12 May 2015

Mystery Solved: Rodgers explains why he ignored €6m Liverpool star for 5-months

Since January 1st, Javier Manquillo has played just 137 minutes of football for Liverpool, which roughly equates to a 1.5 games in five months. Quite how a play is able to develop with such measly game-time is anyone's guess, and recent reports claim that the Reds are preparing to scrap the €6m-rated full-back after just one season. Is this true, though? Not according to Brendan Rodgers, who has now explained why Manquillo has dropped off the radar this year.

Last month, the Daily Mail claimed:

"Right-back Javi Manquillo is set to return to Spain after failing to make an impact [at Liverpool]"

These days, the Spaniard - unfairly labelled as 'poor' by Jamie Redknapp earlier in the season' - rarely makes the match-day squad, let alone the first team, so cutting short his two-year loan spell seems to make sense.

However, when asked over the weekend about Manquillo's future, Rodgers refuted reports of an early exit, and explained Manquillo's extended absence from the team. He told reporters:

“When the system changed it was obviously a little more difficult for him. He hasn’t played much...but a lot of that has been due to the system change. Hopefully he comes back in pre-season and can work well and work his way into the team.”

Unfortunately, Manquillo doesn't offer much going forward, so playing as a right-wing back is a non-starter; however, it still seems unduly harsh to restrict him to just 137 minutes of football since the turn of the year.

How is this good man-management? Given all the injuries this season, are we to believe that there was no opportunity for Manquillo to be afforded more game time over the last 5 months? In my view, that's nonsense.

As such, it'll be no surprise whatsoever if Manquillo decides to quit Anfield this summer. Indeed, Rodgers uses the word 'hopefully' in relation to the defender's pre-season return, which suggests there's a possibility he may leave.

With Glen Johnson (probably) leaving, and Jon Flanagan out for an extended period, there is an opportunity for Manquillo to make his mark, but that probably won't happen. Liverpool will inevitably sign another right-back this summer, and Emre Can will probably fill in if/when needed.

As such, I seen no incentive for Manquillo to stay, especially if Rodgers continues to favour a 343/352 formation next season.

Ultimately, the failure to utilise Manquillo simply underlines Liverpool's lamentable performance in the loan market. Rodgers just can't seem to get it right, so perhaps he should just quit whilst he's ahead behind.

Author: Jaimie K



170 comments:

  1. Fair Comment - He messes up far too often and I think F S G know this - if he survives he will be given until Xmas Max

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  2. If we are going to persist with three at the back then Alves will be a good signing.

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  3. We cant keep everybody - some have to go - thats how you run a business - law of supply and demand. LFC under B R cannot defend - Under 21 COnceded four at home last night - br spends too much time being politically correct instead of being working class like the great Bob Paisley - Less Bull - More Action

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  4. Now blaming BR for U21 defending is a bit of a stretch even for someone like me.

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  5. If our plan next season involves Emre Can filling in at right-back then our transfer business will have been a failure. His football brain is wasted there.

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  6. Brands said in the Daily Mail: "There was a lot of interest in him. Finally we spoke with three clubs and we made contact.

    "They knew what we wanted and then it was up to the player to choose the club where he wanted to play.

    "I didn't speak with Brendan Rodgers. I had contact with Ian Ayre. I know there were some problems with [Daniel] Sturridge, maybe that changed the decision.

    "I don't know. I'm not in the club of Liverpool. I don't know what the policies are inside.

    "But Man United were very fast and that changed the decision for Memphis. He made the final decision. He made his choice.

    "We are happy with the transfer to Man United.

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  7. Manquillo and utter waste of money when we had loads of cover at RB.


    "Manchester City have held talks with highly-rated Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba"



    LFC will manage to hold talks with Milner then I suppose? Happy days ;-o

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  8. "Unfortunately for you guys, it wasn't one we were ever interested in. He's obviously a talented young player, but we already have four wingers at the club."


    Obviously Rodgers is talking rubbish.

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  9. Sounds about right.

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  10. If the decision was down to Depay how did the Sturridge situation change that eh?


    Sounds a little confused to me. This fits more s with the suggestion we had a look but were not prepared to enter a biddig war with PSG and Manu in view of the cover already at the club

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  11. I don't think will ever afford the likes of Pogba.

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  12. I am a little confused too on Sturridge situation. Were they planning to sell Sturridge to fund Depay but changed the decision at the last moment? Not sure. And this is making BR look like a liar/fool. He should really learn to speak to reporters.

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  13. Rodgers has forever been a PR disaster.

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  14. He would not want to come anyway. Not in our current state of affairs.

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  15. I assume the suggestion is that with Sturridge being injury prone a ready made out and out striker became a higher priority

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  16. He has just been a disaster at everything.


    He should have changed his formation and brought Manquillo back so we could have moaned about that and criticised him for dropping someone else ......

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  17. who knows man, lets just assume we did our best.

