Liverpool are a mess

Bajcetic or Jones will have to cover there, both are older (or same age) but have played more games at a bigger PL club than Lavia has.

Then we have Mac Allister who is so intelligent he can do that role. Finally we have Thiago if his battered body can squeeze in 15-20 games this season.

None are ideal but hardly the disaster everyone is predicting.

Wish I shared your optimism. Bajcetic has played 10 games in total and has been injured since march. Jones isn't a dm and is only in the conversation because he had a decent run of games towards the end of last season, Thiago is brilliant but injured most of the time. Mac Allister I don't know much about, but from what I understand, he's an 8. He definately wasn't bought as a 6 anyway.
 
I don't see a lot of people predicting disaster (at least not outside of this board), is that really a widespread sentiment among Liverpool supporters? For my part I think it's reasonable to expect improvement on last season. But I also think a title challenge looks like overreach, and that you'd have to assume that the level of turnover in a key area brings a fairly significant uncertainty to the situation. Just replacing what Henderson and Milner brought on the leadership front (with TAA of all people as vice captain!) must be considered a pretty big change, especially considering that the attack was also very extensively reconfigured during the past 18 months, and has hardly fully bedded in yet.
I am. Their attacking wasn’t the problem last year after they dropped Nunez, it was their midfield cover for the defence and the defence itself.
That hasn’t been fixed at all, if anything it’s gotten worse. If they have the solution to the DM problem in their squad now then they had it last year which means Klopp weirdly decided against using it? They have absolutely no depth at all outside of the front 3 and the same players who always get injured are the players they’re relying on.
Let’s just say I’m looking forward to this season.
 
Bajcetic or Jones will have to cover there, both are older (or same age) but have played more games at a bigger PL club than Lavia has.

Then we have Mac Allister who is so intelligent he can do that role. Finally we have Thiago if his battered body can squeeze in 15-20 games this season.

None are ideal but hardly the disaster everyone is predicting.
This screams "uphill battle for top 4", and not exactly "competing for the title with City's stacked team".

No problems if so but we should adjust expectations if that is really the case, can't be calling ourselves title challengers with a thin midfield like this.
 
Honestly, the times we get fecked are large scale injuries. That season where VvD among all our defenders were out together. Then last season where Jota AND Diaz were injured along with Curtis Jones (Thiago, Ox, Keita, etc) and we had no cover (tight FSG, we're not Man City or Chelsea where we can stockpile replacements on the bench).

If we don't hit those levels of injuries, and hopefully we won't as we have a much more relaxed season, i.e. no expectation to go toe to toe with City up to 99 points and no CL to worry about so Thursdays and Sundays should be a stroll, then I don't see any manager or team better than Klopp and Klopp's other than City. I fully expect and hope we finish second even if we don't get a DM. As long as there are no major injuries, that's my only proviso.

TLDR; I'm wumming. Ignore the above.
:lol:

So what do you actually predict?
 
This screams "uphill battle for top 4", and not exactly "competing for the title with City's stacked team".

No problems if so but we should adjust expectations if that is really the case, can't be calling ourselves title challengers with a thin midfield like this.

I don't know if you're addressing me directly or everyone in general (you replied to my post). At no point have I mentioned us being title challengers. We will not be going toe to toe with City. But second place is open for us to take if we stay injury free. My only proviso.
 
I am. Their attacking wasn’t the problem last year after they dropped Nunez, it was their midfield cover for the defence and the defence itself.
That hasn’t been fixed at all, if anything it’s gotten worse. If they have the solution to the DM problem in their squad now then they had it last year which means Klopp weirdly decided against using it? They have absolutely no depth at all outside of the front 3 and the same players who always get injured are the players they’re relying on.
Let’s just say I’m looking forward to this season.

Fair point. I suppose this is why they're chasing Lavia, but it also seems a stretch to believe he'll be the defensive bedrock at this stage.

Unbalanced midfield. I wonder what that must feel like. :D
 
I reckon if you bet 4 or more goals on all their games this season you will end up in healthy profits.
 
Are you wumming again or not you scoundrel. I think top 4 would be great for you lot, but will be a struggle.

Contrary to popular belief I wum very little on here. :D When I do I call it out. It's just that my opinion is nearly always contrary so seems contrived.

I do honestly believe that avoiding any serious injuries we are the best team with the best manager in the PL aside from City. I'm allowed to hold this opinion as much as it rubs people here up the wrong way.
 
They'll probably get top 4 this season unfortunately...

2nd best xG in the league last year and I doubt they'll decline defensively much despite players leaving. A lot of them were past it anyway.
 
They are going to be involved in some absolutely wild games this season. They look stacked in attack, but once you get to DM and below.... sheesh.

Yup, I think we can look forward to a lot of 3-3s. It's 2015 again!
 
Yup, I think we can look forward to a lot of 3-3s. It's 2015 again!
Maybe we will hear a ”Boom!” or two from Klopp this season since rock and roll football is back. I also reckon united will get a few goals in the annual battering they will receive this year. At least it will be entertaining.
 
Contrary to popular belief I wum very little on here. :D When I do I call it out. It's just that my opinion is nearly always contrary so seems contrived.

