Caporegime
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Fabrizio Romano reporting that no bid has been made for Sancho yet but that the player is interested and personal terms would not be a problem.
Summer Transfer Window 2020/21 - Rumours & Signings *please quote sources*
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Good luck getting people to do that. If it's @Mark1989 then his source will be twitter though
Firmino is instrumental to the side and how we play but he's not a playmaker - it's not like he drops deep and starts pinging passes about. The only thing our side lacks is a little bit of guile in midfield, somebody that can play the clever pass into Firmino. I suppose we have it in Keita but he cannot stay fit for more than a fortnight and more importantly, Coutinho would give us some cover for Salah & Mane.
And the 17 is combined goals and assists - 9 goals and 8 assists in the League and Bundesliga and that was only from just over 1800 minutes, not 2000. A goal or assist every 107 minutes for a midfielder is extremely good. KdB, who's possibly having his best ever season, is averaging a goal or assist ever 94 minutes in the League and CL.
Definitely agree that we need that bit of guile in midfield but I wouldnt want that to be Coutinho. Taking back former players isnt really something I like, I see it as a step backward rather than a step forward. I'd want someone fresher, younger to perform the role rather than returning Coutinho.
I'm not sure why resigning a former player is a step backwards - all that should matter is whether they improve the squad and I can't see an argument for Coutinho not improving our squad. Now if there's a younger, better version of him out there then great but that player is going to cost £100m+ I'd suspect. We're not spending £100m on a squad player though. That said, we're not spending any significant fee on Coutinho either and the only chance that Coutinho returns would be on a loan deal.
Soldato
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Its a purely personal belief. My belief is that resigning a former player is stepping backwards in history rather than moving forward. There's no logic to that belief, no wisdom behind it, its neither right or wrong, its entirely merely a personal belief
(and I apply it to every player, I felt the same about Fowler and Rush when they returned)
And theres nothing wrong with that thinking and I partially agree, I want us to sign the best players available to us, just not the ones we've had before.
Soldato
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David Luiz is close to signing a 1 year extension - good news for the premier league
Man of Honour
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Luiz has signed a 1 year extension, Mari and Soares have also been signed on 4 year contracts according to Ornstein.
Zero emotions either way tbh, Luiz getting an extra year is baffling, I'd honestly rather have an academy player ahead of him.
Zero emotions either way tbh, Luiz getting an extra year is baffling, I'd honestly rather have an academy player ahead of him.
https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/thiago-keen-liverpool-transfer-bayern-22243399
Thiago to Liverpool? I dont see how he gets in to the team tbh. Cant see it happening.
Thiago to Liverpool? I dont see how he gets in to the team tbh. Cant see it happening.
We (Liverpool) have been stagnant for a while and we're in desperate need of creativity. The derby the other day was a perfect example, when teams sit back we can't do anything, City however...
I feel we need an attacking mid in the vein of Isco or Ferran Torres, a wildcard like Adama Traore, a true CF (when Firmino is off the boil, it's noticeable), left back cover (Alaba has been linked) and to flog Lovren ASAP!
Our play is so so insipid when the front three aren't firing and our midfield is anything but creative, Ox can be but I feel he's more of an impact sub - need his pace and tenacity to wear on knackered players already.
Keita and Minamino are grey areas, could be huge difference makers but only time will tell. Coutinho back would be okay but I can't see it for the price if we can't sanction £53m for Werner.
Also would like to see Shaq involved but for whatever reason he's been deemed surplus. So all in all, we definitely need some new players and guile, just hope to Christ we smash Palace later.
I feel we need an attacking mid in the vein of Isco or Ferran Torres, a wildcard like Adama Traore, a true CF (when Firmino is off the boil, it's noticeable), left back cover (Alaba has been linked) and to flog Lovren ASAP!
Our play is so so insipid when the front three aren't firing and our midfield is anything but creative, Ox can be but I feel he's more of an impact sub - need his pace and tenacity to wear on knackered players already.
Keita and Minamino are grey areas, could be huge difference makers but only time will tell. Coutinho back would be okay but I can't see it for the price if we can't sanction £53m for Werner.
Also would like to see Shaq involved but for whatever reason he's been deemed surplus. So all in all, we definitely need some new players and guile, just hope to Christ we smash Palace later.
Desperate need is a bit of an exaggeration. If we, sitting 20 points clear at the top of the table, picking up points at a rate never seen before desperately need improvements then the rest of the league might as well pack it in. Of course there are areas that can be tweaked to make us stronger but you need to put things into perspective.
It would be great to have more and better cover in attack but you have to balance that with keeping everybody happy. We very much have a front 3 of equal standing and all of the highest quality and of importance to the side - all 3 will expect to play 90% of all League and CL games they're available for. It's not going to be easy to find somebody capable of replacing them that's content starting 1 in 3 games.
