Liverpool 2018/19

By how many points will Liverpool win the title this season?

  • -1

    Votes: 100 52.9%

  • Oof

    Votes: 89 47.1%
  • Total voters
    189
Status
Not open for further replies.
Youse are all a bit premature with the bed-wetting. Things are different now, expectations, rotation & squad management, team blend, Klopp's tactics & style are not a surprise.

And they've lost Emre Can who was the best MF in Europe at some stage or other of his stay. That's a terrible blow, :).

City are gonna get take some catching to say the least, so they're not super likely to be winning that one, imo.
 
We need an rvn said:
Your view on what exactly? Surely you must agree, as @BusbyMalone pointed out, given he's now spent a world record on a keeper and defender, plus with that attack you should be fighting strongly for the league. There is no excuse for the media not to pick up on this if you have another season of ending 3rd or 4th? Jose was put under the sword a lot more than the other managers were last year and surely you can agree with that too?
Click to expand...
Keep saying world record for this and world record for that, I'd simply like to look at the fees which is around £135m combined - a lot less than what you spent on Pogba and Lukaku for example.

Yes, we should be challenging for the title. But I disagree that there are "no excuses" if we don't. There could be plenty of excuses, just like it was a pretty valid excuse for Mourinho last season that City were simply too good. Sometimes it's not you that has failed but simply others which are stronger. Considering the position we are coming from, which was waaay behind both Manchester clubs and one or two London clubs, we're in a lot better position now but others, i.e. City imo, are still stronger. That's why I don't think there are no excuses if we don't win a trophy this year.

I wouldn't mind scraping 4th either if it means we win the Champions League. But in theory, yes, we should be up there with City.

BusbyMalone said:
What. The view that a manager who's going into his 4th season and has spent an asinine amount of money significantly strengthening his squad in the areas that needed it most, shouldn't come under some kind of scrutiny and criticism if his achievements aren't commensurate with the money that he spent?

So they guy can't lose can he? Wins a trophy and he's a fecking genius, wins nothing and "ah well, he's building..."
Click to expand...
For me, he can't lose, no. He has me enjoying Liverpool again after years of disappointment and resignation after a few months into the season. I'll take looking forward to each game and enjoying pretty much every game for now. If we win something on the way, even better but you won't hear me calling for his sacking if we don't. But like I said I can understand if people have a different view on that and just want their team to win trophies no matter what.
 
BusbyMalone said:
What. The view that a manager who's going into his 4th season and has spent an asinine amount of money significantly strengthening his squad in the areas that needed it most, shouldn't come under some kind of scrutiny and criticism if his achievements aren't commensurate with the money that he spent?

So they guy can't lose can he? Wins a trophy and he's a fecking genius, wins nothing and "ah well, he's building..."
Click to expand...

Or something in between?

You're being far too black and white.

If Liverpool bomb out of every cup competition early and have the same league campaign as we did last season (2nd place finish but never in with a realistic shout of finishing ahead of City) then questions will be asked. If they go deep in all cup competitions (including another CL final) - even if they don't actually win any of them - and push City all the way in the league then they will have had an excellent season, and sacking Klopp would be madness.

In both these scenarios they have the same league position and don't win any trophies.

There's also the style of play and individual results to consider. If Liverpool score a shit-load of goals, get loads of plaudits for playing exciting attacking football and rack up a few convincing victories over top opposition then that will also take pressure off the manager, just like it did last season. In the same way that our inability to do all the above has put pressure on Mourinho despite finishing ahead of Liverpool in the league.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Or something in between?

You're being far too black and white.

If Liverpool bomb out of every cup competition early and have the same league campaign as we did last season (2nd place finish but never in with a realistic shout of finishing ahead of City) then questions will be asked. If they make a few cup finals (including the CL again) and push City all the way in the league then they will have had an excellent season, and sacking Klopp would be madness.

In both these scenarios they have the same league position and don't win any trophies.

