Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense

Wumminator

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Well it's the third year of making these threads. Last years was a massive success. Look at how right we all were!

sun_tzu said:
Will reina and suarez be there at the start of the season... I have my doubts

Dont see them getting in the top 4 but if some of their younger players develop and they keep / replace suarez then I could ses them getting a bit closer to the battle for 4th & 5th
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Dreaded said:
5th place would be an amazing achievement for that squad.
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duffer said:
Would be interested to know what Liverpool fans expectations are this season. With Spurs and Arse seemingly doing good business they will struggle to get above 6th.
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SharkyMcShark said:
If they can shoehorn Sturridge Suarez and Coutinho into a forward line without pissing one or more of them off they'll challenge for... fifth.
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redman5 said:
We finished 12 points off a CL position last season. Taking just 2 points out of our first 5 games, & losing at home to United & Arsenal in the process, hardly helped our cause. But as the season went on we saw a gradual improvement. I think most of us would have happily accepted 7th place with 61 points after having just 2 out of a possible 15. Rodgers wasn't helped defensively by Martin Skrtel's form. The same lad who was Liverpool's player of the year before, & had City sniffing around with talks of a £20 million bid, had a absolute nightmare first half of the season. So much so that he hardly featured in any of our remaining games in the 2nd half of the season, with our manager bringing back Jamie Carragher to steady the ship. So with Carragher now gone, a lot will depend on how Toure settles in, & hopefully Skrtel's brain-farts are a thing of the past. I wouldn't be surprised though if we were to bring in another centre-back. Martin Kelly missed most of last season with a serious knee injury, so having him back could be a big bonus.

Irrespective of whether or not Suarez stays or goes, a lot will depend on how the new lads settle in. We've been short of game-changers for a while now. A little bit of quality to come off the bench & do something special, that could save, or win us a game. Again, we're hoping the likes of Alberto & Aspas are 2 players that make a difference on that score.

At the end of the day though, regardless of who comes & goes, great football teams do well because they've got great managers. All things considered I thought Rodgers did quite well in his first season. Can he do even better in his second term & close that 12 point gap ? Most would say it's a tough ask. But I draw hope from the fact that Spurs finished 8th in 2009 with 51 points. 12 months later they'd secured 4th place with 70 points. My realistic hope is that we can be in contention for a CL spot right up til the end of the season. A points total in the late 60's would be a solid improvement & a sign that Brendan Rodgers is doing a good job.
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Castia said:
If Suarez stays they have a chance at finishing 6th or so but if he goes (which looks increasingly likely) I can see them finishing 8-9th. I'm still unsure about Rogers I think he's highly overrated and is living off his 'success' at Swansea even though they played good football before he joined and have gone on to be a better team after he left, before that job he'd had a pretty terrible record.
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But still, no-one saw that coming, so I don't blame us at all.

Here are the players who Liverpool have who need to be registered for next year

1. Mario Balliotelli
2. Glen Johnson
3. Fabio Borini
4. Kolo Toure
5. Daniel Agger
6. Martin Skrtel
7. Jose Enrique
8. Lucas
9. Emre Can
10. Lazar Markovic
11. Simon Mignolet
12. Oussama Assaidi
13. Sebastian Coates
14. Steven Gerrard
15. Adam Lallana
16. Mamadou Sakho
17. Coutinho
18. John Flannagan
19. Ricky Lambert
20. Daniel Sturridge
21. Joe Allen
22. Jordan Henderson
23. Brad Jones
24. Tiago Ilori
25. Dejan Lovren

Notable under 21 players include Suso and Raheem Sterling

The players in bold went out on loan last year
The players in italics have turned 21 in the last year and thus need to be registered.

So what do we think then? Despite having what many consider a "small" squad they have around 25 players who would have to be registered. Obviously a lot will leave, but where do we think they'll go from here.

Few questions....

1. Do any of last seasons loan players deserve a spot in the updated squad?
2. Where is their main weakness as a squad?
3. Do you think there will be any high profile weaknesses?
4. Who is their most undervalued player who can kick on.. ala Henderson
5. Will Suarez and Sturrige match last year?
 
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I doubt anybody not even the LFC fans truly believed they would put up a title challenge this season. That being said they had a great year, played some good football and Rogers is starting to prove me wrong (dont/didn't think much of him as a manager before this season). I think they need 4-5 players to challenge again next season, it's going to be tough for them juggling the Champions League while fighting for a title with such a small squad. If they recruit well in the summer I wouldn't be surprised to see them do well again next season.
 
