The list below is Liverpool’s current squad. This is my take on what to do with what we have!
• 1. Jones (third keeper)
• 2. Johnson (keep – 1st choice right back)
• 3. Enrique (keep – 1st choice left back)
• 5. Agger (keep – 1st choice centre back)
• 7. Suarez (keep – 1st choice striker)
• 8. Gerrard (keep – 1st choice offensive midfielder)
• 9. Carroll (keep – 1st choice striker)
• 11. Maxi (sell – 31 and counting)
• 14. Henderson (loan/sell – give him another season?!?)
• 16. Coates (keep – first choice centre back alternative)
• 18. Kuyt (sell – 32 this summer – best to cash in)
• 19. Downing (keep – give him another season)
• 20. Spearing (loan)
• 21. Lucas (keep – 1st choice holding midfielder)
• 22. Wilson (loan)
• 23. Carragher (assistant manager)
• 25. Reina (keep – 1st choice keeper)
• 26. Adam (keep – give him another season – Aquilani alternative)
• 30. Suso (promote to 1st team)
• 31. Sterling (promote to 1st team)
• 32. Doni (second keeper – he should play all the domestic cup games)
• 33. Shelvey (keep – give him more playing time – alternate with Gerrard)
• 34. Kelly (keep)
• 35. Coady (promote to 1st team)
• 36. Eccleston (loan/sell)
• 37. Skrtel (keep – 1st choice centre back)
• 38. Flanagan (loan)
• 39. Bellamy (keep – 1st choice striker)
• 40. Gulasci (loan – too promising to burn on the bench)
• 41. Wisdom (reserves captain)
• 49. Robinson (loan)
• Amoo (loan/sell)
• Aquilani (give him another go – 1st choice midfield)
• J.Cole (sell/release)
• Darby (loan)
• Pacheco (loan/sell)
The personal assessment above will illustrate my view that the squad is objectively decent but the tactics were shabby! I’d give Aquilani another go if he wants to come back as we could have done with his vision and technique had we convinced him to stay; instead we opted and insisted with Hendo…….OMG! I’ve would opt for Sterling, Coady and Suso to be promoted permanently to the first team! Reluctantly I’d let Kuyt go and I would move Carragher to the assistant or co-assistant manager’s position. This will also slim the squad down to around 22 players and reduce the wage bill, apart from making space for some new signings.
I do not think we need new signings for defense; we are very well sorted in that department! We need another good holding midfielder, an attacking midfielder if the prodigal son does not come back, and an explosive right winger which I’ve identified in a very realistic target: Adam Johnson! Alternatively Theo Walcott if he is unhappy with his part-time role at Arsenal. He is still 23 and a confessed Liverpool fan (I heard someplace). Bellamy and Downing to alternate on the left!
Okay, I’ve already placed myself on the firing line….so fire away at will! No swear words please!!!!!!
I think I agree with everything except Henderson. I think he started brightly, but KK played him out of position too often and then the fans got on his back and he retreated into his shell playing only simple passes with no offensive guile.
Towards the back end though he started to look a bit more confident and was unlucky not to score a few crackers.
Definitely deserves time in much the same way Lucas needed.
I agree on most things, but one thing i don’t get is why you want to keep Downing but not Henderson.
Henderson is still young and got potential, but Downing is supposed to be on top of his career but have delivered nothing at all.
Would be glad if we signed Adam Johnson and kept Downing, as a squad player. Maybe he will deliver what we know he can do, maybe he won’t. But if he doesnt we need quality replacements.
No thank you to Walcott. No more average players. We have depth, now we need quality. Bring in a few but quality offensive signings, and we will be good to go.
It does appear to be very popular to pick on Henderson now doesn’t it. The guy has talent, don’t write him off just yet.
One person mentions something about Henderson,which if you watched liverpool all season was pretty obvious he has been hyped up within the game and is such a limited player,then all these hendo protectors come out of the woodwork to defend him,Henderson seems to have some kind of strange fan base which most def is not based on his playing prowess,Henderson should be one of the first out the door along with Downing,But he won’t be…he will be here next season still as he seems to be the new Golden boy for England.
good tonio I’m agree with yoy perhaps sell aquilani and keep joe cole who made good things in lille
I’m with you 95% buddy, for the Ins and Outs.
