centre forward. Would be interesting if he is because what does that mean for Nunez and Jota as one of them pair would then be third choice centre forward.

2.) 24 Jul 2024 16:09:26
Maybe Slot saw the abuse Southgate got re LB's so decided to bring lots of them so he doesn't get the same ?.

3.) 24 Jul 2024 16:28:42
I said a while ago that I could see Salah being moved to CF under slot. The type of winger that Salah was/ is isn't what slot utilises usually.

Also with him losing a lot of his pace in the last two years makes more sense to move our best finisher closer to goal and have him focus on scoring. We have plenty of players who can play the wing role and that's if slot doesn't move them a little deeper to play like two number 10s instead - which is what I think will happen and will put szoboslai in his best position along with Elliot as well. I imagine gakpo would be ok playing as a wide 10.

Just my opinion obviously.

4.) 24 Jul 2024 17:27:52
MKS, I wouldn't pay too much attention to the Preston game as it is the first game of preseason ahence, a whole lot of players missing so whatever positions/ formations were used/ players played in is not too much to draw any conclusions.

Now regarding Not taking Kostas nor Robbo, that is prolly cos one is looking to prolly leave while the other (then again, that could apply to kellerher, Sepp and co. too and they were taken) is just back from holiday so, nothing much to draw on there for me neither.

So for me as things stand, it's too early to draw any type of conclusions on what the team, squad, tactics, formations and player personel will look like. Give it time (and games and transfers) and we will surely have a much better idea. Just my take.

5.) 24 Jul 2024 17:29:17
I can’t see that Slot would go with Salah as a centre forward as he preferred a big quick mobile centre forward at Feyenoord (as he also did at AZ) .

As for Jones as defensive midfielder, I’d hope that’s not something we’d carry into the new premier wseason as it seems overly generous to our opponents to give them such an easy route to goal.

6.) 24 Jul 2024 17:33:17
Last year during pre season Bradley really stated his case. Hopefully one of those youngsters can do the same this year. Fingers crossed.

7.) 24 Jul 2024 18:28:31
JK23, It was Doak 1st half and Gordon 2nd half. I agree it would be interesting though. Jota and Nunez aren’t really suited to the RW so I guess that might explain why there is so much interest in wingers.

I’m with you Nevada, I also think it makes a lot of sense. We saw with Messi and Ronaldo that wingers can prolong their careers by moving into a more central role.

Oli, I appreciate it’s very early mate. Just wanted to start some conversations about some of the early indications. May be that a lot of our initial assumptions are proven wrong but it’s still fun to talk about.

Markp08, very good point to be fair mate. These kids have a huge opportunity. Bradley proved that a good pre-season can propel you into the managers plans.

8.) 24 Jul 2024 19:12:31
Salah is not clinical enough to play as a CF in my opinion.
He’s a great player, he scores great goals, but he’s never been a great finisher. He succeeds on volume of chances.

9.) 24 Jul 2024 19:38:46
I read that Clark and Danns were left behind because they had injuries.

10.) 24 Jul 2024 19:39:31
@Ron, you could say the same of Nunez.

11.) 24 Jul 2024 19:50:58
I'd like to see salah play up top, i think it the natural evolution in his career. Agree with ron as regards salah not being most clinical forward but what he has always been world class at is non stop movement. That's why he gets so many chances and scores more than his fair share. Gakpo on left, mo up top and diaz on right would be my front 3 if there a cup final in morning.

12.) 24 Jul 2024 21:12:27
I read that too Thunderbird. Aren't the games a 00:30 kick off UK time? Not sure the 1 month free membership is enough to tempt into staying up up for them!

13.) 24 Jul 2024 21:46:52
Betis is on Saturday at 00.30 followed by the ufc in Manchester make a night of it.

14.) 25 Jul 2024 00:00:58
@stuie LFC will usually save the matches to you can watch them on replay or at very least 10minute highlight package. Well worth it particularly if its free to subscribe.

15.) 25 Jul 2024 11:02:35
It”” be really interesting to see how Nallo and Nyoni go. From the limited reports I have seen neither of them has put a foot wrong. Who know’s maybe these two are destined to be the next two to have a ‘break out’ season.

16.) 25 Jul 2024 11:55:53
"Oli, I appreciate it’s very early mate. Just wanted to start some conversations about some of the early indications. May be that a lot of our initial assumptions are proven wrong but it’s still fun to talk about. "

By all means fire away, man. All good.

16 Jul 2024 17:22:32
Panic seems to be starting to set in amongst a minority of fans. I don't think this quiet start to the window is surprising though. We've changed the whole back room at the club pretty much. Slot, Hulshoff, Hughes and co will all want to run the rule over what they have already.

Players like Carvalho, van den Berg, Beck, Morton, Jaros, Chambers etc might not have been high on the list for Klopp and Lijnders, but the new leadership team might have other ideas. They might suit the way we plan to play next year even if they didn't suit what the previous regime wanted or weren't deemed ready at that time.

Not to mention the 30-40 odd players Klopp actually used last season at some point across all competitions need to be assessed. Young lads like Elliott, Quansah, Bradley, Danns, Clark, Bajcetic, Scanlon, Nyoni, McConnell, Koumas, Gordon, Doak etc might have bigger parts to play now they're a year older and again, a new coaching team is assessing them.

I really don't see the need to start turning on FSG (who are unrelated entirely) or even questioning the new management team this early in the window. There's a month until our first game so I'd say we just need to be patient.

1.) 16 Jul 2024 19:28:43
Alright Mk always enjoy reading your posts mate but I think the term “panic” is a little far fetched but I get what you’re saying and I think some fans might be a little concerned.

Personally I am happy how it’s going and the squad Klopp has left but I do have slight concerns.

1. I think we need strengthening in midfield in dm and maybe another forward that can play across the front 3.

2. My main concern is quite a
Number of the squad are missing a large amount of Slots pre season which is out of our hands due to international. However any new signings the longer we delay the more pre season they will also miss and have less time to settle.

Last season we bought Mac and Szob early and both hit the ground running. Endo and grav were bought late and took a long time to settle.

Certainly not panicked but nervous excited.

2.) 16 Jul 2024 20:00:31
Forget the incomings (Looks bleak anyways) we need to sort out the contract of VVD, Salah and Trent. You don’t need to be a NASA scientist to do that. What on earth is Hughes up to these days. Do they even have a decision on Trent mainly. Real is sniffing around and forcing his agent to run his contract down and no doubt would Bellingham earing him at the Euros.

3.) 16 Jul 2024 20:33:41
Jaguar, VVD and Trent have both been at the euros until at least the semi finals… how exactly can Hughes agree a contract extension with them while they are playing at the euros all summer so far?

