Liverpool FC Team Talk, Gossip, Rumours 2024/25

Yeah I think the same.

As you said, he covers both RB & CB to a good level. He always knows the system, is well embedded into the squad and is HG. Has pace, is able to pass the ball and good in the air. He knows his position in the squad, fighting for the VVD partner with Konate & Matip. Being content in the squad is very underrated.

How many players out there, at a higher level, meet all those criteria? It would be very difficult to sign a player better than Gomez that is content not starting every game. At least not until VVD / Matip move on in 1,2,3 or 4 years time. Any potential signing is going to want to start almost instantly. And that is not happening yet with VVD / Konate / Matip all ahead of them.

If we needed any convincing after the 2020/21 season, I believe we've had proof again with the injuries to Matip and Konate.

The CB position is arguably our most important position to get right, and we've missed those 2 terribly as options. Our system depends on the ability of a CB who can stride through the lines, or pass through them. Gomez simply can't. Gomez is only comfortable hitting the wide pass to Trent. It's predictable, and the opposition are happy to let him do it. It doesn't commit anyone out of their shape, and our midfielders and attackers often end up double teamed and easy to defend against.

We also turn the ball over an awful lot more than the likes of City and Arsenal. So we need CBs who are strong and assertive. They need to be constantly anticipating in order to help keep us on the front foot.

Even Konate's ability to keep the ball when winning it makes a huge difference. Gomez is a complete 'safety first' defender, who will happily kick it into touch at any point that he thinks he's under pressure. That's fine for most teams, but we need to be keeping the ball in play as much as possible.

Sorry, a lot of that is tl;dr but I didn't expect Konate to stick out so much last night. We were like a different team.

"Perhaps the next Haidara will emerge in those camps. The man himself knows what it means to have heroes. “I loved Yaya Touré,” he says. “He could do everything with and without the ball. I also loved Steven Gerrard. Everything he did was amazing. I love to watch his videos and try to take things from his game. There also players now. Marco Verratti is amazing with the ball. Casemiro is great. But I need to look at myself and be the player I am.”

Gomez has everything to be a world class CB he can do everything but he is missing concentration , he lacks focus so often,

He isn't getting skinned , out paced ,or out fought, he just switches off at times & its very hard to cut that out without playing week in week out which he won't do for us,

I think as a CF you'd be better of avoiding Joe, Don't bothering to fight or don't keep attacking him, just bide your time & wait for the mistake when he switches off,

Look at his last 3 ig mistakes Forrest,Westham & Leeds all under no pressure what so ever ,

For me Diaz now is what Mane was when we bought him,

Mane then became obsessed with goals because Mo came in & he wanted to match him,

What changes in Mane was exactly what you said he would receive the ball & pass it asap so he could dart into the box to be on the end of things , He stopped dribbling as much as his whole goal was to get as close to the 6 yard box as quick he could, Ronaldo had the same evolution stop dribbling as much & arrive late into the box,

I wonder will we see that with Diaz as he matures , Jota is a master at it ,

Mane & Salah are inside forwards, not wingers at all, Bobby at his peak made so much space for the lads to run into , Our style will have to change with Nunez as our 9

Also I know there comes a time where a player is no longer "still young" but Joe is a 25 year old with over 2 years missed due to injuries playing in a position that most players don't reach their prime in until they're near 30.

Bloody idiot. What has he possibly to gain by doing that in Liverpool. He looks like he might barely have been born when Hillsborough occurred. I remember it vividly. Doesn’t bother me so much as I didn’t know anyone that died but it’s very sore to the locals. I have a colleague from that area and despite being a Utd fan (and he lives within sight of anfield all his life), it is a subject you don’t even question with him.

Guys a loser. Nothing better to do with his rubbish life.

Son has a fracture around his eye and is out for the weekend game. Is a big doubt for the World Cup too, which I am sorry to hear.

Group Winners: SSC Napoli (ITA), FC Porto (POR), FC Bayern München (GER), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Chelsea FC (ENG), Real Madrid CF (ESP), Manchester City FC (ENG) & SL Benfica (POR)

So for

Napoli they have Club Brugge (BEL), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), RB Leipzig (GER), Borussia Dortmund (GER) & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Porto they have Liverpool FC (ENG), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), AC Milan (ITA), RB Leipzig (GER), Borussia Dortmund (GER) & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Bayern they have Liverpool FC (ENG), Club Brugge (BEL), AC Milan (ITA) & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Spurs they have Club Brugge (BEL), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), AC Milan (ITA), RB Leipzig (GER), Borussia Dortmund (GER) & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Chelsea they have Club Brugge (BEL), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), RB Leipzig (GER), Borussia Dortmund (GER) & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Real they have Liverpool FC (ENG), Club Brugge (BEL), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), AC Milan (ITA), Borussia Dortmund (GER) & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Man City they have Club Brugge (BEL), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), AC Milan (ITA), RB Leipzig (GER), & Paris Saint-Germain (FRA)

Benfica they have Liverpool FC (ENG), Club Brugge (BEL), FC Internazionale Milano (ITA), Eintracht Frankfurt (GER), AC Milan (ITA), RB Leipzig (GER) & Borussia Dortmund (GER)

Hopefully not Real. They're the only team Klopp can't seem to beat.

But going away in 2nd leg, you'd much rather Porto and Benfica , away to Bayern and Real while needing something is almost impossible

Delighted he's out for the weekend but I agree it's very sad for him if he misses the World Cup, given his importance to his nation. Hopefully he makes it.

Three English group winners and three German runners up mean we're almost twice as likely to get Bayern as anyone else

(not my work, taken from https://eminga.github.io/cldraw/)

Ive never been so less excited about a world cup.

Good point!

For a second I read that as the Taxi driver,

Strange his missus wrote some cryptic tweet yesterday, About how quick people forget or something

Was the taxi driver ginger with a dull Manchester accent by any chance?

I want Real. We were better than them in May, let’s knock them out

Just from how Fab looks when he moves, I don't think i'd particularly buy some personal issue like that as the cause... like, he literally looks like he's having trouble moving freely. Can't seem to break into anything above a jog.