If they sign lavezzi, they will be in a very strong position. An attack of sterling,lavezzi and strud. is 
with lallana,markovic and ibe as backups.
with lallana,markovic and ibe as backups.Liverpool 2014/15 | WARNING: Contains strong amounts of Scouse nonsense
- Thread starter Wumminator
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Not sure why that's laughable.
Cliched answer. City could hardly be called in transition - and they just pipped us, Chelsea had umpteen millions worth of players on the pitch and on the bench ... and Mourinho - that's not in transition (unless you fell for Mo's spiel). Those are the best and strongest two teams in the league, if you want to dismiss it as just 'one good season' when it was in fact just a continuation of the previous season when we had the second best record in the PL after Xmas, then I'd get those two monkeys off your shoulder (the one with it's hands over it eyes and the other with it's hands over it's ears).
It's almost X-files ish coming from the United forum, with the wailing, gnashing of teeth and general consensus on the weakness of your squad, to this forum, where United fans' opinions suddenly go into reverse gear because the comparison is with the Bete Noire, Liverpool.
While I do actually think that Mkhitaryan has similar abilities in terms of pressing and work rate, his and Henderson´s other skills make them better suited for their respective roles, which is why the Armenian would not do as good of a job in the CM. He is certainly not the Dortmund player who I would compare to Henderson.
Otherwise I agree with your assessment of Henderson. Players like him will never be extremely highly rated. They don´t have much flair in their game, look ordinary on the first glance, don´t decide games completely on their own and have definite limits in their overall ability. Henderson does have specific strengths, which can be quite important if they are used wisely by a good coach, though. Rodgers did exactly that and turned Henderson in a highly efficient role player. In that one specific role he shines like only a few others are capable of.
Truth is, that a team with such an intense pressing game like what Liverpool wants to play needs players like him. Unsung heroes who move around well, both in volume and in quality, and elevate a pressing system to a higher level. The true worth of Henderson is not seen when he is standing on the pitch, but when he is missing. Henderson does limit the choices of the opposition to an considerable extend, by simply standing right and closing off passing routes.
Rodgers´ comment of the impact of Henderson missing at the end of the season was certainly exaggerated and his intention to protect his captain was very visible, but there was some truth in it. Henderson is a very important cog in the machine which Rodgers has built.
You shouldn't find it odd. The team as a whole played very well last season, that does not mean that individual players are particularly skilled. They function well within a team. If you look at Chelsea, Arsenal to an extent and City, they have some very talented players. However, they don't always function effectively as a team. The whole is better than the individual parts ...etc in Liverpool's case. It will be very interesting how Sterling and Sturridge cope now that defenses are no scared shitless by Suarez.
Saw on Sky Sports News earlier that Martin Kelly has been sold to Palace. He didn't look happy standing with his new clubs shirt knowing that his boyhood club got rid of him.
As Sterling is probably England's most talented teenager since Rooney I'm pretty sure he will cope. Sturridge's figures without Suarez in the side are very impressive - 9 goals during his ten game ban.
Probably even less happy now the Manager who signed him has just left the club.
So, two days to go until it all kicks off. Liverpool fans (and anyone else willing to stick their head above the parapet) - where are you finishing this season?
No caveats, no 'if we stay injury free' etc. Assuming all things being equal for your and your rivals' squads, where do you see yourselves come May?
My guesswork: 5th in the league, Champions League quarter final, nowhere in the cups (I don't see Rodgers placing much priority on them).
I'm not sure if I want to go into detail on the reasons behind the above as its more of a gut feel looking at how you have strengthened/weakened this summer compared to your immediate rivals. I also see this coming season as a consolidation season to a certain extent for Rodgers given the loss of Suarez and the amount of new signings, and I don't think consolidation is an easy way forward in the Premier League. I definitely think that 2015/16 will be a better season than 2014/15 for Liverpool, especially given the average age of the squad and new signings.
So sticking your necks out, final predictions here please.
