Doesn't really matter any more if you wanted Suarez to either stay or go. He has gone so the job of the club now is to manage our way forward to maximise the opportunities that our development so far has brought about. I am concerned that many of us appear to want to try and replace Suarez. I honestly don't think that you can replace such an individualistic player and we would only waste resources (cash) trying to do so. We know where our wealnesses lay last season and they are mostly defensive. However, we all appear to deliberately avoid addressing the other other equally grave problem of finding a player to replace Gerrard. Therefore, I suppose I'm looking towards BR to identify a new team structure that builds upon what is developing whilst doing more than put a sticking plaster over the serious problems that our side has. Don't get me wrong, I don't see everything in terms of doom and gloom. Suarez going does offer opportunities for some of our youngsters to flower in their own right rather than be second string to Luis. But whilst he was the headliner, Gerrard still remained the soul of the team. Whilst Suarez did his thing, the rest of the team was built around Gerrard. Therefore my mind tells me that the most vital thing is to find a new 'heart' and structure rather than a new rocket.
maybe dave, guess time will tell. not sure yet how effective we are going to be in the final third, so yes most of last seasons problems was defensive, but now we have lost that edge that got us lots of goals up front. last season it was right you score 3 we are good enough to get 4 etc, now luis has gone you still feel that is the case? if so we need to see a lot more from Coutinho,Henderson etc.
It's as simple as this... Our best potential in in coutinho not sterling, I've rtc Coutinho is still young so if he steps up he could be a great focal point but we need a top top striker to finish and sturridge is too brittle
I think Henderson has been groomed into the Gerrard of old the box to box all huffing all puffing midfielder. Emre Can imo has been brought in to be the Gerrard of last season the deep lying ball passing playmaker if you will. I read somewhere during the week Brendan is intending on resting Stevie a lot this season "game management" In defence we need a new c.b. and tbh its not 25m dejan lovren. That kinda money will put all carroll, downing type labels on the player and could be brendans downfall. Up front we have sturridge to become the main man compliment him with a good strike partner and the attack side should be ok. Id put in a cheeky bid for Carlos Tevez. Yes hes tempremenal and all that but he has bundles of prem expierence ... 10 / 15m bid why not
I agree that we can't rely on the "we'll score 1 more than you" philosophy this season. It's also true that we need to see even more from ALL of our younger players. However, I get the feeling that no matter how good the youngsters performances were, they were always over-shadowed by Suarez. This season they will have more opportunity (plus experience) to shine as the best Sterling, Sturridge etc. etc. that they can be. If we can tighten our defence then that too will help lift the forward burden. I think we have the players with say Lovren to form a solid defence and whilst that may not make us appear as sexy as last season it will help us garner the extra points we needed. But I still come back to looking at the personnel and structure of the midfield. Gerrard is not Pirlo. The team is not set up to give him the freedom that Pirlo has. But I don't think that he has the legs left to play a full season PLUS once again become the inspiration for the whole side. Just as we can't go out and buy another Suarez, it is equally impossible to buy another ready made Gerrard. So we need to somehow make one from either what we've got or from a very critical purchase. Either way BR has a lot on his plate with constructing a new side and a new structure. Unfortunately for him, I doubt he will be given the time to develop a new side as we need top 4 and CL from now on!
Main priority now (another one besides from making the defence water tight) is finding a prolific striker to replace gnasher. We need one who has or can score late twenties/thirty odd goals a season. Lambert ain't the man, never was never will be, Sturridge will hopefully be in form and stay injury free but isn't enough on his own. Even with an in form Sterling we're still extremely light up top now. We all hope Sterling keeps developing but we can't say that he will off the back of a great three quarters of a season. Lambert for me - still a bench player not a starter. Importantly we need to sign this goal scorer to show our intent not to be another 'selling club' and also to pick up the mood around the club. That's the worrying thing - how much gnasher going will have an effect on training and the dressing room.
