It's a good and valid point. I don't think anyone at the club realistically thought we could challenge this year with all the changes required both in the 1st team and squad. We do however, I believe, have by the youngest squad in the PL (someone can correct me if I'm wrong). I remember seeing the average age of the squad away against City, ours was 23.5 (inc. Gerrard and Lambert) and City's nearly 27 yrs old. It will be a season or two, and another 3-4 high quality additions in key positions (GK, DM, ST) before this squad can fulfil it's potential.
Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
It's easy to point out the snow atop the mountain and not notice the grass at the base of the slope.
We're not very good, but we're the youngest squad !!
Please
Please
Liverpool fans really warmed up to City and Chelsea investing, thinking it would break our dominance. But them two investing has been a curse more for the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal, than United.
We can financially match or even spend more than them, whereas others cannot. IF we can get our act together this season and next, then I can see the league being the Big 3 and the rest of Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Spurs, competing for the 4th spot...
We can financially match or even spend more than them, whereas others cannot. IF we can get our act together this season and next, then I can see the league being the Big 3 and the rest of Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton and Spurs, competing for the 4th spot...
It might be that Rodgers doesn't want big egos so that he retains full control? One would say, "then why he went for Balotelli?" but Liverpool clearly didn't have him on top of their agenda otherwise he could have been signed way early. He was late addition and Balotelli needed a transfer so he didn't have much leverage.
Other is, Rodgers/Liverpool are reluctant to take on other big clubs for major signings. ALL of Rodgers transfers...no other major club were interested in them. Even the two which have been most successful of his transfers so far, Sturridge and Coutinho, were unwanted by their clubs and there were no other takers. This time they had lure of CL and Suarez money, so should have targeted one/two big names whose presence gives everyone confidence. Di Maria and Falcao arrival has given everyone including players like Rooney a big lift at United. If we would have gone for Markovic and Balotelli instead, mood would not have lifted that much.
I have been telling this to my Liverpool supporting friends since years when they took pleasure in laughing at us when City/Chelsea succeed. It is they who have suffered the most. Since Chelsea started the trend, we have still won 5 titles, Chelsea won 3 and City 2. Plus we always were capable of doing what we did this window to match those 2 in transfers if needed. Liverpool don't have same commercial revenue to match and had there been no oil money clubs, they would have retained CL status from 2010-14, thus the additional revenue and who knows, might have even won a title or couple of cups.
Yep fully agree. We are playing games with 10 men this season and it's sticking out more with each game.
Brendan is being asked to compose with both hands tied behind his back.
Really hacked off about our defence. The question of replacing Suarez is rendered meaningless with our defending. Rodgers is just shit at it. We're now up to Agger, Skrtel, Sakho and Lovren who all looked significantly better before Rodgers started telling them whatever the feck he tells them.
You couldn't be more wrong. Liverpool play with eleven men, it's all the other teams that play with ten men and a goalkeeper.
Maybe invite Tony Pulis along for some defensive coaching seminars? He's very good at organising defensive set pieces, Rodgers might learn a thing or two.
His transfer dealings are even worse. Its just bad management. He gambles on talented players that are not performing, his gamble paid of on Coutinho and sturridge but did not on so many others. He thinks he can make them reach their potential again but sturridge apart there is no one who has significantly improved.
Selling Agger was a very stupid decision, he was probably one of the better defenders you had, he was injured a lot yes but he should have been kept. Instead you keep Toure!
Coutinho is a good player too, but has no place in the diamond as he and sterling play the same position as their best. If he plays 4-3-3 then balotelli is out. He tried the 3-5-2 in this match and your players are not used to it. I also think it limited sterling alot. The three in the middle of henderson/gerrard/lallana is Not Providing a defensive cover at all. Last year with suarez no one dared press you as the pace and the guile of suarez would tear them apart, now without him and sturridge it just does not happen. Balotelli has a very different style and he does not do enough without the ball even in attacking sense.
Your goalkeeper is a good shot stopper but is barthez in every other sense. I think without suarez teams are able to double team sterling and stop supply to sturridge, Both are very good players but they lack that 2 steps that take them to suarez level and make them unstoppable. It was almost like stop sterling, stop Liverpool yesterday from west ham. They played on that and the trust they had on your defense to shoot themselves in the foot. Now is the real test of rodgers, he was very lucky to inherit suarez and some good players, now how he takes this team ahead is the real step that seperates a good manager from a great one.
Apart from Can who isnt fit, who else does this apply to?
It seems to me those are the signings that have done well. The signings that haven't are the most established premier league players who seem to be over priced. Mignolet, Lovren, Lallana and Lambert for around one Luis Suarez is crazy.
Brentan Rodgers said:
Mourinho had 27% of possession at Anfield last season. But he kept hold of the ball when it mattered.
What does this mean?