No caveats, no 'if we stay injury free' etc. Assuming all things being equal for your and your rivals' squads, where do you see yourselves come May?
My guesswork: 5th in the league, Champions League quarter final, nowhere in the cups (I don't see Rodgers placing much priority on them).
I'm not sure if I want to go into detail on the reasons behind the above as its more of a gut feel looking at how you have strengthened/weakened this summer compared to your immediate rivals. I also see this coming season as a consolidation season to a certain extent for Rodgers given the loss of Suarez and the amount of new signings, and I don't think consolidation is an easy way forward in the Premier League. I definitely think that 2015/16 will be a better season than 2014/15 for Liverpool, especially given the average age of the squad and new signings.
So sticking your necks out, final predictions here please.
I think you will find Sterling will get a lot more attention this year than he did last as he was pretty much an unknown quantity. He probably has yet to get the kicking that the likes of Ronaldo & Co used to get every season once they became a threat to teams. We will soon see.
Cliched answer my arse its called the truth! Take your Liverpool glasses off Rafa where have you been for the past 20 years. Continuation of the previous year thats when you didn't make top 4? So as I said one good season in which you still won nothing! Now if Liverpool do it for 3-4 seasons in a row (challenge) then maybe they will be taken more seriously. But as now they are relatively new as they haven't been part of the top 4 for a while now. Forgive anyone who doesn't fancy them after they have one good season (and sell their only top player).
- Brendan Rodgers believes Liverpool's ability to attract top class talent this summer is a "symbol" of the club's resurgence.
Apparently they fought off Real Madrid to the £4m signature of Lambert.
Quit your top 3 shit. Is that first, second or third?
The proof will be in the pudding. Moreno, Markovic and Can all appear very strong but none of us know enough about their ability to adapt to the PL so whether they are too class signings is guess work.
Presume top 3 means 3rd.
Hope you're right. The best thing that could happen to Liverpool this season is for them not to be taken seriously. Keep the focus elsewhere - Mourinho, van Gaal, City - and Liverpool will keep on "surprising".
First or second in the league and we'll win a trophy (which might be the PL).
I'm willing to take an even money bet you won't finish top 2 or win a trophy Barney or Pickle
(keep it fun)They haven't signed anyone top class! That man Rodgers does talk some serious waffle at times
It's not so funny for United atm.
You need to give the likes of Markovic and Can the time to prove that, personally genuniely excited by Markovic who could be brilliant for us.
Biased opinion maybe but Lallana and Lovren for me are top class who probably wouldn't have joined us had we not performed so well last season. In time hope to add Moreno and Origi in that bracket too.
If we can get a top striker in it will have been a great window and the manager will have pretty much got everyone he wanted, which certainly hasn't been the case in the past.
Can and Markovic are only youngsters though, but you can't deny the potential is there. Still, it's too soon for them to be first choice this season, and that's what he means by top class. Lovren is a good signing, wouldn't say top class, but definitely a very good signing. Lallana on the other hand I wouldn't say is anything special. Don't think he'll really improve on what you have, just be a squad player really. Coutinho and Sterling have way more talent IMO, and while Lallana could compliment them decently, I feel like you could have spent the 25 million a lot better then on Lallana.
The only real top class player you went for was Sanchez and he went for Arsenal over you.
Yep this is what I mean but I think Llanana is actually a decent player. I do think Coutinho is a level below our Mata and also Kagawa is better IMO.
Kagawa is only hypothetically better. Coutinho is streets ahead since they both arrived in this league.
Agreed with regards to Mata (I think they're different style of players though and Coutinho could get to his level if he finds the consistency that he lacked last year). Kagawa has shown absolutely nothing (in this league) to justify being rated ahead of Coutinho though.
Agreed.
Spot on.
Funny thing is that a lot of Liverpool fans on our forums said 'there goes the title' as soon as Henderson got his Red Card. We know his value even if others don't recognise it because he's not a flashy player and his skills not so 'obvious'.
