The BigFooty Liverpool Army

[BlueBen]

We aren't going to sign anyone of note this window. There isn't value to be had.

Our only two surefire decent signings (perhaps with the exception of Clyne) in recent years have come in the January window (Coutinho, Sturridge).

 

[RossFC]

Talk going around that since we will field the kids, Flanagan may be on the bench and play a few mins too.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

Doesn't anyone find it a bit odd that with all this talk of the entire squad needing to be made-over and Klopp being the one to clean out deadwood, that he himself has said they won't look to buy anyone? What are people's explanations for this seeming contradiction?

• Klopp doesn't want to mentally effect the current squad
  
• FSG won't let him
• Klopp isn't behaving as expected by those who thought we were oh so sh*t under Rodgers
  
• He's waiting until the Summer when buying and selling are easier (i.e. we can only buy multiple players once we sell multiple players; or there are worries about January 'premiums')
• Klopp actually thinks the players aren't so bad
  
• Dunno

And at the risk of pointing out the obvious - don't forget that while it was a fairly dull game, Liverpool clearly created more chances.

Isn't it logical that just as the loss of 3 or 4 (Studge) great players has dropped us down; the recruitment of the same can return us to title-challenging?

 

[Zidane98]

Fair point. We've got the spine of a good team. Just need Sturridge fit and 2-3 quality signings to get us back in the top 3. Away to City is a great example of the potential in this side.

 

[RossFC]

 

[Zidane98]

Hopefully Flanno makes his return.

 

[peternorth]

woke up this morning dreading turning on the tv (fox sports) and soccernet et al cause i thought we were playing this morning. thankfully we didnt.

 

[Leiviathan]

We gain plenty. With him gone, presumably we buy someone else who would you know, score and create goals.

Lallana is dead set average and adds nothing to the team. Lovely lad and it's not his fault we bought him and bought him for so much. But he simply isnt up to it.

We cant accept mediocrity at Liverpool, which seemingly we have been doing for years. Hopefully Klopp shakes us up. He wont accept being shit.

Such a different mentality. Under Rodgers, he talked about improving and a project and finishing in the top four. Klopp speaks of winning titles.

Like Dylan said, in his current form, at his age, you are recouping $7m. For $7m you are getting more youth with potential which everyone here agrees is not what we need more of. Yes his is in a yuk vain of form. So is 90% of the squad. Confidence and momentum is a big factor. Rather than not being up to it, it is more than likely him playing well below his best. Therefore it makes more sense to persist with him as, at least, a squad player. At 29, theoretically it will be at his peak (discounting form) for 2 more years. We gain nothing by ditching him at his lowest value point.

This is not Football Manager guys.

 

[RossFC]

 

[Cooldude]

Doesn't anyone find it a bit odd that with all this talk of the entire squad needing to be made-over and Klopp being the one to clean out deadwood, that he himself has said they won't look to buy anyone?

“They all come back. Buying players is not too easy.

“We don’t have too many striking options that is true.

“It is the same with the centre-halves. Martin (Skrtel) will be a few weeks still. Dejan (Lovren), not fit. Mama (Sakho), problems. Kolo (Toure)? Experience. Very experienced! But he is great.

“So then we had to do something. We are always watching the offensive ends for what we can do. Probably, maybe or never. Then we have to make decisions about where we want to go.”

He basically conceded he needs to look at options at attacking players the past week, so not true that he isn't looking to buy anyone.

And dunno why people are so sure that Lallana will only fetch 7 mil when we're looking at a market where Jonjo Shelvey is 14 million and Naismith is 8.5 mil

 

[Zidane98]

Agreed. Lallana is an England international and will be a good signing for any PL club willing to use him in the playmaker role. He'll be sold for 12-15 million this summer.

 

[RossFC]

I reckon we could get about 15mil for Lallana, maybe 10mil for Milner, 10mil for Allen.

