If we do not improve for the second half of the season, we will end up trophyless and out of Europe next season; which in turn will squeeze finances and make key players unsettled.....so qualifying for Europe is a major priority right now imo. I liked how Sturridge slotted into the team yesterday, he looked lively for 45 minutes but clearly lacked match fitness and was clearly against lower quality opposition so hard to judge but when fit, he'll be a good addition to the team. What else do we need to turn draws into wins? My thoughts: LB: We need quality cover at LB as a priority....Johnson has done really well but he's best on the right, the fact that we have to ask him to play on the left speaks volumes for our lack of real cover on the left. DM: Perhaps it's just match fitness, but I don't think that Lucas has hit the heights of last season yet. Besides, if he gets injured....what then? Hendo doesn't do it as a pure DM for me.....Mvila perhaps? Xabi Alonso: Say no more Keeper: Need quality cover for Reina. Jones makes me very nervous Striker: Another striker who can play anywhere in the front line; Walcott springs to mind but I can't see it ever happening! So for me, 5 players to add real strength in depth. 3 of those 5 will do this January.....thanks FSG ;-)
not sure we really need a LB, agree Johnson is better on the right but he can cover and we also have Wisdom,Robinson,Flanagan who can be decent cover, so personally speaking not needed for me until Summer, we Have Kelly and Enrique back soon as well. def need cover for Lucas, i still dont understand why we spent the money on Allen, hope he proves me wrong. bit harsh on Jones, i am not really a fan as was pissed when hodge podge brought him, but he has been solid covering Reina, so unless it is Butland or someone of that quality don't see the point, other areas need prioritising first. need more up front agree, Walcott would be nice, but unlikely he will sign his contract as no other club will show interest. i hope i am wrong and the club are bluffing about what to expect, but i can only see loan deals happening, thats the only way i see us doing more business this window. getting a bit annoyed that all we seem to be doing is cutting the wage bill ie Cole gone but no funds to replace, but guess we will see if there is good reasons for that in the Summer and hope we are in a position league wise to capitalise on it.
Sturridge - I thought helooked lively - chased down well, looked hungry and took his goal very well. Should have scored more but if he can put away 1 in 3 chances, then it would be a good return. Left Back - I think we do need cover. I think Robbo is a fantastic prospect but some experience is needed. We may have good youngsters like Flanagan who could cover in the wing back roles but if we want to challenge for top 4 and the title, then we need serious cover. Defensive Midfielder - Definitely! I think Rodgers may have mentioned this in his most fan forum. It will take time but Lucas will come again - he's been out for such a long period of time so his fitness will improve but he will also need to sharpen his tactical side. Brad Jones - I think you're harsh on him. He certainly kept us in the game yesterday and has been steady ever since his calamitous game against Blackburn. He's a person who is not going to complain about being on the bench and he is dependable when he is called upon. I rather have someone like Jones on the bench than a promising youngster which will only stagnate his development. Striker - More firepower is needed and I think Rodgers will definitely be looking into signing another attacker. Unfortunately, I think this attacker will Tom Ince who is a good prospect but I would rather we also get an experienced striker. Not too keen on Walcott - I think he's a decent player but is he seriously asking for £80k a week? I think there may be better value out there. But then again, I do think he would improve our squad. The Sunday Times reported that we have a concrete interest in Kevin Strootman from PSV. This would be a very exciting signing if we pulled it off ...
Creative attacking midfield to play between Gerrard and the front three. These player must be quick, creative and great on the ball. They must be able to help us dominate position in the opposition half, penetrate opposition defenses and get goals and assists. Options - Isco, Belhanda, Michu. Rodgers has said this AM is very important. Versatile forward who can score goals from any where in the front three. Options - Walcott, Damiao, Gameiro. Defensive midfielder - Cover for Lucas, squad depth and extra mustle. Options - Wanyama, Sissoko, Tiote. Attacking left back - A lot like Glen Johnson but naturally left sided. Options - not sure. I dont think we need Alonso. Gerrard and Lucas are capable of controlling any midfield. Allen and Henderson are also good in those positions.
Rodgers did address this and he is looking for a Number 10 in the summer. I think Christian Eriksen is a big target in the summer and we have scouted heavily.
I think - so too were Man Utd. I think he is a fantastic prospect and is a almost a complete midfielder. Extremely intelligent with the ball, excellent passing range, vision and he's been working on his defensive game as well. Box to Box midfielder.
