If Antony turns out to be a mistake its one mistake, other transfers have been good. In any case he should have a say in the sense I need that and that kind of player and transfers are worked on, not just here you go we bought you a player about whom we havent informed you in any case.
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Season Average Rating
- Appearances
- 44
- Goals
- 8
- Assists
- 3
- Yellow cards
- 8
- Status
What about other transfers they had?
I actually think he wasn't that bad in that other players played worse. It is just that he wasn't very good either and is kinda the level I expect from him. Like I said, I think he has delivered higher for United than his actual ability level for us, if you break it down
It's pretty criminal that he has 1 assist so far. It's no coincidence either, since he never goes to the byline, and those left-footed crosses after cutting in are usually crap.
I don’t think he’s a lost cause but will need a big rethink for next season, the unwillingness to ever go on the outside is just baffling.
Him and a Sancho are huge problem for us as not convinced either will either be elite level but we invested huge sums on both and probably paying them silly wages no one will ever be willing to take on.
Him and a Sancho are huge problem for us as not convinced either will either be elite level but we invested huge sums on both and probably paying them silly wages no one will ever be willing to take on.
Pretty sure it was a collective effort from Liverpool's transfer committee. The manager shouldn't be solely in charge of transfers. I think he should have little say.
@Adnan's posts on the transfer dealings are always insightful and really good. Pretty sure he can share briefly how Liverpool have conducted business with Klopp at the helm.
I agree he shouldnt be solely in charge, dont agree he should have little say though.
Both aren't speedsters, both can't beat a man. They don't create enough. We made the same mistake twice it seems. One of them and I suspect Sancho will have to leave in the summer unless there is a drastic change in form.
He was as bad as anyone else was so yeah he played his part in our worst ever game for nearly 100 years.
He's absolutely crap.
Agree, played his part, just like all the other players.
Don't think he's good enough for the level we want to reach. Looking like a big mistake.
This isn't based on Antony. I would have said the same if our manager was Pep or whoever else.
I believe the formula of the manager being in charge of transfers is not the way to go. The manager should tell the DOF or whoever that he wants a player that fits a specific profile and they then go out and get a player who fits that profile, once said profile is in line with what the club as a whole is hoping to achieve, which again should also not be based solely on the manager.
Given we don't really have a striker spending so much on an ineffective Antony is a real issue.
We'll need to give Amad and Pellestri a fair shot next season as we can't go out and spend yet another fortune on another winger.
We'll need to give Amad and Pellestri a fair shot next season as we can't go out and spend yet another fortune on another winger.
I think it will be difficult to persist with both for much longer but even if did want to let Sancho go who is going to pay much for him.
I am hoping if we get a really good attacking right back that will help Anthony a lot but I might be clutching at straws.
150 million on him/Sancho and we still need a right winger... absurd 
Agree. It's just silly imo to use Antony as a slight on ETH transfers.
In the long run though yes transfers dealings should be dealt with differently.
It's a huge mistake though, because he cost so much we will probably persist with him for some time yet. The fee also meant we weren't able to sign a proper striker.
You can also question ETHs acumen over the fdj pursuit
Look at Liverpool: Gakpo-Jota-Nunez-Diaz/-Salah (who may leave, but you get the point). Whether you rate them, or think they have reached anywhere near top form, at least you can see them making an impact, and trying to do something effective, every single game... the only issue is whether they are fit.
Now look at us: Rashford - Antony - Martial - Sancho-Wurghorst
We have one top player in Rashford, who has hit incredible form and consistency (but also needs to keep on his game...). The remaining four??? Well, I haven't a clue what we can realistically expect from the three who are actually United players, and then we have a limited player, with a great attitude, on loan.
This is a rebuilding process, for sure. The more I think about it, the more I think ETH is working miracles.
Club's acumen should be questioned, not his.
Also unlike the most of cafe for me jury is still out on Antony.
Also cause of Antony you dont count his other dealings?
Fair point, but ETH did push hard for Antony- a player who cost what gakpo and Diaz did combined
Garnacho doesn't count?
I didn't say that but it does show the need for a better dof (not murtough). Martinez has been a good signing, the rest OK ( I am assuming he didn't identify casemiro)
Im going to wait until we have a striker to play with.
Bloody hell, even I think you lot are too harsh on him at this point
Most of clubs work exactly like that. Manager is the coach and nothing else.
Having said that i think that balance is the key. Manager must be involved in team building. He must have final say in every transfer. He can even get some specific wishes. No problem in that if you can afford it.
But our way is just wrong. You can't give a manager every single player who he wants. No club in the world work like that. Even Pep and Klopp don't get every player by name. Not to mention Real, Barca or Bayern where managers are coaches basically.
Our way is just completely wrong in a long term. CEO (responsible for transfer budget), Dof, manager and head of recruitment must sit together and decide about every player.
Manager wants no9? He says what type of no9 he wants and even makes his list of wishes and gives it to Dof. Head of scouts makes his shortlist based on manager's requests. Then they all sit together and go for certain player.
Backing a manager is not to buy him every specific player who he wants. Backing is to buy him players who he needs by position. If manager wants right winger whos market value is 30 mil and you need to spend 100 mil then you just don't do that. But you offer him B, C and D options.
Look at how we signed Sabitzer. He got a list of available midfielders and he picked Sabi. That is the way.
