Liverpool Thread

Klopp will apparently play 5 youngsters against WBA...looking forward to that...
http://www.thisisanfield.com/2016/05/5-liverpool-youngsters-deserves-start-vs-west-brom/

appart from Ibe, who i felt could benefit from Sterling sale and he so far didn´t took his chance 100% i feel each and every youngster introduced to the team this season took his chance...player like Stewart, Ojo, Smith, Chirivella or Brannagan could save us money in future, as they look realy good so far.

Only regret is that it seems Jordan Rossiter to Rangers FC is a done deal, and we will sell for basically nothing... A local lad who had the bad timing of his injury and Klopp experiments with youngster happend to him.... to bad, but he will be a good player, perhaps he will soon return to PL... he was the best midfielder we had in young teams.. and a local lad..

looking forward to see Canos debut though...
 
nervous ahead of the final...but i reflect on the season somehow...

it has been amazing change in terms of belief and confidence appointing Klopp..the man is positive and his energy must be transforming to the players...

the scenes in Basel are amazing...
 
Sevilla are better team in all aspects.

we crumbled after the first goal in second half...

Moreno should be replaced with a defender ...
 
moreno is your worst starting 11 player, not just this game but majority of season.

but, ref should have whistled at least one penalty for liverpool.
 
I think Liverpool were a beast in the 1st half. They should of put 2 pass Sevilla (regardless the handballs). Whatever Emery spoke @the half it worked. Sevilla 1st goal looked like a fifa kick off cheat past through the defense like a hot knife through butter.

Klopp losing 5 yes FIVE consecutive finals...:CONFUSE: he`s like a final whisper
 
It's sad that your best CB atm is leaving.
Moreno would struggle to start in Ligue 1 let alone a european final, Flannagan the better defender by far..
 
345949D200000578-3597450-image-a-38_1463598252661.jpg
 
It's sad that your best CB atm is leaving.
Moreno would struggle to start in Ligue 1 let alone a european final, Flannagan the better defender by far..

who do you mean by best CB? Toure i hope will get one more season.

Moreno is realy bad, can´t defend...

Flanagan had injury issues i think..

i think in summer we will go after a new LB definetly... but it is more than that.. we lack a true leader on pitch...

it is shocking that a 35 year old defender who suposed to be only back up is fighting the most... but also Clyne was great whole season...

im very dissapointed by Coutinho.. but let´s be honest, Sevilla were better..i´m not angry or sad we lost to that great team, but the way we lost without fight or focus in second half is realy shame, after performances before..
 
What a lovely goal from Sturridge. Other than that...what the hell happened at half time?!

I hope someone checks on BT's commentators. They're going to be absolutely distraught at Liverpool's utter dominance not winning the day.
 
It was a major blow for the team to concede in first seconds of the second half obviously, Sevilla had chances and possesion in first half and we were lucky to lead... In second half it was the shock of our team and even better organised play of Sevilla to turn it around.. + we lack proper players in defence... Moreno realy played bad and his possesion + defending was shocking again...That Mariano guy made runs on right wing with ease....

But despite being down after yesterday i think there is no time to think to much about that game.. obviously it would have been great to play in CL but this team needs to be rebuild in some key areas during the summer imo.. But thinking about the situation i only can be positive realy...

- We have a manager change during the season
- It has been 7 months and a week since Klopp arrived
- During that time he managed to get in to two finals with a squad of players he did not buy + install belief mentality to fans and players

I say don´t worry... shit happens obviously yesterday Sevilla were better prepeared for the game and final, they were better than us, but this team will learn and Klopp achieved great things in short time with 0 spended on these players.

If i learned something from that guy is that we have to change from doubters to believers...and i believe he can make us great. He already did so much in such short time. Wait what he can do after proper pre season + transfer window.
 
but i also must put credits on sevilla team. they were great in the second half.

banega, mariano, coke and vitolo were great!


p.s. i played the same match on pes 6 and i also sevilla won (1-2). :)
 
Sevilla was great, but i think if Liverpool did not conceed that goal it would be other game and maybe minimum would be overtime... as i said the team collapsed after that goal and lost all the focus... individual errors added to that..
 
Fancied Sturridge for the first goal, pity I never put money on it.

I thought there may have at least been a penalty, although it would have been slightly harsh. Still think they just need to say if it hits your hand it's a penalty, especially if they ain't held into your body.

Liverpool looked really good in the 1st half, but totally capitulated in the 2nd half and Sevilla ran out worthy winners.

Pity about the fighting with the fans, in the last week that's 3 incidents already looking like the hooligan element is starting to rear it's head again, I pity the poor people in France who have had enough shit hit them in recent times with these idiots going over, guaranteed trouble.


