Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread 2015/16 (*EVERYONE READ MOD POST in OP)

ThunbergsAreGo · 18-09-2015 2:57pm

Magico Gonzalez wrote: »

That looked deliberate to me last night, but if Ings was told to go play up top with Benteke he'd relish it. I think Clyne and Moreno would revel in having 2 targets up there too. The width would stretch out the Norwich defense and leave space for coutinho to operate in.

And for the other 5 games this year?

Our main striker has been horribly isolated all year (and most of last)

Buford T. Justice XIX · 18-09-2015 2:58pm

Potential Underachiever wrote: »

I heard Coutinho played in nets once, well techically it was fly keeper in a street match when he was 7, I wonder if BR might try him there.

He's good, like, but he's no Doni.

Magico Gonzalez · 18-09-2015 2:58pm

naughtb4 wrote: »

And for the other 5 games this year?

Our main striker has been horribly isolated all year (and most of last)

I'm not disagreeing with you?

K-9 · 18-09-2015 3:08pm

LuckyLloyd wrote: »

I'd really wonder at that tbh, and I'd hope they're smarter than that anyway. I mean, we could get 6 points but see a dramatic shift in basic performance levels and cohesion. Or we could get 9 from 9 through sheer luck and 0 from 9 the next three games.

The correct assessment here is really around how we're generally doing; are we generally on course in our competitions and how do we project going forward to the competitive conclusions of season's end.

I don't know if there's any truth in a specific target like that but an initial points objective may have been set in the Summer.

That would be 14 points from a possible 24 which given the tough away games is about right, I'm assuming Everton is in that list.

Rodgers getting support and financial backing doesn't mean he wouldn't be closely watched. FSG will want to be on target for 4th and another season of catch up isn't going to do it this time imo.

It all seems we are one more poor performance away from FSG approaching seriously an alternative. Everton in Goodison will tell a lot.

Magico Gonzalez · 18-09-2015 3:12pm

I wonder how much influence the backroom staff have at all, last year's went under the bus and this years have come in without much of a change in playing style or noticeable improvement in problem areas like set piece defending etc.

I wonder how much input Rodgers lets them have.

Agent Coulson · 18-09-2015 3:12pm

Some good news.

https://twitter.com/tonybarrettimes/status/644870812575617024

SlickRic · 18-09-2015 3:12pm

michael999999 wrote: »

Norwich are going to beat us, aren't they?

Rodgers' inevitable demise will be accelerated if we do.

SlickRic · 18-09-2015 3:13pm

Sakho knows something we don't know. surely there's no other reason he'd be signing up until 2020.

rob316 · 18-09-2015 3:17pm

Great news that.

Hopefully it was just Rodgers giving Lovren one last chance and that was it. Still idiotic considering the dog on the street knows who's the better defender.

I'd like to believe he is signing because Rodgers is on his way out but he has no idea if the he will be in favour with the next manager either so its not a factor.

K-9 · 18-09-2015 3:17pm

SlickRic wrote: »

Sakho knows something we don't know. surely there's no other reason he'd be signing up until 2020.

Yep, plenty of painting work in the Anfield redevelopment.

Its an odd one, you'd have to think the Lovren experiment is up now but I've been saying that since pre season.

Boom_Bap · 18-09-2015 3:21pm

SlickRic wrote: »

Sakho knows something we don't know. surely there's no other reason he'd be signing up until 2020.

He must know that the back 4/3/5 and the defensive midfielder are going to be built around him.
1 game, I repeat, 1 game is all it has taken for media and fans to demand his inclusion in the starting 11.
Now, I'm aware he is going to do at least 1 mistake per game. But none that will be as catasrophic as Lovrens recent ones.

rob316 · 18-09-2015 3:21pm

K-9 wrote: »

Yep, plenty of painting work in the Anfield redevelopment.

Its an odd one, you'd have to think the Lovren experiment is up now but I've been saying that since pre season.

