Raul Meireles was one of Liverpool's most consistent and effective players last season, and despite the reduced playing time he's been granted so far this season, the Portuguese has continued to perform well. With that in mind, where is the logic in selling him?
Against Arsenal today, Meireles had more impact in 19 minutes than Jordan Henderson did in the entire game. Granted, Arsenal were down to ten men at the time but Meireles' movement off the ball and general game intelligence were excellent; his energy was a refreshing antidote to the static triumvirate of Charlie Adam, Henderson and Lucas, and Meirelles ultimately played an integral role in both Liverpool goals.
I just don't see a supportable argument for selling one of the club's best-performing midfielders. Meireles is proven quality, and with 5 goals and 5 assists in 32 league starts last season (his first in English football), he also offers a decent creative return. As a comparison, Lucas managed no goals and just 1 assist in 32 league starts last season, and Henderson managed 3 goals and 4 assists in 37 starts.
I appreciate that Kenny Dalglish has spent big bucks on Henderson and Adam but why should Meireles - last season's PFA Fans Player of the Year - be dumped on the scrap-heap to accommodate them? Players should be in the team on merit, and surely Meireles has *earned* his place in the team?
With Steven Gerrard injured, there is a gaping hole in Liverpool's midfield, and it's kind of an insult to Meireles that he has not been called upon to fill that gap. What exactly has he done to deserve such a snub?
With Henderson and Adam's top-level inexperience; Lucas's perennial lack of creativity, and Gerrard's ongoing injury issues, selling Meireles would be a huge mistake in my view, especially if ends up going to one of the club's Premiership rivals.
I would have Meireles in the team ahead of Henderson every day of the week - he is a proven asset to Liverpool FC; an experienced international, and at 28 years old, he's coming into the prime of his career.
Whatever is going on behind the scenes, after a stellar first season, Meireles deserves more respect from the Liverpool hierarchy.
Jaimie Kanwar
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Against Arsenal today, Meireles had more impact in 19 minutes than Jordan Henderson did in the entire game. Granted, Arsenal were down to ten men at the time but Meireles' movement off the ball and general game intelligence were excellent; his energy was a refreshing antidote to the static triumvirate of Charlie Adam, Henderson and Lucas, and Meirelles ultimately played an integral role in both Liverpool goals.
I just don't see a supportable argument for selling one of the club's best-performing midfielders. Meireles is proven quality, and with 5 goals and 5 assists in 32 league starts last season (his first in English football), he also offers a decent creative return. As a comparison, Lucas managed no goals and just 1 assist in 32 league starts last season, and Henderson managed 3 goals and 4 assists in 37 starts.
I appreciate that Kenny Dalglish has spent big bucks on Henderson and Adam but why should Meireles - last season's PFA Fans Player of the Year - be dumped on the scrap-heap to accommodate them? Players should be in the team on merit, and surely Meireles has *earned* his place in the team?
With Steven Gerrard injured, there is a gaping hole in Liverpool's midfield, and it's kind of an insult to Meireles that he has not been called upon to fill that gap. What exactly has he done to deserve such a snub?
With Henderson and Adam's top-level inexperience; Lucas's perennial lack of creativity, and Gerrard's ongoing injury issues, selling Meireles would be a huge mistake in my view, especially if ends up going to one of the club's Premiership rivals.
I would have Meireles in the team ahead of Henderson every day of the week - he is a proven asset to Liverpool FC; an experienced international, and at 28 years old, he's coming into the prime of his career.
Whatever is going on behind the scenes, after a stellar first season, Meireles deserves more respect from the Liverpool hierarchy.
Jaimie Kanwar
SIGN THE HILLSBOROUGH e-PETITION!
I think the question should be Jaimie why did liverpool buy Jordan Henderson?
ReplyDeleteHey Frank - Yes, I agree; I think that question is implied in my post but I didn't want to come across as attacking one of the club's new players after only two league games. I'm sure Henderson will grow into a decent player but I just don't see how he's good enough to dislodge Meirelles.
ReplyDeleteAgree with Jaimie. I posted similar article on an LFC blog after the Sunderland game and after reading the news piece on Guardian that Meireles could be sold. He was amazing last season and if Suarez hadn't had that explosive debut, he would have been our best player of 2010-11. On the other hand, so far I'm really disappointed with Henderson, especially taking into account the money spent on him.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Kenny said on today's post match interview that Meireles had an injury in pre-season so now he had to take care of him. Hopefully that's the reason of him not starting the first two games.
Nail on head Jaimie in relation to your post. I was amazed last week when kenny brought Meireles on he played him on the left wing. Staggered really. He shouldbe utilised more by liverpool. Hopefully after his impact today he starts next week against Bolton
ReplyDeleteTo be honest i think LFC supporters should be happy that the TEAM won today. Bit sad really that we win and all people can say is "should have done this/should have played him/what a stupid formation etc". KK is in charge and for a good reason.
ReplyDeleteagreed, well pleased to see him do well today. class player, looks tough as hell too. be a traversty if chelsea were to sign him. Henderson doesnt look all that, i hope him and caroll dont turn out to be poor value signings. gowan Raul! he's boss
ReplyDeleteEr, Meireles played one game in the whole of pre-season & then 15 minutes off the bench against Sunderland.
