Liverpool Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread Summer 2014 - Mod Warning post #6893

5starpool

On next season, apart from the fact that we don't know who will sign who, I really have no idea who the top 4 will be next season. City and probably Chelsea should be ok for it, but if Spurs can gel then there could be 4 teams going for the other two places, or indeed any of those (Spurs least likely of course) could actually win the league. It's not a big stretch to say that if their key players remain injury free and add a couple of more key players to the first XI that any of Liverpool, Utd or Arsenal could win the league.

That's the great thing now, that we have no idea how it could go. Liverpool could be great again, or could suffer next season, same as utd after this season with another transition to go through. Anyone who says either way that they know how the top 7 will be arranged next season is not worth having a discussion with, whether they be Utd/Liverpool/Arsenal/City/Chelsea/Spurs or Everton fans.

I wish the season was starting next week, feck the world cup!

niallo27

Agger says he won't play 2nd fiddle to no one in the Danish media apparently.

When is the fixture list out?

Start of June usually I think but not sure

brevity

When you look at Arsenal's spending against other clubs in the top four it becomes quite apparent the job he's done at Arsenal. He has his faults like all managers but I think he's a very good manager.

~Rebel~

Gbear wrote: »

I don't think Wenger is the only person in the world that could've consistently delivered CL football with a team that has never been worse than the 4th best team in the league in that time period.

After a certain point shrewdness can start to look like cowardice.
The FA cup buys time for Wenger but they can't stick to safe forever and hope to progress.

There's examples on either side - us and going for Rodgers worked out. AVB and dishing out 100m+ didn't for Spurs.

Of course, but it's got to be a very daunting step if you have one of the few guys who deliver's CL football on a low budget, to make the gamble of changing. While others could undoubtedly have done better, getting the right one is a real challenge - no guarantees in football.

But yes, I agree that as times wears on, there comes a time when a move has to be made to avoid stagnation.

I guess the plan they'd hoped for was to be able to get the stadium paid for with consistent safety, and then give Wenger funds to push on once again, as we saw occurred last season. I think he'll have another year with a big war chest, but if he doesn't mount a serious challenge right to the death, we might see a change.

greendom

The stats from last season clearly show that Arsenal were more impacted by injuries than any other team.


Without dragging up those tables again, Arsenal were without their top scorer from last season and their best player this season for over half the season. Their most expensive player missed a significant chunk of it too.

mike65

Agueroooo wrote: »

Lots of activity from Barca tonight.

FCBarcelona: Luis Enrique signs two year deal as new FC Barcelona manager


@FCBarcelona: The Board also announced the signing of Marc-André Ter Stegen and the return of the on loan @Rafinha and @gerardeulofeu #fcblive”

Wonder when Rodgers announcement will be now?

That'll be a disappointment for Everton - they looked like having him for two seasons.

greendom wrote: »

The stats from last season clearly show that Arsenal were more impacted by injuries than any other team.


Without dragging up those tables again, Arsenal were without their top scorer from last season and their best player this season for over half the season. Their most expensive player missed a significant chunk of it too.

Trouble is Arsenal players spend more weeks injured than any other side, and it happens almost every year. Something is wrong

Knex*

rarnes1 wrote: »

When is the fixture list out?

Start of June usually I think but not sure

Think you meant to log out and log in as Washington, or one of your other alt accounts, before answering your own question there, Rarnes.


:pac:

greendom

mike65 wrote: »

That'll be a disappointment for Everton - they looked like having him for two seasons.



Trouble is Arsenal players spend more weeks injured than any other side, and it happens almost every year. Something is wrong

Season before last injuries at Arsenal were very few and far between. That was the exception though and I hope this investigation launched by Wenger helps to reduce the burden they cause next season.

Knex.

Knex. wrote: »

Think you meant to log out and log in as Washington, or one of your other alt accounts, before answering your own question there, Rarnes.


:pac:

When you start answering yourself in the same post it's time to call the vet.

Knex*

Turns out, offseason madness is even worse than our post Christmas madness!

mike65

Sami Hyypia is being linked with WBA, Brighton & Hove Albion and someone else.

citytillidie

rarnes1 wrote: »

When is the fixture list out?

Start of June usually I think but not sure

Fixtures are out on June 18th

http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/fans/faqs/when-are-the-fixtures-compiled.html

x43r0

rarnes1 wrote: »

When is the fixture list out?

Start of June usually I think but not sure

No idea

But the draw for the CL group stages is 28th August

x43r0

x43r0 wrote: »

No idea

But the draw for the CL group stages is 28th August

Thank fcuk we have no CL qualifier to play.

