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We are off; but are we ready?

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LFC celebrateFINALLY, it’s on. The proper football. Meaning summer is definitely coming to an end.

Perhaps bittersweet for some, but not for us. We have been waiting, patiently, to see our Liverpool FC play competitive football again.

Pre-season is exactly what it is: a teaser. It indicates without making room for conclusions.

Now, if you excuse me borrowing the words of Flight of the Conchords, it’s business time.

When I say finally I say it with a certain degree of apprehension though. Because truth be told, I’m a bit scared. More than usually, I think; although that could be an unintentional lie, I’m not quite sure. I’m always a bit scared right before a new season starts, and I’m guessing I’m not alone.

The fear is based on the same thing as always: the feeling that the team isn’t fully equipped to meet the expectations we place on them. All summer it’s been all about that fourth spot and the potential ticket back into where Liverpool Football Club belongs: the Champions League. Some will say we need to aim higher; that aiming for fourth isn’t good enough and the objective always has to be the title. Aim for the stars and so on.

But it is. Right now, looking at the top five squads from last season, fourth looks like it would be a bit of an achievement. Patience is needed, and will once again be tested throughout the season. Brick by brick, step by step – that is how LFC must continue to work. There is serious ground to make up and I have my doubts about top four being realistic this season, which is exactly why it’s a good target. It may not sound as aiming for the stars, but with recent seasons in mind it will have to do for now.

As per today I think our squad looks better than what it did this time last year. The club has lost two veterans and crowd favourites in Jamie Carragher and Pepe Reina, but in the shapes of Simon Mignolet and Kolo Touré gained something the team was crying out for at times last season: physical presence at the back. In addition to that we have recruited the two Spaniards Luis Alberto and Iago Aspas, who essentially replace Jonjo Shelvey and Stewart Downing (or Andy Carroll, depending on how you look at it).

Whether or not these are upgrades on what we had is open for discussion, but I think it’s already clear they are more suited to the type of football Brendan Rodgers wants his Liverpool team to play. Overall I think we are now starting to see the base of a good squad, but it needs a bit of spice if the club is indeed serious about breaking into top four this season.

With our pre-season games in mind, particularly the game against Celtic, I think most of us have more or less figured out what our starting eleven will be for the league opener against Stoke City:

Mignolet; Johnson, Touré, Agger, Enrique; Lucas, Gerrard, Allen; Sterling, Coutinho, Sturridge.

Personally I think ten of those are nailed on starters for the game on Saturday; the only doubt for me is whether or not Aspas will occupy the right flank instead of Sterling.

Looking through that eleven, that is the team that will start the season for Liverpool – give or take one or two players. The worry for me personally is that if we stick with the 4-3-3 formation we have seen, we are lacking a couple of key components to make it work the way I think Rodgers wants it to work.

What I think it’s lacking is more attacking edge in midfield; someone who essentially can take the role as the third and more advanced midfielder, link up with Coutinho and also be more of a goal threat than what we currently have in central midfield. As we saw last season and also this pre season, the player at the left of the midfield trio has a responsibility of pulling out wide and occupy the space Coutinho leaves when coming inside – as he tends to do and also should do, given his effectiveness there.

Both Allen and Henderson are good at finding the space, but neither have the ability to take full advantage of it. Then there’s also the issue with not having a left back who is fully up to it either. Many good things can be said about José Enrique, but quick thinking isn’t necessarily what you would associate him with.

Then again, with Rodgers’ recent quotes about Coutinho in mind, it could look like he ideally wants two in midfield – presumably Lucas and Gerrard for the majority of the time – with more of an attacking four, meaning the likes of Joe Allen and Jordan Henderson will essentially be squad players this season.

However, at the moment we don’t have the players to allow Coutinho occupying the central role, meaning we will probably see the midfield trio of Lucas Leiva, Steven Gerrard and Allen or Henderson (depending on opposition) until we get the attacking player Rodgers undoubtedly is looking for.
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21 comments

  • Jack says:

    Nowhere near ready . We have not improved the squad from last season. Where are the signings ?

