Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2013/14

Oscorp wrote: »

!

By Paul Tomkins.

It always seems foolish to read too much into pre-season, and equally, reading too much into the results of the opening weekend, when surprise results often occur. But there does seem to be a pleasing theme to Liverpool’s performances and the results this summer, not least the attacking movement and the number of clean sheets.

I remain fairly neutral about Rodgers – I’m not someone to flipflop (as the Americans like to say) on things – but after a good second half to last season and a successful preseason I settled down to watch the Stoke game with a sense of quiet optimism. It felt exciting to sit down and watch this team.

The performance justified the positivity, although the result was tighter than it should have been. Still, maybe last season lacked a few 1-0 wins, with draws, defeats or big victories appearing to represent the campaign. Grinding out the last 10 minutes to win, while never easy on the nerves, is obviously encouraging if the team can hang on.

Until the last portion of the match, Liverpool’s movement was fluid and exciting, and the passing slick. Stoke’s keeper Begovic was the star of the show, even if quite a few of the Reds’ attempts were straight at him (although if he did indeed get a faint touch to Henderson’s shot onto the post, as the replays hinted at, then that was an amazing stop.) Only five times in the last five years have the Reds had that many shots on target in a single game, but the conversion rate remains poor, as it has for several seasons now.

At the other end, debutant Simon Mignolet looked nervy on crosses – his main challenge will not be in ability but in temperament – but produced a superb first-half save at full stretch, and added the incredibly exciting double-stop from the late penalty. Kenwyne Jones’ follow-up was a bit hit-and-hope, straight at the onrushing keeper, but the Belgian deserves great credit for the way he was so quick to his feet (“quick to his feet for a big man” could become a new cliché) and flying out at the Stoke striker.

Liverpool’s defending of set-pieces, while edgy at times, wasn’t too bad when considering the size of the Stoke spine, which, I am guessing, could the tallest in football history? Begovic, Huth, Shawcross, Nzonzi and Crouch provided a peak of mountains from back to front, averaging out at 6’5”. Liverpool didn’t even have a 6’5” player on the pitch. It was less the spine of a football side, and more like the spine of a giraffe.

Of course, height isn’t everything. I got some stick on Twitter for suggesting that Kolo Toure could score 10 goals this season, given that he’s not that tall and therefore, apparently, won’t be much of a danger from set-pieces. But in preseason, and again against Stoke, he has consistently attacked the ball better than almost anyone I’ve ever seen in a red shirt.

He hit the bar with a thumping header, showing so much determination, and, for a “veteran”, a prodigious leap. His work in the opposition box looks like being an added bonus, as his defending has also been exemplary. While pace isn’t everything, I was worried that he’d be the slightly overweight player he often looked at City; but he looks sprightly and, more importantly, full of the right kind of hunger for someone who was once caught resorting to his wife’s slimming pills.

If I had to pick a highlight from the game it would be the way the team reacted to Mignolet’s penalty save; you could argue that it was excessive in the context – it wasn’t a cup final, and there was still a corner, and several more minutes, to face – but the celebrations and congratulations were indicative of a brilliant team spirit. I’m not a fan of team spirit over technical ability, but on Saturday the Reds seemed to display both. That bodes well.

Another major positive was the form of Lucas, who looked fitter and sharper, as you’d expect after finally getting fully fit. The midfield seemed to work well, although there will be tougher tests than Stoke, whose players, despite now being encouraged to pass the ball, aren’t really suited to it.

It was also a good day for the new signings, with Toure commanding, Mignolet the late hero and Aspas busy and clever.

Whilst a new winger is apparently still being sought, with the Willian rumours gathering momentum (although Spurs have been tracking him for a year), the Spaniard appears an upgrade on the underrated but underwhelming Downing in terms of boldness in the final third. It took Downing a season to register an assist, and it took Aspas 34 minutes; although the vagaries of the value of an assist are highlighted in how the new no.9 is credited with one for a simple square pass, which didn’t create a “chance” (but Sturridge still scored) whereas Downing’s debut was full of good crosses that no-one converted.

Add the superb Sturridge and the sublime Coutinho, and no fewer than five players from the XI were signed in 2013; almost half the team. All were amongst the star performers, which shows how well the transfer committee is working after the disappointing business last summer. It’s very early days regarding the three newest buys, plus Luis Alberto (who didn’t get on), but you’d always prefer to see them settle quickly than have to hope and pray they adjust over time (even if you get the Nigel Cloughs of this parish, who start like Pele and end up like John Peel.)

Of Rodgers’ three high-profile signings of last year, Sahin was shipped out within six months and Allen and Borini started this game on the bench. Both of the ex-Swansea players still have plenty to offer, with Allen likely to be much stronger this time around, but it’s telling that none of the players signed a year ago featured; although fair play to Rodgers for not forcing “his” players into the side and working with the committee to get the right types in.