There's also the style of play and individual results to consider. If Liverpool score a shit-load of goals, get loads of plaudits for playing exciting attacking football and rack up a few convincing victories over top opposition then that will also take pressure off the manager, just like it did last season. In the same way that our inability to do all the above has put pressure on Mourinho despite finishing ahead of Liverpool in the league.
Click to expand...
Exactly what I'm trying to argue here, great post.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Or something in between?

You're being far too black and white.

If Liverpool bomb out of every cup competition early and have the same league campaign as we did last season (2nd place finish but never in with a realistic shout of finishing ahead of City) then questions will be asked. If they go deep in all cup competitions (including another CL final) - even if they don't actually win any of them - and push City all the way in the league then they will have had an excellent season, and sacking Klopp would be madness.

In both these scenarios they have the same league position and don't win any trophies.

There's also the style of play and individual results to consider. If Liverpool score a shit-load of goals, get loads of plaudits for playing exciting attacking football and rack up a few convincing victories over top opposition then that will also take pressure off the manager, just like it did last season. In the same way that our inability to do all the above has put pressure on Mourinho despite finishing ahead of Liverpool in the league.
Click to expand...

The something in between has already happened...for three seasons in a row. There comes a time when the amount of criticism and scrutiny he should be under is commensurate with the amount of money spent and strengthening made to his team. He's been praised and idolised for his brand of football for a few years now (and rightly so), but he also escapes the sort of criticism a, for instance, Jose Mourinho would get.

He gets a free pass way too often and it's ridiculous. There are absolutely no excuses for him this season. None. A trophy has to be won, surely. He has to properly challenge for the title and improve on last season. I'm also not advocating for him to be sacked. I'm saying that he should be under the same scrutiny that Mourinho and Guardiola will undoubtedly be under. What makes him so special. He's in the same company now, so the same rules should apply.
 
RobinLFC said:
For me, he can't lose, no. He has me enjoying Liverpool again after years of disappointment and resignation after a few months into the season. I'll take looking forward to each game and enjoying pretty much every game for now. If we win something on the way, even better but you won't hear me calling for his sacking if we don't. But like I said I can understand if people have a different view on that and just want their team to win trophies no matter what.
Click to expand...

I'm not advocating for him to be bloody sacked. I'm simply pointing out the disparity between how he's treated and how other managers around him are (namely Mourinho), and saying the same thing should apply to him; yet it isn't. He gets a free pass all the time.
 
I think city will win it again purely down to pep but I think the dippers will run them close, hurts to say but they have a better squad of players and a manger that likes to play attacking football that lots of utd fans enjoyed during SAF years in charge
 
BusbyMalone said:
The something in between has already happened...for three seasons in a row. There comes a time when the amount of criticism and scrutiny he should be under is commensurate with the amount of money spent and strengthening made to his team. He's been praised and idolised for his brand of football for a few years now (and rightly so), but he also escapes the sort of criticism a, for instance, Jose Mourinho would get.

He gets a free pass way too often and it's ridiculous. There are absolutely no excuses for him this season. None. A trophy has to be won, surely. He has to properly challenge for the title and improve on last season. I'm also not advocating for him to be sacked. I'm saying that he should be under the same scrutiny that Mourinho and Guardiola will undoubtedly be under. What makes him so special. He's in the same company now, so the same rules should apply.
Click to expand...

Well Liverpool have continually improved since he took over, peaking with the CL final last season. Plus all the other stuff. Impressive results, scoring a tonne of goals, defending as well as any other PL team in the second half of the season etc. So that's the context he's being judged within.

Anyway, I think Mourinho could get away with the sort of season I described above (making the CL and one or two other cup finals, a close second place in the league and no trophies) While scoring loads of goals, playing a brand of football that neutrals admire as much as their own fans. I'd be absolutely fecking delighted if Mourinho managed all of this in the season ahead and would think anyone demanding his head is an absolute idiot. I'm sure you'd think the same.
 
