28 Aug 2014

'El Coyote' to LFC? BR wants to sign exciting South American who's 'worth €15m'. Replace £7m star?

Liverpool are reportedly considering a late transfer bid for Colombia defender Eder Balanta, who is also wanted by Barcelona and Juventus.

Liverpool were linked with Balanta in June, and according to reports in Colombia today:

* Liverpool are considering an offer for Balanta, who currently plays for River Plate in Argentina.

* The Reds have been 'keeping tabs' on the 21-year old after his impressive performances at the World Cup.

When asked today about Balanta's future, club president Rodolfo D’Onofrio suggested a very reasonable transfer fee will be enough to snag the youngster. He told reporters:

"We value him at €5.5m, and the most important thing is that we want the money as quickly as possible. Clubs instead want to pay a small amount now - for a loan - and then talk about it in a year. This is not possible.”

River Plate vice president Omar Solassi disagrees with D'onofrio's valuation, though, and in a recent interview, he claimed:

"Balanta is worth €15 million; he is a great player with a great future. He is a strong defender, is good on the ball and knows how to play going forward."

Balanta - nicknamed 'El Coyote' in Argentina - is highly regarded in Argentina, and is the subject of regular praise for his performances. Ex-Red Javier Mascherano is a fan, and last season, he raved:

"He looks very good, he has a lot of quality, and he is good bringing the ball out from the back. When you see a youngster standing out from the rest, it shows he does not have just any personality."

but in a recent interview, the modest youngster insisted that he's 'not as skillful as everyone thinks', and admitted that the praise makes him 'feel uncomfortable'. He added:

"I am really just 'normal' and not a 'star', yet. I am still young and learning. But the rumors that run around often make me feel as if my head will explode"

Please, no more young central defenders! After the experiences of Sebastian Coates, and Tiago Ilori, it's clear that 20/21 year old centre-halves have practically zero chance of making it at Liverpool. LFC has already wasted £14m on two central defenders who never play, so what's the point in bringing in another one?

Author:


461 comments:

  1. Avoiding defeat away to Basel is the key,plus of course a home win.That might cover a double loss v Real.

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  2. Be optimistic Bill we have never feared Real and will whoop their ass.

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  3. Agree 100%. The whole point of being in the CL is to play against the best teams, not get easy wins. Plus the less likely teams could get one over on us and we might not progress anyway. I'd much rather have 3 massive teams to play in the group stages, that means 6 huge matches. Isn't that the point? To play the big games against the big teams? If we're not in it for that, why are we in it?

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  4. Just so you know JK, Rodgers didn't buy Coates (which, unless I'm mistaken, the article seems to suggest).

    I'd like us to buy a centre-back, but we can't really afford to just have another in the mix. Need someone of quality, who can start. Best left for another window, methinks.

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  5. If we can't beat those teams in the group stages then we'll just lose to one of them in the round of sixteen. Or worse, we'll slip a couple of games against the lesser teams and be embarrassed by not getting through.


    This tournament is all about playing the best, isn't it? Why are we in it if we don't want to play those European giants? Are we in it as a second rate team to get a few easy wins and then bow out gracefully in the first knock-out leg? What's the point of that?

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  6. I'm happy we got Real Madrid and two lesser teams so hopefully we can progress but nothing's as easy and black and white as it seems. But to want the group of death, that logic is beyond me I want to progress and win the thing.

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  7. As I said, qualifying for the last 16 is worth another load of cash so it keeps the club competitive in the transfer market:
    I just think, better that our young team gain experience and confidence from hopefully winning a couple of games and progressing in the competition than be given the absolute run around by Barca and PSG etc. I'm trying to take a realistic view of where the club is at and getting out the group stages would be a success considering it's our first time in the competition in 5 years.
    Look at Man City, they're under huge pressure to do better in the champions league but they've consistently been in a "group of death" and have failed to qualify.
    We're trying to get the message out to Europe's top players that we're back in the big time. If we were to be on the receiving end of a couple of thrashings in the group stages and go out with a whimper, then that message isn't being sent.
    If however, play some exciting football and get some good results in the group then we're starting to look like a club very much on the rise.

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  8. Here's a possible set of matches we'll play:


    Real Madrid - H&A
    Basel - H&A
    Razgrad - H&A


    If we make it through then e.g:
    Roma - H&A


    I count 2 big group games and 2 slightly more interesting knockout games. Not a whole lot of "prestige" going on there.


    Alternative it could have been:


    Real Madrid - H&A
    PSG - H&G
    Roma - H&A


    That's 6 undeniably big games and if we win enough games to make the knock-out stages it's a big big deal. In my mind that's far more prestigious.


    It just seems to me as if most fans are looking at the group stages as something to get over and done with, like the games are just formalities that we'd rather do without in the first place. For me the group stages are just as much a part of why any team wants to be in the competition. Playing two games against Razgrad, with all due respect, is a non-event. Basel are OK but they're hardly a powerhouse team. If we beat them it's no big deal, if we lose we don't make the knock-out round. So we're saying we'd prefer to have those 4 less interesting games rather than 4 massive ties against the best in Europe?


    For me it's about the football, not the potential results. It's about the 90 minutes on the pitch against quality opposition, seeing how good Liverpool really are. A scrappy win against a lesser team is good result but it's far less enjoyable to watch. I want to see those great games right from the start, get stuck into it straight away. We don't need to build up to them, let's just have them now. We might not get another chance later in the tournament.

