19 Jan 2013

Wake up, FSG: Why 5-0 Norwich win could be great news for LFC's transfer policy...

Liverpool put in (arguably) their best league performance of the season earlier today with a 5-0 annihilation of Norwich City at Anfield. It's a great victory, but let's be realistic here: given the huge financial/quality disparity between the two clubs, the Reds should be beating Norwich 5-0 at home, and hopefully, the fans/Brendan Rodgers will not go overboard with exaggerated praise and gross hyperbole. After all, one victory does not define a season, does it? Liverpool need to build on this positive, confidence-boosting win and move into a phase of more consistent form, but the victory could also have one other unforeseen positive impact.

Over the last few days, both Rodgers and Steven Gerrard have publicly stated their dissatisfaction with FSG's transfer policy, which seems to be that the club will only spend money on young players with potential. Gerrard told The Guardian:

"I disagree with the [youth only] policy to be honest. I've seen many signings throughout the world who have gone to clubs at the age of 28, 29 or even older and done fantastic jobs.

In an interview last night, Brendan Rodgers revealed that he is in 'healthy disagreement' with FSG over the youth-only policy:

“I think it is healthy not to agree. If you ask any manager, they will always look for a young player that they can develop, but there are certain times when you need that experience. I will certainly always say what I feel is right for the team. We [FSG and Rodgers] will disagree and we have disagreed before".

LFC Chairman Tom Werner watched today's game, and he'll certainly be impressed with the performance, but a key point is that *experience* won the game, not youth, or potential.

* Average age of today's starting line-up = 26.
* Aged 30 or over = 3: Carra - 34 | Gerrard - 32 | Jones - 30
* Aged 25-29 = 5: Agger - 28 | Downing - 28 | Lucas - 26 | Johnson - 28 | Suarez - 25
* Under 25 = 3: Wisdom - 19 | Henderson - 22 | Sturridge - 23
* Percentage of team over 25 = 72%

Today's game epitomises the importance of experience in the team, and whilst Werner is in town, Rodgers should use similar stats (which FSG love) to make a case for buying more players over the age of 25. Granted, the above age stats are just for one game, but extrapolated over the whole of this season, there is a similar pattern of age-related performance consistency.

Experience is vitally important, and it's no surprise that the club's consistency has improved over the course of the season as the likes of Gerrard, Lucas, Johnson, and even Downing (!) have come to the fore. Yes, Sturridge, Henderson and Wisdom contributed to the Norwich victory, but looking at the season as a whole, none of the club's young players have consistently excelled:

- Sterling: Only 2 goals/2 assists in 31 games
- Suso: Played well at times, but only one assist in 19 appearances.
- Shelvey: More end product than Suso/Sterling but doesn't consistently impact games.
- Henderson: Played better over the last month, but inconsistent prior to that.
- Allen: Great at keeping the ball, but does he improve the team?

Don't get me wrong: all of the above young players have quality, but I would argue that Liverpool's inconsistency this season is partly down to inexperienced youngsters playing too many games.

The other eight players over the age of 25 (who started against Norwich) have well over 3000 games worth of collective experience, and it showed today in the total domination of the game, and the manner of the victory.

Ultimately, when it comes to consistency, end product and overall contribution to the team's forward progress, who are Liverpool's most important players this season? The answer is so self-evident that it goes without saying, which is why experienced players must be the club's immediate transfer priority.

Jaimie Kanwar

REMEMBER: Please stick to the Comment Policy


62 comments:

  1. Still I am not in favor of Wesley Sneijder. Big name but very little to show in last couple of years. 

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  2. Completely agree with this. Experience mixed with youth is what brings results. This no over 24+ policy is ridiculous.

    Hopefully FSG will see this..............and get us Sneijder ;-P

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  3. jaimie for once i totally agree with you the younger players should be gentley intergrated to the 1st team we need to had some experienced players to the squad what i find alarming though is morgan was sent out on loan just before the mansfield game when it surely  would have been better to play against mansfield then start is loan period same as coates today,why play carragher don,t get me wrong great player that hes been but surely better to have given one of our youngster a chance ,also on another subject but related i think the last 3 home games fulham ,sunderland and norwich we have played a lot better but the alarming thing is ,i think we have scored 12 goals but not one when allens been on the pitch ,even rodgers must see this and give henderson a proper go for the good of the team

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  4. I think Raheem Sterling is overrated. Just my opinion. 

