Who signed our best XI?

There will doubtless be some disagreement about who makes our best XI.

Assuming no one on loan/injured

GK: Reina - Rafa (I know... gone)
LB: Enrique - Dalglish

CB (3 BC unsure who to pick):
Dagger - Rafa
Skrtel - Rafa
Sakho - Rodgers

RB: Johnson - Rafa (controversial... he's been crap this season but is still usually first pick. Flan/Kelly would be home grown)

CM (3 picked instead of 2 for sake of argument)
Gerrard - home grown
Lucas- Rafa
Henderson - Dalglish

AM
Sterling - home grown
Coutinho - Rodgers

FWD
Suarez- Dalglish
Studge- Rodgers


4 transfer seasons at the helm and our best first XI (or XIII) still looks predominantly Rafa/Dalglish.

Some may prefer minny to Reina... if so, that still only makes 3 good signings in 4 windows.

Rodgers is doing a great job steering the team, we look good this year. Our best players remain, mostly non-Rodgers players. Other than last January we have been transfer market flops... not blaming Rodgers for this or Ayre or any other specific individual because I don't know who to blame.


4 transfer seasons in we should have improved more than just 2 positions on the field.

Edit: 3 forgot Sakho.

 

Rafa and Kenny didn't have the budget constraints that BR has. I do still wonder though about short term goals being met with long term purchases!

 

GK: Reina - Rafa - mingolet is still good so my only issue is dumping reina beofre the kid got his feet wet.
LB: Enrique - Dalglish - still not good enough.

CB
Skrtel - Rafa
Sakho - Rodgers

RB: Johnson - Rafa still not good enough and way too higly paid.

CM
Gerrard - home grown
Lucas- Rafa
Henderson - Dalglish

AM
Coutinho - Rodgers

FWD
Suarez- Dalglish
Studge- Rodgers

thats how i'd line us up as an 11.

so the one thing that's clear is over time rafa still has had a bit impact, comolli provided 3 with kenny but the scatter gun approach to improving quickly was wrong thinking.

In the end rodgers has provided 3 very good players but he's provided aspas allen and borini too...

I don't see a huge issue with saying all of them have about a 50% hit rate. the question is... are their best emn CL standard? i think the asnwer generally is yes. the problem is their average guy is way off that level and we constantly scrap for squaddies to fill spots rather than spending to improve and even rodgers said it, rather stick a kid in and carry him tan spend on trash..

FOr me, spend big i nthe forward areas, coach and train in the back areas. (if you have to) no more f'n aspas.

 

Swapping Migs (Rodgers) for Reina as Reina is out 'on loan' and therefore not our first choice:

Rodgers: 4
Dalglish: 3
Rafa: 4

Fairly even, but at a squeeze, you'd say predominantly Rodgers/Rafa; but there's a gnat's pube between them!

Agree that we've not done as well as we should in the more recent transfer windows, though.

 

Would have Arbeloa and Aurelio (when fully fit) over Johnson and Enrique. Makes even more special considering Arbeloa and Aurelio cost a combined fee of around £3m.

Rafa bought a lot of high quality players and made them top/world class. Reina, Agger, Arbeloa, Mascherano, Alonso, Torres. You could also argue that Yossi made a massive impact in that season, and the value we got out of Kuyt was very good.

Suarez - well, what else can you say!

Sakho will prove to an amazing signing IMO. Coutinho and Sturidge are more strokes of brilliance but do we credit Rodgers with this signings, or the committee? (Playing Devil's Advocate here )

 

Rodgers had a very troubled first foray into the transfer market because I honestly think he really didn't know what sort of squad he was inheriting (after the consistently dire performances under Woy) and so panic bought Allen as he knew he could rely on him.

When Rodgers is given money to spend I am pretty confident that he spends it well. Sturridge, Sakho, Mignolet, Coutinho all to be very important players for years to come.

Flops like Aspas, Borini (still time for him), Sahin and Cissokho are just part and parcel of the transfer market. Rafa had a hell of a lot, but he also bought in some great quality so it evens out.

 

I like Minnie. Think he's a great keeper... a keeper keeper... I just don't think he's better than Reina.

I'm not made up if he is a good signing or not. The fact that Reina's commitment to lfc is questionable; and his salary is higher points in favour of Minnie... but the fact that getting him pushed Reina out the door is notsogood.

