At a whopping £25m, new Liverpool signing Adam Lallana is clearly overpriced, and in comparison to the likes Ivan Rakitic - who cost Barcelona £16m - his transfer fee is positively extortionate. Be that as it may, Lallana is now an LFC player, and like many fans, I'm excited to see how he'll perform. What exactly will the former Southampton captain bring to Liverpool? According to Reds legends Robbie Fowler and Gary Gillespie, there's a lot to look forward to.
Speaking to the official Liverpool FC website today, Gillespie and Fowler hailed Lallana as a 'fantastic' and 'unique' signing, and outlined a number of reasons why he'll be a success at Anfield:
* Fits the the Brendan Rodgers player profile.
* Offers Rodgers plenty of attacking options.
* Versatility: Can play behind the striker, and in wide areas.
* Has the talent to also play central midfield, or 'maybe even a bit deeper'.
* Excellent work ethic.
* A great team player.
* Has the 'individual brilliance' to beat people.
* Good vision, with 'tricks up his sleeve'.
* Ability to change tight games.
* Genuinely two-footed.
* Ability to make space with 'little turns and flicks'.
That all sounds very exciting, but as per usual with LFC, the hype-machine is already approaching maximum overdrive, which means that Lallana is going to be under immense pressure to perform next season, for the following reasons:
* Price-Tag: If Lallana fails to make a big impression, the media will be on his back, gleefully citing the £25m transfer fee. it's a potentially big burden, but given the media's pro-English bias, he may get a longer stay of execution.
* Expectation: Lallana is 26, so everyone expects him to instantly hit the ground running. He won't be able to take advantage of the usual excuses employed by LFC fans, i.e. 'He's young/needs time to settle-in/he's one for the future' etc.
* Overpraise/Hype: Lallana only signed a couple of says ago, but the fawning hero worship has already started. Indeed, Brendan Rodgers claimed this week that he is a 'special' and 'exceptional' player; one of the Prem's 'top talents', and confidently predicted that he'll 'fit perfectly' into the team. No pressure, then (!)
Lallana clearly has all the qualities to be a success at Liverpool, but whether he excels will ultimately come down to the following:
* Can Lallana handle the pressure/expectation level associated with LFC?
* Will he get regular game time in the first team.
* Will Rodgers utilise him in an effective manner?
My main fear with the transfer is that Rodgers will go into the new season without a clear idea of Lallana's best position, which will then lead to endless experimentation. Versatility is all well and good, but players (arguably) excel when consistently played in one position.
As a counterpoint to Rodgers' player philosophy, consider Pep Guardiola's approach. Whilst at Barcelona, the Bayern boss admitted that he's 'not a big fan of versatile players', and revealed a clear preference for positional specialists.
That approach seems to have worked well for Guardiola.
Jordan Henderson is also a valid comparison here. In his first season at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish seemingly didn't know the midfielder's best position, and ended up playing him on the right-wing much of the time.
As many fans will remember, that decision failed miserably. Under Rodgers, however, Hendo now plays in the same position in practically every game, and he's consequently Liverpool's most improved player.
Dalglish's failure to utilise Henderson properly basically cost Liverpool a year of good performances, and arguably stunted the player's development. I just hope that doesn't happen with Lallana. Rodgers need to go into the new season with a specific plan, or it could be Hendo all over again.
After all, you surely don't spend £25m on a utility player/jack of all trades...right?
Author: Jaimie K
Speaking to the official Liverpool FC website today, Gillespie and Fowler hailed Lallana as a 'fantastic' and 'unique' signing, and outlined a number of reasons why he'll be a success at Anfield:
* Fits the the Brendan Rodgers player profile.
* Offers Rodgers plenty of attacking options.
* Versatility: Can play behind the striker, and in wide areas.
* Has the talent to also play central midfield, or 'maybe even a bit deeper'.
* Excellent work ethic.
* A great team player.
* Has the 'individual brilliance' to beat people.
* Good vision, with 'tricks up his sleeve'.
* Ability to change tight games.
* Genuinely two-footed.
* Ability to make space with 'little turns and flicks'.
That all sounds very exciting, but as per usual with LFC, the hype-machine is already approaching maximum overdrive, which means that Lallana is going to be under immense pressure to perform next season, for the following reasons:
* Price-Tag: If Lallana fails to make a big impression, the media will be on his back, gleefully citing the £25m transfer fee. it's a potentially big burden, but given the media's pro-English bias, he may get a longer stay of execution.
* Expectation: Lallana is 26, so everyone expects him to instantly hit the ground running. He won't be able to take advantage of the usual excuses employed by LFC fans, i.e. 'He's young/needs time to settle-in/he's one for the future' etc.
* Overpraise/Hype: Lallana only signed a couple of says ago, but the fawning hero worship has already started. Indeed, Brendan Rodgers claimed this week that he is a 'special' and 'exceptional' player; one of the Prem's 'top talents', and confidently predicted that he'll 'fit perfectly' into the team. No pressure, then (!)
Lallana clearly has all the qualities to be a success at Liverpool, but whether he excels will ultimately come down to the following:
* Can Lallana handle the pressure/expectation level associated with LFC?
* Will he get regular game time in the first team.
* Will Rodgers utilise him in an effective manner?
My main fear with the transfer is that Rodgers will go into the new season without a clear idea of Lallana's best position, which will then lead to endless experimentation. Versatility is all well and good, but players (arguably) excel when consistently played in one position.
As a counterpoint to Rodgers' player philosophy, consider Pep Guardiola's approach. Whilst at Barcelona, the Bayern boss admitted that he's 'not a big fan of versatile players', and revealed a clear preference for positional specialists.