1. I wouldn't mind keeping one of Ilori and Wisdom and loaning the other. I'd keep Borini unless Sunderland come in with a good offer. I want Suso to stay, but I think he might be sold.

2. Left back is where we need to improve drastically. Our bench is the other major weakness.

3. I think Johnson will stay and I think he'll take a lot of criticism again next season.

4. Sakho or Allen. Both are underrated. People think Sakho is an awful defender and Allen offers very little which isn't true. Both are very good players and I suspect that both will play bigger roles in the squad next year.

5. I think Sturridge, Sterling and Suarez will fetch 60 goals between them providing injuries go their way.
 
Oh these are the yearly group of threads where you demean other squads and say they aren't as good as ours, right Twigg?
 
Twigginater said:
How is Ilori rated in your fan base? Has he gotten a sniff of first team football?
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Was on loan at Granada, did well for them. Played extremely well in the 1-0 win over Barcelona this season. Don't know how he will feature for us next season though.
 
Liverpool obviously have the best squad. They've got Gerrard, who as we all know thanks to Barney, is better than Scholes ever was, yep...
 
Expect Suarez to be as good as he was last season but still disappoint in the big games, provided he stays that is. Sturridge will struggle to replicate last season. I think Liverpool will finish 4th but am expecting them to do better than expected in the Champions League.
 
Twigginater said:
How is Ilori rated in your fan base? Has he gotten a sniff of first team football?
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He didn't in the 1st half of the season and he's been sent on loan to Granada. He's rated quite highly by the club. The club are learning from the Coates situation it seems.
 
Cina said:
Liverpool obviously have the best squad. They've got Gerrard, who as we all know thanks to Barney, is better than Scholes ever was, yep...
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Is that really an outrageous statement from a Liverpool fan? I love Scholes, one of my favourite players of all time. I will be telling my grandkids about the things I've seen him do. Phenomenal.

But if you were a Liverpool fan you'd probably prefer Gerrard

A) he's their best player for about 10 years

B) he's won them trophies with his performances

c) you wouldn't be that bright to begin with.
 
They did have a really good season but benefited from not having to play in Europe this year. Their squad is too small to handle games in Europe and in the Premier and they need to add 4 or 5 players. It will be interesting to see if they can pry Lovren and Lallana from Southampton who will do everything they can to keep both.

I think the key is keeping Suarez, even though he is saying all the right things now, I expect if Real are serious about added him to their team he will go. I would be surprised if Liverpool finish in the top 4 next year, more likely battling Spurs and maybe Everton for 5th.
 
Twigginater said:
1. Pepe Reina
2. Glen Johnson
3. Fabio Borini
4. Kolo Toure
5. Daniel Agger
6. Martin Skrtel
7. Jose Enrique
8. Lucas
9. Luis Suarez
10. Iago Aspas
11. Simon Mignolet
12. Oussama Assaidi
13. Sebastian Coates
14. Steven Gerrard
15. Martin Kelly
16. Mamadou Sakho
17. Coutinho
18. John Flannagan
19. Luis Alberto
20. Daniel Sturridge
21. Joe Allen
22. Jordan Henderson
23. Brad Jones
24. Tiago Ilori
25. Andre Wisdom


1. Do any of last seasons loan players deserve a spot in the updated squad?
2. Where is their main weakness as a squad?
3. Do you think there will be any high profile weaknesses?
4. Who is their most undervalued player who can kick on.. ala Henderson
5. Will Suarez and Sturrige match last year?
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1. Reina is off, probably Brad Jones too. It wouldn't surprise me if they got shot of Jose Enrique and Iago Aspas. Suso will need registering next year.
2. Defence and keeper.
3. They need 1/2 new central defenders.
4. Flanagan.
5. Probably no.
 
SharkyMcShark said:
1. Reina is off, probably Brad Jones too. It wouldn't surprise me if they got shot of Jose Enrique and Iago Aspas. Suso will need registering next year.
2. Defence and keeper.
3. They need 1/2 new central defenders.
4. Flanagan.
5. Probably no.
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Are you sure Suso needs to be registered?
 
KingMinger22 said:
Will not challenge next year. I think they will drop out of the top 4 also.
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Why? Of the top 7 only City are currently in a better position in terms of squad health or not having to engage in a rebuild.
 
