Minamino
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He won't start against Spurs. Klopp will ease him in like he's done to other players.
With Fab Naby Shaq and now Milner out, it's between him and Ox for the last spot...and he's only come back from injury himself.
Lallana staked a claim today though.
Henderson, Lallana and Wijnaldum for midfield - expect Shaq, Oxlade and Minamino on the bench. Also hopeful that Matip will be on the bench, with maybe Fabinho and Lovren less than a week behind.
I thought that was a weird place to play him. Fine if he has Salah and Mane pushing on around him to play him through the middle, but that was a helluva difficult role today. Some nice flashes, and I'm sure he'll play a role. I would have preferred him and Origi to have swapped positions today, but what do I know?
I think Klopp probably had one eye on freeing him of a bit of defensive responsibility on his first outing, he drops deep naturally like Bobby does, so it's not that different a set up to what we normally do, but Origi usually struggles out wide, agreed.
He did well, good movement and touches and always filling the pockets of space to knit together the midfield and attack. This is him with a 16 year old and our fourth choice attacker, he'll be great alongside the likes of Mane.
I think that's exactly the role he'll play for us, he's here to cover for Firmino. He'll be used in other ways as well, as no doubt we'll see both playing in the starting line up quite a few times, but I expect to see him come on for Firmino as a sub again Spurs.
Playing that role with 2 very attacking wide forwards who are almost always ahead of you is a different game altogether.
I know it’s only 70mins but I’m very certain Mina’s gonna be a huge success.
Excellent attitude, willing to work hard for the team, and you can see by his movements he’s a quick learner too.
Excellent attitude, willing to work hard for the team, and you can see by his movements he’s a quick learner too.
Yep. Looking forward to seeing him feed/link up with them.
I thought he looked good. Nice movement, often making runs and showing for the ball. Looked strong in the tackle. I felt at times he was late to start a press but that stuff will take time to learn. Unlucky not to get anything on the ball with that header - could have been a nice way to open the account!
Over all of this I think it confirms that Klopp sees him as a rotation for Bobby and less so the wide players.
Over all of this I think it confirms that Klopp sees him as a rotation for Bobby and less so the wide players.
He could be his long term replacement.
[article]But the likelihood is that Minamino, who turns 25 a week on Thursday, will prove too good – or too ambitious – for permanent utility‑man status. When Japanese media tracked down Levir Culpi, who gave the then 17-year-old his debut for Cerezo in November 2012, the Brazilian coach stressed the need for Minamino to become “an absolute regular, not a handyman” at Liverpool and suggested he should aim to succeed Firmino in the centre-forward position. Minamino can be “a more determined player” than Firmino, Culpi said, and there is certainly logic in the idea that his legs should still be fresh in 18 months’ time, when Firmino will be pushing 30.
[/article]
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jan/04/takumi-minamino-jurgen-klopp-liverpool
We can salivate thinking about seeing Klopp playing the Fab-4 style again, with Minamino right behind Firmino playing his 9 role, both worked hard and pressing defenders all the time, eye for a pass and ability to dribble. The you have 2 speed demons with bucket loads of skill playing as wide forward. 2 overlapping fullbacks to stretch the pitch, while very stable 2 midfielders of Fabinho, Wijnaldum, Henderson and Milner combo. Holy shit, that's going to tear any defence into shreds.
That's not "unlucky"
Is it called being short?
Which is unlucky.
[article]"Super, outstanding. Exactly the player we wanted, exactly the player we wished for."
Takumi Minamino is already a big hit with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp after the Japan international's 70-minute debut in the Reds' 1-0 FA Cup win over Everton on Sunday.
As he prepares to become just the ninth Japanese player to appear in the Premier League when Liverpool visit Tottenham on Saturday, the 24-year-old could be about to make a huge impression off the pitch as well as on it.
We take a closer look at the impact Minamino's arrival on Merseyside could have.
The former Red Bull Salzburg player is already a big deal on and off the pitch in Asia. The player 'inspired by Brazil's Ronaldo' is one of his country's top young talents.
His four years at Salzburg brought him 63 goals in 192 appearances and a £7.25m move to Anfield, with an adoring audience watching his every move.
"Definitely, it will boost Liverpool's popularity here in Japan," said Yumiko Tamaru, secretary for Japan's Official Liverpool Supporters Club.
"Real Madrid and Barcelona have been the most popular European football clubs here in Japan, but I think Liverpool will be as popular as these Spanish giants if Minamino flourishes in Liverpool.
"A lot of football fans have already started to contact us asking how they can get Liverpool's match tickets. I think you will find more Japanese fans at Anfield after January."
Football finance expert Kieran Maguire, a lecturer at the University of Liverpool, describes the Asian market as "probably the biggest international market for Premier League clubs".
And, with Liverpool having just signed a huge new kit deal with Nike, he believes Minamino's arrival will only increase the club's opportunities.
"Liverpool's front-of-shirt sponsor Standard Chartered and insurance partner AXA are both big in Asia," said Maguire.
"Japanese fans and media are very keen on the Premier League and whenever a Japanese player signs for a Premier League club there is always a surge in interest, as shown by Shinji Kagawa playing for Manchester United a few years ago.
"Minamino's signing will lead to an increase in merchandise sales and potential new commercial deals in that market.