That approach seems to have worked well for Guardiola.
Jordan Henderson is also a valid comparison here. In his first season at Anfield, Kenny Dalglish seemingly didn't know the midfielder's best position, and ended up playing him on the right-wing much of the time.
As many fans will remember, that decision failed miserably. Under Rodgers, however, Hendo now plays in the same position in practically every game, and he's consequently Liverpool's most improved player.
Dalglish's failure to utilise Henderson properly basically cost Liverpool a year of good performances, and arguably stunted the player's development. I just hope that doesn't happen with Lallana. Rodgers need to go into the new season with a specific plan, or it could be Hendo all over again.
After all, you surely don't spend £25m on a utility player/jack of all trades...right?
Author: Jaimie K
i just hope he delivers.
ReplyDeleteAnother English B-lister. Yes, he's proven to be a solid premierleague player at Southampton but spunking 25m on him is not going to take the club to the next level, and I can see him being made the scapegoat for the post-Suarez struggles.
ReplyDeleteThe fee was £23m, not 25, 2m in possible add ons. That's only £3m more than Hendo who took 2 seasons to come good.
ReplyDeleteI would have preferred less that £20m , but if Rodgers thinks he's the missing piece of the jigsaw, I'll give him the benefit of the extra £3m, and the £2m add ons will be performance related no doubt, so if he earns it, then it's money well spent.
Remember there should be little bedding in time required. Plus with Suarez on his way Lambert will get some juicy free kick opportunities.
Now, SIGN SOME DEFENDERS!!! Lovren first, then Aurier/ Bertrand
At the end of the day we paid a premium for him and only time will tell if it was money well spent. My initial feeling is that we paid at least 5 million too much but having said that if he were to have a similar impact to Coutinho I would be satisfied. I know we only spent about 8 million on Coutinho but that was a rare bargain in todays market and as we all know you have to top dollar for English talent due to the severe lack of it about.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison with Rakitic doesn't have any legs in my opinion. Rakitic was into the last 12 months of his contract so he was never going to fetch massive bucks.
Home ground player usually cost more? what reason? tax? etc add on?
ReplyDeleteLallana is an attacker who operates on the left or through the middle. That's basically two positions so I don't see the fuss behind picking a specific role for him. To me, that's not real versatility in the modern game. It should be a minimum requirement that, lets say a winger for example, can operate on either side, and a central attacker could come deeper when needed. It's not on the level of Henderson/Milner/Grosskreutz et al
ReplyDeleteLallana only gets into my 11 without Suarez at the club, playing through the middle which is how I think Rodgers will use him. Overall he may probably link things up nicely, and he's a decent player to have in the squad, but I can't say he's worth the initial outlay. I think it's typical Liverpool to sign a flash in the pan type player, but we will see how things go.
I think we paid about 16 for Hendo not the 20 suggested. Not keen on Bertrand either, would rather see us go after someone with a bit more quality. Rodriguez or Rojo would be my preferred options.
ReplyDeleteHis figures last season were better than Oscars Coutinho, and even Ramsey....
ReplyDeleteMind you , Downing also had good stats...
I suppose if his name was Adriano Lallana and he came from Spain it would be all right?
Lallana can play in more positions than that: Left or right of an attacking three; just behind the striker/number 10 role; at the top of a diamond, or - as Gillespie suggests - even deeper in midfield.
ReplyDeleteNo one knows what the actual fee is as no one has seen LFC accounts. The most prevalent figure from credible sources in the media (which we have to rely on in lieu of factual evidence), is £25m.
ReplyDeleteWe paid then around £20 in the end.
ReplyDeleteBut ok, Downing then.....
The Reds have finally got their man. Liverpool FC's signing of Adam Lallana - for a fee of £23m - represents their third acquisition this pre-season after Rickie Lambert and Emre Can.
ReplyDeleteLiverpool Echo. usually pretty accurate
Guardiola turned Mascherano from a DM into CB, Philip Lahm has been moved into the midfield, At both Barcalona and Bayern the attacking players very rarely stay in one position and drift in and out of each other area and swap positions, so i wouldn't read to much in to Pep saying he doesn't like versatile players.
ReplyDeleteI think Lallana will be a good signing and i will stick to being positive for the reasons listed by Fowler and Gillespie as they are pretty much the same as mine until im proved wrong (hopefully this wont happen).
At twenty quid he could turn out to be a good buy - sorry :-)
ReplyDeleteAll I am hoping is that the fee is not to heavy for him to carry. If he can perform for LFC the way he did for Southampton or even improve on that then he will become a fan favourite.
ReplyDeleteNo buy out clauses, not wanting to sell to a rival, lack of a good pool of English players.
ReplyDeleteYes, Guardiola changed Mascherano into a CB, but he kept him there; he didn't keep moving him back and forward between midfield and defence.
ReplyDeleteit's 'pretty accurate' because it supports your argument. The Echo is not the paragon of truth; the BBC, Independent, Guardian, Times, Sky Sports, and ESPN all report £25m. Are they all wrong?
ReplyDeleteHe also has a habit of playing people in unexpected positions, so those players have to be versatile and like i said the swap of positions during the game requires that skill as well. Im just going by what i've seen from his teams over the years.
ReplyDeleteLess travel costs
ReplyDeleteHope he not AC mk2. Make no mistake i had no doubt about AC abilities just purely tactical not suit him that all !
ReplyDeleteCan't say he's proved any of his critics wrong yet.
