22 Jul 2015

Anfield-bound? Agent discusses 'Liverpool' interest in 'excellent' €15m attacker and confirms transfer is not happening

Liverpool continue to be linked with a move for AC Milan star Jeremy Menez, and the France international's agent has now responded to rumours linking the 28-year old attacker with a move to Anfield.

Last week, CalcioMercato claimed that:

* Liverpool recently made 'initial contact' with AC Milan to discuss the possibility of signing Menez.

* Milan want €15m for 'excellent' Menez, who needs to be sold to raise money for the club.

When asked on Tuesday about the Liverpool transfer rumours, Menez's agent told MilanNews.it:

"Liverpool? There has been no contact. Jeremy will definitely stay at Milan next season".

This seems to fit with ex-Milan boss Filipo Inzaghi's take on the situation. In a recent interview, he made it clear that Menez - nicknamed 'Houdini' - is still very much part of hit plans:

"He [Menez] is a good centre-forward and he's also excellent as a winger. He mustn't stop now, though. He must try to become Serie A's top goalscorer, not for himself but for the team."

After being a bit-part player for PSG, Menez is a regular starter for Milan, so it's hardly surprising that he wants to stay at the San Siro.

Why change teams and risk losing a regular starting berth?

At Anfield, Menez will have to fight it out with Coutinho, Firmino, Lallana, Ibe, and Markovic, and there's no guarantee that he'll hit the ground running.

Menez is vastly experienced, and at the age of 28, he's in the prime of his career, and would offer fire, passion, and personality, qualities that are severely lacking in Liverpool's squad.

None of the club's current attacking midfielders consistently guarantee 10+ goals a season, and even if it's not Menez, Liverpool (arguably) need another goalscoring midfielder in the squad:

* Milner, Coutinho, Lallana, and Markovic all failed to reach double figures for goals last season.

* None of those four have a prolific goalscoring history.

* Firmino will hopefully add goals, but there's no guarantee that he'll hit the heights in the Premier League.

* Ibe is a good prospect, but after 17 senior appearances for the club, he's yet to score a single goal.


If history repeats itself, Liverpool will struggle to score goals from midfield, and that could (once again) be fatal to the club's chances of making the Champions League.

As for who the club should sign - for me, there's only one choice: Andriy Yarmolenko. I just cannot understand why Liverpool are not busting a gut bring the Ukrainian to Anfield.

It's an absolute no-brainer, and if the Reds miss out, it will (IMO) be transfer negligence of the highest order, especially if he ends up at Stoke City (!) Consider the following:

* 95 goals/64 assists (159 G/A total) in 263 games for Kiev.

* Goal/assist every 1.6 games.

* Last season: 19 goals/21 assists (40 G/A total) in 43 apps.

* 20+ goals/assists every season for the last five years.

* 18 goals in 46 games for the Ukraine national team.

* 6'2, strong and powerful, which is a good contrast to Coutinho/Lallana etc.

* Only 25, which means his best years are still ahead.

* Most important: Yarmolenko has never been injured.

If played consistently, Yarmolenko will probably outscore/create all of Liverpool's attacking midfielders (as he has done already for the last five years).

Forget Markovic and Lallana - Yarmolenko is far superior (and his goals/assist stats emphatically prove this). In fact, Liverpool should just sell/loan Markovic, and bring the Ukrainian in as a direct replacement.

I see no credible argument against signing Yarmolenko...

Author: Jaimie K


138 comments:

  1. Thank God we're not going for him!

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  2. Funny that none of the big clubs seem to be interested in actually bringing Yarmolenko in.
    Those stats look impressive but how good is the Ukrainian league? How well have Ukranian players settled into the Premier League in the past? Voronin, Rebrov, Shevchenko are the obvious examples that spring to mind. Can anyone think of others?
    Personally I'd rather have Pedro and hope that we're going for someone of his status.

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  3. We got enough players now. There are goals everywhere. We also have our very own English XI


    Clyne-Wisdom-Gomez-Flanagan
    Henderson Milner
    Sturridge-Lallana-Ibe
    Ings


    Only need an English GK, maybe someone from U21?