But I would keep Joe Cole for a last chance til January.
I would tend to agree with your choices. Would love to have kept Maxi and Kuyt as they are match winners, but you have a point that with their age we might as well cash in.
What do you mean with cashing in on Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt? They would leave either for free or for a very low transfer fee (£1 m has been mooted for Dirk). Not sure whether we should (or indeed can) keep Maxi, however Dirk is worth every £ of his wages and should only be left go when he is too old to play top level football (and even then I would keep him to train our youngsters – with an example like Dirk Kuyt they can hardly go wrong, the strongest character in the team with the possible exceptions of Stevie, Jamie and Lucas).
Sorry, I meant to say LET go …
U can loan flano and Robinson need lb and rb cover and they r good!
I agree with most, however i believe Henderson is still only very young and has great potential, much more than the likes of Coady.
I also agree that carragher’s time as player is up, but the next manager should be able to pick his assistant, maybe he should have a go at managing a lower divison team, then come back up?
Coates needs more first team football however, so maybe even a short loan spell could do him good, i cannot see wilson ever making it into the starting 11.
Are weakest area has to be the Right wing though, kuyt is to old now, we need somebody like Walcott, or Johnsonn, maybe even Krasic.
Fair assessment of the players.
I would sell
Maxi
Henderson
Spearing
Aquilani
Kuyt
Adam
Ecclestone
Promote
Suso
Sterling
Coady
BUY
Adam Johnson OR Iker Muniain (Keep Downing as cover)
Nigel De Jong (in case Lucas Struggles to get back into shape)
Cavani (break the bank!!)
Dream line up next year
GK Reina/Doni/Jones
LB Enrique/Flanagan
CB Agger/Coates
CB Skrtel/Carra
RB Johnson/Kelly
LM Sterling/Bellamy
CDM Lucas/De Jong
CM Gerrard/Shelvey
RM A. Johnson (Muniain)/Downing
CF Suarez/Cole
ST Cavani/Carroll
Sterling is too young to play first team yet, he has the ability, but he is physically to weak at this current time, he could be severely injured, which would ruin him long time,
I think Cavani is an unrealisic target also
Danny agreed with regards Sterling, however keeping hold of Downing and Bellers, give us the option to play them on either side! They are flexible like that! So it could be Downing Starting with Sterling coming on, or Bellers, etc.
As for Cavani, it might be unrealistic, however never underestimate the pulling power of fellow countrymen Suarez & Coates! you never know mate!!
But i would love it!! :)
Flanagan is a rb! You thinking of Robinson?
Sell Enrique!!! seriously??? are you on this planet???
reina mistakes that made us conceded silly goal .it must be the first to sell,followed by enrique,henderson,adam,downing,the new manager must promote the young gun to more first team football. must buy five or six players who have flair,vision,speed,thecnic and good dribling capacity.
All this will be irrelevant if we get rogers as manager. i am slowly beginning to accept we are now a mid table team. anyone who yearns for Champions league football should think again. we have more cowboys running the show!
I agree. I am started to accept that even if we sell the dead wood, and players like Carroll and Downing who are never going to be really top end players, we are still facing a squad that is mid table. Unless they spend HUGE sums on players this summer another top 8 finish beckons sadly. No width, to goals, no creativity and goals from midfield.
And now the crappy yank owners are managing to persuade the fans that he was our first choice as manager…and guess what..most are swallowing it.This club is in serious trouble on the field next season unless we sign at least 4-5 world class players,but it will not happen as these owners are just on the make and want it done on the cheap.
We need to clear out all the dead wood and make buys that will improve the speed and mobility of the team. One of the reasons why we failed to break down oponents
My take on that was more due to tactics than anything. We kept attacking in the same way over and over again and our opponents quickly learnt how to take counter measures!