ReplyDeleteI have made a realistic assessment of where he predominantly plays based off watching him for 2 years. You can narrow it down to two or so specific roles Lallana will take up during his time at the club. I don't believe we will ever see him play deep midfield for Liverpool just because someone suggests he has the talent to do so. I could argue Henderson can play anywhere but in reality he will only ever take up a max of two or three roles within the team.
ReplyDeleteFurther, Sterling produced goals/assists from the left, middle, and right. Rodgers utilising Sterling in different positions or roles didn't adversely effect his tangible output or general positive impact on the team.
Ha Ha
ReplyDeleteI'd buy that for a dollar! :-)
;I think the team needs versatile players.
ReplyDeletePep had the luxury of such quality in depth that if a player went down to injury or poor form, he had another player ready to step in that was most likely as good or better than the opponent's player.
LFC still doesn't have that depth. If we have a player go down to injury (or suspension), we don't necessarily have the player who can step right in as a specialist. So by having a player who can play multiple positions, it subsequently offers the flexibility to fill multiple holes.
Probably. The Guardian also quotes a £6.25 share to Bournemouth and the Chairman has admitted it was not that much as "everyone had to compromise" - But hey what's £2M between friends for a long time £30M was quoted. "
ReplyDeleteThey all have a tendency to include add ons, as the highest fee gives the best headline. The Echo are usually best placed to get the inside track. Not infallible, but they do mention the £2m add on which would make sense...
ReplyDeleteI dont think the change of manager helped AC with a change of Philosophy.
ReplyDeleteSterling is 19; he is still learning the game, and his best position is not yet established. Plus, he's only had one full season at LFC, so there's nothing to compare his 'output' to. Lallana is 26, and by that age, a player should have at least one position at which he consistently excels. Even Lallana (based on a recent interview) doesn't seem to know his best position, and if Rodgers also doesn't have a clue, then that is not a good situation to be in (IMO).
ReplyDeleteHenderson didn't excel when he was played in different positions; what's to stop the same thing happening to Lallana?
That means it can't be £25m then, as £6.25m is exactly 25% of £25m
ReplyDeleteFunny that you put £6.25 after your previous post :-)
I agree that versatile players are needed, but that versatility should only be employed when there's a specific need (injury/suspension etc). Otherwise, put aces in their places and stick with it.
ReplyDeleteSturridge, for example, doesn't excel playing out wide, and now he always plays down the middle, which is exactly the way it should be.
There were times when Carroll was left out and such, but to me the failure is solely because of Carroll himself.
ReplyDeleteHe's naturally big and tall, so in my mind he should be in the gym every day while also trying to get quicker. He should have been aiming to become the next Ibrahimovic but it just seemed like he was just a lazy sod.
And here we go again with the 'full quote' argument.
ReplyDeleteThe rest of the comment has absolutely no bearing on Guardiola's contention that he's 'not a big fan of versatile players'. That quote stand by itself, irrespective of the rest of the comment.
There is madness in my method
ReplyDeleteI think the idea is to have a front three that can all play each position constantly changing positions as the play demands
ReplyDeleteSterling was used in three different positions and continued to perform well for the team. Similarly, it seems Lallana has two or three primal roles. While I agree with your initial argument, why can't Lallana succeed in different roles if Sterling can?
ReplyDeleteIn theory, that's a good idea, but has that approach actually achieved tangible results for LFC?
ReplyDeleteCoutinho, for example, doesn't seem to excel in multiple positions.
Lallana can play comfortably pretty much anywhere across the midfield, being two-footed. I've lost count of the number of times I've posted similar comments, but he has much to offer as well as that versatility. He has an excellent work ethic, an eye for goal and quick feet, along with excellent balance. He seems to have good character and should fit in to the dressing room well. He really is a very very good footballer. Sure, the price tag is prohibitive, but there is no reason to doubt that he can be a real success at Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteI think there is room for both versatility and specialists in the same team for different positions.
ReplyDeleteI prefer a specialist goalkeeper ( as they worry me when they go walkabouts) but I am happy to have full backs that can become wingers at the flick of a switch. I think the midfield and wing areas allow for more flexible players and this can be an advantage as it gives the opposition different challenges.
I agree with you about "him being made the scapegoat for the post-Suarez struggles.", and that´s not fair, but I must admit, that anything less than a top 4 place is a fiasco and if LFC do not get the right replacements or keep our Little rodent, then the club is in dire straits, because we need to be in Champions League and then we have to look at our new players or at the board....
ReplyDeleteJamie 'there's no such thing as context' Kanwar strikes again!
ReplyDeleteselective use of quotes CAN be misleading.
If I say 'I hate crisps' but later say 'the reason is they make me put on weight'
JK can start a thread saying Mike A *hates crisps*
The quote is misleading on it's own.
Its the first time i have mentioned about a full quote. If other people are also commenting on other quotes maybe its something you shouldn't dismiss so easily.
ReplyDeleteAnyway ignoring the quote completely i still believe that no matter what he says Guardiola does like and untilise versatile players in his managing style, he has done so at Barcelona and is now doing the same at Bayern, it actually seems to be a pretty fundamental part of his teams style of play.
Dalglish failed to nail down a position for Henderson, but Rodgers did and the player thrived. This sounds like some fairly good evidence to believe that Rodgers will get the best from Lallana. It was a different story for Sterling, who was given a more varied role, but again the player thrived. Sturridge has been given a mostly consistent role with some minor variation and he's done brilliantly. Coutinho has had to adapt to a few roles, not ideal, but he's still done well and improved as a player. Suarez has had his best form under Rodgers, so too Skrtel. To me the evidence is overwhelming that talented players find a new depth to their abilities under Rodgers and he is able to get something special from them. There are exceptions, but most of them are unproven players with limited opportunities. He can't work miracles, but give him a quality player and it's generally the case that this player does well. Lallana should be no exception.