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  18. voice of reason9:22 am, May 12, 2015

    poor man management by BR another reason why he needs to go

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  19. voice of reason9:25 am, May 12, 2015

    agrred i might come off like a t.w.a.t but BR has nothing to do with under 21

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  20. Support Man City or PSG or Madrid, then. If you want to be able to purr over the most expensive players in the world, to see a team of galacticos line up every week, Liverpool is not the club for you and it never will be. Honestly. Or, you could just stop pointlessly complaining about things not happening at Liverpool as they happen at such places. Enjoy Liverpool doing what Liverpool has always done: building from within, growing players from rookies into greats. Writing our own legends, not just buying other people's.

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  21. Gave me goosebumps

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  22. I read a few days before Depay joined them that Liverpool had dropped their interest in Depay to focus on signing a top striker in lieu of Sturridge's surgery.

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  23. Can is more likely to have a career as a defender than a midfielder for the next few years. He's not quick enough off the mark and his passing hasn't quite settled down yet. I love having him in the back line, anyway -- such quality from there is a real strength. One of my favourite players this season, a joy to watch... as a defender.

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  24. Makes sense and BR was just doing his usual to play down Manu getting him and as usual he was too earnest and unable to do a tongue in cheek put down

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  25. Yeah he could have at least categorically denied any interest.

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  26. I think he is being wasted there and I don't see him as a great defender. He was quite inconsistent. Also, I don't think he will be too happy if BR keeps playing him there.

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  27. Yeah he's young, though he doesn't look it. I agree that he will probably want to move into midfield eventually. Whether he does or not will be largely down to him, whether he can address the problems he has in coping with the pace of play. But this period as a defender will have improved his game immeasurably when he does so.

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  28. Well they play his system. He at least has an influence.

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  29. i get you mate but i wish we'd have won a few BPL trophies along the way :-(

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  30. Pls don't say never be. I still harbour ambitions of us actually buying stars again. The likes of torres mash babel(pre lfc). I also remember fergie wanting Hendo but we got him.

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  31. What is BR's system? I cannot see a same system for more than 3 matches. BR keeps on shuffling players and formations, not sure that would be followed in U21 and U18.

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  32. Who knows what true and whts a lie, I remember Downing was given assurances that he had an LFC future right before he was sold, We weren't buying Balotelli, but did, and more recently Brad Jones was told he could have another contract before being told he couldn't... I think I'll just wait and see who's here, and who isn't come September 2nd....

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  33. Well. They play a certain 433 throughout lfc. The system he put in place when he first joined

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  34. The idea is that all the youth teams play as the first....hopefully preparing them for a future in the first team.

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  35. I agree with ya on this Jay Jay. I think we are starting to disagree again... Hendo aint quite a workhorse going forwards or defending. Allen is well, Allen. Unless Can is brought in CDM and Hendo steps up his pressing game, there is no guarantee that Pirlo will come good for us. Same reason why people like Coutinho become anonymous in games where we do not dominate possession

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  36. Everyone can see. If we played can and Hendo infront of lucas we have better performances. Only brendan almost doesn't know what's good for him. We implode he brings in lucas for a few games and then he drops him till we implode again. He's the closest thing to a 6 we have.

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  37. Tell me what exactly is rubbish about that statement, Depay is a talented young player, and we do have 4 wing players at the club.

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  38. Nah, it wont work for those three, they achieved something with the resorces availed to them

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  39. There is something with that generation of Italian players. Pirlo, Totti, Del Piero, they all look like they could still be playing at 50! But going by his comments about Del Piero I think that when he does move abroad, it will be to the US, Oz or the Middle East for the big bucks and the sunshine.

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  40. The system which is now hardly followed by the first team.

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  41. I scratched my head when he decided to take off our goalscorer to bring on Lucas when we needed a goal against Chelsea... Almost an admission thatwe weren't good enough to defend a draw and even less so get a goal, even though we looked more likely in the last 15 mins....

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  42. I understand but there is no such ideal system for BR and it will be difficult for youth teams to follow first team system which itself is inconsistent.

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  43. Yes that system. The youth team actually been made sure they have the right personnel. Two good wingers and a pacy striker.

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  44. That sounds reasonable, and in the light of Utds cash flow, exceptable.

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  45. The 4 wing players at the club are not good enough to push LFC to a Champions League place, as this season proves. That's the problem.

    Liverpool need upgrades, but Rodgers is (seemingly) happy to go into next season with the same issues.

    Plus, he's willing to spend £20m on Markovic, and sign the likes of Alberto, Aspas, and Moses, yet Liverpool aren't interested in a player like Depay?!

    Total nonsense. And if it's true, then Rodgers deserves the sack for a fatal lack of ambition.

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  46. And despite this, some fans will still pigheadedly insist that Depay didn't reject LFC, and that the Reds weren't interested.

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  47. Give it a rest with the Sterling martyrdom. I didn't refer only to Sterling; I said all 4 wingers are not productive enough on the goal front.