I think we should keep Henderson. Give him another go. I agree with you about Walcott. We could use his speed. But I think we don’t need another holding midfielder. We need a playmaker who can make a difference. Like Ozil.
Nice post; Enjoyed this…
Danny sterling is 17 like owen he can start on the bench now he needs experience
Some realistic comments here, however I disagree with the comments about Henderson, Dean sums it up nicely, started OK then retreated, when played back in position in the latter parts of the season he improved again. Lets not forget he is a young lad in a new team with heaps of pressure on his shoulders. Give him time.
Adam should be sold, a prem side will want him and we wont take too much of a hit. Downing is a difficult one, not good enough in reality, I believe, to help us push forward, but can see us having the funds to improve in these areas. I would like Adam Johnson though, he cant be happy sitting warming the bench on a weekly basis.
Fair comments, some players were played out of their position by KK, Downing has to go, He is a crap, Don`t buy buy English players for this season There are enough sub standard players in the squard
Hugely agree with using Aquilani.. also agree with Mik.. Break the bank for Cavanni! Henderson should only be playing when we are operating 3 in midfield (in a defensive 4-3-3), as the second anchor, with Lucas, otherwise Aquilani Gerrard ahead of Lucas in a holding role, for attacking games.
I’m glad you’re not our new manager. We need someone much more radical. Basically we need someone to realise that the vast majority of players we have are just plain sub-standard, starting with the error-prone goalkeeper. The reason we lost at home to teams like West Brom and Fulham –
not to mention all the other dreadful results – is because the players are just not good enough.Nowhere near. Johnson and Enrique are terribly ordinary. Henderson is not even ordinary – he’s nowhere near Premier league standard. Adam is a hopeless disappointment. etc etc. You seem to be suggesting we just need a little bit of touching up here and there – no way! We need at least eight new good players. And, sadly, that is not going to happen.
So you suggest we put people like Carroll, Downing and Henderson on the market. How much would be recoup from the Stg 75 million spent on them! A new manager might, just might, give them a new impetus and they might, just might, perform! I am saying, not suggesting, that perhaps with different tactics and a more modern approach to our game plan these players and a few touch ups could perform! That is what I am saying and that is my view.
Who cares,they are rubbish and are wrecking the team,I support liverpool fc not hendo,downing etc…Money they earn..they should be running through walls..but most of the time they just dont move full stop as to regards to going forward.
Tend to agree 100% with MIK, Coates is quality in so many way, as is Stirling love to get Cavani as he and Surez would excel together really don’t see Hendo progressing don’t know why just dosnt seem like there is enough glimpses of brilliance to say he will succeed. Cant wait to see stirling and suso playing together and would like to see how Pacheco would play along side them. Just hope this current circus of unwanted media attenion to our beloved club turns 360 in the next week or so into great signings and stability to which we haunt had for along time now. YNWA
Leave Hendo alone, he has potential, he is only 20/21 played one season for Sunderland and then £18m put him into one of the biggest names in European club football. Never known LFC ‘supporters’ so negative against one of their own players. Look how Carroll turned the corner after playing in position and quite regular. Give Henderson the same chance.
Cannot believe most mention get rid of Hendo before that god awful player …. Spearing. Wow if that is Liverpool 1st team, we really have no chance at all..EVER.
Release Spearing, before doing anything else.
I did say ‘loan him out’ re Spearing! :-(
Anyones thoughts on John Tosack as manager?
The turkish meaning for toshack pretty much sums him up as a manager “B******s”
Would that be the Toshack that won the Spanish League and cup with REAL MADRID?
Took Swansea from the 4th to the 1st Division?
Toshack is to old now but would have been a better choice then Souness!!!!!
Think you owe Toshack an apology!!!!!!!
20 years to late! Good enough for Real Madrid but turned us down in 1991!