ReplyDeleteHe's not match fit!!
i think carroll, adams and henderson should be dropped to the bench, henderson confidence is gettin shattered at the moment and the way kuyt, maxi and meireles finished last season he shouldnt be a 1st choice anyway. i'd go with meireles and suarez up front with maxi and downing on the wings. adams gives away far too many foul in dangerous positions and spearing should play til stevies back. i just carnt believe that meireles isnt played in that hole behind the striker where he scored all his goals , kenny for some reason puts him on the wing which is shocking
ReplyDeleteOh please, Mereiles is not 100% fit thus the reason why he is not played full match. Did any of you notice he started limping sonn after he came in? Henderson is a young and very talented player who is still inexperienced and needs time to settle in. He is also very much still nervy and all you are doing is making him more tense.
ReplyDeleteJim - this site takes a critical approach to LFC so the majority of posts will be looking at what needs to be improved etc. I find congratulatory 'We were so awesome!' type posts really boring. it goes without saying that I'm happy we won, but it's just one win.
ReplyDeleteIrrespective of RM's fitness, I think it's concerning that the club would consider selling him. That's the point.
ReplyDeletedont sell <span><span><span>Meirelles. he good player</span></span></span>
ReplyDeleteJamie due to the clubs abundance of central talent and the fact that selling sone others Aquilani eg wont bring their true value Merieles will.
ReplyDeleteThe other point is they are building with youth i know its a shame he is a wonderful player and deserves better.
Go back into retirement kramwar.
ReplyDeleteIn other words Kramwar is a wind up merchant.
ReplyDeleteHas LFC put out an official statement that they are selling Miereles? If not, everything in the papers is pure speculation and rumour.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Miereles wasn't match fit, hence coming off the bench. Needless worry mate ;)
There are aspects of his game that I love and others that really annoy me. He's very economical in possession and always looks a threat going forward. But on the other hand I lost count of how many times I shrieked in horror at Anfield last season when he bottled out of tackles. Either way, the thrust of your argument is correct. He WAS one of our better players last season, he IS better (currently) than the likes of Henderson and as today showed he can produce a quality ball in the final third - something we lacked in abundance in the first 70 mins.
ReplyDeletePerhaps the lure of £15 million for a 28 year old is one that seems too good turn down given our plethora of centre mids? Given the financial fair play rules to be enforced perhaps FSG/Kenny/Comolli are thinking forwards. Not justifying the idea of selling him but attempting to rationalise it.
Is the club concidering selling him?? If all the rumours in the press where true LFC would be playing 3 teams in the Prem this season.
ReplyDelete"<span> Players should be in the team on merit, and surely Meirelles has *earned* his place in the team?" ridiculous comment, RM had a injury plagued pre-season and was also pretty average in the final month of last season. Why are you not calling for maxi to be in the starting 11, as he was on a scoring roll for the last few weeks, surely that merits a start???? You have no idea on players fitness or performance on a week to week basis, only the management do.
ReplyDelete</span>
relax guys, we've only played two match and you are already judging y is meireless on the bench. there are plenty on matches coming and he will start plenty more matches. same for aquilani and gerrard. KD is giving everyone a chance to play so they can be fitter at the end of the season where is gets more tougher to play due to burn out. e.g Arsenal
ReplyDeleteInjury plagued season? Don't exaggerate or anything. He started 32 out of 38 league games despite that, and scored/created 10 goals. Those facts speak for themselves.
ReplyDeleteWho says he is for sale?
ReplyDeletereally clutching at straws..
Kenny please keep Meireless he made the difference today and works well with Suarez
ReplyDeleteNO ONE HAS SAID THEY ARE WANTING TO SELL RAUL. FACT
ReplyDeleteHe had an injury.
Mereiles is a fantastic player, I would hate for us to sell him. How he can be used out on the wing when he is a central midfielder is beyond me. Today for +- 15 minutes he showed that he is fantastic when playing centrally. He will stay, can't see us selling him.
ReplyDeleteAquilani is on his way back to Italy, he is surpluss to requirements. He ain't even making the bench. What a waste of money, bey bey...
Let's be honest here Jaimie, if Adam was not in the team today then our midfield would have been throttled. He has already shown that his value at set pieces and his passing has been very good so far and will only get better once he has fully settled in. I am not saying it is not allowed to criticise the player but at the moment he is a very important player. Who else at the moment can actually fill the Gerrard vacancy?
Now to come to Lucas...
Hard worker just like Kuyt but other than that what else does Lucas bring to the team? I for one will admit that he has improved on a large scale over the last two seasons but that unfortunately is as good as he is going to get. His passing is average, he offers nothing goal wise and he probably is the least creative player in our team.
is raul on the scrap heap? is he getting sold?? do you have any evidence, apart from tabloid rumours? i'd be very suprised if he wasn't still a liverpool player at the close of the transfer window.
ReplyDeletealso, comparing his goals/assists to lucas isn't a fair comparason. i know they're both midfielders, but the positions are completely different and they have different responsibilities to the team, and basic stats like goals/assists don't begin to relay a players importance to the team. take the 2nd goal today - lucas breaks in advanced position and is directly involved in the goal, making the crucial through ball to raul, who then selflessly squared it to suarez. great move by all 3 players, yet no goal/assist stat for lucas even though he was as much a part of the goal as raul.
anyway, back to the original point - is he getting sold?!!
is raul on the scrap heap? is he getting sold?? do you have any evidence, apart from tabloid rumours? i'd be very suprised if he wasn't still a liverpool player at the close of the transfer window.
ReplyDeletealso, comparing his goals/assists to lucas isn't a fair comparason. i know they're both midfielders, but the positions are completely different and they have different responsibilities to the team, and basic stats like goals/assists don't begin to relay a players importance to the team. take the 2nd goal today - lucas breaks in advanced position and is directly involved in the goal, making the crucial through ball to raul, who then selflessly squared it to suarez. great move by all 3 players, yet no goal/assist stat for lucas even though he was as much a part of the goal as raul.
anyway, back to the original point - is he getting sold?!!