Well I think it was cause we reshuffled our scouting system last summer or something and as you say with Sabitzer it was like it should have been done.
I'm not sold on him. He's had some good moments, but he is so predictable, he has no final ball, can't beat a man and for feck's sakes, stop taking those fecking shots from outside the box every single time.
100%.
He never does those 1-2s that Messi was famous for.
He either dribbles down a blind alley or cuts in and shoots. He does the odd shitty cross.
I don't rate. I was giving him the benefit of the doubt but not anymore.
100%.
He'll need to improve a lot to justify starting for us, nevermind the price tag.
He should've tracked back better for first goal, he's just strolling if you watch him.
I mean... it works pretty damn well for Real Madrid.
Its crazy that our scouts couldnt see this before we bought them. From the beginning, always said sancho was not worth the money...but even worse is anthony who is actually a 35m player. Said it last summer, we should have gone for micheal olise who has a much higher ceiling.
I personally rate amad over anthony and by alot. He works as hard, he keeps the ball as well but crucially, he is more two footed than anthony. I am pretty sure, he will bench anthony next season
Fair point, but I also contend that this is a breakout year for Garnacho.. I wouldn't want to burden him with what more senior players should be delivering. Garnacho needs to be protected and guided...
Klopp joined Liverpool in October 2015 and took charge of the summer window of 2016. And 5 out of the 6 players signed that summer were either associated with the German or Austrian Bundesliga. Sadio Mane was a player that Liverpool's transfer committee (led by Edwards) had deemed not good enough prior to Klopp's arrival but Klopp over-ruled them and signed him due to following the player for 4 years whilst he was coaching in Germany. It wasn't until the summer of 2017, that Edwards and the scouting staff were fully trusted to sign players for Klopp's blueprint. And Edwards in particular was considered a bit of a joke by the Liverpool fans and some even started a petition to get him removed after the failed Van Dijk pursuit in the summer of 2017, if I'm not mistaken.
When Man City were taken over by the Abu Dhabi group, they put Garry Cook in charge of the club and after many mistakes, Cook brought in Brian Marwood to oversee the football side of the club in 2009. And it was Brian Marwood who made the staffing and structural decisions which ultimately led to their first league win under the new owners in 2012. And to this day, Marwood's football structure is still in place at Man City.
Scouts need time to acclimatise to a head coach like Erik ten Hag or Jurgen Klopp. Hence Klopp took charge of recruitment himself in his first transfer window and gave the Liverpool recruitment team the time to prepare for a guiding principle which came from Klopp. Erik ten Hag seems to be doing the same thing and I've provided reports alluding to that. No DoF signs players that his head coach doesn't want, and if the DoF attempts to do that, it will end badly. Even Rangnick admitted that he never signed players at first team level that his head coach wasn't happy with.
A DoF structure is about setting a direction for all the scouts to follow. And it's important to understand the direction and not only focus on transfers like it's the be all and end all to being a director of football. If you don't have a support structure in place, then you have to create one by bringing in people in who will oversee the scouting. And from what we know, those people are in place and will have had time to prepare for the upcoming summer window.
Presented without comment
Whole video is about the 1st goal or I'm missing something?
Read what @Adnan wrote here.
I agree with that. Antony looks like one he got wrong, but then Lisandro was one he got right that no one really would have anticipated, and I really like the look of Malacia as well, which again I did not anticipate. Eriksen was a good pick up as well.
All managers get transfers wrong. Happens to the best of them, even SAF. Not a reason to hold that against them, but as you said, it's not the way we should be run anyway.
Really like Amad as well and I hope he gets a chance here.
Problem when I look at all our attacking players is other than Rashford no one is at the level required. Martial and Wout will never get there but Sancho, Anthony, Garnacho, Amad and Pellistri are all maybes. We’ve got to quickly work out who is good enough and who isn’t.
For me, I don't think he played much worse yesterday than he's been playing for a while now. It's just that the team around him was much worse, but yesterday was about the usual basic performance we get, just without a goal that he pops up with now and then. However that is a problem in that that is the level that is expected of him.
It is maybe hard to accept but i am afraid that he is exactly (more or less) a player what we are seeing so far. A solid winger who plays more as a wide playmaker. Sometimes he plays well, sometimes he plays bad. And that is it.
I just don't see how he can become a player who we all expected to see (me first); a game changing winger who beats a man, creates and assists. It is like expecting from player to become completely different player. It is like to expect from Dave to become sweeper keeper or from McT to become playmaking dmc.
When we buy no9 and Rashy goes on the left, Sancho will take that rw spot.
I just don't see how he can become a player who we all expected to see (me first); a game changing winger who beats a man, creates and assists. It is like expecting from player to become completely different player. It is like to expect from Dave to become sweeper keeper or from McT to become playmaking dmc.
When we buy no9 and Rashy goes on the left, Sancho will take that rw spot.
I didn't follow him but I was worried about his stats in Holland and I was also underwhelmed by his compilation videos. If you don't produce the numbers and don't even pass the eye test on your highlight videos it's a bit worrying. Was similarly not impressed with the clips I saw of Gakpo but the numbers he produced were at least very impressive.
Antony does have some redeeming qualities and my hope is that he can at least prove to be a reliable player for this team and raise his levels significantly. He's still young at a new team and league, so plenty time for him to prove himself.
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