Dec9003 said:
They still don't have a better team than us.
Click to expand...

Hardly night and day though is it? And I'd rather have a team that promises to score goals (or at least scare the opposition).

Think United have a better centre midfield and goalkeeper - Liverpool comfortably a better attack, no matter what players you mix and match (for me this is more down to coaching as opposed to quality). The rest is all debatable.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Well Liverpool have continually improved since he took over, peaking with the CL final last season. Plus all the other stuff. Impressive results, scoring a tonne of goals, defending as well as any other PL team in the second half of the season etc. So that's the context he's being judged within.

Anyway, I think Mourinho could get away with the sort of season I described above (making the CL and one or two other cup finals, a close second place in the league and no trophies) While scoring loads of goals, playing a brand of football that neutrals admire as much as their own fans. I'd be absolutely fecking delighted if Mourinho managed all of this in the season ahead and would think anyone demanding his head is an absolute idiot. I'm sure you'd think the same.
Click to expand...

He's being judged as if he's some plucky underdog, which isn't true anymore. He's improved the football, but in terms of the league position he's stagnated slightly. Certainly no drastic improvement anyway. He finished 4th last season on the final day, and finished 4th the season before that by one point. He's not exactly pulling up trees. He also has an uncanny knack of bottling it in finals. They do play great football which i already said he deserves credit for, but we're kind of getting away from my overall point.

He's now dining at the the big table with us and City so therefore expectations change. He should therefore be under the same scrutiny. But he's not. He gets a free pass as per usual and it's ridiculous. Again, i'm not demanding his head or saying he should be sacked. I'm simply asking for some consistency when it comes to the reporting of him and everyone else at the top.

And yes, i would love to see some attacking football from us next season...but i won't hold my breath on that one.
 
Irrational. said:
Keita, Fabinho, Shaquiri, Alisson and probably Fekir.

That is a great transfer window for any team.
Click to expand...
Agreed. Also they signed their front of 3 (Mane-Firminho-Salah) for less than 100m not long enough... And all have been fire.

I thought Liverpool would lose Salah this summer. I'm surprised they were able to continue with their team and improve their midfield and sign a top GK.
 
Pogue Mahone said:
Or something in between?

You're being far too black and white.

If Liverpool bomb out of every cup competition early and have the same league campaign as we did last season (2nd place finish but never in with a realistic shout of finishing ahead of City) then questions will be asked. If they go deep in all cup competitions (including another CL final) - even if they don't actually win any of them - and push City all the way in the league then they will have had an excellent season, and sacking Klopp would be madness.

In both these scenarios they have the same league position and don't win any trophies.

There's also the style of play and individual results to consider. If Liverpool score a shit-load of goals, get loads of plaudits for playing exciting attacking football and rack up a few convincing victories over top opposition then that will also take pressure off the manager, just like it did last season. In the same way that our inability to do all the above has put pressure on Mourinho despite finishing ahead of Liverpool in the league.
Click to expand...
Great post! Not everything is black or white for god's sake.
 
Irrational. said:
Keita, Fabinho, Shaquiri, Alisson and probably Fekir.

That is a great transfer window for any team.
Click to expand...

Those acquisitions cost a combined total of £180 million, though. When you spend that sort of money in the transfer market, you expect quality in return. Plus, it raises the bar of expectation among the fans and club associates by a large margin. Liverpool should be expected to win something next season.
 
They look good on paper, no doubt about it, but it is one thing how it looks on paper and another how it will look in reality.

Serious challenge and going around 85+ points is a must unless they compensate it with a deep run in CL like last year. On a positive side, the meltdown will be hilarious if they start struggling after what seems to be like sorting pretty much every position they needed with the best coach in the history.
 
Now I'm not hyping Liverpool and claiming they are going to challenge and are light years ahead of us.............BUT you have to impressed with the additions thus far.

