24 Dec 2014

Shock Sale: Liverpool willing to sell £18m star ASAP for the right offer. Game over?

Liverpool defender Mamadou Sakho returned to the starting line-up for Sunday's 2-2 draw with Arsenal, and despite several (inevitable) instances of catastrophic defending by LFC's much-maligned defensive unit, the France defender put in an assured individual performance, which should stand him in good stead for the Christmas period. Brendan Rodgers reportedly remains unconvinced by Sakho, though, who is reportedly eminently expendable at Anfield.

According to The Telegraph this week, Liverpool are willing to sell Sakho for the right price:

"Mamadou Sakho and Jose Enrique are far from certain to avoid the next squad cull. They only tend to feature in the event of injury and suspension and would both be sold if the right offer was forthcoming"

Liverpool are reportedly set to scrap 12 defensive players next summer, and Sakho is on the club's hit-list, but from what I've seen, many fans feel that he's good enough to stay, and is deserving of another chance to impress.

In my view, the squad cannot sustain two left-sided central defenders; defensive solidity comes from playing the same defensive unit regularly, and in order to accommodate both Sakho and Lovren, Liverpool will have to alternate defenders on a regular basis, which is not an effective defensive strategy.

As such, at some point, it seems inevitable that one of either Sakho or Lovren will have to leave the club. With both players desperate to maintain their international status, neither will accept bit-part status, and considering the £38m combined transfer fee, that shouldn't even be an option.

Right now, if it's a straight choice between Sakho and Lovren - both of whom are left-sided defenders - then Sakho deserves to be in the team on merit. In the long run, though, that may not count for much; Rodgers clearly doesn't have much confidence in Sakho; if he did, he wouldn't have signed Lovren, who is also a left-side central defender.

How many top teams have TWO senior left-sided central defenders? Not many. Lovren is clearly meant to be Sakho's replacement, but in an ironic twist of fate, Sakho has now replaced the guy who was supposed to replace him (!)

Be that as it may, I still expect Sakho to be the one who ultimately makes way. Lovren has had a nightmare start to his LFC career, but after spending £20m, Rodgers can't afford to just scrap him after six months/a year. Sakho, on the other hand, has had over a year to settle in, and he's still unable to command a regular first-team place.

Given the choice, I'll take Lovren over Sakho every day of the week; the question is, can the Reds claw back the £18m transfer fee?

polls


Author:


110 comments:

  1. This is laughable because of all the defenders he's played the least and has not been given as many chances as Lovren.
    Manchester City wanted Sakho not Lovren (go and check) and rest assured he'll go to a Champions League Club.
    Is it me of since he's come back from Injury we haven't lost?
    Someone drunk the cool-aid

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  2. Lovren should be sold

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  3. We have become such a joke offlate. Seriously, every newspaper has something silly to write about Liverpool. This is largely due to our history of transfer dealings and people expect us to repeat it. Most disappointing fact is that we might just prove them right.

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  4. im unsure why you would take lovren over sako everyday of the week ......in a nutshell why ,on what criteria are you baseing this jk the ability to panic eveytime you get the ball or stand yards out of position.Sako was our best defender against the gunners and like lucas even though hes not everyone's cup of tea when they play the results are better ( ive no stats to back that up )

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  5. Merry Christmas to you too and everyone else.

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  6. Why would we spend any money? Sinclair and Ibe may offer the same for free.

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  7. i accidently pressed lovren who i think will come good


    why cant they both play?
    Lovren can play right center back

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  8. thats the joke ...rodgers has blew a fortune on two defenders who cant swap sides its beyond incompetent .

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  9. Have you watched liverpool's matches offlate? On what basis you want Lovren to play?

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  10. I'd stand firmly behind Mel B. very firmly indeed.

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  11. This is funny because across Europe no one wanted Lovren.
    Sakho gets one thing that Lovern doesn't......your first JOB is to defend not do step overs in the Area.

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  12. the basis he knows nothing about football

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  13. Since Lovern has been dropped we've played better?
    Since Sakho has come back we haven't lost?

