comment by (K̇ash) - FSG OUT! - Free Palestine 🇵🇸 (U1108)
posted 9 minutes ago
Keita had his best season last season and if he remaijed fit he would have been a starter. For both players it is injuries and not talent. Worst signing is still donkey Carroll.
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Also this...it's no surprise the season we shifted more creative responsibility onto the midfield with Thiago, Keita and Elliott, Keita had his best season for us.

Even I fell for the narrative that he was going to be Wijnaldum on steroids because he had similar defensive output but still could provide attacking impetus...he just doesn't have the tactical intelligence or physical stature though

comment by (K̇ash) - FSG OUT! - Free Palestine 🇵🇸 (U1108)
posted 10 minutes ago
Keita had his best season last season and if he remaijed fit he would have been a starter. For both players it is injuries and not talent. Worst signing is still donkey Carroll.
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Fair shout but we got 20m back for Carroll. Also collected some loan fees.

These two are 100m down the drain, and that's without the wages.

But the biggest loss to me is trophies we might have won if they had stayed fit, or if we had more regularly available players in their positions. We've lost the league title to City by a point two times and two CL finals by a single goal, failing to score both times against Madrid. The extra push over a season could have pushed us over the edge in a couple or so of these finales.

comment by Michael Edwards FC {Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by (K̇ash) - FSG OUT! - Free Palestine 🇵🇸 (U1108)
posted 9 minutes ago
Keita had his best season last season and if he remaijed fit he would have been a starter. For both players it is injuries and not talent. Worst signing is still donkey Carroll.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Also this...it's no surprise the season we shifted more creative responsibility onto the midfield with Thiago, Keita and Elliott, Keita had his best season for us.

Even I fell for the narrative that he was going to be Wijnaldum on steroids because he had similar defensive output but still could provide attacking impetus...he just doesn't have the tactical intelligence or physical stature though
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Keita has never been to Ike Wijnaldum even when he was in Germany. Completely different midfielder. Keita is supposed to be a goal scoring midfielder, box to box. Wij is more the industrious midfielder. I imagine they could have played well together with Hendo or Fab behind them.

That's another problem with our transfer strategy though. I feel like we choose our price at which we'll want to sell and stick to it. It's a nice stance so you know you don't get shafted but for every Suarez or Coutinho there's a Can, Wijnaldum, Origi etc

Sometimes we gotta bite the bullet and take the short term loss, long term gain approach. Would rather pay the wages of those players you are not going to use or add any value of the squad...over let's say a 5-10mil difference in the transfer fee? Sometimes you just gotta cut your losses.

comment by Serious Thorgen Kloppinson - No laughing matter (U1282)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by Michael Edwards FC {Proud owner of the 5 000 000th comment} (U2720)
posted 1 minute ago
comment by (K̇ash) - FSG OUT! - Free Palestine 🇵🇸 (U1108)
posted 9 minutes ago
Keita had his best season last season and if he remaijed fit he would have been a starter. For both players it is injuries and not talent. Worst signing is still donkey Carroll.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Also this...it's no surprise the season we shifted more creative responsibility onto the midfield with Thiago, Keita and Elliott, Keita had his best season for us.

Even I fell for the narrative that he was going to be Wijnaldum on steroids because he had similar defensive output but still could provide attacking impetus...he just doesn't have the tactical intelligence or physical stature though
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Keita has never been to Ike Wijnaldum even when he was in Germany. Completely different midfielder. Keita is supposed to be a goal scoring midfielder, box to box. Wij is more the industrious midfielder. I imagine they could have played well together with Hendo or Fab behind them.
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Not like for like...but when we signed him at the time he, some in the fanbase thought he was going to improve on the attacking output of Henderson and Wijnaldum but still maintain their defensive output because he looked so complete in Germany

Yeah, tbf a lot of what we expected from Keita has not materialised. Good enough when fit, but hardly ever fit. Same for Ox. Very disappointing.

I think Jota too didn't have the best fitness record when we signed him either. Maybe Ward doesn't have sequencing for fitness in his scouting algorithms.

Tbh those are the risks we take in the market.

Ergh didn't realise it was Spurs away at the weekend, that is not a fun one at all

But if you take too many you start paying the cost. Especially when your medical department seemingly doesn't have a clue how to go about improving things.

Forgot Matip, another excellent player that's too often in the treatment room than in the pitch. Konate starting to look iffy too. We're always chopping and changing. Can never field the same team twice in successive games these days, even if we wanted to, which we probably don't.