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  9. Yep great fluid team I recall didn't Salah play for them also?

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  10. You're valuing the results over the actual football. I'd prefer to watch better football against better teams. For me it's about the 90 minutes on the pitch, not the result. Money is nice and chalking up a few wins in the campaign might do something for the club, maybe, but as a fan I just want to watch the best football possible. All those other things are about something else, about building for the future or some plan for the club. What about now? What about the actual football games that we're going to play this coming season? If you're always looking to the future you never enjoy what's happening right now.

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  11. How are you going to win it if you can't even beat a team like Moscow, Roma or PSG in the group stages? If you can't beat them in the first place they'll just beat you in the knock-out round. We might get better the longer the season goes on. We'll also have more injuries to deal with, a bigger schedule, other cup competitions, fatigue ... If Liverpool are good enough to win it then the best time to play those big teams is now.

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  12. I understand your concerns, but I guess we just have different tastes. I like to take more into account, i.e. our co-efficient, the achievement of progressing to the last 16, and the money that it rewards. If we get Roma in the last 16, we could definitely beat them, and then next thing we know, we're in the quarter finals. If we didn't get RM and got e.g. Porto instead, I'd be disappointed. But I personally like the fact of getting the best of both worlds. It's not like we'll have no big glamour ties at all.


    Funny to think how only a few years ago, Liverpool were ranked 1st in the UEFA rankings, in pot one...

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  13. I'm happy with the draw. It will be a real test but I won't be expecting to go through. Every time we take a 'lesser team' for granted we get our a$$es handed to us...Crystal Palace last year...ahem.

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  14. How many chickens did you actually just count before they hatched? One match at a time please.

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  15. No. You conveniently missed the whole point.

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  16. He plays DM too..

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  17. I think you should take a realistic approach rather than looking at the Champions League from a Liverpool 70's and 80's dreamland era. It's not exactly a walk in the park. Basel are better than half the PL sides and obviously Madrid is Madrid. We should defeat Razgrad home and away but the CL always throws up some surprises. City have spent hundreds of millions and have so far consistently failed in the CL, what's the point of finally getting back to where we want to be, preparing a massive squad for it, only to be dumped out at our first attempt. If we are dropped to the Europa League or finish bottom it would be an embarrassment to the club considering how much money has been spent on players, and the stature of the club itself.


    There's also no guarantee that a game of football will be up to a certain standard or quality or not. A lot of fixtures don't always live up to hype. Don't restrict yourself to Liverpool if you want to watch quality stuff. As I said though, no guarantees of any match being exciting, or free flowing etc.



    I think the negative spin on this topic is ridiculous. Back in the CL, Madrid and Basel. Nothing but positives for me.

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  18. I'm being quite realistic. Liverpool might be good enough to win a round of 16 tie or they might not. Getting knocked out in the first round after the group stages is hardly a great achievement. Not making it through a "group of death" would also be far from an embarrassment to the club. I'm just saying that I would personally look forward more to a game against PSG, Dortmund, Roma etc than I would against Basel and Razgrad. Other fans don't seem to want to play those games because they think Liverpool are more likely to lose. They seem to prefer an easy game against lesser opponents. I don't. I want to see us play the big teams. I'm not suggesting that Liverpool would win those games, I'm just more inclined to look forward to them. I want to see Liverpool play the best teams they can. To me that seems to be the whole point of the competition. They way this group is set up that won't happen. We'll play Madrid twice, those handful of other games, maybe progress to the knock-out round and then probably get beaten over two legs by someone else. I'm not particularly bothered by that, it's a great position to be in, but if we're talking about what I'd prefer then frankly I'd prefer the group of death.

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  19. I was outlining the two alternative scenarios. We could have been in a "group of death" with Real, PSG and Roma.

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  20. C Tiote(28) would protect the back 4 better than any player currently in our squad and put fear in oppositions team, I would prefer him in our side than against us.

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  21. If he's good, snap him up!!!

    This is not wasting money. £5 million over a 4 year period is amortised as £1.25 million per year. It is a tiny fraction of c £140 million in PL and CL money we will earn this year....... Add sponsorship, jersey sales, player sales, match day revenue..... Our earnings are soaring..... We need to speculate a little with it

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  22. I think in the long term there are a lot more positive externalities of getting to the group stage after being in our kind of group, than likely getting tossed aroun like a rag doll in the group of death. In the short term, having those big matches is exciting...but aren't we trying to establish ourselves as a legitimate UCL quality team? Do you think it will do our transfer business any favours if prospective targets watch us get obliterated? Do you think it will do our co efficient any favours? Or the confidence of our young, inexperienced team?

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  23. Spirit of the Shadows3:20 am, August 29, 2014

    My question is if he is that good why aren't Porto in for him? They have brought up the best columbian talent of this generation and just lost their left sided cb mangala. Obviously they don't rate him, in that case we should steer away. Also sakho and lovren are quite young, investment is immediately needed in a quality defensive mid.

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  24. I'm speaking very much as a fan, in terms of the games I want to see. I also don't think Liverpool will get tossed around at all. We dismantled Dortmund in pre-season and although teams like Real and Bayern are clearly better I don't see there being too many teams out there who will take us apart. We'll compete in every single match and although the fair bet would be for Liverpool to lose most games against those top teams I think the way you guys use terms like "obliterated" and "thrashing" belies the underlying motivation here. You're scared that Liverpool just won't be good enough. That's a genuine concern but I can assure you the team won't be approaching the game that way, nor the manager. I think there is very little risk of Liverpool being on the end of embarrassing score lines against anyone.


