Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 12/13

As one who is really looking forward to Lucas coming back,I am actually a bit concerned about what happens if he cannot regain the form he had before his two long term injuries. That scenario puts us in a pickle in midfield despite the numbers and so called quality people say we have there.


Yesterday showed up the exact same midfield problems that we have shown quite a bit last season and again this season.


We all know we need another goal threat in the final third and I don't think anyone would disagree that it is very important to get a player who will be a regular source of goals up front, but I am very concerned about our centre as well.


Gerrard no longer can influence games on even a semi regular basis. He no longer has it in him top be busy for long spells of games. He does not have the legs to harry and defend, and he appears to carry very little attacking threat from the centre. He does not fit with the pressing game and he does not fit with the passing game. He looks a player that needs to be kept in the final third where his old instincts would serve him well and where whatever running he has left could be used in one part of the pitch only.

Henderson brings even less to the table in general than the faded Gerrard save for more energy and running.

Shelvey can be decent in attack and he can be brutal in attack, but he does not suit the cm role either, he will be a CAM as he develops and gets older.

Sahin has not hit the ground running, and may still be looking to find fitness and form after a similar length lay off through injury to what Lucas has had. Unlike Lucas, who will get regular first team football after his injury, Sahin has not had that, and has not played a number of games in a row since the first half of the 2010/11 season. So he is basically two years now without having week in week out football to keep him sharp and in form. Look at it this way, the games he has played for Liverpool so far is actually the most by way of club games in a season that he has played since he was at Dortmund. I think Rodgers either gives Sahin the run of games he needs to show that he can regain form (or not) or he needs to look to see if he can bring in a player who can do what is needed in the centre to elevate of midfield from being a very average one at best. Maybe Rodgers is waiting for Lucas to come back befoire giving Sahin a sustained run in order to try and replicate what Bender did for Sahin at Dortmund, who knows.


Right now Allen is our only midfielder that we can rely on to do the CM
role and he looks like a player that is burning out through being overworked. With Lucas out it seems that having to do some of the workload for his other "partners" in midfield has been slowly creeping up on him, and other teams also look top have figured out that Allen gets very little support in the centre from whatever combination we put in midfield with him.


We badly need a finisher in the team, a goal threat who can take the weight off of Suarez as well as be relied on to do his share of carrying the team's attacking thrust, but we might have to look at our CM options as well and maybe think about looking for a players who can slot into our CM when Lucas and Allen are both fit, by having a mix of the skillset they other two have, but who can also ensure there is steel there if Lucas gets injured again.


I can think of a number of dream signings who could do that. Players like Vidal or his club teammate Marchisio, but those lads would cost huge money and would pretty much be pie in the sky.

One name does stand out for me though in terms of availability, probably wage expectation, current quality, age, and time left on contract. That lad is one of my usual names, Moussa Sissoko.

Fast, strong, great tackler, good passer, as good defending as attacking, very mobile, good reader of play, very good at physically imposing himself, only turned 23 this year, and come January he will be in the final five to six months of his contract with Toulouse.

At present he plays in a role that falls between the player that does the Lucas role for Toulouse ( Capoue ) and the players that tend to do the Allen role( Sirieix and Didot). Basically he is pretty much an old fashioned CM in style in that he can do all the CM jobs well.

MD1990 wrote: »

i read Allen just had his first child recently
which might explain why he looks tired recently

He lost the weight pretty quick too

mike65 wrote: »

Why do people piss their pants every time a manager plays down expectations? Is it because people were expecting some sort of bonanza? If so then the statement is made correctly, if on the other hand you were just hoping for a couple of obvious gaps to be plugged you'll shrug.

I'm shrugging.

Rodgers would be an idiot to come out and say that he expects to bring in quality for position X,Y, and Z in January, especially after how the summer window ended.

It is only common sense for him to temper expectations over a month before the next window opens. I am sure the man has hopes of bringing in players in January, and probably has a number of players that he has suggested to the owners, and maybe even there has been some early contact been made with other clubs, but all he can do is put forward the names, and if a player shows interest then it is up to Rodgers to sell his ideas for the club to that player.

Some might slate Rodgers for what he said, some might say that Rodgers is trying to let the supporters know something about the owners, some might even come out with the common sense option like you did.

amiable wrote: »

If there are people still trying to decide if it was offside or onside now how can it be deemed a poor decision?
An incorrect decision it may be but a poor one it was not IMHO.
When it's that close to call you can understand it going either way.

Because it was wrong :rolleyes: If its wrong its wrong. End of. Poor decision.

Also, is the attacker (by the letter of the law) not supposed to get the benefit of the doubt ?
As Gafferino stated.

Slattsy wrote: »

Because it was wrong :rolleyes: If its wrong its wrong. End of. Poor decision.

Also, is the attacker (by the letter of the law) not supposed to get the benefit of the doubt ?
As Gafferino stated.

Well go check the laws and let us know.
I think its harsh to call such a close call a poor decision.
Adding the rolling eyes adds nothing to your point IMO.