"Manchester United historically have had the biggest Asian fan base, but Liverpool and Chelsea are vying for second place.
"Fans and commercial partners in the region always want to be associated with success and Liverpool's recent achievements in the Champions League and Club World Cup can be used to leverage more lucrative deals with sponsors."
Cynics may be quick to mention shirt sales and commercial reasons as key factors behind Klopp acquiring the 24-year-old forward, but Japanese supporters insist he has the talent to succeed on Merseyside.
Tamaru, who watched Sunday's Merseyside derby from a British pub in Tokyo's Ebisu district crammed full of Liverpool supporters in red shirts and scarves, said: "I think they signed him purely for footballing reasons.
"We know that Klopp is a manager who doesn't sign players unless he knows how they perfectly fit within his system.
"He doesn't use signings straight away until he's certain that the player understands his footballing philosophy. When he [Minamino] starts to play, he'll just fit. And he'll make a big impact on other Japanese players."
Minamino's inclusion in Liverpool's starting XI was met by an eruption of euphoria inside the pub when announced on social media.
Despite a quiet first game for the Reds, Japanese fans were still enthused about Minamino's prospects at Anfield.
"What's amazing is that he's signing for Liverpool right now when they're the best team in the world. It's incredible to have a Japanese player play for them," said one fan.
"Here in Japan, we're far from Europe. For Japanese players to go there and make a step up and make an impact, like Minamino has done at Red Bull Salzburg, I really admire and respect him," added another supporter.
Despite Japan being one of Asia's top footballing nations, Minamino will be just the ninth player from the country to appear in the Premier League with few making a tangible impact.
Shinji Okazaki and Maya Yoshida are the only two Japanese players to make 100 Premier League appearances, while the former is the only Japanese player to reach double figures for goals in the top flight.
Okazaki played a significant role in Leicester City's 2015-16 title-winning campaign, while Kagawa also lifted the Premier League trophy in the 2012-13 season in what was a culmination of a 38-game spell for Manchester United, during which he scored six goals.
However, the likes of Kazuyuki Toda, at Tottenham, and Ryo Miyaichi, for Arsenal, Bolton and Wigan, made less of an impact with just a smattering of top-flight appearances between them.
Liverpool fans will be hoping Minamino can become the third Japanese player to lift the Premier League trophy later this year.
And if that does happen then that Liverpool pub in Tokyo may need to open another branch to accommodate all the club's new fans in Japan.[/article]
[article]Takumi Minamino admits his move from RB Salzburg to Liverpool came as a surprise.
The Japan midfielder moved to Anfield for £7.25million on January 1 and made his debut when he started in the 1-0 home win in the Merseyside derby against Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Minamino told France Football: "I knew that Liverpool were interested in me.
"I was surprised but having faced them twice in the Champions' League and having had the opportunity to speak with Jurgen Klopp, I became more and more excited to take this challenge on.
"The fact that I scored a goal at Anfield gave me a certain level of confidence. I said to myself that I want to savour this atmosphere more often.
"I received an offer from what is currently the best club on the planet – that means a lot to me. I felt that I was very fortunate – a wonderful opportunity that I really wanted to take."
Reflecting on his first ten days as a Liverpool player, he said: "Only a few days have passed since I arrived but I already feel like I have been playing here for several months. It is all the love that I have received from the manager, the staff and my team-mates.
"Liverpool gives you a phenomenal environment in which to focus on football. I remember that Jurgen Klopp came to see me after the first training session and said to me: 'Don't worry about who you are playing with now, play in the same way as you did at Salzburg, play the Minamino way. Enjoy yourself.'"[/article]
The Japan midfielder moved to Anfield for £7.25million on January 1 and made his debut when he started in the 1-0 home win in the Merseyside derby against Everton in the FA Cup on Sunday.
Minamino told France Football: "I knew that Liverpool were interested in me.
"I was surprised but having faced them twice in the Champions' League and having had the opportunity to speak with Jurgen Klopp, I became more and more excited to take this challenge on.
"The fact that I scored a goal at Anfield gave me a certain level of confidence. I said to myself that I want to savour this atmosphere more often.
"I received an offer from what is currently the best club on the planet – that means a lot to me. I felt that I was very fortunate – a wonderful opportunity that I really wanted to take."
Reflecting on his first ten days as a Liverpool player, he said: "Only a few days have passed since I arrived but I already feel like I have been playing here for several months. It is all the love that I have received from the manager, the staff and my team-mates.
"Liverpool gives you a phenomenal environment in which to focus on football. I remember that Jurgen Klopp came to see me after the first training session and said to me: 'Don't worry about who you are playing with now, play in the same way as you did at Salzburg, play the Minamino way. Enjoy yourself.'"[/article]
Ahh, the pub in Ebisu. Watched many a game in there in the middle of the night. It was packed for LFC games as it was. No way I'll be going there to watch games now. It'll be packed into the streets when Minamino plays.
Players seemed hesitant to pass to him generally, which could be any number of things but Im gonna say its good old fashioned racism
WTF? I mean like seriously W.T.F? As if.
If anything it is because he's the new man and they aren't as confident of his abilities yet. Keita got the same treatment I seem to remember. And of course Mo is a greedy twat.
He’s pulling ya todger lad.
It is the less controvercial lacism in this case.
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