WE’VE had a good start to the season and with a few quality additions in January, I honestly think that we can maintain it for the entirety of the campaign.
However, the woeful defeat to Hull City was a blow. December is a key month for us and it will go a long way to deciding how we fair for the rest of the season. We need to get through that tricky period with what we have – and Sturridge has gone for 2 months. That is a serious blow.
With that in mind, I think we need a striker. Who, I don’t know because it will be hard to get a proven match winner in January. But another striker has to become a priority if Sturridge is likely to be out for anything approaching an extended period of time. We do have Aspas in reserve but he’s got “failure” written all over him unfortunately. Perhaps Victor Moses will rise up off the bench and show his worth, but he’s another one who is clearly a good player but I’m not convinced it’s going to work for him at Liverpool.
But until this weekend I wasn’t thinking about that position too much – it has now propelled its way to the top of the priorities list.
We also need to beef up our central midfield. And I mean that in every possible connotation of the word – we need to get a powerful force in the engine room. We’ve never replaced Mascherano adequately. It’s not easy, because players of that quality are few and far between and can play at a higher level of football compared to what we can currently offer. But we don’t appear to have even looked at bringing in another destroyer, another physical presence. It’s not Rodgers’ style.
But it needs to become part of his philosophy – our midfield is too much of a pushover. Individually I rate all of our central midfielders but as a unit, they get overrun too easily. We need someone like Diame from West Ham (I’m not saying him, why would he leave the auspices of Big Sam to come to Liverpool?) who will break play up and set himself amongst opposition attacks. Along with set pieces, it’s our biggest weakness and we need to do something about it. M’Vila was at the derby and him, or someone like him, would be ideal.
We also need a left back. This has become more and more apparent in light of Enrique’s injury and the need to play the disastrous Cisshoko. Enrique makes me want to pull clumps of my own hair out in frustration but the loan signing takes it to new levels. He’s awful. I am perfectly happy with the links to Martin Montoya from Barcelona. He’s looked accomplished every time I’ve seen him play.
However, I am prepared to rein this in if Flanagan continues to impress at left back. He was sensational in the derby last weekend and he keeps playing like that, there’s no need to spend fortunes. Unless Luke Shaw at Southampton becomes available because that lad is class, but that’s not happening. Montoya would fit the bill because he can play at right back as well, which might give the increasingly lax Glen Johnson a boot up the backside.
I honestly think we’re mostly on the money so far – a few tweaks here and there and I think we could become a very, very good team.
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Dream on. Our squad is very weak and Bodgers cant attract any top players so expect more Aspas types to come in .
sneidjerlin/m villa(dm), mitroglou/remy(striker), salah/ben arfa(rw), we still need a back up for mignolet.
I think we can get NZONZI,,he is a good player,,,
Would like to see mvilla, Ince and Montoya in January, then Remy in the summer with suso returning from his loan.
pastore(FW), shaquri (RLM), Enyeama (GK ), Alonso (DM ) and Montaya (RLB)
was the derby played last wkend? If so dn wen was the hull game played? Do u actually know a thing about lfc nd bpl total plank……ynwa
If the owners and B Rodgers Seriously aim to keep L Suarez(26) at the club, Players of his calibre and class need to be brought to the club.
And owners will need to open their pockets deep deep: 60-70M
And these five players will keep us in the hunt for top 4 and also bring more class, quality players of Coutinho, Gerrard, Sturridge and Suarez at club.
Two players to sort out or poor centre midfield: Would cost 30-32M
1: DM: Y M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan for 10-14M to compete and Cover Lucas Leiva
2: CM: Y Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle for 14-18M to compete and Cover Henderson
Two class creative consistant performing goalscoring wingers on each wing:
3: RW / RWF: M Salah(21) Of Basel for 12-16M to compete and Cover Sterling
4: LW / LWF: D Capel(25) Of Sporting Clube De Portugal / Lisbon for 4-6M to compete and cover IBE as Moses is simply average at best and Ibe is learning nothing from Moses being at club
5: FD: L Remy(26) Of QPR ( Currently on loan a Newcastle) For 6-8M to compete and Cover Sturridge
Those five players would help club maintain top 4 pursuit all the way until May 2014 and those 5 players would help keep L Suarez(26) at the club.
Buying Cabaye would mean competition to Gerrard not Henderson as Cabaye is a deep lying playmaker like Stevie.
We’d be better of selling both Henderson and Allen and rebooting the central midfield and not build it around a single player, Gerrard, and instead get the kind of players needed to make a solid midfield with no weaknesses.
Dennis. No offence at all but do you really think Cabaye will be able to cut it at Liverpool, better players have failed once they have stepped up.
I think he’s good but nothing to get obsessed over.
No offence at all Dennis, I like your posts.
Ian, Ask yourself this does Cabaye(27) create more goals and score more goals than J Allen(24) and Henderson(23)? Is Cabaye better than Allen and Henderson, Yes.
Allen(24) Cost the club 15M Henderson cost the club 18M
Cabaye(27) would cost 14-18M but he is worth it, he is not
Cabaye(27) is a french International and plays awesome with Tiote(27) in centre of park for Newcastle, what i like about Cabaye(27) is he is class, creative, scores goals but gets stuck in and puts his foot where it hurts when he does not have the ball either.
That is why i am hoping Rodgers brings M’Vila(23) Of Rubin Kazan to Anfield in January for 10-14M, I honestly think Cabaye(27) and M’Vila(23) would boss and dominate midfield and be the clubs 2014 version of Alonso and Mascherano.