PickledRed said:
Why? Of the top 7 only City are currently in a better position in terms of squad health or not having to engage in a rebuild.
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CL football will tear them apart, they only have 14 players.
We will knock them out if top 4, I hope
 
PickledRed said:
Why? Of the top 7 only City are currently in a better position in terms of squad health or not having to engage in a rebuild.
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Defence aint good enough, bench aint good enough. Extra games in Europe to contend with. Your record in the Europa League and then the games in the league straight after that aren't very good under Rodgers. You didn't go that far in the domestic cups this season just gone either. Questionable transfer record under Rodgers as well.
 
iBoss said:
Defence aint good enough, bench aint good enough. Extra games in Europe to contend with. Your record in the Europa League and then the games in the league straight after that aren't very good under Rodgers. You didn't go that far in the domestic cups this season just gone either. Questionable transfer record under Rodgers as well.
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Or.........Liverpool will strengthen a team that has the basis of an excellent side? Just a thought.
 
Twigginater said:
Well it's true. To be able to to compete in the CL and the Prem you effectively need two 11s pretty much. Liverpool have the weakest squad depth of anyone in the Prem challengers.
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To win both maybe, but to do ok in the CL and challenge for the league two 11s aren't required. Liverpool are strengthening. CL football gives Rodgers a new basis to buy top end players.

Anyway, I'm missing all these PL challengers who are competing on two fronts in any meaningful way. Didn't happen this past season. It was either or.
 
Twigginater said:
Is that really an outrageous statement from a Liverpool fan? I love Scholes, one of my favourite players of all time. I will be telling my grandkids about the things I've seen him do. Phenomenal.

But if you were a Liverpool fan you'd probably prefer Gerrard

A) he's their best player for about 10 years

B) he's won them trophies with his performances

c) you wouldn't be that bright to begin with.
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It's an outrageous statement for anyone who follows football, yeah.
 
According to most on here Liverpool have been about to collapse since last September. Fact is, since Jan 2013 I don't think any club has won more points. That's 18 months of consistency which won't just disappear no matter how many times it's declared as fact by rival fans.

Like I said all season, wishful thinking doesn't mean it's happening. This doomsday scenario never came to pass.
 
PickledRed said:
According to most on here Liverpool have been about to collapse since last September. Fact is, since Jan 2013 I don't think any club has won more points. That's 18 months of consistency which won't just disappear no matter how many times it's declared as fact by rival fans.

Like I said all season, wishful thinking doesn't mean it's happening. This doomsday scenario never came to pass.
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neither you nor we who claim you wont be that good next season dont know what will happen.
All the things you wrote are really nice with the small fact you'll play CL next season and you cant be sure how will you cope with that.
You'l strengthen that's sure but that's not a guarantee you'll have such a good season like this one.
 
I'm not underestimating them again. Top 3 finish, comfortably and they'll massively improve their defence. Not sure whether Sturridge can do as well but Suarez is Suarez so you can guarantee him getting 25+ league goals. I think they've got a good chance of winning it unless us, City and Chelsea really pull our finger out and strengthen well.
 
Twigginater said:
Well it's the third year of making these threads. Last years was a massive success. Look at how right we all were!

But still, no-one saw that coming, so I don't blame us at all.

Here are the players who Liverpool have who need to be registered for next year

1. Pepe Reina
2. Glen Johnson
3. Fabio Borini
4. Kolo Toure
5. Daniel Agger
6. Martin Skrtel
7. Jose Enrique
8. Lucas
9. Luis Suarez
10. Iago Aspas
11. Simon Mignolet
12. Oussama Assaidi
13. Sebastian Coates
14. Steven Gerrard
15. Martin Kelly
16. Mamadou Sakho
17. Coutinho
18. John Flannagan
19. Luis Alberto
20. Daniel Sturridge
21. Joe Allen
22. Jordan Henderson
23. Brad Jones
24. Tiago Ilori
25. Andre Wisdom

Notable under 21 players include Suso and Raheem Sterling

The players in bold went out on loan last year
The players in italics have turned 21 in the last year and thus need to be registered.

So what do we think then? Despite having what many consider a "small" squad they have around 25 players who would have to be registered. Obviously a lot will leave, but where do we think they'll go from here.

Few questions....

1. Do any of last seasons loan players deserve a spot in the updated squad?
2. Where is their main weakness as a squad?
3. Do you think there will be any high profile weaknesses?
4. Who is their most undervalued player who can kick on.. ala Henderson
5. Will Suarez and Sturrige match last year?
Click to expand...
1: Despite not seeing anything of him thus far, Ilori by all accounts, has impressed on loan at Granada and given their struggles in defence this season I could see him being recalled and given an opportunity in the first team squad next season, certainly just to boost their numbers if anything. Likewise, Wisdom would possibly be in the same boat, given they have Johnson (poor season), Kelly (hasn't rediscovered his form after injuries) and Flanagan who's converted to LB. Wisdom does seem the type of player to fade into obscurity however. Reina will obviously leave and Assaidi doesn't seem capable of adding much to their squad. Borini might get a chance after impressing at Sunderland and he's a massive improvement on Aspas. I'll hazard a guess and say just Ilori and Borini will be recalled, although Suso looks a very bright prospect also, but I don't know what his situation is.

