Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2014 - Mod Note in OP, 1/09

whatawaster wrote: »

Sturridge played 80 out of 108 possible premier league games in the 3 seasons before this one. Some of those games missed were games he wasn't picked for Chelsea. That's an average of about 29 games a season. This is the worst lay-off I can remember from him. Hardly time to start succession planning. We need to expect him to miss games and plan accordingly, but we don't need to lose the run of ourselves. We won't find a striker better than Sturridge, let alone 2.

Only bit of sense I've seen in the last few pages - Sturridge is prone to the odd niggle here and there, but this is his worst injury I can remember if indeed he is out for another 4 weeks.

It's deeply unfortunate of course that he's out during a spell where we are stuttering on every front and failing to gain fluency, but that's not entirely his fault. We have to face facts: Balotelli is underperforming for even those of us who expected little. His statistical record was variable, and it definitely showed that there is a good player there, but by and large his 'unpredictability' is a smokescreen for a player who is deeply predictable and frankly not the best... i can't see him getting even 0.3 goals per game this season, which is frankly rubbish.

We'd be almost as well trying something bizarre on Monday like putting Sterling into a false 9 role after 30 minutes with Coutinho and Lallana playing in from the flanks. It'd at least confuse the opposition and probably give us a lot of space. I realise it sounds insane though, but we're going to need serious improvisation to get out of this malaise.

I'm deeply concerned about several aspects of the team ---
- Markovic, bar flashes in one early game (Man City and combination with Moreno iirc), hasn't impressed
- Gerrard. Unfortunately everybody has a view on that here and are deeply entrenched on both sides. My view last season was a player who had reinvented himself, but I said it on the day we lost to chelsea and I haven't changed my mind since - "this could end Stevie". His discipline is shot since the game IMO and he just hasn't regained the form that I saw from Jan-May 2014. I think he has to be dropped.
- Balotelli. As above. However, I think he should start this week. A goal is a necessity though in truth. If he can't bag one in this game.......
- Coutinho. A shame to see him regress so badly, particularly when we need him so much, but also understandable for a variety of factors, not least the WC2014 motivation now gone.

All told, we're in a huge fight now to regain top 4 form (this isn't top 4 form for the record....). I was fed up posting here for the first 4-5 games of season as people just wouldn't acknowledge that our performances were lacking, we weren't notching up as many points as we needed to, and instead they hid behind 'comparable fixtures last season'. West Ham result put that in sharp focus for most, albeit belatedly. The reality is that bar 30 mins against Man City and the Spurs game, we just haven't clicked at all this season, despite having many more opportunities to do so.

The sturridge news is a hammerblow though, and likely means he won't be involved at all in this CL campaign, as I can't see us going anywhere unfortunately, which is a real shame as it wasn't the hardest of groups to get out of.

****e.

Sturridge Balotelli and Lambert were our options deemed good enough for this season. Borini was going to be let go. The club went for the cheap options and could well cost us a whole lot more.

I mean Balotelli was a risk signing that was never prolific so would have been a very good number 3 option. Sturridge gets injured a bit so really needed someone else. Lambert and Borini aren't those guys. Ok squad players and for cup runs etc but we really needed another quality forward. We made a lot of signings but there is question marks about a lot of them. There always is when you buy potential. Sometimes you need to buy quality. And we didn't. Wether we couldn't or not is another debate.

NukaCola wrote: »

Sturridge Balotelli and Lambert were our options deemed good enough for this season. Borini was going to be let go. The club went for the cheap options and could well cost us a whole lot more.

I mean Balotelli was a risk signing that was never prolific so would have been a very good number 3 option. Sturridge gets injured a bit so really needed someone else. Lambert and Borini aren't those guys. Ok squad players and for cup runs etc but we really needed another quality forward. We made a lot of signings but there is question marks about a lot of them. There always is when you buy potential. Sometimes you need to buy quality. And we didn't. Wether we couldn't or not is another debate.

It's not another debate. It's the same debate. Who would you have bought?!? We tried for some "proven quality" but they didn't want to come. We don't have the wage budget required to do a United or Chelsea on it.

Never mind the fact that it's way too early to be judging players too. Sure Jordan Henderson was a bust 14 months ago.

I'd nearly take Stevie in a false 9 position than use any of our available strikers, they pose no goal threat whatsoever.

Enough with the negative waves Moriarty!

Tomorrow is the day the Balo / Borini partnership starts to deliver. Think bridge and there'll be a bridge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuStsFW4EmQ&list=FLQ4Qr0RgLbi0KwJBePloWoA&index=2

Rodgers gets a lot of hassle for his iffy transfers but surely Ted, he must be working within a set of parameters put down by the owners.
Makes it difficult to get here and now quality.
Needs to be changed but I don't think Rodgers is secure enough to challenge them over it.
Last January, a lot of people were worried after the lack of activity and then were laughed at with the teams form.
A strong midfield option was needed than and is still needed now. A strong forward option is needed now and will still be needed by next summer, I reckon.
Both of those options are needed, no matter if the team hit good form between now and January.

I dont really have that much of a problem with Rodgers transfers. We needed depth and we paid for potentially very good players. There are certain positions we could do that in. But when it comes to strikers you need to pay for quality.

To suggest that we cant buy a quality forward when we paid approx 45M for Lallana and Markovic, is quite frankly, ridiculous.

One of two things must have happened.

BR was either happy with Balotelli Sturridge and Lambert (with Borini not wanted) or the transfer team could not get a suitable player. If the transfer team could not bring in a player of quality within our wage structure/budget then get rid of them ASAP and get in people who can.

Did we fail in our targets? We failed to bring in Sanchez but were we seriously linked with anyone else? Remy i suppose.

NukaCola wrote: »

To suggest that we cant buy a quality forward when we paid approx 45M for Lallana and Markovic, is quite frankly, ridiculous.

One of two things must have happened.

BR was either happy with Balotelli Sturridge and Lambert (with Borini not wanted) or the transfer team could not get a suitable player. If the transfer team could not bring in a player of quality within our wage structure/budget then get rid of them ASAP and get in people who can.

That's incredibly simplistic.

Players have to actually want to come here and be willing to fit into our wage structure.

Its one thing to pay a player 200k after they've proven their quality over a period of years like Suarez. It's another to bring them in on that straight away.

What happens if they don't settle? What if they can't fit into our style of play. What happens when they want a pay rise and we cant go any higher?

Mega-rich clubs can take those gambles. If we did that and failed we'd be seriously ****ed.

Mr Alan wrote: »

This is just excuse making.

If the transfer committee/Rodgers/Ayre/whoever are unable to attract top talent, then they will need to be replaced - it's as simple as that.

Our business this summer was actually a disgrace.

I wouldnt go that far but it was definitely some way short of what we all needed. We've got our lot now and time to push on with it.

wcarey1975 wrote: »

I wouldnt go that far but it was definitely some way short of what we all needed. We've got our lot now and time to push on with it.

Genuinely, coming off the season we just had, considering we sold our best player by a country mile & for the money we've spent, I think that in time, 'disgrace' might prove to be an understatement.