Liverpool FC Forum

[heimdall]

RM is our weakest position currently although Kuyt has been doing a decent job filling in.
Our fullbacks are ok but not amazing, I don't view it as a major concern though.

Plus we really really need a second striker.

[Sabre]

I must be almost alone of the forum in my support of Arby. I think he really is quite a decent full-back. He's solid, gets forward a bit and is decent in the air, as well as being a good pro. I like him.

I agree Mick i like Arby an all an ive championed his cause loads this season, and he has  played some exellent games for us but i think we need another option, Im not saying let him go far from it , but get someone else in who can give us like Sabes said another option when either he is out or not on his game. We need two top class players in every position imo

Yes, I have only praises to Arbeloa's performance, he has performed well above what I expected of him.

But when I look at what players can be improved, he'll become one of the main targets. In the other side, for instance, we have Aurelio, who has better right foot than Arbie's left foot, that is, he dominates his feet more. He has a better long ball, a better cross, and a better control. He's quite simply a better player than my countrymate. Not to mention the danger one player has when throwing a free kick and the other hasn't. There's not real comparison really.

That said, it must be said that while Aurelio's been injured or unfit most of his spell at Liverpool, Arbeloa has performed always a step beyond his quality allows him. In fact  I'd always keep Arbeloa as a handy patch. Arbeloa can't go a lot further in terms of quality because he hasn't it. I only can ask him to keep this level, and if anything, what he can do is to remove that "I've just waked up from the siesta and I'm confused" mood that led to some mistakes this season. With experience he'll become a better player, but he'll never be as good as Aurelio at best, IMHO. He won't be a top class player as I understand it. He was average-goodish when he came, now I consider him good after his experience, but I don't expect much more improvement from him.

[GYBS]

RM is our weakest position currently although Kuyt has been doing a decent job filling in.
Our fullbacks are ok but not amazing, I don't view it as a major concern though.

Plus we really really need a second striker.

Well seeing as the RM produces more than the LM would that not suggest that LM is weaker ? Or is it all becuase its Kuyt playing RM


For me its not a position that is weakest its a lack of a creative player to unlock tight defences we lack and have done for a long time .

[JoeTerp]

1) Striker (Because it's more crucial to break down deep teams, since we're dominating enough to afford a just good RB)

2) RB, because we don't have valid options when we don't have Arbeloa (I preffer not choping and changing Carraguer's or Skrtel's position). I'm assuming here the best CB pair is Carraguer and Agger, who I find crucial if we're going to advance our lines and take risks. We need a passing ability like his to play that way and it's not surprise to me that he's been followed by some Barcelona men in some games (according to what I read a few weeks back).

3) Centre Back, because Hyypia's gone, and Skrtel is not a top defender as we speak. If I knew for sure we'll Agger out of injuries next season, probably CB would be the fourth, and not third target.

4) RW, because I think it's possible to bring a player that will help destroying deep teams better than Kuyt.

I wouldn't touch the LB, and the CM, unless a good option is handy (i.e., sell lucas bring Barry or similar or better quality)

Interesting that you chose right wing over left wing.  On the right we have Kuyt and Yossi as main options. These players are both in very good veins of form, both scoring at rates that you would find pleasing for the position, both working hard for the team, and both offering different styles of play to the position.

On the left we have Riera, who for some reason I have been reading a lot of negative on lately, and even talk of him leaving, which I would not be in favor of at all. Nonetheless, he is still not outstanding, and his back-up Babel has been terribly inconsistent and frustrating.


I do find it a little bit funny how we "seem so close" and are "only a few away,"  yet at the same time have calls for BOTH additions to improve the starting XI and squad players to make us deeper. We have issues at RB, the wings, striker, and centre half.  I do not see us being able to address all of these positions and sign high quality players at the same time, even if we sell players, because that will just open up more holes because we will want to replace the players we sell with better, more expensive options.

Further, I think we suffer from real catch-22 situations at both CB and at forward this summer.  What kind of player is going to accept being a 4th choice centre half with two fairly young CBs ahead of him? Might sound strange, but I think the best economic option would be to sell Skrtel, buy a huge aerially dominant CB to be our main guy, and play mostly this new CB, Carra, and Agger using either Martin Kelly or Mikel San Jose as 4th choice.

