With two weeks to go and two very strong ongoing rumours still doing the rounds on Dann and Enrique i thought it's now possible to see where we are at with our squad. (please note I hate using FM type terminology but they took it from us for a reason) Goal: Reina no 1 Doni no 2 gulasci (hot prospect). Jones as dead wood Right back Johnson Kelly Flanagan (hot prospect) Left Back Aurelio Insua Robinson (hot prospect) Centre halves Carragher Agger Skertl Kyrgiakos Wisdom (hot propsect) Wilson (hot prospect) Central midfield Lucas Adam Meireles Spearing poulsen (dead wood) coady (hot prospect) shelvey (hot prospect) Attacking midfielder Gerrard Aquilani Right wing Henderson Kuyt Maxi Left wing Downing Cole Striker Carroll Suarez .............................................................................. So where are we today? well it seems the rumours are founded on weaknesses real or percived in our defense. With skertl injured and also unloved by many and kyrgiakos on his last legs not to mention carraghers pace we have an issue at CB. At left back the picture is similar. the rumours signings of Enrique and Dann for less than 15million if true would certainly be a huge step here..... but you do have to ask yoursefl if they are in fact needed right away and would determine the outcome of our season. my bias against n'gog is well known and i couldn't bring myself to put him as any sort of prospect up front others such as Degen and El zhar are floating about but not worth tpying much on... this brings me to the heart of things.... are we now a strong team, do we have options? I think the list shown certainly would suggest we have the options, if a little one paced. We certainly look to have a strong first 11 if its fit. Its not alonso and mascherano, torres et al.... YET. Our new players must have a chance to prove themselves, the press are pretty much hacks wehn they claim we lost world calss players and don't replace them.... mascherano was saved from the scrap heap, alonso was a young player given a big chance, torres was class but never socred so many before or since... In other words we have the squad but now they need to step up and take the chance.
Good post. We are a strong team and have plenty of options but I also agree that we need a CB. I think we could manage at LB as Johnson can also cover there.
It's odd that you include deadwood like Poulsen and Jones but can't include NGog. That's bordering on a phobia, dude. I look at "hot prospects" like Babel and Pacheco, then I look at workers like Lucas and Kuyt, both of whom swam against fan opinion to where they are now, and it makes me go "hmmm." I put NGog and Insua in the same boat: very cheap buys who improved slowly but steadily each season and have the potential and age to continue improving. So unless we're gong to buy a top striker - and what kind of quality striker wants to play 3rd fiddle? - I'd rather keep Davey, for another season anyway. Right now the money needs to go elsewhere. But last I heard NGog wanted to go to Bolton.
I personally think you're still a bit light up front. Suarez and Carroll are fine strikers, but if one of them gets injured or out of form, particularly Suarez, then you don't seem to have much to fall back on. You don't want to be doing an Arsenal at in May and saying "what if Suarez had been fit all season?"
We supposeably have a weak squad. My question is do we actually have a weak squad compared to our rivals?, in terms of individual players. Do we apart from the obvious two positions,centre back and left back, have worse squad players than our rivals? I'll give you an example, Joe Cole is no worse or no better than Park Ji Sung, He is also no better or worse than Salamon Kalou or Tomas Rosicky. I'm mentioning those because they play in similar positions. As bad as Poulsen is, I am convinced he is no better or worse than Darron Gibson. And Soto is no better or worse than Jonny Evans. Raul Mereiles whom is now a Liverpool squad player is actually streets ahead of Michael Carrick. So apart from those two areas,Is our squad significantly weaker than our rivals or what our rivals would actually make us believe?
Kuyt is really good cover but we could do with a youngster better than N'gog or some older reliable type just to cover a bad injury crisis.
well phobia to n'gog... thats one way of putting it. I think he's muck on a stick and flops about. If sturridge doesn't decide the OBVIOUS and take another loan to bolton i just hope to hell they panic and bid that 4.5mil then we can sell him and rely on eccleston and kuyt as reserves. Young ecclescakes has pace and fight in him, more than n'dog. (this relates back to 606 bet with mr talksrubbish) I think we've done as good a job as possible in one transfer window, particulalry seeing the dead wood won't shift and if dann or enrique arrive as well. That striker role will just have to wait until the right guy comes along. (hopefully jan or next summer)
I agree. I haven't seen anything that suggests Eccleston will come anywhere near to making it at the top level. I think he will just become another 'what if'. I am far from an N'Gog fan but at least at times he does well in the first team