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  5. believe it or not i used to be a big fan of snieder but i just have a bad feeling about it....nothing tangible just a gut feeling that its a bad move for liverpool

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  6.  Ill be honest jason your wasting your time pointing this out because rogers and a few on here refuse to see it.....im not one for stats but they are overwhelming that we play shit with allen on the pitch....its not allens fault ...but hes out of his depth at liverpool knocking balls sidewys five feet may wash at swansea but it wont wash under the microscope at liverpool under scrutiny from millions of fans world wide

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  7. i think he will either be a world beater or vanish into obscurity in the next couple of years....which one is up to him

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  8. im with you there BUT we need to sign a very experianced Creative mid and or a speedy winger ho can take on defenders

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  9. Tbh Sterling and Suso should only be used as late impact subs or like today when were cruising.  There not good enough to be starting in a Liverpool team that wants to be challenging. Rodgers was stuck and forced to use them.  Things seem alot brighter with Borini back and Sturridge added to the mix. Sturridge really makes a big diference to our attacking threat.

    We need cover at left back. We need another centre back.(carra was excellent today, he might be past his best out his leadership qualities are 2nd to none).

    We also need a striker, or someone  capable of playing along the front 3. I would love to see Hooper. He probably wouldn't get enough game time and wouldn't be happy on the bench but I really think he is a great little goalscorer and would be a great addition.

    An attacking midfielder like Sneidjer would be a serious statment of intent but really clogs up our midfield. Tbh I don't really wanna get rid of Hendo or Shelvey, and that only leaves Allen, who is the only real cover for Lucas??!!

    Mertens anyone??

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  10. Watching BR's BBC interview, he speaks out our tactics too easy and too often in media I think. 

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  11. would not say overated but still as a lot to learn

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  12. full credit to henderson, got a chance and took it, regardless of the opposition. thats what its about. takes a bit of pressure of allen i think.
    sneijer at 6 mill, well worth a punt, hes not happy there and hasnt been for a while, maybe hence his form.
    "you wont win anything with kids"

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  13. 100 % correct Jason .....now can somebody pass that note onto BR please ...surely if we can see it than he must ... allen must be benched for arsnel and Mancity for us to have a fighting chance

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  14. i dont know m8 more and more people are starting to think allen was a waste of money,and this can only help the cause lol

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  15. Jaime I know you've made a recent statistics check about Allen, but would you mind doing a similar one about his impact vs. Henderson's and Shelvey's?
    They are fighting for the same place, and so far I'm pretty sure Hendo has been better than the other two(by end product, and not just general statistics).

    I am a little fed up with Allen. Hendo is finding his feet and as long as he keeps on performing he should keep his place.

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  16. i have to dissagree wit you there ...IMO he just been playing 2 many games and would be very effective comming off the bench after 60 mins when the opp is tiring cuz his pace can cause problems ...what BR needs to really work on him though is his work in the final 3rd with regards to being calm under pressure and finding the right pass / cross

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  17. maybe BR is slowly cutting the puppet strings ...one can only hope ...

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  18. Yes, maybe. I mean if 17 year old starts every game for a club like Liverpool then he is bound to be rated highly. I hope we manage to tutor this young players well. I feel Wisdom is best among the academy as Kelly is no more considered youngster now. 

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  19. i hope he dose come good i hate to see the club waste money but i,am sorry i just do not see the point of him 

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  20. Go to BBC sports. I am not talking about this instance but many times I see him speaking openly as to how he is going to play 4-3-3 and who will be assigned what type of role and stuffs. I don't see other managers do that. At least not as freely and often BR does. 

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  21. i like both wisdom and kelly and if they are both used right they could save the club a fortune in the future

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  22. it wasnt that long ago we'd come unstuck against the smaller clubs , and always seemed to do ok against our main rivals , now we need to take it to the clubs , likes of arsenal , spurs , chelsea and city , we shouldnt have to take fear into these matches either , just get at them , quick movement sharp passing and work for each other and the liverpool cause , fight for every inch be ruthless too ,, come on you REDS

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  23. I was thinking the same. Before this season we would perform better against strong teams and drew or lose against mid-table teams. Now its the other way around. But I think this is the better thing since there are more mid table and lower table clubs to get points from. Although I would like us to improve against big teams but I guess with such young squad, it will take time. That passion to play against likes of Manure, Chelshit, Shitty, Gooners, etc will take time to develop among our young and relatively fresh squad. 

