Liverpool FC Forum

[mkingdom]

Starting to get a bit concerned that pre season isn't that far away and we haven't made a single signing yet.

Pre-season started on Thursday. It was always unlikely that we were going to do early business as Rodgers has only been in the job a few weeks and hadn’t even met most of the players until this week let alone begin to assess them. I would guess that most (maybe even all) of our business will take place in August once all the players are back and we’ve started playing games. Most of the summer transfers take place in the last 2 weeks of August anyway.

Rodgers needs to take a good look at what is already in the squad and speak to all the players before he starts committing millions of pounds on new recruits. This is just a consequence of changing mangers at the time we did.

I’m not concerned at all as it makes total sense.

I don't disagree, but Spurs seem to have signed two potentially good players with a manager just hours into the job.

As I say, I'm not saying we should all be in panic, but BR has (in relative terms) had more than long enough to sign someone since he arrived.  We can only hope he knows who we want and has a plan to get them

[maypaxvobiscum]

If you look at the squad of players we have, including those returning from injuries and loans, it's not a bad squad. It could do with better cover for Lucas, a good winger and a natural goal scorer but I believe Rodgers will get the best out of the players we already have and some might show a big improvement and surprise people.

The back 5 is good enough, we have 6 decent CM's who are pretty settled although an upgrade on Spearing would be good if we had the money but not a priority.

The uncertainty and potential for change as I see it is in the forwards, with Aqua, Cole and Pacheco coming back into the reckoning and doubts over Maxi, Bellamy and now possibly Carroll.

Playing a 4-4-2 system you obviously need more MF's than FW's but playing 4-3-3 we would need as many forwards as midfielders,

I don't know much about playing 4-3-3, how would the existing players fit into a new 4-3-3 system ? Lucas, Gerrard, Adam, Henderson, Spearing and Shelvey for the midfield 3 and Downing, Maxi, Bellamy, Suarez, Carroll, Cole, Aquilani, Pacheco, Sterling for the front 3 ?

I really like Aquilani but I'm not sure he would fit into a 4-3-3 system ? I think Pacheco played wide left of a 4-3-3 for the Spanish U21 side ? Would Shelvey play MF or FW ? Would Adam fit into the new system ?

Borini, Dempsey and Adam Johnson would all fit in nicely, what about Ramirez ? What system do Uruguay play ?

Dempsey is just an average big fish in a small pond. Haven't we got enough of them already with Stewart Downing, Jordan Henderson, Andy Carroll and Charlie Adam? Furthermore, Dempsey isn't a signing that would get anyone excited. Signing Dempsey doesn't smell of ambition, it smells of an attempt to attract more support in USA. And enough of those Jordan Henderson type of signings who might or might not justify their fees in the future. No point buying these supposed prospects for the future while neglecting the current issues, which is that we don't have enough goalscorers from midfield.

Look at the midfielders from other clubs compared to ours -

Man City - Johnson, Silva, Nasri, Toure, De Jong, Milner and Barry
Man Utd - Kagawa, Young, Nani, Valencia, Scholes, Giggs, Cleverly, Carrick, and Anderson
Chelsea - Hazard, Lampard, Marin, Mata, Meireles, Romeu, Ramires, De Bruyne and McEachran
Arsenal - Arteta, Rosicky, Ramsey, Wilshere, Walcott, Oxlade and Diaby
Spurs - Bale, Van Der Vaart, Modric, Lennon, Sandro, Sigurdsson and Parker
Liverpool - Gerrard, Adam, Downing, Henderson, Maxi, Aquilani, Cole, Sterling, Suso and Shelvey

All the players in bold can be relied upon to score goals through their pace, technical ability or simple awareness of being at the right place at the right time. We need a midfielder who will walk into the first team and claim a spot, not someone who needs a couple of seasons to justify their signing. Dempsey is not the answer. Someone technically gifted otherwise when Gerrard retires, or is injured, we're screwed for we've been guilty of being a 2 man club for far too long. If it's not Owen and Gerrard, it's Torres and Gerrard, and now Suarez and Gerrard.

[RichardLFC1]

How you can call hazard a midfielder is beyond me. Also how do you know kagawa hazard will cut it in the premier league.

In this post your saying Dempsey isn't good enough. But he scored more goals then all your players in bold

[supersub]

Arsenals midfield is hardly a goal threat either.......walcott the exception

[maypaxvobiscum]

How you can call hazard a midfielder is beyond me. Also how do you know kagawa hazard will cut it in the premier league.

In this post your saying Dempsey isn't good enough. But he scored more goals then all your players in bold

He's an attacking midfielder, who is capable of scoring goals unlike most of our midfield. If not, what would you call him then?
Kagawa is an upgrade from Park, and had a sterling season with Dortmund.
Those signings are strong statements and players would find the lure of playing alongside such players more attractive compared to playing with someone like Spearing, Adam or Downing.

And Dempsey plays as a forward for Fulham doesn't he? My doubts stem mainly from the fact that often when we pursue players from England, they are overpriced, and they hardly make any contribution to the team in terms of winning games - Keane, Downing, and Henderson. And you could arguably add Glen Johnson to that list too, as I felt RM got an amazing deal when they signed Arbeloa for such a small fee. Never understood his departure as he was superb defensively, and his debut against Barcelona and Messi is fondly remembered.

