Liverpool’s Squad & Transfer Strategy For 2012-13

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By Marco

And suddenly, just like that, the business end really starts. Like it or not, Liverpool fans would do well to get behind the new manager Brendan Rodgers, and any other senior staff on the way. Some may have complained that it took too long to appoint him. Yet had FSG been quicker, the conspiracy theorists would have complained about alleged behind-the-scenes pre-emptive discussions between FSG and their new appointment while Kenny was still in charge. Many would have been distressed at how disrespectful that was – even though that was likely done to Houllier (and probably to Hodgson).

Of course there will be those who differ in opinion – and some will treat Rodgers with the same indifference afforded to Hodgson, and others will show him affection in hope of the promise of a big future. Either way, his success depends on a few things, not least of which Liverpool’s existing squad, any transfers in / out, and the support FSG give him in all respects.

I can’t speak for the third item on that list. Even though FSG have been in charge for over 18 months, it feels like a nervous courtship all over again. But all the right messages seem to have been communicated in the process of announcing Rodgers as manager, so I assume he’s got the full (or close to it) support of the men from Boston.

Tactical options with Rodgers, of course, are interesting. Observations of Swansea suggest a very quick pressing game, heavy emphasis on transitions, keeping the ball and making opponents chase you, and potentially more penetrative, possibly even likely to create better goalscoring chances…?

Some of his statements already imply that he sees opportunities (necessities, more likely!) to improve the squad in certain positions. Swansea’s brand of football was a joy to watch the past season, and Rodgers’ chosen tactics could bring out the best in players like Reina, Agger, Lucas, Johnson, Enrique, Suarez, based on positional play. It will take time for the others in the squad to adopt the style successfully, although I would imagine the more “direct” style players may be good for tactical variation.

However, there are some key issues that Rodgers will have to address, as far as the squad’s composition, balance and application is concerned.

For starters, I really would like to see Rodgers rotating the squad to create options and experience. The League Cup and Europa League ideally need to be used as grounding points this season to give squad players more game time and experience. Too many players last season got too little consistent game time, and that affects their impact when being forced into the squad.

We also need to be realistic about several aspects of the squad strategy for next season. It’s doubtful after the frivolous spending of last season that FSG will allow similar spending levels for this summer. Liverpool’s wage bill was the 4th highest in the league last season, meaning FSG will want to trim it down where it makes sense. And any Liverpool fan who expects the summer to pass without incident as far as one of our star players leaving may be too hopeful. I’m being pessimistic, but I think we could experience at least one high profile departure – with Reina, Agger, Skrtel and Suarez being the players most at risk.

Then of course, there is the suggestion that Rodgers could be ruthless, and prepared to cut losses by selling players to bring in more suitable players. Bold, but again, if backed by FSG…

So with that in mind, time to look at some thoughts on the squad strategy for next season, which ideally will occur sooner rather than later to the new man in charge…

Goalkeepers

It’s very rare that a team needs to use their 3rd and 4th choice keeper in a squad. One hopes the incidents leading up to the FA Cup semi-final against Everton don’t repeat themselves, but ultimately they highlighted some issues. Brad Jones’ attitude is great, but I really think he needs more time between the sticks in match situations – and hence would be my favourite to loan out, with option of a recall in emergencies.

Reina has been poor – his shot stopping seems to have become non-existent, and instead of buying us undeserved points (like he did so often in 2010-11), he cost us a few times this past season. He needs competition desperately; there must be consequences for poor performance. Doni looks a useful stopper, and it would be great to see him play more often.

Rodgers’ chosen tactical approach ironically would leverage Reina’s bravery on the ball – and Reina is capable of the odd assist every now and then – so one hopes Pepe sees this as an opportunity. No transfers expected here – although if Reina insisted on leaving, then it’s an option to sell him but for enough funds to bring in a younger replacement of the same class.

Full Backs

This is a key position for Liverpool – particularly since much of the build-up play starts out wide from the back. The good news is, Rodgers’ tactical approach may take advantage of some available talent. At right back, we’re spoilt. Flanagan had some poor games, but that’s probably due to a lack of confidence that comes from a lack of a run in the team. Martin Kelly’s potential is still untapped, and he looks an outstanding player for the future – so more rotation would be great. Glen Johnson is looking world-class – he just needs to stay fit!