It has to be up, going by Rodgers comments last night and Deschamps saying he needs to play at club level more, he has been given assurances he is first choice. He would just push for a move in January otherwise.

Harry Palmr · 18-09-2015 3:24pm

Sturridge might be ready for Norwich, ditto Hendo (maybe) with Allen also recovered plus Lallana as we know. Goodness me could Liverpool actually have a full squad (bar Flanno) for Rodgers to misuse?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/18/liverpool-daniel-sturridge-jordan-henderson-norwich?

rob316 · 18-09-2015 3:47pm

Rodgers, who is likely to include Sturridge on the substitutes’ bench on Sunday, said: “Daniel has been training with team for a while, so will see how is in relation to this game. On his game Daniel is one of the best there is. There aren’t too many who can compare when he’s at his level. Few can stretch teams like he can with his pace and he has variety in his finishing. With Christian Benteke alongside him and Philippe Coutinho behind, it’s an exciting dynamic that we’ve been waiting on for quite some time. Daniel can give a different perspective to your team.”

2 strikers! Why is he so afraid to do it without Daniel?

Where does Firmino fit in so?

I would be hugely excited to see him back, Liverpool are a far better team with him. His goal records even without Suarez speaks volumes of his quality.

Rodgers using Daniels long term absence as an excuse for lack of goals is nonsense he spent £32m on a striker who I believe used properly can get us 20 goals this season. Its very likely Daniel will be injured again soon so what happens to the dynamic then? We have origi and another player I rate Ings which he seems allergic to partner with Benteke. He need's to make better use of the players at his disposal.

machiavellianme · 18-09-2015 4:03pm

Harry Palmr wrote: »

Sturridge might be ready for Norwich, ditto Hendo (maybe) with Allen also recovered plus Lallana as we know. Goodness me could Liverpool actually have a full squad (bar Flanno) for Rodgers to misuse?

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/sep/18/liverpool-daniel-sturridge-jordan-henderson-norwich?

And misuse them he will, to painful and laughable consequences...

JohnDaniels · 18-09-2015 4:04pm

Talisman wrote: »

My intention is not to compare them as players. Sterling came into a team with a clearly defined structure, every player had their own role. In that environment a young player can develop, they have a role within the structure, others know what their role is and can help them too.

Ibe is a right winger - last season he played out of position as a wing back and did relatively well. This season he has already played as a left winger/inside forward/wing back. It's not possible to make a proper judgement of him when the whole team is in flux - there is still no consistent connection between the midfield and forward players.

For instance when playing on the left of the front three, Ibe received little/no support from the full back who is actually a young right sided central defender being played out of position and also contend with Adam Lallana who seemed to relish crowding the space where Ibe was supposed to be playing.

I sometimes think that Rodgers has a bunch of cliff notes for football books by the greats of the game and in an effort to forge himself into the history of the game tries to apply his own spin on them. The names in the envelopes is a classic example of such an effort on his part. I'm sure it was very dramatic for an American TV audience that weren't already familiar with English soccer, but in this part of the world there are many people who have read the autobiography from which it was lifted.

Jock Stein used to play young players out of position to give them a tactical understanding of the game and the roles of the players around them. Kenny Dalglish wrote about it in his autobiography, a very young Dalglish played in central defence and midfield before graduating to his forward position when Stein felt he had learned what he needed to. Stein's philosophy was that a good footballer would have the intelligence to learn from the roles and in so doing would be able to adapt their own game. It could be something as simple as knowing where to move in order to offer a better passing option. Stein only tried to accommodate one such player-in-training in the team at a time for the most part.

Educating players rather than just training them is very much in keeping with the philosophy of Rodgers. For the past year, Rodgers seems to be trying to take Stein's idea to the Nth degree. There have been square pegs in round holes all over the pitch and it's an absolute mess, rather than helping it's impeding the development of the young players.

If the team had a defined structure with players in their natural roles they would be more comfortable and more likely to deliver higher performance levels. Once the team performances become consistent the player-in-training programme could be re-established. The team should be able to accommodate a single such player in almost any game, but two or more is asking for trouble.