Massive drop

https://twitter.com/AIUnderPressure/status/1587360354237136896?t=CZqYFn8GVivVpfO0DxMpXg&s=19

Whatever happens this year, wherever we finish unfortunately it's got to the point where squad revolution is needed over squad evolution. Elliot, Ramsey, Carvalho are all exceptional talents but should not be starting week in week out and expected to deliver at this point in their LFC careers.

Too many crocks, too many tired old players that need moving on to pastures new. There is still a good core there, but I think we need to be signing 5 or 6 in the summer (I expect we do nothing in January) and it that means selling Salah them so be it.

Why do you expect us to do nothing in January?

Dan Kennett is very good with the running data stats.

There were some data where our pressing sprints was the best under Buvac. 2018 was also the year Buvac left. Lijnders tried to make us more positionally and coordinated in our pressing and less chaotic.

He is more influenced by that tactical periodization from his time in Portugal.

comment by Robbing Hoody (U6374)
posted 4 minutes ago
Why do you expect us to do nothing in January?
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Because there's very little value in the market, it's bloody obvious we are desperate for a midfield which means that clubs will have us over a barrell. I just don't see that kind of decision being made when we can wait until the summer and have better value in the market.

If we are continuing to fall away from the top 4, I don't think the additional cost of signing in January is warranted. If we are closer, that may change things.

comment by Boy From The South (U3979)
posted 16 minutes ago
comment by Robbing Hoody (U6374)
posted 4 minutes ago
Why do you expect us to do nothing in January?
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Because there's very little value in the market, it's bloody obvious we are desperate for a midfield which means that clubs will have us over a barrell. I just don't see that kind of decision being made when we can wait until the summer and have better value in the market.

If we are continuing to fall away from the top 4, I don't think the additional cost of signing in January is warranted. If we are closer, that may change things.
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Nah.

comment by Michael Edwards FC {Proud owner of the 5 000 0... (U2720)
posted about an hour ago
Massive drop

https://twitter.com/AIUnderPressure/status/1587360354237136896?t=CZqYFn8GVivVpfO0DxMpXg&s=19
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It shows that we have not been a high pressing running machine for a few years now.

We are considering a move for Laimer in January. The only concern is that Laimer has been out since September with an ankle injury.

He's the player with the most pressures, most successful pressures, and pressures in the mid third, the last year. He reminds me a bit of Hendo and Gini with his closing down.

Can't say I am a fan of Laimer tbh not that I have seen loads and loads of him

Looks very limited indeed to me so if he were to come I would want another really.

We have space in the squad for 2 non HG players atm and Caceido would not count anyway as is under 21

comment by Boy From The South (U3979)
posted 16 minutes ago
comment by Robbing Hoody (U6374)
posted 4 minutes ago
Why do you expect us to do nothing in January?
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Because there's very little value in the market, it's bloody obvious we are desperate for a midfield which means that clubs will have us over a barrell. I just don't see that kind of decision being made when we can wait until the summer and have better value in the market.

If we are continuing to fall away from the top 4, I don't think the additional cost of signing in January is warranted. If we are closer, that may change things.

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I reckon we're going for at least one midfielder in Jan, and he'll have six months to work his way into the team and settle ahead of 23/24

I really hope so

Laimer is the player we lack in this midfield at this moment. His passing is not the best but this midfield needs legs to get the best out of Trent who is our most creative player in the team. Gini wasn't the best passer of the ball either and mostly played sideways.

I can't see us paying 85m for Caicedo and 100m for Bellingham.

There are literally dozens of midfielders that would improve us atm.

As said I would be all over Barca and Atletico, Barca in particular.

The Caceido rumour is one that just will not go away, however, and Brighton look safe in the league really.

comment by Boca Seniors (U19731)
posted 1 second ago
Laimer is the player we lack in this midfield at this moment. His passing is not the best but this midfield needs legs to get the best out of Trent who is our most creative player in the team. Gini wasn't the best passer of the ball either and mostly played sideways.

I can't see us paying 85m for Caicedo and 100m for Bellingham.
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I think we can do better and I don't think Caceido would be anywhere near £85m and if he is I suspect his agent would be asking for £85m player wages which they can't afford.

The Caicedo one is more fan-based though. I mean sure we might've enquired and now there's reports of Brighton willing to sell but I haven't seen any legitimate sources

Yep and the Laimer transfer looks to have very strong links.

I just don't think he is a particularly good footballer but if he happy being a squad member rather than bona-fide starter I am all for it.