ReplyDeleteThe suggestion that Rodgers doesn't know how he'll use Lallana is laughable. He's one of the most over-prepared managers in the game, if anything he tends to think too much. He'll have a very good idea of how Lallana will work in the team although everyone will need some adjustment now that Suarez is being sold.
Lallana is an intelligent player. and paying £25M for a player who performs regularly well in your league is fair enough. if we payed £35M then clearly its a rip off as even the PL title will hardly cover that money. but £25M for a midfield player who is the star player of his team, scores goals from any range with both feet and is incredibly creative and skillful. in a sense, Lallana could be looked at as a replacement for Suarez because he is the star player of his team and from midfield for Liverpool he can easily be the star man as well. we will never say that though Luis Suarez is a living footballing god, greatest and most talented player to grace the LFC shirt and at Barcelona alongside Neymar, who is another extremely world class player and Messi, Suarez will score 60 goals if he gets his ban reduced.....But from what ive seen from Lallana he is definately worth £25M forget about Rakitic. Rakitic is very good but like Steven Gerrard he is also very slow. and as we see all the time in the PL and alot in this World Cup, slow players always get caught out. whether its on the counter or due to a heavy touch and not being able to get to the ball quick enough. Against Brazil, Rakitic's lack of pace was exposed, in La Liga where they play passing its different but this is the World Cup mate. if Gerrard was that bit quicker, he would have been able to chest that ball and not head it to Luis Suarez. but thats a fact, in this modern day football slow players are always caught out. if we could just get Sanchez as part of the £80M Suarez deal, buy Bertrand for £8M. then buy Shaqiri for £15M , Dejan Lovren for £20M, Medel from Cardiff for £10M. we will be ready for the PL and CL assault even without King Luis.
ReplyDelete--------------------------Mingolet
Flanagan-------Skrtel--------Lovren--------Enrique
-----------------------Henderson
--------------Lallana-----------Shaqiri
-----Sterling-----------------------------Sanchez
------------------------Sturridge
Subs: Reina, Sakho, Medel, Can, Gerrard, Coutinho, Lambert
Epitomised by the dive against Newcastle.
ReplyDeleteNo he can't do that. Actually, at times, he didn't play no 10 that well either.
ReplyDeleteI saw quite a lot of interchanging last season. Not constantly, but it did happen quite a lot. The players certainly weren't rigid, formation wise
You make it sound like Sterling put in superstar performances in every game. He didn't. Several times during the season he had barren spells:
ReplyDelete* Feb 12-Apr 06 = 1 goal/1 assist in 10 games.
* Dec 26-Feb 02 = 0 goals in 9 games.
* Aug 17-Dec 01 = 0 goals/1 assist in 10 games.
Sterling's primary role is to score/create goals, and these stats suggest that he didn't, in fact, excel in 3 different positions.
But Coutinho excelled outside the front three.
ReplyDeleteFour. He played full back.
ReplyDeleteNo Gerrard. No chance. not most of the time anyway. Maybe season 2015/6
ReplyDeleteOnce again with assists and goals. There is more to a game than this. What about chances created? What about players beaten (freeing up space for colleagues)? What about winning the ball back high up the pitch? There is much more to the game than what you say.
ReplyDeleteEven the best of aces can be marked out of a game if you have a good idea of how a team is going to set up and how individual players will play. Tactical flexibility keeps the opposition guessing and helped us last season.
ReplyDeleteHuntaleer being linked with us now..list keeps growing
ReplyDeleteHow has Coutinho 'improved as a player'? His season was pretty underwhelming overall, and he didn't adapt well to different positions.
ReplyDeleteWhat's 'laughable' is your assertion that Rodgers apparently is so prepared that it's seemingly wrong to question him. If he's so 'overprepared', why did he:
* Sign Ilori (despite having 4 senior CBs), and then realise he had to send him on loan as there was no room.
* Fail to utilise Assaidi and Alberto properly?
* Fail to use Sahin in his most effective position?
* Fail to use Borini properly, to the extent he also had to go on loan.
* Spend €9m on Aspas, when it was obvious he'd never get to play?
Etc.
If he's such an 'overprepared' manager, why didn't he see these issues beforehand?
Not to forget his over fondness for a kebab and a bevvie.
ReplyDeleteThe comparison of the fee with Rakitic is absolutely nonsense. Rakitic was on the last year of his contract thus the very low few for an exceptional player.
ReplyDeleteThat no starter that link. Too old and doesn't suit our style at all. Wont stop the papers pritning half a page about it though.
ReplyDeleteYou are the one with the inflexible view here, not me. I haven't suggested that goals/assists are the be all and end all. An attacking player's primary role is, however, scoring and creating goals. That is more important than 'players being beaten' and 'winning the ball high up the pitch'. Goals/assists win games/trophies. Sterling can win the ball 10 times in a game and Liverpool can still lose.
ReplyDeleteLallana lacks speed and athleticism although skillful i think his versatility is limited.
ReplyDeleteAlso wages have to be considered, i imagine that Raktic must be on 125k + a week? Do we know what Lallana has got at Liverpool? 70k ?
ReplyDeleteWell conducted research (as usual) but I never suggested so. 'Performed well for the team' is hardly a 'superstar performance'.
ReplyDeleteI'm not going to argue positive impact because in your eyes thats purely goals/assists.
I do believe that Sterling had a positive influence on the team when he was playing in a variety of roles.
