Liverpool FC Forum

by **JBG** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:38 pm

Too early to judge any of them. I see no stinkers and the early signs are that the summer arrivals have increased our quality, although we haven't managed to find a vein of form yet.

One thing for certain though is that Kuyt knows how to play football.

by **7_Kewell** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 1:42 pm

JBG wrote:Too early to judge any of them. I see no stinkers and the early signs are that the summer arrivals have increased our quality, although we haven't managed to find a vein of form yet.

One thing for certain though is that Kuyt knows how to play football.

my sentiments too. way too early to really judge...but Kuyt looks promising and I'd guess he's not even match fit yet.

by **PhiLFC** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 2:13 pm

Aurelio - I think he needs a few more games to adjust to the speed of our game... I think he could be better than Riise

Agger - pretty good and I hope Sami teaches him everything he knows

Kuyt - The real deal - this guy is gonna be massive

Gonzalez - dont know not yet dkny

Pennant - I've been quietly impressed, I like the way he takes players on but I do agree that he seems to come inside a lot when going down the wing appears the easiest option

Bellamy - Have been impressed with his energy and commitment but we will be a striker short in more than one or two games because of his mouth... I think he will be very important for us this year.

by **JC_81** » Fri Sep 15, 2006 6:35 pm

Agger - Although not strictly a new signing I think this lad will be our best of the new first teamers this season. He's got everything you need in a centre half - strong, positionally sound, good tackler, good in the air, good in possession, can pass it out of defence. What strikes me most about him is his calmness under pressure. While I still think Sami has a lot to offer us this season, it will certainly be his last as a 1st XI player imo. By next season it will be Carra-Agger.

Aurelio - I rate him. Good positionally, great technique, decent distribution. His set-pieces haven't been consistent, but when he gets that sorted people will notice him more and will start to appreciate the other good things he brings to the team.

Pennant - Solid start. Looked good for the most part. His crosses are good but as others have said I don't think he makes the most of his good pace - he should take players on more on the outside.

Gonzalez. Doesn't look like he has blistering pace despite the reports, hasn't shown any tricks and his first touch isn't that great. Give him time though. I always said we shouldn't get carried away with this lad, he was always going to take time to settle.

Kuyt. I slated him more than most before we signed him, and not just for his WC performances, I just didn't fancy him and the couple of Feyenoord games I saw last season he didn't impress either. His outings for us so far have been impressive though - quick, strong and holds the ball up superbly. Looks like I might have got this one wrong.

Bellamy - Good start. Never gives up and his pace is impressive. With a run in the team and a little less rotation of the forwards he could score a lot. I fear though that this is going to be a problem for all of the strikers this season.

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:22 am

Dirk Kuyt – He was the main striker I wanted to see come to Liverpool. I liked what I saw from him in the little I watched of him in the Dutch league and was encouraged by his style of play in the World Cup even though others knocked him. The only reservation I had was whether he was worth going into double figures for. So far he has shown a range of qualities that a top striker needs. Work rate, strength, aggression, good shooting, link up play, a turn of pace when needed, good positional awareness, awareness of players around him, good aerial ability, etc. He looks a fairly rounded striker with a genuine hunger to play football and work hard. So far so good as far as I am concerned and I think he will be a success, its just a matter of whether he will really go on and be what RVN and Henry have been for Man Utd and Arsenal, I’m hoping he could be our number 1 striker for next 5 years.

Craig Bellamy – I was 50-50 on Bellamy. I think some people have gone way over the top with how good he is, I’ve heard words such as “Class” being used, and statements such as “he is worth twice what we paid for him”, these are exaggerations. I definitely think he has 6 Mil worth of footballing ability. He has an obvious desire to succeed, excellent acceleration, a strong build and 2 good feet. But I have been surprised at how many times he has strayed off side, I was under the impression he was far better at this skill than he has exhibited so far. I think he will struggle when these is less space in behind to exploit. One thing that has really made me want to rip his head off at times is how much time he spends shouting at officials when the ball is in play, If I was Rafa I would have been tempted to give him a slap round the back off his head because he is acting like a little child. I don’t think he can be part of a genuine top quality strike pairing to be honest, he is good to have as one of our strikers but I’m sure if Rafa had another 5 Mil in the kitty and wanted a title winning strike force he would have looked elsewhere. So in conclusion, not as good as signing as some thought, but definitely worthwhile at that price tag in the current situation.