1. i said we needed 7 players i nthe summer and got hammered for daring to suggest a cb and lb were in that list of 7, albeit much lower down the list that the striker which finally turned up in january. 2. I'd rather we turn LOSSES into draws fist, our loss to villa and then to stoke were tame and we really should be harder to beat. we need to toughen up and stop letting sides run though us. a few more fouls and more cynical handballs me thinks its not playing staff its errors, slopyness and lack of tracking back/effort. 3. I think wisdom coming in at RB strengthens us so i'm happy to see johnsons lb.. yes there's a lack of cover there but with fund SO low we need to be looking at a jnekinson or arbeloa type bargain.... ie be very cautious. 4. DM? nah no way, henderson is the answer. he can do the job cos he's got the work rate. what you are seeing is shelvey and gerrard leaving all the work to others and this is why shelevey was taken out and hendo put in... result two 3-0 wins alebit against really poor teams. (villa were poor but we lost to them embaressingly) 5. keeper? again we're mooted to go for butland but i think jones is "ok" until a deal comes in at the right price. 6. totally agree about a striker. finally if we look seriously at the squad.... GK - not disasteorus, could be better but its ok. RB - hugely covered. CB: not that good, carragher must retire but if he does coates is not ready. I think kelly could play there but again has not done so in any level of football for a couple of years... LB: actually have some cover but could be improved CMs: gerrard, allen lucas hendo for 2 spots its seems. sahin a flop. shelvey only wanting to play going forward... I think we've enough but soem genuine quality is needed LW sterling and borini CF suarez and sturridge RW sturridge, suso, downing? For me if we sell downing we need to replace him... but we've got plenty of players i nthe squad its just a question of them toughening up and playing with the required effort and strength on and off the ball to compete. I'd like to see us buy someone who could play up top of wide again like sturridge but obviously more like suarez. luis can play left side with sturridge i nthe middle if we wanted then whomever could play o nthe right... converesly sterling can keep developing i suppose. after that i think we could be looking out for how to replace sahin and allow the likes of shevely go on loan and learn the bread and butter..
Yeah I think Eriksen will be our number 1 target too.My worry is he will have other options,and some other choices may make ther move this window ( Belhanda,Benat) so if we dont get Eriksen it may have to be someone of less ability
Left to right, or right to left? Spurs and Milan are apparently also tracking Strootman, but all there is at the moment is speculation in the tabs. Doubt he'll move till summer if he moves at all - he only joined PSV 18 months ago.
Half his posts on here are asking others to perform oral sex acts on him, so it's no surprise that he's fixated by bollocks #notgettinganyuglymidlandsshitbag
I still hope Sahin comes out good, he could be the best replacement for Gerrard, i just think he needs some games in his preferred position to sharpen up. Highly doubt we would be going strootman. In summer i really hope we go for Isco, He is a ridiculous talent, and has a release clause of only 17million, i honestly think we could sign him in summer, since there is not a whole lot of competition to get him. It would foolish of him to join chelsea or City-the only real contenders right now, since there are enough players in his position in both those teams. He could easily slot into our starting lineup. But we need show some progress though, atleast a 5th place finish, or else i really don't see us attracting any decent talent. As a Cover for Lucas, Diame(3.5 mill release clause) or Sissokho(final year of contract), either of them could be a cheap but backup and we have shown interest in both those players in the past. In window i'd love to see the loan deal for Gameiro go through, he could have an immediate impact than Ince.
For me, this type of player is really important. We don't have any steel whatsoever in our midfield, Lucas is more about positional sense and when to put a good tackle in and keep the ball moving after. We don't have an enforcer and haven't had one for a while. The one thing that really worries me about Allen is that if he does not play quick enough, he just gets bossed off the ball and blown away. Hendo might be able to do this but I don't think we should be holding him back, but encouraging him to use his talents.
Coentrao is class, and being forced out of Real. As a LB he would put all of ours to shame. Enrique could move up like he did earlier this season, where he linked up well with Suarez. DM perhaps Alonso in the summer or give Sahin a chance. Jovetic, while expensive (£30m+) would propel us from also-rans to top 3.
No chance with Jovetic, Fiorentina are on the rise and he is key to that. Just got Rossi as well so they are starting to really build there. Problem is with Coentrao how much would he cost? I would have him though no doubt.