35mil would be about right for Gotze to replace Lallana. Markovic comes back from loan to replace Milner. Grujic could replace Allen.

As for strikers, Benteke out, Lacazette in with no money gained or lost sounds fine.

 

[Del80659]

Shane Long, Rob Green, just ******* LOL.

Is it any wonder we are a mid-table side?

well we've been linked with matip, subotic, gotze, what does that mean then..

 

[RossFC]

I've got a feeling Klopp will let Jerome Sinclair leave. He pretty much said he isn't physically big enough to cope with the premier league.

 

[Cooldude]

Would be lucky to get anything for Milner, no other club would be willing to take on his massive contract

He's a good honest player so he'll be serviceable within the squad but it's a lot to pay per year for him

 

[RossFC]

Would be lucky to get anything for Milner, no other club would be willing to take on his massive contract

He's a good honest player so he'll be serviceable within the squad but it's a lot to pay per year for him

Man City did offer 15k more per week than what we did.

Arsenal probs offered something around what we did, But did not guarantee him a starting spot like us.

 

[Venkman]

I'm happy to have Milner - he's still good value on a free. And he's good on the bench as he'll come on and play a number of roles. Still if someone did give me 10 mil and he agreed to go, I'd definitely cash in.
It will be interesting to see whether Klopp goes with wholesale changes or just tweaks a bit. I think he's talking it down a bit at the moment in order to avoid destabilizing things. Benteke has to go, if only for his own sake - paying 35 mil for a guy to sit on the bench on then come on late to tap in a few headers is lunacy. Interesting that Lacazette is now talked of in that 20 mil range - would have taken twice that last year. At the moment Aubemeyang would cost a packet. It's why I really don't like getting 'flavour of the month' types. Getting Vardy, for example, wouldn't be value imo.

 

[Cooldude]

Man City did offer 15k more per week than what we did.

Arsenal probs offered something around what we did, But did not guarantee him a starting spot like us.

City can afford to pay those wages to anyone to just sit on the bench

Arsenal would probably tell themselves they've dodged a bullet considering they have Walcott on 120k already

If Milner leaves it'd have to be a downward step for him and none of those clubs would pay those wages for him

And I hope Benteke can work himself into a chance before season's end and get into some form, coz otherwise I fear for him if Jurg keeps not playing him even though we have no other strikers.

 

[The Punter]

What we have to rail against is a "middle-tier club" mentality when it comes to signings.

We lost a world-class player when we lost Suarez and we're yet to replace him. Personally I would like to see some ambition.

I think Klopp likes Lallana, but he doesn't hit the scoresheet enough. Ibe's improving, but still lacks the final touch. Coutinho is a waste out wide. Firmino is certainly worth persevering with. Can and Henderson will make a great midfield duo.

 

[RossFC]

If Milner leaves it'd have to be a downward step for him and none of those clubs would pay those wages for him

Yep I agree with you on that. I don't think a team like West Ham, Southampton or Watford would do a 10mil bid + the 150k a week.

And I hope Benteke can work himself into a chance before season's end and get into some form, coz otherwise I fear for him if Jurg keeps not playing him even though we have no other strikers.

Benteke is best used as a big man that comes off the bench. as Venkman said "paying 35 mil for a guy to sit on the bench on then come on late to tap in a few headers is lunacy".

I reckon we need to target Sturridge, Lacazette, Remy and Aubemeyang types and not Benteke, Carroll, Balotelli or Crouch types.

 

[Ratts of Tobruk]

“They all come back. Buying players is not too easy.

“We don’t have too many striking options that is true.

“It is the same with the centre-halves. Martin (Skrtel) will be a few weeks still. Dejan (Lovren), not fit. Mama (Sakho), problems. Kolo (Toure)? Experience. Very experienced! But he is great.

“So then we had to do something. We are always watching the offensive ends for what we can do. Probably, maybe or never. Then we have to make decisions about where we want to go.”

