Liverpool FC Forum

by **Scottbot** » Wed Aug 18, 2010 8:54 am

I'm looking forward to wathcing the lad play after seeing the youtube clips of his battle with Kaka in an AC v Juve game. It's gonna be colourful!

Signing doesn't particularly excite based on his struggles to get game time at Juve but I won't be slating the transfer (like so many in this thread) without actually seeing the lad play few times for fear of looking stupid.

by **RED BEERGOGGLES** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 12:59 pm

The Liverpool Echo 19th Aug 2010

Liverpool FC boss Roy Hodgson: Signing Christian Poulsen was one of my easiest decisions

ROY HODGSON smiles warmly as he recalls the morning Christian Poulsen breezed into his life, hoping to embark on a grand, footballing adventure.

Then manager of FC Copenhagen, Hodgson had heard rave reviews about a flaxen-haired, energetic player who had been making waves for a little club called Holbaek and wanted to take a look, so he set up a trial. Within minutes of it starting, he knew what the fuss was about.

“Signing Christian was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made,” said Hodgson. “I remember he had to take time off work to come and do the trial; the plan was that Christian would spend a week training with us but after the first day, I told the Sporting Director to sign him.

“His talent was far, far above the standard he was playing. He made his debut against Rosenborg in a friendly as a right-back but when he got his chance in midfield, he stepped straight in and never looked back. It’s been onwards and upwards since then.”

A statement with which it is impossible to argue; a year after joining FC Copenhagen, Poulsen and Hodgson were celebrating landing the Danish title; from then international recognition followed and soon a man who has now been capped 77 times would be on his travels.

He became Danish football’s most expensive export when joining Schalke 04 after the 2002 World Cup, went on to have a terrific time in Spain with Sevilla – he marked his debut by helping them beat Barcelona 3-0 in the European Super Cup – before moving to Juventus.

Poulsen, clearly, had an outstanding pedigree but as he embarks on the latest chapter of his journey – one that has led to a reunion with the man who launched him on the road to the top – there is a suggestion that the 30-year-old feels he has gone back a decade.
When he first came to Hodgson’s attentions at the turn of the Millennium, he had it all to prove and, in many ways, the same is true now; Hodgson might be well aware of his talents but Poulsen has a new set of team-mates and supporters to win over.

That first chance may arrive at some point this evening, when Liverpool aim to take a significant step towards booking their place in the Europa League group stages at the expense of Turkish side Trabzonspor at Anfield.

He, undoubtedly, is desperate to show why Hodgson was so keen to bring him to Merseyside but, more than anything, Poulsen is determined to make a significant contribution and help Liverpool enjoy the kind of triumphs that have become fabled.

“This is a big step for me,” said Poulsen. “I know the club and I know all about its history. I was looking forward to coming here as soon as I knew there was a chance it could happen. Now I am set on playing a lot of good games and having a good season.

“The Premier League is the strongest in the world, so there is no doubt it will be a challenge. I just hope I can make a contribution. We have got some really big players here and if we want to be challenging at the top of the league, we will need them all.

“I have worked with Roy before, so of course I know him as a manager. But it wasn’t just that. When Liverpool call, you don’t turn them down. You look at the history, the great players; it really doesn’t take you long to decide if you have the option.

“I’ve left a really good club and I had some great times with Juventus but I am looking forward to a new challenge in the Premier League; it will be nice to play in Anfield and feel the good atmosphere. It’s a long season but I hope we can play many games at the top.”

So, too, does Hodgson. If Liverpool happen to be successful in the Europa League and end up going all the way to the final in Dublin next May, it would equate to them playing an extra half a season but if that meant a fourth success in the competition, who would complain?

Equally, there is a little incentive for Hodgson in that he would become just the second manager to lead three different teams to the final and Poulsen has no doubts his mentor can instill the same winning blend at Anfield that he saw first hand at the Parken Stadium.
“It was many years ago and he brought me to Copenhagen from a third division club,” recalled Poulsen. “I have been all over Europe since then but so has the manager. He gave me the chance and we were then so lucky to win the championship together just 12 months later.

“He came with a lot of ideas that we had never seen in Denmark before, brought the team together and made a really strong group. He made everyone believe in the importance of good team work and he was a good motivator.”

Such is the determination in Liverpool’s squad to win silverware, Hodgson is not going to find himself continually having to find different ways to keep his charges fired up; Poulsen, in particular, would love nothing more to taste success once again on the biggest stage.

“It would be like a dream come true if we could challenge for trophies this season,” said Poulsen, who won the Europa League under its previous guise in 2007 with Sevilla. “Liverpool have such a big history and a really good team. I think we have the players to challenge.