I'm not quite sure what to respond to this post. It doesn't really address any of the points I made but instead you go on some mental rant about Rodgers. An enjoyable rant but I still don't see how it negates any of my points about Ibe just not being ready for this level.

Just to say as well. You state Jordan Ibe is a right winger like some statement of fact. He played the majority of his youth career cutting in from the left. At Derby when on loan he played the majority of games in a 433 on the left. He did have a few games on the right but it was like 3 out of the 20 games he played. I'm pretty sure he has said at some point it is his preferred position.

jcsoulinger · 18-09-2015 4:06pm

Would be excited to see a midfield three of Hendo Allen and Milner with Coutinho behind Benny and Danny.

JohnDaniels · 18-09-2015 4:13pm

jcsoulinger wrote: »

Would be excited to see a midfield three of Hendo Allen and Milner with Coutinho behind Benny and Danny.

I'd far prefer to see Coutinho get pulled deeper into an 8 kinda role against the likes of Norwich at home. I think that midfield is too workmanlike and needs more invention. That way you can also accomdate Firmino behind the two in his preferred position.

Grayditch · 18-09-2015 4:14pm

As stubborn as Rodgers seems to be, I'm sure even he won't let Lovren cost him his job.

monkey9 · 18-09-2015 4:17pm

I said it a while back but I think Rodgers told Lovern he would get a run of five or six games at the start of the season no matter what. That even if he made a mistake, he wouldn't be dropped. He's get a run to prove himself

I just hope Rodgers has seen the proof now for himself. It's time for Sahko, anyone to start before Lovern.

18-09-2015 4:18pm

Boom_Bap wrote: »

He must know that the back 4/3/5 and the defensive midfielder are going to be built around him.
1 game, I repeat, 1 game is all it has taken for media and fans to demand his inclusion in the starting 11.
Now, I'm aware he is going to do at least 1 mistake per game. But none that will be as catasrophic as Lovrens recent ones.

I doubt they'll be assuring him of anything being built around him, I think he's very good but I'd say its a case of he knows he will start plenty games and the cash is decent.

J Mysterio · 18-09-2015 4:56pm

Rodgers on Sturridge return:

“When he can stretch teams – like he can with his pace and he has got wonderful variety in his finishing – and you put Christian [Benteke] alongside him and you’ve got [Philippe] Coutinho in behind that or to the side, whichever way we play, the other players can then support that and it’s a really exciting dynamic.

“We’ve probably been waiting for that for quite a period of time. Those types of players like Daniel, with that quality, can give a totally different perspective to your team.”

Rodgers continued: “It’s also about risk-taking as well. For some reason, that bit of risk has gone out of our game.

“It’s also about availability of players. That’s no disrespect to anyone but we have missed a lot of goals and creativity in our team.

“It’s ensuring that we take those risks in order to create in the game and bring that intensity to the game. That’s something the players have been working really hard at over the last week or so.

“It only takes that one performance to spin the season around again.”

__________________________________

Interview is a little annoying given that the team selections have been very cautious and Benteke has been left completely on his own up front.

5starpool · 18-09-2015 4:58pm

If Sakho comes back in this weekend it'll be as part of a back 3. Our defending wasn't good vs utd, but Lovren was no worse than anyone else. Gomez needs to be benched though I think, not just because he has made mistakes recently, but he is only 18 and needs time to adjust. Kids make mistakes, but persisting with him would be madness.

MD1990 · 18-09-2015 5:00pm

This is probably very naive. But I do think Sakho will now start. Not sure if we will play a back 3 or 4 though.

billymitchell · 18-09-2015 5:08pm

Has Rodgers mentioned anything about Ings yet this season? From what i have seen and read, Ings deserves a bit more game time, but that would mean going two up top which Rodgers seems loath to do.
Firminio needs a bit more time to adjust, he would probably benefit from a few cameos from the bench rather than thrown in at the start of games where there becomes a certain level of expectation on a player to perform.

