I'm going to try and give an honest assessment on our overall squad including youth potential. I'll also look to the future and try and identify areas that Rodgers will need to improve on. ------------------------------------------------- Rodgers usuall plays a 4-3-3 formation so I'll try to fit our players into this. ------------------------------------------------- Goalkeepers Reina - Easily our No 1 and a great keeper didn't have the best of seasons but still a player for now and a few years to come yet. Doni - Great cover for Reina. Jones - 3rd choice keeper so won't get many games but good experience to have just incase. No problems with our Goalkeepers a good first choice backed up with experience. Youth Nobody stands out here, Belford & Gulacsi look ok but neither stand out. Defenders Right Back. Johnson - Divides opinion somethimes but really improved his defending last season and is always a threat going forward. Kelly - Good cover for Johnson but (imo) a future center back, this lad is one for the future. Flanagan - I don't want to write him off but he can be rash and needs to compose himself. Worth keeping for another season and seeing if he improves. No problems at Right Back a good first choice in Johnson and good cover. Left Back. Enrique - Had 1 or 2 problems towards the and of the season but a solid full back. Robinson - A really good youngster that could certainly step in if there was a injury to Johnson and Enrique. Johnson - Can provide cover. Again no problems here with Johnson able to cover Enrique if needed. Center Backs. Skrtel - Will start along side Agger, had a good season and looks to be hitting his peake. Agger - Great partnership with Skrtel good on the ball aswell as being a solid defender. Coates - Good prospect that should be given games to ensure that he is ready to step in and cover when needed. Kelly - Looking to the future Kelly and Coates look like a great partnership in the making. Carragher - Past his best now but a club legend, needs to step aside so that the new generation can get games. Wilson - Hasn't looked good in the few games he played and with the players around him looking better prospects time to move him on. Youth. Wisdom - Looks an exiting prospect a little younger than Coates and Kelly but will surely start pushing into the 1st team over the next 2 seasons. Midfield. Gerrard - Our captain and another legend, past his best but still quality and can play most position. Will he have the legs to play a whole season as a box to box midfielder? I don't think so. Do we have the right players in place to give him a rest? Again it's no for me. Lucas - We missed him so much last year, our future captain (imo) can defend, tackle, read the game, pass and has the potential to give more going forward. Henderson - A good young player that will suit Rodgers style of play, he's going to move into midfield other than the right side and with the simplicity of Rodgers style (pass it move and pass again) I think he'll have a good season. Adam - Big decision for Rodgers to make here, useless at tackling, doesn't really work hard. He can paa and is (was) great at dead ball situations. Hasn't shown enough, does he deserve a chance? Shelvey - I'm not as sure as some on Shelvey, he looks a good player but I haven't seen anything that really makes me think he's good enough, not saying he won't be but I'd like to see more from him. Spearing - Has put in some good displays and his heart is in the right place but not quite good enough. Time for him to move on and we would get 2-3 Million surley. Youth. Coady - Promising midfielder, will be interesting to see him in pre-season games. Can he step up/is it too early? Attackers. Suarez - With us changing to a front 3 (maybe) he would fit in on the right or left hand side, however he's strong and quite capable of receiving the ball into feet as the front striker. Carroll - Fits into Rodger usual formation as the front man, great in the air and can hold the ball up, slow start to his career but seems to be growing in confidence. Gerrard - As I said earlier does he have the legs for midfield? If not the right side of a front 3 may suit him. Downing - Terrible season so the only way is up, can Rodgers get the best of him, he likes to cut inside other than looking down the line and this may suit the new formation. Maxi - Past his best, a lot of fans wanted him to play more last season but it wasn't to be. I would move him on. Cole - Rodgers has hinted that he may be given a chance, played well in France last season but can he still do it on the PL? Pacheco - We had such high hopes, will he gat another chance? I'm not so sure. If we can get a transfer fee for him then I'd take it. Aquilani - Had a poor season and just doesn't look like he's up for the challenge, again if any money is offered we should take it. Bellamy - Great pace and a top pro, good squad player and will be a threat from the bench. Youth Sterling - Looks a great prospect and loves to cut in and have a shot, big pre-season for the youngster he may well play some games next season. Suso - Another Pacheco? Hopefully not certainly has the talent but can he make that big step up. Pre-season is again important for this kid. Eccleston - Not sure on this one, looks good at times but his confidence in front f goal sometimes goes missing. Morgan - Worth a look in some pre-season games but another year in the reserves is likely. -------------------------------------------------- My first team based on the above squad. Any signings will change this of course. ----------Reina---------- Johnson-Skrtel-Agger-Enrique --Henderson-Lucas-Adam-- ---Gerrard-Carroll-Suarez--- or ----------Reina---------- Johnson-Skrtel-Agger-Enrique --Gerrard-Lucas---Henderson ---Suarez-Carroll-Bellamy---
Having problems with the OP so I'll continue here. (quiet day in work) Areas to improve are midfield and attack we need someone that can play the box to box game week in week out in order for us to get Gerrard the rest he needs, another striker is also needed to cover and join our new front 3. Looking to the future we have a young squad and a future team may look like this.... ----------Reina---------- ???-Kelly-Coates-Robinson --Henderson-Lucas-Suso-- ---Suarez-Carroll-Sterling----
He only looks to cut inside when played on the right. when he is on the left he usually looks for the byline (so long as we have someone in the box).
