Thats what small teams do
Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense
- Thread starter Wumminator
- Start date
I don't know why Manquillo has been rated so highly on here. He is a good prospect/one for the future. In no means has he proven he should start at RB. That is not a champions league quality starter at the moment, and I don't really see it as an improvement on Flanalahm, who's basically the same - a young player with high potential.
Is he? I haven't seen many hyping him up. Agree with your view though for what it's worth - I don't think he'll be first choice to start with but should get more chances as the season develops depending on how quickly he settles in. I don't think Flanagan has much potential though, realistically he'll probably only be a squad player for us. In fairness I was shocked he even proved that he was solid enough to be a squad player though so maybe he'll prove me wrong again, and if he does fail it won't be because of a lack of effort.
You're right. Though that in itself is exciting. Drop back a few pages and you'll see a list of the all the young players in our squad, surely the youngest in the PL which in itself says something, we are building a cracking team for the future. I expect to see Manquillo backing up Flanno (and Johnson if he stays - mores the pity) for this season.
Correction. That's what all teams do when Real or Barca come calling (esp. when it's S.A. players). It's called the new reality.
I totally agree with you. Liverpool no longer sign established 'star players'. Maybe on the way up (Torres, Alonso, Suarez) or the way down (Morientes, Litmanen) but those at the very top are beyond us for a few reasons; the North of England is simply not an attractive place for most S.A. or South European players (seems to me like players today want the lifestyle as well as a great football club) there are exceptions but they are due to the next reason; we can't compete with the top salaries (even more so when low tax is a major component of that package); we are no longer a top tier team (a la Barca, Real, Chelsea, PSG, City - the clubs with real buying power and the exception to that elite club, Bayern) but there is no real disgrace in that since the likes of Juve, Milan & Inter are no longer too.
It was interesting that someone put up a list of the semi-finalists for the past 6 years in the CL, in another thread ; Barca 5 times, Real 5, Bayern 4, Chelsea 3 .. it's pretty telling, and sad. You could almost forecast this season's final 4 from that list alone.
We really felt the pinch when RVP left, so unless Liverpool sign a direct replacement for Suarez, I don't see them being as effective a strike force as last season. This season Liverpool might struggle to get top 4, especially since they have CL to worry about and no Suarez.
I think Rodgers is a fantastic manager but they'll have a lot of trouble this year. Lallana (only 26) is their oldest front 6 player who matters aside from Gerrard and Mignolet, Sakho, Lovren and whoever wins the Hunger Game between Manquillo/Flanagan/Kelly should form the core of a solid but never world-class defense, so their future is sadly very bright, but this year will be tough for them, as their offense regresses to the mean a bit and the defense improves a tad but not near enough to compensate.
I'm not worried about them next season. If they sign a Falcao or a Cavani, then yeah I'll be worried. But if they seriously walk into the season with Rickie Lambert as their second choice striker, I'm gonna laugh my balls off. Cause we all know Sturridge isn't going to go a whole season without getting injured.
This year will be a big test for Liverpool and Rodgers. I can't claim to know which way it will go, but it will certainly be a thorough examination, and the signings he's made will have to work for them to come through. I do think Rodgers is a good manager and what he's shown on the coaching side should help steady the ship, but much will depend on these signings and how good they really are. Last season, some cracks were papered over due to Suarez being in ridiculous form, much like our cracks were sometimes papered over by SAF just knowing how to win the league. This season, we'll get a better understanding of how long lasting and solid the foundations (coaching) Rodgers has laid there really are, and how good his ability to maneuver is (transfers).
As things stand, I think we'll finish above them beat them to 4th. We have the superior team.
Wait, their defense improves "a tad", and their attack regresses "to the mean". yet their future is sadly "very bright"?
They wont fall apart because Rodgers' coaching seems very good, but 4th is no easy feat these days. I see it as between us and them mainly.
While this might be true Barney, it's still a kick in the dick when it does happen, no amount of bravado will change that fact.
