Liverpool Thread - 2021/22

[Platt Lane veteran]

I think Liverpool’s recruitment team is the best in the league and ours is distinctly average.

Pep’s ability has papered over the cracks and as a result people massively over exaggerate the quality of our squad. It is hugely imbalanced and the fact that LB and striker are still areas of weakness for us is negligence at board room level.

It’s easy to say Pep has spent x amount since he’s been at City, but the transfer team have wasted shit tonnes of money on players who are good, but there were better and cheaper alternatives available.

People have rightly been raving about Ake recently but he’s still one of the most expensive CBs in PL history. He cost more than all of United, Liverpool and Chelsea’s CBs bar Maguire and van Dijk. The less said about the fee paid for Grealish the better and that is coming from someone who rates the lad.

If we get Haaland in the summer, a LB and replacement for Dinho then I think for the first time since the Centurian season we will have a properly balanced squad.

Maybe we should just hack into their recruitment database?

 

[FantasyIreland]

I think Liverpool’s recruitment team is the best in the league and ours is distinctly average.

Pep’s ability has papered over the cracks and as a result people massively over exaggerate the quality of our squad. It is hugely imbalanced and the fact that LB and striker are still areas of weakness for us is negligence at board room level.

It’s easy to say Pep has spent x amount since he’s been at City, but the transfer team have wasted shit tonnes of money on players who are good, but there were better and cheaper alternatives available.

People have rightly been raving about Ake recently but he’s still one of the most expensive CBs in PL history. He cost more than all of United, Liverpool and Chelsea’s CBs bar Maguire and van Dijk. The less said about the fee paid for Grealish the better and that is coming from someone who rates the lad.

If we get Haaland in the summer, a LB and replacement for Dinho then I think for the first time since the Centurian season we will have a properly balanced squad.

I partly agree,but i also think youre allowing Pep a free ride with that assesment.He is the manager,he has the say on what areas need strengthening and what players arrive.The blame for the fact the squad is unbalanced cannot be shifted elsewhere because of a fanciful belief that Pep can do no wrong.

100M for Grealish was too much,but it was also his buyout,and it was also being paid for a player that lit up the league with his maverick brilliance.....unfortunately,that ability and instict has very much been diluted in this team and system.

 

[bluealf]

Sorry it's an age thing.

No need to apologise, of course, it would have been funnier to tell me to fuck off.

Opportunity lost I'm afraid. :p

 

[daztrueblue91]

I partly agree,but i also think youre allowing Pep a free ride with that assesment.He is the manager,he has the say on what areas need strengthening and what players arrive.The blame for the fact the squad is unbalanced cannot be shifted elsewhere because of a fanciful belief that Pep can do no wrong.

100M for Grealish was too much,but it was also his buyout,and it was also being paid for a player that lit up the league with his maverick brilliance.....unfortunately,that ability and instict has very much been diluted in this team and system.

There’s no doubt that Pep has got things wrong at times. I couldn’t believe he got the initial starting line up so wrong yesterday, not necessarily the selection, but their chosen positions.

I do wonder how much input he has into transfers though. He can’t be happy at the balance of the squad. The question also needs to be asked of what was the point in signing Grealish if his style at Villa is not suitable for us.

 

[FantasyIreland]

The question also needs to be asked of what was the point in signing Grealish if his style at Villa is not suitable for us.

Definitely,we could very easily have signed a different player,with the attributes more suited,for probably less than half what we paid for Jack.

When you pay a fortune for a mercurial maverick like him,then you have to ensure the team is on the same wavelength and even built around his strengths and weaknesses.

 

[Blu1]

They have 3/4 incredible strikers we have none. That is the difference.

we are much the better team but with no strikers we will always suffer no matter how much possession we have against teams like Liverpool.

we had enough chances once again to go 3-3 yesterday but we constantly miss.

Our miss highlights reel must be insane

 

[Bluearmy]

They have 3/4 incredible strikers we have none. That is the difference.

we are much the better team but with no strikers we will always suffer no matter how much possession we have against teams like Liverpool.

we had enough chances once again to go 3-3 yesterday but we constantly miss.

Our miss highlights reel must be insane

5 - Jota/Frimino on their bench yesterday, we had a kid on ours. Plus the 3 that started for them aswell (Mane/Salah/Diaz).

agreed we take nowhere near enough chances from the ones we create…. That has to change

 

[daztrueblue91]

Definitely,we could very easily have signed a different player,with the attributes more suited,for probably less than half what we paid for Jack.

When you pay a fortune for a mercurial maverick like him,then you have to ensure the team is on the same wavelength and even built around his strengths and weaknesses.

Agreed but how much of the utilisation of Grealish has been hampered by squad deficiencies elsewhere?

For example, if we had a striker he’d never be played as a false 9. Even more telling is the lack of LB.

IMO, Jack’s best position is wide left and roaming infield. Cancelo being LB removes the space for Jack to work in. It forces him wider and he’s left with beating the full back on the outside or cutting back. That was Sane’s strength, not Jack’s.

Maybe a natural LB would give him the space to flourish.

 

[MillisleBlue]

They have 3/4 incredible strikers we have none. That is the difference.

we are much the better team but with no strikers we will always suffer no matter how much possession we have against teams like Liverpool.

we had enough chances once again to go 3-3 yesterday but we constantly miss.

Our miss highlights reel must be insane

That's a likely epitaph for the 2021 / 2022 season.

 

[argyle]

I think Liverpool’s recruitment team is the best in the league and ours is distinctly average.

Pep’s ability has papered over the cracks and as a result people massively over exaggerate the quality of our squad. It is hugely imbalanced and the fact that LB and striker are still areas of weakness for us is negligence at board room level.