It's a similar story in terms of a creative midfielder. Our midfield is the way it is because of how we play. As much as they work hard, we play with 3 forwards and fullbacks that bomb forward at every opportunity and a consequnece of that is that our midfield has to be very workmanlike, filling in the spaces that other players leave. Obviously there will be games and times within games where we can sacrifice some of the work rate of a Wijnaldum or Milner for some extra creativity but there won't be a huge amount of game time for these players and certainly not in the biggest games either. Which top player will accept this?
The answer, imo, is to sign versatile players. There's no point signing a centre forward because they won't play in 99% of games but if you can sign another Salah type then at least he's covering 3 positions that will give him more opportunities. I've always been in favour of signing Coutinho or somebody similar to him because he (directly or indirectly) covers the front 3 and is a midfield option making game time less of an issue. There's been some loose links with Saka at Arsenal which has some logic to it. He'd be an option for the front line and cover Robertson but given his age he hopefully wouldn't expect to be starting every week.
It would be great to have more and better cover in attack but you have to balance that with keeping everybody happy. We very much have a front 3 of equal standing and all of the highest quality and of importance to the side - all 3 will expect to play 90% of all League and CL games they're available for. It's not going to be easy to find somebody capable of replacing them that's content starting 1 in 3 games.
It's a similar story in terms of a creative midfielder. Our midfield is the way it is because of how we play. As much as they work hard, we play with 3 forwards and fullbacks that bomb forward at every opportunity and a consequnece of that is that our midfield has to be very workmanlike, filling in the spaces that other players leave. Obviously there will be games and times within games where we can sacrifice some of the work rate of a Wijnaldum or Milner for some extra creativity but there won't be a huge amount of game time for these players and certainly not in the biggest games either. Which top player will accept this?
The answer, imo, is to sign versatile players. There's no point signing a centre forward because they won't play in 99% of games but if you can sign another Salah type then at least he's covering 3 positions that will give him more opportunities. I've always been in favour of signing Coutinho or somebody similar to him because he (directly or indirectly) covers the front 3 and is a midfield option making game time less of an issue. There's been some loose links with Saka at Arsenal which has some logic to it. He'd be an option for the front line and cover Robertson but given his age he hopefully wouldn't expect to be starting every week.
Results have masked our ineffective attack hugely. City put 5 past Burnley with minimum fuss, I'm convinced we'd struggle to score at all to be honest.
Even Klopp has said to be 20 points ahead of City is madness so we've definitely rode our luck at times.
Our best midfield in recent times has been Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano and it's no coincidence they excelled at different things. Our midfield three at the moment while good aren't exceptional in any area.
I would like us to have an answer to those teams that sit deep (which is probably everyone now). City always have runners on the overlap where we always play it in front of them, allowing them to regroup and wait for the attack to inevitably fizzle out.
We need a Bernardo Silva type player - even Fernandes at Utd has made a huge difference to them and we need our own. Perhaps it's Havertz or Coutinho but our midfield needs creativity, even someone capable of shooting from range (Ox aside).
Getting Saka would be ideal but our record of signing youth from rivals isn't exactly strong and I'd suggest Arsenal are desperate to keep him so would expect a huge contract increase etc etc.
Even Klopp has said to be 20 points ahead of City is madness so we've definitely rode our luck at times.
Our best midfield in recent times has been Gerrard, Alonso and Mascherano and it's no coincidence they excelled at different things. Our midfield three at the moment while good aren't exceptional in any area.
I would like us to have an answer to those teams that sit deep (which is probably everyone now). City always have runners on the overlap where we always play it in front of them, allowing them to regroup and wait for the attack to inevitably fizzle out.
We need a Bernardo Silva type player - even Fernandes at Utd has made a huge difference to them and we need our own. Perhaps it's Havertz or Coutinho but our midfield needs creativity, even someone capable of shooting from range (Ox aside).
Getting Saka would be ideal but our record of signing youth from rivals isn't exactly strong and I'd suggest Arsenal are desperate to keep him so would expect a huge contract increase etc etc.
Are you aware that City have failed to score 3 times in the League this season, compared to just twice for us? Maybe our ineffective attack is a bit more effective than you think and City scoring their 4th or 5th goal in a game counts for **** 99.99% of the time. Sometimes even the best attacks just have an off day - our attack having fewer than others, including City's.
I completely agree that the Gerrard, Alonso & Masch midfield was our best midfield but this is our best team. This isn't FIFA or Football Manager where you just name the best 11 players. The team has to function together and our midfield is pivotal to how the team plays.
You mention having an answer to teams that sit deep, we have it already. It's our fullbacks. Teams started dropping deep, tucking their fullbacks in to cut off the space for Salah and Mane and we have now countered that by having fullbacks that bomb into that space. Teams now face a choice of allowing Salah and Mane space or allowing Trent and Robertson free rein to bomb forward and overload them in the wide areas. The end result is the same 99% of the time. And again, our midfield is key to allowing our fullbacks to play like this while keeping our defence intact. If you replaced Wijnaldum with a Silva or Coutinho, you're then either asking one of the fullbacks to be more disciplined or making us more fragile at the back.