Enrique was a good signing, but slumped in form, and didn’t get dropped. That’s not a good sign of squad depth to create rotation, so left back is a key position to strengthen in the summer. Although, as an alternative, Kelly (at RB) and Glen Johnson (at LB) combination has worked well on occasion. Either way, Enrique needs competition. Ideally someone who can cross well, especially from deep (one of Enrique’s weaknesses) and pacey enough to handle super-fast counter attacks (as opposed to how Enrique handled Ramires in the FA Cup final).

For me, Robinson & Flanagan must be used in the cup competitions, or the Europa League – we must take advantage of these fixtures to really give the squad players a good go.

Centre Backs

Our first choice central defence pair is comparable to the best in the league – Kompany/Lescott, Terry/Ivanovic, Vidic/Ferdinand, Vermaelen/Koscielny, etc. But it’s clear that Agger has a massive influence over its effectiveness – Skrtel tends to play worse when he’s compensating for the misgivings of his defensive partner. I also don’t think Coates should be loaned out. Alternatively, Liverpool need to bring in a solid and experienced centre back to rotate Skrtel & Agger, lest they too become complacent. Agger is the key; not only is he an outstanding defender, but he leads by example as well, and his presence attacking corners tends to get us goals.

Carragher has been a fantastic servant to the club, and I don’t think anyone disputes his commitment. But ultimately, some of his performances haven’t been great, and it may mean time to see him take up that coaching role we all suspect he would like one day.

Of course, as mentioned before, all this assumes our 1st choice partnership remains intact. There’s a shortage of proven centre backs out there, and Skrtel in particular will not lack potential suitors. If he does get sold, let’s hope it’s for the 8 figure sum we expect, and an equally outstanding defender gets purchased in our direction, one very comfortable on the ball as Agger often illustrates.

Central Midfield

This position is a big issue. Against the midfields of Newcastle, Spurs, Arsenal (as examples), Liverpool lack the quality to take control of games, placing more reliance on the wide play, making them predictable. If there is one thing that excites me about Rodgers, he should be able to teach the players here how to be more penetrative through the middle, which is something Liverpool lacked in many matches against more capable central midfield opposition.

Rodgers’ immediate problem is the number of players in the squad who play in the middle – Gerrard, Shelvey, Henderson, Adam, Spearing, Lucas (as well as Cole and Aquilani when back from loan). You’d think with so many, there was competition for spaces, but as an example, Hendo’s extensive run in the team probably resulted from a lack of meaningful competition in most cases. It also means that unless something unusual happens, we’re unlikely to see incoming transfers in this position. The other irony is that only two of them – Lucas and Spearing – play that pivotal defensive midfield position.

Rodgers will do well to realise that Lucas is unlikely to be the same (at least immediately) after such a serious injury. Liverpool cannot afford to force him to play every game like they were. While Spearing is a good squad player with a great attitude, a third defensive midfielder is definitely needed, especially given the passing responsibilities Rodgers may impose on a player in this position. It makes me hope rumours linking Liverpool to players like Seydou Keita are true.

The rest of the central midfielders need to be rotated based on performance. I also would love to see more of Shelvey – his attacking instincts imply a great deal of talent. For me, Hendo played too much and seems too intimidated in big matches where the pressure is on. Adam is a challenge to manage, since he produced so many assists – but I’m a firm believer if you deliver that many corners without beating the first man, you deserve to be dropped. Adam is a squad player – nothing more.

Were it up to me, Hendo, Shelvey and Spearing would form the basis of a trial midfield in League Cup and Europa League matches – that would give them experience, keep them match fit and more importantly, give them the responsibility to lift their game.

Then of course come the two wildcards returning from loan – Joe Cole and Aquilani. I don’t believe Cole has much more to give, but I feel for Aquilani, who hasn’t really got the chance to prove his talent since being signed by Rafa as “Alonso’s replacement”. Given the wage bill, I think it’s likely that both will be sold, but if one does stay – I really hope the Italian gets his chance to come back into the team. His technical skills could be great foil for players like Suarez to exploit, and would possibly be quite suited to Rodgers’ approach.

