Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense
- Thread starter Wumminator
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
ah, fair enough.
We don't know that until he's had a run of games though a bit like dstudge in his Chelsea days.
I think everyone knows that...well nearly everyone.
@DamianLFCpl: Liverpool are closing in on deals for Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo – Tony Barrett, The Times
@DamianLFCpl: Ian Ayre, the Liverpool chief executive, has travelled to Spain to conclude the transfers – Tony Barrett, The Times
Brilliant news! Another striker and winger and we'll be ready.
@DamianLFCpl: Ian Ayre, the Liverpool chief executive, has travelled to Spain to conclude the transfers – Tony Barrett, The Times
Brilliant news! Another striker and winger and we'll be ready.
I rate Wellbeck very highly, he's done it in big games for England and in the Champions league, prolific goal scorer he may not have become but his all round game and ability is a huge asset, couple that with his positional sense and ability to cover and press defensively and he's a lot more rounded than Sturridge. Give Wellbeck a run of games and I wouldn't be surprised to see him scoring and assisting frequently. Sadly he won't get that opportunity at a club like United, not dissimilar to studges time at Chelsea.
Sturridge has developed faster being one of the main men at his club but we've yet to see him carry a season on his own and without the influence of your best player, the jury is still out for me.
I've criticised our summer signings so far overall (like some of them, but underwhelmed by others), but if we close deals for Manquillo and Alberto Moreno I'll be a lot happier. I am a fan of Glen Johnson when he's on form but it's been a few years now since he was consistently performing, probably time to give up hope on him ever recovering properly. Never liked José Enrique though, so I'll be delighted if he's no longer first choice.
Don't think we need both a striker and a winger though. One very good player who can cover both positions would be enough I think, finding that player is more difficult...
Sanchez would have been perfect.
fecking hell, how many signings are Liverpool going to conclude.
Yep it was a pretty crushing blow to miss out on him. Not sure whether we could have competed with Atlético (maybe we did even try) but Griezmann would have been pretty suitable too.Sanchez would have been perfect.
Quietly confident about next season.
He's a bit thick but I like him defensively. Only pre-season but he bullied Navas yesterday night. Will be good to have him around for depth/rotation.
Yeah being thick is probably his biggest problem, bit of a major one though. He's good defensively and his recovery pace is excellent but he's just too frustrating to me - he genuinely seems to enjoy showing off how strong he is so much that he'll turn away from goal just to hold a defender off
Deep down we (Utd fans) are a little jealous that Liverpool is signing the players they deem fit to be good enough for them. I'm not impressed by all of these names tbh, most of them are average and just above average but at leas they haven't wasted any time. What we're doing though, I have no clue anymore and don't try to understand anymore.
The jury's still out for Sturridge but you're happy to make bold and confident claims about a striker who had yet to demonstrate anywhere near the attacking threat of Sturridge. Interesting.
Rafa Paez is apparently joining Bologna on loan.
Wellbeck has all the attacking threat of Sturridge, he's often not the beneficiary of his own good work though and there lies the difference. He will run all day for you and he's got lightning pace, Wellbeck in last years countering Liverpool set up would likely have thrived alongside Suarez and Sterling just as dstudge did.
He was England's biggest attacking threat in the warm ups to the World Cup.
We all saw the potent attacking threat of the studge in the competition that followed though, running the line against Italy and was snuffed out with relative ease faced with a well drilled defence so yea of course the jury's out.
Once he's carried the burden himself he still flatters to deceive for me and if you don't add real quality to run with him it would be an idea to break the bank on that defence.
I think the only player they've signed that I'm 'jealous' of is Markovic.
Liverpool are here for the long haul. Even if they miss out on top-four next season--which I think they will--they'll have a team that can compete in four fronts for years. As they mature together, and as Liverpool upgrade on their worst players every year, I could see them being a mainstay in the top four along side City and Chelsea. It's for us and Arsenal to respond.
would've been a brilliant comeback.Ha ha - I'm another Enrique fan. Pace & strength (had the best record for not being skinned in the whole league - I think it was just once in the whole 2011/2012 season and similar in 2012/13 season), technically excellent - is very rarely robbed, passing is generally very good too, not so great going forward but can score and can occasionally whip in a delightful cross too .... his injuries have hobbled his progression though so I'm not sure he'll come back as good as he was.Yeah being thick is probably his biggest problem, bit of a major one though. He's good defensively and his recovery pace is excellent but he's just too frustrating to me - he genuinely seems to enjoy showing off how strong he is so much that he'll turn away from goal just to hold a defender off
I'm not at all sold on Moreno but having Enrique there to help him through the transition (and language barrier) is perfect. I'm pretty sure Moreno will be 1st choice LB.