But we DO need to replace Suarez. No one's expecting us to get a replica player who's the all action, all scoring and assisting hero that Luis was, that would be silly, but we do need someone to come in and replace his creativity in the team. He created so much more than just his assists suggest and as much as I love Coutinho, Sterling and Sturridge, they're simply not going to create as many chances without Suarez in there. It's like when Ronaldo retired, Brazil found Ronaldinho, then they found Neymar. All different players, but all replaced that role in the team. We need to replace our creator.
Or we need others to step up. Coutinho was a bit disappointing last year. If he can up his game he could become the main creator along with Sterling. Also Markovic if he signs and Lallana offer more creativity than Allen and Moses. We can't replace him with 1 player but could with a couple to share the goals and assists between them.
But my point is that you do replace them. If top players were never replaced, football would have been getting worse for years. I think alot of people get really pedantic and even sentimental with the whole, "you can never replace Suarez/Gerrard/Fowler/Rush/Keegan/Dalglish/whoeverelse" but the simple fact is, you do. You replace that shirt with someone else and sure, they might play a different style, but you replace them. We need to replace Suarez, the number 7 shirt, with someone else who's going to come in and create chances for Sturridge, who's going to knock balls through for Sterling to chase and who's going to link up with Coutinho.
I also don't think we can replace Suarez. But Lallana created nearly as many chances and we seem to be buying 'potential' on Markovic, so am hopeful that up front, we won't be too toothless! A question though: When you say replace Gerrard, do you mean Gerrard the holding midfielder or Gerrard, the box to box midfielder? I'd say that we don't actually need the latter but if we did, I'd move heaven and earth to get Barkley. However, we definitely need the holding/defensive midfielder! If available, I'd buy Mascherano. Would be good for the next 3 years and an absolute animal in that role. Not sure he'd come though.
The main place we could improve to balance out the loss of Suarez is in defence. It may sound weird but I reckon if we halved the amount of goals we conceded last year scoring 25-30 less goals wouldn't really effect our results that much.
have a huge effect on assists though, not just the goals we need to replace really. also as has been proved this world cup ie messi, one moment of genius won a match.
When Torres left, I felt like no one could replace him. And then in came Suarez who made an immediate impact - Now these are two very different strikers, but there match winning qualities made the difference. I look at our team now, up front.. Players like Sturridge, Sterling, Lallana, Coutinho, Marcovic (maybe), all good players, but when the chips are down, and they're not on form, I don't see many of them popping up with a game changing contribution. It's the focal point we need to replace, not the attributes. We need that player that when the opposition see on the team sheet they get worried, unfortunately, there is not too many players like this on the market. For me, we need find a versatile attacker, in the mould of Lavezzi, Rodriguez etc. but again, who on earth is available?
None are available.....or want to come. We are back in the CL but not yet quite the top drawer pull of a Barca or Madrid.....if we ever will be to some players, especially Latin American players. Torres was bought before he realised his true potential, so too Suarez. Herein lies the key. Perhaps Markovic is the next global superstar....Perhaps it's Can. Either way, as long as they're very good, I don't care.....Germany don't have one superstar, they have a team of very good, intelligent players. I'd take that over a one man team any day
Who's to say we don't already have that? What if Sturridge ups his game and becomes that player or Sterling/Coutinho push on and really becomes that top level player. We have good young players in the team who have potential to become very very good players.
That's just blinkered nonsense! Gerrad has far more influence on how the game is played than any other player on th pitch. Perhaps you might be a tad more constructive and define who and how could do the job better?
Don't get me wrong, I agree with you completely, but I still feel he needs to be rested every now and then. His legs clearly aren't the same and hopefully Can can step up when required.
Sorry, I get a bit over-protective when it comes to Gerrard. We talk about Suarez being a great player but this club owes so much to Gerrard. He has literally carried the club on his back for years. Yes I do agree that he no longer has the legs to carry us through another season. As with Suarez, it is impossible to replace him like for like. But whilst he is still with us as a player we can use his experience to take over the role. Some believe that Henderson is groomed to be his under-study. I like Hendo and admire the skills he brings to the feast - but he does not have the same level of passing skills or the 'eye' to pick the same type of passes as Gerrard. We have Coutinho and now Lallana to play the advanced role but we need the same level of skill to operate the deep lying role. And we need that player now! OK not fully fledged but working with Gerrard.