Wingers & “Wide Forwards”

It’s on the flanks that Liverpool’s squad begins to show imbalances, although, we should take into account that Rodgers may not have need of traditional wingers, since his tactics generally rely on width from the fullbacks, or “wide forwards”. Nonethless, assuming (on occasion) Liverpool need to apply a slightly more direct, counter-attacking style, the squad lacks the correct players. We only have one “true” winger. Maxi, Kuyt and Bellamy are all best employed as “wide forwards”, and with the exception of Bellamy, seem to lack the pace needed to run the wings like your traditional wings. Maxi and Kuyt are likely to leave in any case, and given age and wages, should be sold. I adore both players, especially Kuyt for his work-rate, but younger players are need with the technical skills matching that of a Suarez. Bellamy’s experience would be a great element of balance in the squad.

It brings us back to Stewart Downing – enough has been said about him to bemoan his contribution (or lack thereof), so if Liverpool cut their losses and sold him at a cut price, that would be fine with me. I don’t see him settling into the Rodgers’ style of play in any case. I’d also love to see Sterling come into the team – and my suspicion is that depending on transfers, this could be likely.

In fact, Rodgers’ tactics may define the transfer priorities to a wide forward on the right (Suarez would be my choice on the left) with similar levels of technical skill to penetrate defences.

This for me would be the best way to really get the best out of most technically gifted player, who I had the privilege of seeing in the flesh in the infamous World Cup 2010 quarterfinal against Ghana here in South Africa. I remember noticing something distinct in that match. His movement off the ball, playing off Forlan was some of the best I’ve seen. Suarez thrives best playing off other players on the pitch who attract defenders and create space – his career alongside Huntelaar at Ajax is also proof enough.

Suarez is also, another player at most risk of leaving. Rumours suggest Juventus, PSG and Real Madrid already amongst the admirers, and if Liverpool don’t bring in trophies, or Champions League football quickly, it may force the hand of our most talented player.

Forwards

That leaves the goalscoring department, which was much analysed over the past season, with the Opta faithful amongst us counting the woodwork, shots, corners and clear cut chances to death.

Carroll may have ended the season well, but his shortcomings are exposed. He’s not a clinical finisher by any stretch. If we keep him, I see Andy as an expensive, but potentially useful squad player. He needs competition, and a more natural goalscorer to learn from. Question is, do you buy another big man? Or a mobile, pacy goal-poacher? There are arguments for both, though I prefer the latter, to offer tactical options and versatility. This would be a major transfer priority for me as well.

It’s interesting, but the squad isn’t overtly lacking in talent or depth in most places. One gets the impression that a couple of shrewd, potent signings are all that will be needed to turn Liverpool’s fortunes quite impressively. Or the new boss could surprise us, and overhaul the squad completely.

The question then beckons – who to bring in? The speculation suggest Brendan Rodgers will receive £30 million plus any fees from player sales, so assuming that he sells the likes of Downing, Maxi, Kuyt, Cole and possibly Aquilani, we should hopefully be looking at a transfer kitty of £50 million. The targets will vary, and the speculation will be rife with many players that been linked / interesting thus far. I won’t attempt to offer names – that would ruin the speculative fun of chasing various tweets on the subject. Besides, there’s someone else more primed than me to solve that problem.

Mr Rodgers, welcome to Liverpool Football Club. No pressure.

 

43 Comments

  1. Can we stop “going overboard” about Swansea and all their “brilliant passing” football? If they were that brilliant why were they not EPL champions then? It remains to be seen what he does with Liverpool and then and only then can we judge his effects. Hewould be silly to sell Aquilani as this one seems to fit exactly his ideas of quick and incisive passing football!

    1. chunky. Swansea were not epl champions because they are a team with no world class players. They still played brilliant passing football. And despite the odds, they finished 11th. For a team like Swansea and with their players that is a success.

      Liverpool do have world class players. So we have players who can win games. If he brilliant passing football is as much a success as it was at Swansea, then we will be in the right direction.

      I think the target for next season has to make it back into the champions league. And if we do make it there with an exciting playing style also. I think that will attract better players who firstly want to play in the champions league and secondly who want to play an exciting brand of football with a top club.

    2. Its not overboard. Look at their squad! Sinclair Nathan dyer. Allen Britton. Vorm et al. Really average players or up and coming like Allen and they got to 11th! 11th! That’s a phenomenal effort having just been promoted.

  2. Interesting and realistic.

    My two pence:

    Rodgers ‘pass and move build from the back’ leads us to a number of issues.

    1) Players technical ability, composure and ability to pass to someone in a red shirt.