Lallana isn't going to play right back for us, nor will he ever occupy such a deep role like Gillespie suggests. He will play in two or three different attacking positions, and only one position at any given time. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that Lallana will satisfy the criteria Rodgers sets for him in each of his main roles - just as Sterling did.
I doubt anyone thought Victor Moses would play as a number 10 for LFC, but he did. Anything is possible.
ReplyDeletehe has a point there Jaimie. and infact, bar a poor game at Hull City as far as i remember when Sterling got his breakthrough in the game against Norwich when King Luis scored 4 of the greatest anfield goals, he never looked back. He was relentless against Tottentham, against City he was disallowed a goal and gave Coutinho an assist, he was equally good against Chelsea and in the games after against Oldham he assisted Aspas and scored a deflected goal and contributed to our 2-0 over Hull City. as far as i can remember every game for a long time, other than the goals SAS were providing, Sterling was usually the standout performer every game. and the good thing about Sterling is he always makes himself available, what the best players do. Like Ronaldo, which is why im not suprised Real Madrid want Sterling. imagine if they bought Falcao, James Rodriquez and Sterling. :O. counter, counter, counter, especially all the tackles Raheem wins.
ReplyDelete------------------------Lopez
Ramos------Varane------Pepe-------Marcelo
--------------------Modric
----------Bale-----------Rodriguez
Sterling--------------------------Ronaldo
-------------------Falcao
at the start with the thought of Sanchez plus cash coming in for Suarez it softened the blow but now that he's supposedly prefers Arsenal im starting to get abit worried with who we will replace Suarez..maybe BR will build a great bunch of wide and attacking midfield players to accommodate DS
ReplyDeleteI agree you need to stop basing all your arguments on players around a few stats. There is far more to a game than the stats you so frequently like to use. Going by your logic if an attacking players goes all season without scoring or assisting a goal yet we win every game you would want him out immediately based on your arguments...clutching at straws?
ReplyDeleteThe title would be...
ReplyDeleteStar disqus poster blasts: 'I hate crisps'. Worth a bid?
:)
The time for quibbling about Lallana's fees is over. It's a done deal. When does training start usually? I feel like we need another striker. If Suarez leaves that leaves us with one (injury prone) great striker and a couple of okay dudes in Lambert and Borini. If the assumption is Suarez is gone, then who is coming in with that money?
ReplyDeleteSome valid points. However-
ReplyDeleteEnough with the Illori line. Teams buy and loan all the time. Look at Courtois for instance. Some come back ready and able to oust the current starter. Skrtyl/ Agger are no spring chickens, there could well be a long term plan here
Sahin threw his toys after being asked to play outside his preferred role, and didn't excel when he did get the chance to play there.
Assaidi was a £3m punt. Borini didn't grab his chance due to injury/ getting up to LFC speed
Rodgers has made quite a few mistakes, but is not as bad as you suggest
He could score twice and Liverpool still lose though by that argument. Does mean its not an important contribution.
ReplyDeleteThat line up would get absolutely destroyed. Modric as the holding midfielder? Bale and Rodriguez in CM? Are you crazy?
ReplyDeleteI don't remember Moses playing at all. Saw him on the pitch once chasing butterflies...
ReplyDeleteHa
ReplyDeleteDon't read too much into the prefers Arsenal talk. Its more than likely his agent trying to peddle that to increase the wage offer on the table from LFC if he is to be used a make weight in this deal.
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree, but in this case, there is nothing misleading. Guardiola's opinion is that he 'is not a big of versatile players'. *Nothing* in the rest of his quote changes the meaning of that statement.
ReplyDeleteThat is the point that you and so many others always ignore. If I'm wrong, show me how the rest of Guardiola's quote changes the meaning of: 'I am not a fan of versatile players'.
It only becomes misleading when the rest of a quote changes the meaning of the main statement.
Additionally, it's hilarious how all these quote naysayers never demand full quotes when they actually agree with the sentiment being stated. It's only when they disagree (not you, but others), that entire quotes must be used.
At least goals have a knock-on positive impact on goal difference/goals scored etc. Chances-created; players taken on etc makes zero difference to anything.
ReplyDeleteI can't get over how ridiculous your line-ups are. You play far too much football manager and obviously don't live in the real world.
ReplyDeleteBR has also got lots of stuff right, but I just dispute the idea that he's some kind of all-seeing, all-knowing managerial Jedi who always knows exactly the right way to proceed.
ReplyDeleteApart from that can start an attack, an attack doesn't start and end with the assist and goal scorer. I just dont think you can look at a player in just that context, for me you need to look at their play as a whole. I think its very harsh to say he didnt perform in the games where he didnt get an assist or score.
ReplyDeleteI think he'll rotate him between the left hand side and no10. Personally I think Lallana will slot right in. He knows a good number of the squad already and I believe he's talented enough to make an impact wherever Rodgers chooses to utilise him
ReplyDeleteI don't base my arguments just on goals/assists. That is utter nonsense. As I've explained a million times, an attacking player's primary role is to *score and create goals*. That is more important than just creating changes/tackling back etc. As such, when assessing an attacking player's effectiveness, the level of goals/assists is clearly the most important stat.
ReplyDeleteAnd if LFC won the league, and a major attacking player didn't score/create a goal, then yes, I would advocate selling him.
It's not a fair example anyway as that scenario has never (to my knowledge) happened, and is unlikely to happen. Title-winning teams cannot afford to carry passengers in the first team, and first-choice attackers have to contribute goals/assists.
If you can provide an example of first-choice attacker in a title-winning team who failed to score/create a goal for an entire season, I'd be interested in hearing it.
