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Liverpool Thread

Re: Liverpool Thread

DagsJT said:
We're in a real shitty situation really.

The players have got no motivation, no drive, no passion, no workrate. And it's up to Rafa to get the players in that frame of mind, and he's not delivered consistently this season.

The players need to wake up and start playing like the players that they're known for, Rafa needs to pick better tactics, play more attacking (no away goals in the last four matches now?) and make common-sense subs.

How do we get out of this mess? I'm not sure sacking Rafa is worthwhile, who else do we bring in? No idea. Will that new guy get any money to improve the squad and make it his own? Very unlikely. Will the new manager be a "Yes man" and the owners puppet? Very likely.

Does Rafa sell off a load of the squad and try to get rid of dead weight and kill the lack of confidence? We're going back to the start of Rafa's 5-year plan then, back to square one.

I'm really not sure what the best thing to do is. Gerrard looks completely disinterested, Carragher has been talking to the press about leaving apparantly, other players like Kuyt, Skrtel, Benayoun, Insua and Riera just haven't performed much at all. Mascherano is probably the only player who can hold his head up and say he's given everything this season, with possibly Reina and Kyrgiakos there as well.

The rest of the squad are good players, we know they are. Whether a new manager is what's needed to give the players a kick up the backside, or whether Rafa can sort this mess out during the summer, who knows.

Rafa was saying in the press that he doesn't want to bring Aquilani into a settled team when each game is so important and we need to keep rhythm etc. Well we're hardly setting the league alight with our performances, so what kind of peformances ARE needed to start Aquilani more often?

I've just got this horrible feeling of uncertainty and not having a clue how we can fix this. We can't even say that we just want the season to finish and move onto next season, because at this stage we don't even know if we'll be in the CL, Europa League or even Europe at all at this rate. We don't know if Rafa will still be with us next season, we don't know if we'll have new owners, and it's more likely than not that our most consistent player this season will be at Barcelona as well.

Not a good time to be a Liverpool supporter and not sure I can see light at the end of the tunnel yet.
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I don't know what you guys see, but I think Rafa is the problem. I'm not saying he's a bad manager, I always thought he's very smart. But tbh guys, Liverpool is a huge club. They need to start playing like the big club they are. They need to give them all lectures and remind them of who Liverpool are.

Imo, I think you need to smack Rafa in the head and remind him of the 18 titles and 5 CL titles as well. He AND you guys need to get out of this. You need a big shake up.

If Rafa can't get to grips with that then I suggest you get a manager who can live up to Liverpool's name. I don't know who it is though.

Rijkaard? Del Bosque? Mourinho?
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Personally I think the following have been good signings:

Luis Garcia
Sissoko
Crouch
Agger
Bellamy
El Zhar
Arbeloa
Nemeth
Leto (Disappointed he didn't get a work permit)
Benayoun
Insua (1.5m!)
Ngog
Kyrgiakos

That's obviously not including the players already mentioned. I'd think a fair number of that list are players that people didn't know before they joined Liverpool.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Lami said:
I don't know what you guys see, but I think Rafa is the problem. I'm not saying he's a bad manager, I always thought he's very smart. But tbh guys, Liverpool is a huge club. They need to start playing like the big club they are. They need to give them all lectures and remind them of who Liverpool are.

Imo, I think you need to smack Rafa in the head and remind him of the 18 titles and 5 CL titles as well. He AND you guys need to get out of this. You need a big shake up.

If Rafa can't get to grips with that then I suggest you get a manager who can live up to Liverpool's name. I don't know who it is though.

Rijkaard? Del Bosque? Mourinho?
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Would they come to a club where the chairman have no money to help them rebuild the squad into their own? Can't see it :(
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Luis Garcia - Found to be too lightweight for the league, good/great in the CL
Sissoko - Youngster sold on with a profit
Crouch - Good signing, shame he wanted to leave
Agger - Has the potential, but being injured all the time means he hasn't been a good signing
Bellamy - Didn't do much and caused controversy
El Zhar - hasnt done anything yet
Arbeloa - Good signing, shame he wanted to leave
Nemeth - hasn't done anythin yet
Leto (Disappointed he didn't get a work permit) - ?
Benayoun - Good signing
Insua (1.5m!) - Still not sure about him, just doesn't seem to have the ability to me
Ngog - Looks like he can become a good / really good player
Kyrgiakos - Clogger that with our crap defence has been made to look good.

