The Liverpool Club Thread. **No Spoilers**

Our defensive issues are a mixture of 3 things. We're a short team so will always struggle with long balls and set plays - Matip and Lovren are probably the only 2 players in our entire squad that are good in the air. We set up with a midfielder at LB, an attack minded box to box midfielder as our holding midfielder and out and out attacking midfielders in our box to box midfield roles. And finally, we're just the most naive team in the league - 2-0 against Arsenal and they score with a counter attack, same story vs Bournemouth, 3-1 up with 15 minutes to go and teams are breaking on us. We have to become more pragmatic in games and when we're a couple of goals up, particularly against the better teams, we don't keep bombing forward leaving ourself exposed. I can't remember the exact game but there was a game earlier in the season where we were a goal up and with a few minutes to go Lucas was brought on to sure things up - we had an attack in stoppage time and Lucas was the furthest player forward!

We need to sign another centre back or 2 and they've got to be strong in the air. We need a LB - Milner done well at the start of the season but the last few months when we've not been playing well and he's had to be a defender, he's been found wanting. Henderson's done well in the holding role and proved me wrong (I never thought he'd be able to play that sort of role) but we need another defensively minded player to cover him and or play alongside him at times. Oh and a keeper.
 
This is the thing, I don't think Klopp wants his players to play at 100mph every minute either. I can recall countless times, particularly last season where he's been stood on the touchline going mental at the likes of Can and Moreno for bombing forward late on in games. We've shown at times that we're capable of being disciplined and shutting games out (away to Chelsea, home to City and at 2-1 vs Arsenal this season) but sometimes when games are going well we get carried away and I think it's the players more than Klopp. As above, there's been times when Lucas has been brought on late on to sure things up and he's ended up trying to join in counter attacks - I'm certain that wasn't planned by Klopp.
 
I think it's not going to happen in a million years. Before we even get on to the transfer, I can't see Klopp moving away from his 4-3-3 system. I'd also forget about Ings and Flanno - Ings' career is pretty much over after 2 years out and that's proven to be the case with Flanno, after so long out injured he can't even get in the Burnley team now.
 
I'm not sure he was ever flying. He looked like he could become a reliable backup but he was never technically good enough to be a longterm solution, even more so under Klopp. He could have made a decent career for himself though but the injuries really look to have taken their toll - he dropped behind Randall last season and with the emergence of Alexander Arnold, I've got as much chance of playing for Liverpool as he has playing for us again.
 
The importance of Can's extra height against certain sides is emphasised by the fact that we've got a small squad. Matip and Lovren are the only two players in our squad that you would class as being decent in the air and for one reason or another we've been without one of them for the majority of the season. We need to be looking for another dominant CB (a LB that's over 6 foot wouldn't go a miss either) so that we're not picking our midfield based on how tall they are.

That said, there's definetly a case for picking Can over one of Lallana or Wijnaldum against certain teams. Away to WBA for instance I'd definitely be looking at Can in midfield regardless of whether we have both Lovren and Matip in the side, probably in place of Wijnaldum though. You then have the games like yesterday's or away games against the other top sides where you might want to be a bit more defensive in midfield, in which case you'd go with Can over Lallana.
 
I strongly suspect the link is being driven by his agent rather than us. We were linked with him in January and Klopp made it very clear it was nonsense. Despite that, there would be some logic to the deal.

Yes there are positions that need improving more urgently but the two positions where we're absolutely threadbare are the Lallana/Wijnaldum box to box/attacking midfield roles and on the wing. Other than Mane we have absolutely nobody that offers us any width and pace, and when you've got Coutinho playing on the other wing we really struggle for pace and width in our attacks without him. Similarly, a big reason for our success this season has been our unorthodox midfield 3 - the work rate, energy and creativity of Lallana and Wijnaldum were pivotal to our success early in the season but we have nobody else in the squad that can play those roles. An injury to one of them and we're suddenly having to change how we play.