    20 square pegs, round holds.

    Midfield: My view point is that he will have a ‘destroyer’ ‘passer’ creator three man midfield All must be able to pass the move, collect from the defence and move it, re-position themselves and rinse and repeat.

    jay, god love him, doesn’t fit the three versions. Technically, positionally etc.

    So, a third Dm/destroyer is required as a must. I agree with easing the pain on Lucas.

    Yes, left sided defence/wing back needs immediate looking at. No competition is a worry.

    Up front. Big andy is a issue. Yes, I fear he will be an expensive squad player as I just don’t see him fitting into a pass and move game.

    Yes, a plan b, c etc is required and I guess that is why he may stay.

    The inverted wingers (Maxi staying?) needs looking at.

    Downing just isn’t bright enough to do it. technically awful and seems lost, let alone when he will be asked to do a number of tasks.

    No idea what payers will come/leave, but I fear a number of our current squad are not able to apply the plan the Rodgers is suggesting/done in the past.

  3. Every where you look today rodgers will be given time is that other way of covering yourself FSG . I think its well known that he wont do good straight away and more then likely we will have same year like this one . So what was te point off his appointment we will see . What owner also said he has been put in place because off style and system he plays and the ex barca academy boys in back room staff say there must be new players so how does Carragher spearing downing flanagan kelly kuyt maxi henderson even carroll who had good finish to season. fit his style and is his very low budget also mean much the same as last year.?

  4. Spearing should be sold. He was average at best last season and for many truly woeful. You can not argue that he has not been given a chance as he has had plenty of first team football over Te last two seasons. We need to cut him loose and get a decent DM in quick as cover for Lucas. Spearing is not the future for us.

  5. I don’t see it as going overboard, as Rodgers managed to get the second lowest market value squad in the league to a mid table position after being promoted via the play offs with a weak side.

    He is style of play and man management resulted in creating a team that punched way above their weight, whereas Kenny bought players to try and fit into a style and ended up punching below their weight.

    If Rodgers can get better players to play his style and systems Champions League football will be achieved. Ask any top Manager about him – he is exactly what Liverpool need and what Chelsea and Arsenal (once Wenger retires) will miss.

    Aquilani does not want to live in England, he hated it hence why he begged to move to Italy and why Italian sides will not pay big money for him because they know he will only play in Italy so they dont have to bid big money. Aqualini is “waiting for Liverpool” as he wants to know if they will accept a £4m piss take of a bid from his beloved AC Milan!

    Rodgers has a vast scouting network and knows most of the up and coming players in Europe, you can expect bids for a couple of players in the Ducth league and a couple from La Liga. All young players with great technical ability and the 2 wide players will have pace.

  6. It’s hard to pass the ball with a… boner. It’s hard to head the ball with a… boner. It’s hard to save a shot with a… boner. It’s hard to make a tackle with a… boner. Bah bu bah bah. Bah bu bah bah. Bah bu bah bah. You shouldn’t sell players with a… boner. You shouldn’t buy players with a… boner. You shouldn’t celebrate with a… boner. You shouldn’t interview with a… boner. Bah bu bah bah. Bah bu bah bah. Bah bu bah bah. Rodgers is the right man!

  7. Aqualani is not going to stay, he wants Italy. Did we not look into this situation when he signed. Prob on 80k a week and 16 m wasted. Hope we stop wasting money that could and should have taken us forward. £110 m last season. Many millions before that. It’s annoying especially when newcastle unearth pap cisse, demba ba, cabaye, Ben arfa. Chelsea got Marin for under £10m. Bayern got ahead of the game for shaqiri of Basel. All of these players would improve our squad in hindsight

  8. I hope we show some ambition in transfer market. Enrique needs competition. Vargas at fiorentina would be good. Can play LW too. Aly cissoko at Lyon. Mussachio (CB) at Villarreal. Creative composed and skilful midfielders are missing- spearing Adam downing, kuyt and maxi sold . Eriksen of ajax is a skilful talented player. Affelay is worth a punt- loan to buy. Tello of Barcelona also worth a look. Bojan at Roma. There are plenty out there and cheaper than English players.