FD
 
The better team on the day won through.
Congrats to Sevilla.

I thought the referee was poor and picky but Liverpool didn't deserve anything from the game.

Too many big players went missing.
 
yeah Coutinho was shocking yesterday... he is a top player if he bothers, but often he goes missing...
 
IMO Liverpool had some bad luck too.
In the first half Sevilla players made 3 times handsball in their own 16.
Certainly the first one was an obvious move with the arm to the ball and should have been given (the second was never a penalty and not sure about the third, but it's clear that the hands rule sucks and when will refs make similar decisions in the box than in the middle of the pitch?).
The equaliser was a blow and was due to a lack of concentration.
The second goal was perhaps the best goal i saw this season. I generally prefer team efforts to individual briliance, this was an absolutely briljant team performance (but also bad defending from Liverpool).
The third goal, who killed the game was pure luck (but certainly not offside as the ball came from a Liverpool player): the ball took two deviations on Liverpool defenders before it arrived in the feet of Coke...that is bad luck.

I was impressed with Sevilla's second half, but after Sturridge very good goal Liverpool was also very good. Still, i have the feeling that there is a lot that can be better in this Liverpool team. Hope Klopp can buy some good players. I genuinely hope Liverpool can compete for the title next season. As most continental Europeans, i still see Liverpool as the biggest English club...they are still a people's club and Anfield is pure magic.

This club (and city) deserves a team that competes every season...
 
i feel like the ref did no favour to Liverpool not giving the first penalty to not kill the match maybe..but 3 handballs in such important match are to many... maybe the second and third were not 100% deliberate...but the first one was a clear penalty.... means nothing now though.

Sevilla was good but it was imo about the mentality of Liverpool´s players...at 1-1 they basically shit themselfs because of a fast unexpected goal.... this things should not happend if the team wants to win something.
 
Fun fact

LFC has most international players from all the clubs in the preliminary/final squads... 12.

second are Tottenham and Real Madrid with 11, third are Bayern and Barcelona with 9
 
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/spor...ws/liverpool-fc-transfers-who-stays-11359206?

Liverpool FC transfers: Who stays, who goes and who comes in during Klopp's summer of change.

Dejected and deflated, Liverpool players and staff returned to John Lennon Airport on Thursday afternoon. There was no open top bus waiting for them, no parade around the city to show off the European trophy they craved. Instead they quietly went their separate ways at the end of a gruelling campaign which promised so much but ultimately delivered little. Liverpool exceeded all expectations by reaching the Europa League final but when opportunity knocked against Sevilla they floundered alarmingly.

If there was pride in defeat after losing to Manchester City on penalties in February's Capital One Cup final, here there was none. When cool heads were required after that nightmare start to the second half, panic reigned. They let themselves down and the hangover will take some shifting.

For Jurgen Klopp, who will now take a short holiday, there is much to ponder.

Reds arrive back after Basel debacleReds arrive back after Basel debacle
Every step of the way over the past eight months he has defended the calibre of the squad he inherited.

Klopp's appointment galvanised both the dressing room and the fanbase, his man-management skills instilling both belief and a sense of togetherness. But those qualities only take you so far. There is no substitute for talent and glaring weaknesses were exposed at St Jakob-Park. The bottom line is that Liverpool looked like a team which had just finished eighth in the Premier League. Now a summer of change awaits as Klopp begins his Anfield rebuilding job.

There will be no Champions League carrot to dangle in front of prospective signings. In fact there will be no European football at all so a bloated squad won't be required.

Liverpool will have to rely heavily on Klopp's pulling power as he looks to secure the injection of talent required to banish the memory of a bleak night in Basel and take the club forward.

Heading for the exit door

The fact that Kolo Toure was Liverpool's best player at St Jakob-Park was a damning indictment of the team performance. The veteran Ivorian defender insisted afterwards he's still in the dark over his future with his contract expiring this summer. Toure wants to stay but there is no offer of a new deal on the table. He's a hugely popular figure at the club and has been a great servant over the past three years. However, he will be 36 next season and with a less crowded fixture list it's difficult to see where he fits in.

The sale of Christian Benteke is set to swell the club's summer transfer kitty. The Belgium international has made some telling contributions with 10 goals since his £32.5million move from Aston Villa last year. But the fact is he simply doesn't fit Klopp's style of play. A parting of the ways is best for all parties with West Ham among his suitors. With Danny Ings back fit, Benteke would be even further down the pecking order next term. Liverpool aren't in the habit of keeping someone on £110,000 per week as an impact sub.

Adam Bogdan will also depart having failed to provide serious competition for Anfield No 1 Simon Mignolet and defender Tiago Ilori is likely to follow.