Oxlade-Chamberlain isn't the ultimate answer to cover/compete with Mane, we need better than him but he could do a job. The midfield role is more interesting though - there aren't many players that have the characteristics to play the two advanced midfield roles Klopp likes but he's somebody that looks like he could play that role. He's got the energy and intensity to get around the pitch and lead our pressing as Lallana and Wijnaldum do, being naturally a forward he has the creativity and he has some experience of playing in midfield too.

Talk of £35m is fanciful to say the least. Even in today's market, with just one year left on his deal and there not likely to be a host of big clubs lining up to sign him Arsenal would do well to get much more than £20m for him. As for his injury record - I've not checked but I've read a few people suggest that this is massively overplayed.
 
Yea, the fact that Klopp was happy to go without any cover for Mane rather than keep him says everything. He, like a couple of others, were collateral damage in the war between Rodgers and the board and never got a fair chance though.

I've had a quick look at Ox's injury record for myself and it's a bit hit and miss. Overall he's missed 77 games over 6 seasons which isn't that terrible, especially when you consider 30 of those were through one single long-term injury. His problem is that from 13/14 to 15/16 he missed 72 of those 77 games - for 3 seasons he was injured for pretty much 50% of Arsenal's games. He's been injury free this season though.
 
As I've said recently regarding Utd and Lingard, if it doesn't work out we'll struggle to sell him at all, let alone get a similar fee.

In two seasons time (by the time the season starts anyway) he'll be 26 years old and if he failed to make it with us, having already failed to establish himself at Arsenal, the only way is down for him. A 26 year old that's failed at two big clubs and likely to be earning close to £100k per week isn't going to be an easy sell. The likes of West Ham might be able to pay players £100k per week now but they're only going to pay it to players they desperately want.

That all said, I don't mind the idea of signing him. What I said above applies to any transfer we make and the raw materials are there with him - his injury record is a concern though. If the 3 seasons between 13/14 and 15/16 are behind him then at £20m odd he's a decent gamble.
 
1 year left on his contract, who is going to pay more than that for him? As I initially said, I'm very doubtful that we're after him tbh.
 
Trusty said:
1 year left? forgot about that, yea it'll be closer to 20. I hope you're not after him but i reckon theres some truth to it
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None of the stories have come from journo's Liverpool's end which makes me think it's his agent spreading the story to improve his bargaining position with Arsenal. Without an alternative option, which I can't see he's got, Arsenal hold all the cards in his contract talks.
 
It looks like Clyne's injury could be quite serious. He's been left out of our CL squad for the group stages - given that Lallana's meant to be out until mid to end of November and has been included, it looks like we might not be seeing Clyne before Christmas.
 
Tombstone said:
Must be a serious one for him to not be included on the list. Thankfully we have an overflow of RB talent
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Yes and no. We have a lot of options at RB but you have to remember that Gomez is also in the squad as a CB option. One injury at CB and suddenly Gomez becomes next in line at both CB and RB - he can't play in 2 positions at once.

I suppose worst case scenario is Milner could cover/fill in at RB and Flanagan's still around.
 
Couple of things from Klopp's' press-conference:
  • Coutinho won't be involved vs City - he's going to having a mini pre-season over the next 4-5 days. On the bench in midweek and then starting next weekend would be my guess.
  • Asked where he saw Oxlade-Chamerlain fitting in - as expected Klopp said he sees him as an option in the 2 attacking/box to box midfield roles and on the wing.
 
I don't have any detailed figures but it's safe to say that they won't be profiting or even breaking-even from all this. To repay the £50m cost of the new training ground from the new housing development it would require Liverpool to build and sell those 160 houses at a profit of over £300k per house. That's obviously not going to happen. If they can recoup a third of the costs then they'd have done well I'd imagine.

I'd imagine the club will be looking for some sort of naming rights deal to cover a big chunk if not all the cost of building the new training ground.
 
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