  9. Oh Lucas can’t be expected to come back strong ASAP. Keita has been released so must surely go for him ?!!!!! And moussa sissoko of Toulouse or kwado asamoah of udinese

  10. For everybody who continues to say that we’ll do automatically everything better because Rodgers did well with Swan, http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luigi_Delneri … manage a top club is another thing and one season means a little…the only decision without risks was Rafa, i ask one thing, they sacked KD because of no champions league, now if we’ll not reach it even this year? good luck BR

    1. Has Luigi Delneri worked with Mourinho? Studied at Barcelona,Valancia and Sevilla? Learnt from the Dutch master Rinus Michels?
      Fans are positive because they have listened to and read up on Rodgers and watched an ordinary group of players at Swansea of lower league players and misfits play like Barcelona putting his learning into practice.

      1. No at all three questions but he did better than Rodgers since he finished season in 5th place playing also the best football in Italy (they called that “Chievo miracle”), and he did that without working with Mourinho (which is a defensive manager) or studying Barca since you can’t copy that (Barca is something you can’t copy, because it’s not only about players, it’s everything that others can’t emulate, and the most important players are the ones of la cantera…)

  11. Pass and move?

    Isn’t that what all the football teams are doing? Or they are all using drop and roll?

  12. To put it in simple words, all we need are 3 players…A winger…Probably ADAM Johnson, a striker like Demba ba or Cisse, and finally a creative player like sigurdsson…we can get the three of them for 25 Mio Pounds…Loan out Henderson , Sell Kuyt and Maxi , and strt bellamy in every game…Get Aqua back for Europa league…if we are near the top 4 come dec, we can attract world class players in Jan..Im sure FSG will spend if they feel we can make it to the top 4 come Jan13….So Dear Brendon, you knw ur the man incharge, just get those 2-3 players, plz dont overpay and get us back to whr we belong.

    1. IN Affelay (-8M) Sigurdsson (-7M) Soldado (-15M) Keita (-3M) Sterling (0)

      OUT Maxi (+4M) Kuyt (+1M) Cole (+5) Carragher (0)

      LOAN Henderson, Shelvey

  13. One player from the reserves which you missed is Teixeira who I reckon could find himself in the first team squad a head of Coady,Henderson,Spearing and Shelvey having already learnt a short passing game at Sporting which he demonstrated in the Next Gens competition.
    Also Toni Silva could find a place on the right wing as well a direct running winger who his physically ready for the Premier League.

    1. Excellent point, well spotted. Quite relevant given the possibility that Rodgers would favour good talent to play regardless how old it is…

  14. Interesting debate but let’s get certain things straight here.
    1. Why do we automatically assume Kenny was sacked because of no Champions League? I have a friend who lives in Washington DC area and she predicted Kenny was a goner the evening of the man u away game. What she said to me then was that the whole Suarez affair was hurting the ‘LFC Brand’ (I don’t like the term either) and Kenny’s reaction to the whole mess was likely to see him sacked. Says an awful lot whe PR is more important than football but I’ll bet if we finish 8th next seasonn Brendan won’t get sacked.
    2. We don’t know what system our new manager will play but for arguements sake lets match up with his Swansea team. He did very well to replace the Wolves bench bound De Vries with Michael Vorm but he had 3 expiercened GK’s in Vorm, Tremmell and Moreira, so it’s possible he may keep Doni and Jones. He wanted his full backs to play with attacking intent and was prepared to give youth a chance. What does this mean for us? Well I believe he’ll geive both Kelly and Robinson a number of chances. He’ll want his centre backs to play their way out of trouble so Daniel Agger will be a key player if he keeps to his Swansea philosophy and I’d imagine Coates will also be given chances. What will also be interesting to see is what happens to Danny Wilson? It will be intresting to see what he makes of our midfield, I disagree with some as I’d get as much as I could for Adam and Spearing, however key to the Swansea philosophy was Leon Brittan who Rodgers brought back to Swansea. Given Rodgers preference for a player who dictates from the base of the midfield, a la Alonso, it might be that Adam will get a 2nd chance. Ithink Lucas will be eased in and our captain will be the attacking appex of the diamond. I would imagine Shelvey will get chances and despite the negativity I expect Henderson will hae a big player for us next year if played in centre midfield. If Aqualini stays, highly doubtful given his preference to stay in Italy, he would be a useful addition to our midfield. Where I disagree totally with Marco is this “we should take into account that Rodgers may not have need of traditional wingers, since his tactics generally rely on width from the fullbacks, or “wide forwards”. I’d like to ask Marco how closely did he look at Brendan’s Swansea? As a Welshman (born in the same hospital as the great Ian Rush) I take an interest in all the Welsh teams in the English system so I can talk a bit about Swansea. Brendan signed Routledge, an out and out winger, and regularly played Dyer again an out and out winger althoughyou could call Sinclair a wide forward. What does this mean for us? Well it’s possible Suarez will play as a wide forward, but unless Brendan (how long before we call him Buck? For anyone born after 1980 look it up) signs 2 wide players Downing will stay, he can’t be that poor again. However anyone who thinks that Joe Cole will fit in out wide, this will break with his Swansea days were he played with pacy widemen. The obvious area that needs strengthening is up front although if we take the Swansea model we’ll play with one man up top, if we take Swansea as an example this frontman will be a target man so unlike others I believe Carroll will be a key man for the new LFC. However it seemed blinding obvious that we needed a poacher and I expect this to be sorted. So I’d expect 3 or 4 additions this summer.