It’s easy to say Pep has spent x amount since he’s been at City, but the transfer team have wasted shit tonnes of money on players who are good, but there were better and cheaper alternatives available.

People have rightly been raving about Ake recently but he’s still one of the most expensive CBs in PL history. He cost more than all of United, Liverpool and Chelsea’s CBs bar Maguire and van Dijk. The less said about the fee paid for Grealish the better and that is coming from someone who rates the lad.

If we get Haaland in the summer, a LB and replacement for Dinho then I think for the first time since the Centurian season we will have a properly balanced squad.

I disagree that it's average, we're top of the league partly because our recruitment is better than most.

However at the business end of the season, where tough games come every 3 days, the recruitment Liverpool have done compared to us is looking to be the difference.

They got Jota, Diaz and the midfielder whose name I forget.

We haven't replaced Aguero, Torres/Sane and left it too late to replace Fernandinho. That's 3 players short.

We instead spent a huge £100m on a player we didn't need and has, so far, fallen far short of expectations (maybe because the lack of clinical strikers).

 

[bluebanana83]

I think that is true. Everybody has moaned about Jack’s stats but he’s laid plenty on a plate that don’t get finished off. Jesus yesterday and he’s scored and assisted.

KDB assists would be 20+ probably.

Its also why TAA and Robertson get so many assists as they solely take the corners and their crosses are finished off with more frequency.

 

[waspish]

Liverpool recruitment is quality only because they hacked our database to then copy use what had!

Liverpool a thieving kunts.

 

[daztrueblue91]

I disagree that it's average, we're top of the league partly because our recruitment is better than most.

However at the business end of the season, where tough games come every 3 days, the recruitment Liverpool have done compared to us is looking to be the difference.

They got Jota, Diaz and the midfielder whose name I forget.

We haven't replaced Aguero, Torres/Sane and left it too late to replace Fernandinho. That's 3 players short.

We instead spent a huge £100m on a player we didn't need and has, so far, fallen far short of expectations (maybe because the lack of clinical strikers).

IMO, we’re top of the league because we have one of the best managers in the world.

Replace Pep with any other manager in the PL than Klopp and we are competing with Chelsea rather than Liverpool this season with our squad.

I’m not disputing that we don’t sign good players, you have to be top quality to play for City. My argument is that we pay top dollar for players who are not necessarily in positions we need, especially when there is better value for money elsewhere.

£140 million on a fourth choice CB and creative midfielder in a position we don’t need and who we don’t utilise properly is staggering when we don’t have a proper striker in the side.

To completely contradict myself though, if we can compete for the biggest honours with clear weaknesses in our squad, think what we will be capable of next season when we solve those issues.

If we can win one of the big two prizes this year and go into next season with a perfectly well balanced squad, we will look at the transfer policy as being exceptional.

If we fail to win anything this year it will be a missed opportunity, especially as we don’t know how long Pep will stay.

 

[Fiftyyearsandcounting]

Van Dijk's foremost ability is to push our lighter attackers of the ball, either legally by shoulder charge, or illegally by a push in the back or arm across the chest (rarely penalised by refs). IF Haarland does join City, then I look forward to seeing him reply in kind and shove van Dijk on his backside.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Someone has to take these w.......s down.
Chelsea, Palace, Villareal, the rags , I dont care.

 

[Protein Junkie]

Someone has to take these w.......s down.
Chelsea, Palace, Villareal, the rags , I dont care.

Everton for the shits and giggles

 

[Maly]

fuck and ****.

If you want to say it then say it, for fucks sake

Corrected it for you ;)

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Not sure why but ourselves and Chelsea are fecking up in tournaments and letting the dippers improve on their trophy tally.
Chelsea lost last years FA cup final (Leicester) and this years Carabao cup to dippers, losing in a penalty shoot out.
We lost the Charity Shield, the FA cup semi to the dippers and beaten in Carabao by West Ham on penalties, all games we might have won.

Its a very thin line between winning and losing and at the moment the luck and momentum is with the dippers.
It may take Everton, spurs or the rags to step in and help us.

 

[Rochdale Blue]

Van Dijk's foremost ability is to push our lighter attackers of the ball, either legally by shoulder charge, or illegally by a push in the back or arm across the chest (rarely penalised by refs). IF Haarland does join City, then I look forward to seeing him reply in kind and shove van Dijk on his backside.

Presumably you don't remember Sterling being penalised for pushing a Stoke defender twice his size from a City corner.

 

[Bluearmy]

IMO, we’re top of the league because we have one of the best managers in the world.

Replace Pep with any other manager in the PL than Klopp and we are competing with Chelsea rather than Liverpool this season with our squad.

I’m not disputing that we don’t sign good players, you have to be top quality to play for City. My argument is that we pay top dollar for players who are not necessarily in positions we need, especially when there is better value for money elsewhere.

£140 million on a fourth choice CB and creative midfielder in a position we don’t need and who we don’t utilise properly is staggering when we don’t have a proper striker in the side.

To completely contradict myself though, if we can compete for the biggest honours with clear weaknesses in our squad, think what we will be capable of next season when we solve those issues.

If we can win one of the big two prizes this year and go into next season with a perfectly well balanced squad, we will look at the transfer policy as being exceptional.

If we fail to win anything this year it will be a missed opportunity, especially as we don’t know how long Pep will stay.

Agree about Ake and Grealish signings. We ended up with Dias/Stones/Laporte/Garcia with Walker & Dinho who could play there and spent £40 on Ake. Quite like Ake but there was no need for it. Grealish a bit the same, we needed a striker/two most likely, didnt make sense to me!! And could come home to roost big time.

When you look at Liverpool with Salah/Mane/Dias/Frimino/Jota, even if they dont play well you can always see them scoring a few goals from limited chances. We have 20+ shots at times and dont win games. Its criminal…..