    Depay is on a totally different level to Sterling (IMO). He actually walks the walk.

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  48. Ok mate.

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  49. We will see how good Depay really is when he gets out of the small pond.

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  50. Manquillo actually looked ok sure he needed time to find his feet i get the feeling we will be playing wing backs more often next season thus no need.

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  51. I agree, but have one point to add: EPL is also completely different league compared to Serie A in terms of speed and physicality. If Juve has three real workhorses to enable Pirlo the time and space he may need with the ball in slower and less demanding environment, what are our chances to really make the aging Pirlo to continue his world-class form? I am not saying he couldn't pull it off and make us a world-class team again, but there is an awful lot of risk with this plan to succeed accounting the demanding nature of EPL and our current player material.

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  52. His brain, yes; but more importantly with his disarming good looks and luscious mane agleam, he should really be centre stage!

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  53. Bit of a rumor getting about that Sterlings house is on the market and he is looking for a property in London.
    If this is true are Chelsea going to be big players?

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  54. LVG said "I had to fix this situation" means he himself took action and talked to Depay regarding a move to Man Utd.
    PSV said that they didn't talk to BR but instead had a contact with Ayre. Don't you feel that BR should have shown the same enthusiasm as LVG if we were seriously interested in Depay?

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  55. I think, if he had the players he probably feels he should as a Liverpool manager, he would have and know his system... As it stands, he's a little hamstrung with the clubs transfer policy.... It wouldn't suprise me if he was as frustrated as we were, but is so happy just to be LFC manager that he doesn't want to put his position in jeopardy..

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  56. cannot defend? What proof do you have for that? We are between 3 and 5 goals of any of the top 6 bar Chelsea. Hardly the end of the world is it?
    Less bull?

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  57. Give it a rest with the Sterling demonisation then.
    Almost every mention of his name is in a negative way or accompanied by a derogatory term.
    None of our strikers were good enough though, I agree with that. Including Sterling.
    Depay has done it in one league, but then others have done so and not transferred that record to the PL. We'll see. Even LvG said he didn't want to do the deal this soon, maybe he is not the finished article we desperately need

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  58. So what's the point? that Man City can go for people like Pogba and we can't?
    What has Pogba got to do with it?

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  59. Who would you get if you were manager Loges player wise and you must be realistic theres no point complaining if you have no answers yourself.

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  60. Totally disagree. Anyway, this whole BR is not responsible for transfers is getting boring. I think players like Borini, Allen, Lambert, Lallana, Lovren were surely his first choice players and all have failed to have any measurable impact. One day, we will know the truth. Also, if BR is just using players that TC has forced him with then it really undermines BR's authority within the club. I don't want a manager who is a yes man at the club. I don't think a manager like Rafa will bare this nonsense. We need such authoritative managers.

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  61. Waiting with baited breath....

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  62. This Manquillo situation has really irked me for some time. Everyone keeps on saying Manquillo would not suit the system but was he ever really tried there? No, instead we got midfielders playing as defenders and in the end, what great attacking fluency did they offer. Lallana, markovic and Sterling were totally useless in that role and when we have a specialist RB at the club, it is a joke. It worked when Ibe was performing well but when he got injured, BR tried to substitute when he should have just played Manquillo.

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  63. Why is that? Even if we got Depay, an out and out strikers should still have been the priority and the fact that if Sturridge had not gotten injured, we would not have gone for a striker is a bit worrying.

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  64. With Sturridge's injury record it should have been obvious we need another out and out goalscorer anyway. Perhaps he was suggesting with our other priorities Depay became less important to us but it sounds like he is merely speculating.

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  65. We were not agressive in pursuing Depay as usual and to attribute it to a lack of interest is a bit weird. Why spend so much time in scouting and gathering interest only to give up. BR trying to desperately save face after a loss of a target.

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  66. Mike Aitcheson1:39 pm, May 12, 2015

    You may well be right, but how do you know Manquillo wasn't tried there in training and bombed? He was poor going forward, and te wing back position needs a progressive player. Ashley Young has been converted, so was Valencia and no doubt many others

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  67. But, mate what is the definition of "poor going forward". When Markovic or Lallana played there, I never saw any "progression" from them. They offered nothing to the attack. Training is different from the matchday situation. i was just reading an article that said that Manquillo had one of his best games against Swansea as a RWB. And, how is playing Johnson any better?

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  68. I do accept that there are a number of possibilities here.


    It could be that we were keen as mustard but through a mixture of general incompetence , offering too little money, having a no mates amateur manager and not being good enough as a club Depay laughed in our face and decided to join Manu instead and BR then lied about it. .


    On the other hand everyone else could be lying and we were never interested in Depay.



