I get what you're saying, out of the 2 Suarez is more a guarantee starter than Sturridge, however with 20 goals in the league he pretty much made himself a guaranteed starter whether we had other options or not. However with Lambert and if we do get 1 or both of those, then it's up to them to force themselves ahead of Sturridge & Suarez. If Sturridge gets dropped automatically for a new player then he'd be very hard done by given what he did last year. In theory, no one should be a guaranteed 1st choice though, not even Suarez. We should be aiming to have quality replacements who can come in if someone is playing poorly. Unfortunately we didn't have that last year
But getting back to Gez's other point - it will be interesting to see how we resolve the defensive issues. Moreno will give us balance IMO - an attacking full back will mean we can shift Flanno to the right or use Wisdom (both naturally defensive). But we still need a CB and DM (Emre Can)...
Not denying he was first choice last season he was, but as I've highlighted it was due to a lack of competition. With Lambert arriving and potentially (big if) Sanchez and Shaqiri too, we wouldn't lack options. If that comes to fruition then I can't see Danny starting as many games next year (ignoring CL here)
Lambert is unlikely to dislodge anyone for a starting position. But yeah, if anyone is gonna be dropped/rotated it will be Danny to help keep his fitness up.
I think we had balance over the back four anyway. We usually paired the CBs sensibly meaning each offered something different to the other, and the FB's kept it tight and offer width. The only argument would be a right footer being on the left. I do feel we lack balance but more in defence to attack which is obviously a midfield issue. We won't drop Gerrard and want to preserve the pressure football so what can we do?
Its not about dislodging someone from the first eleven. Its not about the first eleven at all, its a squad game. With CL football this year, we need to manage the players better giving the rests at appropriate times. Lambert allows us to rest Danny and we will.
He'll also offer us something different to what Sturridge/Suarez offer us. In those games where we are struggling to find space for Suarez/Sturridge to drop deep into, means we can play Lambert and offer more of a threat in the box. Gives the defence something else to think about as well.
We had two full backs in Flanno and Johnson who were in capable of making any meaningful runs in the final third and stretching the play. Defensively, they weren''t the greatest either. We have a defence with no leader and has no adequate protection in front of them. If we were to pull one big signing this summer, I hope it's a DM like Javi Martinez or a CB like Hummels.
Exactly. Options is the best approach and something Rafa very much wanted but lacked. Mourinho and Fergie both tried to get options too. The best teams can change things from the bench, last year we were trying to change things by introducing Aspas, Moses, Allen or Lucas. Imagine that being Sanchez, Shaqiri, Lambert or Cann instead!
I agree but Lambert will only be used in the last 10-20 mins of a game. He won't be starting unless it's some league cup game IMO. In the case of Shaqiri and Sanchez, you're right - we could be in that position to rest key players, swap and change things etc.
I'm not going to discuss FBs with you and you know why I'd love a Martinez or Bender type signing but what happens to Gerrard? I don't believe Brod has the man tits to drop him!
Lambert will certainly start games in the league. He may not start 20 games, but he'll start his fair share. We're bound to get injuries (especially Sturridge who seems to pick up little niggles).
Quick calculation of 38 leagues games, 2 cup games and 6 CL games as a minimum means we have at least 46 matches next year. I bet you Lambert starts at least a dozen games this coming season... edit: in fact, it'll probably be more since Danny has such a shocking injury record
Lol we know how much you hate Flanno! I think Rodgers will definitely be rotating Gerrard next season - keep him fresh throughout the season. But it's crucial we sign players like Martinez/Bender who can play in multiple positions. Having versatile players means we don't need to buy 2 top class players for each position. We can make do with a core squad of 18 players who can rotate in different positions.
If managed properly then maybe but we know how much Brod likes his favourites. Did Suarez miss a game last year through management decisions?
You never rotate everyone. The best clubs have a core group of players who stay the same and forge the spine in most games. But then again, we didn't have options last year so we couldn;t afford to rest him (not that he needs it!). Sterling is a favourite but Rodgers wasn't afraid to swap him for Coutinho at times, as he did with Allen as well.
If we get Sanchez and Shaqiri, he won't get that many games. However, I sincerely doubt we'll get more than one attacker and I have my doubts it will be either of those.
So Man Utd never rested Beckham, Giggs, Keane, Rooney, RvP, RvN, etc? Chelsea and Drogba? Man City and Aguero? Of course they get rested, just not as much.