There’s no way those players are being sidetracked by extending club contracts while they are in the semi finals of a major international tournament - they will have been focussed on their international teams 100%.

{Ed025's Note - to be fair NK it should have been sorted well before the Euro,s started mate..

4.) 16 Jul 2024 20:41:07
Ed25 - Hughes was barely employed at Liverpool before the euros.

Harry is saying “What on earth is Hughes up to these days”, which I disagree with as a dig at him.

{Ed025's Note - then whoever was at the reins before him should have at least got the ball rolling NK surely mate?..

5.) 16 Jul 2024 20:45:09
You are not joking @Navy, are you? Contracts are agreed between the club and the agent ???. This isn’t a round table zoom meeting. Players don’t even read they just sign ?.

6.) 16 Jul 2024 20:53:47
Not going to engage in this nonsense with you Harry. Of course players will be consulted.

Ed25 - you’re not wrong mate! I would have liked the club to have sorted it way before. But that’s not Hughes fault is it? Let’s be fair.

What I don’t like is this seemingly growing agenda against Hughes (from 1 poster in particular) that he’s not up to the job, like suggesting further down the thread that Barcelona and Madrid didn’t want him therefore he's no good. Or some nonsense that he only came because he’s willing to be micromanaged by Edwards.

It’s all just fairytale nonsense and should be called out.

{Ed025's Note - im not blaming Hughes NK, he was not in position when negotiations should have started mate but it does not seem good business to me, i dont like players being allowed to run their contracts down, the club loses out big time and then has to break the bank to replace them, for me they should be offered a contract 2 years at least before expiry and if they dont accept they should be put on the transfer list, just my opinion of course..

7.) 16 Jul 2024 21:15:51
I’m with you Ed25 especially for Trent for a player in his 20s coming into his peak (hopefully! ) . It could be argued with players over 30 like VVD and Salah it’s a balancing act. You don’t want to lose them too soon for nothing but equally you don’t want a player on extortionate wages who’s past their best and not playing regularly (like Thiago was towards the end) .

{Ed025's Note - its a 2 way street NK and a balancing act that the people in charge have to get right (its what they are paid for), VVD who would have been 28 should have been offered an extension of a further 2 years for me mate, salah on the other hand should have been sold last season as we could all see his powers were on the wane and the offer from Saudi was a chance to rebuild, Trent should have been offered a 4 year extension because of his age, this is just me chewing the fat though of course...unless i get an offer to replace Hughes that is.. :)

8.) 16 Jul 2024 21:40:21
Jk23, you’re certainly not one of the people I had in mind when I said “panic” mate. You’re one of the best and most level headed posters on here. We don’t always agree but nobody can accuse you of hyperbole or blind optimism. Balanced views, that I respect.

9.) 16 Jul 2024 22:05:45
In fairness you can understand why some may be a bit concerned given how many times we’ve failed to strengthen when we needed to and how badly it subsequently cost us.

10.) 16 Jul 2024 23:31:50
Yeah I agree with you there MK.

Slot needs time to asses the other players in the squad outisde of the main players. That way the when the main players come back, he will have a good idea of who he wants and hopefully things will have started moving, in regard to incomings.

I'm looking forward to seeing what happens, we have a talented squad. With a few adjustments, we should have a good season.

11.) 17 Jul 2024 06:43:42
Agree with all the assessments surrounding squad having time, negotiations starting before the Euro’s for players in their last year of contracts and not pinning it on Hughes. But the squad is depleted regardless and acquisitions should be in the process. Liverpool have this tendency to write off seasons because we’re awful in the transfer market, the 22/ 33 season is evidence of that.

12.) 17 Jul 2024 07:12:36
Players are consulted via agents. It’s the same when a club tries to sign a new player. I can see where this going going to end “Slot needs time to assess” is this year’s “We only target the right player”. What a masterstroke from FSG ????.

13.) 17 Jul 2024 07:29:07
"We're awful in the transfer market".
Despite buying a new midfield last season for the same price as Citeh pay for a bench warmer.
Do hysterical much?

14.) 17 Jul 2024 07:47:55
Jaguar, please put your claw as away, you meow too much. It is far from purr-fect reading this early in the morning.

Stop reading the tabloids and don’t believe all the clickbait hyperbole. It’s silly season and sports “journalists” are just gossip-mongers at this time of the year.

15.) 17 Jul 2024 08:22:24
I get the concerns but at the end of the day if a player doesn’t want to sign an extension and doesn’t want to leave the club then what are you expecting Hughes to do?

{Ed025's Note - transfer list them?..

16.) 17 Jul 2024 08:27:55
Real are forcing his agent?my God! is hhs family at gunpoint?

17.) 17 Jul 2024 08:34:19
Did we win the league last year Flash? No, we weren’t even close, despite buying a “new midfield”. For the record, that was a job that was long over due. Don’t make out that our recruitment has been great over the years as that is entirely dishonest. Up until then the last midfielder we signed was Thiago, who was an unmitigated mistake given his age and injury history, adding a player with such injury issues to a midfield already containing Keita and AOC was a poor decision, whether anyone is man enough to admit that doesn’t matter. That’s without mentioning our centre back injury crisis that cost us the defence of the league, if we’d acted sensibly and brought someone in as soon as the transfer window had started we may have won the league, but instead we sat on our hands and waited until the very end before signing a very poor player on loan in desperation. So no, we’re not great in the transfer market (I’ll grant you, at least we didn’t throw money down the toilet on Grealish and Phillips) and if our summer plans are apparently Guehi and one of Koopmeiners or Rabiot then it’s another window wasted.

18.) 17 Jul 2024 10:16:58
How can the same people say Klopp performed miracles keeping us competitive on a tight budget, then in the next breath say we were poor in the market? That's a complete contradiction.

If I was to tier rank our signings of the last 10 years (mostly Klopps era and the back end of Rodgers era) I'd say it's as below.

Transformational: Salah, Virgil, Alisson

Great signing: Mane, Fabinho, Mac Allister, Firmino, Robertson, Matip, Milner

Good signing: Diaz, Gakpo, Endo, Szoboszlai, Wijnaldum, Elliott

Average signing: Minamino, Karius, Klavan, Lovren, Adrian

Panic signing: Kabak, Davies, Caulker

Over paid: Nunez, Gravenberch

Good but ruined by injury: Thiago, Ox, Jota, Konate, Lallana

Bad signing: Keita, Benteke, Grujic

I'd say our overall success rate in the market is actually very good compared to other sides. We've managed to stay competitive and win trophies without paying obscene fees and wages, which has now left us in a very strong financial situation whilst others are being investigated and or charged. No team has a 100% success rate, but very few teams have competed with Man City, or stayed competitive in Europe whilst spending less than Tottenham and West Ham.