Think I agree with most points but as u seen at the end of the game today when RM chased down a Suarez pass he looked shattered. Hopefully when his fitness gets up he'll be more involved. I think if RM should replace anyone in the team it should be kuyt after today's performance
ReplyDeleteFor the first time I agree with you. I can;t beleive it. To paraphrase Victor Meldrew
ReplyDelete<span>RM had a injury plagued PRE-season</span>
ReplyDeleteDid anyone notice he gave the bench the finger when suarez scored.
ReplyDeleteWell-spotted! My mistake.
ReplyDelete'movement off the ball' how exactly do you judge that btw? You were watching on Sky.. Henderson is very intelligant off the off the ball, its only caught by the cameras if & when a player finds him, otherwise to TV its as if its never happened.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should go back to bashing the 'mindless LFC support' for wanting Dalglish back as manager as your understanding of football amounts to nothing more than believing tabloid tittle tattle & running your mouth based on the narrow view offered by TV editors.
Was he giving it to the bench, or to Lucas? i doubt he'd be stupid enough to diss the management; looked like it was directed at Lucas to me.
ReplyDeleteGuest - your post was deleted because it contravened the comment policy. Repost your view without the personal insults and I'll make it live.
ReplyDeletehe's a continuity player. keeps things ticking over and helps shield the defence. he'll find the right ball 9/10. it's like saying what does fletcher do for utd? on the surface, not much, but utd look a worse team without him. lucas must be doing something right if he can get a starting place amongst so many centre midfielders?
ReplyDeletehe's decent when attacking too - see todays second goal. for someone who's passing is average and is the least creative player in the team, he did alright to break at the right time and open up raul.
The reason why he gets into the team so often is because there is no other proper DM in our squad. If we still had a Mascherano or Alonso then Lucas would be enjoing life on the bench.
ReplyDelete<span><span><span>Meireles. Not </span></span></span><span><span><span>Meirelles. He's going nowhere.</span></span></span>
ReplyDeleteRM is a talented, creative player and always making things happen on the pitch..looked like he was pointing the finger at the arsenal fans not to any of his team candidates.. we love u RM..keep up the good work
ReplyDelete<span><span><span>Meireles Should start every game</span></span></span>
ReplyDeleteIt was in reference to Frimpong giving Lucas the finger when he got sent off. Not a big deal
ReplyDeleteFairly obvious this: Mereiles have been injured during pre-season and only recently came back to train. My guess is he'll start the next game
ReplyDeleteMaybe take as much time reading the post as you do googling player stats. Might save that egg on your face.
ReplyDeletewe can't sell Mo-Relish, it wud be a huge crime. He does pull out of to many tackles but hey thats what we've got Lucas in the team for right? His fitness has been an issue as well though, i can remember him being subbed off more than any other player last season and it was down to him playing badly. If he can get his fitness sorted then theres no reason to sell him, he'd prob fetch more than any other mid fielder that we're willing to sell, but look how hard it has been to replace the last world class mid fielder we had. Its like that old saying goes "A bird in the hand......." and all that!
ReplyDeleteyou really are fool
ReplyDeletewent to one of the hardest places in the uk to play
won 2-0 without gerrard, johnson, suarez, mereiles and with carroll, kuyt and henderson way off form
go fucking support some other team
we dont need fans like you
I can't figure out why Suárez didn't start today, never mind Meireles. The one thing the 'pool need is a striker who scores, and that's Suárez, not Kuyt. Is Suárez injured? Because Carroll + Suárez would have had that game finished off in the first half, no problem. Strange management decisions, IMO. I'd like to see Meireles in the first team just to keep his fitness and match sharpness up for Portugal, but that's a sort of self-seeking reason. I just can't see a player of his quality being saved as a sub, to play 15 minutes per match, when there are so many clubs that could use a Raul Meireles.
ReplyDeleteYou should show Meireles some respect and learn how to spell his name. Clown.........
ReplyDelete^^^
ReplyDeleteThis
Hope you are wrong about Aquilani! He is the best midfielder we have "vision" wise - if there is a pass on he can see it. I would love to see him playing with Suarez, Kuyt, and Maxi. But we do need to keep ALL our quality players and Miereles sure fits in that category.
ReplyDelete@ daboy- If merieles will then henderson and carroll is worth much more d!*^*head
ReplyDeleteJaimie is there concrete evidence that he club are trying to sell him?
ReplyDeleteWhat injury? His bruised foot? Last I saw he had a healthy summer partying, and he played the full second half in the unnecessary friendly between Portugal and Luxembourg earlier this month. Doesn't really make sense if he's coming off some serious injury - why risk him as a late sub in the past two matches if he's still nursing an injury? As far as being a late arrival for training, if I were in his shoes, I'd probably delay my return to northern Europe as long as possible as well, but no reason to see an injury in that ;)
ReplyDeleteRM well ahead of most midfielders. I'd like to see how we play with Suarez alone upfront, Kuyt right half, Gerrard and Adam in the middle, Downing left half and Meirles just behind the half line. Gerrard runs into space to team up with Suarez, Meirles moves into Gerrard's position to hold the midfield shape. Kuyt and Downing to supply crosses or cut in, taking on the opposition's fullbacks while Johnson and Enrique supporting as wing backs. Which means no place for Caroll, Henderson, Leiva and Rodriguez. When legs gets a little tired or changes need to be made to change momentum, Caroll to join Suarez upfront, Henderson to understudy Gerrard, Leiva to replace Meireles if Liv is on defensive mode and Rodriguez to replace Kuyt, if he ever gets tired, that is. At the back, Carra and Agger is my pick, the latter being left footed and likes moving forward. I'd really like to see if this experiment proves to be a forward moving team. More goals, the Liverpool way!!