Both players are internationals, Cabaye(27) has scored against top sides, he scored against us this season and last season at Anfield and he today he scored their winner at Old Trafford.
Cabaye(27) and M’Vila(23) would cost the club 30-33M combined
Two French Internationals who i think would be the perfect Centre midfield pairing for our club and France at the world cup.
Arsenal are Anielating this league, as every team in the league is trying to play nice, neat football and having a go at one another. Arsenal in all honesty for over a decade have been the second best playing football team to Barcelona, so its not a surprise how well they are doing.
Two places that are of huge concern is our centre midfield which lacks mobility, fluidity, creativity, goals, power, physical presence:
And out wide we lack class, consistency, creativity, goals?
Cabaye(27) is not Aquilani, Cabaye(27) has been in the premiership for 2 years plus now, he knows the league through and through. Cabaye is a big game player, he scored away at our ground and today at Anfield.
Whereas the two mobile guys we have in centre midfield : Allen and Henderson lack class, creativity, they are both neat on ball, too cautious and both buckle in front of goal?
Ian, i know your not trying to offend me at all. But Cabaye is better than Allen and Henderson by a lot, M’Vila is better than Lucas by a country mile. And if Rodgers brought both of them to club, we would be able to go to places like emirates, The Ethihad, Old Trafford, The Bridge and try to dominate games.
But with Allen, Henderson, Lucas we cannot go to those grounds and dominate.
If Rodgers brings in 4 players( Cabaye, Capel, M’Vila and Salah) that i mentioned out of the 5, Rodgers should bring L Remy to club in summer when if we make champions league with more class, quality replacements to eventually take over from S Gerrard(33.
Then i am sure we could go to any ground in country and try to dominate the game: Something we cannot do at the moment, its not a coincidence we have struggled against mobile creative or mobile powerful centre midfields. Arsenal,Everton, Hull, Newcastle, Southampton and Swansea.
If Rodgers had those 4 players at club, when we played against mobile creative fluid centre midfields like Arsenal, Chelsea,Everton, Newcastle Southampton and Swansea.
Then the Midfield Trio should and could be : M’Vila DM Cabaye CM and Coutinho AM just in front of them
Then with the class, creativity, pace, speed, width of Capel(25) and Salah(21) out wide on either wing teams would be pegged back.
But if we were to played against mobile physical sides then the midfield trio should and could be: M’Vila(23) DM Cabaye(27) CM and Gerrard(33) AM just in front of them
And with good class creative speedy goalscoring wingers on each side, our team would score goals for fun at Home and Away. And Suarez would have the much needed service, ammunition he gets at Anfield away from home if Capel(25) and Salah(21) are also brought to the club in January.
But all this is at Newcastle, big fish small pond and all that.
Plus he is surrounded by French players, must help him feel settled.
A move to Liverpool could upset that, bad star, never recover.
IMO we need a bit better than Cabaye
Ian, he is much better than Allen and Henderson. S Gerrard has one more year if that left in him, but he no longer has the legs, mobility or pace to get around the pitch regularly. And apart from his set pieces, he has been a passenger in the centre of park in all honesty.
Allen , lucas and Henderson offer the team no creativity in the centre of the park and very little protection to back 4 against fluid mobile creative centre midfields or against mobile powerful centre midfields.
Ian, Cabaye(27) would play as the box to box centre midfielder with M’Vila(23) If Rodgers brought him, as he has good eye for goal and a very good shot on him.
Ian, he is better than we have. And if Allen and Henderson have been given the chance to shine at Anfield, why shouldn’t Rodgers bring in real class and quality to club? Cabaye(27) Of Newcastle would get into 90% of the premiership’s starting centre midfields, the only two he would struggle to get into is Arsenal’s and Man City’s. They have the two best centre midfields in england
He is not like Allen or Henderson i was supposed to say, he will justify his 18M from the go.
Montoya, tello, mitroglou, and shaquri on loan.
send moses and sisoko back, and buy some good u19 playrs.
and also players like taxeria, yesil, Adam Morgan should b given chance.
No more money for brendan please . Save it for next manager.
I feel there’s little point naming long lists of top players who are neither available or affordable. We don’t need to strengthen the squad, we need to strengthen the first team. Players who can play regularly, not the likes of Aspas or Borini, who may or may not come good.
I would pull out the stops to buy 2 players for positions we are weak in.
Left back. Coentrao
He isn’t playing for Madrid. Is very comfortable playing left back, wing back or left wing (all positions we could with more quality in) and I’d a certain starter ahead of Enrique, cissokho and Flanagan.
Central midfield. Lars bender
All round midfielder still young. Can play defensive midfield, or box to box. Mid
OUT: BR, Mignolet, Allen, S. Gerrard, Lucas, Cissokho, Aspas, L. Alberto, Sterling
IN: S. Gerrard (as manager), V. Persie, Aguerro, Alonso, Reina (recalled possible?)
Be realistic…… RVP is old . Reina is full of *, Minolet is way better. Lucas is good player no need to sell him … Only Alonso is worth signing (Masterclass in the midfield).
Who cares if RVP will score another 20 goals for LFC this session and thus win us a PL trophy? Sometimes we need a short term almost guaranteed QUICK fix and RVP is the one.
U are very stupid 4 saying that
OUT: FSG
IN: (any billionaire)
Thumbs up for that
Brendan rodgers is a poor manager, he don’t know recruitment. All he do is sign poor players.he should be sacked and players such as henderson,allen,lucas,cissokho,aspas,borini,moses,luis alberto should all follow him.