Liverpool FC Forum

by **stmichael** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:08 pm

So another day and yet another twist in the circus that is the Milan Baros situation. We now hear reports from his agent that Milan will sit down with Liverpool in two weeks time to discuss his future.

OK i'm going to lay it straight...I'm not a big Baros fan. Up until now I've only liked Baros when he's our only option, but there has always been someone else that i'd prefer to see play. Having seen the pre-season displays so far it is clear to see that he really does have talent, but doesn't know when or where is best to use it. The constant criticism last season was not looking up or finding a team-mate. Secondary was aimless running and running, with no real direction... and thirdly was he wastefulness of chances in front of goal.

Now, maybe it's because he hasn't been used in the Champs League games, so he looks sharper, or maybe it's just sheer determination but Milan Baros has looked just as good, or better, than any other striker at the club, and more importantly in the areas where he was previously poor.

He has now scored 5 goals in his 3 games (only 1.5 games on the pitch) and he's set up goals too. He's been deadlier in front of goal and made runs in behind the defences not out wide into corners. 5 goals in 1.5 games is some going... and even though Cisse has scored, and Morientes has scored, and hell, even Gerrard has scored plenty, it does seem at this stage that Baros is getting better.

Now it could just be that Baros is playing at exactly the same level but the opposition or "friendly" style game is better for him... maybe he's just not a Prem player? maybe he's not a big game player?

But the question is primarily this... Should Rafa give Milan 1 more season, and see if he HAS stepped it up?, or should we sell up now whilst the asking price is good and try something new? Every squad is believed to need 4 top quality strikers and we have that at the moment. Add Sinama Pongolle to this list when he returns from injury and we're sorted in the forward department.

I must admit my head has been turned and I'm nearer to 50% 50% than I was 3 weeks ago, when I was 100% certain he should go. My personal view is that Baros is needed at Liverpool in fact I would go as far as to say he is vital in some games due to his pace and shear bloody mindedness to lose him might prove costly in what is going to be a long hard season. I don't think he would be first choice by any stretch of the imagination but he'd provide yet another vital weapon as an alternative.

Rafa I believe has patience, this has not worn thin with Baros it is that Baros has to understand Rafa's thinking and method of playing some games will not include Baros from the start, he will have to wait his turn, and more to the point when the chance comes he must take it full on. It's my hope Baros now understands this and is ready to put his 100% in to this end and will remain a Liverpool player.

The trouble is, judging by his behaviour in the past, I don't think he will. If it was up to me I would still sell, unless Milan himself comes out and says that he 100% wants to stay at the club. I believe that £7m is the price being banded about and I for one would snap somebody's hand off for that.

The main point is, next summer he will only have a year left on his contract so he will be worth peanuts. There has been no mention of a contract from either Baros or Liverpool so he IS going if Rafa has his way. I'm just worried the little sh#t will sit out his contract and we'll get nothing for him.

Discuss

by **andy_g** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:23 pm

have to agree i'm more 50-50 myself now rather than the 'goodbye milan' of a couple of weeks back. sure he's looked a bit sharper and scored goals but its hard to really judge a player in these type of games.

one of the main reasons i'd like to see the baros experiment continue is to see how the crouch and baros partnership would work. we've all seen plenty of proof that baros is not a target man. if he's asked to hold up the ball he starts to think - often coming up with the solution that the best bet is to run around fast in all sorts of directions. this is not effective target man play - he just can't do it.

baros is best when he has no time to think, in fact when he isn't even required to think. i suspect that with a few knock ons and flicks from crouchy he could bang a few in. its not a massive leap of intellect as we've seen him work well with koller in the same way.

i'm starting to think its worth offering him a one or two year extension and give bit a go.

by **banana** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:30 pm

We have good strikers. We have a really bad defence. For me the question is; do we have money to strenghten the defence or do we have to sell Baros first? I would like to think that Benitez has money for two/three new defenders plus being able to keep baros. But where is that cantre half we are all waiting for?

by **woof woof !** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:31 pm

With only a year left on his contract I don't think we have much option other than unload him but like St Mick I'm not as certain as I was a few weeks back. He has certainly look sharp in the friendlies but has it been enough to warrant the club sitting down and negotiating a new contract with him ? ,on the one hand the fella is still only 23 (?), he could finally be getting his footballing act with LFC together and on the other hand £7 million for Baros could go a long way towards bringing in a certain center back .
I'll leave this one to Rafa

(he gets paid to make these decisions )

by **JC_81** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:32 pm

I've stuck up for Baros a lot over the last year, but the bottom line (no matter what people think about his playing ability/attitude) is that he almost certainly will not sign a contract extension and Rafa will not risk losing him for free next summer, so he's gone.