Sakho will be great if he doesn't spend his career injured.

Its hard to fully judge the summer xfer until time has passed.



It is interesting how little Rodgers is relying on players that he himself signed. Allen gets time as does Cissoko- neither mentioned on list above for obvious reasons.


Rafas squad had more of a Rafa footprint after 4 windows. Dalglish never got to 4 windows and made more of a footprint.

Rodgers is doing a great job but the team is still more of his predecessors teams than his own.

Even the kids making it through the ranks were mostly around in Rafa's era.

I wonder how long it will take and what it will look like when the team is 50% or more his own.




Didn't take long for us to clear out all traces of Roy.

 

Didn't Rafa sign him from QPR?

 

Rafa signing have gone now, not many Dalglish left either, but how much stamp as Klopp put on the squad?

Migs - Rodgers
Karius - Klopp
Clyne - Rodgers
TAA - HG
Gomez - Rodgers?
Moreno - Rodgers
Robertson - Klopp
Lovren - Rodgers
Matip - Klopp
Klavan - Klopp
VVD - Klopp
Can - Rodgers
Wijnaldum - Klopp
Henderson - Dalglish
Milner - Rodgers
Lallana - Rodgers
Oxlade - Klopp
Studge - Rodgers
Firmino - Rodgers
Mane - Klopp
Salah - Klopp
Ings - Rodgers
Solanke - Klopp


10 or 11 Rodgers (Gomez?)
1 HG
1 Dalglish
10 Klopp

Bit worrying that Klopp signed three of the four CBs mind

There are fringe players and others out on loan but Klopp didn't sign any of them I don't believe.

 

...

 

I don’t think you can call them ‘Rodgers’s signings ...

 

Was our best defender and would still walk into our team today.

Now imagine a Sakho and VVD partnership!!

 

I'd rather Matip VVD. I think they are going to be very good.

 

It'll be VVD and Lovren

 

Not a chance. If fit Matip and VVD will be first choice.

 

I tend to agree with Matip first choice next to VVD with Klaven 2nd choice and Lovren somewhere else.

 

ENRIQUE

****e LB.

If you are going back as far as rafa's time thats a LONG time.

I think first off whats the boundary time?

2000?
1992? (when football was invented)
2010?
1960?


TBH that line up is woeful btw

IMO:

1. Reina fine no issue
2. RB: i'd say finnan was better than johnson and tbh clyne isn't as good as either. Gomez might be better than the lot combined if he learns
3. LB. clealry Robertson is bestter then enrique but riise was best in the 2000s
4. RCB: meh... all ****e bar carra. can't beleive he's not in there
5. LCB. i'm saying it right now after one game. forget the rest VVD is THE man.
6. no 6. meh... hamman. maschernao alonso anyone?? alonso by a mile
7. box to box. gerrard yes no question (thats going back to 2000)
8. box to box. coutinh for the laugh
9. striker. suarez. clearly by a mile
10. RW. salah, other than that kuyt so it must be salah
11 LW. IMO mane is prob the best we've had for a long long time. Couts is already in

cannot believe you put stelring who could not shoot in there over mane TBH. or sturrdgie over slaah on his current form.... or anyone over alonso

Your point is going back over nearly 20 years of the best players i nthier positions.

Klopp actually took over with this line up in his first game

mingolet
clyne
skertl
sahko
moreno
lucas
can
milner
lallana
coutinho
origi

toure
allen
ibe
bogdan
sinclair
teixteria
randall


so you sit there and tell me our squad hasn't improved since that

Mingolet
Gomez
Matip lovren/vvd
Robertson
Can
Ox
Wijnaldum
mane
firmino
salah


Klopps transformed our side in fitness terms, style of play, and squad over the time.

So forget gerrard once played for us or suarez way back when. Klopp got handed benteke, balotelli, markovic etc.

Its hardly a finished picutre yet

In fact I share the frustration of why does it take so long and why do we have to endure game after game of rubbish at the back but we are slowly getting there.

 

Too similar, doesn't make for a great partnership.

 

They'll be fine. I'm certain of it.

 

I'd obviously prefer it to be Matip & VVD (from what we currently have) but just think we'll see Lovren in there