19 Jun 2015

Done Deal: £10m 'warrior' will sign 3-year deal with Liverpool after rejecting Inter Milan transfer

Earlier tis month, Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel blasted Liverpool for making him an 'unacceptable' new contract offer, but it seems that Skrtel and the club have resolved their differences as the Slovakian is reportedly set to sign a new long-term contract.

According to the The Times on Thursday:

"Martin Skrtel has agreed a three-year deal...with Liverpool. The defender will sign upon his return from holiday"

Skrtel has been heavily linked with moves to Wolfsburg and Inter Milan this year, and when asked on Thursday about the transfer speculation, his agent, Karel Csontso confirmed:

“The interest from Inter was real. The deal did not go ahead, but there was contact made. The player had been thinking about his future and eventually opted to remain at Liverpool."

Like last season, £10m-rated Skrtel - hailed this season as a 'warrior' by Rodgers - is Liverpool's most consistent defender, which is impressive considering his defensive partners are constantly changing.

Additionally, with Gerrard gone, Skrtel is now the club's most experienced first-team regular, and with the club severely lacking players with consistent top-level experience, it would've been a mistake to let Skrtel leave this summer.

Skrtel is regularly maligned by some fans, but to illustrate his effectiveness, here is a comparison with Chelsea captain John Terry, who helped Chelsea achieve the best defensive record in the Prem:

* Games played: MS: 33 | JT: 38

* Minutes: MS: 2970 | JT: 3420

* Passing Accuracy: MS: 90% | JT: 89.6%

* Duels Won: MS: 166 | JT:159

* Aerial Duels Won: MS: 112 | JT: 99


* Recoveries: MS: 145 | JT: 129

* Tackles Won: MS: 89.5% | JT: 86%

* Clearances: MS: 312 | JT: 217

* Blocks: MS: 40 | JT: 30

* Interceptions: MS: 55 | JT: 32

Stats: OPTA

As you can see, despite playing fewer league games that Terry, Skrtel's defensive stats are superior in a number of different areas:

- More clearances, recoveries, interceptions, and blocks (CRIBs) per game (Skrtel: CRIB every 5.3 minutes; Terry : CRIB every 8.3 mins)

- Better overall success rate with tackles.

- Won more duels overall, despite playing seven fewer games.

Granted, Chelsea's midfielders do a great job of shielding the back four, but Skrtel's stats are still impressive, and prove that he is a very effective defender for Liverpool FC.

Now, the next step is for Rodgers to select Skrtel as captain ahead of Jordan Henderson.

Author: Jaimie K


165 comments:

  1. He is a massive player for us. However, we shouldn't forget the way FSG have handled contract negotiations. Gerrard, Sterling, Henderson, Skrtel, Ibe and Flanagan....all were in the news for contract disputes. There is something wrong with the way FSG approach these things.

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  2. We also buy players ,hardly play them ,loan out and move them on at half price !
    Something very wrong with FSG ?

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  3. Anyone see the U21s last night? How did Ilori get on?

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  4. Like Skirtel - plenty of bottle BUT why dont we buy that Portugese Centre back that put the Great Harry Kane and Belatedly Danny Ings in his pocket all night at the Under 21 Euros last night ?? He must be a £30 million player ??? No - cant do that -silly - best loan him out for another 2 years and sign a kid from Charlton instead. Now what was the Portugese lads name - ???

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  5. The Echo just copying exactly what was in The Metro and specifically quoting that's where they've got the whole story from.


    Zero credibility therefore & a shame to see third-hand gossip based on absolutely no facts whatsoever posted here.


    I thought this site was a bit better than all that

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  6. yeah i am a fan of the 2 CBs and a DM that works for the back four along with being able to get the ball to the creative players e.g. matic, masch, makele.

    And agree with you that a proper DM comes first but if we are looking to play 3 at the back then another CB is an area to look at too

    lucas is as mobile as the Dortmund striker beautifully named immobile who cant turn to save his life

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  7. I think with all these things, in the past we didn't know how long a player sat around the table negotiating deals, where now as soon as a player isn't happy it is all over the news.


    That said I don't like how FSG appear to let contracts run into only having 1 year left. For me the players you want to stay you put on a 4 year deal then keep amending every year so that they only go when we don't want them or we get top money for them.