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  4. Henderson guarantees 10 goals per season ? He hasn't scored ten in a single season so far..

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  5. Jaimie, just one thing:


    Inzaghi isn't boss of Milan any more

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  6. As a student of Liverpool history ( young players have only rarely made it through the academy to the first team so they probably never will) you will possibly appreciate that players whose names end in "o" rarely if ever succeed at Liverpool.


    The only possible exception to this that I can think of (and the jury is still out on this ) is Hendo .....

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  7. I don't know what you're talking about

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  8. My world is crumbling

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  9. To be honest, I cant think of too many LFC players that have ended on 'o'. Aurelio, Sakho, Matteo, Alonso, Mascherano, Coutinho. If anything I'd say it's half-half, with Sakho still a possibility.
    I miss Aurelio, if only he could stay fit, I rated the guy.

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  10. doesn't surprise me at all

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  11. OK i meant names starting with Y

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  12. Gerrardo, Carragho, John Barneso and the list goes on

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  13. It's become known as the Brendo defence

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  14. Lord Brendo

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  15. I think we should sign Yarmo .After all Liverpool has a long history of great players whose names end in o . I wont bore you with them all but Mascherano and Coutinho spring immediately to mind


    Note to self; I must remember to go back and delete my other comments

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  16. We don't need to bring anyone else in. If Brendo has the courage to play him in his natural position of the free sweeper / No. 10 / Striker role, Joe Gomez will take care of all our goalscoring needs this season.

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  17. Only if you then respond to a further polite inquiry with a slightly more aggressive repetition of the same sentence.

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  18. Nice, I see what you did there!
    In that case though, I can't think of another player who has ever played for LFC, probably in the league, with a name starting with 'Y' and ending in 'O'.
    In fact, the only one I can think of is Joseph Yobo... Not a good indication of quality then...

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  19. I can't even remember my own name now...

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  20. Don't you start

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  21. Ralph Waldo Picklechips.

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  22. Same thing happened to my mate Alan Cheerio (He's Scouse-Irish) he was a winger full of promise but he didn't make the grade and they waved him goodbye :-) Cheerio Alan! Cheerio!

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  23. This is brilliant.

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  24. Another thing about the stats for Yarmelenko, don't forget he is one of the club's main penalty takers. His international goals include 3 against Luxembourg, 2 against Andorra and 1 against San Marino. Stats don't tell you everything!

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  25. Ask the nurse for some more.....;-)

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  26. I would do good sir! But the doctor says am far to crackers to work for Jacobs

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  27. Those stats hey! 3 goals against Luxembourg, 2 against Andorra and 1 against San Marino thanks for those stats they'll prove very useful. On a serious note though I am a big fan of Yarmolenko but I agree examples of players from the likes of Ukraine that have made it in the prem are near on impossible to find. If Stoke end up signing him wait and see just how good he is as I personally feel he is going to terrorise teams and bang them in. Time will only tell though at the end of the day mate until then it's all just a matter of opinion really. Pedro though would be a dreamboat of a signing though I agree

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  28. Willian wasn't bought from the Ukranian league but one year after leaving he joined Chelsea and is now a mainstay in their first team.
    Fernandinho was bought from Shaktar and, although he hasn't justified his huge transfer fee yet, he is a very good player and another mainstay at City.
    This is only from memory over the last two years so I don't know about before but the Ukranian league isn't all that bad.

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  29. He might well terrorise teams and score lots of goals but we can't assume just from stats that that is the case.

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  30. There are a lot of Brazilians playing in the Ukrainian league: Shaktar has 9 of them. These are mainly either young hopefuls or never has-beens. The young hopefuls move on from that League as soon as they can. for a number of years there has been a history of hopeful young Brazilians starting out in lesser European leagues as a stepping stone to bigger leagues. Ronaldo, the Brazilian one, started his European journey at PSV in the Netherlands and then once he'd settled in Europe moved on to Barcelona. Does that make the Dutch league a top notch league? I don't think so and I don't think the fact that Fernandinho or Willian may have cut their teeth in the Ukrainian league necessarily tells you much about that league. It would have been more impressive if they had stayed in that league once they were established internationals.

