Match Day Thread 2015/16 Premier League, Cups & Euro Watch

Lfc are chasing 4th off city imo. If city are better than Utd or arsenal the points tally for 4th will be out of touch.

Lfc have not resolved the defensive issues to my mind nor the quality in depth at cm to go do more that 75 points.

That's my top end optimist prediction.

All it takes is an injury to aguero and city are in trouble.

 

Clyne is improving Johnson and not having Gerrard at DM will help improve the defensive side of the midfield if Lucas or can play in there.

 

clyne is but that doesnt fix the heart of defence nor lb nor gk glued to line and lucas can't compete with top half.

 

Mig isn't glued to his line half as much. Since he's come back after being dropped he's improved that a lot. Few times in pre season he's come out and swept up outside his box.

Lb Moreno was pants but hopefully playing in a back 4 will be better and more familiar for him.

CB's should have less to do with a decent midfield in front of them. Milner can hendo should provide enough defensive cover to stop teams getting through our midfield and running directly at the CB's.

 

ah compared to a proper sweeper keeper he's parked and the line is deep. moreno you watch off set piece..if he'd just be taught to hold his man he'd cut half the issues. he won't though.

like i said 75 points top end prediction, 65 low end

remember by christmas last year 54 points was our form.. we ended with 62.

 

Agree with MITO - 3 years on and £300m spent since Rodgers took over and the fundamental issues remain:

- Weak central midfield
- No proper DM (Lucas is garbage)
- No partner for Sakho

5th is probably the best we can hope for - we've improved our team but not as much as those above us. City don't look special but are still a class above.

 

You can't make a proper assessment until the window's shut, but I think you've improved this window.

City haven't finished spending yet, Chelsea are as strong as ever, United will be better and Arsenal have finally bought a keeper.

I think you should be in the top 5, but we'll see, as the EL could be your undoing.

 

Starting to worry about you... Now you're being positive about Lfc

 

Just being honest, same as I ever was.....

You've added goals, a good pro in Milner, and you've sorted out your problem RB position.

I still think that Gerrard will be missed at times - on and off the pitch, as I don't see natural leaders in that team, but if you can finally get Sturrdige fit and the other players bed in, you should have a good season.

 

We haven't added goals. Goals are not transferable. Especially when the main striker (Benteke) scored largely from headers or set pieces - 2 avenues which we don't do.

We have improved the team but is it enough? ...

 

Because we've had no one that can do it. What we've done is brought someone that scores goals we don't currently score, seems like we've filled a gap in the team of you ask me

Or or are you suggesting that we'll never cross the ball or win and set prices this season?

 

Silly comment. You've added a player who's got a proven track record in the PL. He'll score goals at Anfield, same as he would anywhere else in that division - fitness providing *which is the only real question mark over him imo.

He doesn't just score from crosses, that's a false assumption on your part, check out his stats Jimmy.

 

Fair point. I don't think we'll miss Gerrard too much from playing point of view, record last year without him was far superior than with, but no doubt off the pitch is where it could affect us. As you say we have no natural leaders.

I read henderson was talking about lallana and how he sees him having big year this year etc and from Gerrard would be fine but from Henderson seems slightly patronising as he's younger and arguably not a lot better than lallana himself.

I like hendo and he may adapt to be brilliant captain but he doesn't being the same ora that Gerrard did

 

More than half his goals comes from either set pieces or crosses. That is a fact.

Proven goal scorer? Bar one very good season, he's been largely average in the other two. Fans seem to think he had a good season last year because he went on a good run - but seem to forget the barren spell just before that.

 

So now we're changing our whole style to cross the ball into the box?

I'm sure Coutinho and Firmino will like that.

 

More than half his goals come from when someone gives him the ball. Gotcha.

 

more than 1 way to skin a cat. Doesn't mean we start throwing crosses in left right centre and courinho doesn't get a touch... Just means when we do get wise we can cross it (we crossed it over 200 times last season ffs). Just means now when we do we have someone that can head it and not sterling in the middle.

Rodgers isn't going to change things completely so we'll still be looking to pass it through create openings etc, but we now have another way to score that we didn't last season.

You must have seen how easy we were to defend against last year? Push is wide and were toothless, now teams will be reluctant to do that and give us a free cross to benteke meaning there will be more room centrally for courinho to operate it. Pretty simple really

 

Yes, we were easy to defend against because the Plan A was not good enough.

Why spend £32.5m to develop a Plan B and neglect Plan A?

 

Well that's not the case is it. We're not going to stop passing the ball and just lump it forward. It's called having different options within the game. If plan a isn't workin for 20 minutes because teams are defending the pitch centrally then switched to plan b of getting wide and crossing. Teams will then stop you trying to do that if it's working so you can switch back to plan a of playing it centrally where more room has opened up.

 

It is the case. Coutinho and Firmino trying to play through balls to Benteke, who does not make runs in behind the defence. So once that fails, we then cut Firm and Cout out of the game, give the ball to the full backs and lump balls into the box?

Point is - I rather we spent money developing the Plan A so it works. We haven't improved it this summer - we bought Firmino and sold Sterling.