ReplyDeleteIf I was wrong about Aquilani then if not seeing him in the starting lineup and then not even making the bench in our two opening EPL matches then that suggests that I am right about Aquilani otherwise he would have featured. Right or wrong?
ReplyDeleteHe is gone with the wind Tom. He is the best midfielder that we have? On what grounds? Better than Stevie, Adam, Downing and Mereiles? Do not make me piss myself mate.
If I was wrong about Aquilani then if not seeing him in the starting lineup and then not even making the bench in our two opening EPL matches then that suggests that I am right about Aquilani otherwise he would have featured. Right or wrong?
ReplyDeleteAgree with you all guys. As we speak Raul deserves to be playing ahead to Hendo, thou I still conquer with Kenny's plans; i.e Hendo is one for the future, as he can fill in for Steve or Raul when the first would have retired an the other one wopuld be in his last playing years. Having said that, Hendo needs to be playing in order to gel with his new team-mates and to get some experience under his belt. However, he should not be starting ahead of Raul but should be brought in at a later stage during the game.
ReplyDeleteWe have a squad. RM didn't play much, if at all, in pre-season so logical he isn't playing. It is clear that aquilani is leaving and I doubt RM will join him. I'm sure it was considered from a business perspective because Fenway's transfer strategy is to look at resale value, age and of course playing ability. But looks like he will be staying, which means they value his contribution. I don't think we should knock their transfer strategy. It is the same strategy that has allowed Kenny to invest heavily in young players. Better to have a well run club then the mis-management of the previous owners so I for one am happy the management are thinking about these matters. The right decision is for him to stay, on playing ability, and I believe that is the decision they have/will reach.
ReplyDeleteHere's my tuppence worth, please note that my description of salaries here is relative to the obscene norms in PL!!
ReplyDeleteGood point Jaimie, RM is a very good player. I was delighted when we signed him out of the blue last year
However, this is my understanding of situation
When he signed he agreed to "low" wages - c. £30,000, with a verbal agreement to review the contract depending on his contribution after the year
Then we had a change of ownership / strategy etc. New owners were shocked by wage bill versus perceived strength and age of squad (possibly assessed by Comolli)
Their immediate strategy as we know is the "moneyball" idea. Buy young for big money if necessary etc, good sell on value
Meireles has unfortunately found himself bracketed in with older, low resale players and is probably deemed not worthy of a "decent" contract by the new rules
I hope that there is some scope to accomodate his demands and that we can make the odd exception for clearly talented players
Kenny surely has some latitude to make rare exceptions
Although if someone is willing to pay £14 million for him it is easy to understand that we might be tempted, especially given that we may need another CB and a forward. Gary Cahill and Sturridge
If we do have to sell him it had better be abroad, unless we can get Sturridge from Chelsea + cash (although Sturridge seems to be conceited to say the least, may not suit us)
Great points, Simon.I hope there is some latitude for exceptions to be made - selling top players because they're older and don't fit the 'template' seem to me like cutting off the nose to spite the face.
ReplyDeleteOne other thing, I think we should all move away from using assists as a way of judging players. Modric doesn't get many goals or assists yet he is highly sought after
ReplyDeleteIt's not exactly Lucas's job to provide assists, although he got a MLS assist today!! (last 2 people to touch the ball before scorer) Our midfield is more fluid under Kenny, and he is getting forward more often, unlike when leashed to centre spot by a certain former manager, and will have to contribute more
Opta records goal scoring chances created
Creating a goal scoring chance only becomes an assist if the attacker actually scores. This final act should not take away from the good pass which created the opportunity
If a winger is unfortunate enough to have Bendtner or Pavlyuchenko up front he could wind up with no assists even if he's played a blinder
For example, Chris Brunt of West Brom was the 14th highest goal scoring chance creator in top 5 leagues in Europe last year, not sure how many were transformed into assists
Hey Red4life - I agree re Adam; he's doing a good job at the moment. It will be interesting to see where he fits in when Gerrard returns.
ReplyDeleteWho said we want to sell Meireles?
ReplyDeleteDon't believe everything you read in the papers, they are filled with pish by journos under pressure to produce some "news".
2+2=5
I have a feeling that it will be Gerrard and Adam in the center of midfield. In Adam I feel we have found the answer to the one player we have struggled to replace and that is Alonso. Adam can tackle, has a sublime pass and he can push he can attack just like Xabi used too.
ReplyDeleteSorry Lucas lovers, the Brazillian will be warming the bench once Gerrard returns.
Wow, you deleted my reply, not really rude was it? just speaking the truth but obviously you cant handle that!
ReplyDeleteEgg must still be on that face of yours!
ReplyDeleteThe season is long , we need each & every one of our players speically RM,there was creativity between him & LS.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately if anyone needs to be sold is Ngog whom I wish well wherever he goes, but simply not LFC calibre.
Thought we were pretty poor today. Lack a creative edge without Suarez in the side.
ReplyDeleteAgree with your sentiment - for me Henderson isn't in the same class as Meireles (I can only hope KK has seen potential - but I'd still rather see Meireles in the side on the strength of the 2 poor performances so far by Henderson).
Lucas has gone back to the player he was 2 seasons ago - can't pass, cant tackle, no positional sense. How many times did he go missing from the middle and allow Arsenal to charge straight through on the back four? Spearing should have come on today for Lucas.