    It's really just a simple thing for me. If you ask me if I'd prefer to see Liverpool play a h&a leg against Dortmund or Basel I'd choose Dortmund. Razgard of Roma ... I'd choose Roma. If anything I'm being more conservative because I suspect the group stages will comprise the majority of CL football for Liverpool. I would prefer those group games to be the good games against the good teams because frankly, once we get into the knock-out rounds, we'll probably exit the tournament and there will no more games at all.

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  25. At that price i can get behind this type of signing, Maybe a loan spell somewhere and he either develops into a player we can use or one we can sell.
    Coates had his chances to impress and really hasnt, while still young if a good enough offer came for him i'd let him go.
    Illori i has seen play like 2 games and he wasn't bad, but with him it always comes back to BR saying his for the future and he might get his shot at liverpool after BR is gone so for me im happy to wait on his development.
    But Centre halve seems to be a position that takes a good while to develop into so both still have time to make it.

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  26. Porto typically do not pay that kind of prices for non striker positions. they usually pick up players in <3m kind of range.

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  27. please BR... only 2 more signing.. 1. defensive mid// Alex song .. and fight place with can there.. 1 more is pacy and tricky winger,.. shaqiri .. so we have a complete squard
    moreno
    lovren
    manquillo
    lallana
    lambert
    balotelli
    markovic
    emre can
    add
    song
    shaqiri
    Keeper
    out
    Lucas
    Agger
    Borini
    Assaidi
    Toure

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  28. Who knows how reflective of reality that BVB game was. We tore Dortmund apart, yet struggled against Southampton a week later. But I guess it's a funny old game. We tore RM apart 5 years ago, yet struggled with draws against the likes of Stoke.


    I suppose I'm speaking from a far less conservative point of view than you are...

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  29. I'm probably in the middle of a few ideas. I don't think we'd get hammered by teams like Real, but at the same time I don't fancy our chance of winning outside the group stages. I'm not unhappy with the draw, it just occurred to me how odd I felt it was that many fans were hoping to be picked in a group against teams that are really quite unimportant. People seem quite glad that we're playing against a no-name team from Bulgaria and something in my brain wondered why. Did we really want to qualify for the Champions League for the great privilege of playing against PFC Ludogorets Razgard?


    Anyway, let's enjoy it. I think I'll be having a few early morning starts. SBS will definitely be showing the games against Madrid and the rest will be on a stream somewhere. I only wish I could be back at Anfield for some of the games. I had the immense privilege of being at the Chelsea game in 2005, it was the experience of a lifetime.

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  30. It occurs to me how pessimistic that is. I shouldn't say we'll "probably go out in the first knock-out round" because if we play well we're a match for anyone in Europe. I think most people wouldn't bet on us but by the time the group stages are done and Liverpool are hitting their strides no team is going to want to face us. We beat City last season, destroyed Arsenal ... on our day we can certainly put 3 past Real or Bayern. I'm reluctant to predict success but if the team starts to click and get back up to what we were doing at the end of last season then anything can happen. It's true that this will take some time so it's better for team results if the tough matches are not all early in the group stage.

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  31. Oh, so you're in Australia, not Ireland. You need to invest in Foxtel so you can watch games that are not on SBS.


    I agree with you on in some ways, but I have two contradicting needs: to play against the big teams, and to advance to the knock-out stage. So for me, this group is perfect. I would be disappointed if we got no big team, but I'm happy with just having Real Madrid. Seeing LFC progress would give some more depth to us about being England's best European team. I wouldn't rule out even a Quarter Finals appearance...

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  32. Rather than looking at defenders that really can defend brilliantly Rodgers tends to look for ball playing defenders (full backs that are better going forward than defending and centre halves that are good passers ) this coupled with the fact we have been a bit weak in the DM department for a while now is the reason we leak in more goals than we should as a top 4 team not that we're guaranteed a top 4 this time round. This season already we've looked poor at the back but hopefully Moreno and manquilla will get used to the premiership quite quickly and let's hope Lovren will eventually start playing to his full potential when he finally fits in. I was quite impressed with Manquilla against Southsmpton and I'm hoping Rodgers will play him ahead of Johnson. I think we could still do with a DM though before the window shuts

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  33. It will be a perfect launchpad to show the world LFC is back among the best.

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  34. Maybe maybe not as far as your ideas go but by making the last 16 they will have made more money and earned more confidence.
    One must remember this is an inexperienced side at C.L level so in a group of death realistically expectations would be low.

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  35. I read somewhere the club only owned 80% so the final price might be higher

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  36. CP was an exceptional circumstance. We went silly and tried to score 10 goals to reduce the goal difference.

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  37. YES PLEASE -Borini will never be good enough -great trier but sooooooooooo predictable - FALCOA or this kid

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  38. We could comfortably lose 6 first team players - johnson agger etc

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  39. Eery thing will be fine until he comes up against someone with the nickname "road runner. Basically though he's just a sneakier version of a dog....

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  40. Falcao has signed for Real Madrid so I suppose we'll have to settle for Falcoa or " let's call the whole thing off"

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  41. Jk have you never heard the adages an extra one for the pot ...or the more the merrier ...or one for the road ...or have another it wont harm you ..they are what liverpools transfer policy are built on

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  42. especially when its not you who is paying

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  43. the problem is they are seldom good

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  44. or to put it another way everything will be fine till he comes up against someone who can kick a ball

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  45. Not if we want to compete on 4 fronts. Just look at Souness and his clear out?