I'm actually more excited by the Manquillo signing than Moreno, as I've been saying ever since the idea of this loan was floated. I know at face value a 2 yr loan with a cast-iron option to buy doesn't sound like we are getting a great player, however for us it's a damn good deal.
This very inexperienced youngster has played for Spain at every age-group thru U21. I watched the full match video of him (below, and yes I know it's impossible to really tell from one video), the one which tracks him throughout the whole match, and this guy looked very promising indeed; cool, determined, pacey, up & down the pitch, tricky around their area, technically gifted as you would expect, good tackler .... it's looks like there is a lot of innate ability for Brodge to work with.
After 2 years we'll know if it's going to work out or not and if it does then the purported €6m fee (plus loan fees, surely not more than €1-2m per year) is a gift. If he doesn't work out then back he goes and we haven't wasted a big fee and have trouble off-loading due to higher wages than most continental clubs.
Nice video of his performance vs. Porto :
TBH I wouldn't like it if some guy just walked up to me on the street and started cuddling me either ! Plenty of nutters out there.
If a picture or autograph request is done with politeness and respect then most of these players will oblige but don't jump in and expect them to love you for life just because you are a fan !
I actually agree with a Liverpool fan that Sturidge will easily outscore RVP this season.
I don't see it, Liverpool are a madhouse, they've all drank the kool-aid, I think most serious players want to avoid them.
I agree, I wouldn't want some strangers to approach me on a street and start touching me (unless it's some sexy female, but that never happens). Different cultures, and all that.
I bet even the nicest footballers around have done that. Gerard is a cnut though. We all know that.
Most players have moments like that. So you can't generalise or conclude anything out of it.
Do we?
Yes.He told me himself, mate.
Are you WUMMING here? Im certain this is not a prevailing view amongst United fans? All this nonsense was put to bed last season.
The logic that Welbeck would be as good if given games is such an absurd convenience as it's currently totally unprovable. It's the type of argument that could be shoe-horned into any comparison debate - all hypothetical and guesswork.
A far more compelling way to look at this is to simply look at the data. Sturridge and Welbeck have played a very similar amount of games but Sturridge has double the goals.
As for the World Cup stuff, it was England, it went badly, nobody came up smelling of roses. To resort to warm ups as evidence is starting to look a bit clutching.
If you were to do a poll amongst United fans of who you'd have up front of the two, there'd be a clear winner.
Obviously losing Suarez means rebuilding the front line, and maybe moving away from the midfield diamond, basically there so we could accommodate both Suarez & Sturridge. Seems we'll be using 4-3-3, Brodge's preferred system, much more this season. However overall it's more strengthening each area of the team than a massive change. I'm just loving the strength in depth we are acquiring though (assuming a new striker, Manquillo & Moreno).
Some of these names will be unfamiliar to supporters of other clubs but don't underestimate them (Ibe - would give Usain Bolt a run for his money, Texeira - 'the new Coutinho', Suso - quality MFer probably closest to Lallana in style but plays more on the right or in the centre), they are part of the very exciting new raft of youngsters from our very successful youth teams.
I've left a few players out (Ilori, Reina, Agger, Toure, Kelly, Lucas, Coates, Borini, Robinson etc, most of whom will be sold with one or two going on loan) but the squad runs much deeper this season and that can only be good for the extra 10 matches or so we have to play, to counter injuries and when bringing on subs (no more 'Aspas as saviour' when we need a goal).
---------------------------------------- Ming
...............................................(Jones)
Flanno ------------------- Lovren ---------- Sakho ------------ Moreno
(Johnson / Manquillo).....(Skrtel)...........(Lovren).........(Enrique / Flanno)
--------------------------------------- Gerrard
............................................(Allen / Can)
---------------- Henderson
.............(Can / Allen / Rossiter)
----------------------------------------------------- Coutinho
.............................................(Lallana / Sterling / Suso / Texeira)
---- Sterling ---------------------- Sturridge -------------------------- Lallana
(Markovic / Suso / Ibe) (Lambert / New Striker) (Sterling / Coutinho / Ibe / Texeira)
Some of these names will be unfamiliar to supporters of other clubs but don't underestimate them (Ibe - would give Usain Bolt a run for his money, Texeira - 'the new Coutinho', Suso - quality MFer probably closest to Lallana in style but plays more on the right or in the centre), they are part of the very exciting new raft of youngsters from our very successful youth teams.