Have to agree on Coutinho, was disappointing for alot of games last season, i thought he would push on from a very good initial 6 months.
ReplyDeleteyour so dumb. Rodgers played this formation many times last season with extreme effect. flipping around his midfield triangle. one holding, two attacking midfielders. or two holding, one more attacking, other defensinve and and attacking midfielder.
ReplyDeleteit can be
------------Gerrard------Henderson
--------------------Lallana
or
-------------Can--------Henderson
---------------------Lallana
or
-----------------------Gerrard
-----------Henderson-------Lallana
or
----------------------Gerrard
------------Shaqiri-----------Lallana
Do not post pointless, belittling comments like this again. If you disagree, advance a civil counter-argument, or don't respond at all.
ReplyDeleteYes, you do...
ReplyDeleteNot sure of the validity of the report, but word is Sanchez will not be part of any deal involving Suarez. If LFC are to buy him, it will be done separately.
ReplyDeleteHenderson is hopeless as a DM. We need him higher up the pitch pressing the ball thus allowing the DM (who has to have quality on the ball) more time to use his quality. Playing both Lallana and Shaqiri as the CM would IMO be asking for it.
ReplyDeleteI find Lallana to be a much more versatile player than Henderson...
ReplyDeleteThis is what elements of the press are reporting. I'm not quite sure as to the reasoning behind that. I would be pretty miffed though if we lose Suarez to Barcelona while Sanchez moves to Arsenal.
ReplyDeleteStill much to learn, he has
ReplyDeleteCan is official now...man looks at this guys hair! LOL!
ReplyDeleteHope he turns good...the next "Balack"
I think the reasoning is that Barcelona are placing too high a value on Sanchez in the player plus cash deal in order to get Suarez's sale price to drop. Either that or Sanchez doesn't want to play for Liverpool.
ReplyDeleteSomeone should show him a video of last season's 5-1 annihilation of the gooners at Anfield, pronto.
ReplyDeleteHenderson signing is not the benchmark u numb nuts! Dont right a wrong using silly facts
ReplyDeleteI agree. And that goes further to my point which is that we need the versatile player to be able to play out wide so Sturridge wouldn't have to.
ReplyDeleteSuarez is a perfect example of someone who can play anywhere in the attacking third.
Borini is an example of someone who struggles when he's not played in his natural central role.
Sturridge can play wide if necessary, but he's significantly better in the middle, to the point where he is unarguably one of the top strikers in the prem.
Coutinho is a better player than when he arrived. That's due to Rodgers. His failing this last season was not living up to the hype, that's not his fault. There is no evidence that Rodgers intended to use Ilori immediately. To the contrary, he explicitly said that the player was "for the future". It's entirely likely that Ilori is being used exactly as intended. The same for Alberto, you only assume that Rodgers intended these players to have a first team impact in their first season. I assumed otherwise from the very beginning because it was obvious and as it turned out I was right. If you expected them to be used then that's your mistake, not Rodger's.
ReplyDeleteAspas played his part and was kept out of the team by what turned out the be the best strike pair this club has seen in over 20 years. It might be a waste of money but the club didn't otherwise suffer from it. That quite clearly supports my view of Rodgers being over prepared and over thinking the potential problem. He bought a striker when we didn't ultimately need one.
Borini may yet come good, but if he, Sahin and Assidi are the extent of Rodger's mistakes then I think he can proudly stand by his record. I never said he was perfect, I said that the evidence is overwhelming in his favour. I also said that when he brings in QUALITY players than he ultimately makes them better.
Your examples are weak and there are not very many of them. I mentioned Liverpool's best players and how Rodgers has improved them. You mention a few low price squad players who have barely featured. Big deal.
Who on earth says he's perfect? Stop making these straw men arguments. No one here says that Rodgers makes no mistakes. You invent these perspectives and then argue against them. You're arguing against fiction.
ReplyDeleteI have just seen a passing reference tucked away in the corner of the official LFC website to say we've signed can now
ReplyDeleteDo you have an issue with his preference for flexible players? That kid on Christmas morning got us to within a result of winning the league, I think he knows what he's doing. Our front three interchange positions all the time. Have you seen a pitch map for Coutinho, Sterling or Suarez? The reason Rodgers prefers playing with positional flexibility is because it's part of the basis of how we play football. The results speak for themselves so I don't really know why you keep going on about it. The tactics work, we score a ton of goals and play breathtaking attacking football.
ReplyDeleteanything on Suarez yet?
ReplyDeleteDo you mean that a versatile player would play one game in one position and then in another game play in an entirely different position? Is that how you think Rodgers uses these players?
ReplyDeleteHendo is a good and improved player but of course we can find better. I believe Lallana is that player. Maybe Lallana is not an amazing player but he is certainly an upgrade. I fear for Hendo as he will be losing his place most of the time but I am glad LFC has 'upgraded'.
ReplyDeleteActually Jaime your Rakitic argument makes absolutely no sense. When Rakitic said that he wanted to move to a bigger club Liverpool were interestd, however as soon as Barca were linked with him, we had no chance of getting him. So there is no use in repeatedly saying Rakitic would have been a better buy, that much is obvious especially for the price, but that is not LFC's fault. As soon as Barcalonas name was thrown into the hat, we had no chance of getting him.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think that lallana is overpriced but not as much as you claim him to be. He would probably be valued at £18m for a fair price for his talent and age, but if u take into account the fact that he is Southampton's captain and english( thus being naturally overpriced) you can see why BR splashed the cash on lallana. And one of our main problems last season after defense was a lack of goals from midfield. So Rodgers is right to go for lallana as his main target because he is the perfect BR type of player, and he also has the leadership skills that we lack in our squad.