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  31. We need to create a new category of player for him. World Class just doesn't do him justice.
    How about "Universal Perfection"?

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  32. `the way you talk about this guy jk he seems wasted in football is there a role he could fill at say the united nations amongst others talk about spreading it thick he sounds like a one man team

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  33. I think with Hendo, Milner, Firmino and Coutinho we have quite a lot players that can score from midfield

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  34. in a 433 your middle three need to press fast as a unit first and foremost or you get over run in a 433 with heno and milner Yako ( his name his way to long ) would get overrun as he isnt a defensive minded player

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  35. all im saying is that we have a good firepower from midfield

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  36. Off topic.


    I just though about this now. Falcao & Costa up top for Chelsea could be the deadliest partnership in the league if Falcao can prove his fitness and gain back his confidence with a manager like Mourinho. Plus F & C played together at A. Madrid.


    Chelsea to take the league again this coming season.

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  37. I dunno man. Falcao would have to pull a huge u-turn to match costa, there was a good reason he didnt play that much for the shite.

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  38. Clearly did not work out for him at UTD. Mourinho is completely different to Van Gaal.


    I know who I would rather want to play for.

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  39. Mourinho such a defensive coach, the only way he would play them both would be in a 8-0-2 formation

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  40. Hmm .....firstly Pippo Inzaghi is no longer manager of Milan, Sinisa Mihajlovic is....so him having been in Inzaghi's plans wouldnt seem to be that relevant. Secondly we don't need him, he couldn't get near PSG's team and the fact that he was a mainstay of the lowest placed Milan side I can remember is nothing to shout about.

    Thirdly this has morphed into another trumpeting of Yarmolenko's cause...and dare I say it a bit of a 'rose tinted fanboy' one. At you his agent JK ?? :-)....His stats do look good but this must be tempered that they were achieved the league where Rebrov, Arshavin and Voronin loomed like big hitters....it doesn't mean he wouldn't be successful but those stats would come down at premier league level and he wouldn't look so impressive. Dynamo Kiev have not been having the best time financially so he would have been easy picking for any top side but the fact that Stoke are the only Prem side credited with an interest probably tells its own story, as they could all likely afford him.

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  41. Mourinho only plays one system but with different mentalities. It will be a good battle, but one of those strikers will be sitting on the bench.

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  42. I'd like to see Jaimie play for Mourinho.

    Mourinho: "Run more JK"

    Jaimie: "But look at my goals/assists"

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  43. Mourinho said this in a recent inetrview

    "If we want, we can play with Costa and him together - it is something they did before when they were in Atletico. Can he be the Falcao of Atletico? We believe so.

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  44. Jose: 'I want you to draw more fouls, make the most of them'


    JK: 'I quit this club'

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  45. Second highest scorers in the league last season and best defence. They were by far the best team last season.

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  46. Another slightly off-topic thing to remember...it's not 'James' Milner, it's 'Hamez' Milner

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  47. Outstanding response.

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  48. Then I think he'd join City.

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  49. I have this feeling that JK is the Ned Stark of football. Had all the talent in the world, but was too honourable to participate in it.

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  50. Without a doubt, still cant stand him though. Didn't they go almost 3 months without winning by more than 1 goal.


    He's creates the perfect "us against the world" mentality, but is he a good coach?


    So many games last season, palace,everton at the bridge they were outplayed but Mourinho just sits back & waits for some Hazard, Costa, Fabregas magic. Once Chelsea take the lead game over.

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  51. Mourinho's CV speaks for itself no matter how much you want to hate the guy.

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  52. How did I know you were going to reply with that
    :-o

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  53. They could certainly push us close

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  54. Haha I see him as the Littlefinger type

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  55. Yeah, but i still think he's over rated.
    He can only ever play one system, 4231.
    Plays overly cautious, defensive football.
    Uses child like diversion tactics when Chelsea lose & the media fall for it every time.