Melion wrote: »

And now, even with a screen grab of the incident, some people still dont know if he was onside or offside. Why do some people not realise just how fast an incident like that would happen in real time?

The screen grab is quite obvious.
Seeing it in real time i thought he was on (being honest)
The first replay that was shown i thought he was onside too even though the ESPN co-commentator said it was the correct decision

You're arguing with me over the definition of what a 'poor' decision is.
IMHO if a decision (no matter how close a call it was) is incorrect, then its a poor decision.

Lets move on

RodgersLFC wrote: »

Anyone a bit concerned at the lack of contribution from Gerrard this season?

He gives the ball away a lot, and doesnt make much effort to get it back. In fact, you usually see him strolling back when we lose the ball - either his legs are gone, or hes not 100% bothered.

Now that Lucas is back, I wouldnt mind seeing Gerrard "rested" for a few games and play Lucas and Sahin deep, with Allen ahead of them. Should bring decent balance and would hopefully get the best out of all involved. Sahin needs to be a deep lying playmaker, Lucas can break up play and Allen can be more creative.

Gerrard has been brutal this season
He's lost a yard or three, understandably. Is it just me or does he seem to run a bit funny, almost like he's on his tiptoes?

I think Shelvey next season will take over the mantle. If he can restrain himself from those moments of madness he'll be great for us.

Kess73 wrote: »

As one who is really looking forward to Lucas coming back,I am actually a bit concerned about what happens if he cannot regain the form he had before his two long term injuries. That scenario puts us in a pickle in midfield despite the numbers and so called quality people say we have there.


Yesterday showed up the exact same midfield problems that we have shown quite a bit last season and again this season.


We all know we need another goal threat in the final third and I don't think anyone would disagree that it is very important to get a player who will be a regular source of goals up front, but I am very concerned about our centre as well.


Gerrard no longer can influence games on even a semi regular basis. He no longer has it in him top be busy for long spells of games. He does not have the legs to harry and defend, and he appears to carry very little attacking threat from the centre. He does not fit with the pressing game and he does not fit with the passing game. He looks a player that needs to be kept in the final third where his old instincts would serve him well and where whatever running he has left could be used in one part of the pitch only.

Henderson brings even less to the table in general than the faded Gerrard save for more energy and running.

Shelvey can be decent in attack and he can be brutal in attack, but he does not suit the cm role either, he will be a CAM as he develops and gets older.

Sahin has not hit the ground running, and may still be looking to find fitness and form after a similar length lay off through injury to what Lucas has had. Unlike Lucas, who will get regular first team football after his injury, Sahin has not had that, and has not played a number of games in a row since the first half of the 2010/11 season. So he is basically two years now without having week in week out football to keep him sharp and in form. Look at it this way, the games he has played for Liverpool so far is actually the most by way of club games in a season that he has played since he was at Dortmund. I think Rodgers either gives Sahin the run of games he needs to show that he can regain form (or not) or he needs to look to see if he can bring in a player who can do what is needed in the centre to elevate of midfield from being a very average one at best. Maybe Rodgers is waiting for Lucas to come back befoire giving Sahin a sustained run in order to try and replicate what Bender did for Sahin at Dortmund, who knows.


Right now Allen is our only midfielder that we can rely on to do the CM
role and he looks like a player that is burning out through being overworked. With Lucas out it seems that having to do some of the workload for his other "partners" in midfield has been slowly creeping up on him, and other teams also look top have figured out that Allen gets very little support in the centre from whatever combination we put in midfield with him.


We badly need a finisher in the team, a goal threat who can take the weight off of Suarez as well as be relied on to do his share of carrying the team's attacking thrust, but we might have to look at our CM options as well and maybe think about looking for a players who can slot into our CM when Lucas and Allen are both fit, by having a mix of the skillset they other two have, but who can also ensure there is steel there if Lucas gets injured again.


I can think of a number of dream signings who could do that. Players like Vidal or his club teammate Marchisio, but those lads would cost huge money and would pretty much be pie in the sky.

One name does stand out for me though in terms of availability, probably wage expectation, current quality, age, and time left on contract. That lad is one of my usual names, Moussa Sissoko.

Fast, strong, great tackler, good passer, as good defending as attacking, very mobile, good reader of play, very good at physically imposing himself, only turned 23 this year, and come January he will be in the final five to six months of his contract with Toulouse.

At present he plays in a role that falls between the player that does the Lucas role for Toulouse ( Capoue ) and the players that tend to do the Allen role( Sirieix and Didot). Basically he is pretty much an old fashioned CM in style in that he can do all the CM jobs well.

After watching Lucas on Friday i have no worries about him returning to form.
Yes i know it was just a reserve game against Boro but he could have played on his own that day and they still wouldn't have scored. I cannot wait for him to come back to the first team because we will finally have the link we need between defence, midfield and the forward players. Hopefully next season he will be our captain.