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  8. Not FSG its the dills they hired to recruit and the manager.

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  9. Frankie Fletcher8:40 am, June 19, 2015

    Nice you showed his personal stats rather than just the team stats like with the Cristian Poulson article yesterday ;)

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  10. He did show personal stats in the Poulson article as well.

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  11. I'd say you'll sooner see


    -----------------Can
    -----Henderson---Milner
    --------------Coutinho
    ---------Balotelli-----Ings


    And Sturridge if he's ever fit of course

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  12. Skrtel is decent in a back 3. His priority in the middle of the CB 3 is to make sure when he sees the ball to get it away from danger any way possible with the other 2 CB's players covering for him. Play him on the right or left side of the back 3 and we will be throttled.


    In a back 4 Skrtel needs to cover for his CB partner and is where he is found out majority of the time. We have been conceding goals like there is no tomorrow since Rodgers arrived. Player stats therefor in this instance IMO are irrelevant.


    Our defence is a shambles, unless we can get a coach in who can spot and fix the problems then our leaky defence will become even more leakier.

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  13. But we ALL need to accept the fact that BR is staying, at least for a while, whether we like it or not. So we should debate about transfers and players with the assumption that BR is the coach. Which is a fact!! There is no point in repeating the point that we need a new manager/coach because that's not happening and we should try to accept and move on. (at least for a while)

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  14. Skrtel has played great football in a back 4 he had a very good partnership with Agger.

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  15. When are you changing your name to "Brendan makes me horny" "

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  16. With Agger yes. Agger no longer is here and since Agger left Skrtel has been our longest serving CB and he has been unable to show that he is capable of leading the line.

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  17. Any name, bring it.

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  18. Thats why we bought crappy Lovren who couldnt lead a line in a dance.

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  19. I must admit I though BR was a gonner now I am not so sure.


    It could be that FSG are using some clunky hard-ball management ideas to weaken his position make him less cosy and put him under pressure to let him know he'll be gone if he does not improve


    Heaven help us

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  20. Makes no difference if Skrtel is incapable. Skrtel is our most senior CB at the club.

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  21. Whether BR stays or not, there will be new coaching staff. It is no secret that we need a defensive coach.

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  22. If that's true about FSG then I would like them to go as well.

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  23. i disagree seniority means nothing with on field leadership, believe it or not you either got it or you aint.

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  24. And a new goal keeping coach.

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  25. Frankie Fletcher9:01 am, June 19, 2015

    Ah it appears he put them in later on, the original article just had the team stats when Poulsen was playing. My bad. :)

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  26. We need a CB called "John Swift or "Alphonso Nippy" or just " Friggin' marvellous!

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  27. I don't think he put them in later on.

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  28. Frankie Fletcher9:05 am, June 19, 2015

    From what i Remember (i had 1 too many shandys last night) he did well, England had no threat going forward, whether that was due to a poor England attack or whether it was Portugal controlling the game and snuffing chances out before they happened i'm not sure, probably a bit of both. But ye he played well.

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  29. What about Rodgers out lads!!!

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  30. "believe it or not you either got it or you aint."


    Is that not what i have implied Re Skrtel?


    He is LFC's most experienced CB. He should be able to have the ability to put his foot down. Other than Toure, our other CB's are all younger than Skrtel and less experienced. You would expect Skrtel to be the voice for our defence on the pitch. He is not a communicator and is either something you ar born with or not which is what we require. Toure on the other hand is a very good communicator but then there is the other problem of having no proper coaching for our defence.

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  31. hahaha 'Friggin Marvellous' sounds like the guy we need :)

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  32. Coutinho is the closest to untouchable. Oh and JFM now of course ;-)

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  33. What i am saying Skrtel is still a very valuable contributor in a back 4 personally id like to see Sakho stand up and boss the defense.

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  34. Frankie Fletcher9:12 am, June 19, 2015

    He didn't on the orignal trust me, there were a lot of comments (including mine) stating how you can show a teams stats when a player is on the field but it is not a true reflection of how the individual did.

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  35. I would still like to see Toure and Sakho being lined up. Toure may be getting on in age but he is still very quick and in good shape.


    We have to find our best CB pair when it comes to a back 4 and that IMO should not include Skrtel.