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  46. its a pity there are no young center backs called orange...then rogers could say the futures bright the futures ..ill let you finish

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  47. or lower if the final 20% will accept salt as payment

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  48. I am glad we got RM, it what the CL is all about. Also do not underestimate Basel. They have beaten both Chelsea and Man Utd in the last few years, they are capable of giving the bigger teams a surprise.

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  49. B Rodgers should ship out L Leiva(27) as soon as possible and bring in J Martinez(26) Of Bayern Munich now that they have signed X Alonso(32) there will be place for someone else to leave.


    B Rodgers should spend £32M on these two DM:


    And we would be set : 1: J Martinez(26) Of B Munich for £20-£24M


    2: E Capoue(26) Of Tottenham for £5-£8M


    These two players are athletic mobile physical tough tackling DM's who would protect our back 4 as with the side we have now, we are not going to keep any clean sheets.


    No matter how good our defence become as there is no real protection in front of them L Leiva(27) and S Gerrard(34) do not have the Energy, Legs, Mobility , pace or tough tackling in their armory to cover the back four good enough.


    Those two DM and a back up GK: A Mccarthy(24) Of Reading for £5-£7M should be enough to give us all the protection we need to do well in the League and the champions league


    As the central midfielders we currently have in squad do not do enough to protect back 4 and are all better offensively than defensively.


    B Rodgers should use £32M on the two DM's above then we will be able to go to places like the Bernabeau and get result.

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  50. Well for a start they don't have Liverpool in them

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  51. So now B Rodgers should take J Martinez(26) off their hands for £18-£24M DM

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  52. B Rodgers should forgetting about bringing in any more centre backs:
    He needs to still ship out two: S Coates(24) and K Toure(33)


    But B Rodgers should still bring in 4 players by the next 2 days: A GK, 2 DM and a Goal scoring winger.




    Outs: GK: B Jones 32 RB: G Johnson 29 CB : S Coates 24


    CB: K Toure 33 DM: L Leiva 27 RW: O Assaidi 25


    FD: F Borini 23


    Loans: J Ibe(19) and Suso(20)





    B Rodgers needs to spend £39M on these three defensive players DM and then whilst shipping out L Leiva(27)

    1: A Mccarthy(24) Of Reading for £5-£7M

    2: J Martinez(26) Of Bayern Munich for £18-£24m

    3: E Capoue(26) Of Tottenham Or C Tiote(28) Of Newcastle for £5-£8M





    And lastly Pedro(26) Of Barcelona Or M Reus(25) Of Dortmund for £23-£28M need to be brought to the club as finishing part of Jigsaw

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  53. How about: Aymeric Laporte (Athletic Bilbao, 20y), Samuel Umtiti (Lyon, 20y), Antonio Rüdiger (Stuttgart, 21y), Tomas Kalas (Vitesse Arnhem on loan from Chelsea, 21y) and Karim Rekik (PSV Eindhoven on loan from Man City, 19y).


    To lesser extent also Marquinhos (starting XI at AS Roma, but obviously now struggling to start at PSG, 20y), Matthias Ginter (starting XI at Freiburg and seem to be now starter at Dortmund too at least until Hummels and Subotic are fully fit, 20y), Eric Dier (started well at Spurs, 20y), John Stones (getting some game time at Everton, though often as fullback, 20y), Andre Hoffmann (Hannover, 21y), Martin Hinteregger (RB Salzburg, 21y), Björn Engels (Club Brugge, 19y) and Chancel Mbemba Mangulu (Anderlecht, 20y).


    Though agreed that not many top teams here...

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  54. This might have something to do also with the fact that they invested about £6m to Diego Reyes, 21 last summer and about the same to Bruno Martins Indi, 22 this summer. If they would have failed with Martins Indi, I can imagine Porto going after Balanta this summer.

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  55. Most of these clubs are seen as feeded clubs for top teams, they gain their education here and move to pastures new when ready.


    The risk is too high for a top teams to play a young CB at the heart of the defence, were they can't afford to have a 1 great game every 3 games. I would have preferred Illori to be at one of these clubs on loan. As these teams have a higher win percentage in there leagues and this could help his confidence.

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  56. Javi Maryinez did his knee... He's out. That's why they signed Xabi. He would also cost a lot more than that. Capouefrance is now in Tottenham's first 11, they won't sell.

    I do agree that we need a new DM though

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  57. You OFTEN remind me of Austin PoWERS when he has difficulTY controllinG the VOLuME of his VOIce

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  58. On a different note and off topic just read an interview by Xabi Alonso

    He was speaking about his signing for Bayern and why he didn't go to a Premership Clubs

    'I had five great years at Liverpool and I would rather just keep that memory as it is"

    Guy is pure class.

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  59. I read that too. Good to know he will never play for another English club.

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  60. On subject, if we both Coates and Ilori do not play for Liverpool and are sold for a profit then is it still a waste?

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  61. Can someone please explain how Arsenal are in pot one, Schalke are in pot 2, while Schalke is ranked higher on the UEFA coefficient table than Arsenal?

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  62. I read they were in pot 1 because they "consistently do well" in the CL.