What a bloody downer that would be at the start of the season if you lost that!

Also, in a World Cup year it's far from ideal.

michael999999

mike65 wrote: »

Sami Hyypia is being linked with WBA, Brighton & Hove Albion and someone else.

I'd love to see him as our defense coach!

NukaCola

michael999999 wrote: »

I'd love to see him as our defense coach!

Bit of a step down for him though, lets be honest.

billy2012

NukaCola wrote: »

Bit of a step down for him though, lets be honest.

Especially when he will be sharing the position with Steve Clarke.

murpho999

It's funny to see how Utd supporters think van Gaal and a big cheque book mean that they will get CL next season and we will struggle for 4th.

I really think he has a tough job and he is not a guaranteed success. Reminds me of the 80's when they also thought that big names and money was the solution. His own track record is not all success either. He's a very aggressive character who may disgruntle many players.
Also seems to be a presumption that we won't improve during the summer and also won't be better next year which is an unederestimation of how good we were this season. Utd fans seem to think we were lucky, no Injuries, European football etc.

citytillidie

murpho999 wrote: »

It's funny to see how Utd supporters think van Gaal and a big cheque book mean that they will get CL next season and we will struggle for 4th.

I really think he has a tough job and he is not a guaranteed success. Reminds me of the 80's when they also thought that big names and money was the solution. His own track record is not all success either. He's a very aggressive character who may disgruntle many players.
Also seems to be a presumption that we won't improve during the summer and also won't be better next year which is an unederestimation of how good we were this season. Utd fans seem to think we were lucky, no Injuries, European football etc.

It's not only Man Utd fans

gafferino

Suarez and Ronaldo share golden boot. Only second liverpool player after Rush to win it.

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/163224-suarez-jointly-wins-golden-shoe-prize

gafferino

Good man Sakho.

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/163237-sakho-takes-paris-starlets-to-anfield

Pilsbury Doughboy

Knex. wrote: »

The thing about Arsenal is, they always try to walk it in.

What's Wenger doing sending Walcott on that early?

Gbear

gafferino wrote: »

Suarez and Ronaldo share golden boot. Only second liverpool player after Rush to win it.

http://www.liverpoolfc.com/news/latest-news/163224-suarez-jointly-wins-golden-shoe-prize

It's mad to think that 31 feels like a mediocre effort after Messi scored 50 and 46 goals in the past 2 seasons.

5live

niallo27 wrote: »

I don't get the hype over arsenal myself. It's only a matter of time before they fall out of the top 4. I think we are underestimating how brilliant a manager Liverpool have in Rodgers. He will have learned so much from last season.

On Rodgers, we certainly have, potentially, an absolute gem of a manager.

The last sentence of yours is the great unknown, however. Will he learn enough or have the ability to improve the defense without effecting the attack too much?

I came across an interesting analysis of Rodgers teams on my phone a while back and I cannot seem to find it again but maybe one of you might have better luck than me. Basically, EVERY season bar 1, iirc, his teams conceded huge amounts of goals.

It will concern me until I see an improvement but I am hopeful

super_furry

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/may/19/liverpool-new-contract-glen-johnson

It's looking good, ship him off to Spurs.

Vanolder

billy2012 wrote: »

Especially when he will be sharing the position with Steve Clarke.

Huh?

Utopia Parkway

murpho999 wrote: »

It's funny to see how Utd supporters think van Gaal and a big cheque book mean that they will get CL next season and we will struggle for 4th.

I really think he has a tough job and he is not a guaranteed success. Reminds me of the 80's when they also thought that big names and money was the solution. His own track record is not all success either. He's a very aggressive character who may disgruntle many players.
Also seems to be a presumption that we won't improve during the summer and also won't be better next year which is an unederestimation of how good we were this season. Utd fans seem to think we were lucky, no Injuries, European football etc.

They have options up front alright but they need a serious amount of work in defence and midfield. More than they probably realise.

Guy:Incognito

niallo27 wrote: »

Agger says he won't play 2nd fiddle to no one in the Danish media apparently.

Is this no one lad any use though?

mike65

Breaking my own rule here but I'm going to talk Utd by listing the players I'd keep if I were Van (it could be a long) Haul

RvP (Captain!)
Kagawa
Welbeck
Mata
Young Belgian chappie
De Gea

and er that's it. The rest of them are clearly not anything to build upon or around - most of them are also dangerously old - Fletcher/Rooney/Carrick/Young/Valencia all late 20s to early 30s while the younger ones - Cleverly, Jones, Evans, Smalling, Hernández etc are mediocre really.