The Liverpool Thread

Theatre of Dreams83 said:
Decent watch. God knows why Arsenal want to get rid of Niles. Not impressed with Naby again today. Had some good moments but nothing special.
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Thought he was good when he came on on the ball. Penetrative passes and carrying it but ive made my peace that off the ball he wont be as good as the usual three. Doesn't track runners and gets caught out way to often for it to be a fitness issue. He will be useful in game at home against lower opposition but I would never trust him to start a game against a top side as the midfield will lose balance. Not surprised why Klopp wants Thiago offers the same ability on the ball but can be trusted to put in a shift off the ball aswell.
 
dilakh2 said:
Thought he was good when he came on on the ball. Penetrative passes and carrying it but ive made my peace that off the ball he wont be as good as the usual three. Doesn't track runners and gets caught out way to often for it to be a fitness issue. He will be useful in game at home against lower opposition but I would never trust him to start a game against a top side as the midfield will lose balance. Not surprised why Klopp wants Thiago offers the same ability on the ball but can be trusted to put in a shift off the ball aswell.
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I felt even when he was running with the ball ( that should be his strongest point, right? ) he looked uncomfortable. This season is probably make it or brake it for him, he needs to show something.
 
Big season for sure. We all know how good a player he can be. Needs to start delivering on a consistent basis in all aspects.
 
Again, the ONLY issue with Naby is health and staying fit enough to get that consistent rhythm. And he presently looks the strongest he has for a good whiles so fingers crossed those problems are behind him.

Not sure where this 'make or break' narrative comes from but he's consistently shown why the manager and staff has total belief in him when he has played.

No question marks at all over him being here for the long term if he stays healthy.
 
What’s the feeling on Gigi here. Stay or go? Lot of talk in Spain about Koeman wanting him as a cheap option.
 
I personally believe he'll be here regardless this season with Thiago and leave next summer as he's far more valuable for a final year to us than a pittance of his value selling him now or for even less in January.

Which I'm more than sound with.
 
Why am I even reading L'pool twitter this morning?

The over analysing from a game that doesn't need any analysing by the journos is bad enough. But the OTT reaction on twitter is something else.

L'pool were leggy as Klopp working the **** off them the past two weeks like he always does caught up in a match. Arsenal, who you would be concerned with if Arteta thinks playing like Moyes will get him anywhere this year, took the trophy on pens.

One of them. Nottin to be concerned with a full fortnight to prepare for the PL opener.

I seriously think I've lost some brain cells mooching around social media this AM.
 
Scouseinthehouse said:
I seriously think I've lost some brain cells mooching around social media this AM.
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This can happen any time and any time of the year :D

Reddit can be bad sometimes about discussions etc, but there are decent analysis sometimes with some fellas. Twitter commentary is mostly lashing out as loudly as u can on some topic. Observe that place only for news.
 
Bujakaa92 said:
This can happen any time and any time of the year :D

Reddit can be bad sometimes about discussions etc, but there are decent analysis sometimes with some fellas. Twitter commentary is mostly lashing out as loudly as u can on some topic. Observe that place only for news.
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Yeah like some of the analysis on reddit at times
 
theathletic.com

Another Wembley defeat - can Liverpool kick on without investment this season?

The Liverpool manager must hope defeat in the Community Shield elicits the response of a year ago - and his squad has enough depth
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Not sure if subscribers here. If any specific articles interesting can ping me.

Defeat on penalties in the Community Shield. A section of the fanbase increasingly twitchy about the lack of transfer activity with the new Premier League season on the horizon. We’ve been here before.

Liverpool made a mockery of those concerns after losing to Manchester City in the curtain-raiser at Wembley a year ago.

A summer of modest recruitment when the club only added Harvey Elliott, Adrian, Sepp van den Berg and Andy Lonergan to their ranks was followed by Jurgen Klopp’s side blowing their rivals away to end a 30-year wait for the top-flight title.

The improvement came from within — Klopp developing the array of talent at his disposal rather than relying on a statement of intent in the transfer market.

The burning question is can he repeat the trick? As Chelsea embark on a spending spree and City work on trying to sign Lionel Messi from Barcelona, can Liverpool kick on again without an injection of proven quality?

A sense of perspective is important after Klopp’s men lost the Community Shield on spot-kicks for the second successive season.

Both are close to returning to action with Alexander-Arnold given the green to resume full training on Sunday after shaking off a calf problem. Squad depth has also been dented in pre-season by the absence of the injured Joel Matip, Divock Origi, Xherdan Shaqiri and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Liverpool paid the price for a horribly slow start against Arsenal and a failure to make their second-half dominance count before Rhian Brewster’s penalty miss proved decisive. The lack of sharpness in the frontline was understandable given that Liverpool headed to Wembley off the back of an energy-sapping training camp in Austria.

The one major positive was the sight of Takumi Minamino getting off the mark for the club with a cool finish to restore parity — seven months after his arrival from Salzburg. Virgil van Dijk spoke after the game about the “fantastic” Japan international “coming out of his shell”.

Having barely featured in the second half of 2019-20, Minamino is fully adjusted to Klopp’s way of working and has impressed the coaching staff with his impact in pre-season. He will certainly have a bigger role to play in the coming months.

The same goes for Naby Keita, who improved the Premier League champions after coming off the bench. He gave Klopp’s midfield the creative spark which had been lacking.

Yet calls for further reinforcements are understandable. The clamour to firm up interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara continues to intensify.

The Spain international, who is on holiday after winning the Champions League, is understood to be keen on a move to Anfield.

However, Liverpool have yet to open talks with Bayern, who will demand around £30 million for a player who will be a free agent next summer.