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  36. It is a secret to FSG and BR.

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  37. Toure i gather is there as back up but due to the end of season debacles i gather changes are afoot.

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  38. Ok Mr. Frank, I trust you ;-)

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  39. Brendan's ex will demand double the amount after that change.

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  40. I'd rather Sktrel or a fit Sakho as captain ahead of Henderson.

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  41. EPL average per game. stats for our CB's. Can not included as he ain't one ;-)

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  42. Why is BR blind to the fact that Coates and Illori are better than Kolo and Lovren

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  43. We need a new defender as Sakho is very injury prone, if you notice every time he comes back to the team we seem to do well, when he goes off our defense is a shambles.


    We can't rely on him, like Sturridge.


    Singing on Skrtel only makes sense, in fact it was ridiculous for Liverpool not to have wrapped this up sooner.

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  44. He does it for France so he can do it for us.

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  45. Most probably sell at half price.

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  46. England had 20 shots in that game RAY. I don't know if Thiago put a tackle in. He certainly couldn't handle Kane, in the air or on the ground. But he passed the ball nicely and showed a bit of pace every now and again. Not a Premier League standard player, yet, but you can see he has talent.

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  47. That's very optimistic.

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  48. Off topic but i just read that weimann has gone from villa to derby for 2.3m. What happened to him? He looked pretty decent in a 3 with bongers and benteke, certainly more than that. Hell for 2.3 why didnt we get him?

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  49. A true and dedicated Liverpool player...who gives his all and doesn't speak from both sides of his mouth...At-least this is Good news since we are tired of old stories linking us to players without pedigree....

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  50. If you think about it, how many PR managers did they go through before they found the current one? It seems recruiting is not their strongest feat.

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  51. Yeah I bet Mignolet is shaking in his boots

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  52. Well it can't have anything to do with England's youth setup because that is top notch and focuses on the right priorities :-)

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  53. That would suggest Skrtel Lovren as our preferred partnership from where I'm standing.

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  54. We're getting Joe Gomez. Our search is over.

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  55. I think they lack football knowledge in general.

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  56. Which is something they tried to recruit with Comoli and failed. Then they recruited Rodgers and failed. So if they could get their recruitment in order....basically they need to stop sacking people until they have sacked whoever is in charge of recruitment :-)

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  57. Skrtel has denied the reports claiming that he has signed a new deal. Hahaha, what a circus!!

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  58. My eyes are telling me Sakho should be our LCB and would go with Lovren at RCB.


    The times they did play as a pair it looked like their was an understanding between the two.

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  59. Nothing new with LFC.

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  60. Its embarrassing.

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  61. This is even more laughable


    Simon Kjaer:

    He was reported to have said: “Liverpool wanted me, but I want championships, I want to win trophies,” the 26-year-old told Haber Turk.

    “Fenerbahce’s goals this season are big, and it was explained to me very well.”



    Not the best CB but not the worst. If true, he was not convinced that winning trophies at LFC is going to be a possibility.


    Like you said, what a circus!!!

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  62. That's hogwash. Trophies or not, Fenerbahce is not comparable to Liverpool. If Liverpool wanted him, he would come running and he has stated that several times. Sour grapes.

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  63. I can distinctly remember countless articles from Jaimie suggesting that Skrtel isn't a talker, and not much of a leader etc. Skrtel ahead of Henderson for captain? Now the stats man wants to ignore the stats? Come on...

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  64. In your stats you have missed a key one, defensive errors, Skrtel has 5 which apart from Lovren's 6 is the most in the league.
    That said we should be doing all we can to retain Skrtel.

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  65. Did you watch the game?

    Portugal fielded 8 full internationals including Bernardo Silva and William Carvalho. That's like England sending out Jack Wilshere and Raheem Sterling. A bit ridiculous really.

    England played well and have several very fine players including Will Hughes, James Ward-Prowse, Jesse Lingaard, Harry Kane, and Danny Ings, who came close to scoring a spectacular effort. Kane on another day could have had a hat trick with the chances he had. Portugal's GK was on fine form and looks a good player.