VVD/Keita were great alone, to add Fabinho and Shaqiri was smart. And if the keeper issue is finally addressed, you have to admire that Klopp has identified areas to improve, and has done so massively.

Squad depth in midfield is very good, way better than ours on paper I'd say. But this is Klopp, this is Liverpool. Brilliant one game, atrocious the next.

Maybe them making big strides will inspire other clubs, I certainly hope so
 
Klopper76 said:
Gutted about this.

Click to expand...

Hold on, the entire season? Surely these specific injuries are roughly 8/9 months? That's a bigger blow than people think because this means we'll have to rely a lot more on Gini who I'm a fan of but well... Adam is struggling with injuries lately as well.
 
Oga on top. said:
Hold on, the entire season? Surely these specific injuries are roughly 8/9 months? That's a bigger blow than people think because this means we'll have to rely a lot more on Gini who I'm a fan of but well... Adam is struggling with injuries lately as well.
Click to expand...
 
If they get Allison and bring in Fekir wonder if they’d have a lil something left over to replace Lovren. Honestly if they were to get a top replacement CB say a Bonucci as a replacement then on paper what a fecking team. It’s what FIFA career mode dreams are made of :lol:

I’m just never convinced by Lovren for them but maybe Matip will become the main partner of VVDJK.
 
Andersons Dietician said:
If they get Allison and bring in Fekir wonder if they’d have a lil something left over to replace Lovren. Honestly if they were to get a top replacement CB say a Bonucci as a replacement then on paper what a fecking team. It’s what FIFA career mode dreams are made of :lol:

I’m just never convinced by Lovren for them but maybe Matip will become the main partner of VVDJK.
Click to expand...
As time has gone on, I think most of us have noticed that Matip isn't that much better than Lovren and is prone to errors too. Plus he's had injury problems, it's Gomez time at the back imo.
 
Andersons Dietician said:
If they get Allison and bring in Fekir wonder if they’d have a lil something left over to replace Lovren. Honestly if they were to get a top replacement CB say a Bonucci as a replacement then on paper what a fecking team. It’s what FIFA career mode dreams are made of :lol:

I’m just never convinced by Lovren for them but maybe Matip will become the main partner of VVDJK.
Click to expand...

If they can replace Lovren with someone like Maguire, it would make a truckload of difference to their strength. Their first XI would be top quality.
 
Irrational. said:
Keita, Fabinho, Shaquiri, Alisson and probably Fekir.

That is a great transfer window for any team.
Click to expand...

But they all can’t play without dropping one of friminio salah mane or ox so I don’t understand this. They can only play 11 players

Fabinho keita ox
Mane firmino salah

Where do Fekir and shaquiri go?
 
Chamberlain finally got away from the shackles of Wenger. It's quite sad that this has happened to him.
 
automaticflare said:
But they all can’t play without dropping one of friminio salah mane or ox so I don’t understand this. They can only play 11 players

Fabinho keita ox
Mane firmino salah

Where do Fekir and shaquiri go?
Click to expand...
Well I’m guessing Shaquiri is a squad option. Fekir could play in the front 3 or in place of the OX who looks like he is out this season anyway. Firminho could also slip in to the ox’s position and you could have Fekir up top. I’d imagine with the way they play there will be a lot of on field rotation just happening naturally anyway.

@Oga on top. oh really? I haven’t really seen that much of him for you guys, probably due to the injuries but I saw a bit of him at Schalke and he seemed quite promising. Do think that is one position you guys need to look at. Fancy a Rojo or Jones?
 
automaticflare said:
But they all can’t play without dropping one of friminio salah mane or ox so I don’t understand this. They can only play 11 players

Fabinho keita ox
Mane firmino salah

Where do Fekir and shaquiri go?
Click to expand...
Chamberlain is out for the season. And even then was never intended as clear 1st choice.

Shaqiri will play from the bench. Is that so puzzling?
 