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  14. Sakho over Lovren hmmm French International and our best defender

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  15. sako really impressed me against the gunners he never once messed up under pressure and he had some suicide balls passed to him ...he was strong and looked fast

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  16. I like both i hope they can both play though
    Skrtel is old


    .................Manquillo...................Lovren...........Sakho............Moreno


    It worked vs spurs

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  17. its obvious to sane people seppy but for some reason football makes sane people make insane choices

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  18. Again this correlation people try to achieve
    This new formation with Sterling up front is the main reason
    we need pace and skill up front

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  19. not sure what that has to do with sako and lovren m8

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  20. The roots to peoples views on Sakho may have coloured by something other than his performances

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  21. No Rodgers should be sacked (and his assistant and backroom staff). Then give this squad to a decent manager and see them rise the table

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  22. It always amazes me how little people know about defending.

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  23. if rodgers sells sako at a loss fsg should take the balance out of his contract

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  24. Don't care about the cost, not my money. I am in the minority judging from the comments, but with good service, I think this kid will be an absolute star.
    I've had the pleasure of watching him in training on a few occasions and I can tell you that he is a consummate finisher and at least as deadly as DS.

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  25. your right rodgers is little and he knows nothing about defending

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  26. Gilstrap, I don't trust Rogers with choosing players ON HIS OWN.
    The reason being that he wanted Ashley Williams.
    That tells me everything I need to know about BR being able to spot a player.

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  27. I must admit, I did wonder about us signing another left sided centre half when we signed Lovren. Thought Sakho was our best defender against Arsenal though and is worthy of keeping his place. To be honest though, I don't really think toouch of any of our centre halves

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  28. There is a power struggle and *rse covering exercise going on here.
    Lovern should be the one to go BUT someone in the fabled transfer committee sanction £20 million pounds for Lovern.
    Trust me if Sakho goes he will go to somewhere like Arsenal who need a defender WHO CAN DEFEND unlike Lovern who thinks he's a sweepr

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  29. for me rodgers is the opposite of cosmopolitan i really dont think he can handle players from other cultures or backgrounds he dips his toes in then pulls them out when he realizes that he doesnt have the cultural experiance to make these players tick in a nutshell ...hes a narrow minded guy who has struck lucky

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  30. lovren is a sweeper the only thing is it should be working for the council on the park and gardens

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  31. ...and make him sit on the naughty step

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  32. ive stated a few times that i think rodgers doesn't want certain players to play well as he will be forced to pick them and that will lead to ramifications that i dont think we a fully aware off ....its almost like certain players have the cards stacked against them, they are subbed when they play well or not even picked or are put in a position which will expose them tactically or physically ,it sounds crazy but when i look at some of the desisions to who plays and who doesnt its illogical in a lot of cases

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  33. Sakho had his time
    he walked off
    you never do that its all about the team


    he cried so easily
    look at lucas ,skrtel, they fought for their places sakho run away sv everton

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  34. This sale would be a big mistake, have to put trust in him as part of a centre back pairing in a settled defense for a run of games. A new commanding keeper is what we need, should at least instill some confidence in the back four. I actually think he has leadership qualities and could become a mainstay of the team given the chance.

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  35. John Henry has told B R qualify for Champions League with the squad you chose or its curtains

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  36. Surely it's not a coincidence that last year Lucas was involved in 80% of our games where we kept a clean sheet and since he came back into the side a few weeks ago we had our best run of games defensively.

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  37. Could be the case...we will soon enough whether any new signings arrive. He could not have too many complaints if indeed he was told to work with what he has.

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  38. i have to mention that rodgers says balo doesnt suit a high pressing game .............no kidding sherlock ,did anyone on this forum think balo was a hightempo workhorse ,id guess at no but rodgers didnt know this .......its like signing joe allen to be a target man then saying its not working ,can someone please sack this idiot and dont have a go Jk because only an idiot would make that comment about balo so its a fact

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  39. If we get Sturridge back and keep him fit for an extended period Rodgers could get away with it

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  40. Stop writing off players so early in their career
    you dont play in a world cup if you dont have something bout you

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  41. plenty of crap player have played in the world cup ........remember the 10m guy we signed instead of anelka

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  42. get away with it is not a term i'd use. If team does poorly rightly the manager is held accountable, but equally if he turns it around he has to be given credit.

