woof woof ! » Tue Jul 07, 2020 12:08 pm wrote:I don't want to get into a conversation about finance, Firstly because unlike all the "Accountants" in this forum I'm not qualified and secondly I actually don't give a f*ck !.
What I would like to talk about is "Are we resting on our Laurels" i.e. are we so confident in our recent successes that we don't have to improve the team ?
There's no doubt that we have one of the most effective "first elevens" in the world and our "second string" players are more than handy
BUT !
With Man City seemingly determined to "go again", Man Utd looking resurgent and Chelsea making some impressive signings, next season will provide a far greater test than the current one has been.
We've been outstanding for two seasons, but eventually mental and physical fatigue catches up with all players. I'm concerned that an injury or even a loss of form to some of our key players could seriously damage us.
Obviously, as mentioned earlier, we have some more than "handy" back up players, and in addition some great prospects coming through but will that be enough to retain the title ?
No doubt we'll be right up there but with every team looking to knock us back off our perch, nowhere right now do I actually see the team being strengthened enough to be confident about winning all the battles to come.
Two ways to strengthen
1. Buy the players in - need to have the level of finance required , right now it’s potentially unsure what level of finance the manager has available to him
2. We use the current squad , improve using training and also developing the young players on the edge to provide the back up required
Klopp appears to manage his players very well both mentally and physically and when we do have injuries the gaps do get covered.
The issue some will see would be if we lose either Mané or Salah for a long period - would Klopp want to have a level of covert for them - no doubt about that at all , at what cost is that level of cover ? A lot - or would the manager be able to adjust to fill the gap using different tactics or even bring in someone like Shaqiri , Brewster , Jones or evening Elliot
Right now the squad is like that great Dortmund squad who won leagues but they had issues when players started or wanted to leave
The biggest signings we have are the ones signing new contracts - it doesn’t stop them leaving but it keeps them more committed.
Right now our first 11 is the best in the league , one that can win more trophies
The big issue will be if it’s “multiple injures” - we lose two or three of those big players but I don’t think we as a club would ever be in a position to cover that sort of loss. I don’t tbink it’s going to happen under the working model of both the owners and the manager