    Another possibility is that because he is a very promising player we were initially interested but a when it became obvious that others wanted/needed him more and/or he wanted them more we decided not to go all out for him . Then BR decided to underplay things because it was Manu

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  69. Mike Aitcheson1:52 pm, May 12, 2015

    Playing Johnson is very rarely any better. But he can play on the left, can Manquillo?. And I disagree about Markovic and Lallana. They failed on their final ball, and to some extent on their defensive positioning, but when I saw Manquillo he seemed a pure defender, very unsure of what to do past the halfway line

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  70. The guy even says: "we made contact", not "they made contact" with us. They called based on past interest, probably from last summer.

    So PSV rang Liverpool and asked if they were interested this time around (they aren't, because they are after someone else).

    But Ian said something vague, because you don't say no in that situation.

    And that enabled PSV to ring Man Utd and said "We've spoken to Liverpool and PSG, are you interested".

    And Man Utd said "OH GOD TAKE ALL OUR MONEY THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR CALLING", only in Dutch.

    And now they are shooting their mouths off all over the internet like a bunch of muppets trying to make Liverpool look like mugs and them look like high-flying business dudes who got the best possible deal for their club, and for some reason it's being lapped up by Liverpool fans who should know better!

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  71. Good article, Jaimie.


    I like the kid, but he doesn't offer much going forward, so is likely to be no more than a benchwarmer with us, unless Veneers changes our playing system again...which is pretty much nailed on

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  72. Lol, so true.

    Less about the white teeth, more about the plight of a once great club struggling to regain it's former glory, if you please!

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  73. I wouldn't mind 50M for him from Chelsea.
    We made good business selling them Torres, and I think it would be a good business selling them Sterling for 50M.

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  74. I think teams will know how to play our 343 so it may be risky to go with it for the entire season. But knowing BR, he will keep on doing the same thing just because he thinks its ok.

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  75. Good points, BUT...

    ...HE BOUGHT ALL OUR CURRENT STRIKEFORCE, WHICH SCORED FEWER GOALS THAN EVERTONS DEFENCE...

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  76. If my memory serves me correctly. I think we were on Benitez's case for poor man management, and not attractive football among others. But at least we were getting some results. It seems to me that we are on BR's case for the same reasons right?

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  77. My reaction was slightly more animated, evidenced by the cat having to be taken to the vet immediately after the game.

    I told the missus to keep it outta the living room while the game was on, so technically, it's the wifes fault.

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  78. Haha, awesome post!

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  79. Lol, oh we'll talk with Milner.

    The dialogue will be akin to when I used to go to nightclubs on the pull:

    "Hey, fancy some action?"

    "Er, maybe, but I'm not gonna commit to anything because I believe another club will offer better terms"

    : (

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  80. And the award for the the most worthless post of the day goes to...

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  81. Stan Dinaround2:45 pm, May 12, 2015

    Yeah!, I keep arguing his corner, and still, there are many questionable examples of why my fight is in vain....

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  82. Stan Dinaround2:50 pm, May 12, 2015

    If you think thats getting boring, then you know how I feel when I read errr BR out! all the time without any reasonable reason as to why.... Most just like to follow the easist crowd without knowing anything about why they follow....If only people would turn up to vote with such fervent passion as those campaigning to oust Brendan.

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  83. Stan Dinaround2:51 pm, May 12, 2015

    PS, I bet apart from his first window, he had numerous other first choice targets that he wasn't able to pursue....

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  84. Stan Dinaround2:52 pm, May 12, 2015

    Pet insurance mate, it's a life saver.;)

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  85. Can't fault your loyalty though, which is to be admired : )

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  86. We are mugs. Lallana 25m, Markovic 20m (and not even on the subs bench). And I actually like Lallana.


    Just some perspective, Robo.

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  87. I don't have a problem with those fees at all.

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  88. He's pretty inconsistent, actually. His poor performances are worse than Sterling's. Sometimes he is simply awful, falling over his own feet and stuff. When he's good he's very good, though, and he takes a mean free kick. But I'd say Sterling is a better player overall, honestly.

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  89. He is a very poor player.. We would be better off bringing through one of our own local fullbacks than give him game time.

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  90. We should try and get Trippier, he already knows Ings so we have a good chance.

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  91. Same thing in the mafia, all friendly like and then... wallop, or whack, or something.
    They never see it coming.
    The Brodge-Father.

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  92. As well as maybe we're taking a more efficient/ruthless attitude this summer, i.e. we may have our list of targets and all of them pre-rated to what extent they are required.
    In Depay's case we perhaps offered x amount, they declined and we told them to stick him somewhere plastic instead, and promptly turned our attentions elsewhere.
    Much better that way than procrastinating for weeks on end whilst missing out on other players, until eventually all you are left with is a sticking plaster for your gaping wound, a Stickotelli.

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  93. Pieter Engelbrecht4:19 pm, May 12, 2015

    he plays johnsom who is leaving, what is the sense in that?why not give the lad a proper change?

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  94. Flanno still has no new contract, right? We should bear that in mind next time we demand loyalty from our players...

