The Liverpool FC Thread XII

I feel like it's worth pointing out we were only 5 points better off this time last season

Fwiw Gerrard should play when Sturridge comes back and Allen should just stop getting a game for Liverpool entirely. Can looked pretty good today at CB too.

Just drop Lallana or Coutinho, play Sterling on the wing.

Just drop Lallana or Coutinho, play Sterling on the wing.

The stuff you said about Sterling was off topic and incorrect, so I just deleted it. Nothing you said about the pressing makes sense in the first para, and your post in large parts doesn't seem to address what I said, just some general repetition.

The way the you phrase the idea that Henderson can win the ball back and 'then he can play the simple pass to Sturridge to score' just makes me laugh. Because pressing leads to that and it will always be as easy as that hahaha. And then your assessment that playing Henderson behind the striker is the only solution in order to get some pressing is wrong, the idea that we NEED to press is wrong, the idea that we already do press is wrong, and the idea that Rodgers wants to press is probably wrong as well, because we're now two and a half years in and we've never looked like a proper pressing team.

Bale and Ramsey were both youth prodigies. Absolute monsters at youth level, who showed technique and 'magic' in a way that Henderson never has - and their 'overnight' (in actuality over a period of time) transformations were more a result unlocking the vast, already seen potential in them rather than getting quality levels out of them that never existed, as would have to be done with Henderson. Has Henderson ever shown something similar, other than fat Steve Bruce saying some vague overhyped bull in order to inflate his price tag? The idea that Henderson can do a Ramsey-esque elevation into a top quality goalscorer is just silly, because Ramsey at youth level at least showed he had that top quality. Has Henderson ever shown it? Do you ever see it from him now? No.

Gerrard scored a good amount, even in his younger days. If you look back to when he was 20 he scored 10 goals in a season - he showed the ability at a very young age and it was evident that he always had it. In the Houllier years, and he's quoted this, he primarily saw himself as a defensive player - aka not the role that Henderson is being used in today. Moreover, everyone knew Gerrard had the quality in him - as I alluded to before, his repeated long range wonder goals and cool finishes from the edge of the box showed this.

No. I showed you why Henderson is statistically unproven at all levels, and then I gave you the reasons why his statistics are so poor.

We take a reasonable amount of long shots. Gerrard, Coutinho, Balotelli and Sterling to a lesser extent are all encouraged to shoot from range. Suarez and Sturridge regularly do/did. Henderson is never - because he's not good enough and everyone knows it. Who has highlighted Henderson's runs from the deep as a strong point? Can you give 4-5 examples of them? Runs from the deep work only when your finishing at the end of them is passable and Henderson's isn't.

Comparing anyone to a 23 year old Steven Gerrard is silly because at the age of 23 he was already proven as one of the best midfielders in the league, and he had numerous goals and performances in big matches, finals, and a PFA YPOTY trophy. And at the end of 03-04 he was subject to a £20m from Chelsea, which was £8m more than the bid for Lampard a few years before that (and you can bet that we could have eked that out to £25m if we wanted to). He was magnificent. Naturally talented and playing to a level that Henderson never will, even at the ages of 23-25. Ball control, dribbling, long shots, long passes, headers, tackling, he was the prototype box to box midfielder and as good as it came, even at those ages. What was lacking very slightly was goals and that was due to Houllier's shackles. Enter Rafa, welcome to goals and all time great performances. Henderson already has a progressive manager who's done huge amounts for his game. The truth is that he just doesn't have the talent level that Gerrard did - few ever will. And that means the comparison is silly. If you argue that he can do what Gerrard did to a lesser scale and make a transfer to number 10 anyway, you need to look at the comparative skills required to make the transfer to number 10, the main one of which is finishing and goalscoring, and as addressed above, Henderson's finishing and goalscoring is abysmal, unproven and never seen, in comparison to that young Gerrard.

You guys should sign Schneiderlin tbh.

You guys should sign Schneiderlin tbh.

I hope Gerrard isn't starting on Thursday, the team played much more better without him. I hope it's the same team and formation, Hendo did really well in CM and that's his best position. I don't like seeing him shunted onto the right wing as he is just wasted there. 2 goals and 6 assists in the PL from him so far which is good considering we've only scored 23 goals whereas this time last year we scored 43. Last season he managed 4 goals and 7 assists so he should surpass that easily this season.

Who are we playing on Thursday ?

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Pressing high up the pitch means you're closer to goal with the ball and more likely to create a chance. When you win the ball, the opposition are in transition and out of position and therefore you're more likely to create a chance. It's not my fault you can't understand a simple concept.

We pressed more and higher (along with more direct football) with Suarez and Sturridge last season. Admittedly in Rodgers' first season there was more sideways passing and this season there seems to be no discernible tactic but that stems from the team fundamentally having changed in set up due to selling Suarez and Sturridge missing for the season.

This is pretty much exactly why Balotelli was a calculated risk that failed. Rodgers is right for once - high pressing is simply not in his game. We look so much more dangerous with Sterling up top.

Liverpool signing a decent player? Won't happen, they're more likely to bid £20m for Jack Cork.