2: Somewhere in defence. I'm inclined to say fullback as a lot of their bad defending and goals conceded is a result of incessant, attacking football and committing men forward. Plus they have a recently converted deep-lying playmaker who has never/rarely played as the deepest midfielder before this season in Steven Gerrard. Not exactly superb protection for the back four. On paper some of their centre backs are good players - albeit with obvious flaws - at fullback however, all of their choices are pretty uninspiring. I'd say fullback positions and squad depth.

3: It is always expected that not every player will maintain the standard they've met the following season coming into the new season, that's for any side, as you can't legislate for loss in form, injuries, consistent gametime, etc. For Liverpool, I think Gerrard's performances will decline from how he performed last season. I'm not suggesting he will be a 'high profile weakness', but I don't think he will perform to the level a player of the year nomination does like he did last season. He'll be found wanting in Europe, particularly as the deepest midfielder and although they have Henderson's energy and might also lesson the defensive burden on Gerrard with another midfielder acquisition, I think the extended gametime and obligation to adapt his style will effect his performances to some degree next seson.

4: Coutinho's had a bit of an indifferent season with his 'shoot on site' policy. I expect him to come to the fore next season and hold down a first team position for prolonged periods of time, instead of not getting too much of a run which happened at times this season just gone. Seeing as he's a very technical, flair player you'd also expect him to be one of their key performers in the Champions League also.

5: Whether Suarez will still be their next season is another question, even though the likely answer is yes, considering it's a world cup year, Liverpool are participating in the Champions League next season and there wouldn't be a lot of time to conclude a world record deal on behalf of Madrid and Barcelona when Suarez's primary focus will be on the world cup. I think he will stay, but nonetheless, Liverpool won't benefit from the continuity and rhythm they had last year. Suarez is likely to still play every match, injuries and bans permitting, but Sturridge will often find himself on the bench for league games in anticipation of Champions League games and vice versa. In terms of Premier League games, I don't think they will match the same numbers as last year, but both could definitely improve on the goal-scoring tallies across all competitions.
 
Next season for Liverpool comes down to one thing for me, can they keep Suarez.

He just gives every player around them a lift on top of his ability. He won't have a season like he just has but he can still lead them to a solid season. If Madrid come calling though, it could seriously dent their hopes.
 
Liverpool are desperately over reliant on Suarez. Will not make top 3 next year, and I suspect will drop out of top 4.
 
PickledRed said:
According to most on here Liverpool have been about to collapse since last September. Fact is, since Jan 2013 I don't think any club has won more points. That's 18 months of consistency which won't just disappear no matter how many times it's declared as fact by rival fans.

Like I said all season, wishful thinking doesn't mean it's happening. This doomsday scenario never came to pass.
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Yes it did. Hilariously.

You were odds on favourites for the league, everything was falling in your favour, then you collapsed at the death.

The way you're talking, you'd think you'd seen out the league comfortably.
 
Kraftwerker said:
Yes it did. Hilariously.

You were odds on favourites for the league, everything was falling in your favour, then you collapsed at the death.

The way you're talking, you'd think you'd seen out the league comfortably.
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We saw out top 4 comfortably which was in contrast to the many predictions on here in the autumn.
 
At the moment, I think they'll be challenging for top 4. The demands of Champions League football alongside the Premier League might prevent any more than that in my opinion. It's already been said, but no European Football helped them massively this season, as it should do ourselves next season, in that the best team can be fielded more often that not in the Premier League.
 
PickledRed said:
We saw out top 4 comfortably which was in contrast to the many predictions on here in the autumn.
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Broken clocks etc.

And any credit we give Liverpool fans for finally correctly predicting something is completely negated by the premature 'we're gonna win the league' bollocks.

RedCafe got it wrong on Liverpool for once. Not usually the case.
 
Kraftwerker said:
Broken clocks etc.

And any credit we give Liverpool fans for finally correctly predicting something is completely negated by the premature 'we're gonna win the league' bollocks.

RedCafe got it wrong on Liverpool for once. Not usually the case.
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Fair point, but isn't the "they'll drop off next year" refrain that's coming out of here from all angles sound a bit hollow?

Based on how Chelsea, a United, Spurs finished last season (2 without a manager) I'd say Liverpool are looking healthy.
 
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