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  95. That's a good synopsis and why perhaps Manquillo became surplus to requirements this season. As you say we don't need players to get down the wing and cross the ball as we have no one to get on the end of it. Maybe Balo but maybe not.
    I can't see BR changing our whole game plan and going that route either, for me that's not a problem as he showed the cutting inside, quick interplay and through balls was effective enough last season.
    Again as you mention what we definitely do need is (ideally) two good strikers capable of fitting that system as well as (hopefully) one very good striker who can also create his own chances when the rest of our attack is being stifled.
    Having said all that it would be nice to have at least one player who could cross the ball! which is why I favour Trippier, - good all round and can consistently deliver quality crosses as well as set pieces. Also would be cheap enough that we could just use him for that 'plan b' game, when the 'play through the middle/cut inside' isn't working.

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  96. Stan Dinaround5:22 pm, May 12, 2015

    You may have just stumbled on his new name for the new season...:)

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  97. Strange that one, Emre just seems to have the class to do it all at his own pace, I think that's what makes it so good - you can see he is beating players with absolute skill, not just out-sprinting them, no step overs et al, just some kind of Yoda like presence.
    He does seem maybe a bit slow to use too far up the pitch, but I wonder if Brendan is consciously trying to improve his defensive abilities with a DM role in mind.

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  98. voice of reason5:25 pm, May 12, 2015

    sturridge even in chelsea seems like a natural goal scorer,benteke (he was great in his first season and is the first choice starter for belgium when fit) and harry kane seemed like he had potential from the skills set ings has is it clear he'll go on to score 20 goals a season???

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  99. tony keegan™5:25 pm, May 12, 2015

    kuyt scored plenty in holland too and kezman, everybody wants to spend loads of money to buy players , remember ian rush and where he came from and how much, plenty more expensive options than him at the time and now look at his record for goals

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  100. That's hoping he's still here... a season of hope and a smattering of glory. New names you say...

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  101. voice of reason5:30 pm, May 12, 2015

    its ok eventually the blinding light from there optimism will dull out and they will be forced to face the reality that what you have written and what some of us negative posters have been saying may actually have some truth in it... btw i really like your work keep up the good job

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  102. voice of reason5:36 pm, May 12, 2015

    its like he's afraid or cant handle non-english players

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  103. It's his acceleration and agility that's the problem. He's quite rapid once he starts moving but he takes a moment or two to start. That's why full back is a good fit for him, he can move onto the ball at pace and move through a player's zone into space behind or to the side with a trick or two quite well.

    When he needs to explode out of that zone, to prevent his opponent tackling back, he can't do it. He overcompensates sometimes with a heavy touch to push the ball further ahead than a quicker player would need to. Again this is ok as full-back because usually you've got ample space behind the opposing full-back to attack.

    But it means it's just impossible for him to play in central midfield in the way he wants to, because you have to be able to beat your man up close then move onto the ball before the support or cover arrives -- there's very little space behind a central midfielder to attack. Can will give the ball away too often in that situation at the moment.

    When he first signed he sometimes got his feet tangled up a bit as well because he could be slow to adjust to the path of the ball -- though that seems to have improved already, he looks fitter and more balanced over all. He's being very well coached in my opinion: he'd have been slaughtered in most premier league midfield battles, really.

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  104. Injoyed reading, as usual..
    But defensibly he will get beaten more often playing full back than in the midfield at this moment I think, though he is improving..

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  105. My perfect position for him is alongside DM. DM, him, Hendo and Couts sounds perfect t me. And if Brendan can gamble on him being DM, than him Hendo, Lallana and Couts.

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  106. Can't wait for a new name..

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  107. Honestly I'm not arguing for arguments sake and maybe I'm wrong but I don't believe for one minute that Liverpool or Rodgers aren't interested in a player/s like Depay.
    I am though, 100% sure that the vast majority of what he says is purely diplomatic (stemming from him having ltd funds) and meant to appease the fans into not feeling we are missing out on our targets. I'm also pretty sure that really, you share the same view, although it doesn't stir the pot well...
    Given the finances then of course he would of gone after the likes of Depay and that level player with every signing, are you honestly suggesting he might just be telling FSG to save their money. Maybe he told them to keep their millions and chose Aspas telling them "I have a cunning plan"

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  108. Pieter Engelbrecht6:00 pm, May 12, 2015

    at least buy something better than balo.he dont our game .yet br played him lone striker.recipe for disaster

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  109. Expecting BR to tussle it out with van haal? Hahahahaha! He never got what it takes to drop liability in the side let alone going head -to -head with a world renowned manager

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  110. Pieter Engelbrecht6:04 pm, May 12, 2015

    now you talking

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  111. Pieter Engelbrecht6:05 pm, May 12, 2015

    because he blew 100mil already

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  112. I did type out that perhaps BR has been trying to sharpen up the defensive side of his game for a DM role but Robo is way ahead of me on analysis and had covered it much better than I, so delete it I did.
    Having just read his other post re Emre I think he paints an accurate picture of Emre's shortcomings and it does lead me to worry a bit about his ability to recover if he is beaten in midfield. I just have visions of Gerrard being passed and that's it, their at our back four (or three) in a heart beat. Although you could be right and he's less exposed there than at FB, definitely get the feeling we're only just scratching the surface with him though.