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  63. B Rodgers should offer Tottenham £6-£12M for E Capoue(26) and also bring in C Tiote(28) Of Newcastle for £6-£8M


    C Tiote(28) and E Capoue(26) would put more fear into the likes of Bale, Benzema, Isco, Modric, Kroos, Rodriguez and Ronaldo than the likes of L Leiva(27), S Gerrard (34), J Allen(24) and J Henderson(24).


    And actually protect our back 4:


    E Capoue(26) and C Tiote(28) in centre midfield would be a fierce barrier protecting our back 4.


    S Gerrard(28) 5 years and half ago Anielated R Madrid, he no longer has the energy, legs, mobilty, pace or speed he once had to compete with most of the teams in the Premier league or Champions league.


    B Rodgers needs to start using S Gerrard(34) wisely from the bench, he has been an amazing great loyal servant but he no longer bosses or dictates games. And the job he is there to do for side now he can't and is not doing it good enough to justify his place in the starting 11 week in week out.


    He is there to screen and protect back 4 and keep oppositions best players getting on ball so much whilst breaking up play here and there.

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  64. But wouldn't Schalke's better co-efficient suggest that they've been doing better?

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  65. Yeah, but I don't get tens of millions from the PL every year either

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  66. At least we won't have to play against him in the group stages at least.
    Lost count of how many times I saw people writing him off as too old for LFC.
    Good enough for Real Madrid and Bayern Munich first 11, but too old for us...

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  67. Ray is a legend. Where's that BEAST character who always put players' names in capital letters? Didn't he used to post here? I liked that.

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  68. Xabi was a true legend and he is pure class. I watched the draw and kept on thinking we would get Barca for a date with Luis but luckily we did not. This was the best group we could have got for me.

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  69. With a respectful bow of the head to Professor Twist, I prefer the First Initial-Surname-(age) format.

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  70. Arsenal are in talks with Falcao over a loan move. How the hell can they afford him?

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  71. Isn't Falcoa the plural form of Falcao? If so, let's grab one for Liverpool.

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  72. Song to West Ham? Didn't see that coming.

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  73. Why would they need him? They have that new signing Kouyate who has done well. If we tried, we could easily get him.

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  74. Sign him up pronto he can play DM too

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  75. We'd get the non footballing one

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  76. Ringo looks a little off. But then again, he always did...

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  77. Its pretty obvious that the point of buying young players with potential is not to slot them into the 1st team straight away, but to see how they progress.
    If they turn out to be good enough for 1st team, great, but if not, it's likely that we will not lose any money on them, but possibly make loads on them IF we decide we should sell them.
    It's just business.

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  78. See nobody has mentioned Ibe's loan to Derby. Hope he has a great season there.

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  79. After extensively Youtube scouting him for five minutes, I'm thinking: Defensive Mid.


    I'd feel terribly uncomfortable with him holding on too the ball far too long with only Mignolet behind him.

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  80. Eum...Basel have been the..well...Waterloo of many a team before us (and actually ourselves as well about a decade ago) so maybe we should not be too confident here. Sure we should be able to beat them but we should be able to beat any team out there. It will be nice though lifting our sixth CL exactly ten years after Istanbul.

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  81. And seeing Ronaldo Jr cry is really not that funny anymore.

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  82. Orme was looking for an update on injuries

    Rodgers: "Moreno twisted his ankle and has been recovering well. Sunday could be difficult for Johnson, as for Skrtel we'll see over next 48hrs

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  83. Saw Lal will be in the squad for Sunday's match.

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  84. Spirit of the Shadows5:34 pm, August 29, 2014

    Reports in goal.com say we are chasing Mccarthy from reading. I remember reading an article about him in this site. any truth in these rumours?

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  85. Good news. He was expected back much later.

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  86. Just read in the mirror that Song is meant to be holding out for a move to Liverpool..

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  87. Why not go the whole hog. i.e.:

    B.RODGERS (46) has indicated that there may be further transfer activity ahead with S. COATES (26), D.AGGER (30) and KOLO TOURE (79) poised to leave the club.

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  88. Kolo would be very unhappy with the age you have shown - Brendan is only 41......

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  89. That could work, from what I've seen (not much more than you!): good on the ball and tenacious in the tackle. Like David Luiz.

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  90. Robo Lasers, I no longer over use capitals letters.I got transferred to another forum last season but i'm back where i started.JK has signed me on a one year deal with a option for another season.I'm LiverpoolKops marquee signing of this transfer window:-7 (many would say flop)
    I see new faces/posters and some familiar names.Looking forward to interacting with everyone this season.

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  91. The same way we could?

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  92. We need a goalkeeper not centre half

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  93. Future is Gerrard. He will play for 10 more years.

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  94. Tony Barrett saying Brondby are close to signing Agger. Also Remy to Chelsea...

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  95. I left my heart in San Francicsco

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  96. Ciaran Samuel Caruana7:50 am, August 30, 2014

    He's sick on Fm2014.

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  97. He went to Bayern because of Guardiola, the Spanish contingent now in Munich and the fact that they are the best team to come in for him. We should of re signed him.

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  98. The author consistently fails to see or acknowledge this. According to him we shouldn't buy young players and nurture them by loaning them out, we should instead pay maximum price for developed talents - like complete idiots.

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  99. I too have nought that we could do with Carra being brought in to coach defence

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  100. WHAT WHAT Selling Agger for £3 million cause he likes it - what are we running here a charity or a football club ?????

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  101. The end of time has come. Football supporters concerned with the money their club will make. Do you have the impression that when we have money, we spend it well? After this summer, I'm not. We don't overpay but we also don't get in the players we really need.