  • guest says:

    I believe this to be a very poor pre-season in terms of players in and out, can’t see where we have improved or why we have sold more than we have signed from an already depleted squad, Suarez is un-settled as well, very poor showing all round especially those running the club. Shelvey’s sale was just baffling, since we have not re-placed his like it makes it even stranger, where’s the physical strength going to come from?.

  • Abraham says:

    So you are excited to see Allen in the team? You have to be british or deluded. They are the reason we won’t compete for the top prize.

    • imoff says:

      you don’t have to be british or deluded to see that Allen will start the match tomorrow and play in the no 10 position m8

    • aaron says:

      What is it with this word deluded on this particular site?

      What happened… One shepherd many sheep?

      You’d have to be ‘mistaken’ to not see Allen has improved since injury and had a neat pre-season, as we only have the squad we currently have his inclusion is favourable to the alternatives. Or in other words my ‘deluded’ mind is excited.

      • Dennis says:

        Look . Another deluded sheep ! . Cant you think for yourself Aaron , rather than swallowing all the bull the club tell you

        Try . Try and think for yourself

      • Dennis says:

        Incidentally Aaron . DELUDED is a word other fans around the country are using now regularly to describe us Liverpool fans ….mainly thanks to fools like yourself

        Listen to what they call us on the forums or phone lines..deludes …because every year clowns like you think everything is great , and you choose to ignore reality

        You are a delude

        • guest says:

          What you are saying is true, and its got a whole lot worse since Rodgers arrived, Other fans can see what a poor job he is doing, some of our own fans can see it also, but there are a whole lot of lfc fans who just believe and parrot everything the club tells them, and FSG has turned most fans into accountants, more interested in whether fsg are cutting costs/wages than actually wanting us to make a real effort in the market.

        • Ozred says:

          Oh no. Dennis… We won… For the first time in about ten years on opening day… And you’ve gone quiet. I’m sorry, this must be a hard day for u.

          • Tommy says:

            What are you talking about ? First time in about 10 years ?

            We won on opening day 5 years ago AND 6 Yeats ago

            You know NOTHING about Liverpool FC . Total braindead ozred

          • Ozred says:

            Called mayonnaise over here *but probably hard for u to read between the lines. I hope u and little Dennis are keeping each other company… Ason villa this week. Imagine we won 2 in a row!!!

          • ozred says:

            haaaaa. We call it mayonaise over here but i know it’s hard for you to read between the lines.

            Poor Dennis, 3 months of daily whinging rants, we win round 1 and nothing to say in 48 hours…. What a supporter. What a guy…

            You two moronic tools deserve each other.

      • Tommy says:

        Sorry aaron , if you think Allen is a Liverpool quality player then u are deluded

  • Emma says:

    Rodgers get Williams 4 US, we can’t afford 2 miss out again…

  • Ray Ward says:

    I would say we are weaker than last season . Our midfield looks particularly weak . Another mid table struggle ahead

  • godwin says:

    mid table struggle i must say!

  • Ozred says:

    Not at all happy with the net position in terms of players out to players in.

    Defence looks good enough

    Must get a world class attacking mid, winger & striker…

  • EZEKIEL KPAREVFA says:

    BRING IN WILLIAN, SAKHO & SIQUERA then SHUT THE DOOR.

  • allaboutanfield says:

    I am optimistic for the new season. By january we will know where we stand.

  • Gerrard79 says:

    So much negativity from so called fans … As much as pepe was a good servant and committed to the club , mignolet is an improvement on reina ( no disrespect to pepe ) who has not been at his best in the last 3 seasons and Alberto and aspas look like an improvement on downing ,shelvey, and spearing . Keep in mind Rodgers and his staff are still trying their hardest to sign a marquee signing ( willian would be an interesting one ) obviously being unable to offer cl football has been the stumbling block thus far ,example being henrikh . And with the shrewd signing of kolo toure replacing Jamie carragher is a perfect fit and we still have skrtel trying to force his way back into the team so how can people still say that this is not a better team !!

    • Jack says:

      Erm …because it’s not. Mignolet is very good but not in Reina s class , same with toure n carra. Don’t let one easy win v poor side blind u

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