“Daniel (Agger) only had good things to say about Liverpool and I was sure that I wanted to make the change. What can I bring? I like to help keep the play going and create some chances for the other players. I’m just looking forward to get going as fast as possible.”

Well tonight... we will all get the chance to see what he exactly brings to the team in front of a hopefully packed out Anfield
I think his game will compliment Liverpool in the same way Hamanns did ...I'm just expecting a steady game from him tonight ......
albeit with a few glimpses of his combative ability

by **bunglemark2** » Thu Aug 19, 2010 11:48 pm

Was he worth 6M ? Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on him, it being his first start in a new team....but I'm not too sure tbh...

by **LittleHobo** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:07 am

in that role though he blasted in a few stinging tackles

didnt over complicate things

got forward a little

looked passionate and determined

all things you want in that defensive midfielder role.

seeing as scott parker is rated at 18 million id say poulsen at 6 million is a bargin

you cant judge him on one game, especially as hes behind all these players in terms of match fitness

by **rocky29** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:08 am

hes to slow and anyone who wears a shoe lace around his forehead shouldnt be taken to seriously?

by **roysreds** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:35 am

For his first game, I thought the fella did alright.

That said, I've never thought the defensive midfield position was THAT hard to perfect.

Can you name ANY other defensive midfielder in the world who would cost £25M ?

by **Fauxy** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:40 am

Most import thing for a defensive mid is positioning. He could stand there with his finger up his :censored:

, as long as he is in a position that stops that pass that sparks an attack being made its all good.

And Poulson's positioning was very good. He never got drawn out, he was well disciplined and if we played Lucas as defensive mid for this game, we wouldnt have kept a clean sheet.

He's clearly not that great at direct passing but if we stick Gerrad next to him then he wont have that responsibility.

Decent debut for a player who hasnt played in a long time.

by **Zidane** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 12:42 am

After seeing him today I think he'll be a solid signing.

by **metalhead** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:43 am

I thought he did well today. Defencively sound, good positioning and is not scared to throw in a tackle. His passing was very good as well and keeps it tidy. A very solid and dependable midfielder who can do the job when asked for. I think he will be a good player for Liverpool

by **Fowler_E7** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 1:57 am

dime a dozen player, how hard is it to play it simple and make a few tackles and not venture past the half way line? any half decent player can fill the role. These oh so fashionable "holding midfielders" are gonna be the death of football as an entertainment sport.

by **matt_liverpool** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 4:17 am

Fowler_E7 wrote:dime a dozen player, how hard is it to play it simple and make a few tackles and not venture past the half way line? any half decent player can fill the role. These oh so fashionable "holding midfielders" are gonna be the death of football as an entertainment sport.

one of the most ridiculous comment ever. WTF really ? That's why people should avoid being on Internet when they should be sleeping. :no

Poulsen had a very solid game imo. His tackling, positioning, passing was absolutely spot on once he settled after first few minutes. That's what a world class fashionable "holding midfielder" can do what a half decent Lucas can never do. Football is a very entertaining and competitive sport because of players like Poulsen, Mascharano. If everybody was Kaka or Ronaldo, there would have been no difference between football and basketball.

by **Owzat** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:13 am

bunglemark2 wrote:Was he worth 6M ? Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on him, it being his first start in a new team....but I'm not too sure tbh...

I guess it depends on your stance as to whether you'll look for the positives in his performance or the negatives. It's hard to find negatives when the opposition were pretty ordinary and mainly trying to stop us playing. He didn't do much wrong, but was there much scope to?

Of course those waxing lyrical about him surely wouldn't be so remiss as to suggest he is as good as Mascherano and he won't be missed if he goes. After all if Poulsen was so "spot on" in everything that he did, then Mascherano is surplus to requirements and can be sold for a massive profit

by **matt_liverpool** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:23 am

Owzat wrote:Of course those waxing lyrical about him surely wouldn't be so remiss as to suggest he is as good as Mascherano and he won't be missed if he goes. After all if Poulsen was so "spot on" in everything that he did, then Mascherano is surplus to requirements and can be sold for a massive profit

Of course you can't judge a player by just one performance against an average team. Lucas did very well in his first game for us too. Does that mean we should have sold Gerrard ?

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 7:26 am

roysreds wrote:For his first game, I thought the fella did alright.

That said, I've never thought the defensive midfield position was THAT hard to perfect.

Can you name ANY other defensive midfielder in the world who would cost £25M ?

can you name any other DM with that much of experience in other leagues and with the international team costing 6 million?

by **Benny The Noon** » Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:21 am

If its how its looking and its Aquilani leaving and not masher then it makes the purchase of poulsen even more bizarre imo - we loose a creative CM and replace him with a DM ?!

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