So yes we overplayed a bit but only by 3-4million max. And that much is natural to get your top transfer target. And with the mass exodus at Soton it's no surprise that they were holding out for such a fee.
No not yet. Perhaps his ban prevents them even mentioning his name for four months:-).
ReplyDeleteI was being a bit facetious about Can. As you can imagine every story on the site is about him.
The way this was portrayed here is that Pep didn't want versatile players in his squad, and only preferred specialists.
ReplyDeleteBut the article clearly states that versatility is a necessity.
I don't think this is that big of an "oversight" (and that word is harsh here) but I understand Mike's point, which is it's portrayed one way with the portion you said, but when you include the context it somewhat detracts from your claim attempting to negatively compare Rodgers to Pep, which subsequently makes it look like you left it out on purpose.
Like the handful of Suarez apologists who somehow multiply by the dozens
ReplyDeleteMore like:
ReplyDelete"Star Disqus Poster Blasts: 'I hate crisps'... Suarez conflict?
Someone also told me in another post that Rakitic was in the final year of his contract
ReplyDelete... "Rodgers to Blame?"
ReplyDeleteI have just had a horrible thought. No doubt when he does go the club will issue a statement thanking him for gracing us with his presence. I expect JK is preparing his headline already and I bet it contains the word cheat and/or liar.
ReplyDeleteThe Mail (I know...) reported £23m ;)
ReplyDeleteNot true. When Suarez's departure is announced, I won't post anything about it, just like I didn't post anything during the recent bite free-for-all.
ReplyDeleteI could've milked the bite thing for all it's worth, and - like most other sites - I could've posted articles every 5 minutes just for the hits.
I didn't, though, as contrary to popular opinion, I am not anti-Suarez. The only Suarez-specific article I posted re the bite was a reaction article on the day it happened.
At other times, I only post about Suarez when he himself brings his situation into the public domain.
You may also notices the complete lack of Suarez-to-Barca transfer articles. Again, I could have a field day if I wanted to, but I don't, as it doesn't interest me.
As long as we get in someone who has Suarez's appetite for goals but not humans ;-)
ReplyDeletePrimary role is creating goal scoring opportunities. If they don't result in goals that is not necessarily his fault. Winning the ball is part of defending as a team. Winning the ball back may mean the difference between conceding and not, therefore winning or losing a game/trophies.
ReplyDeleteAs for chance created I suppose in itself it doesn't mean that much but it is an indicator of progress. A player of his age or even Coutinho's age will still iron out lots of aspects of their game.
Sturridge has a very big appetite for goals. 35 goals in 49 LFC appearances.
ReplyDeleteMakes a difference to the game as a whole though, perhaps the psychology of the opponent. Fear is a something no football wants to feel and Sterling is a type of player that can create that feeling. Like its been said many times stats alone mean nothing.
ReplyDeleteBorini whilst not all that thrilling played wide right for Sunderland.I agree with your point though and agree about Sturridge.
ReplyDeleteGood in the air though ;-p
ReplyDeleteFIFA have confirmed that the Uruguayan Football Association have appealed against Luis Suarez’s biting ban.
ReplyDeleteAmen!
ReplyDeleteThe ban that affects Liverpool (or Barca) more than Uruguay.
ReplyDeleteI have a feeling the ban will be significantly reduced once Barca confirm the signing of Suarez.
ReplyDeleteThat is exactly what I was going to say. Barcelona have got someone else to do their dirty work.
ReplyDeleteI thought about posting that myself but thought twice. It would be a horrible twist if so. But hey he does need to go. But fill his boots we will not do. Not in one player anyway.
ReplyDeleteYep I think I remember that being the case. Very different to someone who only signed a new contract relatively recently.
ReplyDeleteJaimie what are your thoughts on a £20m bid for Lovren. I am one of those (like you?) who wanted him last summer but it wasn't to be. £20 plus million for CB. Thoughts?
ReplyDeleteSuarez's exit was eventually going to happen. Luckily Rodgers does not set up his team around one player. Doubt we will get someone else with the same ability but if we if we do manage to a deal for Sanchez happen then we have we will have a player that closely resembles Suarez and add another forward then we A ok.
ReplyDeleteFingers, toes and balls crossed.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to go to the doctors.
If you can do THAT, you need to go to the circus
ReplyDeleteLFC are not the only club that wants Lovren. That gives you an idea that Lovren will end up being in an auction.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope he's not total ballacks
ReplyDeleteAs I say, I actually agreed about Pep.
ReplyDeleteWhere we sometimes differ is whether or not a subsequent part of , say an interview , changes or mitigates a previous statement. And as such meaning is largely if not entirely subjective, we will never agree: I may say that it has a direct bearing, you may completely disagree.
What I sought to address was the more general use of the statement that quotes are not influenced/ changed by subsequent statements in SOME cases
Never been described as a 'Star' before !!
ReplyDeleteGuess I'll have to submit my crisp-eating stats from last season :-)
I suppose to be fair he was playing for Uruguay when the latest incident occurred. My worry is that he will have his ban reduced though the chair of the disciplinary committee has come out and said it was fair. I fear though he might ultimately be left stranded by the politics
ReplyDeleteAce poster gets comedy headline censored - shock horror
ReplyDelete7th to 2nd with 23 more points and 30 more goals you say?
ReplyDeleteThe dark side I sense in him...
I too was dismayed to see him signed for a mere £8.5m, in order to buy Sakho for £10m more.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think Sakho will come good
No one remember Muriel anymore?
