He's only on the fringes for Chavski but there's no way they'd let him come to us, especially given the kerfuffle over Moses.
Lucas
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There was a link to that Croatian guy from Genoa - Sime Vrsaljko. No idea how good he is though.
Yup. I've got similar fear
I haven't seen anything of Essien this season but he looked finished, a shadow of the player he was, at Real Madrid.
As for Montoya, he seems to be getting regular run outs at Barcelona so it seems unlikely that he will leave unless I'm missing something?
It's a shame we couldn't have gotten a couple players in at the start of the window. We're starting to look increasingly jaded and thin on the ground despite only really having one competition to focus on.
As for Montoya, he seems to be getting regular run outs at Barcelona so it seems unlikely that he will leave unless I'm missing something?
It's a shame we couldn't have gotten a couple players in at the start of the window. We're starting to look increasingly jaded and thin on the ground despite only really having one competition to focus on.
Rodgers confirmed to the Times that he talked to the owners about our transfer targets on friday.
Wants a midfielder, fullback and a winger.
Dont think we need to worry about that. The worry is that the right player isnt available.
Yann MOTHERFUCKING M'Vila already!!! Jee-sus.
Another interesting option I can think of is Gotoku Sakai - a young Japanese full-back who plays for Stuttgart. Very very two-footed, outstanding technically and bags of energy. If we're looking for a versatile option who can play either RB or LB, I think he'd be very interesting.
It's going to be amazing how good Lucas will become unless we buy someone.
Ha ha. Am I the only one who's doesn't care he's injured in terms of LFC's fortunes on the pitch?
He's needed replacing since the day he signed.
Not at all Pat. There are fucking loads of clueless scopers on here.
Happy days nothing worse than been a scoper on your own.
Hopefully Allen remembers how to play football in the next 7 days.
Allen was playing pretty well before his recent injury.
Your team formation ahead of the Villa game had the exact midfield that started, resplendent in their 4-4-2.
I told you at the time it was suicide.
I like that you give updated regular reminders of how little you know.
Out of interest, what's your view on this new holding role for Gerrard?
Huge loss if true. Hope Rodgers realises that now's not the time to try Gerrard in that role again. If he really wants to he should give it a try at the end of season if we are not in contention for anything or if we have a top 4 place wrapped up. Next season is the season to try, with Gerrard playing fewer games.
Time to get the checkbook out Mr Henry.
Time to get the checkbook out Mr Henry.
But not near as well as he did before he joined us unfortunately.
Shock horror I picked the same line up as the current manager of Liverpool.
And we should have won the game in any case.
I'll never apologise for thinking Lucas is not good for Liverpool or thinking him being out of the side is a bad thing.
Hmmmmm, a lot of thoughts to be honest.
I've seen a lot of comments on here (and elsewhere) that Gerrard's done, needs to be benched, is the cause of the problems, etc. I don't really subscribe to that, he's got a huge role to play for us, and I wouldn't be dropping him. Plus, I don't think the problem on Saturday was him. It was the formation.
I hate 4-4-2. It's the single shittest thing in football. Not because it's fashionable to say so, or contemporary thinking or any of that fanboy shite, it's just an awfully rudimentary style of play that leaves you more exposed than any other system in the game. I said this in response to Dream'y formation last week; Villa tore us apart on the counter last year, and would do so again if we deployed a 4-4-2. It's not really startling insight, it's just opening your eyes. 3 lines of players on a pitch went out with the dark age. Any decent opposing team or Manager can expose it. You don't need magnificent players, you just need to shove them in the right areas and move the ball quickly. The second you set up with three lines you're ceding space in between the midfield-defence and midfield-forwards.
I'd love to see the statistics of how many times the ball was played forward to Sturridge or Suarez's feet in that opening 30 minutes from midfield. Here's what I said last week to Dream'y post" "I think you think the ball just falls out of thin air and onto Suarez's feet" - just in case it wasn't crystal fucking clear; defensive midfielders are fundamental to how the game is played, and how goals are scored
On the onther side, Weimann and Benteke were just floating around in the hole (without our centre back's pressing up) and had all the freedom in the world to operate.
You simply must play 4 lines of players. 99.99% of football teams on an average Saturday will do it. There's no such thing as a pair of central midfielders anymore. I've been saying that for about 5 years on here you might have noticed. Every side, fucking non-league side set up with two banks of midfielders;
------------Defensive Mid---------Defensive mid-----------
----------------------Attacking mid-----------------------
That's you're typical triangle. Arsenal do that, we do that when Lucas and Gerrard dropped deep, United used to do it until they got Everton'd, Spurs, etc etc.