[maypaxvobiscum]

How you can call hazard a midfielder is beyond me. Also how do you know kagawa hazard will cut it in the premier league.

In this post your saying Dempsey isn't good enough. But he scored more goals then all your players in bold

But their players are far more technically gifted compared to ours. And each time they sell their star players, from Fabregas, to Nasri and perhaps now even Van Persie, it seems as though they are on the decline but for some incredible (and irritating) reason they somehow cement their place in the top 4 despite the clubs around them spending extravagant amounts of money. Hopefully BR is able to drill a similar effect into our players with his footballing philosophy.

Not sure if you agree with this, but of all the clubs, I feel Man Utd and Spurs are weakest in the middle. Especially when/if Modric leaves, and Giggs and Scholes retires. Apart from Toure, we have perhaps the best DM in the country in the shape of Lucas who has improved beyond recognition.

[Basil]

It's difficult to compare players from different teams because most players look good playing in a well coached team that's playing well whereas most players tend to look bad when playing a team that's not playing well.

The most important thing is to know how you want to play the game and use players who can play that style, if you can get them playing how you want and become successful the players start to look good, perhaps better than they actually are.

Manure have had a clear style of play for years and a lot of their players look better than the really are but it doesn't matter because they are successful.

The likes of Everton, Fulham and Swansea have also been able to do quite well because of their style of play rather than them being able to sign proven players.

Our off the field problems over recent years has been the main cause of our inconsistent form on the pitch, FSG have steadied the ship and are trying to get us back on course, they're trying to do it with financial common sense and hopefully it will work.

Brendan has a clear idea of how he wants to play the game and the type of players he needs, hopefully a lot of the players we already have can fit into that style and he's the best one to identify who won't fit in and who he can add to improve the squad.

We already know how good the likes of Gerrard, Suarez, Agger, Skertel, Johnson and Lucas etc are but I think players like Enrique, Henderson, Shelvey and Downing will fit this new style and surprise a lot of people. Add three or four players who would compliment the squad and things could really look good.

Anyway, that's my optimistic hopes for the future.

[RichardLFC1]

Hazard is a forward. Always has and always will. Dempsey played behind the strikers last year he was only pushed forward when they got injuries to Andy johnson.

You talk about them offering a goal threat but look at it defensively. I dont want us to be known as a defensive team but a back 4 of

Johnson  Skrtel   Agger  Enrique

Smalling Ferdinand Vidic Evra

Richard Kompany Lescott Clichy

Sagna Vermalen Koscielny Santos

Walker Vertongen Kaboul Assou akkoto

As a 4 ours is the strongest. Youd probably argue Vidic and Kompany are probably the best 2 but as a unit i think we win hands down.

Going to the keepers Yeah Reina had a dodgy season but out of De gea Reina Hart Friedel and Scezny id pick Pepe

[maypaxvobiscum]

You talk about them offering a goal threat but look at it defensively. I dont want us to be known as a defensive team but a back 4 of

Having a great defensive record doesn't help you win games. Last season, we were amazing defensively, 2nd or 3rd best if I'm not mistaken where conceding goals were concerned. But we were awful and lacked firepower.

[RichardLFC1]

You talk about them offering a goal threat but look at it defensively. I dont want us to be known as a defensive team but a back 4 of

Having a great defensive record doesn't help you win games. Last season, we were amazing defensively, 2nd or 3rd best if I'm not mistaken where conceding goals were concerned. But we were awful and lacked firepower.

neither does score 3 but letting in 4.

I understand we need to be more clinical but my point is we  could score 38 goals and are very strong at the back we could win all our games 1-0 and finish top of the league.

[Benny The Noon]

Take Agger out of our back 4 and the record isnt that great - Agger was the glue.

Our defence was solid but it won feck all for us.

We need creativity in attacking areas and attacking midfielder to give us goals and creativity.

[RichardLFC1]

maybe so take Kompany out of citys and they would be worse.

We have creativity in suarez and Gerrard. We have a Strong target man in Carroll. If Downing pulls his finger out or we sign someone off the calibre of Adam johson we wpuld be fantastic

[stmichael]

as benny said, we need to be bringing attacking options into the club not shipping them out.

[Benny The Noon]

maybe so take Kompany out of citys and they would be worse.

We have creativity in suarez and Gerrard. We have a Strong target man in Carroll. If Downing pulls his finger out or we sign someone off the calibre of Adam johson we wpuld be fantastic

Agger misses half the season every year , Kompany missed about a game because of suspension

Gerrard is declining and we will get a handful of games from him every season now

Suarez is creative but also wasteful

We need scoring and creating options at the club if we don't then we won't improve much more next season

[ycsatbjywtbiastkamb]

as benny said, we need to be bringing attacking options into the club not shipping them out.

this borini has only played 46 games in his whole career, and 12 of them were with swansea in the championship. in his 8 appearances for chelsea he didnt score a goal
if carroll is going out on loan and this lad is meant to be leading the line for us then rodgers is off his rocker.