I've left a few players out (Ilori, Reina, Agger, Toure, Kelly, Lucas, Coates, Borini, Robinson etc, most of whom will be sold with one or two going on loan) but the squad runs much deeper this season and that can only be good for the extra 10 matches or so we have to play, to counter injuries and when bringing on subs (no more 'Aspas as saviour' when we need a goal).
---------------------------------------- Ming
...............................................(Jones)
Flanno ------------------- Lovren ---------- Sakho ------------ Moreno
(Johnson / Manquillo).....(Skrtel)...........(Lovren).........(Enrique / Flanno)
--------------------------------------- Gerrard
............................................(Allen / Can)
---------------- Henderson
.............(Can / Allen / Rossiter)
----------------------------------------------------- Coutinho
.............................................(Lallana / Sterling / Suso / Texeira)
---- Sterling ---------------------- Sturridge -------------------------- Lallana
(Markovic / Suso / Ibe) (Lambert / New Striker) (Sterling / Coutinho / Ibe / Texeira)
We have a ton of fantastic young players in the squad too (actually maybe our squad is too young and we need a few more experienced heads in there). Probably all but 1 or 2 of those (if they don't go out on loan) will make the official squad this season :
Origi 19
Ibe 18
Sterling 19
Markovic 20
Can 20
Manquillo 20
Suso 20
Moreno 21
Flanno 21
Ilori 21
Coutinho 22
Henderson 24
Sturridge 24
Sakho 24
Allen 24
Teixeira 21
Rossiter 17
Peterson 19
Sinclair 17
Origi 19
Ibe 18
Sterling 19
Markovic 20
Can 20
Manquillo 20
Suso 20
Moreno 21
Flanno 21
Ilori 21
Coutinho 22
Henderson 24
Sturridge 24
Sakho 24
Allen 24
Teixeira 21
Rossiter 17
Peterson 19
Sinclair 17
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Peterson won't make it and I don't think Teixeira will either (though he has a much better chance and was also a late developer at Sporting), but I think Origi, Phillips, and Wilson all could.
Keep an eye on Harry Wilson, 15 I think, who got a full Welsh team call up.
Cheers for summary @Rafateria.
Having a successful youth team doesn't always mean that translates to having youngsters that can fit into the first team but I think Liverpool's current crop are as good as any I've seen at the club in a good decade or so.
Sterling always looked a star but you never know. Ibe looks like he's off the same conveyor belt - did you know he's exactly 12 months younger than Sterling. Suso still has it to prove but Teixeira could be the real surprise package.
In this day and age you're grateful to have 1 youth player make it every 5 years or so. Liverpool currently have Sterling and even Flanagan. Wonder if that'll be added to this season.
Having a successful youth team doesn't always mean that translates to having youngsters that can fit into the first team but I think Liverpool's current crop are as good as any I've seen at the club in a good decade or so.
Sterling always looked a star but you never know. Ibe looks like he's off the same conveyor belt - did you know he's exactly 12 months younger than Sterling. Suso still has it to prove but Teixeira could be the real surprise package.
In this day and age you're grateful to have 1 youth player make it every 5 years or so. Liverpool currently have Sterling and even Flanagan. Wonder if that'll be added to this season.
Exciting prospect but his inclusion surely had more to do with a lack of depth in the Welsh ranks.
That's gas.
Ah how did I forget Origi. Added. Yep Phillips and Wilson are both extremely talented by haven't figured in the 1st team yet so I wasn't trawling the youth team for potential.
Peterson - I like him. He has a striker's intelligence, a natural if you will.
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It seems Suso has come on considerably since last season. That full season loan at Almeira (playing in virtually every game for a team fighting, and surviving, relegation) has done him the world of good. Personally I think Brodge will keep him in the squad this season and he's worth his place.
Texeira is wonderful. Great feet, drifts past opponents and has a great eye for a pass. Really hope he makes it.