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  113. Pieter Engelbrecht6:06 pm, May 12, 2015

    ian was looking for another donout contract

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  114. Pieter Engelbrecht6:08 pm, May 12, 2015

    ian was there but br had no idea? Is this how the transfer comittee operate?. no wonder

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  115. Don't you love reading Robo? I type long posts with my thoughts here, but when he answers them, all that's left is to thank him..

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  116. Yeah he's never going to be a proper fullback, I agree, but it seems more upside than downside to play him there -- it'd be different if Skrtel wasn't so all-action as he is. He's done a good job helping Can into the side.

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  117. Aw you guys. *blush*. I like reading y'all too.

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  118. As Case says, we just scratched the surface with Emre, and even though he is not brilliant in any position, you can see he will become one hell of a player. Think that would be an interesting topic here to discuss- what position he will be playing in the future, and good will he be..

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  119. Shankha Chaudhuri6:42 pm, May 12, 2015

    Lesser players are on low salaries, so that's a few million pounds saved and the lesser players have low profiles to Mr. John Henry's advantage, he can use them as mouthpieces to cover up his dirty business..!!

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  120. Yeah I still think it's nonsense.

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  121. grow up. If you don't like it, please don't bother replying to it.

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  122. Shankha Chaudhuri6:52 pm, May 12, 2015

    You are entitled to your opinion, what do I say about that??

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  123. This discussion on Austin and Ings is a nonstarter. Ings is a player on the rise who gave problems to every team he played against, all action, full of effort and speed, and objectiveness. Austin is a fighter up front with a good shot and presence in the area. What do we need? A younger Lambert or a Suarezish kind of player, minus the skills?

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  124. Disagree, Ian Ayre is competent at his job as a financial director, but just incompetent as a transfer negotiator/closer.

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  125. Sorry Shankha think your theory is too machevellian for FSG

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  126. David Godoy Cano7:10 pm, May 12, 2015

    Ings will not be the short-term solution we are all waiting for. But he will be a god addition to the team! Situation today: Sturridge (injured) Baloteli Lambert, Borini (All out of favor due to liverpools current playstyle, exept i have no idea what going on with Borini..
    Next season: Ings, Origi, Sturridge + hopefully someone like lacazette.
    I think this looks much brighter due to Liverpools playstyle under BR.
    Both Ings and Origi are dynamic in and out players who puts up a fight for their team. Still a clinical striker like Lacazette is needed.

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  127. Ha ha Veneers. Classic

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  128. I read Milners having talks with Arsenal. Can't be true with the wealth of talent they've got in midfield.

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  129. totally agree wiz u

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  130. Yes indeed! Without wishing to direct too much smoke in the direction of 'is Aris' I think his player profiles are very good, particularly one I read regarding Hendo. Sometimes it's good to watch players through other's eyes for a different perspective.
    Of course with greatness comes great responsibility and pressure - I've pretty much stopped appraising any likely new players now until they've been Robo'd first.

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  131. And that's what I was aiming at. Scares players off like a 40 year old offering a little girl candy.

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  132. Symbolically, of course you can't replace Gerrard. Simple as that.


    That being said, you can at least try to. Everyone and their mothers knew that someone like Balotelli and Lambert wouldn't replicate something like that.


    What frustrates me the most is we still don't have a clear answer to who runs he transfers.


    BR has previously stated a player won't come in if he doesn't want them here, yet he signed Balotelli after claiming he won't come here. So did BR change his mind, or get forced into it by FSG?


    Could we have splashed money on another Suarez with the 100m+ we had? Potentially, and with a 2nd place league finish with CL, it turns into more of a probably.


    Signing a player and hoping he fills his potential is just bad transfer philosophy in itself. High end players should be scouted like dogs for as much time as it takes to know whether or not you want to sign him.

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  133. Why get Benteke? Splashing money on a mid table EPL player should never happen.

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  134. You do realize that we will never come close to signing those players in the current state we are now? Why the hell would they sign for us?

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  135. Yes let's rely on the striker with a consistent injury record instead of having a solid back up to replace him in case he get's injured. By the way, Lambortelli aren't solid backups, and neither is Sterling.

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  136. Stan Dinaround7:52 pm, May 12, 2015

    I think it would have been easy to slap Suarez's fee down on one striker, but it would have left us with all the same problems as last season, plus add to that Sturridge, and the fact it took Suarez 18 months before he even got close to the talent he is now....

    It's weird though ain't it, we can all see 101 different players that would improve the team, but the club never seems to notice the same things we as fans do....