    Only 2 achievements that have impressed me was winning CL with Porto & Inter Milan



    His record since his return is identical to Pellegrini's. , with City playing the better football.
    But Pellegrini's under pressure yet Mourinho is a genius.

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  56. I'm agreeing though it may not seem that way ,if yako came we would have to drop either firmino or tino (crazy ) and write of lallana and write off the development of of Ibe and Marko amongst others ,the middle 3 players need a defensive edge to there game which is as much mental as physical

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  57. Ghost of Suarez1:46 pm, July 22, 2015

    Well the key part of that sentence is "If we want...." if he wanted he could play him at right back too but that doesn't make it any more likely. Maureen says a lot of things to the press usually the polar opposite of his real intention. Are you suggesting he is planning on ripping up his entire tactical manual after never having played 4-4-2 and winning every trophy going. No chance ......but I hope you are right, because they will start losing lot a more games with two in midfield.....

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  58. For those who may be interested, I reopened the classic league in the Fantasy Premier League of last year. There are some who automatically re-entered the league.

    Code to join this league: 561195-151433

    It is called "This is Fantasy Football"



    Game on.

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  59. Where do I sign.….…......

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  60. In what universe is JK little finger?! He may like to ruffle feathers but that's pretty much it. Very different personality wise!

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  61. Its for your own sake Stuart...;)

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  62. Where Rodgers plays many systems and is just mental

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  63. You're most probably right but that's just face value :)

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  64. It's the Atletico partnership in blue. Sigh.

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  65. Oops. Didn't see this when I commented.

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  66. We will have to wait and see what he does. No doubt, he has two world class strikers and should they stay fit, will score truck loads.

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  67. "I'm almost as good as Yarmolenko"

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  68. Mourinho is the little finger.
    You never know what he's up to next, but it works every time

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  69. Sorry but IMO he is one of the best managers around. You call him overrated so be it.


    He can step right into any job he wants.

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  70. Disagree, but we'll move on.


    Of the truly elite clubs, Barca,Madrid,Munich,City,United, I dont think any of them would touch him

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  71. Only if we get yako

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  72. Yarmolenko is not close to Lallana's level. A very good player though...

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  73. Lallana and Ibe too, me thinks...

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  74. He managed at Madrid?

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  75. I think the pair of them are vastly overrated - Costa was terrible the second half of the season and Falcao was terrible.
    Honestly, it's not beyond reason that all three of chelski's elderly statesman could be out of action within the first month or two and then they're back to an unfit Remy who's no good for a full ninety and that other chap they have, the one aspiring to be as good as Coutinho.
    They're right in the mire if you ask me, in it up to the grubby little necks, the filthy little so and so's.

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  76. 1 title in 3 years playing his brand of football, fell out with players & fans. They'd never have him back

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  77. Yeah, but you know, give Brendan the same amount of money...

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  78. I like the last 2 paragraphs... That was my point about Kovacic,we should sell allen get Kovacic. I see no credible argument against signing Kovacic for that reported price.

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  79. None of the big clubs seem to be interested?? That doesn't mean he's a bad player. No one was interested in signing Coutinho.

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  80. Benteke passed his medical apparently, wahoo!

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  81. Does Brendo count?

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  82. I've seen a lot of people saying that, but nothing official.

    It's all 'sources say he's passed'. I'm hoping its true, and it seems pretty likely. Just want official word.

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  83. No manager last at Madrid. That is a fact.

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  84. Agreed, think my one came from the independent but certainly nothing official. Fingers crossed he passes with flying colours, I don't want to have to take all these party poppers back.

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  85. Doesn't even bare thinking about him failing, would be a nightmare

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  86. Logan would be mortified :)

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  87. I dont have the energy to discuss any other striker, so he's got to pass

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  88. Costa scored 20 EPL goals in 26 matches. He can do it again. If he stays injury free he will score many more.

    An inform Falcao is not something your defence wants to meet up with. Over the last three seasons he has not played that much due to serious injury. All he needs to do is prove his fitness and then get back his confidence then he will be scoring for fun.

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  89. We all knew it was going to be Benteke for a while now.