Carroll - slow, poor first touch, lacks a work ethic of closing players down. Decent in the air though - great for route one football.
Thought Enrique was class and Downing worked hard. Adam had a poor first half but improved.
Team should be
Reina
Kelly Carragher Agger Enrique
Gerrard
Kuyt Meireles Adam Downing
Suarez
There is something amiss here. Was he promised an improved contract or something when we bought him? maybe it wasn't what he expected and has reacted badly. Performances and ability he should be starting. all the rumours of him being sold are strange.
ReplyDeleteThats a very valid question/point. Under normal circumstances a club would buy an expensive player to upgrade on what they have so I am left wondering if Liverpool felt by buying henderson they were improving on Meireles who has subsequently been dropped to accomodate him. Statistics out there say he is efficient with his passes but today I saw a player who broke down most of our attacks because for some reason he felt he had to turn and face backwards in posession which allowed Arsenal to recover and quickly dispossess him.
ReplyDeleteAlso Liverpool have this inefficient way of passing where they pass to person rather than space hence mobility is compromised because our players have to wait for the pass unlike Arsenal who pass into space and attack with speed even though not they only have walcott as their main speedy player.
First time I agree with you, Jamie. I was so upset with Henderson´s performance today that foam was coming out of my mouth. His unwillingness to carry the ball forward was hard to watch. His tactical unwareness too was disturbing. And he couldn´t defend even if he was allowed to swing a crowbar at opponents. And then there comes Raul with all the vision and willingness to go forward, score and try to create something.
ReplyDeleteI'm really sorry but I don't have much hope on Henderson if he plays so cowardly as he did today.
Oh, and there´s NO WAY that Lucas will leave this team. He´s by far our best midfield player, and yes, I´m putting 31-year old, injury plagued Gerrard in the mix.
Send Henderson on loan to wherever, even poor Everton, I don´t care. I just don´t want to see him passing the ball to another liverpool player 2 feet away from him because HE DOESN'T WANT THE BLOODY FOOTBALL! That was an embarassing display.
First time I agree with you, Jamie. I was so upset with Henderson´s performance today that foam was coming out of my mouth. His unwillingness to carry the ball forward was hard to watch. His tactical unwareness too was disturbing. And he couldn´t defend even if he was allowed to swing a crowbar at opponents. And then here comes Raul with all the vision and willingness to go forward, score and try to create something.
ReplyDeleteI'm really sorry but I don't have much hope on Henderson if he plays so cowardly as he did today.
Oh, and there´s NO WAY that Lucas will leave this team. He´s by far our best midfield player, and yes, I´m putting 31-year old, injury plagued Gerrard in the mix.
Send Henderson on loan to wherever, even poor Everton, I don´t care. I just don´t want to see him passing the ball to another player 2 feet away from him because HE DOESN'T WANT THE BLOODY FOOTBALL! That was an embarassing display.
RM was injured during pre-season, giving him a 90min competitive game would be wrong...he did well after coming on...
ReplyDeleteHaving said that, is only after Frimpong got sent off RM is able to roam freely inside the box...had he been around, I would guess RM and company will have a hard time breaking down the defense...
JK there's always other factors involved, only the coaching staff will know about it...
Hi Jim
ReplyDeleteNo disrespect to your views but pool was not playing well. A fortunate win with pool just only edging it by a small margin with the help of some misfortune on arsenal. KD must have known this and so are the managers of other teams. CA and Henderson should not be thrown in from the beginning ( maybe as 2nd half subs) as they are finding it hard to keep up the pace. Henderson look lost in his role and did nothing much when he had the ball except losing possession. Downing and Enrique have been a plus addition. There is a very huge gap in the middle and most teams will want to exploit and so much unfamiliarity in the teamwork as seen in the 2nd half against as Sunderland found out. It was not flanagan's mistake. Where's the mentoring of the more senior members. Cant depend on carragher alone. It was a mistake waiting to happen. Against a more compose team and never say die attitude teams, pool will be in trouble unless KD plays the right members in their roles. We have the players on the bench unlike last year. Caroll CANNOT play as a lone striker. He has no pace and has little skill . A good player but he is no Torres nor Suarez for that matter.
jaimie
ReplyDeleteRight now hendo makes lucas look like messi. kD should not throw him too quickly as that may give him the wrong impression that his place is for keeps. He has to earn it. Stop giving excuses abt age or new player. If u r good , your re good!
jaimie
ReplyDeleteRight now hendo makes lucas look like messi. kD should not throw him too quickly as that may give him the wrong impression that his place is for keeps. He has to earn it. Stop giving excuses abt age or new player. If u r good , your re good!
Hello Jamie
ReplyDeleteNice to see that you are back. With Raul my understanding is there is a clause in his contract that allows a uplift in his wages and if it's not met he has permission to talk to other clubs. I'm not sure if you have heard similar?
The only criticism that I have on Raul is that at times last season he would pull out of 50/50
As much as we all know that aqualani is very gifted. He does not want to play for Liverpool he wants a permanent move back to Italy. Not one of the best structured contract deals that Liverpool have done. He can't handle the pace and physical side of the prem.
ReplyDeleteLucas is very good at breaking play up not my favourite player at first but is very much improved.
Chris I have to agree completely with you, you could not be more right in what you have said.