Toshack sorry.lol
I dont think the club should concentrate on signing players as much as speculated. We should otherwise think about playing to our players strengths and using the younger talents. Sterling should get more playing time as he provides natural width on the left wing where he can alternate with bellamy. Suso should also move up into the first team and get some pitch time. His pace and enchant can be a threat to opposing defences during the final satges of the game when they are tired, and at the same time providing the likes of Suarez time to rest and reduce fatigue. Shelvey is more than ready to take the mantle and step up into Gerrards shoes and be our attacking mid. Henderson showed a bit of what he can be during tha last few games so I think we should give him another chance we all know what Kelly and Coates can produce so they should play more often.
To cut the long story short we have ALOT of potential in the squad and all we need to do is to get good management that will have tactics to suit the squad and look foward to a fruitful 2012/2013.
YNWA.
Spearing has the heart of a Lion and loves our team with a passion all players should have playing for Liverpool but unfortunately i don’t think he has the skill to progress much further for LFC, i think he would suit a West Ham team perfectly.
dreadful,
keep maxi over a rubbish downing, loan out darby when its clear he has no future, keep adam who is slower and less effective then shelvey?
Loan wilson, you must be crazy he is just pure dogshite, how many more loans do you wnat , coates is better and carragher is not doen and with agger and skrtel he is all done at lfc.
You’d get shot of kuyt would you, why? when bellamy cant play back to back games, and suarez cant do it all on his own, carroll is getting better, but why sell kuyt, its not as if we are going to get million any way is it?
Why would you loan out 3 top young players in spearing, flanno and robinson whne next year we have many games and these kids will learn by playing in the europa league.
think your clueless to be fair
Always appreciate the thoughts of a voice out of the crowd. My view yes, clueless perhaps not.
i would sell
henderson – if you count all his best bits of season you wouldnt get 90 mins carnt tackle,doesnt track apposing players and 90% of his passers are sidewards or back. one of the main reasons we couldnt breakdown packed defences of the so called lower teams
adams – as above but hes slow and a 1 trick pony = long ball to opposite side of pitch ,new alonso my arse
downing – puts his defenders in trouble as they carnt move forward cos he just fires the ball straight back at them everytime
these 3 players who were suppose to hit the ground running have been nothing short of shocking and a waste of nearly 50m
sell them as soon as poss and buy 2 of de jong, strootman , banega or lassa diara then get canavi to play along side suarez my team would be –
reina
skrtel coates agger
johnson de jong banega/strootman enrique
gerrard/j cole
suarez cavani
subs doni, kelly,lucas,j cole, maxi, carol
i know i am playing wingback but i believe there wouldnt be enuff money to buy 2 class wingers aswell as the above so buy them the season after, also this would get the best out of joe cole and gerrard .also bring sterling and suso into the team when possible
Hendo needs more time.soon he will be among the generals in the middle of the field.
Funny people on here want to keep Cole when we all know that in a few months the same people want him dead and gone.
Cole should only stay if he takes a cut in his wages, wich he wont, but i honestly don’t believe he should be paid as a key player, when he can’t get into the starting lineup.
Agree pretty much but: i’ll give a chance to Pacheco, he was the best for Spain in the europeans two years ago, he will surely do better than Maxi or Joe Cole, loan Henderson, he needs to play (in the right position…) but he’s not ready, bench or sell Downing and Adam, they’re not good enough for a top club, they play in two very important positions and there we simply need better, Carra is fine as player, as assistant, not a problem, that said i think we need two or three players (important players), but it depends of who’ll be the manager…if he’ll play with 4-4-2, 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 (as i hope), our defence is ok (maybe i would try to see if Abala of Bayern is available, Enrique is the weak part of our defence), but what we need most are a playmaker like Luis Gustavo or an all around midfielder with good passing like Schweinsteiger, than an offensive talent, could be a wing like Krasic, Douglas Costa or Adam Johnson, but also a striker with speed who can play a little bit wide like Higuain or Neymar
Obviously bring back Rafa first DEAR GOD!!! (or Pep)
I’d defo take Adam Johnson and he is very much a realistic target.
Liverpool have a decent side and for me we need pace and a change in tactics. Last season the tactics were all wrong.