    England were somewhat let down by Nathaniel Chalobah, whose engine seemed rather low on juice as the match progressed, especially for a midfielder, and the lack of quality from central defence, with John Stones out injured and Michael Keene for some reason not preferred to Liam Moore. The team were consistently too deep and though they threatened on the break in the first half, Portugal were able to pin them in the first 25 minutes of the second. Their goal resulted from pressure and a scramble in the penalty area, not from any beautiful build up play.

    England dominated the first half and a draw would have been a fair reflection of the game, which is credit to England's youngsters given the experience and quality that Portugal possess.

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  66. You think a winger is more of a priority than an RB?
    Given that Rodgers bizarrely doesn't seem to trust Manquillo, we don't really have a viable RB option. Wisdom is a CB who can play RB and Flanno is still injured and will need time to get back to form.


    I would say ST DM and RB, then if we have money available look at a winger.


    Having said that, we can pick up Gignac and Nigel De Jong with minimal outlay both have a huge amount of experience (international CL and in strong(ish) leagues) both are quality and would immediately improve the first XI, let alone the squad.


    As for RB I'm not really sure who we could get then

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  67. The big greek lad is almost more injury prone than owen hargreaves. Also he's not that good to be perfectly honest.

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  68. That's not ridiculous. It is this sense of entitlement in Britain that has never won them a single trophy in a long time. Sterling and Wilshere should be playing for England U-21's and getting valuable experience on the big stage. Last WC where Spain one, they fielded players like Isco, Morata and many others. Once England starts taking these competitions seriously, they will get somewhere.

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  69. Yarmalenko might Reus/Higuain almost certainly wouldn't.

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  70. They did finish 2nd, 3 points behind Galatasaray.


    They were also banned from Europe for 2 years in 2013 so with that now over, he will play CL football.


    And cannot see where he compared the two clubs. He specifically mentioned 'championships' obviously meaning trophies.

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  71. Well he clearly believes nothing is going to happen for him at LFC.

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  72. How about we start with this guy: Antero Henrique. I had to look him up on Wiki to be honest but he's the DoF at Porto so we can agree he's doing a very decent job...

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  73. No I didn't. I was just using this result to make a snide remark :-)

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  74. Ah I thought we were supposed to add up the stars. Sakho and Lovren really should be our partnership if you consider how much money they cost but neither is as solid as Skrtel imo.

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  75. We should offload him and give youth a try- I'm having a feeling of deja vu...

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  76. That is a very good point..

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  77. People create stories when they see an opportunity for it. Skrtel publicly stated that there is ongoing contract dispute between him and Liverpool. Now that's an opening for jobless people to make up stories. We need a system where we can avoid such publicity.

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  78. Winning a trophy in Turkey is worth nothing compared to competing in EPL. IMO

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  79. I don't know where you get "entitlement" from. That's a strange word. Entitlement to what? Or disentitlement from what? I think you're letting anglophobia get the better of you. England have done well at age-group football in the last few years, including winning some important trophies, and there have been significant improvements to the coaching structure and priorities, though I don't think we are there yet by any means. Spain didn't qualify this time and of course got knocked out of the last world cup at the same point as England. So your narrative isn't quite right is it? It needs more qualification. It certainly doesn't justify national stereotyping of the kind you just indulged in.

    It would be absurd for those players to continue playing age-group football internationally or at club level. Do Mata and de Gea turn out for the Man Utd U21s when they need a lift? It just reeks of opportunism to me, especially when those players only appear for the final tournament, and contribute nothing to qualifying. There is a point at which players move on to the seniors and that's as it should be in my opinion.

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  80. By getting their act together ,
    By paying good wages ,rewarding loyalty , keeping senior players happy ,scout better players , and creative a good enviroment for the players to perform.

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  81. I don't see what the problem is. No one reported that he'd signed a new deal; the reports stated he'd *agreed" a new deal, which may be true.

    Plus, his agent specifically states that Skrtel has opted to stay with Liverpool, and those quotes are accurate.

    Liverpool didn't release the news, so I don't see what all the fuss is about.

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  82. Also, I don't understand why playing an U-21 player in an U-21 tournament would be ridiculous. ;-)

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  83. Porto benefits from lenient Visa rules.

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  84. Tell em they lose a weeks wages every time they or their agent blabs to the press. That may sort the players out and in turn perhaps they'd have a word with their agents too.

