9 Oct 2014

Yes Please: 'World Class' £10m star blasts Chelsea & hints at transfer. Sign for LFC?

It's an open secret that Liverpool are trying to sign a top-class goalkeeper to challenge Simon Mignolet, and all indications point to an imminent deal for Barcelona legend Victor Valdes. Is he the right choice, though? Valdes is a still a question mark for some LFC fans, but there are very few credible alternate options out there. Until now, that is. Chelsea star Petr Cech is increasingly frustrated with life at Stamford Bridge, and today, he's threatened to quit the club if he remains rooted to the bench.

Thibaut Courtois is currently keeping Cech out of the team, and unless the Belgian suffers a catastrophic loss of form, that isn't going to change anytime soon.

Cech is frustrated at being sidelined, and speaking to the Czech media today, he blasted Chelsea for his ongoing marginalisation. He noted:

"The situation is not the way I would imagine. With the 2016 European Championships in mind, there is no time for me to sit on the bench and not to play. If the situation will not start to improve for me then I will want to solve it."

The prevailing wisdom is that elite teams need two top-class goalkeepers in the squad, but in practice, it never works, and the Cech situation is a prime example of that.

Consistency between the sticks is imperative to achieving a settled defensive-unit, and chopping/changing goalkeepers is a recipe for disaster, which is why goalkeepers are very rarely rotated.

Take Brad Jones, for example. Last season, he didn't make a single Premier League appearance, and overall, he made just three appearances all year. I don't see how a goalkeeper who spends 98% of his time on the bench can be satisfied, and Cech certainly isn't.

As such, perhaps Liverpool should make a move? Despite his injury (which has bred some understandable reticence into his game), Cech remains one of the world's best goalkeepers, and at the age of 32, he still has years of great form ahead.

Granted, it's doubtful Chelsea will allow him to join Liverpool, but his contract expires in 2016, so that reduces the London club's bargaining power somewhat.

I'd take £10m-rated Cech over Valdes, that's for sure, mainly because he's Premier League proven over a number of years. Whatever happens, Mignolet looks like a goner at Anfield. If either Cech or Valdes signs, I can't see the Belgian keeping either player out of the team.

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13 comments:

  1. I'm not so sure. I think (hoping) with a commanding keeper with decades of experience at the highest level can go some way to calm the nerves and settle our defence.

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  2. If there is nobody commanding our defence then the keeper buggered.


    Valdes would have to be as good as Mignolet at shot stopping to keep clean sheets. Valdes will suffer the same fate the way our defence crumbles at set pieces.


    Bring any keeper you want, he will be let down by our defence.

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  3. That was not intended for starting eleven? wow...

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  4. Sterling, Coutinho, Lallana. Two strikers and a dm. No, not the starting eleven.

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  5. I don't think a top GK will solve our problems completely but it will help.However if a top class defensive midfielder comes in too, I'll be confident of a big improvement.
    Our centre backs play with fear which turns into mistakes.Protection in midfield is very poor.It's reactive not proactive.Simon Mignolet controls his area with zero personality.
    Sort these two problem areas out and we'll see more assured performances from our defenders.

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  6. Funny how there will not many issues vs Spurs this season. Mignolet at the back, Gerrard our deepest midfielder and the rest of the team pressing and dominating. Clean sheet, 3 goals and a top performance.


    If we go with the right setup then there should not be as many issues...

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  7. Hulk Logan are you trying to body slam and leg drop my comment:)
    The right set up.You mean the same one as last season which we ended up conceding 50 goals:) I think our attack glossed over how terrible we were defensively.
    The team performance at Spurs was the best of the season.Watch the match again especially in the first half and pay close attention to Steven Gerrard's contribution.Then come back to me.
    The formation needs a tweak and that's a factor but let's not pretend we were perfect defensively last season.We beat many teams easily just like we did Spurs this season.We also ended up shipping a truckload of goals.
    If we let in the same amount with this seasons attack I'll be amazed if we make top four.Better players to fit the system is the way to improve things.

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  8. Result: England 5 San Marino 0.Brace yourselves for the media exaggeration.That stunning victory obviously means you can start etching England's name on the trophy:-)
    How can San Marino be expected to compete at International level when they only have a population of 32k.It's like watching animals at a slaughterhouse.

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  9. He's very good. I'd have to take some time and a few deep breaths to eliminate all those years of him wearing blue from my memory. It's hard to see him in anything other than a Chelsea shirt and that just irritates me. It really is strange to try and imagine him playing for Liverpool.


    I think the two keeper situation works for about a season at which point you need to pick your number one and let someone else move on. What I would guess Liverpool will do is bring in someone like Valdes or Cech and just see what happens. Valdes is no guarantee to regain top form so I wouldn't say the end is nigh for Mignolet. He should be afforded to chance to improve and address his shortcomings just like any other player. Let two quality keepers fight it out for a period of time but one of them will clearly come to the top in the end. The other will soon get bored sitting on the bench and you will need to let them go. I don't personally care who it is but the assumption is that Mignolet will need to improve in order to keep his spot in the long term and that's the whole point of bringing in competition. If it works and Mignolet ends up a better keeper then we have no reason to complain. If Valdes/Cech/someone else ends up taking the spot then they will have done so by being better than Mignolet, again that being a good outcome for the club.

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  10. I think anyone who expected Markovic to have an instant impact was dreaming. Naturally we expect that kind of money to go a long way but it's at odds with where he has actually come from. Forget about the price tag and look at his experience, his recent form for other clubs. He was OK but not brilliant and obviously he has a lot to learn before he's good enough to command a regular spot for Liverpool.

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  11. Writing off a 20 year old after what 6 games in a new country, still adapting to new team mates, language barrier, new managers philosophy and a much faster and physical league. Wow.

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  12. Also you play way too much FIFA or Championship manager. Judging by how you just like pace, FIFA ;)

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  13. Cech for me but Chelsea won't play ball. Therefore get Valdes and get increased competition. Even after Valdes, if Cech becomes a realistic possibility LFC could then go after him.
    Timing is key in teams. Timing disrupted by injury is why they have big squads. No team in the world would have been unaffected by losing Suarez and Sturridge from their frontline.
    Can when returned from injury, can be a significant player for Liverpool. Coming in this season as the defensive midfielder in some games or parts of games, that role can be increased next season as Gerrard plays less. With him involved there can be more pressing and we can get back to the style we were playing.

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