Rodgers seems to be fluttering his eyes at Mario Balotelli. Wouldn't be my first choice, but if he's only going for about 14 or 15 million (as reported), then I suppose he'd be worth a punt at that price.
Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
No serious links to any attacking players at all at the moment.
James Pearce and Chris Bascombe have both said this isn't true mate.
It's an odd comparison you chaps are trying to make.
Obviously Fergie going was much more damaging to us, then Suarez leaving is for you.
But then Fergie had years of success, and Liverpool coming 2nd was a real out of the blue shock.
So you have less of a level to keep to.
It seems fairly obvious everything was right for you last year, small squad not battered with fixtures or injuries, other big clubs bar Arsenal having managerial changes, Suarez having an epic season etc.
This year, you can't possibly improve, and most likely you'll go backwards, and be competing for 4th at best. Chelsea/City and Arsenal look the business. It's unclear how we'll do, but 4th will be a top result for you next year,
Di Marzio is saying Milan, Napoli and Bayern all want Reina.
Bascombe is saying Borini, Lucas and Reina will all leave.
Bascombe is saying Borini, Lucas and Reina will all leave.
Back to Southampton it is then
It's obvious now, but I doubt many of you expected such a dramatic downturn as those witnessed last season. After all, you still had the same bunch of lads who'd served you so well in the past. & according to many on here, it's the players, or in our case, 'player', who shape the destinies of our respective clubs.
Even with Suarez in the side from the off, next season was always going to be a massive challenge regardless. Considering the strength of the Premier League, & taking into account our first venture into the CL for quite a few years, I'd have taken 4th place anyway.
I've quoted my full sentence for you, just to clear that up.
I've also already stated that Uniteds squad was (still is actually) far stronger than Liverpools current one, the depth was already there and the blow softened by having such a depth of quality, players like Scholes, Giggs and many more experienced heads that have won everything.
Your position is rather unique actually, your not in a position to financially dope your small squad to cope but you need depth, would have been fine had you kept your best attacking asset but that loss changes things rather dramatically.
Our change of manager had a huge impact, of course it did, Moyes wasn't the required level, nowhere near and it was a complete disaster. LVG is of the required quality however and it amazes me how arrogant Liverpool fans are on this. Brendan is touted as the man who will implement his system and draw the best from a poorer, smaller squad over a season with much higher demands than United, yet Van Gaal who is proven at the highest level is being almost ignored out of hand despite having United playing some of our best football in years in just 2 weeks in charge.
I think United might suffer early on but once the season starts to take it's toll I think we will be in there and our manager and squad is proven to cope with the pressures that yours collapsed under last year, and your first 11 is a lot weaker than last years upto now.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/footb...ol-complete-javier-manquillo-transfer-3953832
Apparently Rodgers has confirmed that the deal for Manquillo is going to happen.
Apparently Rodgers has confirmed that the deal for Manquillo is going to happen.
Milan: @LFC what’s your starting XI tonight? In the next tweet we’ll tell you ours…#ICC2014#weareinAmerica
LFC: Sorry @acmilan. We were delayed arriving at the stadium due to all the fans outside. Here's our full teamlfctour.com/news/latest-ne…
LFC: As Will Smith once rapped, we're going to Miami! #lfctour
https://mobile.twitter.com/LFC/status/495680499084324865/photo/1
Who runs our twitter account?
LFC: Sorry @acmilan. We were delayed arriving at the stadium due to all the fans outside. Here's our full teamlfctour.com/news/latest-ne…
LFC: As Will Smith once rapped, we're going to Miami! #lfctour
https://mobile.twitter.com/LFC/status/495680499084324865/photo/1
Who runs our twitter account?
Well we will see you in Miami shall we
You Southampton fans feeling confident then ? You must be with Brenda in charge.
Your opening paragraph makes no sense at all - except maybe to you.
The second is nothing more than wishful thinking without a basis (very common on this forum when discussing Liverpool). You probably said the exact same thing the season before. That we can't possibly improve and will be fighting for 4th.
Daniel Sturridge has flown home from Liverpool's tour of America to have treatment on a hamstring injury.
The England striker missed Saturday night's 2-0 win over AC Milan in Charlotte butBrendan Rodgers insists he will be fit for the start of the new Premier League campaign.
Adam Lallana and Jon Flanagan, who have both been hampered by knee injuries, joined Sturridge on the plane.
“Dan has flown back to the UK,” Rodgers said.
“He wasn't going to be ready for the game on Monday but there is no concern there. He will be ready for the game against Borussia Dortmund next weekend.
The England striker missed Saturday night's 2-0 win over AC Milan in Charlotte butBrendan Rodgers insists he will be fit for the start of the new Premier League campaign.