    Idea, LFC sack their scouts, and build an army of volunteers out of the world wide fanbase to scout potential players for them... We could cover more ground and more games, plus we'd do it for free....

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  137. Stan Dinaround7:56 pm, May 12, 2015

    If you can't see past him being English and from Burnley, thats fine, but don't try and convince me he'll be a waste of time before he's even been given a fair crack.

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  138. I'll be extremely surprised if Ings turns out to be a great signing and I'll also be extremely surprised if Man city and Man U actually went in for him too . I would be going in for Aubameyang myself . Michy Batshuayi from Marseille would be a decent youngster to bring in. He's a young Belgium that's only played 860 minutes of first team football for Marseille this season but still managed 9 goals . That's 1 more goal than Origi who's had over 2000 minutes of first team football .Lacazette is probably an unrealistic target for us that this moment in time .

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  139. Ultimately I only want players who WANT to play for Liverpool. If Danny Ings is fully committed he is a welcome addition and at £5m a bargain - equally if Raheem wants to go then I would rather we offload. He is a good player but not a World beater week in week out. Suarez was the big loss and Sterling is nowhere near that level

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  140. Id take Ings over Austin purely because the fee for Ings is a reported 4 million and Austins is 10 million and Ings is 3 years younger... simple as that really, i don't want either player at all so il take the cheaper of the 2 so WHEN they fail its a little easier to stomach.. underwhelmed to say the least.. not surprised though with Rodgers at the helm this is the level we will be attracting, this is a man who with champions league football had to shop at southampton.. gonna be another long painful summer followed by an even longer season as long as Rodgers remains as "manager"

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  141. Liverpool for me, had always added one or two top signings per year to a strong squad to keep it fresh along with a production line of managers who followed the same philosophy of pass and move football, each understudying the predecessor and following the blueprint to success.


    Looking at it, the squad is not getting stronger, if anything its weaker and now there's not enough top talent in the squad to keep any emerging talent interested once it blooms. So it seems we are in a constant state of rebuilding


    Liverpool is about big European nights and about winning, we are not built to be a feeder club for the European elite nor should we aspire to merely exist in the league. It's shocking that we are not in the top European competition once again. This has gone on far too long, a catalogue of errors from the top and one of them, player recruitment, looks as bad as ever.


    It's getting un-defendable, the financial waste, the failure to acquire target, failure to keep talent, contract renewals, buying then loaning without using, buying players that don't fit the style or system, buying players and then playing them out of position.


    In the meantime we are told week after week that record sponsorship deals are being signed, corporate revenue streams are increasing, t.v money is beyond belief, capacity is increasing, ticket prices are increasing.

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  142. You're absolutely right, sincere apologies. Have no idea where that came from, cringed when I read it. A bad moment methinks, but no excuse. Sorry bud

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  143. David Godoy Cano10:20 pm, May 12, 2015

    I think Sean Dyche was trying to cover his ass. Burnley have scored a total of two goals in the last 3 months where as Jamie pointet out Ings scored one of them.
    When you look at Ings numbers you gotta take Burnleys numbers in consideration.
    Burnley have scored 27 goals this seasson, and are the lowest scoring team in PL.
    That gives us two options.
    You could argue that Ings havent had the best support.
    Or you could give him te blame for Burnleys numbers,

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  144. voice of reason11:03 pm, May 12, 2015

    fair i will be watching every slightest off and on the ball movement if he is bought over the preseason to make a fair enough assessment (even though pre season should not be taken as a fair judge of whats to come as aspas and carrol had great performances in pre season)

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  145. Rather than have Can play right back, why not Manquillo? his defense was a bit suspect because he went forward a bit too much with no real end product or impact. Why not right back and have Can go to midfield where is belongs? Along with flanno, we have two young right side defenders who could be given a chance.. Ibe belong up front or an attacking mid position not right back.

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  146. spot on Sid...............Manquillo was worth a 2nd shot given Johnson is a goner. Its ironic that Johnson actually ran during the last few games and actually got into or near the box. Where has that been for the last 4 years and why only now???

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  147. Dude, all you do is complain for the sake of it...

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  148. Yes Chirag. That's exactly what REAL leaders do! Why LFC didn't is friggin beyond me, AGAIN!

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  149. Sid,
    I agree with you 100%. Surely two new proven productive strikers with real work rate MUST be top priority. Our squad has miserable finishing skills at the moment and we simply can't score. How much more simple can it be????

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  150. Rodgers talking rubbish again. He's used 8 different players at Right wing back this year including our most explosive attacker in Sterling to the confused and lame , Markovic there. Can't believe for one second that he rates Manquillo at all which is odd why they got him on a 2 year loan. Anyway, Emre Can is only 21 and there is something definitely a bit special about this lad. Reminds me of a very young Yaya Toure who also was a utility player and played much defence early on in his career. Can is destined to be a central midfielder.

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  151. Apart from the fact he is a very poor player...

