The Liverpool FC Thread XII

I think the main issue is that we've not gone after high calibre - we've not gone after any calibre. We've made just one midfield signing since Allen in Rodgers' first window. 5 windows and all we have to show for it is Allen - who's a top 4 squad player in the right system, and Can who's been somewhat ludicrously underplayed. Rodgers needs to address the fact that Gerrard can not be a permanent fixture in our midfield and neither can Lucas and neither can Allen. Rodgers just doesn't see our midfield as a problem - he didn't see Lucas-Gerrard as an issue last season when we were stuttering along at a top 4 pace in the first half of the year (as soon as we started playing with one of them in midfield we hit title-contending form). Both players have regressed since then and yet we're still stuck with them as our midfield duo.

I would defend the selling of Agger. He was a good ball player but a mediocre defender and one whose time at the club was naturally ending. I advocate the decision completely. The Lovren signing has failed spectacularly but where Rodgers has ****ed up himself is Sakho being underplayed until now and the continued persistence with Skrtel - Lovren for far too long a period of time. The truth about Sakho is that he is an immense defender. Thoroughbred, international calibre defender. In France he starts above Koscielny and they conceded one goal with him on the pitch at the WC, a set piece which was the fault of Varane (in the quarter, Koscielny came on for 20 minutes and they immediately conceded 3 haha). He has all the physical attributes required and he's a natural leader. He's not perfect but he's the best defender at our club by a country mile. What he needs is a partner - Skrtel is not it, and never will be. Lovren (of last season) and Sakho have a similar style of play and that was the intended pairing (in most people's minds anyway) when Lovren was signed. I can't tell you what's gone wrong with Lovren but I doubt we'll see a resurgence this year, he looks a broken man. Sakho - Toure should be our CB partnership, based on form, let alone everything else.

We will never see another like Steven Gerrard.

The slip is probably the greatest tragedy in football history. If there was one man who just did not deserve that.

Honestly when I saw him slip and then Ba scored I felt so gutted for Gerrard.

He's an absolute legend.
[video="youtube;rq-pX65oyaU"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq-pX65oyaU[/video]

Wonder what the mystery injury was for B.Jones? Mignolet looks shaky as ever which is not a good sign.

Gerrard is just <3

Was so gutted for him.

Posted from TSR Mobile

I'm still not over the fact we weren't able to win the PL last season.

I'm still not over the fact we weren't able to win the PL last season.

Good god, watching MOTD and todays fixtures has been one of the worst displays of refereeing. It's like the refs were still on their xmas break.

Lucas and Skrtel between them are the worst spine of the team in the world.

Shy out of challenges, back off, slow and clumsy. Disgraceful. We knew this 3 years ago and we're still stuck with them. Absolute mediocrity.

No he's not.

Skrtel backs off, and backs off, and backs off, until the attacker has a free shot at goal from 10 yards out, and it's hard to miss from that range. He's nowhere near the standard of defender that Cahill is. He's mediocre. He gets portrayed as this Vidic type hard man and in reality he gets bullied by the likes of Carlton ****ing Cole. He's mediocre in every sense.

That has nothing to do with the point im making, cahill is usually at fault for goals because of backing up too much which is what skrtel gets accused of.

Im not saying that skrtel is as talented as cahill. Just that the style od play is similar

You said something along the lines of 'blame the midfield not Skrtel' and that's just ludicrous. Defenders are there to defend, not to be mollycoddled by a midfield.

I don't watch Cahill for 90 minutes a week but his issues to do with backing off and off are nothing remotely like Skrtel's and they're just not comparable players at all.

Classic Jam statement whereby 'X player is just another Y player'. (Henderson = Ramires, Skrtel = Cahill, Sterling = Willian, and those are just the ones since I've been posting for the last week and a bit). Footballers don't have to be categorised like that. Idk why you do it.

I maintain that DM is one of the most essential positions in the entire pitch - all of the top teams in the world have a real quality player to break up play and protect their defence (Busquettes, Alonso, Matic, etc...)

So if your protection is Lucas and Gerrard you're going to be exposed more its as simple as that. Terry and Cahill have Matic to protect them before he gets put in one on one situations see what happens when Mikel gets put in for a game instead of Matic. That's not to say they are not better individual defenders.

Cahill's issues with backing off is similar to skrtels though, I watch him for 90mins most weeks and can say that if Matic and Terry weren't there to hold his hand he'll get exposed(see the Balotelli goal at the world cup e.g.). Did not say at any point that they are the same level though just that their issues are similar.

Sterling is another Willian, they have similar attributes, work hard, can play across the front line, direct, lack end product/weak finishing, I said he is better and would surpass him but they have a similar style of play on the ball. Quite a valid comparison to make and saying classic Jam statement doesn't make it any less valid than it actually is.