Adam Lallana and Jon Flanagan, who have both been hampered by knee injuries, joined Sturridge on the plane.
“Dan has flown back to the UK,” Rodgers said.
“He wasn't going to be ready for the game on Monday but there is no concern there. He will be ready for the game against Borussia Dortmund next weekend.
Have to say these games in the USA seem to be me to be a far better preparation for the new season than a tour of Asia, Australia or Scandinavia and we are still seeing 20+ players per game.
Roma, Olympiakos, Man City, Milan, and to come United and then Dortmund next week.
I can see this being of great benefit for a strong start to the season .. for both United & Liverpool.
Roma, Olympiakos, Man City, Milan, and to come United and then Dortmund next week.
I can see this being of great benefit for a strong start to the season .. for both United & Liverpool.
On the RAWK they said you have 4 injuries. Who are they?
Wow. Talk about tunnel or biased vision on virtually every point you have raised.
LvG : Every 'Pool fan recognises that he will improve United considerably. It would be hard not to improve on 7th and 20 points behind. However that is still a lot of ground to make up whereas most of our fans would be happy just standing still. As for 'best football' .. you seriously think you can compare ? In friendlies against teams swapping players over like there is no tomorrow ? Trying out different systems to see what does and does not work with different players ? How many times have we seen teams look great in pre-season and then fail to fire .. or vice-versa ? It's all about getting players fit and each team will have players at different levels of fitness.
Finance : Thanks to TV, CL, PL and vast amounts of Sponsorship about to kick in we will spend in the region of £135m this window. You might want to reassess our financial standing because United will need to spend in the vicinity of another £75m to match it.
Squad strength : you've lost 5 of your most experienced and influential players and there are more to go. You will not have the same squad size as last season because you don't need it. Player for player Liverpool have a stronger squad as it stands.
Liverpool's first XI : Your logic is mind-numbing. One player out and 3-4 in (LB, CB, MF) does not make a weaker team. Our attack has been weakened, our midfield and defence strengthened, however even in attack some of our most potent weapons have been retained.
I think the Echo has summed it up best :
In a side of few weaknesses last season, goals from the midfielders were not as frequent as Rodgers wanted. Henderson scored four league goals; Allen notched one; Philippe Coutinho managed just five.
It is a position which could potentially yield at least 10 more goals this season – and it seems clear that is what the team are looking to do, with the two advanced midfielders pushing high up the pitch and making surges into the box.
The showing against Manchester City at Yankee Stadium was good and, despite facing a sluggish Milan side, the passing was crisp, the quick breakaways were lightning, the movement was intelligent. Most noticeable of all, the pressing was strong, vibrant, relentless.
Second half of the season - 19 games:
- Liverpool scored 53 goals
- Suarez scored 12 goals
In any universe this does not show that Liverpool over-relied on one man. You can talk about his contribution to these goals and you'd be correct to do so but the performances that Liverpool put in after Christmas were team efforts to an extent that teams were getting blown away early on. This was down to very high-tempo football in midfield which came about due to intense pressing and getting the ball forward quickly. Suarez was part of this successful system but not singularly responsible for it.
- Liverpool scored 53 goals
- Suarez scored 12 goals
In any universe this does not show that Liverpool over-relied on one man. You can talk about his contribution to these goals and you'd be correct to do so but the performances that Liverpool put in after Christmas were team efforts to an extent that teams were getting blown away early on. This was down to very high-tempo football in midfield which came about due to intense pressing and getting the ball forward quickly. Suarez was part of this successful system but not singularly responsible for it.
Except the horrendous defence that effectively ended up costing you your season.
You've signed no one that I've thought, geese I wished we'd got him. Both Kagawa and Mata are technically better than your best signing lallana and when he's not the central figure in a side it'll be interesting to see if he'll be quite as effective.
But Lallana was comfortably better than both last season.
All last season I was reading on here how average Liverpool players were - heck, Henderson was attacked and laughed at right up until late Spring. He'd now walk* into United's midfield.
*with an awkward gait of course.
Personally I don't think Kagawa is even close to being as effective as Lallana, certainly not whilst he has been at United so maybe that comes down to the systems being employed. It'll be interesting to see if LvG can do anything with him.
Our primary back 4 for next season will most likely be : Flanno ---- Lovren ---- Sakho --- Moreno (if the deal is finalised as expected, otherwise Enrique, who missed virtually all of last season injured, if not) and Skrtel as the #3 CB is a wonderful backup to have.
Quite an improvement on : Johnson (seemingly likely to be sold to QPR now, and I wouldn't rule out another RB coming in if that happens) ---- Skrtel ---- Agger (based on most games played) --- Flanno (played out of position at LB).