The reason he wont sign a new deal is that he knows that a Bosman is the only way one of the bigger spanish teams will take a chance on him

by **stmichael** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 12:52 pm

Baros only seems to play when his place is threatened, when he is top dog hes useless selfish and blind. Keep all 4 and he'll hopefully cr@p himself all season to our benefit.

by **ckay** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:19 pm

I never thought he ws a good striker in a LFC shirt, buit have to say, towards the end of last season and so far in the friendly's, he's looked sharp and un-selfish.

Keep him till January. The teams after him aren't in Europe so it doesn't matter about being cup tied.

Give him a chance. He may link up well with Crouch.

by **A.B.** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 1:44 pm

Last summer Baros said that a player can't stay too long at a club. That gets me to think that if we offered him a new contract he wouldn't sign it and would leave on a bosman.

by **PabloAimar** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:00 pm

i still think baros is the best striker we have. he looks the most comfortable on the ball and he can do something non of the other strikers have shown yet... run past people and make a goal himself.

he hardly scored after his injury at xmas.

ppl forget that before xmas, his strike rate in the premiership was one of the best, if not THE best.

also, i dnt see wat the big deal was about crouch's debut performance... how the heck did he set garcia's goal up?! it got a lucky deflection off the defender after crouch had lost it. i think it's quite embarrasing to even compare peter crouch to a player of baros's quality.

fair enuf baros was complaining alot 2nd half of last season... but he wasnt scoring so i dont think he had any right to even open his mouth... he should have jus kept quiet n let his football talk, by getting back into scoring form. i jus hope he and benitez can sort watever problem there is out, becoz i can guarantee we will all be GUTTED if he moves to another premiership team becoz he is a goal scorer.

by **A.B.** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:04 pm

also, i dnt see wat the big deal was about crouch's debut performance... how the heck did he set garcia's goal up?! it got a lucky deflection off the defender after crouch had lost it. i think it's quite embarrasing to even compare peter crouch to a player of baros's quality.

It's quite embarassing that Crouch last season scored more goals than Baros, yet Baros is a better player. Not only that but Crouch played 12 games less than Baros and still scored more goals. That's embarassing

fair enuf baros was complaining alot 2nd half of last season... but he wasnt scoring so i dont think he had any right to even open his mouth... he should have jus kept quiet n let his football talk, by getting back into scoring form. i jus hope he and benitez can sort watever problem there is out, becoz i can guarantee we will all be GUTTED if he moves to another premiership team becoz he is a goal scorer.

I don't think he's going to any Premiership side, he wants to play at Barca. He's going to go to Spain, play for some club thats in CL or UEFA cup and try to get Barca's attention. He will do well in Spain but he couldn't get the job done last season when we needed it.

by **bigmick** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:09 pm

PabloAimar wrote:ppl forget that before xmas, his strike rate in the premiership was one of the best, if not THE best.

Based on what mate? The best strike rate meaning he scored more goals? Or maybe he scored more often per number of shots expressed as a percentage?
They do say that it's possible to make statistics say anything you wish. That said, if you can find a stat which in way shape or form whatsoever suggests that Baros was one of the best strikers in the Prem before christmas I'll be staggered. He was one of the best strikers in the Prem when playing against Crystal Palace at home is just about the only one I can think of.

by **kaz the kopite** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:15 pm

sell baros and buy kuijt!!

goood alternative to crouchy! or even play with him and feed of all the chances

and crosses thrown at them!! :buttrock

by **7_Kewell** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:16 pm

Baros will be a villa player next week, O'leary had to sell Vassel to free up the wages and will now buy Milan.

I heard this yesterday, but it's now in the press too, so i can 't be blamed if it don't happen

by **H_K_LFC** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:29 pm

Baros may hav a brilliant partnership with crouch and score goals this season but a dnt think he'll get the chance with cisse n moreintes prob startin most matches.

by **A.B.** » Mon Jul 25, 2005 2:31 pm

Villa are not going to play in Europe, I don't see why he would go there. It makes no sense. He wants to play for Barca, so he goes from playing with Liverpool to Aston Villa?

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