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  43. This team will kill
    ...................................................Sturridge.............
    ............Lallana..............................Coutinho .................Sterling
    ..........................................Henderson.........Lucas
    .............Moreno..................Sakho................Skrtel........Markoviv
    ........................................................Mignolet




    apart from Chelsea,Man city ,Man utd,Arsenal and maybe everton all other teams would swap instantly for that team in my opinion

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  44. He was deifetley talented but like Balotelli he had attitude problems

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  45. You have Markovic as orthodox right back??

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  46. thats 5 teams and only the top 4 get into europe thats quite a problem

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  47. If Antonio Valencia can play there
    if Glen Johnson can play there
    then Markovic can he has looked our best full back so far in last 3 games

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  48. He is fondly remembered by Bolton fans

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  49. Sheamus Coleman used to be a winger as well

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  50. glen johnson cant play there thats the problem

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  51. Not for me in this formation, he has ability to track back and cover when we use back three, but he has shown promising signs going forward taking on players. Also quite liked how he come in off the left in last two games.

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  52. I quite like the look of Markovic there
    as a temporary solution

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  53. Liverpool defenders were bought because they performed well for their previous clubs, they come here and all of a sudden they're mistake prone, so obviously the problem is in the coaching and management, so in other words as long as the we have the same coaching and management it doesn't make a blind bit of difference who we have in the back 4, we always be vulnerable back there, we need goal scoring strikers and a REALLY REALLY good defensive midfielder and play our style and go for it like last season, that's the only way it can work for us imo!

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  54. I know but if you watch Everton ever play you would see how
    Coleman and Baines attack more then they ever defend
    we have a lot of options in midfield

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  55. A defensive coach to assist Rodgers in meantime and Can should get used a lot more.

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  56. Why? Wait for Sturridge to come back, I don't doubt that Balo and Daniel will do good together.

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  57. I actually think he'll stick with the 343 formation or 3 5 2 if u like. Also think he'll be used when Sterling has a rest for a couple of games in Jan.

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  58. Sanchez would have slotted nicely into our team I think everyone agrees. We'd have an extra 9 points with him even with our defense.

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  59. Clever choice of words.

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  60. Please tell em you did not just play the race card?

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  61. Leeds fans detest him.


    And so on.

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  62. Do you pose that rhetorical question because racism is unheard of in Britain, which for centuries has been the paragon of anti-racism and global equity?


    Hey, it's Christmas. Let's debate this after the Burnley match. Have a joyful one, fella.

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  63. If only ol' John Henry had stumped up the cash for Konoplyanka or Salah last January. We would probably have won the league.

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  64. I don't mind racist as long as they are not hurting people or treating unfairly to a certain extent

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  65. Good team, but maybe find a way to play Markovic and Moreno as wing-backs. Maybe swapping Henderson for Can and playing the German as a third centre-half would do the trick. Works for the Germany u-21s (I think).

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  66. You say that but then say Konoplyanka played instead of Coutinho in one game say Fullham gam and he never scored that goal vs fullham we drop 2 points and


    or say eh played instead ofd sterling in one game where sterlingmade an impact


    its too simple to say something like that

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  67. good idea : )

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  68. Well you seem like a good guy so let me not moralise.


    I guess I just have a lot less patience than you do.

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  69. Can't have hurt to have had another competent option, though, I'm sure. You;re right in that he could have cost us points, but that's a worst-case scenario. I'm thinking of a game like Chelsea where we needed a goal, but Gerrard wasn't really passing to anyone. Having another top winger, who can score from outside the box to boot, might have helped us get an equaliser.


    All ifs and mights, of course.


    I just think it's a bit rich for John Henry to be giving BR such ultimatums when in reality he only truly backed BR with cash in two transfer windows out of five since he's been LFC manager, and one of those windows was conditional on Rodgers losing his best player. Slightly raw deal, I feel.

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  70. Totally agree with you Wouldn't give him One cent .Cant see FSG giving him money . And 30 mil for barahino Stupid I would sell players get Pogba and the 30 mil or Buy Reus injured now .