Klopp is well-stocked in central midfield but that could change with Georginio Wijnaldum’s future uncertain. The Dutchman has entered the final year of his contract and talks over an extension reached an impasse last season.

Liverpool aren’t actively looking to sell him this summer and Wijnaldum hasn’t indicated he wants to move but new Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman is a big admirer.

For all the chatter about the midfield, signing a centre-back is arguably a much bigger priority. That was further emphasised by the sight of Fabinho playing there for the final half-hour at Wembley after Joe Gomez was moved to right-back following the substitution of Neco Williams.

The £10.9 million sale of Dejan Lovren to Zenit St Petersburg — coupled with the exits of Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne as free agents — effectively paid for the £11.7 million signing of Kostas Tsimikas from Olympiakos.

Liverpool have a quality back-up for Andy Robertson, which given the attacking influence of the full-backs in Klopp’s formation is crucial.

However, they still have to replace Lovren, who made 15 appearances in 2019-20. The need for a fourth senior centre-back is more acute given Matip’s injury record. The former Cameroon international only made 11 starts last season and hasn’t featured since limping off against Everton when the Premier League restarted in late June.

Fabinho can deputise there but Liverpool are then denied his expert ability to dictate play from the holding midfield role.

Young French centre-back Billy Koumetio, 17, has massively enhanced his reputation since being promoted to the first-team squad for pre-season. It was telling that he was picked ahead of Nathaniel Phillips, Van den Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever as he made the bench at Wembley.

But the plan is for Koumetio to continue his development with the under-23s and potentially feature in the domestic cups. He can’t be regarded as the fourth choice centre-back. Phillips is set to leave after returning from a loan spell at Stuttgart.

One issue for Liverpool’s recruitment staff is what they regard as a dearth of top-class centre-backs available at reasonable fees.

Brighto’s Ben White and Norwich City’s Ben Godfrey have been considered but their price tags have proved prohibitive.

The COVID-19 pandemic led to Liverpool having to rethink their summer plans. For a club which is self-sustaining and has an annual wage bill of around £320 million, the massive hit in revenues has cut deep.

It’s the reason why they didn’t pursue a deal for long-term target Timo Werner, who ended up moving to Chelsea. Elite back-up for the front three is another area that has still to be addressed.

It remains to be seen how much cash can be generated from selling fringe players if suitable offers are tabled for Harry Wilson, Marko Grujic and Shaqiri, who are each valued at around £20 million. Sporting director Michael Edwards needs to shift the likes of Loris Karius, Sheyi Ojo and Yasser Larouci.

Klopp has a close relationship with Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon and fully accepts the financial reality. There’s no friction. “I will never say ‘that’s the money I need and without that we cannot survive’. It’s about the club. I am clear enough about our situation,” said Klopp.

“There are other clubs that have different policies, obviously, and you have to expect that. But that was the same last year and the year before. Our way didn’t harm us. We are in a good place. We have a good team. I don’t think I ever bought enough players in a transfer window to satisfy everybody. It was always ‘aaargh, we need another one’. But so far it worked out.”

As a number of Liverpool players went to disappear down the tunnel on Saturday evening, Klopp called them back to stand and applaud Arsenal receiving the Community Shield. He did exactly the same a year ago when they gathered in the same spot to watch City’s presentation.

Klopp must hope that another defeat at Wembley elicits the same response and that worries about squad depth are once again dispelled.
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Bujakaa92 said:
theathletic.com

Another Wembley defeat - can Liverpool kick on without investment this season?

The Liverpool manager must hope defeat in the Community Shield elicits the response of a year ago - and his squad has enough depth
theathletic.com theathletic.com

Not sure if subscribers here. If any specific articles interesting can ping me.
Click to expand...

Very nice offer mate and a bang on article that many reactionary knobheads (I hesitate to call them 'fans'), embarrassingly ******** and moaning across social media after they've read the latest clickbait from a Romano, Fjortoft or the like on what other clubs a 'supposedly' doing and then fuming L'pool aren't would be well advised to heed.

From doubters to believers. Except when they don't get their own way in a transfer window and turn into petulant schoolies denied from watching their first Take That gig.

Pathetic. Unwarranted. People need to chill the heck out and remember just what we are.

The best team/ squad in World football.

Champions of England and the whole ****** World.
 
If the Ev got in on the mural game-

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In case any Reds missed that last night-

www.bbc.co.uk

BBC Sport - Liverpool FC: The 30-Year Wait

The story of Liverpool’s quest to return to the top of English football.
www.bbc.co.uk www.bbc.co.uk

Full Matches and Shows | Soccer Shows and Full Match Highlights Video

www.fullmatchesandshows.com

An absolutely superb piece of work from the BBC.

If really emotional at different times.

Makes you appreciate even more that journey to now getting back to the top of the mountain after 30 LONG years after everything we've gone through with them side-by-side every step of the way the past 3 decades.
 
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Congrats to Neco Williams on making his full Wales debut last night in Finland. ??

I’ve NO doubt that will be the first cap of many!

So L’pool now have 4 full International FB’s. 3 who currently start for their respective Country’s. With Neco having every chance to make that 4 going forward.

All for a little over £13 million combined.

#liverpoolhavenoqualitydepth
 
So Nick the Greek has seemingly tested positive for COVID.

At least Andy Robbo is coming home early as Scotland's game in the Czech Republic is off after a spike there but it just adds to the carnage on needless Internationals with players travelling out of their safe club bubbles.

Absolutely non-sensical that UEFA sanctioned the Sunday League farce Nations League games at this time.
 
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