How should we line up next season ? Best starting 11 ?

Liverpool Football Club - General Discussion

Postby ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Sun Jul 27, 2014 12:24 pm

kazza » Sun Jul 27, 2014 10:28 am wrote:If we are talking about the long term success and stability of the club then we have improved the squad with young and talented players that want to prove themselves, Spurs never did that. I think that merely buying an expensive player for the sake of appeasing the fans is superficial (like buying Caroll when we sold Torres). Remember we have some very young players that played well last year that will only improve and play better. Coutinho and Sterling will be better next year and I have no doubt that we have our new Suarez hiding amongst the buys. We have always had a history of world class strikers at Liverpool, we make them. Just ask Rush, Owen, Robbie, Torres and more importantly Suarez, who owes alot of who he has become to us. I want steady progress and not mushroom out of control and I do feel that Rodgers is of the same mindset. Steady progress requires patience, a rare commodity in this day and age of instant success.

I think the most important factor this year will be how Gerrard plays and how the manager manages him through his decline and whether he has the character to bench him when it is clear.


With all due respect Kaz that's not really my point, I know we have got a lot of exciting young attacking players on our books like Markovic, Sterling, Coutinho and Ibe but I'm talking about our midfield and defence.
Our defence conceded 50 goals last season (the most any Liverpool side has conceded in a 38 game season since 1914) and our midfield didn't fare much better, as a unit it was often outplayed and over ran by nothing more than average outfits. Never mind the Man City's of this world the likes of Villa, Norwich and Palace had us pinned back and camped in our own 6 yard box, our midfield seemingly unable to push out and take the game to them high up the pitch.
Before this summer strengthening our defence and midfield would have been seen as a priority by most fans but here we are less than 3 weeks away from the beginning of the new season and in a straw poll to find out our best XI most posters on here have chosen an XI with practically the same defence and midfield as last year.
I'm just asking the question, after spending £80m have we significantly improved our defence and midfield?
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Postby kazza » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:04 pm

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Sun Jul 27, 2014 11:24 am wrote:
kazza » Sun Jul 27, 2014 10:28 am wrote:If we are talking about the long term success and stability of the club then we have improved the squad with young and talented players that want to prove themselves, Spurs never did that. I think that merely buying an expensive player for the sake of appeasing the fans is superficial (like buying Caroll when we sold Torres). Remember we have some very young players that played well last year that will only improve and play better. Coutinho and Sterling will be better next year and I have no doubt that we have our new Suarez hiding amongst the buys. We have always had a history of world class strikers at Liverpool, we make them. Just ask Rush, Owen, Robbie, Torres and more importantly Suarez, who owes alot of who he has become to us. I want steady progress and not mushroom out of control and I do feel that Rodgers is of the same mindset. Steady progress requires patience, a rare commodity in this day and age of instant success.

I think the most important factor this year will be how Gerrard plays and how the manager manages him through his decline and whether he has the character to bench him when it is clear.


With all due respect Kaz that's not really my point, I know we have got a lot of exciting young attacking players on our books like Markovic, Sterling, Coutinho and Ibe but I'm talking about our midfield and defence.
Our defence conceded 50 goals last season (the most any Liverpool side has conceded in a 38 game season since 1914) and our midfield didn't fare much better, as a unit it was often outplayed and over ran by nothing more than average outfits. Never mind the Man City's of this world the likes of Villa, Norwich and Palace had us pinned back and camped in our own 6 yard box, our midfield seemingly unable to push out and take the game to them high up the pitch.
Before this summer strengthening our defence and midfield would have been seen as a priority by most fans but here we are less than 3 weeks away from the beginning of the new season and in a straw poll to find out our best XI most posters on here have chosen an XI with practically the same defence and midfield as last year.
I'm just asking the question, after spending £80m have we significantly improved our defence and midfield?

I do see what you mean. Well we certainly have not improved our defence since we have not bought any defenders yet but if we can replace Johnson (very important) and a goalie (also important) that can play we will be much better, assuming Lovren comes as I think him and Sakho would make a good pairing. We are not that far away and could happen quickly. I read QPR is in for Johnson.