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  24. It is like Groundhog Day really all this Allen slagging. I seem to remember all of the same being said about Henderson. As for buying more experienced players, well can you blame FSG for being wary after discovering some of the overpaid, overratws dross they just bought whne they took over? Liverpool's problem over the last 20(!!!!) years is that there has been this belief that we are only a player or two away from success. This mentality has led to some horrendous work in the transfer market. Maybe some patience is required??

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  25. lets not forget norwich beat both arsenal and united this season , 

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  26. It is't that we don't have experienced players, we do. The thing is some of our players that are experienced are not as good as or not effective in ways the management wants them to be. Examples would be G.Johnson (only defensively), Downing (not enough from at times and can really rely on him to make a difference when it matters). I think if BR had the chance the players he would get rid of include Downing, Coates, Reina, Skrtel maybe even Assaidi as he has not played him enough and at his age he is here to be a reserve team player. The difference say for e.g between our experienced players and Manurs experienced players is that ours are more prone to costly mistakes. I personally would like us to sign Marc Ter-Stegen, Isco, C.Erikson, and Coutinho; and play M.Kelly at CB

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  27. wes is coming. he was at the game today hidden under a cap.

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  28. are ye pullin me leg lad

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  29. By the way this victory means we've got as much home league wins as last season already...

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  30.  Brad Jones - 28

    Andre Wisdom - 15

    Daniel Agger - 22

    Jamie Carragher - 12

    Glen Johnson - 25

    Steven Gerrard - 7

    Lucas - hjBrad Jones - 28

    Andre Wisdom - 15

    Daniel Agger - 22

    Jamie Carragher - 12

    Glen Johnson - 25

    Steven Gerrard - 7

    Lucas - 20

    Jordan Henderson - 20

    Luis Suarez - 23

    Daniel Sturridge - 23

    Stuart Downing - 26

    Jordan Henderson - 20

    Luis Suarez - 23

    Daniel Sturridge - 23

    Stuart Downing - 26

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  31. This is the age the above players were when they joined liverpool...our starting 11. Sorry for pasting twice

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  32. Yep, agree with you mate, can anyone name any outstanding game sneijder has had in the last 2 or so years? Its his name people are excited about, not his current form, why the lack of interest elsewhere?

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  33. Me too mate, dont want him

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  34. henderson has played better because he is playing in his best position ie centre midfiled....he played most of last season as a right winger of sorts...When i slag allen im indirectly slagging off rogers for putting so much pressure on a kid whos played one season in the prem..and telling us all hell be worth 30m and hell show everyone how footballis played

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  35. youth and experience are very interdependent. without youth, experience would be struggling with the lack of pace and stamina. without experience, the youth would struggle with decision making, team mentality and the ability to control games. they both need eachtoher.

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  36. It's very difficult to agree with you on your every post... but today.. your post is spot on....100% agree with you..Jamie

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  37. This is a great article and I couldn't agree more. 

    However age and experience can be two different things. Eg Jones is 30, so you would typically think he is experienced however if you look at how many league games he has played you could argue he is inexperienced. 

    Henderson had 3 or so seasons with Sunderland and was an ever-present last season, as well as 5 England caps, he's really not that inexperienced, he's played more games than Allen, but Allen has around 150 games under his belt. 

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  38. BR likes talking tactics in the media. And "outstanding" was the word of the day from Buck. We should be finishing off these teams with ease. But here we have a manager harping praises for out.........g performance.
    We have 2 crucial games coming up. So get back to work lads.
    There is plenty to be done this week.

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  39. Greg | Liverpool Kopites4:44 am, January 20, 2013

    In a way, yes. Due to being overexposed/overplayed. Still has plenty to learn, that's why his end product has been quite negligible.

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  40. Greg | Liverpool Kopites4:46 am, January 20, 2013

    I think Kelly's problems are mostly his injuries. Hopefully he can be 'fixed' like how Gerrard was when he first came through and suffered all those injuries.

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  41. Greg | Liverpool Kopites4:51 am, January 20, 2013

    Hardly unexpected from someone who apparently submitted a 180-page dossier for the job! I think it's part of his inferiority complex - desperate for everyone to think he really has what it takes to make it, which I still hope he does. Just going about it the wrong way here.