Loool at Selven Downing is a crap
My main worry is the selection of the new manager. So it appears Martinuz and Rogers are the two options…eeehh, I don’t know, both seem to be to much of a gamble. To me it appears the vision is not the top anymore but just the middle of the table. Martinuz and Rodgers, I just do not know!
We are a great clud and we need a top manager, tried and tested, we do not have the luxury to gamble at this point. Come on Fanway!!!!
One manager may be more appealing than another, he might even have more pedigree, but success is never guaranteed. The risk element, higher or lower, is always there!
I hate it to see that so call pepe-reina in the goal post, he is the reason we are so down, alexander-doni deserves to be the 1st choice goal-keeper. Jamie-carragher should plzzzzzzzz retire to give the lifes of sebastian-coates a more playing time, he is a good lad. Flanagan, spearing, robinson shuld be loan out, hendo a very short loan wuld help him. Rodriguez has got a reliable talent, sterling shld be promoted, shelvy is gerrad successor, sign de jong of man city, adam-johnson of man city and jackson-martinez, bring back our misfit and creativity, talking about the handsome italian man- alberto-aquilani.
Bring back Rafa is the best solution!!!
Charlie-Adam has got similarities to alonso.
Except for Agger, Suarez,Pepe and Stevie none of the others would be in any of the top four first team. Kenny was given money to change that but gathered four more average players such as Downing, Henderson, Adam and Doni. These players have not improved the team and Kenny paid the price. Now Liverpool needs another four outstanding foreign players but FSG do not look like they are going to part with any more funds. Chelsea goes for Hulk and Eden Hazard and Liverpool are after Diame and Deffoe. That is the reality of Liverpool at the moment, a mid table team , whose owners are clueless of the Premier League. All the fuss about a long list of managers being considered for the Liverpool position and now it seems that there are only two left, Martinez and Rodgers. Is there any Liverpool fan who is excited about next season? Don’t think any top manager wants to come to Liverpool with the way Kenny was treated by the owners. Without funds how is Luis Van Gaal going to bring in top players. Can’t see how it is going to work, one man buys the players and the other must fit in the players into his plans and style of play. This is heading for disaster from day one. Not looking forward to the new season, anyone else feeling the same.
Really honest post here.i must agree.
I agree with Kuyt going (too much water under the brige), but would like to keep one of Cole/Maxi as they are ‘clever’ type players who can unlock a defence, and different to what we have. Another R winger – I’d certainly agree and go for Adam Johnson, who not only is good enough IMHO, but not getting enough games at City.
Defence I’d pretty much keep as is AND (shock horror) still use Jamie’s experience to play with Coates or Wilson in the Cups.
Flanno I’d let go (maybe loan but I just don’t think he’ll make it), and Kelly to also be given time at CB, as he may prove to be the best of the ‘new kids’.
Midfield I’d let Spearing go, just not quite good enough, and Adam too. I’d take Aquilani back for the reason muted here – he is different and skillful – and maybe Jonjo and Hendo can be loned out alternatively, giving both game time but not ‘demoting’ either.
Still want another good tackling midfielder to back-up Lucas.
Leaves another striker.
I think that where we are now, to get a good striker who may well be on the bench, who is also prolific when required, and can bring something else than the others. Oh and tried and tested in the premiership. Darren Bent anyone? Think it’d be difficult to get anyone more suited, and I bet he’d come.
I’d sell Spearing. He carries no goal threat and his technical level is too low for a top 4 side. I’d keep Maxi unless his wages are too high. He is one of our better footballers and easily our most composed player in the box. I’d sell Wilson. Coates is miles ahead of him as is Kelly. He has no future.
Henderson needs to come out of his comfort zone. He has a great engine and has a lot more technical ability than he usually shows. He’s not a wide player and he needs to be playing centrally. He is still only 21 years old. If we had paid £5 million we’d have a different view I’m sure. If the new Manager can develop his confidence and get him out of his comfort zone I think he has huge potential.