Absolutely horrendous post choc-full of inaccuracies (ca. 14-15) : it simply isn't worth the effort to answer each because it would take up half of the evening !
Ok doesn't negate my comment (though now I've seen two)
Ok doesn't negate my comment (though now I've seen two)
No, your comment was logical and sound, but I still can't let the revisionism go past. This season wasn't all about consolidation a mere month ago, just because you've lost 3 of your first 5 and have been generally poor doesn't mean that you can change the initial expectations of your whole fanbase.
I'm pedantic like that though, carry on.
Revisionism as applied to a minority doesn't change the overall opinion.
It wasn't a minority. Many were convinced that Liverpool will mount a title challenge pre-season even though you sold Suarez. RAWK and some posters here a testament to that.
- Balotelli - Talent that went wrong, Was very highly rated, never reached that level.
- Mignolet- Was first choice at 18 in his league, was again rated very highly in belgium.Did well at sunderland but was again a talent more than anything
- Sakho - Fm legend, was supposed to be the next biggest defender from france, at a time loads of clubs were after him, then he made lots of mistakes. Was found out at highest level. Was 17 when he was fastracked in PSG team but then was sold.
- Lovern- Named in top 100 youngsters of the world, bought by lyon for 10 million and sold for 8.5 million.We know lyon drive a hard bargain, he wasnt that good,especially as header of the ball. Did not progress as much as they thought.
- Lallana- was touted as the best thing since bale, but if he really had developed as he was touted, he would have been at a big team far far earlier. One decent season in the prem league doesnt change it.
- Can - You already said
Truth hurts i guess. I know i have been there last year with moyes.
I still feel like people are downplaying the Luis Suarez effect. His influence was way bigger than no European football and such issues. His departure is absolutely the number 1 reason for me for the seeming decline.
Pretty much going as I suspected for you guys. You were well ahead of schedule last season, you've improved your squad but those young players you've brought in will take time to become a team.
I wrote that before the season btw.
Yeah it's really fecking annoying. I don't think he tells them anything. Just expects them to organise themself by the looks of it.
They've got Everton at Anfield next, I would laugh and say they'll lose but then again it's Everton and it's at Anfield.
Everton wont survive the red card they get nor the penalty liverpool will get. They should probably play with ten men and give liverpool a penalty start.
Pretty much. West Ham wouldn't have been have as brave with Suarez on the pitch. The amount of space he created was unreal. He was able to give players like Coutinho,Henderson,Sturridge,Sterling huge amount of space to work with. Given Coutinho passing ability to exploit big gaps, Henderson all around athleticism and Sterling+Sturridges pace and finishing they were able to do so much damage. I just don't see any of them every having as good a season again without a similar level replace for Suarez bar Sterling. They are all just average(Henderson,Coutinho) to good players(Sturridge,Sterling who could become really special) made to look really good by Suarez. Now they have Ballotelli who just slows the whole thing down.
I honestly think its more the unmoving lump that is supposed to be protecting them that is the issue. Just as it was last year. Gerrard is not good enough any more, at least he isnt there. Whether you can find a role that doesnt involve running or tackling or anything is up the the manager.
Agger wanted to leave because he couldn't cope with the intensity of playing at the top level any more - nothing Rodgers can really do about that.
Their biggest problem will be Rodgers poor record in the transfer market. You look at the closest teams financially to them who have actually been successful over the last 4-5 years (Dortmund/Athletico) and their managers are consistently great in the transfer market.
You can't compete with huge clubs with motivation and tactics alone. Unless Rodgers dramatically improves in this record he'll soon have a mid table team playing slightly above their station.
You can't compete with huge clubs with motivation and tactics alone. Unless Rodgers dramatically improves in this record he'll soon have a mid table team playing slightly above their station.
I don't think so. I agree with the criticism of Gerrard, and that the lack of protection doesn't help our centre backs, but that doesn't excuse the amount of basic errors that are made. Things like not knowing who to pick up at corners, challenging for the same balls, both centre backs stepping up even though there's already bags of space in behind.
I think the defensive problems we have are complex. The individuals aren't playing well, the system isn't offering any protection and Rodgers' training methods are obviously no help. Plus Mignolet is a clown that causes panic.
It looks like he's been showing them Phil Jagielka dvd's.
But, but, we won't miss Suarez, we bought Lallana
Cringeworthy.
Still can't believe they lost that game to Chelsea.
Chelsea weren't even bothered about winning it.
A draw, and they'd have pretty much been there.
But, but, we won't miss Suarez, we bought Lallana
We definitely won't do a Tottenham, they just splashed out loads on a stack of mediocre players.
We won't do that.
RAWK is a time-warped enigma. I'm sure they are not actually Liverpool supporters at all but a self-replicating virus, maybe even bots. At least not sane.