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  85. I showed Poulsen's personal stats too.

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  86. Then why would Sktel come out and deny the reports? If he agreed a new deal then he didn't need to deny the reports.

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  87. Why don't Raheem Sterling, Coutinho, and Moreno turn out for the Liverpool U21s, do you think?

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  88. I have a feeling it may have been a bit tongue in cheek.

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  89. By that logic even Kane and Ings shouldn't play in U-21. Ah, I forgot, logic is not your strong suit.

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  90. Why not, it'd be great to have them all injured going into pre-season.

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  91. He's not denying reports; he's denying that the facebook profile from where some of the info derived is fake.

    As noted, though, his agent said: "The player had been thinking about his future and eventually opted to remain at Liverpool".

    If he's opted to remain at Liverpool, then the end result is the same.

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  92. Most recent comment of his agent is "At the moment I can confirm that we are negotiating the matter with the club, but we have not signed the contract yet. We will inform fans and media when it happens"
    .
    That's not 100% guarantee of signing a contract.

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  93. In August.
    Nice profile, mate.

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  94. Which stats are being ignored?

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  95. I didn't say he'd 100% sign a contract. I'm just pointing out that his Agent also stated he'd 'opted to remain at Liverpool'.

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  96. waterboarding works.

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  97. I don't understand why you feel the need to insult me? We're just talking about football. It's not personal. But honestly, please do correct any of this for logical accuracy, I'm always keen to learn.

    Sterling, Coutinho, and Moreno don't play for the Liverpool U21s because they have progressed beyond that status in their club careers, correct? It wouldn't be in the interests of their development, or of the players behind them, for them to appear at that level -- even if it would virtually guarantee youth trophies in abundance.

    I invite you to bring the same proposition to the international development structure. In my opinion, Portugal fielding *8* senior internationals in a youth tournament is *rather a lot* and I am not sure that putting results ahead of player development to this extent is the right way to go.

    I agree that Kane is a marginal case. I think Afobe was unfortunate to miss out with Kane's inclusion. However Kane did play in several of the qualifiers for the competition.

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  98. Yes, I have a feeling they're cleaning house for Klopp to arrive in January.

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  99. Would explain the intense desire to snap up free transfers.

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  100. Glad to keep Skrtel, I think he's easily our best defender. Hopefully Lovren and Sakho can improve but to be honest I would be delighted if both of them were replaced this window, - providing of course the replacements were genuine upgrades.
    Don't see that happening but one new, quality CB would be a good start.
    Not sure about Skrtel as captain, maybe not the voice for it but I don't think we have anyone who is all that vocal, apart from maybe Mignolet and I'm not sure what he screams is all that coherent.
    Skrtel though could perhaps Captain with the 'leading by example' style and it may even spur him on to greater things. I will say, I'm not convinced Hendo is the right person for the job just yet but perhaps he might emerge from behind Stevie's shadow and really step up to the challenge.

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  101. Its not personal obviously but you fail to realize that even England has some players who have progressed well. Kane, Stones, Ings, Jenkinson, Ward-Prowse, Chambers and to an extend Butland. How are these players in any way inferior to the 8 internationals of Portugal?

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  102. Well the headline is...WILL sign a contract.

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  103. That could lead to an interesting situation should Brendan have amazed all his doubters and got us off to a flier.
    Fans could be completely divided if we sat say sixth having played all the tough away fixtures.

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  104. Please read the article again: That's exactly what The Times articles states.

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  105. Obviously my comment is predicated on the theory we'd buy someone better. I think that is implied whenever we talk about transfers. No-one is saying "we need a striker" and secretly meaning someone like Berahino.

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  106. Agreed. I hope he proves everyone wrong and we see the same beautiful football we saw season before last. If not, though, I wouldn't mind seeing Klopp at the Kop.

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  107. Calling Rodgers second season 'Season 2' makes us sound like one of these American dramas. The show's never really been the same since that main guy Suarez left.

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  108. Kjaer was a big Liverpool fan thank goodness he saved us the embarrassment of signing another flop.

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  109. Lack of recognisable leadership is something that has me a bit ill at ease. Skrtel not vocal enough; nagging doubts that Hendo has what it takes to fill Stevie's boots; Aspas gone. It's a pickle.