[Sabre]

On the negatives on Riera I read them too, and I think I think he's underrated now, just as he was overrated at the start of the season, but I don't bother to argue much something I disagree these days, it's pointless.

Further, I think we suffer from real catch-22 situations at both CB and at forward this summer.  What kind of player is going to accept being a 4th choice centre half with two fairly young CBs ahead of him?

A winner. A winner is a player that doesn't fear extreme competition and thinks of himself that can win a place to the existing players.

Which is the opposite of a Keane loser, a player that arrives and demands a secure place in the team

I do find it a little bit funny how we "seem so close" and are "only a few away,"  yet at the same time have calls for BOTH additions to improve the starting XI and squad players to make us deeper. We have issues at RB, the wings, striker, and centre half.  I do not see us being able to address all of these positions and sign high quality players at the same time, even if we sell players, because that will just open up more holes because we will want to replace the players we sell with better, more expensive options.

It's funny, and it's football. I have never seen a team that wins it all, and says in summer "we don't need anything else to improve". If we don't see that in teams that has won something in a season, that can't be said in Liverpool neither.

It's always relative Joe football. Liverpool has a depth in the squad and a quality that many would dream of, but at the same time from our perspective there's always something to improve.

[JoeTerp]

On the negatives on Riera I read them too, and I think I think he's underrated now, just as he was overrated at the start of the season, but I don't bother to argue much something I disagree these days, it's pointless.

Further, I think we suffer from real catch-22 situations at both CB and at forward this summer.  What kind of player is going to accept being a 4th choice centre half with two fairly young CBs ahead of him?

A winner. A winner is a player that doesn't fear extreme competition and thinks of himself that can win a place to the existing players.

Which is the opposite of a Keane loser, a player that arrives and demands a secure place in the team

I do find it a little bit funny how we "seem so close" and are "only a few away,"  yet at the same time have calls for BOTH additions to improve the starting XI and squad players to make us deeper. We have issues at RB, the wings, striker, and centre half.  I do not see us being able to address all of these positions and sign high quality players at the same time, even if we sell players, because that will just open up more holes because we will want to replace the players we sell with better, more expensive options.

It's funny, and it's football. I have never seen a team that wins it all, and says in summer "we don't need anything else to improve". If we don't see that in teams that has won something in a season, that can't be said in Liverpool neither.

It's always relative Joe football. Liverpool has a depth in the squad and a quality that many would dream of, but at the same time from our perspective there's always something to improve.

"a winner" is very general, and should be a given, why would you ever want to buy a loser?  My point was more to the age and style of play and level of quality/price, and possibly whether or not to require PL expereince or big club experience.  I don't think it would make sense to bring in another "ball playing" centre half, not that we should bring in someone that doesn't know how to pass, but someone who has strengths that are very strong in other areas to some of the CBs that we have now. Especially considering the two most likely to break through CBs (who are both youth internationals and actually have a half dcecnt chance in the next 2 years) are both more of your ball playing ones, especially Mikel San Jose, who is the CB version of Xabi Alonso.



Fully accept and recognize that LFC and even PL winners have to improve every year. The main point I was trying to make is the quantity of changes that are being suggested and that are legit concerns seems high for a team that was already so close to winning the title.  Generally, a list will start out with "well we were close this year.....  so I think only one or two changes will do the trick . . . " and then they list all our problems, and it turns into overhauling half the squad. High turnover year after year is not a good human resources policy. We would be better off filling one or two holes for GOOD each summer, and leaving the other holes open and making due, than papering over all of the cracks every single summer and hoping that one or two stick.

[bigmick]

This has been my pointn over these discussions too. We've gone very close this season and still may win it as of now, so you would assume if we didn't buy or sell anybody at all we would go fairly well next season. I think if we don't improve we'lkl find it harder because both Chelsea and Arsenal will, (I know, I just can't let it go ) but whatever, I think we'd go well with no changes.

That's why IMHO we should be looking at players who are not "options" or "possibilities" because we've got enough of those, but players who will iunstantly challenge for the first team as a regular starter.

[GYBS]

with the squad we have got now rafa will look for the quality but the quality will also have a good work ethic and be flexible and give him more options - its the way he works