Flanno has been brilliant but still has learning to do, I noticed Rodgers having a chat with him early on yesterday as he kept looking to win every ball instead of holding his position. From that point onwards he looked more solid.
Both our full backs played well I thought. Januzaj is so bad that he makes opposition players look world class but Johnson and Flanagan pressed very well and it really was an easy days work for them with both United wingers having no pace at all.
Can become an important player to have in our squad but we should still be looking at bringing in a couple of first team full backs
Flanagan, Enrique and Johnson are all capable of doing a job Mcglaughlin in the wings as a promising youngster. Is this enough? I don't see Wisdom and Kelly as full backs, they are too big and surley their future lies at Center back. If Mcglaughlin is deemed good enough as cover next season we don't need to buy in this area, if not then I'd say we need 1 Cissokho is not it.
Johnson should be sold. He's not here to do 'just a job' - he's here to contribute, and he has failed in that role for a year now. Combined with the fact that he's the 3rd highest paid full back in the world, it makes me sick. Cannot see him taking a pay cut and we will not continue paying his ridiculous wages. I can't see a place for Kelly either - injuries have stalled his development, he's look slow, immmobile and Wisdom is a better option than Kelly at both CB and RB. The likes of Flanno, Wisdom and Kelly are the youngsters who can come in a do a job when we have injuries or need to rotate. Rodgers wanted competition or even a replacement for Jose before he was injured and I think this remains the same - Enrique is possibly the best full back we have. Now that is not a compliment to Enrique but more criticism at the cr*p he has to compete with. He's one of those players who gets better when he's out injured. Not the worst player in the world, and I would be happy to keep him in the squad for rotation.
I fear Kelly's future is elsewhere. Wisdom may still have a chance at CB although I think he's been playing RB for the sheep-shaggers (not Welsh this time ) this season
I'm not a big fan of Johnson but like Enricky, Flanno is better than both at the moment. Is Mcglaughlin good enough? Too many question marks and bringing in at least 1 will provide good cover in that area.
Enrique is decent and I would definitely keep him. McLaughlin definitely has the potential to become a top class full back, perfect for Rodgers's system. There are a few concerns re. injuries though. For left back, we have to go for Ricardo Rodriguez from Wolfsberg. I would say he's better than David Alaba, and he's the best full back in the Bundesliga after Lahm. Right back - Montoya still hasn't signed a new deal and we should do everything we can to get him. Also, Gotoku Sakai and Oliver Sorg (both from Bundesliga) are other versatile options.
It's certainly a position where you can buy at a lower price, I would like us to buy Bertrand other than the above though.
May be older but would take Nagatomo over Sakai. Maggio barely plays at Napoli ( think he is 27) but he is a monster on the right.
The whole local lad and fan thing I important. Imagine you were a footballer, if we got the chance to play for Liverpool I reckon everyone, even if it was subconscious, would end up putting that little bit more in than if you were playing for a club you had no association for.
Flanagan's ability to hold back and give us defensive balance allows others players ahead of him to play more freely. With a more bombing full back like Johnson a midfielder like Henderson always has to have one eye on the RB area in case he has to cover. Flanagan is also an awesome passer and helps us keep the ball better.
Gary Neville was never the best natural footballer, but he trained hard, worked hard and loved football and Man United. His dedication resulted in him becoming a very good player. Flanno could do the same.
Liverpool's Jon Flanagan will save me a fortune in transfer market at this rate beams Brendan Rodgers http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/liverpools-jon-flanagan-save-fortune-3265874 (No quote in the full article has BR actually say this)
Fair play to Flanno - the way he has battled back into this team. And to think. Rodgers tried to sell him in the summer but no one wanted him, even on loan. You would think that was quite demoralising for a young man but he fought back. I do now think he can become a solid and dependable squad player for us. Just not a regular starter in the near future, but maybe in a few years.
Being in that position is a major low point but he clearly looked at it as "I've got nothing to lose" and gave it his best shot.
