Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Probably meant Mane

When I look at the league season, I like to break it down into four segments (Games 1-10, 11-20, 21-30, 31-38). Chelsea won 25 points in the first 10 games of last season and had a +23 goal difference, then the wheels came off (Burnley: D, Man Utd: D, West Ham: L, Everton: D, Wolves: D, Brighton: D). Man City capitalised on their collapse by hitting form and winning all 10 of their games (November-December). Liverpool idled along and only picked up their level in the third segment (January-March).

The performances of the Chelsea players were lacklustre at best in the second half of the season. Once the chance of winning the league was gone, the focus went on the cup competitions. They didn't show up for half the games (Brentford: L, Man Utd: D, Everton: L, Wolves: D) towards the end of the season and despite that they picked up only 11 points fewer than the 2022 league champions in the period from January.

Man City : 20 (+14), 30 (+25), 22 (+20), 21 (+14) => 93 (+73)

Liverpool : 22 (+21), 22 (+19), 28 (+19), 20 (+9) => 92 (+68)

Chelsea : 25 (+23), 17 (+6), 18 (+7), 14 (+7) => 74 (+43)

The numbers suggest to me that Tuchel's has a better group than the final league table would suggest. For comparison here's the 2020/21 season break down and keep in mind that Tuchel only became manager of Chelsea in January 2021:

Man City: 18 (+6), 26 (+19), 27 (+17), 15 (+9) => 86 (+51)

Man Utd: 19 (+1) 21 (+9), 20 (+15), 14 (+4) => 74 (+29)

Liverpool: 21 (+5), 16 (+12), 10 (-2), 22 (+11) => 69 (+26)

Chelsea: 19 (+12), 11 (-2), 21 (+6), 15 (+6) => 67 (+22)

Barring another injury crisis, if Tuchel can resolve the consistency issue then it's not just going to be Liverpool and Man City contesting the league title this season. The fact that he no longer has players like Saul Niguez and Lukaku being thrust upon him may see bigger improvements in the performance level of the Chelsea team.

A nice tidy profit on him.

£500k paid for him with £1.1m in add-ons however he never played a minute of football for the club so I doubt any of that £1.1m will have to be paid even if it is they more than doubled the £1.6m max they would have paid for him.

The first comment "You wouldn't start for Chelsea"

We paid the lads wages for what 6 months while he wasn't out on loan I doubt he was on more than 15/20k at the very max proably closer to 10k a week and for a signing on fee i doubt that was very much if anything.

No chance he was being paid £60k a week it would be a lot closer to £6k a week than £60k.

Here is one that say Davies is on £60k

It also say Diaz is on £56k

Robbo is on £50k & Kelleher is on £5,962k both of whom signed new long term contracts last summer

Only just noticed Quansah was in the U-19 Euro's team of the tournament (which they won). The defender I've the most faith in of all our young CBs. Very fast, but also so positionally aware, and a proper leader on the pitch. I'd thought he might have a shot of deputising at right back this year till Ramsey came in.. maybe a loan out is the next step for him so.

Solanke has proven a good investment for Bournemouth in fairness alright though, 29 league goals last year to get them promoted.

Wouldn’t be too surprised to see Jones follow that same path… either warming the bench or maybe a loan move this year and then a sale next year. Morton will stay another year or so beyond that alright I think though.

Ultimately, it’s very hard to break through for anyone though, with the standard so high right now. The realistic outcome for 95% of these lads coming through is a bit of exposure followed by a sale to a decent level. We’ll be doing well to have 2 or 3 academy graduates getting some meaningful game time each season.

' just ask yourself what would Jan Molby do''😄

Good interview with Joemez about staying on, signing new contract and a bit about his injuries...

how do you buy a 6th placed midfielder that knows what klopp wants in the 10 games a year he gets.

Hard enough to find someone available, that is right for the job, that wants to do that job and fits the wage structure.

Klopp more often than not seems to prefer to stick with the lads he knows.

If he was 6th choice it’d be a no brainer to keep him around for the season, but he’s more like 8th or 9th choice. (Henderson, Fabinho, Oxlade Chamberlain, Milner, Thiago, Keita Elliott, and maybe even Carvalho)

As Coulson said, there’s a very good player in there that just needs time on the pitch to develop, and this year seems a great opportunity for that to happen while Milner and Ox are still around. Just think he deserves that opportunity to show what he can do as a player instead of forever waiting for a few rhythmless minutes here and there. Every time he plays this place erupts condemning him, when under the circumstances it seems very unfair to have this expectation to suddenly be up to speed out of nowhere.

Last season was a toss up between the three of them really who was 6th, 7th & 8th behind, Fab, Hedo, Thaigo, Naby & Elliott.

Jones mintues last season were 1,530 in 27 games across all four competitions with 1 goal and 4 assists and Jones missed 14 games with injury

Ox's minutes last season were 1,526 in 29 games across all four competitions with 3 goals and 3 assists and Ox missed 20 games with injury.

Milner's minutes last season were 1,371 in 39 games across all four competitions with 3 goals and 5 assists and Milner missed 9 games with injury.

Now Elliott is back fully fit I would say Jones is at least 6th choice for the midfield so he needs to show Klopp something to bump him up that list.

Jones showed great promise a few years ago when he was breaking in first, his progress seemed to slow when the squad was decimated with injuries and Fab/Henderson moved from midfield and all that mullarkey. This seemed to jolt his confidence, knock him back a bit, and his confidence doesn't seem to have recovered. I don't think he's slow at all, I think he looks like a player playing safe or almost second guessing what he's doing, rather than trusting his instincts and just doing his thing..

He's worth spending some more time on if his attitude is good, as one assumes it is when Jürgen is on for keeping him. The upside far outweighs the downside imho, and perhaps woth the 5 subs he'll get more chances under less pressure to find his way again.

Jones was only 21 in January, he's still extremely young and only for injury he wasn't further ahead of Milner. It doesn't say a lot about Jones, Milner is fantastic at seeing out games due to his experience and is rightly used ahead of Jones in that situation.

It's easy to forget how good Jones was playing last September/October time. He was arguably Liverpool's best player in the draw against Brentford in which he scored in. He was taken off just after he scored to make it 3-2. He followed that up with another brilliant performance away to Porto in the CL where he was involved in all 5 goals, getting 3 direct assists. He was trusted to start against Man City then after that where he contributed towards Salah's wonder goal. These games came sandwiched in between excellent games away to Man United and Norwich, in which he played as the DM. That eye injury threw him off course then, as can happen with form and momentum. Thiago came back from injury around then and cemented his place in the team.

If we can get him back to that form, he is more than capable of being a good squad player for the side moving forwards. I would prefer him to stay for the coming season again.

Suarez on a one year rolling deal would be useful, of course he'd not play many games, but his influence is huge in the squad

Strange that no one is snapping him up, but I'm sure he has 20 plus offers, he just wants to stay at a top club,

Hope this loan goes better for him than last seasons one when the club recalled him because he wasn't get games.

Salah in the new Ricky & Morty well sort of he is in the new adidas crossover ad with Rick & Morty.

Not much of a fan of the show personally but that's very cool!

Davies to Rangers confirmed...

Rick and Morty is fantastic! One of the funniest and most creative shows out there at the moment.

Rhys Williams needs to grow back the VVD hairstyle!