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  42. Mr. Point Of View5:33 am, January 20, 2013

    My question....how bout those young player carried to next season ??? will more good or more worst???

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  43. Kelly looked an awesome prospect when he first broke through, shame he,s had so many injuries & from what ive heard he wont be rushed back & unlikely to play in first team this season

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  44. hope so better to get him fully fit rather than risk him,just a bit worried ge has not signed a new contract

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  45. thats more like it ... now gerrard has spoken out again saying fsg needs to make it happen ...hpe they listen

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  46. the brazilian lad countinho looks the business gilstrap, i think he's just 20yrs old looks really strong , pacey , skillfull , and can score goals ,hope we get him as its said our club are in for him, sneijder is a decent buy for any club wanting champs league footy, its a healthy option , i like borini , he looks hungry i just hope he's selfish , and greedy for goals 

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  47. yes lowey, henderson seems to be enjoying his footy, he played a lovely ball to downing , which ended in sturridge scoring a cracker , simple tap in ! love the way the 18yard-6yard box is being attacked real preasure weather it be norwich or arsenal if we attack the box like we did yesday , we'll do well , yes ! sneijder , countinho, can we be greedy and take the 2 , sneijder for the now , the brazilian for the tomorrow 

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  48. It's not about the age, it's about the quality & experience of the players.
    Some of our younger players are good technically (i.e. Suso & Sterling), but not yet productive enough because they haven't yet learnt where they can be most effective on the pitch.

    Downing has all of the experience, but is still less productive than either because he just doesn't have the requisite quality. 

    Btw, we all (should) expect the kids to be inconsistent, but your article implies that all of the over-25 players have consistently excelled, which they clearly haven't.

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  49. For my money, 23-25 is typically the best age to buy a player - at this age players will likely just be entering their physical primes, with the experience (and likely confidence) to step right into the first team, with time on their side to contribute for a long time and maintain their transfer value, while still being young enough to potentially improve further. 
    There are obvious exceptions to the rule, but in general, younger than that and you're paying big money for 'potential' with the risk that this potential may never be realised, and older than that and you're paying big money for a player's reputation, with the risk that he has already peaked.

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  50. It's just like with Joe Cole and Robbie Keane - bringing in a player for their name, and ignoring the fact that the player doesn't actually fit into our team

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  51. I haven't watched the game from yesterday still, but just look at the lineup and the two glaring holes for me are Downing and Carragher.

    Carragher is just a backup player, but I've never rated Skrtel as highly as everybody else anyway so am eager to see an upgrade there. Another ball-winner in midfield to strengthen our spine is also a big need.

    It is upfront where we are in most desperate need of another signing though; I don't care what 'improvements' everybody else has seen in Downing, the guy is just not good enough if we really want to kick on. 

    We need somebody faster, more technically gifted and more ready to contribute on a consistent basis in the front 3, along with Sturridge and Suarez; whether that be another wide-forward or another centre-forward. Sterling, Assaidi & Borini are adequate backup players, but Downing is on big wages, has already peaked, and should be nothing other than trade bait.

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  52. Jamie I agree totally with your article, but does this also mean BR doesn't know his best starting 11.
    In answer to the Allen question, 100% No - he does not improve the team one bit and if yesterdays game proves one thing, it is that. The trouble BR has is he feels obliged to play him as much as possible to justify spending all that money on him. Allen in my opinion was another unnecessary signing, just like Sahin. Maybe this is why he only offered a trial to the defender who went to Southampton, he wants to "try before ya buy" to avoid flops,  maybe he is not so clever in the transfer market as we first thought eh. 

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  53. Jamie there were a lot of positives in the game yesterday, I notice you done/written 5 articles since the game and not one talks about anything positive, like the link up play between Suarez, Sturridge and Gerrard, Henderson's tireless midfield work or his goal, nothing about Downing and his assist for a goal. Nothing either about a lot of the flawless passing and keeping the ball etc etc. C'mon Jamie lets have at least one positive article from ya, you know you want to....

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  54. Greg | Liverpool Kopites3:33 pm, January 20, 2013

    Yeah wonder what that all about - something must be up behind the scenes.

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  55. Nicely put.

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  56. Yes and if we play/played with yesterday's mentality then we'll be a match for anybody in the league. 

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  57. So there you go, boat missed on Sneijder. Kaka to follow with a move to Milan in stead of Anfield and if Xabi ever leaves Real he will probably end up at Arsenal as well.

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