19.) 17 Jul 2024 12:54:04
The club had people in place before Hughes to do these things, wouldn't surprise me if the emergence of Bradley has made the owners eyes light up to cash in, it's where our transfer budget will come from, the club needs to change hands to people with ambition to keep the best players.

20.) 17 Jul 2024 13:53:27
In fairness though, despite an entirely new team we actually were right in the mix until about the last 5 weeks or so when our entire front line couldn't bury a single chance presented to them - despite injuries, our defence was grand.

Not sure how that can be labelled as a recruitment issue given they all had a crazy time in front of goal, nor can the repeated idiotic referee and VAR calls that went against us - as Adam says though, generally our recruitment has been decent but with the Copa America and Euros on transfers will obviously take a bit longer.

I'd love to see Szoboszlai get back to the sort of form he showed at the start of last season though myself - interesting times ahead lads.

05 Jul 2024 14:54:25
Interesting words from Slot in the presser today about formations and stuff. Pretty much admitted his system is adaptable and can't be pigeon holed to a single formation. Which is kind of what I expected given he's a product of the Dutch total football philosophy, but a lot of the analysts had driven home this idea that 4-2-3-1 was quite a set in stone thing which he brilliantly explained away. It did highlight that the players who are more versatile all rounders might have an advantage so that should be music to the ears of players like Trent, Gomez, Jones, Bajcetic, Gravenberch, Szoboszlai and Elliott who have never really nailed down a set position. To quote directly Slot said as follows.

"I was hoping if people looked at my team they would not say it is 4-2-3-1 or it is 4-3-3 or whatever formation you want to call it. I was hoping they would say there is a lot of freedom when they have the ball to take it in different positions. So sometimes it is a 4-2-3-1; sometimes it is a 4-1-4-1; sometimes we do build up with three. So there's a lot of 'freedom' when we have the ball. But when we don't have the ball there is not so much freedom. We want to be really aggressive and there's only one way, and that's everybody mostly keeps his position. "

I like that. Positional fluidity with the ball is very exciting to watch. But I also really like that he is very firm on setting up tight and structured defensively (although he didn't divulge what that formation that fixed position defensive approach is) . Also if he says his Feyenoord team used a "three" at times, that's exciting because I think we've all enjoyed Klopp's 4-3-3 and the squad's pretty much built around that. It's the first little glimpse into the mans brain, straight from the horses mouth instead of from tactical analysts and journalists. And it kind of proves a lot of it right, but also burns a lot of the theories. Someone like myself who has watched very little of Slot teams and only had the words of others to go by, I personally found it a really interesting insight.

1.) 05 Jul 2024 15:25:05
Mk agree looking forward to seeing what Slot does with the team.

Will be interesting to see reaction if he inverts Trent as a full back. Because when Klopp did it people wanted Pep hung, drawn and quartered. And when it’s been mentioned slot doing it then there’s not been a peep.

2.) 05 Jul 2024 15:57:04
JK, poor Pep will probably still get strung up if Slot does it ??.

3.) 05 Jul 2024 17:48:15
The problem when Klopp inverted the FB there was no width or tempo so it will be interesting to see what Slot does with the wingers in particular Salah.

There should never be a blanket disdain for a particular aspect of a tactic, in this instance the inverted fullback, it is just one aspect of a particular tactic and style.

4.) 05 Jul 2024 17:52:22
He said he has his own ideas about Trent and Gakpo positions but wants to speak with them first does that mean Trent in centre midfield?

5.) 05 Jul 2024 17:55:31
Pep is also partly to blame for global warming. That got worse after his book came out.

6.) 05 Jul 2024 18:53:20
Aye it was very interesting indeed MK. We have a lot of players who should fit the "total football" system. It will be interesting to see how the players who appear not to be as adaptable get on.

7.) 05 Jul 2024 19:14:45
It means they will play where Slot and them agree on Colonel.

Personally, I think you and a lot of other fans are going to have to get use to the potential idea of Trent playing more in midfield.

Dont start reeling of reasons why he shouldn't, show him support instead. If that is the case, as I know Slots mind just as much as you do.

8.) 05 Jul 2024 21:30:40
When you watch the game live, you can see the inverted full back does nothing but congest the midfield against teams that sit deep. Quite often we saw, and I quote Luton away and Sheffield U at home as examples, as soon as we switched away from this system and attacked down the flanks, we had had more success.

9.) 05 Jul 2024 22:36:52
Drogie I was at the Sheff Utd game live.

Apologises I didn’t watch it twice on YouTube so can’t give you a definitive answer but we were awful all game.

We won from the keeper kicking the ball at Nunez and a Mac wonder strike regardless of an inverted full back or not.

10.) 05 Jul 2024 22:38:15
Plus to throw in Trent didn’t play against Sheff Utd.

11.) 06 Jul 2024 01:11:43
So we’ve moved on from 4231 to total football now ?

Might be best if we just wait and see guys. It might even be Slotball.

12.) 06 Jul 2024 06:34:49
FPF, what he described in his presser is Total Football. So the guy himself has just freely told us that. What are we waiting for? A neon sign? ? obviously it’ll be his twist on it, but the positional freedom he spent a couple of minutes talking about is literally the core value of the Dutch philosophy Johan Cruyff came up with that became known as “Total Football”. Pep Guardiola also followed this path as Cruyff instilled it at Barcelona, but Pep put his twist on it and in Spain it became known as Tiki-Taka. But it’s basically total football at the root of it. So I’m sure Slot has his own little unique ideas but it was very clear from that interview that we will be playing a version of Total Football next season. That’s a good thing as well by the way. It’s what the team that have won 6 out 7 of the last Premier League titles do. It’s also what Pep Lijnders wanted us to do as well which is why we had that weird hybrid of the counter pressing Klopp always talked about and the possession based football Lijnders believed in where Trent was inverting into midfield.

{Ed001's Note - Cruyff did not come up with it, nor did Rinus Michels before him, who Cruyff developed ideas from. The Hungarians were playing a variant of it in the 1950s. And there is no way of knowing if they got it from somewhere else before them.}

13.) 06 Jul 2024 07:01:01
Oh wow, that’s really interesting Ed001. Most mainstream stuff you read suggests the Dutch developed it in the 70’s. I had heard the Hungarians played incredible football back in the Puskas era but had no idea it was a prior version of Total football. Thank you for the info ?? given it is likely to play a part in our future under Slot, could you possibly do an article on the history of Total Football as far back as you’re aware? I think that would be a great read because I hadn’t even heard of Rinus Michels either!