I do honestly believe that avoiding any serious injuries we are the best team with the best manager in the PL aside from City. I'm allowed to hold this opinion as much as it rubs people here up the wrong way.

Your defence is awful, you’ve 2 midfielders and it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll do and your forward line isn’t as good as it used to be, but apart from that you’re great yeah.
 
Your defence is awful, you’ve 2 midfielders and it’s anyone’s guess how they’ll do and your forward line isn’t as good as it used to be, but apart from that you’re great yeah.

Our defence is awful and can only get worse with an injury to Konate. Which happened most of last season. :(

Our midfield is stronger, we have got rid of some serious dead weight including Hendo and Fab who were atrocious last season. If they were our 'experienced heads' then I'm glad we chopped them off (Saudi reference ;)). Whomever turns up for us there this season will guarantee us 5-15 points more, that is protect our backline better than last season's clowns.

Finally our attack. I'm expecting at least 10 PL goals, bare minimum, each from Gakpo, Jota, Diaz and Nunez and 20 PL goals from Salah. So the bare minimum is 60 goals in the PL alone. If none of them are seriously injured that's a shit number so realistically we're talking about 70 PL goals alone. Then defence and midfield to contribute which takes us to 80 PL goals.

Goals win points even if they're from 4-3 wins.
 
Bajcetic or Jones will have to cover there, both are older (or same age) but have played more games at a bigger PL club than Lavia has.

Then we have Mac Allister who is so intelligent he can do that role. Finally we have Thiago if his battered body can squeeze in 15-20 games this season.

None are ideal but hardly the disaster everyone is predicting.
Reading this is mental in itself. How Liverpool have fallen! What a state to be in.
 
Reading this is mental in itself. How Liverpool have fallen! What a state to be in.

We've not fallen anywhere, we've never had a sugar daddy. This is how it's always been. The only difference is we (still) have Klopp. Once he's gone then we'll free fall.
 
We've not fallen anywhere, we've never had a sugar daddy. This is how it's always been. The only difference is we (still) have Klopp. Once he's gone then we'll free fall.

That's a fair point. It's unbelievable how Klopp had you going toe to toe with Pep's City under these owners.

But with your sporting directors leaving and the new guy basically just going around triggering release clauses, Klopp is going to have to take on more jobs that he's not an expert at. That's going to take away from his coaching work and so even if he sticks around I don't think he has the support anymore to take you guys near City again.
 
I don’t think the squad is as good as City, Arsenal, United or Chelsea

The X Factor will always be Klopp, the horse toothed pig that he is
 
They'll probably get top 4 this season unfortunately...

2nd best xG in the league last year and I doubt they'll decline defensively much despite players leaving. A lot of them were past it anyway.
As a Chelsea fan you must realise how useless xG is to predict anything. You can have the highest xG in the world, but if you're relying on a Lukaku or Nunez to put some of those chances away then it's not always going to translate into goals scored.
 
Really hope Klopp buggers off soon now. He's the last remaining piece along with Salah that's keeping them somewhat competitive.
 
As long as they have klopp they'll be fine. It's when klopp decides he's had enough well begin to see issues
 
As long as they have klopp they'll be fine. It's when klopp decides he's had enough well begin to see issues
I agree with the over all sentiment, however they weren’t fine last year
 
I agree with the over all sentiment, however they weren’t fine last year
Little more than a negative rebound year. Klopps not the best at adjusting things mid season and he probably didn't think certain gaps would open up when they did. So the season quickly turned into a write off. Whole new midfield next season but in Europa League, I think they get back on track tbh.
 
As a Chelsea fan you must realise how useless xG is to predict anything. You can have the highest xG in the world, but if you're relying on a Lukaku or Nunez to put some of those chances away then it's not always going to translate into goals scored.
It's actually used exactly for that, to show that they'll be fine and regress positively. They were already the 3rd top scorers. They have Salah to put chances away. Jota, Diaz who was injured most of the season, gakpo and Darwin so goals won't be an issue.
 
Oh, but it won't leave them in a weakened position, right @RobinLFC
Cry more about weakening us if we end up signing Caicedo instead of Lavia :lol:

You literally have no clue about what's going on behind the scenes mate, just like the rest of us. So you just made a statement based on assumptions which may or may not be true, we all make mistakes sometimes.
 
Cry more about weakening us if we end up signing Caicedo instead of Lavia :lol:

You literally have no clue about what's going on behind the scenes mate, just like the rest of us. So you just made a statement based on assumptions which may or may not be true, we all make mistakes sometimes.
You wouldn't pay £50m for Lavia but you will pay £90m + for Caicedo? :lol:
 
You wouldn't pay £50m for Lavia but you will pay £90m + for Caicedo? :lol:
That doesn't mean that they don't have money. They just don't want to overpay players. Their valuation of Lavia was around 40 mil and they didn't want to go over the top.
Caicedo is another transfer with another fee.
 
That doesn't mean that they don't have money. They just don't want to overpay players. Their valuation of Lavia was around 40 mil and they didn't want to go over the top.
Caicedo is another transfer with another fee.
They walked away from Bellingham because of the fee and that’s around Caicedo value