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  110. Had really high hopes for Iago.

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  111. Aspas leaving could be the biggest blow, he never lacked a sense of direction. It's a bit of a head scratcher that's for sure.
    A bit radical but I was even wondering about young Emre, probably a touch lacking in experience but the hair goes a long way.

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  112. Why not make Mign's the new captain ?
    Assured to play all the games

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  113. voice of reason3:12 pm, June 19, 2015

    ??.... but you are right right since suarez left we have never looked the same.... like two an a half men since charlie sheen left

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  114. we have become aston villa that is how i see it where are the marque signings ?!!! rebuiilding again no CL all i see is kids who will start? how can we compete like this How much more mediocracy ? sack him now !!!

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  115. They are ALL inferior to William Carvahlo. He's EXACTLY the type of player we need.

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  116. voice of reason3:18 pm, June 19, 2015

    just because they have not been considered by Rodgers does not mean they don't exist.... Also given that one of them signed a new contract recently (sure he would not have done that without some gauranteed discussion on playing time)

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  117. and a new keeper, and a new defensive midfielder, and new full backs ..

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  118. voice of reason3:21 pm, June 19, 2015

    so Mamadhou Sakho is a flop? our defence is cr** due to the fact BR does not use a defensive coach... also (to lazy to google it) if i can recall all BR's teams have a poor defensive record... i won't blame the CBs or fullbacks but our lack of addressing this fundamental flaws in our defensive duties that leads us to conceding so much goals..... also are you serious with your 3rd sentence or are u joking around haha i don't know

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  119. It's not anglophobia mate. In fact, I would be happy if England do well on the world stage. The sense of entitlement stems from the fact that we are established stars in big clubs and therefore are too big for U-21 football.


    My point was that in the last U21 World Cup, Spain fielded out senior players like Isco, Morata, De Gea, our very own Moreno, Illaramendi - all players who now play for some of the biggest clubs in the world and ended up winning that tournament. England do not take this kind of competition seriously which is true considering the level of talent that could have made it but did not ( Ibe, Sterling, Ox etc) and if they start taking it seriously they will do well. It should not be like if you make it to the senior team, you are too good for U21 football.


    I am sorry if my post came as stereotyping because that was definitely not my intention.

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  120. Not sure all are inferior to Carvalho. Kane is the best of the lot I think.

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  121. Beg to differ. Kane being English, has hyped up his ability. Carvalho is a monster.

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  122. I think you're spot on, Sid. The likes of Sterling, Kane etc should absolutely be playing for the U21s right now, but weak managers like Hodgson pander to their inflated egos, and consequently damage their development by rushing them into the senior team far too early.

    It's hardly surprising, though. England is such a poor footballing nation that they're desperate for any player with a modicum of talent, which explains why youngsters like Sterling are rushed into the set-up.

    The England team is a national embarrassment, and World Cup 1990 is the last time the team could actually hold it's head up high and be proud of its achievement.

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  123. Yes that's obvious and thus I asked that is there any guarantee we would actually sign someone better? Based on recent history, the answer is no. So the idea of signing more and more potential just to replace other unsuccessful potentials at the club is a wastage of money. If there is a change in TC personnel, scouts or strategy or something, I might be little more positive.

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  124. Phew, good job an' all. Losing him would have been bad.

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  125. Not sure about Sterling et al playing under 21's but as an Englishman I completely agree with your last paragraph.

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  126. Nicolas Chamberlain3:51 pm, June 19, 2015

    That story is totally rubbish, his agent already stated that Kjaer never mentioned LFC - just Turkish lies, but you seem to be happy with al the negativity surrounding our club. Just to prove your point or something...

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  127. Nicolas Chamberlain3:52 pm, June 19, 2015

    No Logan, you believe that.

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  128. Nicolas Chamberlain3:57 pm, June 19, 2015

    That story is totally rubbish, one of his advisors already stated that Kjaer never mentioned LFC - just Turkish lies, but you seem to be happy with all the negativity surrounding our club. Just to prove your point or something...

    Unfortunately I'm not allowed to give you a link.

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  129. You're certainly right that our record on signing better players isn't great. I'm not saying it would be easy. I'm just offering a counter opinion to what most people here are saying. People are saying we don't need another centre-back and whilst I don't argue with our quantity of options, I don't think it would be that hard to find someone of better quality.