Of course, it’s also one more victory without Luis Suarez, which further increases the disparity between a 39% win rate with him and the increasing +60% without him. On paper Liverpool should of course be beating Stoke at home, but that’s not usually how it transpires, even if Suarez likes to score against them (mostly away from home, if memory serves, aside from his debut goal in a 2-0 win).

I’m glad that the Uruguayan biting machine appears to be staying. If it was down to me I’d have definitely accepted a big bid from Madrid, but it seems that none was forthcoming. However, the prospect of him in an Arsenal shirt appalled me; I can let these players go, emotionally, but it’s never nice to a rival. Assuming that Madrid don’t launch a last-minute bid – and let’s face it, the time to sign someone who is banned is nearer the end of the ban – then the Reds’ XI looks stronger with Suarez’s name in it.

However, Rodgers must work out how to turn this brilliant footballer into a consistent match-winner; I recently read that if you took away his goals last season the Reds would still have finished 7th, and if that’s true, that’s quite telling when added to the win percentages with and without him. To date, the Reds haven’t seemed to need him as much as everyone thought, but with his ability to beat players and score goals, there has to be a way to make him more effective.

Another positive was the bench, which looked fairly strong despite an average age of just 19.7 for the outfield six (which obviously didn’t include 19-year-old Suso, one of last season’s star youngsters, who’s out on loan in Spain). You can get a sense of the FSG vision coming through, with talented young players on sensible wages in the back-up positions, rather than washed up, overpaid 30-somethings. (Although Toure seems to prove that you can still find ambitious, fit 32-year-olds.)

After the debacle of Being:Liverpool and perhaps an overeagerness to impress, Rodgers has handled this summer much better, and appears to have grown in stature, which can only help everyone at the club. Lose the next two games and the knives will be out, but he deserves credit for his part in a successful summer, bar the failure to land the one big signing the club has tried for with Mkhitaryan and Costa. I can’t help but feel that Rodgers still doesn’t have much pulling power, as a relative rookie, so he needs a good season to raise his profile across Europe, which will help sway some of the dithering players our way. After all, they’ll be far more familiar with Villas-Boas, Pellegrini, Wenger and Mourinho, and while David Moyes also doesn’t have much international cachet, he is managing the Champions.

The addition of someone like Willian to the Reds’ XI would be the icing on the cake, and a front three of him, Sturridge and Suarez, with Coutinho behind, would surely appear comparable with any Premier League side.

It would still make for a squad that falls short of those of last season’s the top three, as well as Spurs’, with limited depth and question marks at left-back (which Cissokho might address) and centre-back (in terms of the lack of back-up), but the collective, on paper, appears more than a match for Arsenal’s at this point in time.

If Rodgers can keep his players injury free and fresh through to the spring, and the committee hand him Willian, then top four has to be a possibility, especially if other clubs slip up.

For now, though, I’ll stick with the hope of 70 points, and whatever that brings.

K-9 wrote: »

Well Arsenal directly bid for Suarez, I suppose Spurs and them are our target this year. Tbh, there's a Summer transfer thread and the club's superthreads for speculation and rumours. I don't know, it seems to be stretching it a bit.

Knex. wrote: »

So you have no interest in the teams above us/direct rivals, and whether or not they are weakening/strengthening?

Raif had a quick post on something I would wager few knew about, I certainly hadn't heard yet, and I'm glad he did.

As good a contribution to this thread as any I've seen this morning. Not like we had a ten page conversation about it - which would be ridiculous and then the criticism justified.

I bet if you replace Everton in Raif's original comment with Arsenal or Spurs and nobody would have batted an eye lid. Ridiculous when we were closer, while still being behind, to Everton than the other two in recent times.

Raif Severance wrote: »

We've discussed plenty of Spurs Players that we've not even made Bids for. And how people here admired AVB, Levy, Baldini, etc.

Not to mention, the many Lamentations on how they've had a successful Window in relation to ours, and why we can't do the same.

I posted the Everton one, cause I thought it was just as Relevant. They've finished ahead of us for 2 Seasons now.

But it appears, that most think it's a Foregone Conclusion that we'll Leapfrog them this Year.

Well I'll take heed.

Vicxas wrote: »

Sums up this thread lately

Philippe Coutinho is now following Willian on Twitter. It is nailed on. Nailed on, we tells you.

prettyboy81 wrote: »

Interesting game away at Villa next week. Lambert seems to have had a good preseason with the squad getting them in shape & they played with some intensity against Arsenal.

I'd imagine our passing game will be tested to the max against a confident, young & hungry Villa side. But, if we are too mount a challenge for Top 4/6 then we should have the quality to get a result against Villa. Setting us up perfectly for a good crack at the Mancs with 6pts on the board!

Happy Monday the season is back & transfer rumours are still dominating