    1. Very fair points. I did think about Sinclair, Routledge and Dyer while researching this piece, but my take on it was that Rodgers may need to change how he looks at things with the squad he inherits at Liverpool, since he has only one (arguably, of course) “traditional winger”. The way I interpret his possible tactics, Rodgers may prefer width from fullbacks, and get more success applying a Suarez & someone else in wide forward play. I agree Downing is unlikely to go, but I certainly think the wide forward approach would be the best way to get great performances out of our best player.

      Great points raised, thanks for the commentary :)

  15. i like the fact that Brendan came along with his 1st team coach Colin Pascoe, match analyst chris davies, an conditioning expert Glen Driscoll who will help out with academy.IT A GOOD SIGN. if he sells atleast 4 players and bring in 5 new signings it will be an exciting team to watch. Liverpool fans cant wait to lift the premier league trophy. it has been long. The Journey haz started. YNWA.

  16. For What its worth i think Liverpool could easily dispose of the services of Maxi Kuyt Johnson Cole Aqualani Spearing Pepe and Suarez and before anyone starts having a go i will give reasoning behind it all

    For me Pepe last year played like a player who would rather be elsewhere and if that is so then it would always be better if he was allowed to go as you cant keep a keeper who wants to be elsewhere IMO we have two other decent keeps who can do a job for us and he would bring in a massive fee to boot

    Suarez for everything that is brilliant about him as a footballer the end product isnt there as a striker you need to be scoring goals if you look at the leading goal scoring charts there are plenty ahead of our strikers add to this that a lot o people lost there jobs because of his racisim spat and he cant be the only one from it all that survives this episode plus the money he would command would be above what we paid for him

    Johnson is a graet player who has missed almost half a season every year through injury he is on 90k plus a week and we have Flannagan and Kelly who can both play in that position it allows a decent incoming fee and frees up a massive chunk of wages

    Cole he is on massive wages is an older player prone to injuries and would still bring in a nice fee

    Aqualani has made it clear he doesnt want to be here and you cant even give him away if he can be either sold or loanded out for a fee plus his wage then it has to be done big wage player who doesnt want to be here simple as that

    kyut and Maxi fall into the same bracket massive wages for older players who cant command a first team place and would still bring in small fees but free up a large amount in wages

    Spearing isnt able to do the job Lucas does on his own wouldnt get in any other top teams midfield and if wasnt a local lad would have been on his way before now

    you can add other names to this list if you like or need to bring in the cash needed to bring in quality hijacking Swanseas deal for the Icelandic lad would be a good first move he scores goals and wee saw how well he can play last season and would be an upgrade to our midfield

    Our problem is we have to much mediocrity in the squad on massive wages who have been second or third choice buys because we have missed our top targets what we need to do is shift them on and only by for the first team no one for the sqaud that is what the reserves are for and why we spend so much money on youth players if we move the mediocre player s on there will be nothing stopping these good kids comming through together Two strikers 1 midfield player 1 left back and 1 winger would do it for me and im sure it could be done this season it also allows the manager to have his own stamp on the first team with the sales of the players mentioned i would recon with the money available ontop of that you could do that no bother at all as for the manager he plays good football the way we all want our team to play if he does that from day one he will win around the doubters amongst the fans anyone who doesnt want him to win every game isnt a supporter of my club

  17. 1) You don’t learn how to be a natural goalscorer you are born that way!