Jermain Pennant – I was pretty much a firm NO on Pennant. I wanted us to buy a right sided midfielder who could genuinely compete for a first team spot and put pressure on Sissoko, Alonso and Gerrard. I have outlined many times that I think Pennant is one dimensional and predictable, at the moment does he really offer much more than Cisse when played on the right? In fact, Cisse was probably more productive, beating his man more often and putting in some good crosses. Pennant needs to add the threat of going inside a full back and threaten the centre backs, improve his left foot and provide a goal threat, all three are linked to be honest. Its encouraging that Rafa is asking him to do these things that he has been told not to do in the past, but I just don’t see the quality there for him to take his game to the next level and compete for a first team spot. The price tag was too much, he was a compromise signing and provides nothing more than an option. Rafa was backed into a corner because we needed an option on the right other than Gerrard so I guess I may have done the same.

Fabio Aurelio – I have been quietly encouraged so far. He hasn’t had a problem with the aggression factor, has a nice touch and calm assurance on the ball, on the whole his positional play has been good. At times it seems as though communication has been an issue but that will only improve over time. He has also been wasteful at the other end of the pitch, probably a case of trying to do too much. His body language seems to suggest he hasn’t been too happy with his start so far and it has led to him losing a bit of confidence. I agree a goal and the fans chanting his name will do a world of good. I think he could start as our first choice left back next year.

Mark Gonzalez – He was never going to be the immediate saviour some believed. He probably hasn’t even played 100 career games yet, this is his first real club. Once he learns fluent English, settles in the city and spends some time on the training ground with Rafa he will be more of an serious option for the first team. He is a little live wire with great acceleration and desire, and surprisingly good in the air, has a fantasist shooting technique which allows him to keep the ball low and he can also use his right foot. He has plenty of work to do as does Rafa. But the only reason some people are having doubts is because he got such a big build up, if no one knew anything about him, just that we got him from Spanish club for a couple of million and he is only 21/22 then we would all be encouraged. He has been trying a bit too hard to impress so far but I’m sure he will get better but again he is one for the future.

Gabriel Paletta – He hasn’t played yet so cant comment too much. He was always bought for the future. He is tall, well built and loves a tackle, that always a good start for a centre back! There’s plenty to work with. A good season for him would be learning English, settling in the city and with the new lifestyle, and working with Rafa on the training ground, and maybe get 5 starts. I can see him getting all the League Cup games and possible some FA cup ties and league games towards the end.

On the whole it has been a good summer of transfer activity that has significantly strengthened the squad in key areas. Kuyt is one that we hope will go the whole way and make himself a first teamer for the next 5 years. Bellamy provides us with a good option and we got him for a good price. Pennant provides us with a much over due alternative on the right hand side even if he was over priced. We got Aurelio on a free and he can play both left back and left midfield with comfort, he could go on and make the left back spot his own. Gonzalez is a talented player who will settle and improve over the course of the season. Paletta has all the natural physical abilities a top centre back needs, and he gives us a 4th option at centre back, but he will be more prominent next season.

Things are looking good for us and next summer there should be far less work to do.

by **Cool Hand Luke** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 10:43 am

If were talking about Agger as well:

Agger – Has beefed up slightly but would like maybe another half a stone of muscle on his upper body. Is quicker and more agile than Hyypia. Has a great assurance and confidence about himself, uses the ball well, is dominant, good in the air, good positional play. Looks like he will be an absolute snip at just under 6 Mil. I think with Hyypia taking more and more time in between games to recover Agger will get plenty of starts and may even be Carragher’s permanent partner towards the end of the season.

by **onizukaeikichi** » Sun Sep 17, 2006 11:03 am

imo pennant should be ordered to find space and run, i have seen a lot of times he's stagnant while our midfielders could pass the ball into an empty space behind the opponents wingback and let pennant use his pace.

by **stmichael** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:53 pm

bigmick wrote:Pennant is more of a Beckham type of winger than an Aaron Lennon type in that he usually crosses it around the full-back rather than by beating him so he can fail to catch the eye sometimes. That said I'm surprised that he is coming in for criticism to be honest. He set up the goal which got us through a tricky Champions League second leg and I think in the brief time he has been with us he has developed already.

Obviously he still has some way to go and in this sense you could say he was a gamble for the money. In my opinion he needs to provide much more of a goal threat and also to show more of a willingness to recieve the ball in a more central position occasionally. Width is lovely to have but so is variety. By simply coming in off his line and picking the ball up fifteen yards infield, Pennant opens up a plethora of opportunities both for him and the rest of the team. It makes him more difficult to pick up and gives him the opportunity to do something other than whip the ball in around the outstretched leg of the full-back, which even though he is very good at gets a tad predictable.

Good post bigmick.