On your point of letting in fifty goals ( which is shocking) when was the last time we scored 101 goals? You can't complain about one and not acknowledge the other. Clearly you sacrifice defence for attack and that is the route we took. It needs tweeking, not a major overhaul. My opinion anyway!

Remember Raffa played five in midfield with one forward, we did not concede many but we did not score many.
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Postby ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:21 pm

Those 100 goals were one of the positives of last season but transfer windows are all about strengthening your team.
We should have invested in a goalkeeper, at least one top class fullback and a marquee CM to be the long term successor to Gerrard IMO.
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Postby Stu the Red » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:53 pm

It doesn´t really matter what it is as the problems from last season haven´t even started to become addressed and we´ve lost the main load carrier who made us into the attacking force we were.

Losing Luis should have made us correct the weaknesses, instead, we´re spunking yet more money up the wall on players who won´t improve our first eleven. Massively naive.

We got away with conceding fifty goals last season due to Suarez´s brilliance. The Remy deal is dead and if Rodgers thinks Lambert and Sturridge are going to provide us with anything like enough attacking threat he´s in the wrong job.

The fact is, while going forward our midfield will create bucket loads of chances, they lack control and athletisism to track runners (or the ability to position themselves to make us hard to break down), this leaves an already poor defence exposed at times. Protecting players like Mignolet, Johnson and Skrtel is bad enough, leaving them exposed is how you concede fifty goals in a season. Lovren will add leadership and organisational skills to the back four, but he wont fix it in his own, he will need a decent keeper and full back to help hilm.

For me, the money has been wasted, and I would be suprised if we finish top 4 next season, more suprised than I was by our form last season.
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Postby 7_Kewell » Sun Jul 27, 2014 3:58 pm

Stu the Red » Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:53 pm wrote:It doesn´t really matter what it is as the problems from last season haven´t even started to become addressed and we´ve lost the main load carrier who made us into the attacking force we were.

Losing Luis should have made us correct the weaknesses, instead, we´re spunking yet more money up the wall on players who won´t improve our first eleven. Massively naive.

We got away with conceding fifty goals last season due to Suarez´s brilliance. The Remy deal is dead and if Rodgers thinks Lambert and Sturridge are going to provide us with anything like enough attacking threat he´s in the wrong job.

The fact is, while going forward our midfield will create bucket loads of chances, they lack control and athletisism to track runners (or the ability to position themselves to make us hard to break down), this leaves an already poor defence exposed at times. Protecting players like Mignolet, Johnson and Skrtel is bad enough, leaving them exposed is how you concede fifty goals in a season. Lovren will add leadership and organisational skills to the back four, but he wont fix it in his own, he will need a decent keeper and full back to help hilm.

For me, the money has been wasted, and I would be suprised if we finish top 4 next season, more suprised than I was by our form last season.

Chin up Stu, there's still time left in the window and I expect us to sign a couple more players.

I think Lovren and the return of Enrique will improve our defence no end, but we DO NEED another striker, who can also play the flanks. With the Remy deal dead, perhaps BR will finally push for a proven world class player?  ???
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Postby kazza » Sun Jul 27, 2014 4:13 pm

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Sun Jul 27, 2014 2:21 pm wrote:Those 100 goals were one of the positives of last season but transfer windows are all about strengthening your team.
We should have invested in a goalkeeper, at least one top class fullback and a marquee CM to be the long term successor to Gerrard IMO.

I don't disagree I just think it is early to call it lost. Finding a marquee CM to replace Gerrard is going to be close to impossible. Much easier to find another mercenary like Suarez that will be off when his stock has risen than to replace all that the club stands for. With Gerrard you don't just replace a player, you replace a  local boy turned legend.
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Postby Stu the Red » Sun Jul 27, 2014 7:37 pm

Must admit I´m extremely worried. We DESPERATELY need a centre forward, right back, centre half and to re-instate Reina as first choice.