{Ed001's Note - I have added that to the to do list for you. As far as I have found out, it was just given the label Total Football when the Dutch were using it. I am surprised you had never heard of Michels though. He was the coach that turned Ajax from a semi-pro minor team, that won nothing, into the biggest club (arguably anyway) in the Netherlands. It was him who brought the style into the mainstream consciousness.}

14.) 06 Jul 2024 07:38:58
Thank you! I’d just never really read up on the history of it mate. So when I’d heard so many people credit it to Cruyff and call it Dutch I just assumed they were all right. Immediately googled Michels though and it’s all there to be fair, saying he invented it. Which as you say, is still not true if the Hungarians used it before him! I look forward to the read, although i’m sure you’ve got about 100 on the list by now.

{Ed001's Note - I am pretty sure I mentioned it when I did that top 10 of international teams. It just shows how much notice you take of what I write! Or maybe I forgot to put that in? I don't know now. But that is one of those things that annoys me how Michels gets the credit for creating something that he actually refined. Bit like Guardiola gets the credit for a false 9, even though the Austrian international side played with a false 9 in the 1920s! It is a bit like reading that book Inverting the Pyramid. So many similar errors in there, where he was crediting someone with inventing things that were being done somewhere else a long time before then. It is understandable, because it is difficult to research back past the 1970s, when football became widely televised. But the key to the Mighty Magyars of Puskas etc, was the way the players interchanged position to confuse the opposition defences.}

15.) 06 Jul 2024 07:48:43
Answer to the formation he will adopt out of possession/ defending. His feynoord team defended in a 442. which is how arsenal defended out of possession all last season with Odegaard usually starting the press. And if the press fails they fall into a mid then low block.

i am personally torn on this approach specifically for Liverpool at anfield because our press out of possession under klopp was truly a sight to see making even the most composed of players crumble under pressure. And klopps home record was class. Unbeaten at anfield in 4 seasons.

And I put a lot of that down to how relentless and unpredictable we were with our pressing off the ball. Smothering teams into giving us the ball and forcing them to defend for their lives. I have a slight fear Having such a structured way of defending/ pressing will take away from the chaos that helps anfield erupt and swallow opposition teams.

Only a slight fear though. Because there's a big part of me that wants to see how we will look when we're not so vulnerable if that press fails, in away games specifically, which I feel has hindered us at times in klopp's tenure. Great presser from him tho. and here's to a long and successful reign :)

16.) 06 Jul 2024 09:47:55
Ed001, I can’t remember what I had for breakfast this morning! You did mention the Hungarian team but I don’t recall myself making the connection between their style of play and the modern Dutch systems. Might’ve been me missing the point though as I’m good at that! Just think, in 50 years they might credit Pep Lijnders for inverting full backs ?

MaiiDen, cheers for info mate. Defending in a 4-4-2 kind of tallies up with what a Feyenoord fan told me. Although Slot himself said he’d describe it as a 4-3-3 but he was keen to reiterate it’s not fixed. I guess ultimately the formation is less important than the actual tactical approach and the way he wants the players to operate and interchange. What I find most intriguing is how much his “DM” Wieffer contributed offensively. I’ve openly admitted I haven’t seen much of Slot’s teams but the offensive numbers he racked up gives me similar vibes to how Rodri always seems to get plenty of goals and assists because Pep has defenders step into midfield to free him up to attack. The Feyenoord fan I spoke with said Geertruida inverted into midfield so their actual midfielders could be more offensive. Slot will have some different ideas for our team no doubt though. I am even more buzzing for the first pre-season game now. I know what you mean about the gung-ho press making Anfield a proper fortress though. Teams got caught like a rabbit in headlights at times. I think we can trust the people making decisions at the club. Some of them are still the same as those who picked Klopp for us, so hopefully in another decades time we can say they nailed it again ??.

{Ed001's Note - Lijnders was certainly trying to claim the credit in some of his interviews, so it might happen.}

17.) 06 Jul 2024 10:11:19
I'd say Jimmy Hogan was the architect of possession based football or Total Football. He managed all over Europe pre and post WW2, including Hungary and Netherlands.

18.) 06 Jul 2024 11:13:56
South American teams have been doing it for a very long time as well ed001. Uruguay in the 20s Brasil in the 40s and 50s, Chile as well. But like you say, because those games weren't televised over here people are ignorant to the fact it was done somewhere else first.

You could actually make a good argument that Brasil downfall has been adopting the more rigid positional discipline of European football. Something which coaches like Fernando diniz are trying correct.

{Ed001's Note - I have made that argument myself in the past, when professional coaches have said to me the complete opposite and think it was improving them. I fail to see how Brazil have improved with the loss of their way of playing.}

02 Jul 2024 13:22:54
Double welcome to the LFC family today for Fabian Otte (new men's goalkeeper coach joining from USMNT) and also Olivia Smith (forward and club record signing for the Liverpool Women joining from Sporting) .

Wishing them both the best of luck with us.

24 Jun 2024 16:36:09
Just to take a break from bashing our own players, can we all take a moment to applaud the attitude of Wataru Endo.

In an interview he was asked if Liverpool need to strengthen in the 6 position and he alluded to the fact Mac Allister is better further forward and Bajcetic is still very young. I'm paraphrasing here but he basically said that we should sign a new number 6 because we're short in that position, and then he followed that up by saying he'll just win his position back.

I absolutely love that. None of this sulking like you get with the new generation coming through if they have to fight for their place. He is such an impeccable character and leader. I thought we'd struggle to replace Milner but I think Endo is cut from the same cloth. Old school mentality monster.

He built a reputation in the Bundesliga for being a highly intelligent player who could adapt his role in the team as the game unfolded to be exactly what was required. Sounds a lot like total football to me. I think Slot's going to love Endo. At 31 he might not be the long term solution, but he still has a huge part to play going forward. Write him off at your peril! Love him.

1.) 24 Jun 2024 17:19:01
What an absolute guy he is. One of my favs for sure.

2.) 24 Jun 2024 17:44:15
He is my hero, lol, I love that he has a YouTube channel analysing the minutiae of his performances too loll.

3.) 24 Jun 2024 17:56:57
Nice one, MKS re: Endo. You know the guy actually wrote a book entitled, "Duel"? What a guy and IMO, one of the most elite pleyers (in terms of his mentality) to ever play for our institution. The guy is asking for us to sign a DM which could reduce his playing time and what does he do? He backs himself and says he'll just win his position back, like it was nothing. It also means he cares about the club's success even if that means he is not playing. These are the types of players we should be looking to sign in the furture, IMO.

