Well the last sentence is a matter of opinion and mine is that if Barca are willing to pay £100m for him now then they will next summer too. I've no doubt Barca tells everyone it's now or never in order to 'motivate' them but it's Liverpool they need to negotiate with not Coutinho. I still think they'll come to an understanding for next summer.
Liverpool - 2017/18
- Thread starter Rafateria
- Start date
I must have mellowed over the few years as I really don't care what Coutinho does. In a few years he will be history and back in Brazil. Liverpool will go on and having seen them in the second division I have no fears about someone who has no natural affinity with the club leaving. We are great going forward and the best team in the Premier League to watch. We will get over it. Get as much as we can for him when WE feel he can be released without detrimental effect on the team.
i'll put out a prediction - Liverpool aren't going to beat Watford later today whilst looking pretty awful. The feel good around the Anfield club will die out within the coming weeks with Coutinho's transfer saga and the struggle to get past Hoffenheim, while performing poorly in the league. No top 4 for them this season - quote me on this come May 13th 2018.
Quoted now!
They'll beat Watford. It'll be 0-2 before 30 minutes have passed.
I reckon it'll be 1-1. Watford will be all over us like a rash in the 1st half & go in 1-0 up at HT. We'll have a better 2nd half & grab an equalizer midway through the half.
You're certainly more confident than me.
Look at their bench?
They need more players.
They need more players.
I'm with you on this one. I'm not happy he's going but that's mainly the fact it's all come about at the start of the season and is a disruption.
Apart from that I'm not too fussed. Never really took to him despite his undoubted quality. I certainly won't be gutted he's gone like I was with Fowler, Owen, Mcmannaman, Alonso, Agger, Barnes and Beardsley. I remember being down in the dumps for a while after all those players left whereas I wasn't with Torres, won't be with Coutinho and I was ecstatic when Suarez left as I felt he was poisonous to the club regardless of his genius on the pitch.
If he goes, good luck to him. If he stays, he needs to be a bit more consistent for what will probably be his swansong in a red shirt.
We have enough attacking quality to survive without him, could even be a blessing in disguise eventually if a player like Grujiic gets a chance in midfield and becomes an enforcer that improves the defensive side.
There's no doubt he'll be missed, but he's not irreplaceable like Alonso for example who I still get annoyed about we let him leave over Rafas pining for Garry fecking Barry.
Based on this result Liverpool would do quite well to immediately accept Barca's bid and go buy two defenders (CB and FB) that can actually defend.
Same old Liverpool under Klopp...
Ironically that shite might actually be a positive in that they realise that they are short a couple of starters, even factoring Lallana and Coutinho in.
Exciting going forward but they are so poor at the back, I'm not sure Van Dijk is going to solve all of that. Klopp needs to be more cautious, he leaves his CBs far too exposed.
I'd be fecking fuming if I was Liverpool supporter watching that shite in defence/goal. You score three away to a team that will finish in the bottom 5-10, you expect that to do the job.
Alas, I'm not so...
Alas, I'm not so...
Klopp should bite the bullet and go for any other CB if VvD isn't available. It'd be great if he persists with Lovren throughout the season. Although I'm not even sure if VvD will be good in this system, leaves his CB too exposed.
Not sure what leaving your CBs exposed in open play has to do with anything when most of their chances are given away from set pieces.
The next bid for VVD will be monstrous. Expecting 65 with add-ons taking it to 80-85.
Completely fine having TAA & Lovren as backups, but when your back four the the opening day of the season has both of them AND Moreno, it's time to open the transfer kitty.
I think they could sign the best CB in the world and they'd still have the same defensive issues, its the setup and the tactics more than the players. Matip was meant to solve these problems last year
Although Rodgers wasn't the manager they had hoped, they did have Coutinho and Suarez back then and still didn't win shite.
Liverpool would do wise to sell Coutinho and invest some money in their defence. VVD is probably exactly what they need…
Liverpool would do wise to sell Coutinho and invest some money in their defence. VVD is probably exactly what they need…
Wijnaldum is always so underwhelming in away games.