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  102. That is 80-100k a week off our wage bill.


    Remember, we have eight new faces on the wage bill plus there will be contract renewals for some players (Coutinho, Flanagan and Sterling) which increases the wage bill even further.


    Getting players which are surplus off the wage bill is necessary right now.

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  103. Skrtel does not look likely and Johnson will not feature for tomorrows match and Rodgers comments about Moreno were positive.

    I would go with one of the following

    ----------------Mignolet----------------
    Manquillo-Lovren--Sakho-Moreno
    -----------------Gerrard----------------
    ----------Can-------------Hendo------
    -----------------Sterling----------------
    ------Sturridge---------Balotelli------

    or

    ----------------Mignolet----------------
    Manquillo-Lovren--Sakho-Moreno
    -----------------Gerrard----------------
    -------Hendo-------------Allen--------
    -----------------Coutinho--------------
    ------Sturridge---------Balotelli------



    Vs City we controlled the midfield for most of the first half but as soon as we let the first goal in we crumbled under the pressure. Even Gerrard did very well and was bossing our midfield for the first 40 minutes or so.


    I will continue to make the point that or defence is the biggest issue. Last season we leaked goals and it has continued into this season. Vs Southampton we played with two holding midfielders who hardly left their half of the pitch and our defence still looked erratic.


    Our starting eleven without Johnson is already a plus.

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  104. Everyone...is just me, or is Van Gaal actually overrated?

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  105. He talks too much.

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  106. It's annoying. As soon as he came in, he was suddenly the best manager in the world who was going to fix all of their problems. IMO, it's fooled Jaimie a little bit. This guy got sacked from Barca because they were near the relegation zone. Yes, BR was sacked by Reading, but it was in a very early stage of his career while he was still learning the ropes. However you'd say that Van Gaal was right in the middle of his career, at least.

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  107. Van Gaal also thinks three at the back will get them a top four place at the minimum. With the defence he has at his disposal he has already lost that balttle. Delusion.

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  108. Even though they got Daley Blind, they clearly need more, and I don't know who the hell they're gonna get with a couple of days left. I reckon they'll come fifth, Arsenal 4th, Liverpool 3rd. I'm serious. If Arsenal don't sign a striker and DM, they'll come 4th.

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  109. What's been worse is people tipping Utd to win the god damn EPL. Absolutely deluded. Dreamland.

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  110. Blind will not sort out there problems at the back.


    I see the mancs finishing outside the top 6.

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  111. Not even Di Maria will make a slight difference?

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  112. He might impact their creative input but Di Maria is also not going to stop them from conceding goals either.

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  113. I think outside the top 6 is a little harsh. I think that their attack is too good to put them there. But you must be saying that their defence is 2x worse than ours was last season...

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  114. If our defence does not improve then I cannot see us finishing top four I am afraid.

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  115. I'm confident it will. I just don't see Spurs or Everton finishing in the top 4...

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  116. Until Rodgers selects a back four that works in tandem then I cannot see our leaky defence being resolved.

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  117. Agree. He needs to stick solid with the same back 4.

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  118. Yes but we need a back four that is on the same page.

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  119. That's why he needs to stick solid. The more time played together, the more accustomed they are to eachother

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  120. If we continue to play the back four we did vs City then we will continue to concede goals. Simple.

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  121. That's the other half of my theory, he needs to pick the most likely one.

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  122. i did what i did for maria .....keep thinking of the tony christie song my dad used to play ...bit off topic there ,on another note utd are in free fall and it wont matter who they buy or who manages them reminds me of liverpools fall from grace overpaying for players they dont need aging squad with average players

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  123. Rodgers talks consistently about competition for places as a high priority for his vision of the squad. That means a lot of new players coming in, and even good players leaving before they get stale. So there will always be new players coming in to gun for a spot. I don't want Rodgers to forget about that at all.

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  124. Haha, welcome back. Wonder how long you'll be able to resist that caps lock though ;)

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  125. I absolutely agree with you.

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  126. But Eric, if we get more money we can get more handsome players and then we can get more sponsorship deals which will get us more money and then we can get even more handsome players and famous players and get even more money and money money money money money. Do you even understand football etc etc.

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  127. Agger gone...Thank you Dagger for the years of loyal service and enjoy back at home but know that Anfield will always be your second home. YNWA....

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  128. I'd laugh if they sold him on in January for £12M :-) But then I've got an odd sense of humour.

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  129. Its the need of two proper athletic mobile tough tackling DM at club to actually protect our back 4:


    Chelsea and Man City always have the best defensive records and are hardest teams to break down, because they have solid regular back 4 and a shield protecting them in every game they play.


    Chelsea spent £68M on these three players who protect their back 4: Matic(25), Obi Mikel(27) and Ramires(27).


    Man City spent £42M on these two Fernandinho(29) and Fernando(27).


    One of those 5 players are always in the team, some games they will all play to stop opposition playing.


    B Rodgers needs to spend £18m on these athletic mobile tough tackling enforcers in Premiership who fully fit and injury free would protect our back 4 well:


    1: E Capoue(26) Of Tottenham for £7-£10M


    2: C Tiote(28) Of Newcastle for £5-£8M


    These two players would protect the back 4 well and give our back 4 chance to keep some clean sheets as S Gerrard(34) and L Leiva(27) do not have the energy, legs, mobility , pace or speed to play that role effectively in a young quick side.