ReplyDeleteFinally I have found someone with an idea of what is going on, not like on some of the other sites i have posted on. I to wish that KK becomes a legend all over again but I to think that Hendo should be bled in slowly and not before Raul, i have critised the fee for Downing but i am happy to eat my words he is a very good footballer and will get better. Carroll will struggle if he is left alone upfront, your views on his pace and skill level are spot on. I have finally found a site that has fans that are not scared to say what they believe, we all want KK to be great but even KK is human he will make a mistake and I personally think that selling Raul will be a mistake unless you are going to bring in someone with some real quality. For me i would sell Aquaman instead. YNWA..
u can see how poor is Henderson played last night...he is like jog in the field,the worse ever Liverpool signing and a mistake by KK to bring him...
ReplyDeleteI dont think we should sell him he is having fun playing with suarez but if we are
ReplyDeletegoing to be a top 4 team and the next year a european team we need 100% 1 more stricker you see the diffrence suarez made coming on carroll needs one more world class not premier league class world .
dont think anyone really wants raul to go mostly media
I believe a question was asked, and one you did not answer JoKer. Are you sure LFC are looking to sell Merieles? You always talk about facts and stats. Please enlighten us on this one. And stop ignoring questions you cannot answer.
ReplyDeleteKanwar, i agreed with you totally. Why should Meireiles, who is an accomplished international or even Aqualani who shown in pre-season and with Juve last season be replaced with Henderson or even C. Adam?
ReplyDeleteI am not trying to attcak KD but as a fan for the past 27 years, i have the right to ask what is his fetish with overpriced English players. I am sure it escaped no one that we only managed to score against a make-shift Arsenal side after they had a man sent off and we brought in Suarez and Meireiles.
Carroll (apart from his saved header), C. Adam and Henderson looked out of their depth and contributed nothing in the last 2 games and yet KD persisted with them.
I know it takes time to assimilate them but time is a luxury to us now. KD needs to play his best players now and his overpriced, overrated Englishmen can take over when our best players are injured/suspended.
Carroll especially looks one dimensional and all opposing defenders know what is coming (a cross to his head) when marking him. Look how the game changed when Suarez played.
Carroll, he makes Ngog looks like Ronaldo (the Brazilian at his peak) and KD is building (and spending big money) to build a team around him.
Would it be too late when he finally regrets it?
Damian Comolli has already stated that Raul is not for sale so whats the point of the article.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool somehow helped to sour the mood at the Emirates even more on Saturday with a 2-0 win over Arsenal that left the home fans booing their side off the pitch. An Aaron Ramsey own goal in the 78th minute and a Luis Suarez 90th minute tap-in proved to be the difference.
ReplyDeleteAnd after that Suarez goal, Raul Meireles celebrated by giving Lucas the finger -- a joke in reference to when Emmanuel Frimpong, who was sent off in the 70th minute, did the same thing to Lucas earlier. Albeit with a bit more anger.
RM is being sold while he is still has a value, otherwise he will cost us £7m a year in depreciation alone over the course of the next 2 seasons. Plus his wages. Total cost approximately £200k every week. Wow!
ReplyDeleteI hope you're no longer confused. lol
This is how I see it and something we should get used to. If someone comes in at £14m, it would be silly not to take it. RM will not be worth a fraction of that in two seasons.
ReplyDelete£14m + Ngog = Gary Cahill (who is appreciating in value)
While you're here how do you rate Flanagan?
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I agree, it wasn't a good performance by him but I believe 1 Henderson is worth 1000 x Joe Cole and 10000 x C Poulsen :)
The reason why Henderson started the first 2 games ahead of Meireles is simple really,Meireles has been injured and had only featured in one pre season game(Malaysia Xl) way back in July.So all this talk of being dumped on the scrap pile is a tad premature imo.Meireles performance yesterday won't be lost on Dalglish and I'm sure when he's 100% he'll be a regular starter so calm down.
ReplyDeleteMeireles was injured during pre-season and is not fully fit.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely agree! It is a real joke that a player of Rauls quality has been pushed to the back of the queue!
ReplyDeleteI went to the emirates to watch liverpool vs. Arsenal yesturaday and Henderson was shocking...poor movement on and off the ball, and quite rightly a lack of desire when he lost it! all in all, young english player or not 20million that should have gone elsewhere given the quality of Mereless and qrgubably Maxi!
Daglish has done wonders but this is one hes is very much getting wrong!
There's a pretty simple answer to why Meireles hasn't started any games yet. He was injured pre season. He didn't play a single minute of pre season games so it's quite simply a case of him regaining match fitness and being brought back into the team slowly.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this is a good thing. In past seasons we've had to bring our better players back into the 1st team quickly after injuries and as we've seen this didn't benefit the players or team. Torres and Gerrard were brought back far too quickly and their injury problems worsened.
It's good that we can play a team like we did yesterday and be able to vein on players such as Meireles and Suarez when needed.
Also the speculation regarding Meireles leaving are nothing but rumours. The club and the player haven't said anything.
I dont know about anyone else but im sick of listening about Aquaman i dont care how good he thinks he is, can KK please fuck him off so we can keep Raul(if true) and get another striker or winger so we can be feared once more. I dont think we are that dangerous up front. Yeah and can we get Cahill as well or Mertsacker PLEASE..
ReplyDeletehe on the bench because he just back from injury, so he'll be starting in a week or two. You forgot that he came on vrs sunderland and did sweet fcuk all. He is a good player let him get fully fit and fight for his place.
ReplyDeleteJaimie, I was really hoping we had seen the last of you but alashere you are sstinking up the place again with your poisonous bile. Do us all a favour and start hating football again...
ReplyDelete"We've got to manage Luis's circumstances the same as we have everybody else's. There were another four or five lads there who we had for the first time. Raul Meireles has had a difficult pre-season with injuries so we've got to look after him as well as Luis."
