Hang about, Blind can play holding mid.
Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
Its a fair target for a club Man Utd's size. But a target does not reflect the likelihood. Liverpool had always been feasible for top four every season that we were not in it. And there were many seasons we were not in it.
If anything I reckon next season you lot could be nailed on for a top four place. Settled manager, settled defenders (bought in January), settled Blind/Herrera/ADM. But this season is a bit too soon, specially without a defence.
You can't calculate what he brought to the club in points. He made everyone around him better and inspired confidence and belief amongst them all. He was unplayable last season.
We haven't had a midfield in years, and we've done well. We had a team of winners though, who in general knew what they had to do to win. You lost your main winner in Suarez.
I'm sorry but unless Sterling develops quickly you need another big personality in that side, or it'll be a downward spiral.
He's a slower version of Mertersacker. He makes shit pacy players look like Messi (Armand Traore for example). Your next six games will show you what I mean.
We've as much a chance as Liverpool though. I think that's a fair assessment. Even Carragher thinks United will finish above Liverpool in the top four this season, still early days though.
Personally agree with you on this. Still think we might get it though due to other clubs also not being top of their game.
There's no questioning he's slow, but he's also incredibly intelligent. van Gaal is a perfectionist, we'll be okay in the next six games, you'll see what I mean.
You seem to be under the impression that seasons mirror each other. You'd a good season. You've lost your best player and have struggled without him. Liverpool will more than likely finish top 6 this season though so you've got that going for you.
I like Blind's range of passing and composure on the ball. But on the ball work does not make you a proper holding mid in the premiership without other legs helping you out. God knows how many legs we have to put on to support Gerrard. Yaya needs Ferandinho and sometimes even Milner to do his donkey work.
I reiterate, your defenders will have no decent cover as Blind is not that type of guy. So back to the point, no holding midfielder and absolutely no defence does not make good reading.
You watch our game against West 'Am? If you had you'd have seen Blind protect our defence brilliantly after we'd gone down to ten men, this was against the big bad physical West Ham side. His intelligence more than makes up for his lack of physicality, for now at least.
Blind has Herrera and Di Maria in front of him running and pressing. His positional sense is good, which is what matters. He's not the fastest no, but was Makelele? Was Cambiasso? Alonso? No, it's about your positioning.
West Ham already had their 'big game' for the week by beating us. Just like Leicester had their big game once they beat you (subsequently losing to Palace).
A guy like Blind is so easy to expose in the premiership, surely you and Carragher can see how? Maybe Jamie needs to show that number done on Gerrard by oppposing teams on his Monday programme. Pace and power is needed in this league for a holding mid role and Blind has neither. He needs it next to him at least, but he doesn't have a partner with those key skills either.
Now I know you're simply making excuses. Talk to you later.
OK, my comments on West Ham's motivation aside...it was West Ham. Your next six games contain teams that traditionally finish top half of the table. Quite high up.
Squad looks a bit shit now. I was reservedly worried about Liverpool maintaining their form of last season but now I don't really see them as a threat to the success of our season.
United are one of those teams, trsditionally.
Your almost forgetting that United have suffered a loss that is almost certainly their biggest "net gain". Our biggest problem is shaking off the shadow of Moyes and getting some rub of the green injury wise.
Got a feeling we will be ok, we just need to hang in through the next 5-6 games and allow the fixture congestion to take its toll around us.
I'm sorry, but you talk so much nonsense. Which other teams are our main competition for top 4, City and Chelsea aside? Arsenal and Liverpool. Arsenal have got a very good chance, but how on earth can you rate Liverpool above United? Your defence is worse than ours. You've got a calamity of a keeper. Your attack is worse than ours. Your manager is worse than ours. You've started worse than us, and we've had half a team out of action and an historically bad start.
There is nothing, absolutely nothing, to suggest you'll be ahead of us this season except some tenuous extrapolation from last season whereby you were galvanised by the 3rd best player in the world. And now he's gone.
I tell you what, you and me, let's make a bet: I'll donate £20 to the Caf if Liverpool finish in the top 4 and United don't, you donate £20 if United finish in the top 4 and Liverpool don't. If both make the top 4, £10 each. Game?
It is possible for both United and Liverpool to finish in the top 4 ya know.... Arsenal don't exactly look like world beaters do they.
Yeah but they're managed by a multi-FourthPlaceTrophy winning manager.
Why does everything have to come down to a bet? I understand your POV and you know mine. We're neither going to move from our viewpoints until further proof down the line.
I don't gamble. I'll just donate to Redcafe instead.
Eh so Herrera and Di Maria don't have the pace/workrate and legs to help out Blind? Ok carry on then...
United vs Liverpool
Our attack is literally light years better than Liverpools. Anyone who thinks Ballotelli, Sturridge, Borini and Lambert is better than Falcao, Van Persie and Rooney needs their head checked. Di Maria and Mata are also miles ahead of Lallana and Coutinho it actually cannot even be a serious debate. Although at this moment in time, Sterling is definitely a better player than Januzaj.
In other words Falcao, RVP, Rooney, Mata, Di Maria, Januzaj>>>> Sturridge, Ballotelli, Borini, Lambet, Sterling, Lallana, Coutinho
Liverpool's midfield is better imo, the only decent midfielder we have is Herrera, while Gerrard, Henderson, Allen, Can might not be all that, it is probably better than what we have in Fellaini, Blind, Carrick and Herrera.
I'd also rather have Liverpools centre backs, ours are completely injury prone and pretty pointless atm. Lovren is actually a pretty good player tbh and Sakho isn't half bad for france.
We have better full backs
We also have a better keeper.
Both starting 11's ?