FWIW, I thought Pennant's delivery was generally poor yesterday. For me, he was crossing the ball from the wrong positions as lot of the time, i.e. too deep. He needs to be encouraged to keep his shape on a more regular basis. If we want a player to roam infield from the right hand side, we've got the best in the business to do that job in our captain.

by **craig da Toxteth iron** » Mon Sep 18, 2006 2:58 pm

Aurelio is the only weak link of all the new boys. Kuyt, Pennant, Gonzalez & Bellamy. I seen Paletta he looks solid, he was unfortunate to go the world cup.

by **Ciggy** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:07 am

How good is Kuyt :buttrock

He is superb best player of the season so far.
He works his @rse off.
He has made us so much stronger, well deserved goal last night after hitting the post against Chelsea.
Made up for the lad, he is a real proper Liverpool player from old, cant describe what I mean, he's just brilli9ant.

BTW when are we going to see what Paletta is all about

by **Mikz** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 9:56 am

Ive been impressed by all of them too, cant believe how good Kuyt is , all action with a great brain -thank God Im not a scout

Id just like to see Pennant show a bit more enthusiam or something, bit more passion -get the ball and run at them and fire ammo at the strikers ..He has the talent and Ive no doubt Benitez will get the best out of him.

by **Kukilon** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 10:42 am

The only one that has let me down a little so far is Mark but it's not weird that it will take some time for him to adjust since he has problems with the language etc.

by **murphy0151** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 11:22 am

Kukilon wrote:The only one that has let me down a little so far is Mark but it's not weird that it will take some time for him to adjust since he has problems with the language etc.

Mark who? He speaks good english old chap.

I reckon Aurelio looks a bit dodgy doing his defensive duties. But going forward hes looked quite good. The reason why Rafa was playing him in a more attacking role is so he could get use to the pace off the premiership. It takes time to adjust for some people. Id say give him till about march and you will see our new left back propably.

Pennant, Young Jermaine has impressed me alot aswell. He looks great on the wing and one thing i never noticed when he was at Birmingham is his willingness to chase back and help out in defensive duties. So yep, im in pressed with Pennant aswell.

Gonzales, hes not been the palyer we seen at the end off last season where he allmost saved R Socidad on his own from relegation. Hes probably been the most unused player out off our new signing aswell. The same again, judge him after christams.

Kuyt, Just pure class i think. I was one off the ones who was saying, ohh i dont know about this fella going on his performances in the world cup. But god im I glad we have bought him. Exellent eye for a pass and his work rate is awesome man.

I think Alonso is like a new signing aswell against chelsea and last nioght it was the Xabi off old. Welcome back Xabi mate.

And Aggggger aswell. Loooking top draw.

by **stmichael** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 2:36 pm

murphy0151 wrote:I reckon Aurelio looks a bit dodgy doing his defensive duties. But going forward hes looked quite good. The reason why Rafa was playing him in a more attacking role is so he could get use to the pace off the premiership. It takes time to adjust for some people. Id say give him till about march and you will see our new left back propably.

To be honest, I do think Rafa created unrealistic expectations of the lad with comments like "his passing is better than Xabi's".

by **redhayesy** » Thu Sep 21, 2006 3:35 pm

my view on the new signings - Aurelio, has not impressed me at all,shows little imaginatoin when going foward (we really miss riise,just shows how good a player he is) Aurelio can"t cross a ball or defend as well as riise! i just hope he improves in all areas of his game,but i think he will struggle & won"t be first choice for either left back or midfield. Kuyt- has really impressed me,best of all the new signings for me -he"s hungry energetic & enthusiasm to score as well as bring other players into the game to create chances is so refreshing!! he deserves to be first choice for foward line,not sure who is ideal partner is yet. - gonzalez- needs more games hasn"t had time yet to show full potential hope he takes his chance when picked & demonstraite his speed etc -Bellamy has started well looks a good buy has shown some nice touches & made some intelligant runs off the ball will only get better. hope he starts scoring consistantly while raffa shows faith in him i only hope he doesn"t let his head drop or attitude get in the way he has potential to be a top player for us. pennent- has made a good start, he has been better than i thought he would be. confident when going foward & shows good awarness of play when not in posession of the ball. needs a decent run in the side to really shine,however i feel rafa will use him more of a sqaud player rather than first choice i hope it doesn"t effect his confidence,as i think he has shown he can play with the best and not be out of his depth,he delivers a brilliant cross which has been lacking in recent times & i have high expectations of him if he continues his impressive start,hope i"m right come may - have to mention agger i know he"s been there longer but he deserves credit for his desire to learn from and as tipped to eventually replace sami & lets face it he has scored goal of the season already!! so i"v got every faith he will continue to improve this season.

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