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  90. Thats true, but i don't think he was successful their.

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  91. Meh, - one or two lucky hat-tricks and he was constantly nursing a hamstring, which seems to be in a semi permanent state of broken. Can only see that getting worse.
    Obviously chelski can afford to buy these 'one season wonders' but don't see him lasting the distance though.
    Falcao - he's just a very expensive liability, no idea what they were thinking there when they could of gone after someone like Benteke.

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  92. He won the La Liga 2011-12 and Copa del Rey: 2010–11. That is not successful?


    Manager chop and change at Madrid whether they win things or not.

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  93. Costa scored in 16 of the 26 EPL his apps. Pretty good if you had to ask me. If he had played in more = more goals.

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  94. That's the point though the likilhood is that number of games will be an ever diminishing thing.

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  95. Not for Madrid, Ancelotti won CL & Copa del Ray in first season.

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  96. But I did say if they stay fit then they will score truck loads.


    Costa can play another 26 EPL matches this coming season. If he scores another 20 then it is job done. If he manages to stay fit then he could go past 30.

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  97. Well if you cannot look at that as success then clearly you have a very deep hate for Mourinho.

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  98. IF... Sturridge stayed/s fit...

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  99. Sturridge is a crock.

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  100. Rodgers won't sell Allen unless he is really under pressure to ,I think Allen Will start the season with hendo and milner in a 433system

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  101. Falcao may never get back to pre-injury levels, but the whole deal is based on Mourinho & Falcao sharing agents.


    "give him some playing time, get his fitness back up, so i can sell him to someone else"

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  102. Deep hate is not strong enough, I just think Madrid is based on league's & CL. To win one in 3 seasons i don't count as success.


    You've got to bear in mind at Madrid you can literally have any player in the world

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  103. Yeah and Chelsea will appoint Brendan? So will Madrid, Porto and Inter.


    Rodgers has now had well over £300m to spend. How many other managers have had such a privilege?

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  104. Pocket money to Mourinho ;)

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  105. The Supreme Being.

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  106. Theycallmemrburt4:12 pm, July 22, 2015

    yeah best left back since Carra played their under Houllier. When he played he was quality going forward and defensively

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  107. Nicolas Chamberlain4:15 pm, July 22, 2015

    So you are expecting that Falcao will regain his old form but you call Sturridge a crock?
    Ok, but you do know Falcao is already struggling for three seasons in a row? You are so over critical when it comes to our own players...
    Sturridge showed his class on more than one occassion and also after his injuries and he is not on our pay roll for 250-300K a week.
    Starstruck.

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  108. Theycallmemrburt4:15 pm, July 22, 2015

    ahhh you mean Gomez playing just behind the opposition goalkeeper in a false GK position. yeah i can see BR copying and pasting this thread as we type :)

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  109. Nicolas Chamberlain4:17 pm, July 22, 2015

    When they did play together Costa was playing like a winger or false nine. Maybe Mourinho will put these up front against weaker opponents or during the last minutes of a must-win game.
    These two are so static and injury prone.

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  110. Serious question. If Sturridge misses half this season with his recurring injuries, would you look moving him on?

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  111. Nicolas Chamberlain4:20 pm, July 22, 2015

    Good question, but still no. I would keep faith in him. He showed he can play more than 30 games a season and I truely believe that last season was just a case of bad luck.

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  112. Theycallmemrburt4:23 pm, July 22, 2015

    agreed. Granted he does like to spend. But when you look at what he achieved at Porto and Inter you have to take your hat off to the guy. What he achieved last season in knowing exactly what was needed to improve the team was genius. Matic, who'd of thought it? Febregas and Costa did exactly what they were bought to do. The train chuggs on

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  113. It really is a big season for him. All he wanted was to be the main striker at a big club & last season was his chance, that was unlucky.


    Just a bit worrying when he says his injuries could be hereditary as his uncle suffered them.

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  114. Statistically, Yarmolenko is 10 levels ahead of Lallana, both domestically and internationally. His stats speak for themselves. Where is your proof that Yarmolenko is 'not close to Lallana's level'?