You don't want to be a selling club, you've just ended up that way through years of mismanagement and poor ownership, it's incredibly difficult to replace your star players, look how United have struggled re Scholes and similarly Arsenal in their selling days.
Yeah, I meant they won't score near 100 goals against this year, so they'll drop from 2nd to 5th or 6th and people will act like the sky is falling but long-term, they will be strong, as Rodgers is a very good manager and they have a lot of promising young talent, as well as money to spend on the positions they'll need to upgrade.
I wouldn't disagree with that. I've been impressed by Rodgers but I'd still wait a year or so before judging him properly. While his coaching is definitely good, I want to see more of the other aspects of management like signings, continuity, man management etc
Can we wait until Rodgers has actually done something before we start (or continue for many) calling him a great manager.
He's spent multiple seasons in the championship and had one very good season with Liverpool without ever actually doing anything of real note.
There are plenty of hack coaches that can fluke trophy wins and yet Rodgers is yet to do that. There are also plenty of far greater managers who have proven success with multiple teams in multiple countries. Being a good coach has always been about doing things for a period of time not just one season.
He's spent multiple seasons in the championship and had one very good season with Liverpool without ever actually doing anything of real note.
There are plenty of hack coaches that can fluke trophy wins and yet Rodgers is yet to do that. There are also plenty of far greater managers who have proven success with multiple teams in multiple countries. Being a good coach has always been about doing things for a period of time not just one season.
Chelsea should win the league comfortably this season. With that squad it's hard to see them not winning. I'd say Man City will get to second place and it will be a close call for the next three positions. You can't count Rodgers out. Last season they weren't great till January, after which they had an amazing run of results thanks to the attack clicking as a unit - not just Suarez.
Looks like it's going to be a very tight season again. Unfortunately Everton are in the Europa League. Otherwise I would have hoped that they'd also be a good shout for fourth place.
I don't think any team should win the league comfortably this City squad. Chelsea might have improved but I think there was a gap in the quality of their (chelsea) squad and City's last season. Can't see Liverpool winning it. Last season everything fell into place. This season they will closer to their real level. I see City and Chelsea battling for the title, with United and Liverpool fighting it out for 4th place. Arsenal are the tricky ones. I can see them challenging for the title if it comes together, fighting for 4th or somewhere in between.
Seriously, even I can't tell how we will perform this season. Our transfer business isn't over yet and we have depth in all positions except central defence.
I don't know if it will be a close call at the top. Not winning will be a shame for Jose with that squad of his. City are yet to do well consistently in the league. They dropped far too much the last time they won it, so let's see.
I think we'll win it. If we sign a CB and a CM, which is very likely, I think we'll win it. 4th isn't good enough in my opinion. Liverpool are happy with 4th, but thats not the United way. If you don't come first, you're last. Champions League would be a bonus to losing it but I wouldn't be happy.
Can't see us winning it. We will go from 7th to 4th to 1st/2nd over a minimum of three seasons IMO. And that's if pretty much everything falls to place.
And that bolded bit is silly. You basically need United to be finishing 1st every season for the rest of your life to be satisfied?
Who rates him highly? And I'm interested to know how you've decided his quality too. He's played less than 10 senior games.
You finished one place lower.
That's the same for every side excluding City, surely?
It is a kick in the balls, but it's also the reality of football these days. United won the league after losing Scholes.
Why would you want another competitor for fourth place (not a dig, I'd ask that about any of the top five teams)?
This is the argument I don't buy into, United going coming from 7th seems impossible but it's the same set of players that finished 1st just a season before.
Just so we're clear I know this isn't the point your making in your post, I was just using it it illustrate my thoughts. I do feel we will mount a challenge late on but the common feeling is that we will take a while to get going and thus be to far back once we've eventually settled into the new regime. Can't see us winning the league, that's Chelsea's on paper but football throws up some strange scenarios, none stranger than last year so I will be writing nobody off as yet.