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  71. Man, Kiessling is someone I wish we signed. He or Huntelaar. Even at 3 they are still lethal. Great shout, Sid.

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  72. It seems that Rodgers has pulled a Megamind by taking the reasonable price for Berahino and multiplying it by... six. If Rodgers was blue and pronounced Metrocity incorrectly, I could forgive him.


    But I hope none of you chaps are following my lead and internetting on Christmas Eve. A very merry festive period to you all, including the site owner, of course. Thanks for the great conversations over the past few months. Stay safe and don't go easy on the gravy.

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  73. Well in that case I'm less against BR signing him for that money. Haven't seen him outside of games on TV so can't disagree with your judgement! Anyone as deadly as Sturridge is welcome.

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  74. Rodgers is running out of excuses just like his tactics.
    This is a first I'm sure in football history where you criticise your own pitch

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  75. I would take Dagger anytime of the day compared to Lovren and Sakho.

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  76. least sakho is a ball winner despite being uneasy on the ball at times, not scared to put himself on the line and get stuck in.
    never been a fan of skrtel to inconsistent and a liability, lovren talked the talk, doesnt read the game well cant win a ball in the air if his opponent is over 5"10 doesnt like to get stuck in.
    liverpools only way forward is for me if glen johnson ,skrtel and lovren are replaced.
    loads of better defenders out there. rodgers would never bought carragher in his prime because he doesnt possess the best passing skills etc, but look how we have missed a ball winner and leader.
    only got to look at chelseas defence , full of hard men with a bit of intelligence and leaders.

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  77. JK you must be blind if you rate Lovren over Sakho Lovren would be one of if not the wiorst C.B ive seen at Liverpool.
    If not for injury Sakho would have his spot nailed ages ago.

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  78. Coming from you that's ridiculous- remember you accusing Rodgers of not picking Can cos he's Muslim then tried to weasel out of it by saying he only doesn't like Turkish people- so don't try that race card gimmick - you can change your name but I see you

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  79. The same Lucas who gets all "i might move if i don't play" every other week in the press, touting himself for a move to Italy?

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  80. Rues, Lacazette, Jackson Martinez, Tevez, Higauin or Andy Carroll.

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  81. Sakho has had tons of injuries. Lovren, whose arrival I was excited about, has been awful after the first game or two at most. I don't know if it's staged fright being in a bigger club or inferior teammates in the back four or the lack of a big boy DM. All I know is he plays better in the World Cup or at Southy last year and it's a huge puzzle and disappointment to me.....

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  82. You hit the nail squarely on the head Paul........please meet with John Henry on behalf of us all frustrated fans.....the truth needs to be known!

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  83. As Jaimie said, you're having a laugh! We shouldn't be signing Berahino, but if BR makes the mistake of signing him then we should pay no more than 12m-15m. We paid 15m for Allen and I just can't get over that.

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  84. The club should steer clear of him at all cost. Don't touch him with a long pole.

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  85. How can you spend 18 mil then another 20 mil for a player who play in the same position with one will warm the bench,we dont have a deep pocket like MC or Chelsea but i think the problem with both of them performing poorly is down to BR tactical problem and his transfer.

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  86. We all do man

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  87. I would say Balo is a good player but with the wrong manager who doesn't know how to play him and does not know how to choose a right player for his style of technic and same goes with most of his transfer players.BAD TRANSFER from BR.

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  88. Sakho over Loverns every day for me

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  89. Merry Christmas to each and every one of you.

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  90. Surely that 24 million pounds would be better spent on Bony at least he's consistent in scoring goals. Berahino is just another 6 month wonder will Liverpool's shite transfer committee ever learn.

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  91. Speak for yourself.

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  92. Any Manager (Not trainer like BR) would have made an excellent CB pair with Sakho-Lovren. They had everything to make a top class CB pairing. A left-right combination, both of similar height (6'2"+), both into mid 20s, both good in passing, ball possession, both physical but quick & both regular Internationals of 2 top sides (means experienced in big matches). Particularly, I don't know why Sakho won't make it for us, such a shaky defense - he starts for France, whose back-up 3rd set CBs probably 'll start for England.