K-9 · 18-09-2015 5:17pm

Looks like 2 up front then with Sturridge back. That should bring a different dynamic with 3 players that the opposition have to worry about, but again highlights the lack of quality options in the squad.

If Benteke and Sturridge build on the relationship they have with Coutinho, Rodgers stands half a chance. Pace, strength and finesse.

We all know he'll get injured and that will be the end of that for another few months.

Turtyturd · 18-09-2015 5:21pm

Anyone else think Benteke/Sturridge is going to be a nightmare. Benteke spends a lot of time complaining to players who don't pass it, and Sturridge's pass button is just one of the many things broken about him.

Potential Underachiever · 18-09-2015 5:25pm

Turtyturd wrote: »

Anyone else think Benteke/Sturridge is going to be a nightmare. Benteke spends a lot of time complaining to players who don't pass it, and Sturridge's pass button is just one of the many things broken about him.

Yes, a nightmare (to defend against)

billymitchell · 18-09-2015 5:31pm

Turtyturd wrote: »

Anyone else think Benteke/Sturridge is going to be a nightmare. Benteke spends a lot of time complaining to players who don't pass it, and Sturridge's pass button is just one of the many things broken about him.

Rodgers probably wont play them both together anyway!

brevity · 18-09-2015 6:04pm

https://twitter.com/JamesPearceEcho/status/644919396553592834

Mamadou Sakho has signed a new five-year contract to keep him at Anfield until 2020. #LFC

monkey9 · 18-09-2015 6:07pm

Sakho has signed a new deal. Great news.

Gbear · 18-09-2015 6:09pm

brevity wrote: »

https://twitter.com/JamesPearceEcho/status/644919396553592834

Mamadou Sakho has signed a new five-year contract to keep him at Anfield until 2020. #LFC

I don't understand why he'd want that.

Maybe he's happy to bide his time until Rodgers gets the boot?

toxicity234 · 18-09-2015 6:12pm

monkey9 wrote: »

Sakho has signed a new deal. Great news.

This has made my weekend. Awesome

Hangballlouie · 18-09-2015 6:12pm

Gbear wrote: »

I don't understand why he'd want that.

Maybe he's happy to bide his time until Rodgers gets the boot?

I seem to remember Klopp wanted him at Dortmund. I'll ask Ade.

shamrock55 · 18-09-2015 6:13pm

Maybe he knows something we dont:eek:

PropJoe10 · 18-09-2015 6:17pm

Didnt think Sakho would have been in a rush to commit to the club under Rodgers but this is great news! He's a top player and should be the mainstay of our defence.

5starpool · 18-09-2015 6:18pm

K-9 wrote: »

Looks like 2 up front then with Sturridge back. That should bring a different dynamic with 3 players that the opposition have to worry about, but again highlights the lack of quality options in the squad.

If Benteke and Sturridge build on the relationship they have with Coutinho, Rodgers stands half a chance. Pace, strength and finesse.

We all know he'll get injured and that will be the end of that for another few months.

If he intends to play Sturridge up front with Benteke (which he hopefully does) then his insistence on playing 1 up front since September last year is even more baffling.

Magico Gonzalez · 18-09-2015 6:21pm

Maybe he is gonna spring the 2 up front thing as a cunning surprise...No One would ever see that coming. At all. Ever.

dfx- · 18-09-2015 6:22pm

SlickRic wrote: »

Sakho knows something we don't know. surely there's no other reason he'd be signing up until 2020.

Or it could be a Suarez-type contract signature, specifying/clarifying terms that he could leave.

J Mysterio · 18-09-2015 6:23pm

K-9 wrote: »

Looks like 2 up front then with Sturridge back. That should bring a different dynamic with 3 players that the opposition have to worry about, but again highlights the lack of quality options in the squad.

If Benteke and Sturridge build on the relationship they have with Coutinho, Rodgers stands half a chance. Pace, strength and finesse.

We all know he'll get injured and that will be the end of that for another few months.

Yay.

And Sakho strengthening our defence.