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  130. I wish him well. Hope he has made the right choice . I think he could have played for a higher rated team but perhaps the disappointment of the last year has changed his priorities.

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  131. I must admit for some reason I had overlooked that possibility

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  132. Matic has just turned 26. Did you forget to send him a card?

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  133. No you're both overrated

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  134. We had aggers best season 2 years ago and should of sold him when that 20m bid came but hind site is a great thing.....i wish the guy well and think hes made the best move for him

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  135. As JK appears to be away I'll just fill in with


    "stop twisting my words/show me where I've said that/any more sniping and you'll get a three day ban"

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  136. I'm just happy with the fact people have worshipped me at least...

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  137. Nah Stuart, forget to. Funny how we still keep conceding goals in every game we play and getting open up like butter, yet we have brought in new defenders.
    The defensive problems we have are: we need two athletic mobile tough tackling Enforcers at club and a good class quality GK to keep S Mignolet(25) on OUR bench as he wants to get so involved at times he is always out of the GK Area trying to set up plays and aprt from him being great shot stopper he is abysmal at everything else.

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  138. Some of us still do

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  139. Agree Mig has to improve on last year though I thought his distribution was better in the last two matches. I would settle for one new enforcer type but perhaps that is what Can is for

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  140. I echo that.


    I think what Liverpool have done by accepting a low fee to allow him to return home is a good move.

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  141. See but will a player like Fernando succeed as a single pivot like the role Gerrard plays?


    If we want a player to replace Gerrard then we need a CREATIVE player which both Capoue and Tiote in shape or form are.


    Fernandinho would be a good shout but Fernando will not do either.



    You need an all round midfielder to play the single pivot role..

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  142. Thanks Stewy, I'll keep it up

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  143. Give over. Get over it.

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  144. Selling Agger for a bigger fee would have been possible if there were other offers on the table which in this case there seemed to be none.


    He has gone back to his homeland and is off our wage bill. Win win.

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  145. If it was not for all his injuries and loss of pace then he would have still been a regular for us.

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  146. I knew he is leaving. I think it's the best solution for all, but.. Damn I am sad to see him leave.. Think I'll see couple of Brondby matches this season..
    Thank you for being a player we were proud of.

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  147. No going home after Liverpool for redicilously small fee is the best solution.

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  148. Good question Ghost Rider and very difficult to answer.If Liverpool buy a player earmarked for first team football and he does nothing for the team but he's sold on for more money than he was bought for.To me that makes him a profitable flop.
    We buy players with the intentions of whoever making a impact on the side.Not having little or no effect on pitch but getting lucky and making a few million on his transfer fee.This might sound wrong but a flop can turn out to be a clever bit of business.

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  149. Well done Burnley :-)

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  150. One shot at the goal, hehe...

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  151. I watched the match and can assure you that UTD would have been ripped to shreds if Burnley had top drawer attacking players.

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  152. They do not have any balance. They thought thy they could just buy attackers and score goals. If anybody did a 'Spurs' it was United.

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  153. Watched half of the first half, agreed.. And luck is changing- two yers ago that only shot(good one) would've been a winner...

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  154. They have not done a Spurs. All it shows that they are panicking and throwing money at their problems. You play with fire and you will get burnt.


    Mata and Di Maria combined £100m plus. Mata is nowhere to be found in the system Van Gaal plays and Di Maria is clearly a player they did not need and paying £60m for him shows panic stations through and through.

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  155. It's funny how Utd became more threatening after RVP, ADM and Mata came off...

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  156. After Fergie it had to be a disaster. Quarter of century he had to make them HIS team. Changing that was neve gonna be easy, and in the modern football it became impossible. Best manger in the world would have been sacked in the first year, and 95 percent coming second. Third or forth manager will stand a chance...

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  157. Go Stoke, do us proud!

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  158. I would feel sad if Stoke beat City at the Etihad. A draw would be nice though..

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  159. It was also a case of Burnley deciding 'you shall not pass'. They were eventually sitting back and clearing balls like it had gone out of fashion.

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  160. Di Maria showed great glimpses of what's to come, but the rigours of EPL obviously got to him. Maybe he needs to bulk up a little too.

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  161. £60m you would expect the impact of a player like Suarez. UTD have grossly overpaid and reckon it is going to end in tears.

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  162. Yeah true, but even Suarez didn't have that same impact every game. It's only one game. Reports are though that he's out for 3 weeks with a hamstring injury.

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  163. I think Stoke fans could do with out 'make us believe' banner

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  164. Maybe agent Moses will cause an upset.

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  165. Looks like our game has really tired City out. They look very jaded and we take the credit for that. I still believe if it were not for the Moreno mistake, we could have come away with more.

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  166. City 0-1 Stoke. Yes please!

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  167. On the other hand, a loss is great....

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  168. Just curious... why do you list their ages every time you mention them?

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  169. Impressive defence ..... hope we do as well tomorrow !

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  170. And where was there £300.000 pw new club and England captain AWOL !

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  171. Well done Stoke .... cat amongst pigeons !

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  172. Massively. He brings on a bigger keeper for a penalty shootout and the press talk about him like he is Newton. Joke. He is actually saying things that Moyes said just with more self confidence.

    All those thinking we would struggle to finish ahead of United for shame!