An absolute role model and a credit to his family, his club, his country and to Japanese football in general. Oh, and a hell of a player, I might add.

{Ed025's Note - sounds like a nice guy with a great attitude Oli, but lets not get away from the fact that he is a very average footballer mate..

4.) 24 Jun 2024 18:20:04
Ed025 - Klopp must be the greatest manager of all time if he can still get all these rubbish players winning trophies/ getting far in competitions. I know this is a banter page and I think you're great on here but they can't all be bad as you make out. Endo is the latest average player to add to your list. Love you mate.

{Ed025's Note - its just my view lee, i like Endo but lets be honest hes not getting in any what you would deem big teams sides mate, will do a job of course and all power to him, very good pro, you have to realize that not all your players will be world class my friend and that goes for every team, its about balance and as much as we covet the high value chess pieces we still need pawns.. :)

5.) 24 Jun 2024 18:29:16
I'm with Ed025 on this. Let's not get carried away.

6.) 24 Jun 2024 18:55:37
Average my ass Ed025 ? you’re being so bitter lately. You’re normally very measured. If you look through all the starting DM’s at the 17 teams who stayed up last year, the only ones I’d swap him for are Rodri, Wharton and Guimaraes. He’s at least as good as the Jorginho, Bissouma, Paulinha, Casemiro and Kamara. He’s certainly better than actual average DM’s like Soucek, Baleba, Gueye, Caicedo, Cook, Gomes, Yates and Norgaard.

People act like we finished mid table the way they state our whole team. Every single player you bring up on here is not good enough apparently. We came third with a trophy and Endo was our best player during our best period of form in the season. He’s not going to be easy to upgrade on at all. The guys an international captain and was the best player on the pitch in the League Cup final by a mile. Elliott and Virgil were the only ones anywhere near him in that game. He’s a machine.

{Ed025's Note - as i said MK i like him, i dont think hes great but he will certainly do a job, you cant have all world beaters in your team mate and being a lesser light seems to suit him..

7.) 24 Jun 2024 19:01:50
But if a pawn is highly effective at what he does and is crucial to the team winning, doesn’t that make him a good player? I don’t get what your criterion to distinguish good and average is, Ed, wijnadum wasn’t modric but he didn’t need to be, he received instructions and was excellent at what he did with the skill set that he had, I think off the top of my head I don’t know many other players that can protect the ball in small spaces and get us advancing up the field that way, maybe people wouldn’t take issue if you didn’t use the word ‘average’, japanese fans love him and kids look up to him, he was integral to our title run in his first season in the prem, and how do you know he won’t get even better? Just because he’s already 31? But he’s still acclimatising himself to a new league, we don’t know how consistently good he can be.

All I’m saying is just because we like our players and acclaim their ability, it doesn’t mean you need to take the other tack and act like we think we have nothing but world beaters to take us down a notch. Nobody is saying Endo is ‘world class’ in the most popular sense of the word these days, but i think it’s undeniable that he is a very good player, an intelligent one and a highly professional one.

{Ed025's Note - i will have that PB, thats all im asking for mate...perspective, Trent is decent enough full back and Endo can do a job in midfield...see its easy..

8.) 24 Jun 2024 19:14:16
Ed025. Absolutely agree not all are World class but I'm not saying that and neither are most of the posters on here. Endo is not average and never will be. He's a very good players. A great professional. An example on how to be a good pro. Not average in any way shape of form. In fact if more lads had his mindset they'd be better players. Are we actually agreeing here ha ha.

{Ed025's Note - great professional...tick, model attitude...tick...nice guy...tick, one of the best in the league...hmmmmm..

9.) 24 Jun 2024 19:16:51
Let's also not forget that an average LFC player is better than most on the planet.
When you say a premier league player is rubbish or average, put that into context with the hundreds and thousands of professional players good enough to forge a living from their talent, that never play in their countries top league, let alone the Championship, or Premier League, that never captain their respective teams or countries. Endo doesn't need to be anything mind-blowing special just like Hendo, Fabs, Wink or Milner before him didn't need to be, they were still our most successful midfield in 30 years. He does his job extremely well and that's all that's needed.

{Ed025's Note - no argument from me Westwood mate..

10.) 24 Jun 2024 19:21:42
Not having that Ed, I’m still of the opinion that Trent is a generational talent and a singular genius, but we can agree to disagree there.

{Ed025's Note - we will have to unless things change PB, but i can live with that mate..

11.) 24 Jun 2024 19:27:25
I get that Ed025, and as I say I think there are at least 3 better DM’s in the league so I’m not trying to over sell him here. But he’s clearly not average. He’s very good. Not great, not world class, but quite clearly very good. I’d swap him for Rodri, Guimaraes or Wharton without question. I think Rodri is world class, Guimaraes is great, and Wharton is very good already with the potential to be world class. There are no other first choice DM’s in the league who I think are or will be better than Endo though. He’s at least the same level as Jorginho in my opinion. Liverpool and Arsenal didn’t fight for the title with duds in the heart of the midfield. Come on man.

{Ed025's Note - you are preaching to the converted here MK, hes good and you get what it says on the tin mate..

12.) 24 Jun 2024 20:01:32
Van Dijk was MotM in the League Cup final and by some way.
Integral to our title run in? The one where we finished third in a three horse race? ?
It wasn't that long ago that it was considered a disaster by many on here.

13.) 24 Jun 2024 20:11:25
Ed 25 dangling the maggot again.

{Ed025's Note - no fishing on my part Colonel, like superman i always tell the truth as i see it mate, you might not like what i say but thats not my problem..

14.) 24 Jun 2024 20:35:02
Disagree Rigsby, Endo had Caicedo, Gallagher and Enzo in his pocket. He bossed that game for 120 minutes. Virgil was superb but lest we forget Endo was in midfield with teenagers like McConnell and Clark. He was immense that day.

Also we finished 3rd because we didn’t have a natural DM to rotate with Endo, in my opinion. Most of the dropped points in the run in came when Endo didn’t start or when he was subbed off after 60-70 minutes. We needed competition for him and Thiago and Bajcetic both being injured left us short.

15.) 24 Jun 2024 20:41:12
Ed025. Fair play to you having your own opinion. Absolutely I've seen you make some great points. Maybe you have that ruthless title winning mentality we need. With that in mind what would the strongest 11 you'd pick for Liverpool? You're allowed 3 realistic signings. I'll return with my strongest team for Everton, guessing who's left after this summer. Want to play?