    2)Enrique was a top class sprinter as a kid and could of had a career as an athlete but chose football. As far as fullbacks go he is probably in the top ten fastest in the world. Ramirez was very fast but he gassed after an hour so I reckon his Adrenlin gave a boost early in the game where as enrique was suffering from burn out after playing too many games. Aurellio Robinson were often injured so not much chance of rotation.

  18. We need to sign someone like Lucas but who can actually pass a ball. Adam can pass but needs too much time on the ball and can’t tackle for tofee. Lucas can tackle has a good engine but can’t pass. Regardless of how good people say Lucas is, he just seems like a pair of lungs on legs.

    Q. Which is the odd one out in this sequence:

    Souness, McMahon, Gerrard, Lucas.

  19. Wish people would stop slating Reina, he is awesome… Why don’t people talk about the shite players who allowed opposition the chance of going 1 on 1 with the keeper… Watch the games – its the outfield players bought in that are shite.

    1. Blame the lengthy absence of Lucas for that. Spearing filled in the gaps a couple of times, but Jay’s just not of the right standard to keep that job on a more consistent basis.

      1. Blackwog, you are symptomatic of the reason LFC have gone so far backwards over the past couple of decades. Cappello ? brilliant manager on the continent, couldn’t make himself clear to the best English players in the country, wouldn’t learn English properly even for £7m per year. Why do you think he would bother to learn or understand LFC ideals and traditions, or evenanything more than basic English for us? Van Gaal ? great track record, would have less language issues but falls out regularly with his employers (look up his track record) and is ,like Cappello, the opposite of FSG’s vision of a young , forward thinking coach- football is changing, the brightest stars are no longer the old established hands, but the new breed Mourinho, Pep Guadiola, Klopp etc > are you thinking long term, or just the next season or two? AVB had his chance to do for Chelsea what we need our coach to do for us now and look how he tried to achieve that…

        As for laughing at the statement about playing like Barcelona- you might want to learn to appreciate what that means before you show yourself to be a complete idiot. Nobody is saying his team is as ood as Barca, it’s the style that’s being compared- sweeper keeper, attacking full-backs, high retention, tiki taka passing style pressing game when not in possession etc etc All points lost on you I guess, hence your attempt to ridicule. By the way, Swansea had NO superstars, and didn’t attempt to buy them, were hotly tipped for instant relegation, yet gave many a side a footballing lesson on their way to 11th position. The likes of Cappello always demand huge transfer budgets to achieve their results.

        Oh, and by the way, your not fooling anybody with that offensive name, cave man. Says a lot about you……

  20. So what everyone is saying is that he plays like Barca, ha,ha,ha,ha. Don’t get me wrong i have no choice but to pray he does well and proves every critic wrong (including me) but hang on doesn’t LVG, Capello and yes even AVB (if you read his footballing philosophy) all play attacking football, not to mention they have all managed bigger clubs than Rodgers and have produced, so for my experience does make a difference, it’s just like most things in life you learn from experience.
    I pray i am wrong but this was a huge mistake, by FSG anyone can talk the talk and yes Swansea did finish in a very good position in the league, but sometimes that’s it people can only take a team so far, so as for anything outside of UK he will fail miserable because he, no matter what you people think, played nothing like Barcelona so stop kidding yourselves and wake up.

  21. Gaston Ramirez, Ibrahim Afellay, Ryad Boudebouz, Gylfi Sigurðsson, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Luuk de Jong

  22. Lucas cant pass and Adam can? What planet are you on.

    Adam’s passing rate has been below 80% for us, displaying when playing for a top team at a high tempo, he couldnt do it. Lucas on the other hand had both our highest completion rate and most passes rate in his last full season.

    The problem is in England everybody wants to see 80 yard cross field balls – Lucas learn the game in Brazil and imo, the right way. Short passes, keep possession and keep the ball moving. It’s also the way Barca play. Lucas’ passing will suit Rodgers to a tee.

  23. What surprises me about Liverpool is I’d expect such a large organization to have an institutional style of play that everything else centers on. Academy development, player signings and managerial hirings.

    They have looked anything but that in the recent years.

    It’s almost as if they are chasing their tail and have become a perpetual rebuilding team.