ReplyDeleteDo some reasurch before you go off on one.
Raul is in his peak days and will sell for a good price. Agreed, jordan might've been a mistake but you just can't offload him. Someone has to go and apart from Aqua, you won't find many takers for any other midfelder.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the quality goes, we still have maxi (I don't get why he's crticised so much) AND GERRARD. Give them more time, Hendo and Lucas will improve. I think Charlie Adam has been impressive (we've been needing someone as optimistic as him since Xabi).. so yeah, unless you want only midfielders to play, Raul is the best sell. YNWA
And here I was thinking that this website was about debunking newspaper crap not basing articles on them. You're slipping Kanwar. Big time.
ReplyDeleteThanks! I was watching the game in two perspectives. One as a true red and another as an impartial observer. As much as I want to see Pool win, I always hope they win it fair and with aplomb. If they lose, lose with dignity though i will feel lousy. My fears are that KD is trying too hard too make Pool tick but overlooking what made them quite good at the tail end of last season. If players like Hendo are played too often and from the beginning, it will be a matter of time when he get the boos whenever he comes on. If he is as persevering as lucas, he will survive. If not , pool will be stuck with a 16m loss. I truly admire Wenger for his insistence on playing Nasri eventhough he is MC bound. Why not do the same with Aqua as he is still a pool player. He will not try to play lousy as he wants to showcase his talents for other teams to see and buy him if he wants out. It will be a win-win situation and maybe pool may come to realise what a good player they have on hand. He will be like a new signing. As a matter of fact , I have seen him play in the friendlies , he has more bags of skill than he is known for. I hope KD will see this and try him out giving him no concession as pool is still paying him. Play hardball! KD has to command the respect and not just pamper the players. One last wish just like other pool fans - is he gets another NON-ENGLISH striker for fear that either if Suarez or Kuyt gets injured long term later in the season, and meireles and maxi are sold earlier on in the season, pool goals will dry up and jeopardise the hope for top 4.
ReplyDeleteMany players have been labelled 'not for sale' over the years and ended up being sold. Commoli would not admit I publicly anyway. There's no smoke without fire, and from what I've heard from my own sources, Meireles is available for the right price. I trust my sources - they've never let me down before.
ReplyDeleteMany players have been labelled 'not for sale' over the years and ended up being sold. Commoli would not admit I publicly anyway. There's no smoke without fire, and from what I've heard from my own sources, Meireles is available for the right price. I trust my sources - they've never let me down before.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree that Meireles is at least a step up on Henderson, but Henderson is young and will improve. He may not get as much playing time later in the season but I think that we should remember how many new players are in the team at the moment. Apart from Fabregas, Wilshere and Song, big misses admittedly, that was not a bad Arsenal team that started the match, how many clubs would go there with 4 new players and come away with a win? We shouldn't get carried away with the press hysteria about Arsenal being on their last legs. They put out a decent team yesterday.
ReplyDeleteMy main worry was that Arsenal had played in midweek and still seemed to match us physically for the first hour. The sending off made a huge difference.
Enrique and Downing were class and look to have settled in already. Adam was so so but he played some nice balls inside the right back that set Downing on his way a couple of times. There could be a good combination there, on the left, between Enrique, Adam and Downing. Lucas does an effective job with minimum fuss and uses the ball well. Carroll still looks off the pace to me, but will be more effective when we are pushing on more, when we play deep he is not really much use. Suarez is our best player, by far, and showed it when he came on. Kenny made some good substitutions yesterday.
As for Meireles, it may be media speculation, but the stories make sense and the connection between him and the Chelsea manager is there for all to see. As for us saying that he has not been fit, etc, etc, we would not be the first club to sell someone who claimed that we were not going to and, I'm afraid, the story rings true to me, particularly as Chelsea would probably triple his wages.
Cahill for N'gog and 12 million, Meireles for Sturridge. That would do us. Wish we would put in a bid for Hoillet at Blackburn as well, but that is not happening. Aquilani clearly wants out and if we are concerned about Meireles shirking tackles, Aquilani is no better. Can't see us keeping both this season and would not be surprised if they are both gone in a couple of weeks. Hopefully, Gerrard will stay fit and Henderson will improve. Would be surprised to see Adam and Gerrard play together too often. Think they play a fairly similar game.
p.s. I think this idea that we sell some of our best players based on their resale value in two years is ridiculous. We are not Arsenal. Look where that strategy has got them. Planning for the future is important but there is no more important time than the present and, presently, Meireles is one of our four best midfielders.
ReplyDeleteGive the guy a contract in line with some of our top players. The idea that he earns half of what Henderson earns is absurd.
meireles should be in the next starting line up not henderson. Plus when stevie gets back where does that put charlie adam? Gerrard and Meireles had a good partnership last year. Meireles should replace henderson
ReplyDeleteI am not sure where people get the idea Aquilani does not want to play for Liverpool. In his first year, Rafa did not play him when fit then Hodgson shipped him out last season when fully fit and now Kenny does not even pick him in his matchday squad. To me it sounds more like the club doesnt want him. He has even said he would be happy to stay and fight but the club has not said he is not for sale so to blame and say he does not want to say is plain mischief making. The club has treated him badly by being ever so willing to push him away to any club that wants to take him on loan something akin to saying cant you take a hint we dont want you here and how that ends up being Aquilani's fault, I dont understand.
ReplyDeleteAhh yes, the mystical 'sources'. I was wondering when these soothsayers would be invoked again. At the end of the day one attacking midfielder will be sold. We would prefer it to be Aquilani but if not we'ld probably consider offers for Meireles due to his age. Unfortunate situation but he's far from being 'dumped on the scrapheap'.