ReplyDeleteYeah and he's got away with it
ReplyDeleteIt's begun already. FIFA have just reported Suarez will be allowed to train during 4-month ban.
ReplyDeleteWhen has that ever been mentioned in any article ever?
ReplyDeletei do!! he looked very good. i hope we get him rather than markovic.
ReplyDeleteI think Sakho already is good but will get better.
ReplyDeleteAnother quiet night at the library........ NOT
ReplyDeleteI have an issue with it because history shows that young players loaned out by LFC *never make it*.
ReplyDeleteMake a list of all the young players over the last 20 years who went out on loan until they were 'ready', then came back and became first team regulars.
It'll be a very short list.
Yes, like you, I argued for Lovren last summer, but £20m is a rip-off, especially given the fact he only cost £8.5 last year. Southampton are taking the pi$$, and it's Rodgers' fault for choosing Sakho over Lovren last season.
ReplyDeleteIf LFC are going to spend £20m+ on a central defender, it should be someone like Hummels (IMO).
Yes, but he played in the same position (full-back) 95% of the time.
ReplyDeleteWhat are you talking about? No post in this particular thread has been 'censored'.
ReplyDeletethere is more to life than stats!
ReplyDeleteTransfers aren't so simple though are they? Firstly is Hummels definitely leaving Dortmund? Have we been scouting him? If we have has he been sounded out on a move to us etc. What wold wages be? There is far more to it than going, he's good lets have him.
ReplyDeleteSorry I saw "this post has been deleted" against one from Mike about crisps and assumed the axe had fallen. Perhaps he took it out himself. If so, sorry.
ReplyDeleteThe price does seem costly.. But I think it's a great purchase. These days you can easily add 10M for prem league experience.. Someone who knows the leauge, has experience so will def hit the ground running.. Considering aspas and alberto were 7-10M each, and clearly struggled you can see why epl players are worth the extra 5-10M. He's going to be epic, I think he can turn the 1-1 vs West Brom and the 2-2 against Newcastle into wins..
ReplyDeleteAbsolute bollacks never happen
ReplyDeleteI can decide if it would a great idea or a terrible one.
ReplyDeleteHe is undoubtedly a talented footballer but the question is will he disrupt the team or will be start to mature and become more professional as he is getting older (and hopefully wiser).
If it happens i will back the deal, if not i wont lose any sleep on it. Its a tough question.
No, terrible idea. We are building for the future and long term, bringing in Xavi who would seriously struggle to adapt as his age would be a massive step backwards.
ReplyDeleteDynamo
ReplyDeleteI think your fear of him being played out of position is baseless. If anything Rodgers has improved players by finding their best position. Sturridge, Henderson, Coutihno all being played out of position and under-performing before excelling under Rodgers.
ReplyDeleteI agree 25million is too much to pay for Lallana right now. No CL experience, top player but at a lesser club (no offence Soton fans), only one excellent PL season. Seems like he should be in and around the 16 million mark.
However I firmly believe we will look back in two years and think of 25 Million as a bit of a bargain. There is no way he has been bought as a utility or squad player. He will be a first team starter and a very influential player for LFC next season IMO. He was one of the highlights of the PL last season for me, and I'm delighted and very excited we landed him.
Baseless? With respect, that is a bit of an ignorant statement considering the fact Rodgers has repeatedly used players out of position.
ReplyDelete* Sahin as a number 10.
* Moses as a number 10.
* Flanagan at left back
* Johnson at right back.
* Sterling at right back.
* Downing at left back.
* Allen as an advanced attacking mid.
* Sakho at left back.
* Agger at left back.
It is not 'baseless' at all - it's based on factual evidence.
Just because a player is versatile doesn't mean that they don't have a preferred position
ReplyDeleteFair points. But my post was not that clear but it was not meant as a serious dig at you or really particularly about Suarez more about the likely type of fawning comments you can expect from LFC when he goes.
ReplyDeleteNot sure about you not being anti Suarez though. I can see you admire his footballing skilis (as do I) but seem to remember a pretty scathing article about him as a cheat and a very poor role model etc which didn't contain much love. Again quite rightly :-)
Moses' is always played out of position except when he's on the bench.
ReplyDeleteI'm anti-cheating, not anti-Suarez. I would've posted exactly the same article if it was Gerrard.
ReplyDeleteBuy Lucas Moora. Huge player. Seems like Ronaldo Brazil
ReplyDeleteHulk from FC Zenit Saint Petersburg
ReplyDeleteHey Jamie, sorry for the delayed reply, been away from the inter-web for a while, don't know if you'll read this or not. Didn't mean for that statement to be ignorant, baseless was the wrong word there. There are definitely examples of players brought in being played out of position as you have highlighted above, but I just don't see that happening with Lallana.
ReplyDeleteI feel he has been brought in for a very specific role and won't be shunted around the place. At the end of last season before all the speculation etc he would have been my No.1 target for the season, so maybe I am biased in wanting to see him do well.
But of the players you mention above, Sahin and Moses probably the most used out of position, both loan signings. Probably not players wanted at the start of the season, but stop-gaps broth in to provide some kind of dept.
Flan and Johnson at left back? You have to admit that was kind of enforced with injuries.
Allen- no excuses, can't fulfill that role.
Sahko/Agger/Sterling the same, though I think that wasn't too frequent.
Anyway he has made mistake with players positions no doubt, but he has also brought in one or two into their natural positions aswell, and i am optimistic Lallana will be in that category.
I wasn't dismissing your arguement, I just see it going another way.