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  152. He Will be another Balotelli if we don't get a good midfield around him, truth.

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  153. I agree. Can I replace Ian Ayre?

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  154. Only 3 clubs mainly talked with PSV, that being United, us and PSG.

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  155. Indeed. He has THAT air of class about him. Time on the ball and can move with his head up.

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  156. Cripes. Thanks for all the upvotes, people. Agreed, sb21. Lucas, Can and Hendo would be alright - the challenge, then, is depth! Imagine. I wouldn't mind swapping one of Hendo or Can for Coutinho or Lallana, allowing us to have three forwards and a traditional number 10 at times.

    And yes, fully agreed about Lucas. In fact, when he first made it into the Brazil side, he was given the number 5 jersey, as the heir apparent to Dunga, ze one who sits in front of a three-man defence. I really hope we keep him and get cover for him. I think he suffered at the end of 2013 when he got injured and Gerrard recovered, so BR had nowhere else

    I like Allen. He's not a DM, as you say. He was good as the box-to-box player at Swansea next to the controller, Britton. He still has the best close control and spatial awareness (Lucas matches that) of our midfielders, but he's been rocked by niggling injuries. A very decent squad player, in my opinion.

    Peace!

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  157. And he can turn left! He's our mane man, for sure.

    *hangs head in shame*

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  158. First paragraph = true, Jaimie. Ayew and Konoplyanka can hopefully address that.

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  159. I doubt he'll be the main man there, but I'm sure he has the skill to fit into a top team - like Barcelona.

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  160. Overpriced but talented, both of them.

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  161. That is one place you won't recieve any argument from me.... I'm not sure you would from anyone.... Deal with the commercial side of the club, and leave transfer dealings to somebody better able to excite potential targets..

    That said, Utd send some bloke in a suit... I think most all clubs do....

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  162. I'd be pretty happy heading into next season with those four strikers on the books, think it all hinges around Lacazette or a similar level player to deliver the brunt of the goals and assists required, and with a little less pressure, the others should hopefully find their feet also.

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  163. Wingbacks, false 9s, midfielders in defence, Wingers as strikers,Attacking mids in defensive mid. Any wonder why our best players this season were the ones that were moved and shuffled around the least. Skrtel , Mig, Sakkho, Coutinho , all have defined their positions and have performed accordingly. The rest have been tossed around without purpose really. Can being the only one to adjust effectively.Learn from Pellegrini Rodgers, a simple 442 can and will get the job done. If the players can't play in that formation then they're not good enough.Very frustrating for the fans.Can only imagine how the players feel.

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  164. David Godoy Cano12:14 pm, May 14, 2015

    Agree, we actually had many goal scorers that have that
    "eye for a goal" But it just wont work with our current system under BR. Like you say we need mobility up front..

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  165. David Godoy Cano12:33 pm, May 14, 2015

    1. Because buying top end players whose quality make a difference on a team dosent mean they will make a diffrence for Liverpool.
    2. That top end player gets injured. then what.. (ex: sturridge) We need a plan that can give quality up front over 50-70 matches a seasson.

    That said i cant belive that Liverpool have signes imobile forward like Lambert and Balo. It,s unfair for them since their qualities doesnt match the playstyle.. Hope pepole see that. Because that is prof that Liverpool needs the right kind of players more than just "a quality player" keys: mobility, pace, speed" (and proff that the forward transfers policy hve been #"¤¤#")

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  166. Benteke, playing with better players and given better service would anielate teams and defenders.
    Benteke is an awesome striker and has out scored all our strikers this season and benteke has also been injured for some of season but a fully fit injury free Benteke can cause any centre back in world football troubles.

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  167. And a fully fit injury free DS would arguably do the same as well.


    That being said, who's to say we have better service and players?


    At the moment with Sherwood in charge, Grealish and Delph are playing to the same degree of Henderson and Coutinho.


    So what makes you think our service and players are that much better?

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  168. D Sturridge has been plagued with injuries whether he goes or plays for at some part of season he likely to be out injured.
    Club should not just be relying on one or two strikers our club should have 3-4 top class quality goal scoring strikers.
    That is why club need to ship out these 4 strikers this summer:
    F Borini I Aspas
    R Lambert M Balotelli
    And they should be replaced by these 3 strikers and Young D Origi this summer
    C Benteke Of A Villa for £20-£25M and R Lambert goes other way
    L Vietto Of Villareal Or P Aubamayeng Of Borussia Dortmund for £10-£16M
    D Ings Of Burnley Or S Berahino Of West Brom for £5-£16M
    Those three strikers would bring 30-60 goals a season to club
    And Coutinho is miles better than Grealish any day of they week both at their best, Coutinho is miles ahead in class and quality.
    In all honesty F Delph, may be better than Henderson. As in the battles vs A Villa numerous times Delph has bossed the central midfield against us and out fought and out run and out witted Henderson a few times over last two seasons.

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