ReplyDeleteAnd THIS is how Liverpool fans turn into Chelsea fans. Two nil away win and we've set up a 21 year old new signing as a scapegoat. Aren't these the kind of kneejerk, doom and gloom fans you were supposed to crusade against Jamie?
ReplyDeleteIsn't EVERY footballer available 'at the right price'?
ReplyDeleteIn fact, I think almost everything in existence is available 'at the right price'!
Will be interesting to see if you make any comment about your so-called sources if Meireles is still a Liverpool player on September 1!!
Every player is for sale.!!! Somewhere in Comollis office there is a secrete file with a pricetag on each player. If another club come in with an offer which equal or greater valuation, then we let the player leave. The new ideals are similar to arsenals, buy value or on the cheap or inexpensive and sell high. That simple... And when we capture more funds, buy in the areas of future need. Dont think for a second that if an offer for stevie came in we wouldnt take it?.. Wrong. This is a business, and the owners are as shrewd as they come. The buy low sell high over time yeilds sucsessful teams-in time. its always good to have some funds in place to pull the trigger when the right player and deal comes available. Right now we are so deep in midfield, It looks like aqua, raul, maxi are all on the front lawn for a yard sale. I personally want to buy a mirelles top, because he was my fav from last year, but i think he just isnt the out and out winger we want. I just dont see him fitting in the middle of the pitch. he has quality indeed, but he would'nt get time over steve, adam, luis s. Certainly not replacing carroll since carroll is in most of kk plans. And honestly read kk loves raul's game, but just not sure if kk thinks hes a no 1. Id like to see the proceeds of aqua and raul spent on a cb and a right winger. Current market aqua deal around 6-7mil pounds and raul at 13.5 mil pounds. Almost use the same fees for a winger and cb. Timing is always difficult, so gotta sell when there is a buyer when the players are not no 1s.
ReplyDeleteTwo games are not enough to judge Hendo.
ReplyDeleteThe Guy didn't play the football of the century, but anyway, He showed good skills, good passes, clever moves.
Hendo's football style sounds like a bit of variety and creativity in Liverpool's trama: combining Hendo with Downing and We have a good mixture.
The guy surely has to improve and He will definitely improve under the protection of Gerrard.
He's young, and it's the first opportunity at higher levelo for him.
Meireles is a superb player, but so many are forgetting that He's 28 yrs old, and He played a whole career at the highest levels, collecting a load of experience in CL's football and with Portugal side. Actually Hendo can only dream Meireles's career.
Despite this difference in terms of football & experience (Hendo grew up in Sunderland), Meireles didn't have a fantastic impact in EPL football, at least until Kenny's take over.
Hendo needs time to gel with his team mates.
We've jsut dominated Arsenal at Emirates, ourt side is good, the quality is high, the fight for a place in the side is strong: You should create unity & harmony instead of pointing the finger against one player.
For the first time since a decade Liverpool have a strong rooster: We should not encourage the rebellion of some players.
No one mentioned Henderson or Carroll but Henderson is a lot younger and therefore fits in with the clubs youth policy also they are4 getting more money than they paid 4 him comprende f##kwit .
ReplyDeletedo any of you realise that raul was injured pre season? he is clearly not 100% fit hence why he has been coming off the bench. when he is 100% i am sure he will start over hendo. kenny jsut came out and said he needs to manage raul and suarez very carefully.
ReplyDeleteThe beauty of football is: when the chips are down, whoever makes a decision will have to live by it in the end. I didn't see Dalglish's initial involvement with Liverpool as a positive move; but, credit to him, he proved me wrong with Liverpool's improved results and polished displays after a disatrous start to last season. The signing of just British players is not a clever move at all. Can anyone advocate for Henderson in place of Meireles; a very seasoned and experienced pro?
ReplyDeleteOn the day of judgement, before a near capacity crowd of over 40 to 60 thousand people; not counting the millions of television viewers from around the world, the players Dalglish has signed would be put to test. There will be no place to hide then. Reputations will be shattered that day.
This one of the few times i have to agree with you Jamimie, to be honest am not sure y Kenny seemly has a disliking for foregin players, <span><span><span><span><span>Meirelles is class simply put but kenny seems to insist on his english signing even dropping Kuyt, am sorry to say as much as we love kenny, lets call a spade a spade the money he spent on carrol, henderson and even dowing is out right rediculus , chelsea have jus capatured Juan mata for 23mil, i starting to think it was more of a case of not wanting to sign mata than him not wanting to come, second i know u may not be a fan of suarez but he is one of best players, and for some reason i don't think he was kenny's signing, i think comolie and hogson had more to do with that, Kenny needs to understand that this is not 1988 and soccer, has long since changed more times than he may realize</span></span></span></span></span>
ReplyDeleteI'd expect Meireles to start at the weekend. He was injured in pre-season and Dalglish eluded to the fact he wasn't match fit yet.
ReplyDeleteHenderson is Gerrard's long term successor - he hasn't been bought for one season!
seeing as he's been at the club for a number of years and starts pretty much every game that he's been fit for, without any of the 3 liverpool managers feeling the need to dip into the transfer market to buy a better DM, or the brazil manager not finding a better player in his position, it must mean he's doing pretty good. check out his stats - they're top class, just like the player himself.
ReplyDeleteIt's Adam, not Adams. Grinds my gears...
ReplyDeleteWell, Meireles has been sold, whether he was injured or not, that story always made sense, after seeing the contract wrangles, and so it has proved. Bad deal for us. Are we taking this transfer policy too far?
ReplyDelete