United had a manager and squad who knew exactly how to win league titles but that hasn't changed the fact that our midfield has suffered immensely with the decline and eventual retirement of Scholes. Bizzarely we have only just taken our first steps towards filling the void that has been apparent for at least 3 seasons and IMO it's still not filled yet.
Why are people saying Chelsea should win it comfortably? On paper, City have by far and away the best squad - incredible quality and depth.
Chelsea have the best manager in the world though.
But what of Rodge ??
Coming off the back of a couple of pretty uninspiring years though.
City are faves.
We've been hearing the same thing said about Chelsea every summer for a while now - granted, their squad is stronger than it has been for a while, but it's bollocks to suggest they'll 'comfortably' win anything.
Only United win titles by 10+ point margins if the last eight seasons are anything to go by.
Not to the same extent. Your team's sheer number of signings is huge. And you're replacing the most important part of the side. Our turnover will also hurt us but not to the same extent.
It's not the same set though. There's no Vidic, Evra or Ferdinand. And there's a huge loss in confidence and winning spirit. If we were coming off a title win as we were in SAF's last year, I'd have said we'd challenge, no doubt. But finishing 7th and losing those players causes damage.
To be fair though mate the only one you could point to as a significant loss there is Vidic. I know Ferdinand and certainly Evra had considerable game time last year but both spring the word liability to my mind.
You are spot on though with regards to the damage done to mentality last year but these players are mentored by SAF, if Van Gaal is even one half as good as he seems and we strengthen the numbers in defence there's no reason why we won't be in the mix. Couple that with lessened pressure on the squads bodies throughout the season and you just never know.
Well if you look at the whole season, we struggled for goals throughout. Around December that year I had even started a thread in the newbies about what was wrong with Arsenal. We weren't managing a single shot on target till 70-80 mins in most matches. It was a pain to watch us play.
It's easy to say we finished just one place lower after looking at the final league table. But it was horrible for us. Towards the end of the season, we lost at home to Bayern 1-3 and were seven points off Spurs as we lost to them too - before a massive turnaround. We dug deep defensively for nervy 1-0, 2-1 wins in several subsequent games.
Securing fourth place on the final day of the season (another 1-0 win) is something no Arsenal fan wants again. We improved in defence but missed RVP's goals throughout the season.
I like Everton under Martinez. I think they're a well-run club who have done quite well in spite of budget constraints. The more competitive the league, the better it is to watch. I enjoyed last season a lot more than when United won it with several games to go.
In the year you won the league easily I seem to remember Evra having a good season and Ferdinand actually making the BPL TOTS. So hardly minor losses. I also seem to remember Carrick having an amazing season and age/injuries have taken its toll since then. Van Persie was your best player as well and he also seems to be somewhat declining, again injuries haven't helped. You had quite a lot of aging squad members in that title winning season that are now on the wane and a few that are gone altogether and have taken away that vital experience for the backline.
I don't disagree with the idea of "you newer know" with regards to us and the title next season. But I think if we can't appreciate being back in the top 4 or as the poster I replied to said "4th isn't good enough", after a season where we finished 7th and played atrocious football, then I think that's a tad ridiculous.
What does that even mean?
Absolutely nothing. It just fits in to this vague idea most people have that Liverpool just "got lucky" and everything will be back to normal next season.
Tim Vickery (BBC's South American correspondent) says Liverpool have lined up big striker deal according to agent. No name...hmmm...Cavani, Tevez, Fred?!
He knows his stuff, one of the better sources out there.
He knows his stuff, one of the better sources out there.
Is the English hard for you to figure out? You don't have to get so offended by it. Every slight sentence that isn't lavishing praise on your team doesn't have to get to you. Rodgers did a great job last season with your team as did the whole unit. But having a player hit the kind of form Suarez was in, playing lesser (making the high energy game more effective) etc. did contribute.
It's funny how the magical SAF can paper over united cracks and take a "shit squad" to walking the league, but Suarez and other factors can't paper over the Liverpool cracks.