Andersons Dietician said:
Well I’m guessing Shaquiri is a squad option. Fekir could play in the front 3 or in place of the OX who looks like he is out this season anyway. Firminho could also slip in to the ox’s position and you could have Fekir up top. I’d imagine with the way they play there will be a lot of on field rotation just happening naturally anyway.

@Oga on top. oh really? I haven’t really seen that much of him for you guys, probably due to the injuries but I saw a bit of him at Schalke and he seemed quite promising. Do think that is one position you guys need to look at. Fancy a Rojo or Jones?
Click to expand...
No ta :lol:, like I said in my other post we have Gomez for our other centre back spot. I don't see a huge need to go sign another one but if we did move for one I'd quite like it to be Maguire. If Mane could have a word with Kalidou than he would be #1 target for me, but realistiaclly I don't think we can get him. Besides you guys have that nutter Bailly fresh and ready waiting. Unless he's injured in which case Fosu-Mensah then.
 
Oga on top. said:
No ta :lol:, like I said in my other post we have Gomez for our other centre back spot. I don't see a huge need to go sign another one but if we did move for one I'd quite like it to be Maguire. If Mane could have a word with Kalidou than he would be #1 target for me, but realistiaclly I don't think we can get him. Besides you guys have that nutter Bailly fresh and ready waiting. Unless he's injured in which case Fosu-Mensah then.
Click to expand...
What was up with Gomez last year? I recall seeing him a few times being very impressed then he sort of vanished. Did he get injured? I think I saw him mostly getting used as a RB but then you do have TAA so no shame in sitting out to him.

I did think Harry Mc would be a good option actually but dam Kalidou and VVDJK would be terrifying especially with Fabiano infront. Might as well just deploy TAA and Robertson as wingers.
 
I would definitely go after Mcguire, pretty sure he will be a stud at the back for years to come. How much would he cost after a good world cup?? I have to say though after a disastrous first half Lovren has impressed me the way he has played in second half of season and world cup. He was really good for Croatia. I expected a few blunders but he was pretty much flawless during world cup. The type of catastrophic start he had to last season can really destroy some players, to be able to put it behind him the way he did definitely shows mental toughness and I am genuinely glad for him.
 
Andersons Dietician said:
What was up with Gomez last year? I recall seeing him a few times being very impressed then he sort of vanished. Did he get injured? I think I saw him mostly getting used as a RB but then you do have TAA so no shame in sitting out to him.

I did think Harry Mc would be a good option actually but dam Kalidou and VVDJK would be terrifying especially with Fabiano infront. Might as well just deploy TAA and Robertson as wingers.
Click to expand...
He picked up a few injuries towards the end of the season but he was pretty decent first half of the season other than that silly red card he got in Europe. Speaking of Kalidou, I'm surprised no club is going in for him, the likes of Maguire can play at Leicester at least another season or two and still get top money for him whereas the Senegalese is about 28 I think, the owner will probably ask for £80 million. As we are investing heavily in other areas Klopp may gamble with the centre backs.
 
Is there any examples of players coming back from half/full season injuries and doing well with their careers?
 
Oga on top. said:
He picked up a few injuries towards the end of the season but he was pretty decent first half of the season other than that silly red card he got in Europe. Speaking of Kalidou, I'm surprised no club is going in for him, the likes of Maguire can play at Leicester at least another season or two and still get top money for him whereas the Senegalese is about 28 I think, the owner will probably ask for £80 million. As we are investing heavily in other areas Klopp may gamble with the centre backs.
Click to expand...
I think from recent memory the price over the last few years has been quoted around the 80mil mark so probably why there hasn’t been much solid movement on him.

Surely the money to invest in a CB has dried up as well unless you guys have suddenly become PSG? I know there would obviously be a lot of financial power in the FFP league with Pool but a lot of money is currently being put down on the table. Anyway be intresting to see how you lot get on next season.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.