I would agree with pretty much all of this luv, could Gylfi be the midfielder required? I don't know enough about him to be sure (even I would look good on YouTube!) The frustrating thing is that this team: ----------Reina---------- Johnson-Skrtel-Agger-Enrique --Gerrard-Lucas---Henderson ---Suarez-Carroll-Bellamy--- looks good enough to compete for top 4 to me - if we play to our strengths and avoid key injuries (I'm looking at you Lucas!) Cannot wait for the start of the season and this post has reminded me why - thanks luv
I think the bench measures are strong a club is. The back-up players to that team are: Doni Kelly - Carragher - Coates - Robinson Shelvey - Spearing - Adam Maxi - ? - Downing that doesn't exactly strike fear into the eyes of the opposition does it...?
Pretty fair Assesment I'd say. I think its time for Gerrard to sit back a bit, I think we'll get more out of him for next few years if he isn't trying to get up and down so I'd like to see him play DM. We can always bring Lucas on and push him further forward if needed. I'd rather see Kelly at RB than Johnson. Better defensively so may allow whoever is going to play on the right to concentrate more on attacking and closing high up than tracking back. I'd like to see us start the season with following team: Reina Kelly,Skrtel,Agger,Enrique Cole,Gerrard,Sigurdson new player,Suarez,Sterling I get what your saying about Henderson but he hasn't done enough to be put straight in,he needs to earn his place in my opinion. Same with downing and Carroll. Hope to see alot of Suso and possibly Silva aswell next year. Above team with Carroll,Henderson,Downing,Bellamy,Coates + the youngsters as backup looks good to me
He's still injured+I wouldn't put him straight back in. Stick him on the bench to ease him in and like I say bring him on to let Gerrard get forward if needed
Isn't that what pre-season is for...? Building up fitness and then friendlies provide match fitness too...? IMO, Lucas is our most important player bar none and should be starting when fit and ready.
He's become a decent player but I think people have started to exagerate how good he is. Gerrards been our best player for years wherever he has played, he has shown in the Euro's he can play a more disciplined role and still create goals and I think this is what he's going to have to do to prolong his career. Lucas keeps the ball moving and rarely gives it away but rarely creates for us and in my opinion is still ran past too easily sometimes (resulting in him bringing someone down for a dangerous free kick fairly often). Dont get me wrong I'd be happy to see them both playing but I think against lesser teams we can do without him. I'd rather see Gerrard play defensive midfield, Sigurdson (or someone else if not him) bombing forward and someone with a bit of skill and creativity (like cole when on form). Like I say I'd be reasonably happy with Gerrard,Lucas,Sigurdson though
I didn't say Lucas is our best player, I said he is our most important player. I said this before the start of the 2011-12 season and look what happened when he got injured. If we signed another DM then he wouldn't be the most important but at the minute, he is IMO. I don't think Gerrard in the DM spot is the answer. Spearing is capable of filling in but not as a medium term option like last season. Henderson could do the job given time to adjust (like Lucas was) but I'd rather we got someone else in instead
Lass Diara apparently available for 8 mil, ****ing steal that I think. If not maybe Matuidi who we were looking at when Commolli was around, in terms of DM.
I've mentioned this a few times, one of the problems with getting cover for Lucas is that the player we buy will be on the bench. So we are better off with buying a quality player that can play in midfield with Lucas and who is able to cover for him when injured. Alonso is a good example of this type of player. Finding someone like this is difficult and I think that we should be looking at a player like Coady and moulding him into this role.
Lass first team no doubt, Lucas,Lass, and then gerrard/cole/maxi/Suarez whoever you want as the attacking mid. Lass can create a bit as well. Matuidi I know is in the French squad and is more of Sissoko and destroyer than creator I think. Lass and Lucas, winning combination, possible name change Although Spartak have bid the 8 mil so if we want him need to move quick. BUT I would prefer Nuri Sahin from Real but they won't let him go. That would give us Chuck, Hendo, Spearing that can all come in and at the least do a job for us in the middle if needed.
Does anyone agree with my thoughts on Spearing? Surley last season showed that he is not quite up to it?
Funnily enough, that's why i asked that question. I don't agree with buying a player as a back-up. We should always aim to buy someone that will improve the first eleven, if that player succeeds then the players he replaces becomes the back-up etc. In the end, it still gives us a better stronger and deeper squad.
When he got injured not much changed. We dominated games but fluffed our chances. Our problems last year were nothing to do with Lucas being injured. It was to do with not being able to score goals, therefore replacing him in midfield with a goalscoring midfielder makes sense to me. Then again agains't the top 4 sides we may need both him and Gerrard in to play defensively, so I am not writing him off or anything