Spot on, he can't even get in their team a lot of the time, given how they played last season if he was that good he would have been more involved surely.
I certainly wouldn't write him off. We've seen first hand how a change of manager can transform certain players. Let's not fall into the routine that many on here do by simply comparing player for player.
I wasn't I just don't think Lallana gets the credit he deserves for his performances last season, 9 goals is a very good return yet gets written off as an average player on here.
I like Lallana as a player but he's not in the same bracket as a Mata. That's no slight on him I think he'll prove a good buy for Liverpool much in the same as Henderson (sure and steadfast) we could do with 2 or 3 of that type.
I think we need to give Lallana a chance to see how he goes with us, many have written him off already which is a bit daft.
To be honest Mata is a good player yes but remember he hasn't had a full season at United and was surplus to requirements at Chelsea.
I love how the fact that Liverpool finished 7th and 28 points behind the same United squad the season before gets completely erased from memory. Moyes was to United as Hodgson was to Liverpool, all you can claim is that you now have Rodgers, but United now have a better manager in Van Gaal.
We've been pinging the ball about for fun in pre season playing the type of football we haven't seen in years in pre or competitive seasons so yes it's a massive positive for the team and manager, watch how important pre season becomes should you get a result on Monday
Finance, Liverpool aren't even in the same division here, any counter claim otherwise is just blind delusion. Your need to spend £135m is because you've a small squad (and just got 75m fir snappy
), built to cope with limited games, United (this season) can cope with a similarly small squad yet the club has already forked out £70m on first 11 improvements, our one major loss is Vidic as the other departures were all past their best and Evra aside fringe players, Evras replacement was probably the best LB in the league last year. Both Herrera and Shaw would walk into Liverpools first 11.Liverpool May have gotten in more players but your first 11 has not been strengthened, any side you put out without a Suarez quality player in it is weaker, he made your midfield and all over attacking third stronger which last season was your strength.
As for quoting the Liverpool echo
Please don't talk about tunnel or biased vision and then quote the echo, a side with few weaknesses does not concede over 50 goals in a competitive season. If you had bothered to read the bullshit article you posted you might find the echo bigging up Liverpools pre season showings against Milan and City too. As an aside I would take Mata and Kagawa over Lallana comfortably, it's actually more of a showing of Uniteds squad strength that Kagawa can't nail down a first team slot.
Yet last season doesn't count for anything...that's odd selective analysis.
Yep, that's preseason for you. Fun but not much else.We've been pinging the ball about for fun in pre season playing the type of football we haven't seen in years in pre or competitive seasons so yes it's a massive positive for the team and manager, watch how important pre season becomes should you get a result on Monday
Do you scousers think that Sterling will inevitably end up playing as a center forward or a striker?
I think the basic qualities are there. He already makes very intelligent runs and his finishing is also quite calm.
I think the basic qualities are there. He already makes very intelligent runs and his finishing is also quite calm.
Well I'm in exactly the right thread here then, I do suppose if that's all the counter you have for the post then I've done alright.
Last season was, for want of a better word "unique" you know this, you do know this don't you ?
He's certainly more than capable of playing there. He only really came into his own during the 2nd part of the last season, & was probably just as instrumental, if not more, than Luis Suarez, in our incredible run. I think a lot will depend of whether or not Rodgers manages to secure a top class striker before the window closes.
Yeah thought the same. However playing him as a striker will also mean that his creativity won't be used as much. He can certainly play the Suarez role for Liverpool IMO(Thought not as effectively right now).
Think the collapse of Remy deal means that you won't sign a top class striker. I don't see Cavani or Falcao in your price range and I simply don't see Bony in a "top class striker" role.
He was also Chelsea's best player for two seasons running before 2013/14. Silly argument. His ability really isn't in question he is one of the worlds outstanding #10's and only behind Silva and Fabregas (if he's still categorised as one) in the Premier League.
As for Lallana, he is clearly a very good midfielder and people shouldn't make instant assumptions on how he will fare poorly at Liverpool or that he is 'average'. He is not comparable to Mata however.
Could be a good opportunity for Ibe to step up. Plays a similar game to Raheem (strong, quick, direct, & not afraid to take players on). Remains to be seen though if he can reach a similar level.
In a team that was built around him... Just like Suarez will be nowhere as potent as he has been for Liverpool lallana will have to learn to play second fiddle to Sturridge and sterling. Mata got better and better as our season progressed and Kagawas early career form for United was pretty good. Now that moyes has pissed off both are going to have far better seasons than last year
.
I actually think Lallana will be brilliant for us, with Sturridge/Sterling/Coutinho and Markovic I believe we will do well with those. I suppose we could potentially add Ibe & Suso but it's hard to judge how much they will play.