Joao Carlos Teixeira and Jerome Sinclair will move on as their contracts expire.

Jose Enrique has already been shown the door, Jordan Rossiter has signed for Rangers and Steven Caulker's loan spell from QPR is over.

Uncertain futures

Martin Skrtel has made 320 appearances for Liverpool spanning eight and a half years but this could be the end of the road. The Slovakian appeared to wave goodbye to fans after last weekend's final Premier League game at West Brom. It's been a hugely disappointing campaign for the long-serving defender who has been hampered by problems with both fitness and form. He's effectively been relegated to fourth choice centre-back.

Not even Mamadou Sakho's failed drugs test could provide him with a route back into the team with Klopp turning to Toure instead. Much will depend on what kind of offers arrive for Skrtel and also his own determination to move on. Uncertainty also surrounds the prospects of Sakho, who should discover in the next fortnight the length of his ban for taking a 'fat burner' off the banned list. Liverpool hope he will only get six months and be back playing in October. But the worse case scenario is two years and if UEFA throw the book at him where does that leave the club?

Joe Allen, who came off the bench against Sevilla, may have played his last game for Liverpool. The Wales international is about to enter the final year of his contract and Klopp insisted he would sit down with Allen to discuss the future after the end of the season. Allen, who shone in the final few months of the campaign, wants to play regularly. If Liverpool can't offer him that then a return to former club Swansea City is likely.

Lucas Leiva's future is seemingly the subject of debate on an annual basis. The loyal Brazilian midfielder is the club's longest serving player. He hasn't been able to nail down a regular spot under Klopp and was an unused substitute in Basel, but his wealth of experience could still prove valuable next term.

Alberto Moreno had a nightmare against Sevilla. He was the glaring weak link that his former club ruthlessly exploited. It wasn't a one-off. Impressive going forward, Moreno has been a liability defensively far too often this season. Whether he stays or goes this summer, signing a new left-back who can defend is an absolute priority.


Staying put


Most of the starting line up in Basel will get the chance to atone for what happened in the final. Daniel Sturridge and Adam Lallana both recently reaffirmed their commitment to the cause amid speculation linking them with moves away from Anfield. Sturridge's stunning goal which broke the deadlock against Sevilla showcased that there are few better finishers in European football. The England striker was left out of some big games by Klopp earlier in the season but his response proved he has the stomach for the fight. Sturridge was on the periphery as the Reds struggled in the second half but he wasn't the only one.

Philippe Coutinho, Roberto Firmino and Emre Can – three players so key to Liverpool's march to Basel – were all way off the pace. The occasion passed them by.

There will be back next season, desperate to make amends, along with the likes of James Milner, Divock Origi, Dejan Lovren, Nathaniel Clyne, Jon Flanagan, Ings and Joe Gomez.

Captain Jordan Henderson, who was helpless as he watched the final unfold from the bench, will be desperate to put the injury woes of this campaign firmly behind him.

Who's coming in

Klopp told the ECHO before the final that Liverpool's transfer business wouldn't hinge on whether they were back in the Champions League. Targets had already been pinpointed but he also admitted that the absence of European football would lead to him requiring a smaller squad in 2016/17.

Liverpool played 63 games this season, 15 of which were in the Europa League. The demands next term will be considerably less and that should be reflected in a much improved Premier League campaign. Klopp will get time on the training ground. The Reds will frequently enjoy the luxury of a full week to prepare. Leicester City proved this term what can be achieved in those circumstances.

Bayern Munich attacker Mario Gotze remains the top target with Liverpool hopeful the absence of Champions League football won't derail that £20million move. The World Cup winner is keen to be reunited with Klopp, who oversaw his development during their time together at Borussia Dortmund.

The Reds are in advanced talks to sign Mainz keeper Loris Karius for £4.7million to provide greater competition for Mignolet.

They also want Udinese's Poland international midfielder Piotr Zielinski, who has spent this season on loan at Empoli. Talks are continuing with the Reds adamant that reports in the player's homeland saying the deal is done are premature.

Liverpool are keen on young Leicester City full-back Ben Chilwell but agreeing a fee could prove problematic.

Centre-back Joel Matip will join Liverpool on a free transfer from Schalke this summer. Matip and Dejan Lovren are likely to be Klopp's first choice defensive combination next season.

Gomez will be fit for pre-season but if Toure and Skrtel both depart then Liverpool will need to buy another centre-back.

Marko Grujic, a £5.1million signing, will arrive from Red Star Belgrade but he's a young midfielder who will need time to adapt to the demands of English football.

A busy summer lies ahead. There is much work to be done to ensure Liverpool are well equipped come August to put the heartbreak of Basel behind them.
 
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