    As I said in another post, the only one of our centre-halves I really rate is Sakho, but he's always injured and usually takes a couple of game after coming back to get into his flow. I think Skrtel is acceptable. Kolo a decent bet for cup games and the like. Lovren could go either way. Last season certainly wasn't good enough.

    I'm also aware of larger structural issues that undermine our defence.

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  130. Yes I was being sarcastic and even though I wouldn't call Sakho a flop just yet, I can hardly call him a success.

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  131. If you're Wisdom you can't negotiate about the minutes you play. Actually, that wasn't even on the table for Gerrard so I'm sure it wasn't for Wisdom.

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  132. They still scout them don't they?

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  133. Great point, the sooner we get our younger talented players used to winning the better, just look at our U21 side with the likes of Sterling, Wilshire the Ox to name but a few, they would have had a really good chance of getting to the semi's, final or even winning the tournament.

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  134. As Case said above, he's definitely become more vocal, but I don't think someone who seems to have so many crises of confidence can be expected to inspire much confidence in others.

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  135. You say that, but our defensive record would suggest maybe something needs to change, and if it's not Brendans kamikazee appraoch to defending, then prehaps it's a cause to sign ball playing CB's that can actualy cope, and don't get injured when someone looks in their direction....

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  136. Sakho, "when fit" is easily one of our best defenders... He isn't scared to have the ball at his feet, something Skrtel trembles at...

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  137. There may be more pressing areas, or not, but any attempt to strenghten our joking defense should be met with joy.... We simply can't expect to keep leaking as many goals as we have....

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  138. Ilori looked comfortable lastnight when he played for Portugal U21's in their 1-0 win over England...

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  139. I watched England U21's play Portugal lastnight, and one man that really stood out was attacking mid, Bernardo Silva.... Looks very exciting. Nathan Redmond also looked good.

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  140. Is that why Skrtel has the best passing accuracy in the entire squad?

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  141. Had a great pickle pun but forgot it. Sadly, dill be a while before i can recollect it. Oh well.

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  142. voice of reason5:01 pm, June 19, 2015

    example terry, shawcross even lescott is back in form...but i think defensive coaching is still needed

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  143. voice of reason5:02 pm, June 19, 2015

    i think Sakho is hands down our best CB....

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  144. I always relish a good pickle pun, good or bad.

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  145. Likewise. It's my bread and butter.

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  146. Are you going to shift 90 degrees every few months? If so, I will miss seeing that loveable mug come next shift.

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  147. What we need is a centre half to organise the back four. In short, we need a British centre half. For me Ashley Williams of Swansea is that man. He would organise our defence brilliantly.

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  148. It could be the back end next time ;-)

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  149. Dylan moons Logan

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  150. I agree that Sakho is good. I said that in another post somewhere. The problem is "when fit" is a big if for Sakho. It's like saying Sturridge is a top striker "when fit". Doesn't help us much, unfortunately.

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  151. Maybe he doesn't because they are not IMO overrated

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  152. Those two played only one game together vs Tottenham and the were "outstanding" (pun intended)

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  153. Finallly someone covered my claims with facts :)

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  154. That would mean two new CB's every transfer window- not viable; we should stick to a partnership and go with it- preferably the most expensive one

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  155. Alexander Clayton12:04 am, June 20, 2015

    Don't know why ilori isn't being mentioned in this, he has had an impressive season on loan and is looking really impressive in the Portuguese under 21s. not to mention his speed that said. I think he will struggle to get game time, with Rodgers wanting to provide answers for all the money spent on other "big" name signings.

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  156. They did ok at Euro 96 I suppose..

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  157. I kind of agree Stipe, I just think as we all know our defence is a bit of an issue to say the least and I also think we all agree on how Lovren has performed so far - will he ever improve enough to cut the mustard - not sure.
    I know many like Sakho but have to say I'm not convinced - I know his stats paint a reasonable picture but I just don't buy it, I think we were slightly duped by Lovrens one good season at Soton and I think we're perhaps allowing ourselves to be a touch duped by Sakho at the moment - what is all that Ronaldo impersonation stuff he tries to pull off in front of our own goal? - One day somebody like Moaniho will target him as a weak link and he will try that stuff and get found out in a very 'costly to us' kind of way, IMO of course.
    So usually yes I'd say we should do as you describe but in this case, I wouldn't mind if we just admitted it's not gone as planned and cut our losses - maybe binning both players is a bit extreme, but I do think we need at least one real quality CB this window.