Ibe is a real prospect, strong and direct.
At the minimum our bench is significantly stronger.
Having said all that I still think we need a striker, given what happened with Remy.
It's just kind of odd that last season is being rationalised in such a way. There's such little doubt that it was the players' fault in any way. As long as Moyes can be totally blamed for the calamity we can all sleep easy.
Hmmm, no I don't because I'm not a whopper who makes grand predictions about football. What I do know is that for 12 months Liverpool's record has been rationalised in every which way on here.
Things I mostly read about why Liverpool did well:
It was Suarez...
It was those penalties...
It was a weak league...
It was Moyes...
It was United's fixtures...
It was Suarez...
It was mostly luck...
It was lucky with no injuries...
It was a freak season...
It was Liverpool's light schedule...
It was Suarez...
The only rationale that isn't consistently floated is that Liverpool are a very good team thriving under a talented manager.
Monday : doesn't matter, it may make the season for you but for the vast majority we recognise it for what it is. A pre-season work-out.I love how the fact that Liverpool finished 7th and 28 points behind the same United squad the season before gets completely erased from memory. Moyes was to United as Hodgson was to Liverpool, all you can claim is that you now have Rodgers, but United now have a better manager in Van Gaal.
We've been pinging the ball about for fun in pre season playing the type of football we haven't seen in years in pre or competitive seasons so yes it's a massive positive for the team and manager, watch how important pre season becomes should you get a result on Monday
Finance, Liverpool aren't even in the same division here, any counter claim otherwise is just blind delusion. Your need to spend £135m is because you've a small squad (and just got 75m fir snappy
Liverpool May have gotten in more players but your first 11 has not been strengthened, any side you put out without a Suarez quality player in it is weaker, he made your midfield and all over attacking third stronger which last season was your strength.
As for quoting the Liverpool echo
As an aside I would take Mata and Kagawa over Lallana comfortably, it's actually more of a showing of Uniteds squad strength that Kagawa can't nail down a first team slot.
Finance : show me where I said we were at the same level ? What I said is that you are undervaluing our strength and that United haven't done much in the market so far.
Experienced Players : Vidic and Evra were two of your first choice back 4 last season. Even Ferdinand played in 14 games. Disparage their importance/contributions all you like, it doesn't change the facts that not only were they important players but important leaders you have lost. And you haven't replaced them.
Manager / Squad : you talk as if LvG is some sort of saviour and not just a good manager. Whilst a capable manager is very important he isn't on the pitch playing and if you check the United forum you'll see how many United fans want(ed) the likes of Cleverley, Anderson, Fellaini, Young, Nani, Fletcher sold (though I imagine there may be a 180 about turn on Young now). Add that to a 33 yo Carrick alongside Herrera. That is hardly a consensus on the quality of your squad, regardless of how you personally feel about them. Had they been that good then there would be not be such a split between the fans.
Herrera/Shaw : Shaw, at the moment yes, not so sure after we sign Moreno because both are at similar stages of their development. Herrera - where ? He isn't yet a top tier proven player, United and their fans are banking a lot on him but I wouldn't take him over Henderson (and Herrera isn't a DM) so maybe played alongside him, but that then restricts us using a more creative player there .. and Can looks like he can do the same job. So Herrera wouldn't walk into the team (or any of the Top 4 teams) just yet, let's see how his first season in the PL goes shall we ?
Kagawa : simply a pure platitude on your behalf commenting that it's "more of a showing of Uniteds squad strength that Kagawa can't nail down a first team slot." That really had me literally laughing out loud
It couldn't possibly be that he isn't good enough. He has proven nothing in the PL, in fact to the contrary, so the jury is well and truly out on this one, he won't be a starter next season that is a near certainty.Liverpool strengthening : Blinkered. Can't say anything else because clearly you are. Undoubtedly the attack is weaker but you are again undervaluing (spot a trend here ?) the contribution last season from our midfield and failing to recognise a change in the system. To deny the defence has improved considerably is pure denial. As is categorically stating the team as an entity is not better (though this remains to be proven the theory is sound).
Echo : If you bothered to read the words rather than see the source and disregard it, then your knowledge of how Liverpool are playing, and the player's roles within the team, may improve. Let's face it, your constant denial of anything positive to do with Liverpool is not only biased conjecture but wishful thinking in the extreme.
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Its no real surprise United fans come in here but get shot down as its only wishful thinking when Liverpool fans then turn around at the same time doing exactly the same thing with United and themselves. Go figure, seriously why do United fans bother? Just leave them all to talk with and big up themselves. Whatever you say they will just argue the opposite anyway, they are only happy when you agree with them.