I have less confidence in Adam than I do in Carroll and Downing to get their acts together. I’m hoping we sign another striker, right winger and creative central midfielder. I would not send Flanagan on loan and use him more often. I prefer him at right back to Kelly who I would start testing in central defence.
I’ll go along with most of the rest apart from putting fewer youngsters in the first team. I’d probably restrict it to 20 minute spells for Coady and Sterling. Hopefully when we are 3-0 up and cruising.
i carnt believe my fellow liverpool fans think henderson is good enuff to pull on a liverpool shirt, we payed 16-20m which is money you should pay for a player who is the finished artical not give him a few more years. by then there will be coady,shelvey and suso pushing for 1st team places. we had alonso and mascherano a few years back now its adams and henderson the worst midfield iv seen in a liverpool shirt. they carnt tackle, mark a player or create space for the forwards.if we dont get some top class midfielders and a forward we will be relying on suarez and gerrard to score and create all the goals . if that is the case i can see us loose are best player in suarez after next season
any players bought sold or loaned will b down 2 the next manager & his tactics & preferences in players & considering no1 knows who that will b this is an exercise in pointlessnes, especially going by the way business the new manager will have no time or money 2 do anything anyway
The manager will be appointed this week and he has three months to shape the squad if he deems it fit to bring in and ship out players. Having said that we went through two winter windows and one full summer window and overhauled half the squad but went a couple of steps backwards rather than forwards. Therefore in this case some luck will not do any harm.
As much I fancy Kenny he didn’t help some of his signings having to pay over the odds to snap them up besides these players aint classy players they are just normal players.Kenny made the owners unwilling to spend more one can imagine acquiring a football club of Liverpool stature made so much money available for spending and the returns is sub-zero.That sort of impression makes the owners skeptical of investing more funds as they are vibrant and shrewd businessmen.Let’s see whom is going to be our next manager and let’s get behind him and have a good crack at the new season.Kenny would have helped Henderson the more only if he had played him on consistent basis in his prefered position but Kenny chose otherwise
However i don’t think big names will come with Rogers, Martinez or my uncle, but with Rafa or Pep that would be different…but FSN knows what they’re doing, so the responsibility is their, obviously i hope we’ll do a good season but for me a lot depends on the manager issue and right now i’m pretty dubious about those two…we’ll see…
Nice post; agree with most of your thoughts. However, I don’t think our squad is that good with the current bunch – we need at least 2 major signings to be competitive for top 4 – 1 winger & a backup striker. If Acqua is not willing to come back, then we ‘ll need a CM as well.
In my assessment Downing, Adam & Bellami (For his age, rather than anything should be off-loaded/sold. My dream squad ‘ll be (4-2-3-1, or 4-2-1-3)- I don’t think Carroll can play with Suarez in a 2 striker formation.
Pepe
Johnson, Agger, Skartel, Enrique
Lucas, Acqualini (Or de Jong if Acqua doesn’t return)
SG
Adam Johnson, Carroll, Suarez
Though I would love to see Iker Munian & Younus Belhanda in the squad.
I think we need to sell off Aqua, Cole, Kuyt and Maxi. Bring in some youthful players, Joe Allen from Swansea would be a start, Henriksen from Rosenborg I agree with some on Iker Muniain.
Then bring in another forward, Doumbia from CSKA, Lewandowski from Dortmund, Giroud from Montpellier or maybe try and take Adebayor on loan or buy him.
Marvin Martin or Ryad Boudebouz would also make good additions.
Tony,
perfect analysis.couldnt agree more.
i think we are going too be a mid table team again this year. we are going too start the europa league sooner than the rest of the league, which adds a lot of games. i hope the new manager brings in a few more decent players with passion in their bellies as the liverpool team last year looked like scared rabbits in some of the important games. over 100 million wasted last year on 2nd rate players. trying too play like barcelona is ok too say but you need the players too carry it off. swansea finished below liverpool in the league and too hear people talking about them you would have thought they won it. mid table finish for liverpool. benitez was there for the taking with no pay off compensation. will rue the day we got rodgers.