Well, we all know the reason for that, cough, cough.
Liverpool 2024-25 | Definitely winning the EPL well before the end of the season
- Thread starter Sassy Colin
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik (@Rood) and Imran (@Annihilate Now!) talk about the proposed new stadium, season ticket prices, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and all things INEOS after the first year of their co-ownership.
They also discuss back-to-back victories vs. Real Sociedad and Leicester City - was this the best week for Amorim so far?
I think the situation is different with all three players:
Alexander-Arnold - I think he decided to leave when Klopp announced he was going. Out of the clubs hands after that because he'd made his mind up.
Salah - I think he's been offered the same or slightly less to stay for two years (due to his age). He doesn't want to accept that and thinks he's worth more based on the numbers he's putting up. I think based on that, he'll go.
Van Dijk - I think he'll stay.
Big summer coming up. I hope we try and do what we did well early on under Klopp. Go for players who are up and coming/ready to make a step up. Players like Mane, Wijnaldum, Robertson, Matip, Fabinho, Salah. We never do well when we end up in transfer saga's with richer clubs. I think Isak is unrealistic personally given the fee it would take to get Newcastle to consider it.
Assuming we win the league from here, Slot will get a free pass next season to rebuild the side. I'm not expecting a title challenge or to be near that, but top four should be a reasonable target.
Good month for them.
Celebrating a goal in December with the "keep chatting" hand gesture (when the media was talking a lot about him potentially leaving and the fans were asking for answers) now looks a bit weird. That gesture tends to be used to say "look I'm proving you wrong" and it seems like he never intended to so now it just looks like he was saying "I don't care, don't have to tell you, byeee". Not surprised Liverpool fans are unhappy.
Always seems like a right tit whenever he opens his mouth, to be honest.
I dont think they'll miss him to be honest. It'll be hard to replace the creativity and they'll definitely have to adjust their team regardless of what happens with the other two. I just think hes too much of a double edged sword. He's played at full back because he isn't cut out for play in midfield or further forward and he doesn't really care about defending. The cost for his delivery is just way too steep at the highest levels when he's so ordinary in every other regard.
Forgetting the big 3, what do you see happening in the summer? Konate has 12 months left then, has there been any speculation about him? I've seen talk about you possibly looking to punt Jota and or Nunez as well? Diaz likely to stay?
I think Diaz and Nunez will go, as will Tsimikas. I think we'll sign a LB and we need a RB as well. We actually need 5/6 players. It's gone under the radar because we've ran away with the league but the squad outside of Alisson, Alexander-Arnold, Van Dijk & Salah isn't that strong in terms of top quality.
Konate will push to leave if Van Dijk goes which is nuts. Replacing Van Dijk and Konate in one window isn't possible.
I think we'd do well to come 4th next season based on how much work we have to do on the squad.
Seen Liverpool fans on Reddit complaining about the CL format giving no benefit to the winner of the league stage because they had to play PSG. They really are deluded aren't they?
By finishing top they got the advantage of playing the team that finished all the way down in 15th rather than one of the top teams.
7th was also the highest they could have faced in the quarters.
It was just a bad draw, it happens. The group stage was all over the place with Madrid 11th, Bayern 12th but Lille 7th for example, if they had played 14th placed PSV or 16th place Benfica they wouldn't have been crying. PSG really clicked into form a few months ago after a poor start, something very similar could have happened in the previous format where Liverpool top their group on 18 points, and PSG scrape 2nd in their group, they draw in the last 16 and Liverpool lose.
This is what we've been saying all along, btw
You're really selling our midfield short with that one imo. Gravenberch was excellent in the first half of the season before he was ran into the ground, Mac Allister is a top quality player and Szoboszlai has improved over the course of the season as well. Not really in the world class department like the ones you mention are, but nonetheless a good enough midfield core to challenge for the league. Especially Mac Allister.
Yeah you have a strong midfield and Klopp (and the board of course) did brilliant job to replace whole midfield in one summer.
Diaz looks a good player so bit odd he could be leaving (not that I'm complaining) but Nunez is logical and was probably to leave this January if club let him.
Is there anything new on van Dijk and Salah? Perhaps everyone's waiting until title is won not to disturb the team with any news. On the other hand, TAA leaving looked obvious for some time so is bit different.