So out of those 3,5 have delivered (counting Garcia as 0,5), 4 are youngsters so we don't know yet
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

No money because the previous manager blew it all? To say the owners haven't invested is fantasy. They've got you the joint biggest sponsorship deal in the country too. :ROLL:

I just don't get this back Rafa to the hilt attitude that Liverpool fans have? And these countless essays defending him when everyone else can see it's bollocks?!?:TTTH:

It's clearly not working out and like someone said, you can't sack 20+ players, so you change the manager. Someone new comes in and changes the mindset, the players are refreshed and start playing again. Those that didn't feel trusted or like they could play under the previous manager feel they've got a second chance and show the potential that they were signed for.

The fact you've got the same squad as last year minus a couple of names who were replaced by £40m worth of talent and you're looking at finishing 7th in the league despite it being the year most people said you'd win it and one where Arsenal get written off every two weeks, United are supposedly an average side now Ronaldo and Tevez have left and Chelsea are stuttering and hit by scandal every week says it all.

What to do seems simple to me.
 
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Re: Liverpool Thread

Love this thread,despite my strong hate for Liverpool I enjoy reading these discussions and insights.Keep it up.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Jumbo_ said:
No money because the previous manager blew it all? To say the owners haven't invested is fantasy. They've got you the joint biggest sponsorship deal in the country too. :ROLL:

I just don't get this back Rafa to the hilt attitude that Liverpool fans have? And these countless essays defending him when everyone else can see it's bollocks?!?:TTTH:

It's clearly not working out and like someone said, you can't sack 20+ players, so you change the manager. Someone new comes in and changes the mindset, the players are refreshed and start playing again. Those that didn't feel trusted or like they could play under the previous manager feel they've got a second chance and show the potential that they were signed for.

The fact you've got the same squad as last year minus a couple of names who were replaced by £40m worth of talent and you're looking at finishing 7th in the league despite it being the year most people said you'd win it and one where Arsenal get written off every two weeks, United are supposedly an average side now Ronaldo and Tevez have left and Chelsea are stuttering and hit by scandal every week says it all.

What to do seems simple to me.
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I totally agree. In fact, Liverpool have invested this season more than 40m, because Liverpool offer much better contracts to some players. Even that he had 40m, Benitez didnt invested them wisely, he bought a midfielder that he is not using and a spent 20m on an amazing fullback, but, with the lack of strikers we have, someone could say buying one striker and a good fullback would have been a better choice.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

TBH I think he relies way too much on Torres / the system, he bought Keane for 20mil the season before (whether it was him or parry is another matter) yet only used him in the Torres role when that is not his game. They should have been playing together. Instead we had another player shoehorned into a position to fit the system.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

I understand that Liverpool fans are disappointed. This was supposed to be the year that they would make a lounge for the title.
But maybe a season like this may prove to be a blessing in the long term.
Liverpool need to get rid of their icons like Gerrard and Carragher. Not because they are not good enough, but because they have become household names, institutions, icons of a (rather) unsuccessfull team, maybe even prima donna's (not really).
You need younger, hungrier players.
But what you need most is success. Lami is saying that Liverpool are a big club, well so is Ajax and even (to a lesser degree) Anderlecht. But Liverpool needs to win titles, domestic titles in the first place...if you do not win then being a huge club becomes a burden for the players...they play for a huge unsuccessfull club.
All in all Rafa's incoming transfers are not that bad. But i don't get why i he let go players like Crouch, Luis Garcia and Bellamy to other clubs. The same for Xabi Alonso. Last year Alonso played a fantastic season, but at the beginning of that season Benitez (or Liverpool) wanted to get rid of him...if a year later Madrid is courting that player...why would he stay.

And then Liverpool have something of a (modest?) tradition of not using very good or even class players: Aquilani this season, Keane last season (i don't like him particularly, but i think he never got enough decent opportunities to play for you)Kewell and maybe even the likes of Diouf and Cheyrou and under Houllier one of the best players that ever played for Liverpool, the great Jari Littmanen...
 