You can flip the triangle and go with one holding and two advanced, whatever you like. you can go with 5 in the middle that leaves Lucas (as an example) holding and 4 advanced (2 wing-backs and two attacking mids) you can do whatever the fuck you like really, just don't go flat line of 4 defenders, flat line of 4 midfielders, and then 2 forwards.
Rodgers could even have fixed Saturday's early debacle by dropping Suarez into the hole, and gone Sturridge up on his own, that would have worked. Eventually he went 3-4-1-2 with Coutinho in the hole before going back to reality in the second half.
I'm wandering off-topic here but it's important so stick with me. Lucas, or Allen I guess, is fucking crucial to how we play. Trust me, I know how Lucas isn't the world's greatest footballer ever, but just re-watch that first 30 minutes on Saturday and you'll see why he's critical to us and the way we set-up.
Anyway, Gerrard. It would work in that 'regista/Pirlo/Quarterback' role. It could, but he needs a second line of midfielders. Rodgers likes him there for 2 reasons; 1) - it gets him in the team, and Rodgers doesn't wanna be the one who shoots Bambi, 2) the long quick release pass. It worked perfectly for the penalty we won on Saturday, it worked several times away to Stoke the week before. Gerrard's got that quick zinger up to Suarez/Sturridge's feet which gets in behind the opposition midfield in his locker. He can pass it short and sideways adequately enough (he's no Carrick or Alonso) but it's what he offers offensively (from a defensive position oddly enopugh) that has him in that role. If he's gonna stick him there, then you need 2 in the attacking role that can fill the gaps.
He could obviously play in the 2-1 triangle if he was sitting beside Lucas/Allen but you need an in-form Coutinho in the hole and we ain't got that. Plus, Rodgers prefers the 1-2 as it works better going forward and I agree with him there.
In summary, it's not Gerrard, it's the system. If Rodgers goes flat 3 lines ever again I'd be astounded, and he can play any one of 3 or 4 of the midfield roles in there, plus he's a matchwinner and as Piedro said in another thread - you want those guys in your side in derby games and the like.
That reminds me of the other point I wanted to make; I'm not as desperate as the rest of you to buy a midfielder. I don't really get why there's such a clamour for one, a M'Vila or whomever. Unless Lucas is injured or a sustained period of time, what's the point?
As I explained, there are 2 lines of midfield and have been for years, so buying a centre-midfielder is futile - they hardly exist, so when you tell me M'Vila is a midfielder I want to know what type, and when I read he plays in centre midfield I want to know what fucking system you think we play. Anyway, we've got Lucas, Gerrard, Allen (and maybe even Henderson who can play the defensive mid role) - that's 4 players to cover there. Then we've got Coutinho, Allen, Gerrard, Suarez, Henderson who can do the attacking mid role(s). So which type of midfielder do people think we need??
I'd be buying a left-back, a new winger to completely allow Coutinho (don't discount how hard it is for him to play that left-wing with that mongaloid Cissokho as his support by the way) the attacking mid role, and never ever going back to 3 flat lines.
Gerrard is the last of our worries.
Shame you are talking bolloxs as I never advocated 442 with Suarez nd Studge up front together.
The front 6 should be so.
-----------------Gerrard----Henderson-------------
Sterlling------------Countinho-----------Suarez
--------------------------Studge-----------------------
So in fact I actually advocate your the triangle and neevr once said 442.
You must be thinking of someone else.
Don't Citeh play 442?
I knew someone would say that. I should have explained it better in the post I guess.
When sky sports stuck their line up on the screen before the start of their games it'll look like a 4-4-2. When city play though, there will hardly ever be a time when they have 3 flat lines of players. Silva spends his 90 minutes floating between the lines for example.
I've even seen city go with 3 lines of midfielders, plus they also love going 3 at the back when in possession: kompany, nastasic and fernandinho.
I can understand the need to try to explain set-ups and formations but too often I think there's a psychological need on behalf of the writer to bring order where there's chaos. Attempting to coach players to maintain discipline within a 'system' when their every instinct is to concentrate on their own performance is very difficult and becomes almost impossible when fatigue and/or emotions are a feature. In your example of Silva, I doubt he sees it as playing between the lines. I think he's just playing his natural game. So too are the rest of his team mates and they go on to win most of their matches because of their ability rather than adherence to a formation.
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