Not that I know of but I'm not actively following up on news, I'll see it when something officially gets announced.
Diaz has stints of good play but in general is too erratic and not clinical enough in front of goal imo. (Very) light version of Mane.
I think it's less outside of that handful of top class players and more outside of your first XI that you're lacking quality.
Based on starts/appearances so far this season, your first choice team is:
Alisson, TAA, van Dijk, Konate, Robertson, Gravenberch, Mac Allister, Szoboszlai, Salah, Diaz, Gakpo
That's more than decent.
The problem is the drop from that to Jones (who looks bang average to me), Nunez, Endo, Tsimikas, Bradley and Elliott. Jota, Gomez and Chiesa seem to basically always be injured, and I've not actually seen Quansah do much to comment.
All hits of course. You'll be lucky to replicate anywhere near that transfer success.
Liverpool gonna drop a £200m summer?
Conflicting reports, really. Some Liverpool journos and Romano are saying that we're ready to spend big this summer, others are saying that FSG might sit tightly once again.
As far as I know we still got the money we were ready to spend on Caicedo available, and got some decent money from our CL campaign as well. Don't know what winning the league would bring to the table, but I don't think we're particularly strapped for cash. Even then though, £200m gets you 3 or 4 starting calibre player for next season at the most. Hopefully our sales will compensate a bit as well, and some Saudi team is ready to splurge £70m on Nunez.
I agree that the squad is better than it was said, in fact players like Endo are a gem to have. Yet the WHOLE squad it's a bit thin in terms of subs and what they can bring, because of: being youngsters, or they do not add any significant difference in terms of maturity and intelligence.
In my view, Liverpool needs more clever players, needs also players more assertive in their primarly role, like a real Goalscorer with great finisihing (Cody might get there, he has improve a lot). Or a trully number 10, really focus on just that (maybe Chiesa if injuries leave him in peace can become that) with the other mids providing him support to just let him be.
Players with more brains than the typical, heart on the sleeves Henderson, chaotic Tsimikas, overdoing Jones, or reckless Diaz and frantic Darwin.
Those can still be part, none of them are bad players (thought I'm not fond of Tsimikas). Some of them like Diaz have differential traits in them, yet Liverpool needs more clever fellas and not everyone being a jack for all trades type of player, or doing their thing in a silly manner in so many vital moments of matches.
PD: For me (what a surprise
) Mac Allister it's already in that World Class deparment (even if we'll never agree what actually that means), he might not be in the sense of age, trajectory regarding Allison, Virgil and Mo already all timers for me, yet if Trent it's there, even as more fancy as he might be for the public eye, Alexis should be too and I have no doubt that if he manteins this trajectory he is having when he retires he'll become an all timer too (already is for his NT right now), he needs more years in Top Clubs manteining his form.
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Gravenberch has had a very good first half of the season but he's been overplayed and struggled more in the second half for me. I hope he can keep that up. I don't know if Szobozslai is going to be the answer moving forward.
I should've been kinder to Mac Allister. Very good player.
Of course but that's the reality of what we need to do.
Rumours of Salah staying on? Any Liverpool fans hearing the same?
Was on Talkshite, so make of that what you will.
Hmmmm. If he doesn’t go to Saudi then perhaps he will stay?
I reckon he just doesn't fancy Saudi. If Liverpool are paying him £350K a week, or whatever, that's probably enough for most people.
It's never really been in doubt, same with Van Dijk. No serious links anywhere else unlike TAA.
VVD has been linked with PSG, and Salah will have big money offers from Saudi
He does the same ball carrying as Mane and can always take on a man in and around the penalty area.
Doesn't have the heading ability, finishing, two footedness, passing, unreal pace, ability to combine intelligently or massive bottle Mane had.
The fact that Diaz is still a quite good player and excellent on his day really says more about Mane than him. We had it unbelievably good with him and Salah on the flanks.
Yes he is not clever enough and abuses of his dribbling capability, he in fact can take a man anywhere and out of nothing. He is very generous too in his hustling. Do you think Mane had even more pace with the ball at his feet than Sane?
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Van Dijk to Barca
Ball at his feet is hard to say. Think he was faster without it. Not that Mane was slow with the ball at his feet but Sane's ability to carry the ball at pace was amazing.