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  158. There is a lot of truth there, Lovren and Sakho haven't persuaded a lot of fans and they get their fair share of flack- it is just that I cannot help but linger that a lot of things that went wrong with our defence and with our team as a whole for that matter is related in a way we are set up- high up the pitch with fullbacks acting like wingbacks and a lack of, at least one proper shield in a form of a quality water carrier- I know two are just asking too much with Rodgers but I think it is sensible and prudent to have at least one who could make that crucial first block and relieve pressure from our backline until they take up their positions. Rodgers is asking from our CB's to play a DM/CB hybrid which is pure madness nad I haven't seen this tactical set up nowhere, never, at least at higher-tier leagues... I mean it doesn't even work on FM and I tried, and if doesn't work there then u know u r up sh## creek without a paddle... One more thing- we dont defend in unison; when we loose posession attackers are too far away, midfielders cannot apply proper pressure, wingbacks are doubling back leaving our CB's alone on our side of the pitch facing strikers having a go at them... what I am trying to say - it is a faulty system we have and not the players- u put Ramos and T.Silva in that set up and watch them turn into parody of themselves, Rodgers has a vision of football which looks good in theory but lack is practice- just ask Wenger, he needed 12 years to learn how to replace Vieira- and now is reaping the benefits, do we need that more time as well or are we taking Leeds route...

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  159. Sorry for delay in reply Stipe, your description of the on-pitch madness that's ensued of late seems pretty fair to me.
    Usually I defend BR but even at his best during the season of Suarez, I don't think anyone could argue that our defence was anything other than shambolic and of course, barring the 'three at the back' change which brought us some temporary relief, that has continued this season.
    Whether or not BR can ever coach our team into a better balance between attack and defence is certainly debatable. I would love to of been a fly on the wall during the last few transfer windows to know exactly who Brendan would of liked to have brought to the Club and maybe this would give us an indication of the way he'd ideally like to set the team up.
    Without any shadow of a doubt though and as you rightly point out - we need at least one, very accomplished 'shield' in front of our back four (I'm assuming he will revert back to the more traditional four at the back) Does this need to be a specialised DM or as Robo recently suggested to me, can it be more of a utility player like Hendo for example, but one who has a strong bias towards defence and can actually tackle (not something I've noticed many of our players do a whole lot of last season) but again as Robo said to me, maybe they have to have a few more strings to their bow - certainly you can see that Brendan will want them to contribute offensively as well. Maybe someone who can chip in with the occasional Stevie-esque long ball, quality set pieces and a good shot or similar.
    As far as general formation and play - if we revert back to a four at the back, add in a DM/defensively minded midfielder then I think it's largely down to coaching and experience - who do we have who can dictate the pace of play - we can't just be all out attack 100% of the time, some days this will not work whether it's due to the quality of the opponent or just poor play by us; then we invite, as you say, way too much pressure on our defence. Again as you say, our midfield are too high and our defence is disjointed leading to disaster after disaster.
    Stevie was perhaps our last player who had a great 'in-game' brain and understood when to slow play and concentrate on possession, as well as when to do the opposite and go for the jugular. When he wasn't on the pitch I watched the others just go at it hell for leather, even during periods in games where it was completely the wrong thing to be doing - is BR not communicating to them well enough or - towards the end, possibly there was even some dissent among the ranks and they weren't taking a whole of notice, or, is BR completely responsible and that's just how he wishes them to play...
    Bottom line though the Buck does stop with Buck and I just hope he gets a few quality players this summer, including at the minimum a good, established, defensively minded midfielder and as above hopefully one new CB of a similar level.
    Obviously we all hope we get a new striker of the marquee type too. *If* all of that happens, then we can really see what he's all about - there will be no hiding place and far as I'm concerned, he'll have been given a fair go at it.

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  160. Quality stuff, I'm hopefull if we can see what's wrong on the pitch then Rodgers can see it too and make some tweaks :)

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