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Re: Liverpool Thread

Alonso wasn't playing so great when Rafa planned to swap him for Barry, so Alonso was expecting to leave. As we know, the Barry deal fell through but then Alonso knew he wasn't wanted and played his backside off to earn a move somewhere else.

He plays his best season for us, can't be persuaded to stay by Rafa despite numerous attempts as Alonso knew he wasn't wanted a year ago and still felt angry about it, and his performances earned him a move to Madrid.

I do agree that maybe we'd be better getting rid of the likes of Gerrard and Carragher etc. With Carragher talking about leaving anyway, it wouldn't be a huge loss. But unfortunately I can't see Rafa selling Gerrard now, unless Gerrard actually asked to leave. And after the Chelsea fiasco a few years back with death threats and him promising he'll stay at Liverpool for his career, I doubt he'll ask to leave.

It's that word you used, "hungrier", that really sums it up I guess. Too many players in our squad just don't have that hunger. That's where Mascherano stands out, as well as Reina. You can see in every game that their hunger far exceeds the other players and you just wish the others showed an ounce of that desire.

As it is, they're not really bothered, happy to collect their massive wages with no real concern. Even moreso for the likes of Gerrard and Carragher as they'll never be rested. Meanwhile Aquilani, Pacheco, Babel and Kelly show a ton of passion and desire when they get time to play.

If Rafa keeps persisting in playing a team that show a lack of hunger, he needs to remind them of who exactly they're playing for, the history of the club, the standards we expect and they need to get their act together or leave.

That won't happen though :(
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Thats because Rafa's a tactician, not a talker. Guys like Sir Alex and Mourinho are talkers and motivators. Rafa's always gonna pick people that tactically make sense to him and thats probably why theres no hunger. (and probably why no youngsters break through for you guys)
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

I`m really not happy w/ Liverpool`s state of being ... It will be a massive blow to have them outside the big 4. The likes of City or toothache is not my cup of tea . I`d prefer Pool or Villa, Everton was an embarrassment in the qualifying rounds and imo only the big 4 proves on the Euro stage what a quality league they are..I know i`m talking out of my arse but yesterday sussed me
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

If you are searching young, talented and hungry players: watch out for Eden Hazard this evening in the match against Lille.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Yeah, I've heard that guys name before and he's supposed to be amazing.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Problem is he's already had his head turned by Real from what I've heard.

Be a lost cause for anyone else to sign him, and he'd probably end up costing £25 million+ if you did go after him.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

All options are open for Hazard.
He (and his parents) refused offers from Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea because they want him to finish his school.
He has two brothers who are younger and also very, very good, one plays with Lens (in the youth teams).
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Briljant name, surely that in itself will sell enough shirts to fund a 25+ mil buy!

*Goes of to check if it's on the tele over here*
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Yep superb talent, I think he has said he'd like to move to Arsenal so they have a chance but he's sure be up their with the best of 'em in a few years.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

gerd said:
All options are open for Hazard.
He (and his parents) refused offers from Madrid, Barcelona and Chelsea because they want him to finish his school.
He has two brothers who are younger and also very, very good, one plays with Lens (in the youth teams).
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Dude, Belgium is going to be amazing in a few years when players like Lukaku, Witsel, Defour, Hazard, Fellaini and Mats Rits starts playing nere there potential.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

Problem is that we have lots of promising players, but until now our national team is not good. On top of that nearly all of them play in the central axe (Hazard is the exception).
 
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Re: Liverpool Thread

Rafa's scared that if he plays in a game, the wind might blow some dust into his eye so he wont take the risk.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

beachryan said:
What is wrong with Aquilani!? He can't be that bad! Play the boy ffs.
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Doesn't want to injure him so he can get a good price in the summer......

Didn't see the match, but these days I don't even care anymore. Actually glad, atleast it save me 2 hours of rubbish.

It seems the liverpool players have given their verdict on Benitez then, after the comments in the press that they need to buck up and work they go and lose again. And from what I read it was another lacklustre performance.
 
Re: Liverpool Thread

gerd said:
Problem is that we have lots of promisibng players, but until now our national team is not good. On top of that nearly all of them play in the central axe (Hazard is the exception).
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You re right. Anyway, Witsel, Defour and Fellaini played together in Standard ? I dont remember if Witsel was playing when they lost against us.
 
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