De Gea
Rafael
Jones
Rojo
Shaw
Blind
Herrera
Di Maria
Rooney
Van Persie
Falcao
Mignolet
Manquiello
Sakho
Lovren
Moreno
Gerrard
Henderson
Lallana
Sterling
Ballotelli
Sturridge
Our attack is literally light years better than Liverpools. Anyone who thinks Ballotelli, Sturridge, Borini and Lambert is better than Falcao, Van Persie and Rooney needs their head checked. Di Maria and Mata are also miles ahead of Lallana and Coutinho it actually cannot even be a serious debate. Although at this moment in time, Sterling is definitely a better player than Januzaj.
In other words Falcao, RVP, Rooney, Mata, Di Maria, Januzaj>>>> Sturridge, Ballotelli, Borini, Lambet, Sterling, Lallana, Coutinho
Liverpool's midfield is better imo, the only decent midfielder we have is Herrera, while Gerrard, Henderson, Allen, Can might not be all that, it is probably better than what we have in Fellaini, Blind, Carrick and Herrera.
I'd also rather have Liverpools centre backs, ours are completely injury prone and pretty pointless atm. Lovren is actually a pretty good player tbh and Sakho isn't half bad for france.
We have better full backs
We also have a better keeper.
Both starting 11's ?
De Gea
Rafael
Jones
Rojo
Shaw
Blind
Herrera
Di Maria
Rooney
Van Persie
Falcao
Mignolet
Manquiello
Sakho
Lovren
Moreno
Gerrard
Henderson
Lallana
Sterling
Ballotelli
Sturridge
Squad comparisons are pointless, we had a better squad than Liverpool last season and still finished five places below 'em.
Yet the same team finished 2nd and 1st under Fergie. Last season was not a reflection of what our squad was/is capable off.
You could argue that Ferguson's final years were also an unfair reflection of what our squad is capable of.
I'd say it's quite even so far. When Sturridge comes back I fear we won't be so confident of finishing above them.
Sturridge is good, but is he really that good that he'd fire Liverpool above us? They're creating f*ck all at the moment anyway.
No sorry, but you don't win the league by 89 points as well as going 17 games (I think) unbeaten if your squad is terrible (Like some claimed). We also had a chance to beat Chelsea's points record if our players could be arsed, as we had the league wrapped up with 5 games to go.
Back to Liverpool, I still can't get my brain around how they went from 7th to 2nd with hardly any significant investment. Was it Suarez? Was it hunger? I'm still not sure. This season after spending £120million they look absolutely clueless and have already lost 3 games.
Back to Liverpool, I still can't get my brain around how they went from 7th to 2nd with hardly any significant investment. Was it Suarez? Was it hunger? I'm still not sure. This season after spending £120million they look absolutely clueless and have already lost 3 games.
Not quite IMO.
A lot of the senior players simply either declined, or lost hunger after SAF's final title win and season. That hurt us more than anything, as the likes of Smalling, Jones, Kagawa, Hernandez, Cleverly, Welbeck among other young players did not step up, or progress. The same players that were mostly carried by the senior players in that 20th title win. It was a horrible mixture of squad problems that's best forgotten, as the majority of said players have moved on anyway.
Ferguson had Ashley Young lifting the Premier League, the man was a wizard.
Why the hell would be fear Sturridge' return when we have Falcao, Rooney, Di Maria and RVP as attacking options?
What does comparing our attacking options have to do with it? He is their main striker so of course will be a huge miss for them. We have many injuries across the board and are relying on the defence coming good (much like they are). That's why I said it's quite even. With the players we have we should be finishing above them but maybe last season has just ruined my confidence in us achieving it.
Yeah, but do you honestly see the Liverpool that were 3-0 up within the first three minutes of games last season? as Kid said, they're creating feck all and don't have Suarez to score a goal from nothing and terrorise the opposition, opening up spaces for others.
I understand the paranoia, but I honestly can't see Liverpool doing much this season.
Well yeah, quite obviously. Liverpool have lost their best players and one of the top five players in the world, while they also have to contest with European football.Didn't we hear EXatlY the same thing this time last year? I mean eeeexactly the same thing?
Oh but it's different now. Honest guv.
I'm very positive that Liverpool will drastically improve soon and they will compete for 4th, but I don't did it astounding if someone is confident of Arsenal and United taking 3rd and 4th in any order. Particularly the former.
Because Liverpool have an outstanding defence don't they?
People keep using this as a stick I beat us with - rightly so - but we are a flawed side just like Liverpool and just like Arsenal. Our defence might prove our undoing, but injuries could prove Arsenal's undoing and added fixtures and Suarez's departure could prove Liverpool's undoing too. Like Arsenal and Liverpool, we should have enough in other areas to at least compensate for their deficiencies respectively, whereby they at least mount a challenge for CL qualification.
And yet he kept Messi quiet for 120 minutes in a World Cup semi final...
Silly dipper.
I've been saying it for years on here, your squad has been average for many a season. Ferguson was nothing short of a miracle worker. That's why I rate him as probably the best manager ever in England.
Some will say what about Paisley, and he's right up there. But the relative sh*t Ferguson had to work with and produce what he did, specially in the latter period was sensational. It wasn't the squad in the last few years, it was him. Short and simple.
a shit squad? you don't know your footie. or just on a lame wind up. the squad that went 3 time to the CL final? won all those title. It was ageing...that was all. Fergie was the greatest manager of all time. But he did not just wave a magic wand. He got the best out of very good footballers. Are you then saying Paisley had excellent players but was quite shit? you cant have it both ways.
I think Liverpool will be much improved when Sturridge comes back. But this season proves how much the little racist did bring to them.