  24. Rodgers simply won’t have the freedom to do in Liverpool what he did at Swansea.

    Swansea is a team that was supposed to be relegated (as are most team that are newly promoted), so the style of play didn’t matter. The best form of defense is an offense when you have nothing to lose.

    Liverpool is a team that is supposed to contend for CL places if not the Premiership every season. They simply don’t have class of players that can play that style and contend as expected.

  25. I personally think that Andy Carroll is ideal for this style of play he is the same type of player as an Ibrahimovic but nowhere near as lazy. In one season at Barcelona Ibrahimovic got 16 goals and 9 assists.

    For me having a big strong front man to hold up, lay off the ball and aim any deep crosses from the wing backs at is of huge benefit in this style of football.

    It can make him the tip of the spear in a 4-2-3-1 formation that can utilize inverted wingers(Rahim Sterling comes to mind) play Suarez behind Carroll and have Gerrard and Lucas in the engine room.

    Just my opinion but i see no reason why that line-up couldn’t be successful

  26. I think liverpool shud sign adam johnson(8m), sidgursson(7m), affelay(8m), kjear(10m), mvilla(15m), moutinho(20m), boudebouz(10m), soldado/negredo(15m).they shud sell downing, spearing, maxi(too old), cole. They shud bring aquillani and pacheco back from loan.
    The team: total spend £93 million is a lot but could sell downing for 10m and also spearin for 3m and maxi for 2m but, this has to be invested in order to get back to the top

    Reina
    Johnson. Skrtel. Agger. Enrique

    Mvilla. Aquillani.

    Gerrard.

    Suarez. Soldado. Johnson.

    Rest of squad: Doni, Jones, Coates, kjer, kelly, carragher, flannagan, robinson, moutinho, lucas,henderson, shelvey, affelay, boudebouz, carrol, Pacheco

    This team should finish top 3 every year

  27. I at first thought you knew what you were talking about however you lost me at “While Spearing is a good squad player with a great attitude”.

    Comedy Hour at empire of the kop…lol

  28. totally agree with giving the kids more of a run, more game time for flanagan, robinson, shelvey, sterling etc not only gives them more experience, but adds to the squad depth and is a much cheaper option than buying.

  29. Excellent comments and insights.The speculation with regard to Rogers is just that speculation. No one and I mean no one knows how he will cope with what is now probably the hardest job in the PL. Changes need to be made without doubt. Many current players need discarding new young and most of all brave players need to be recruited.For what it is worth these are my thoughts;
    Goalkeepers– Further season for Pepe and Doni,jettison others.
    Defence– Carra to step down,passing is shocking puts other defenders under pressure/on edge. Central defenders- Kelly,Agger,Skertl not sure about Coates-spell in championship or for lower level PL club might be in order.4th CH required.
    Full backs Johnson, Enrique (benefit of doubt)are the only 2 capeable players in squad–Flanagan needs expirience,shame about Aurelio,1 if NOT 2 full backs required eg Victor Sanchez from Spain.

    Midfield–where do you start?
    In the squad-Gerrad,Lucas,Henderson,Shelvey. Not up to the required standard-Downing,Spearing.
    Leaving Maxi (underused over the years),Kuyt,Cole.
    Unsure about Aquillani and Adam.My gut feeling is that Aquallani has some class about him and is by far more technically gifted than most in squad.I believe that Adam thought that he had arrived when signing at L’pool and since that date he hasn’t really performed. I would probably use him as squad player (hopefully Rogers will tell him that he needs to liven up)IF another season he continues in the same form then get rid.

    Into the squad comes Sterling.
    1 or possibly 2 signings required. Players similar to Dembele/Siguardson etc and a left sided player.

    Finally strikers; Suarez,Carroll,Bellamy agree with the columnist re type of fourt striker required-one with pace and touch preferably someone like Moses (Wigan).
    Rogers has a great deal to think about,my head is spinning after typing this e-mail.
    Hopefully there will be some right decisions made

  30. Talk, Talk, Talk…That’s all it is. Let BR get on with work and the players give 110%. If they can’t do this then no matter who we sign, the team will fail. Swansea finished 11th and gave most big clubs a fight because the players had determination and a ‘never say die’ attitude. That’s what we need. It is more pertinent to have this mind set than some multi-million pound signing performing poorly. I hope Henderson, Adam, Carroll and Enrique understand this!

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