That said, I still very much agree that there's room for a Silva/Coutinho type in our squad. I don't believe there's reason to rip up the side we've built just to shoehorn them into the side though. They'll be another option for certain games, giving us another way of playing and also provide us with another option for the front 3.
I completely agree that the Gerrard, Alonso & Masch midfield was our best midfield but this is our best team. This isn't FIFA or Football Manager where you just name the best 11 players. The team has to function together and our midfield is pivotal to how the team plays.
You mention having an answer to teams that sit deep, we have it already. It's our fullbacks. Teams started dropping deep, tucking their fullbacks in to cut off the space for Salah and Mane and we have now countered that by having fullbacks that bomb into that space. Teams now face a choice of allowing Salah and Mane space or allowing Trent and Robertson free rein to bomb forward and overload them in the wide areas. The end result is the same 99% of the time. And again, our midfield is key to allowing our fullbacks to play like this while keeping our defence intact. If you replaced Wijnaldum with a Silva or Coutinho, you're then either asking one of the fullbacks to be more disciplined or making us more fragile at the back.
That said, I still very much agree that there's room for a Silva/Coutinho type in our squad. I don't believe there's reason to rip up the side we've built just to shoehorn them into the side though. They'll be another option for certain games, giving us another way of playing and also provide us with another option for the front 3.
There's no question the the calibre of personnel we have is phenomenal. I can't imagine a better group of players and they'd run through walls for Klopp.
Unfortunately that doesn't always equate to goals or even attacking/attractive football. TAA and Robertson have been instrumental however teams have sussed they are the main threats which means we always try to attack wide areas and seldom try anything through the middle. If Minamino can emulate Yossi Benayoun (absolutely class player and ideal for us) we'll be fine but the jury is out for now. The other issue with lack of cover for fullbacks is we are stunted considerably, i.e. Milner - an ageing right footed left back which is the antithesis of our attacking strengths.
Our season has been brilliant and I couldn't be happier but our football has been far from emphatic and we have certainly had our fair share of luck - I also remember a season we hit the woodwork 14 times which would've made a huge difference had they all gone in.
Palace tonight is very much a test. Either we'll go gung-ho (I hope we do) and provide heavy metal football but I worry we'll have the same 88% possession stat and 1 shot off target.
Lovren and Origi aren't good enough for us and I hope we give Jones, Williams and Elliott chances though this might be years in the making.#
Ultimately if we don't sign anyone attacking, we'll be in a precarious position. An injury to Salah or Mane hampers us massively and City's strength on the bench dwarves ours.
Unfortunately that doesn't always equate to goals or even attacking/attractive football. TAA and Robertson have been instrumental however teams have sussed they are the main threats which means we always try to attack wide areas and seldom try anything through the middle. If Minamino can emulate Yossi Benayoun (absolutely class player and ideal for us) we'll be fine but the jury is out for now. The other issue with lack of cover for fullbacks is we are stunted considerably, i.e. Milner - an ageing right footed left back which is the antithesis of our attacking strengths.
Our season has been brilliant and I couldn't be happier but our football has been far from emphatic and we have certainly had our fair share of luck - I also remember a season we hit the woodwork 14 times which would've made a huge difference had they all gone in.
Palace tonight is very much a test. Either we'll go gung-ho (I hope we do) and provide heavy metal football but I worry we'll have the same 88% possession stat and 1 shot off target.
Lovren and Origi aren't good enough for us and I hope we give Jones, Williams and Elliott chances though this might be years in the making.#
Ultimately if we don't sign anyone attacking, we'll be in a precarious position. An injury to Salah or Mane hampers us massively and City's strength on the bench dwarves ours.
Soldato
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Best Free Transfers This Summer!
looks intresting this window
looks intresting this window
Consigliere
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53224875
From what i read, it didn't seem all that?
Saw a post on Insta earlier but it was pointing out the number of key players in Barca's squad that are over 30 (excluded Neto)...maybe another season left but surely injuries will be regular.
Pjanic (30)
Pique (32)
Rakitic (31)
Suárez (32)
Messi (32)
Alba (30)
Vidal (32)
From what i read, it didn't seem all that?
Saw a post on Insta earlier but it was pointing out the number of key players in Barca's squad that are over 30 (excluded Neto)...maybe another season left but surely injuries will be regular.
Pjanic (30)
Pique (32)
Rakitic (31)
Suárez (32)
Messi (32)
Alba (30)
Vidal (32)
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https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/53239049
Well he wanted to go so...get rid. Think he was in the last year of his contract hence the price?
Well he wanted to go so...get rid. Think he was in the last year of his contract hence the price?
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