    I have lost confidence over BR's capability on defensive organization. Also, now I think why he always look for his former players - don't have the vision or confidence to handle top quality players with far superior experience than him. Give him Company & Hummels, next year he 'll plan to change them - his best role is attack coordinator (assistant manager/trainer) under a top quality Manager like Wenger, LVG, JM, Ancellotti, Pep or Rafa.

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  93. I also had the feeling, but I don't have the technical knowledge to back that. He swapped wing backs, when regular options were available, he made at least 20 back 4 combination, when often teams play 20 matches with 1 combination.


    My question is why? These are players mostly bought by him.

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  94. No. I 'll say no.


    Backed on Suarez, we won 11 or 12 consecutive matches. We didn't failed because of forwards - we missed because we underestimated JM - tried to win against Chelsea & JM hurt us on counter - a draw would have been perfect. We failed because BR's defense couldn't protect a 3-0 lead for 15 minutes. Add those 3 points, we won't have required even CR or Messi.

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  95. Pieter Engelbrecht5:23 am, December 25, 2014

    we have to get another striker.cannot tely on sturridge alone. Bony the man

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  96. Pieter Engelbrecht5:27 am, December 25, 2014

    how about song for the steel in midfield together with lucas?

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  97. Never going to happen - I am confirmed now, BR doesn't have the guts to bring players from top clubs. He 'll hunt around Swansea, Southampton, WBA mostly.

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  98. He'd never get any wages and would need a mortgage

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  99. Pieter Engelbrecht9:17 am, December 25, 2014

    you go ray,are we the only people hoping for bony?

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  100. Gilstrap you will find that it is the author of the article stating that BR is happy to spend the money on the player in an article he is speculating on himself. Jaimie is entitled to his opinion and whilst I think it is good for debate there is a way of writing things that can, and do, influence the reader. Thus potentially swaying their opinion - alternative agenda?

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  101. Put that money towards Cavani

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  102. 4eva LFC, LFC 4eva1:29 pm, December 25, 2014

    This guy wants to move to a bigger club and he wants to play CL every time i hear that a player wants to play CL (from a smaller club) it brings up a warning flag for me, why can't we just offer Swansea this money for Bony he seems quiet about his business and just performs, he has a proven goal scoring record in the PL and he will move to LFC i have no doubt, BR is going to spend more money on some talented youngster who looks good for the future, Bony for me looks good now.

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  103. B R wont sign anyone - believe me - he must sell first AND will be historyy if we do not qualify for Champions league

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  104. It seems to me that there are definitely times when it is essential to pay somewhat more for the proven, finished article...a Diego Costa, for example (Chelsea ostensibly paid somewhere around 32 million pounds, at most...vs. saving 6-8 million pounds and having to hope that you are "guessing right". Liverpool's current need to augment its strike force, is just such an occasion, it seems to me.

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  105. B Rodgers needs to bring a striker similar to D Sturridge(25) to club in January, someone who has mobility, always on the move, has a lot of pace and speed and a good finisher.


    The only two strikers similar to D Sturridge(25) who he could or should bring either one to club is :


    L Adriano(27) Of Shakhtar Donesk for £7M or on Pre contract in summer


    P Aubamayeng(25) Of Borussia Dortmund for £14-£17M


    Both of these strikers are more like D Sturridge(25) than Berahino(21), both have more pace and speed which is one thing that the defenders in premiership and world football fear the most.

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  106. NO B Rodgers should not sign him. B Rodgers needs to ship out L Leiva(27) to Inter Milan for £8-£10M NO Loan Malarchy rubbish.


    And then bring in an UPGRADE Class Mobile Quality top tackling ball playing DM: M Schneiderlimn(25) Of Southampton should be brought for £17-£21M to dislodge and displace S Gerrard(34) from the first 11 as A DM in side.

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  107. We (LFC) are what we are, you people who call themselves fans, and criticise day after day, need to get another team to SUPPORT, it is sickening to read the crap some, if not most people write here about our club. If you dont like LFC then Fuck off to Chelsea or whoever suits your fancy.

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