{Ed025's Note - not at this point in time Lee, we are getting a few players in and i imagine Liverpool will be doing the same mate, but im certainly up for that before the season starts my friend, the only problem may be that if the Reds hierarchy see my prowess they might ditch Slot and put me in charge.. :)

16.) 24 Jun 2024 21:07:09
Endo is the type of player that other teams fans won’t appreciate. He’s not flashy and you won’t see him on many highlight reels but he is extremely good at what he does and without a player like him the rest of the team won’t function properly.

He’s no Rodri or prime Fabinho, largely due to his stature but what he lacks in physical attributes he makes up for in his mentality.

I really wouldn’t expect Ed25 to see it though because he doesn’t care about Liverpool so he doesn’t notice or appreciate it when a player is giving his absolute all for the cause and doing the selfless, ugly stuff.

{Ed025's Note - not true actually BP i do care mate, i watch a hell of a lot of football and think i know a good player when i see one, he is an unsung hero to the reds fans and i get that...which is why i have said nothing bad about him..

17.) 24 Jun 2024 21:08:54
Ha ha love it Ed025. Total respect that you spend time on the red side of this site. As for you replacing Slot, well unless you have a bald head I'm not interested lol.

{Ed025's Note - no baldness on my side Lee, in fact i have got a head like a lodging house cat, when i go to the barbers i have i cutting and 2 bagging it mate.. :)

18.) 24 Jun 2024 21:25:15
I’m with Ed he’s not a world class player but he’s certainly punching above his weight. His performances in all the games I attended were generally top draw. He also played far better than Jones, Gravenberch and Szobo last season, so he’s a valuable squad player for me in that midfield.

19.) 24 Jun 2024 21:27:13
Endo started against United and Palace when we dropped points.
He couldn't have been that integral if we needed to rotate him.
He's a decent enough squad player, that's it. I don't think he's good enough to start. We need a better defensive midfielder next season.
He wouldn't start for City or Arsenal and that's one of the reasons we finished third behind them.

20.) 24 Jun 2024 22:12:05
He came off at HT against Palace and got subbed on about 70 mins against United though Rigsby. We needed another DM so we didn’t need a 31 year old to play 90 every week.

21.) 24 Jun 2024 22:57:02
That's my point, MK: we needed another DM. A better one that could play 90 minimum every week.
He was hardly integral in the title run in if he was coming off at half time when we were losing or coming off when we were losing a game that we ended up drawing.
Or maybe he was integral in a title run in that proved to be disappointing.
As I've said, I like him and I'd keep him but I am aware of his limitations.

22.) 24 Jun 2024 23:07:09
Ed25, still waiting for Tom Davies to prove that he is an average footballer. Please, let me know when that happens.

{Ed025's Note - Tom aspired to be average Oli, but has made himself a very nice life all the same mate so who am i to rain on the guys parade?, i would still take him ahead of Curtis Jones actually but im sure some would disagree..

23.) 24 Jun 2024 23:04:39
Rigsby, you do know that Endo had just come back from injury in both games and also struggled for form cos his legs were gone, rightright? Also, he was integral to all the progress we made to get theat point with top draw performances (including putting a ful beatdown on KDB to the point that he was crying on the bench) so yes, he was very integral. And no amount of recency bias will EVER change that.

24.) 25 Jun 2024 02:06:56
I think we need to consider how Endo fits into our team instead of him as an individual player. As an individual player, he is limited and there are definitely players who are more athletic than him. However, it is also undeniable that he makes our team much more solid when he plays, and we look better when he does. Can we upgrade on him? Definitely. But I do like him, and I feel that every team needs a player like him.

And on the point about us needing another DM, I do agree on that as well, be it a new player or Bajcetic. However, it is unjust to say that Endo did not have the legs to complete 90mins each week. If I recall, he completed 90mins the game before our Cup final against Chelsea, where he played the full 120mins. So, he has shown that he has the legs but playing 90mins every single game is a huge ask regardless of who that player is. We had no options to rotate him with and that was our limitation last season.

25.) 25 Jun 2024 03:06:12
Are people's expectations that each of the regular first team starters/ rotational players are all considered world class?

It seems to be that way anyways.

I don't have this expectation at all and tbh, I'm not sure there is any team in the world that can really say they have world class players at every position including their bench.

The likes of Endo and Gomez who seem to be regular whipping boys on here are not world class, but they don't need to be to be an effective member of the squad that is challenging for titles.

I just find the micro-analysis of an individual player really cumbersome. It seems to be that it's either against the prime version of themselves that they're working towards or a world class alternative. And if they're not either right now, then they need to be shipped out.

And then we go again.

For me, it's also important to consider how a player fits into the squad, their playing style and how they compliment others in the team. There is no guarantee that the expensive alternative will a) fit in seamlessly as a player or b) fit into the culture of the club and city. So I would say that a new signing brings as much risk to the squad as does keeping a player who is settled, contributing and developed towards the best version of themselves.

26.) 25 Jun 2024 05:59:47
Is that the same game that KDB got an assist in a game that his team drew with us at Anfield 1-1.

Hell of a beat down that.

From what I remember KDB and City were excellent at points during that game. But so were Liverpool including Endo.

Endo had an excellent season and surprised many including myself.

But we don’t have to start making things up to build him up.

27.) 25 Jun 2024 07:29:13
Most of the dropped points in the run in came when Endo didn’t start or when he was subbed off after 60-70 minute

Pretty certain that’s not correct MK. From memory the only time Liverpool conceded after Endo went off was the 3-3 against Villa and he came on early 1-0 down against Everton which we lost 2-0 . I could be wrong ?‍♂️.

28.) 25 Jun 2024 07:35:02
Oli, so he was injured and his legs had gone but he was integral in the disappointing title run in?
He had a decent season even though he was away for the Asia Cup and Mac was preferred earlier in the season at 6.
When was KDB really crying about being beatdown by Endo? Or is that like TAA being wounded out of Liverpool and Konate being MotM in the CL final?

Faith, he's neither world class nor rubbish. I don't think anyone has said either of those things. But I don't love him or think he's a legend.

Correct JK, although I think it's easier to jump on the 'we love Endo the legend' bandwagon rather than being realistic about his ability.

29.) 25 Jun 2024 07:44:43
Irish Rover we conceded 2 against Spurs after he went off, we conceded 1 against West Ham after he went off, 2 against Villa after he went off. Those late goals after he was subbed cost us +4 pts and +5 GD.

Throw in that the only 2 games we lost in the title run in were the only 2 that Endo played 45 minutes or less. I think it was pretty clear dropping/ subbing him to shoehorn Macca in at DM so that Jones and Szoboszlai could come back into the team after injury, was an issue at the back end of the season. That's just my opinion of course.

