Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours 2019/2020

ballyargus wrote: »

Marauding full backs have always existed. Cafu and Roberto Carlos are prime examples from Neville's era

We had the same ourselves in Riise, and when we played 3 CBs under Roy with McAteer & Stig...

ballyargus wrote: »

Marauding full backs have always existed. Cafu and Roberto Carlos are prime examples from Neville's era

Yes but they were the exception in that era (Cafu in particular was seen almost as a freak based on the engine he had and the ability to get up the pitch) - they are now the rule for any top attacking team.

Cafu, and later Alves, were the pioneers and blueprint of what any modern full-back who wants to reach the top heights need - an engine to cover the whole side and a comfort and ability on the ball meeting traditional midfield standards.

It's also no coincidence that "old-school wingers" like Valencia and Young are now full-backs. Top teams have no space for wide players of their ability - you want to be a wide forward in a top team and you need the finishing ability, smart play and tendency to drift inside like Salah etc... Had Robertson played in a 4-4-2 in the 90s I'm pretty sure he would be playing as a left winger.

Particularly in England they were rarer, fullbacks being in 4-4-2s, primarily tasked with stopping wingers. Gary Neville got on an overlap, Cole was good going forward, but neither could quite be described as a Cafu.

You still hear English pundits rolling out tired old lines about full-backs along the lines of "they are defenders first and foremost - I don't care what they do going forward, how can they defend?". Don't get me wrong, it's vital they can defend and attack, they have to cover the whole side of the pitch, but the attacking is arguably more important in the majority of games for top sides, where the principal challenge is making the most of the inevitable possession you will be gifted against a side that will likely be defending most of the match.

The game definitely has changed. I honestly don't view Robbo and Trent as defenders, they are midfielders in my book, they cover the whole length of the pitch and their average positions are always beyond everyone bar the front 3.. That's why I don't believe Gomez is at all suited to deputise for TAA - he is very much a defender.

Morzadec wrote: »

Yes but they were the exception in that era (Cafu in particular was seen almost as a freak based on the engine he had and the ability to get up the pitch) - they are now the rule for any top attacking team.

Cafu, and later Alves, were the pioneers and blueprint of what any modern full-back who wants to reach the top heights need - an engine to cover the whole side and a comfort and ability on the ball meeting traditional midfield standards.

It's also no coincidence that "old-school wingers" like Valencia and Young are now full-backs. Top teams have no space for wide players of their ability - you want to be a wide forward in a top team and you need the finishing ability, smart play and tendency to drift inside like Salah etc... Had Robertson played in a 4-4-2 in the 90s I'm pretty sure he would be playing as a left winger.

Particularly in England they were rarer, fullbacks being in 4-4-2s, primarily tasked with stopping wingers. Gary Neville got on an overlap, Cole was good going forward, but neither could quite be described as a Cafu.

You still hear English pundits rolling out tired old lines about full-backs along the lines of "they are defenders first and foremost - I don't care what they do going forward, how can they defend?". Don't get me wrong, it's vital they can defend and attack, they have to cover the whole side of the pitch, but the attacking is arguably more important in the majority of games for top sides, where the principal challenge is making the most of the inevitable possession you will be gifted against a side that will likely be defending most of the match.

The game definitely has changed. I honestly don't view Robbo and Trent as defenders, they are midfielders in my book, they cover the whole length of the pitch and their average positions are always beyond everyone bar the front 3.. That's why I don't believe Gomez is at all suited to deputise for TAA - he is very much a defender.

Have you ever considered a career as football writer? Excellent post as usual

These scenes

https://twitter.com/LFC/status/1141367076487127040?s=19

Next season is an impossible task. You can't improve in the league and you can't get to a 3rd CL Final in a row.
Best we can hope for is to take more points off of City and see when that leads us.

FitzShane wrote: »

It is almost a way of 'cheating' and getting an extra midfielder into the team. There are probably more examples out there currently, but it's too early for me still!

Blame the Germans - Bayern Munich have done it for years and they are simply replicating the work of the German national team.

In the current era there are at least four players that have transitioned from midfielder to full back in the Bayern setup. Goretzka is relatively new having signed last summer but he is the player who fills in at the position in the absence of Alaba and Kimmich.

Philipp Lahm
David Alaba
Joshua Kimmich
Leon Goretzka

Anyone old enough to remember the German teams that dominated international football in the 1980s and 1990s will recognise the name of Andreas Brehme. He was a midfielder converted to left back who could run all day, Germany played with what would have been considered unconventional full backs in that they were midfielders in the full back positions. Stefan Reuter was on the right, he was also a midfielder. The sweeper system of the German team also used a midfielder as the sweeper with players like Lothar Matthaus and Matthias Sammer occupying the role. In effect their supposed 5 man defence most often consisted of two central defenders, a ball playing defensive midfielder and two wide midfielders.

RoboKlopp wrote: »

Trent is superior to Bissaka and is playing in high pressure games, be it CL or title games week in week out.

Trent is exactly what I want from a fullback. Same as Robertson on the other side.

There has to be a reason why Trent is in the full England team while Bissaka is in the u21 when older

Klopp is patient, he adds real quality one at a time if need be. I like that, it's not only cheaper but it improves the team.
No need for use to buy potential. I'd love a 30 goals a season striker. A real No9

BorneTobyWilde wrote: »

Klopp is patient, he adds real quality one at a time if need be. I like that, it's not only cheaper but it improves the team.
No need for use to buy potential. I'd love a 30 goals a season striker. A real No9

I don't think we need one, its not how we play or how we operate in the market, any lads we sign usually play in a multitude of positions. If we sign a front player it'll be one who can play at least two of the 3 positions up there. Thats what I want to see as a minimum, another versatile top class attacking player. Mane and Salah can play up top as well as Bobby, both of them can play on the right too, left side we only really have Mane.

Winning the CL really makes the Summer, doesn't it?

I'm only referring to the team as Champions of Europe, not Liverpool when discussing football with others, its great. I plan to do so here too all season in any of the other threads, I encourage you all to do the same

haha, sound

Disappointed that there was no mention of needing ‘a proper number 9’ who scores more than tap ins.