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  173. Spirit of the Shadows5:16 pm, August 30, 2014

    Bye Bye DAgger YNWA

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  174. Stuart, Can is in the same mould as Moussa Sissoko, M Diame, M Dembele, Yaya Toure and A Diaby all athletic big tall players who are better offensively than defensively.
    And in all honesty quite poor at tackling, tracking back.
    Now A Song(26) has chose to join pony West Ham on loan instead of us, which is blessing.
    B Rodgers needs to spend £18M on these two
    DM: E Capoue(26) Of Tottenham for £7-£10M
    DM: C Tiote(28) Of Newcastle for £6-£8M
    These two athletic mobile tough tackling enforcers would replace L Leiva(27) and bring real class quality solid protection to our back four game in game out.
    And if ever one was injured , there would be like for like cover. And in some games in Europe, Away from home we could shut up shop and nick a 0 1 or 0 2.
    And then lastly B Rodgers needs to bring in a class quality to compete with S Mignolet(25):
    B Rodgers should offer Newcastle £8-£12M for T Krul(26)

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  175. Logan, NO.
    We need two players to be brought in solely to protect the back four, nullify attacks, stop other teams dictating play and the tempo of game and just getting play started.
    All these central midfielders are better on ball than off it: Allen(24), Can(21), Coutinho(22), Gerrard(34), Henderson(24) , Lallana(26) and Suso(20).
    We need two players in the Mascherano(30),Momo Sissoko(30) and Old Makelele Mould:
    Players who are athletic, mobile, tough in the tackle and better at hunting and breaking up play and are on the ball the least in the sides.
    B Rodgers needs to spend £18M on these two DM / DE as soon as possible:
    1: E Capoue(26) Of Tottenham for £7-£10M
    2: C Tiote(26) Of Newcastle for £5-£8M
    Plus £8-£12M on a class quality GK who will displace Good shot stopper S Mignolet(25) :
    T Krul(26) Of Newcastle should be brought for £8-£12M

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  176. Its a bad habit I think, some posts I have tried not to but still do sometimes

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  177. I remember a lot of people justifying us not buying Remy by saying if he's so good why isn't anyone else interested! The answer is Chelsea who are looking formidable! I wonder if this will put extra pressure on Ballotelli to perform? If it doesn't work out I reckon BR & Ayre (& co.) will be guilty of an almighty cock up!

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  178. On a side note, why the hell did Lille want Origi so badly when they are not even going to play hi. Spent the past two games sitting on the bench. Sounds very fishy to me...

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  179. Origi has played 182 minutes in 3 matches for Lille in Ligue 1/ He has already scored one and assisted. That is why they wanted him on loan. Also benefits LFC as he gets regular 1st team football this season.

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  180. What do you mean no?


    Rodgers favours a 1-2 midfield. Tiote or Capoue cannot lace Gerrards boots as a single pivot.

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  181. That's an extreme interpretation! I'm referring to their physicality alone! If we had more brawn in the middle you'll notice the difference!

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  182. That's a very blinkered view of thing. Yes we all want to watch the best games all the time but seriously I have to look objectively and this is our first time in the tournament with a lot of players who have never been here before. I think think this draw is perfect as we get the glamour tie of r Madrid and the chance of qualifying which would be great just for getting there and to shut those Manc ba€@:/sd up. YNWA

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  183. What about Stoke at home losing to Villa on the opening day?


    Let;s just say that City had an off day.

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  184. "Injury problems of Remy". This is an exaggeration, Remy is no sick note! In any case, I appreciate your attempts in justifying a poor decision by LFC!

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  185. Haha no problem. I was just curious

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  186. He has hardly been a regular for France.

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  187. Spirit of the Shadows7:02 pm, August 30, 2014

    balo is 24 he has been Italy's no 1 for some time ,and you would rather have remy who is France"s 3rd choice after giroud?

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  188. The Everton Chelsea match is a real interesting one.

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  189. Spirit of the Shadows7:05 pm, August 30, 2014

    Chelsea look like champions mate , unreal resilience

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  190. I guess only time will tell if the risk pays off! By the way it was never about Ballo vs Remy, rather if LFC made the correct decision in turning down Remy. Considering his pedigree & relatively low cost. For this decision to pay off, Remy would have to perform poorly for Chelski whilst Ballo has a stormer. If neither comes to fruition then LFC have made a silly mistake.

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  191. Everton have been thrashed.

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  192. Everton have just been sloppy.

    It's not like they are getting caught on counters with everyone forward.


    They've just been downright bad defensively.


    Real hung Tim Howard out to dry.

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  193. I disagree somewhat -- they've shown a lot of weaknesses in this game.

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  194. Spirit of the Shadows7:21 pm, August 30, 2014

    my god matic,costa,ramires simply unreal. Chelsea definately the team to beat. Thoroughly enjoyed them getting thrashed

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  195. Martinez one hit wonder...


    Defensively they were quite stable last season. Now it is all starting to fall apart.

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  196. Spirit of the Shadows7:26 pm, August 30, 2014

    yup jagielka was simply atrocious ,all over the place and the full backs are way too attack minded

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  197. Again I will bang on our defence being LFC's biggest problem. Chelsea conceded 3 goals today with two very good holding midfielders!!!


    If there is one player who i would take right now to fill the SINGLE pivot role it would be Matic. Beast of a player.

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  198. Spirit of the Shadows7:58 pm, August 30, 2014

    couldn't agree more , but for all the players out there right now morgan schneiderlin fits the bill. that being said rodgers will stick with stevie.

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  199. i like remy but if balo is motivated he is three times the player

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