30.) 25 Jun 2024 08:34:49
Mk West Ham equalised in 77th minute mate and Endo went off in the 79th.

Endos done well but we concede goals with him on the pitch as well. Prior to Dec when he was settling and January when he was away with Japan our results were pretty good.

31.) 25 Jun 2024 08:41:15
MK, we didn't drop points against Spurs though.
He was taken off against Palace when we were chasing the game and needed to score goals. It was the same against United.

32.) 25 Jun 2024 09:54:08
Seems like we have top class players in all positions and don’t need any new additions.

33.) 25 Jun 2024 10:56:56
Just a reminder about what Klopp said about Liverpool’s players …. to be one you have to be special. What’s average at Liverpool is far better than what’s average in about 90% of the planet. Not many average players get to be captain of there country and there is a tendency for people to see people as good if they are flashy. Endo does the little bits and pieces that aren’t always appreciated but that doesn’t equate to him not doing a good job.

34.) 25 Jun 2024 11:06:59
Fair play JK23, got that one wrong then. Although you could argue Endo was taken off because he was tiring and allowing West Ham back into the game if that is the case. Either way we were far too reliant on him to play every minute to the best of his ability so we need someone to step up next season, or to sign DM cover. Bajcetic and Morton will hope they can be the solution but I'm not averse to signing Ederson from Atalanta.

Jaguar, literally nobody is saying that so stop being obtuse. We clearly need to replace Adrian, Matip and Thiago. Probably Kelleher and Diaz as well. Possibly even Tsimikas and Gomez although I wouldn't be shocked if they stay. So we will need at least 5, maybe 7 players. All myself and others are asking is that we stop berating the players who actually are good enough and were key players for us last season.

There aren't many bad players at Liverpool. My opinion is that Gomez and Tsimikas are the two weakest players in the squad but if they're happy as emergency cover then fair enough. Everyone else in our senior squad I'd be happy for them to start in a game against Man City or Real Madrid and do a job. We need to replace Matip and Thiago as priorities for me. They weren't offered new deals because of their age and injury records so we can easily add two players right away who will contribute more to the team next season.

35.) 25 Jun 2024 11:20:20
Rigsby, I'm not sure what the basis of your argument is? Are you suggesting we don't need to play with a DM at all? Or that Endo alone is enough for next season? Ot just trying to dig out one of our players for pretty much no reason?

I think we were weaker and our performances tailed off when Endo didn't play or was subbed and I stand by that. I'll flip it to you then; how many goals did we score in the final 8 game run in with Endo not on the pitch? I'll do you a favour, 1 against United is the answer, and that was a penalty. I'm not saying Endo is world class, but the team lacks balance without a DM and he did a good job there when called upon. I never said we dropped points to Spurs either by the way. I said it was 4 pts and 5 GD dropped from those 3 games after he was subbed although JK informs me the West Ham game it was a similar time to the sub/ equaliser so I've probably misremembered that to be fair. 2 of that GD dropped was from the Spurs game though. It was tight at the top and GD could've been important.

I believe that with Endo on the pitch we looked less likely to concede because of the protection he gave to the defence and more likely to score because of the freedom he gave to Mac Allister and company. If you disagree, fine. Let's agree to disagree and move on. There must be a new player everyone wants sold today anyway.

36.) 25 Jun 2024 11:34:08
Rigsby yes, Endo was integral to our success up to that point when the whole teaam (not just him, btw) fell off and that is undeniable. You being indenial does not change that, IMO. Not sure what your comparison with with Trent or Ibou in the CL final has to do with anything BUT That's your mess to clean up.

And yes, he shut down KDB and rendered him useless (the assist was aoff a corner and he was dismal the rest of the way) and he was complaining on the bench. We all saw it happen so again, the truth i what it is. Because the media did not tell me Endo bossed KDB does not mean he did not. I got my eyes and trust what they see, thank you very much. Even rival fans gave Endo props for outplaying Rodri in that game as well. Just like he outplayed Rice at Anfield and the list goes on. Not bad for "an average player", is it?

IMO, Endo is immense based on his experience, knowledge and reading of the game. Being not athletic is NOT relevant if your game intelligence is elite and you know where to be before danger happens. Just ask Sami Hyppia.

37.) 25 Jun 2024 11:44:27
"i would still take him ahead of Curtis Jones actually but im sure some would disagree. "

Tbf if I were a Never-tonian, I would take Tom Davies (So he became what you accuse Jones of being, right? Sound) ahead of Curtis Jones IF Curtis Jones sent my club packing from the FA Cup final with a belter of a goal that looks better and better each time we watch it. You know, that thing Davies (or even Andre Gomes) NEVER did nor could do? Yeah, mate. I feel your pain.

{Ed025's Note - Curtis scored a good goal against us Oli and i applaud him for that and good luck to him, but its no use me just saying "oh yeah Jones is a great player" when i think hes garbage mate, that would be disingenuous and thats not me..

38.) 25 Jun 2024 12:23:38
Good post OliRed. I read this site daily and you're hard pushed to find a player the majority of people want to keep. We need real football back. Watching Southgate-ball is enough to drive anyone mad to be fair.

39.) 25 Jun 2024 13:33:16
Oli I suppose everyone sees games differently (you obviously have the benefit of seeing every game twice)

Kdb was definitely frustrated being taken off but top players always are (just look at Salah) but I guess under your argument Spurs, West Ham and palace fans etc will say Endo was taken off as he was being boss’d.

40.) 25 Jun 2024 13:50:59
MK, we should play with a 6 and last season it should have been Endo because he was the best option. I like him but he is not my hero or a legend.

Oli, my guy, MK said Endo was integral to our title run in and you say it just 'fell off'. Is someone playing an integral role in something falling off a good thing, do.

41.) 25 Jun 2024 14:18:11
The OP reminds me of an old joke.

After Liverpool had just beaten Newcastle 4 - 3 at Anfield and killed their title hopes off, Kevin Keegan goes storming down the tunnel and into the changing room to absolutely have it out with the players.

Keegan wasted no time in letting rip and shouted at the Newcastle players “RIGHT. THAT WAS ABSOLUTELY RUBBISH, YOU LET ME DOWN, YOU LET YOURSELVES DOWN AND YOU LET THE FANS DOWN. IF YOU KEEP THROWING AWAY GAMES LIKE THIS, THERE’S going to BE NEW FACES ROUND HERE NEXT SEASON! ”

After several minutes of silence Peter Beardsley sticks his hand up and says “Boss can I say something”, which Keegan says “Yes Peter, go ahead”

“About those new faces that you’re getting, can I be the first to have one”.