As I put in the Top 7 Prediction Thread :
City (they can put out 2 x Top 6 teams, they are reigning PL champions and have the experience, much stronger in depth than Chelsea)
Chelsea (bought well but lack strength in depth compared to City)
Liverpool : the spine has remained the same and we have addressed the defensive weaknesses with significant strengthening, we've added strength and depth to midfield (and overall to cope with the extra ca. 10 games this season) and changed the system to create and score more goals from midfield to compensate for the loss of Suarez (along with conceding far less than the 50 goals in PL last season). The only concerns I have are how young the squad is and we are short a very good striker (though that should be fixed before the end of August).
Arsenal (have strengthened their attack slightly - depending on how much of an upgrade you consider Sanchez to be on Walcott. Still missing players in midfield and defence).
United (tons of reasons, not wishful thinking, based around new system, loss of leadership and experience and weakened defence and midfield from 2 years ago)
Spurs (Pochettino can whip there squad into shape, they do have some good players)
Everton (despite all the hurrahs for Barry and Lukaku it's still basically the same team as last year less Deulofeu (sp.) ). That is very good but not good enough to break into Top 6 again. Expect good EL and Cup runs.
I agree. Kagawa is ridiculously overrated by some on here. He's played some decent games for us and yes he was good for Dortmund but comparing their EPL form and I'd prefer Coutinho.
I had a really good opinion of you as a poster up until that Kagawa comment
Coutinho vs. Mata vs Kagawa (all 2013/14). We all know that Kagawa hasn't had many starts to really express himself since he joined United - maybe there is a reason for that (and nobody say Moyes) !
Yep, didn't say you said that though, just gave a breakdown of how it went for him over here given you mentioned his time in France.
I think you overstate his season for Southampton (esp. second half) but that's natural I think. Anyway, we'll know soon enough!
The reason is Rooney and the fella that's way ahead in that stat table above, Mata really is a stand out 10. Coutinho wouldn't get near Uniteds first 11 either.
You're citing United's new system as one of the reasons why we'll be outside the top 4 this season but are then citing Liverpool's new system as one of the reasons why you will sustain a challenge this season. Fair enough if you think that's how the respective systems will unfold, but there's no need to contain the line 'not wishful thinking' in there too, you're not slipping that past me!
Also, either one of the statements 'our spine has remained the same' or 'changed the system' are incorrect, depending on where you believe Suarez played last season - either he was part of a spine (that would therefore not be unchanged) or he was playing wide (and in a similar system to what Liverpool will use this year).
Finally, the idea that your midfield will make up for the 31 goals Suarez scored last season is fairly laughable. I know you had posted on it previously, it is taking wishful thinking to the extreme.
It's possible that Lallana, Markovic and Lambert could score a fair chunk of the Suarez goals between them. Lallana scored 9 for Southampton last season so it's not unreasonable for him to score at least that for us.
Add to that Sterling, Henderson, Gerrard, Coutinho - maybe even stretching that to the extreme with the likes of Ibe, Suso and potentially Borini (assuming he stays), new striker (assuming we get one) and I don't think goals will be our problem to be honest.
Keeping Sturridge fit is obviously important.
Why do they have to make up 31 goals ? The vast majority of his goals were surplus to requirements anyway in games we won comfortably against inferior opposition. & if our new defensive signings help us concede fewer goals then there won't as much pressure on the attacking players to pull us out of the mire will there ?
I don't think you lads are in the race with City and Chelsea, but you are competing with Arsenal and us.
I do however think you'll be in the 2015/2016 title race. Pretty much all of your players are young and still improving, apart from Gerrard, Lambert, Johnson, Enrique and Lucas. Even Rodgers himself is still learning and we'll see how he copes against Europe's finest this season.
I do however think you'll be in the 2015/2016 title race. Pretty much all of your players are young and still improving, apart from Gerrard, Lambert, Johnson, Enrique and Lucas. Even Rodgers himself is still learning and we'll see how he copes against Europe's finest this season.