I really do not trust Rodgers at all to improve us on last season and next season. It maybe time to look at getting a decent director of football #KENNYDALGLISH
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Postby eds » Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:09 am

The most worrying thing Stu is if most of the players Rodgers has brought in turn out to be cack we have a sea of deadwood to get rid of, while having wasted more money than Tottenham did last season.
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Postby Kopite-Jud » Mon Jul 28, 2014 10:41 am

Stu the Red » Sun Jul 27, 2014 6:37 pm wrote:Must admit I´m extremely worried. We DESPERATELY need a centre forward, right back, centre half and to re-instate Reina as first choice.

I really do not trust Rodgers at all to improve us on last season and next season. It maybe time to look at getting a decent director of football #KENNYDALGLISH


I completely agree with this. With the best part of 170 million to spend and with the addition of the Champions League, we can offer any player what they want.  This transfer window is critical for improvement and all I can see is wasted money, key areas not addressed and no big signing.  People may say a "marquee signing" isn't important  but for me it is at least getting someone in that has performed on the biggest stage in world football with Champions League experience, is a winner and will scare the sh!t out of the opposition by just being on the team sheet.

I cant see how we've strengthened our starting 11 ?

I keep telling myself maybe we'll sign a big player, but with rumours flying around that we were offering Remy the number 7 shirt and are now linked with Jay Rodriguez I'm starting to think otherwise!
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Postby killerp » Mon Jul 28, 2014 1:00 pm

eds » Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:09 am wrote:The most worrying thing Stu is if most of the players Rodgers has brought in turn out to be cack we have a sea of deadwood to get rid of, while having wasted more money than Tottenham did last season.


Since we are basically becoming Southampton perhaps we should be concerned.

Rodgers shop elsewhere for god's sake, you don't win titles with mid table players. There won't be a stray dog left in Southampton by the time Rodgers is done.
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Postby 7_Kewell » Mon Jul 28, 2014 3:07 pm

eds » Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:09 am wrote:The most worrying thing Stu is if most of the players Rodgers has brought in turn out to be cack we have a sea of deadwood to get rid of, while having wasted more money than Tottenham did last season.

and "if" my aunty had balls, she'd be my uncle.  :D

Give them a chance, guys. The transfer window isn't shut and there's still plenty of business to be done.
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Postby red till i die!! » Mon Jul 28, 2014 3:16 pm

7_Kewell » Mon Jul 28, 2014 3:07 pm wrote:
eds » Mon Jul 28, 2014 9:09 am wrote:The most worrying thing Stu is if most of the players Rodgers has brought in turn out to be cack we have a sea of deadwood to get rid of, while having wasted more money than Tottenham did last season.

and "if" my aunty had balls, she'd be my uncle.  :D

Give them a chance, guys. The transfer window isn't shut and there's still plenty of business to be done.


only if the right players are available though  :eyebrow  we are not just going to sign players for the sake of it  :no  we will only bring in the right players that we have identified as one's to progress and add something to the group  :nod  we carefully select our targets to make sure they have those qualities  :laugh:
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Postby ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Fri Aug 01, 2014 10:47 am

Assuming we sign those 2 Spanish fullbacks this is the team I'd like to see line up against Southampton in a fortnights time -

                                       Mingolet

      Gerrard            Lovren             Sakho              Moreno

                              Hendo              Can

     Markovic                      Coutinho                    Sterling

                                        Sturridge
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Postby kazza » Fri Aug 01, 2014 11:41 am

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:47 am wrote:Assuming we sign those 2 Spanish fullbacks this is the team I'd like to see line up against Southampton in a fortnights time -

                                       Mingolet

      Gerrard            Lovren             Sakho              Moreno

                              Hendo              Can

     Markovic                      Coutinho                    Sterling

                                        Sturridge

I see where you are going with this but do you think Gerrard has the legs for RB? Having said that he will be a far superior choice to Johnson who I think has got to go.
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Postby Boocity » Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:39 pm

ycsatbjywtbiastkamb » Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:47 am wrote:Assuming we sign those 2 Spanish fullbacks this is the team I'd like to see line up against Southampton in a fortnights time -

                                       Mingolet

      Gerrard            Lovren             Sakho              Moreno

                              Hendo              Can

     Markovic                      Coutinho                    Sterling

                                        Sturridge


Don't know about Gerrard at RB and also would swap sterling and markovic
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