Like Carragher said, a lot of their defensive issues are to do with the set-up and set-pieces. He's just managed his 100th game and the same old problems persist, so I can't see that being remedied any time soon - even if they sign Van Dijk.
It's so weird that he's still not scored away from home in the league.
Their first 11 when theyve got a couple of injuries to their main players is abysmal. That side today on paper, with Lallana and Coutinho out, looked really poor. If Coutinho leaves, theyre going to really struggle to make top 4, and i put them further away from the title than at this point last season.
Well technically 90% of the credit for the last goal belong to him.
I've only seen our goals. Heard we're still useless at the back though.Well technically 90% of the credit for the last goal belong to him.
Incredible they still have Mingolet, Lovren and Moreno starting in their back 5.
Pretty selective
I'm not in the UK at the moment so only got to see our goals via Liverpool related Twitter people.Pretty selective
Britos
Awful goalkeepers, awful defenders, average midfield, clinical, exciting attack.
Manager can't organise the defence.
Won't get near a league title.
Manager can't organise the defence.
Won't get near a league title.
Same old same old.
Even Stevie Wonder can see the problem with Liverpools defense, sadly Herr Klopps glasses clearly don't work properly if he's intent on persisting with zonal marking.
I cringe whenever there's a corner, free kick or throw in anywhere near our goal. And it's blatantly obvious why. Even the Watfords of the world know the weak points to go at, and most the time it bears fruit.
VVD won't fix this mess, it's a system problem not a player one. Pre-season wins glossed over the issue, soon as it matters it's business as usual.
Only positive, TAA showing he's one for the future. I'm pessimistic about getting past Hoffenheim now though, they'll go for the throat at their place after watching that debacle. Which may actually be a good thing in the long run, no way that squad can maintain 4 competitions.
Even Stevie Wonder can see the problem with Liverpools defense, sadly Herr Klopps glasses clearly don't work properly if he's intent on persisting with zonal marking.
I cringe whenever there's a corner, free kick or throw in anywhere near our goal. And it's blatantly obvious why. Even the Watfords of the world know the weak points to go at, and most the time it bears fruit.
VVD won't fix this mess, it's a system problem not a player one. Pre-season wins glossed over the issue, soon as it matters it's business as usual.
Only positive, TAA showing he's one for the future. I'm pessimistic about getting past Hoffenheim now though, they'll go for the throat at their place after watching that debacle. Which may actually be a good thing in the long run, no way that squad can maintain 4 competitions.
Pretty much.
What did Klopp actually do over the summer? Attempted to get Keita and VVD which made sense but had no alternatives when he couldn't get them over the line, and they are defensively frail as ever. Did they not work on defending set pieces?
I honestly think he isn't spending on purpose so when Liverpool have a poor season he can blame the lack of spending.
I honestly think he isn't spending on purpose so when Liverpool have a poor season he can blame the lack of spending.
It's rather damming for us because we finished comfortably behind them.
GK+ defence is a quality issue. In midfield it goes beyond that. Klopp was hell-bent on signing keita, who has a very similar profile to can, Henderson and wijnaldum. Football is not a competition about who runs most. They need not just more quality but simply a different type of player.
They simply refuse to address these issues.
I can't believe the lack of investment over the summer. It's complete madness.
Youre a small club now. Who are you expecting to sign? Youre basically a platform for players to go in a bigger club. Along the likes of Vitesse and Southampton.
FSG have spent as much as could be expected on transfers when you consider that they are making a loss most seasons.
Plus they have written off some debt and spent £150mil on the capital side of thing.
Plus they have written off some debt and spent £150mil on the capital side of thing.
No it isn't. It's a new season with new players and no Rooney stinking up our attack.
Decent young team, exciting attacking wise.
But that team is never a title contender. And Klopp still hasn't figured out that scoring 3 goals every weekend means shite with that group of defenders.
Entertainment at its finest for everyone else though.
But that team is never a title contender. And Klopp still hasn't figured out that scoring 3 goals every weekend means shite with that group of defenders.
Entertainment at its finest for everyone else though.