He basically conceded he needs to look at options at attacking players the past week, so not true that he isn't looking to buy anyone.

And dunno why people are so sure that Lallana will only fetch 7 mil when we're looking at a market where Jonjo Shelvey is 14 million and Naismith is 8.5 mil

Sounds to me like Klopp said that injured players will come back but given the current situation they got Caulker and have been looking at options up top. That's very different to the wholesale squad changes some expected and for which a new manager often has the prerogative to do.

Naismith is a good get for Norwich. Long I think of as a faster, but smaller Ings. I don't know if he's more profligate; similar things were said of Ings.

And in the battle versus subjectivity and confirmation bias, here's a table of what players have contributed in terms of goals+assists this season:



I added the total goals/assists in red and consequent per minute figure (plus the red crosses for injured players). So you can argue Lallana is the least consistent of our top attacking contributers, but not by much. Last season he had 9 goals/assists, ahead of Lambert (8) and Balotelli (7), but well behind Sterling (18), Hendo (17), Gerrard and Coutinho (both 13). He averaged at 320mins per gl/asst which could be accounted for by his injuries. I still see him as a midfielder who has been put further forward because he does know how to score, while Allen/Lucas miss way too much and Can is still learning. But his goal return isn't top notch. We were so good with Sterling and Coutinho in the middle because we could dribble past players to cause the panic/space for the forwards. Lallana can dribble, but overall he just seems too slow.

EDIT: Note that the strikers have understandably better per minute records and all are pretty good. We do score. This is my repeated motif, but I still can't help feeling it is the fragile confidence around the club that is the major problem. Mignolet has one of the best clean sheet records but is widely derided. When Sturridge plays we often score bags of goals and both Ings and Origi have looked like they could be speedy finishers that fit well with the rest of the team (we're yet to see Firmino score using speed, he looks more like the upgrade on Lallana, even if he does have a Kewell-like ability to lose the ball easily due to how often he is trying a lower-percentage options). The team is overwhelmingly young and like Spurs should get better with time, but in my opinion they have a higher ceiling because we are Liverpool and they are Spurs.

 

[BlueBen]

If Lallana is worth over £10m then there are posters posting on this board who are worth at least £5m.

Wouldn't mind keeping Milner around as a squad player. The squad lacks "winners" and he at least has experience when it comes to winning things. He is still useful in certain types of game but should not be starting for Liverpool every week.

 

[Cooldude]

Milner would look alright next to a very good striker and another good wide option. The problem is there are too many players similar to James Milner on the pitch and that he is a 1 in 10 man

Benteke is best used as a big man that comes off the bench. as Venkman said "paying 35 mil for a guy to sit on the bench on then come on late to tap in a few headers is lunacy".

I reckon we need to target Sturridge, Lacazette, Remy and Aubemeyang types and not Benteke, Carroll, Balotelli or Crouch types.

Yeah that's why we're better off probably just selling Tekers, I can't think of many target man that can be converted into playing a different game. And if we have 3 lads who run the channels and they all get injured and the 4th one is the square peg, then might as well sell the 4th one and buy another one who runs the channels. If all 4 get injured then gg

 

[RossFC]

"Mignolet, Randall, Brannagan, Brad Smith & Benteke are set to start tomorrow against Exeter. (Paul Joyce)"

If true, Why is Mignolet playing instead of Ward? Surely Ward deserves a chance...

...Unless Mignolet has been dropped in the prem for Ward? It seems unlikely given he just re-signed.

 

[Cooldude]

"Mignolet, Randall, Brannagan, Brad Smith & Benteke are set to start tomorrow against Exeter. (Paul Joyce)"

If true, Why is Mignolet playing instead of Ward? Surely Ward deserves a chance...

...Unless Mignolet has been dropped in the prem for Ward? It seems unlikely given he just re-signed.

I think it's just an important tie and Jurg wants the first choice keeper playing instead of taking a punt on WArd