{Ed025's Note - nice one VV..

42.) 25 Jun 2024 15:35:08
Pretty certain Endo got subbed after West Ham scored their second and didn’t we win against Spurs ?.

43.) 25 Jun 2024 16:03:00
I don’t even know what this argument is really about anymore, you can’t sensibly argue that Endo wasn’t crucial to us being in a position to win four cups at one point in time, and being in a title race until the latter few weeks? Or are you saying that if we had a different Dm we would have won the whole lot? Neither argument makes sense to me, I’m sorry, I feel like all me and MK want is for us to give Endo props for the job that he did in his first season in this league, in certain games he was absolutely immense and better than anybody expected or gave him the right to be. Suggesting that we were ultimately as good as Endo (in your opinion, not good enough) is just ridiculous to me, the boy was playing out of his skin at one point and I fail to see how somebody hypothetically could have done much better, or how another 6 would have been durable enough at the end of the season when Endo tailed off slightly or didn’t have the legs to finish games. Sure we relied on him too much, I can agree with that much.

Sure he has limitations, but to me he was one of our players of the season, as was Joe, another whipping boy on here.

44.) 25 Jun 2024 16:27:25
Been covered already Irish. RTFP would ya ? Nah to be fair West Ham I've obviously misremembered it but I stand by my point that we were better with him on the pitch. I'm not re-typing the same counter argument again but long story short we didn't score any open play goals in our last 8 games when Endo wasn't on the pitch. 1 penalty was our lot.

You need a DM in the team and Endo was very good at it. I'm moving on now. It's really boring for everyone.

45.) 25 Jun 2024 17:43:35
Mk always good discussing and debating with you mate.

Not really sure it’s an argument Patrik but a good old debate. I think everyone agrees Endo had a very good season. But if the only argument is that we were challenging at the end makes him integral then surely that makes everyone integral as we were challenging at the end including the early months when he wasn’t playing and the month of January.

46.) 25 Jun 2024 17:55:18
Way to many on this thread for me to start reading all that ?.

47.) 25 Jun 2024 18:15:33
wow, long thread!

But I'm with MK on this about Endo. I think he is extremely underrated and there aren't too many DM's in the PL I'd swap him with.

Well said that man.

48.) 25 Jun 2024 19:07:06
Endo had a good season. I think him being crucial to us last season is pushing it a bit and the same goes for Gomez.
My argument is that I don't think he's a hero or a legend or anything like that. Terms like that are reserved for the likes of Dalglish, Rush, Hansen and Barnes.
He's our best number 6 but he's not one of the best in the PL or Europe and he is an average Liverpool player. That is not a slight on Endo because we have had the likes of Souness, McMahon, Molby, Alonso, Gerrard, Mascherano that played in a similar position and they were above average.

MK Scouser's rumour replies

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23 Jul 2024 09:12:15
You've lost me Ron. For a start that's not even a direct quote, as I said "you're" not "we're". Have I somehow offended you by believing you (and others) that Kubo is a good player?

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22 Jul 2024 18:31:41
Cheers everyone. Watched some clips online after all the high praise earlier. Looks similar to Bernardo Silva how well he shifts the ball to beat a man, turns on a sixpence to beat a press, and protects it with his whole body when under pressure. Scores a few beauties too doesn’t he. At 23 years old, assuming you’re all correct about him, he’s got to be worth a punt if the deal works for us financially.

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22 Jul 2024 11:53:45
Cheers Brummy and PB. Sounds a decent player.

JK23, I had heard of him from ED002's comments, but never seen him play. I hate Spanish football and stopped watching it about 5 years ago. Most difficult watch of all of Europe's top 5 leagues in my opinion. La Liga is rife with racism, petulance, diving, play acting, violence etc. And I'm not saying other leagues don't have some of those same issues, by Spain seem to let these kinds of character fester more than the rest. El Classico is an embarrassment to football more often than not. I hate it when we draw a Spanish team in Europe because you just know it will be anti-football. Saw that of the 4 minutes added on in the Euro final, the ball was in play for about 50 seconds. Sums up Spanish football.

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22 Jul 2024 09:31:24
I've never seen Kubo play? Anybody got any insights how he plays? I'm assuming fast and likes to cut in on his left foot, but would be interested in anybody's thoughts.

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21 Jul 2024 18:04:24
Lads it’s just a rumour, don’t go at each others throats. For the record I’ve been one of the main posters on here saying we should keep Virgil, Salah and Trent. They’re all world class in my opinion.

Again, just a rumour I’m sharing on a rumours site. No dramas.

MK Scouser's banter replies

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25 Jul 2024 23:10:47
Not sure if Chalobah is worth signing for us. He’s no better than Gomez.

Guler I have no idea what he or Madrid want. Good player though. Would love him at Liverpool.

Mitoma and Adingra I think are both over rated. Good ball carriers but lacking consistent end product.

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25 Jul 2024 15:47:16
Excuse me, zoo keeper here. Please don't feed the trolls. They're getting fat.

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24 Jul 2024 18:34:10
Sorry for your loss Nevada. That’s unimaginably cruel. I hope you have lots of friends and family around you to help you through probably the hardest thing anybody has to go through emotionally in life.

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24 Jul 2024 18:28:31
JK23, It was Doak 1st half and Gordon 2nd half. I agree it would be interesting though. Jota and Nunez aren’t really suited to the RW so I guess that might explain why there is so much interest in wingers.

I’m with you Nevada, I also think it makes a lot of sense. We saw with Messi and Ronaldo that wingers can prolong their careers by moving into a more central role.

Oli, I appreciate it’s very early mate. Just wanted to start some conversations about some of the early indications. May be that a lot of our initial assumptions are proven wrong but it’s still fun to talk about.

Markp08, very good point to be fair mate. These kids have a huge opportunity. Bradley proved that a good pre-season can propel you into the managers plans.

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24 Jul 2024 08:05:19
He's well suited to EtH's "negative" approach. A good destroyer who gets about breaking up play to give others more freedom. An upgrade on Amrabat for sure, and much younger than Casemiro.

Ugarte is just not what a team that wants to play tidy possession football needs though, because he lacks any kind of incisive passing quality to play through the lines. He's effectively a body to receive it and give the ball straight back, when you're in possession, which he does fine and keeps the ball well enough. But you're not going to see many progressive passes or carries from him because he doesn't have it in the locker. Same as how you won't see him frequently hitting cross field passes or creating chances for team mates.

Good at what he does, but the wrong player for teams like City, Arsenal and Liverpool who want to play on the front foot and dominate possession in the opposition half. He'll really free up Mainoo to actually show what he can do though.