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  115. Nicolas Chamberlain4:36 pm, July 22, 2015

    I have no idea if these kind of injuries could be hereditary... Its not like a chronic disease, but it is indeed worrying. He started so well last season I really hope this season will be his year.

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  116. Yeah, you're right. I had goals/assists combined in my mind when I wrote that line.

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  117. Ghost of Suarez5:01 pm, July 22, 2015

    There isn't much evidence in the last two years that Falcao is gonna score loads....looked to me like the injury had robbed him of that edge in pace and mobility....just like Nando. Anyway he will be on the bench except when Costa is injured or rested.

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  118. I really don't know what you're on about I've already said it's the Brendo defence

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  119. If Mourinho had come to LFC at the time Rodgers arrived and was given the same amount of cash into his 4th season then Mourinho would have won a trophy already for LFC. It is as simple as that.

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  120. Mourinho has won everything there is to win because he is a winner.

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  121. Watching both play. Internationally for Ukraine and internationally for England, domestically in Ukranian league, and domestically in EPL. Stats are not, I repeat.. Oh well...

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  122. Sorry, but actual objective stats hold infinitely more weight than personal opinion.

    You have no evidence to back up your assertion than Yarmolenko 'is not close to Lallana's level'.

    What does that mean, exactly? It's pretty meaningless without context.

    Lallana and Yarmolenko have the same primary roles for their respective teams: Create and score goals.

    On that basis, over the last 5 years:

    Yarmolenko

    * 82 goals/60 assists (142) in 210 games
    * Goal/assist every 1.4 games
    * Average: 28 goals/assists every year

    Lallana

    * 43 goals/42 assists (85) in 200 games
    * Goa/assist every 2.3 games
    * Average: 17 goals/assists every year.

    There is absolutely no contest. Yarmolenko consistently (and massively) outperforms Lallana,and to suggest that Yarmolenko - who/scores creates almost twice as many goals - is not 'close' to Lallana's level, is, with all due respect, total nonsense.

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  123. I don't know what you're talking about.

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  124. JK, stats need to be treated with extreme caution. They are not the objective foolproof measure that you suggest. You say that Lallana has 85 assists and goals and Yarmolenko has 142 and suggest that makes Andriy the better player. But that ignores that we are not comparing like for like. Goals and assists in the Ukranian league don't necessarily equate to goals and assists in the Premier League: there is a significant difference in quality between the two leagues. Besides which you need to take into account other factors like how their respective sides play the player: for instance Yarmolenko is one of his side's main penalty takers, Lallana is not.Add in that there is more to a player's game than simply his scoring and assisting stats: even a striker isn't necessarily just judged on those stats because the striker might be used as a means of bringing others into play rather than scoring and creating all the goals himself and in some playing systems one of a striker's qualities might actually be to act as a first line of defence by pressing the opposition. A single player will have a whole range of attributes that need to be taken into consideration.
    I'm not trying to say Yarmolenko is not a good player and who knows he may even be better than Lallana but that judgement cannot be based just on stats which are not comparable.

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  125. Who says he's a bad player: not me.

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  126. I didn't say stats are an 'objective foolproof measure'.

    I argue that when it comes to assessing the effectiveness of attacking players (i.e. as pertaining to their primary role, which is to create and score goals), stats hold far more weight that someone's opinion.

    Orme asserted that Yarmolenko is 'not close to Lallana's level', and offered no evidence to back that up. It's a ludicrous assertion, especially in light of Yarmolenko's superb creative return over then last five years.

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  127. What's total nonsense is to look at these stats with no equalization for the difference in quality of competition, or the status within that competition of the team in which they were achieved. By the logic you are using there if I got better stats playing for a league two side I would be a better player than Lallana because, you are saying, the stats are all that matters when assessing comparative ability. Yarmolenko has been productive in a league where all but two of the teams are probably championship standard, add to that he has never been based outside his home country and that historically not many players from there succeed in western Europe, and I would say he has as much chance of being totally out of his depth here as he does of being successful, and if he was successful, it would not be with stats as good as he has shown in Ukraine.

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