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[GorillaJu]

I can agree with this, and as I think I said earlier on in this thread, Liverpool were running riot when Kenny first came in. It was all about energy and fluidity. It was brutal, entertaining stuff and hard to play against. But now the sort of players needed to play that style (Meireles and Lucas being key components) are not playing and it shows. I don't just think Carroll, Downing, Adam and (to a lesser extent) Henderson were bad buys just because of their price to performance ratio, but because they don't fit the style that was working so well.

Jordan Henderson is the most "skillful" player on our squad, if we're talking about dribbling and ball control. He's highly talented and his lack of contribution when we need it looks – for me – to stem from mental issues and experience, not a lack of ability. You can see how good he is when he plays for the England U21s. It doesn't bother me that fans of other clubs seem to hate him or think he's shit. He'll become a very, very good player.

I don't think we're missing Raul Meireles. He was good, but was never that important to us.

We need a finisher. I could see us going for someone like Giuseppe Rossi or Roberto Soldado. Rather, I'd like us to go for one of those two as I think they'd fit how we want to play more so than what we have right now. Suarez needs a partner who understands the game as well as him. You can see that Gerrard does, in instances like that slick pass and finish against Wigan, but Carroll doesn't at all. Of course Cavani would be perfect for myriad reasons, but we won't go into that.

 

[Fur_Q]

:/ that one actually hurt

The veil might actually be funny, but I like her jaw , personal opinions ahoy

Quick and dirty.

 

[Messi]

Everyone liked Eva, right?

She looks decent in 'dark shadows'.

Yurt, no words for you.

 

[sohois]

I can agree with this, and as I think I said earlier on in this thread, Liverpool were running riot when Kenny first came in. It was all about energy and fluidity. It was brutal, entertaining stuff and hard to play against. But now the sort of players needed to play that style (Meireles and Lucas being key components) are not playing and it shows. I don't just think Carroll, Downing, Adam and (to a lesser extent) Henderson were bad buys just because of their price to performance ratio, but because they don't fit the style that was working so well.

I recall posting some time ago that Liverpool never planned to sell Meireles; it was only because of a very late transfer request that it was allowed. With him gone Liverpool's strategy had to change greatly; Henderson in particular would probably have played much less with Meireles still in the team.

Now, in hindsight it is easy to say that letting Meireles go was a huge mistake and that Liverpool would be much better off with him in the team, but really there is no way of determining this. Meireles could have just sulked his way through the season and been awful. At this point one can probably suggest that Liverpool would have been better off sticking with him and gambling on his play keeping up, but who knows. I think there needs to be some criticism directed towards whoever decided not to award Meireles the larger contract he was promised, which would have avoided the situation entirely. There were jokes earlier in the thread about Liverpool's sponsorship deals, but for me the 'money men' have made 2 major cock-ups for Liverpool, the first being the Carroll deal and the second being the business with Meireles and Aquilani.

 

[Messi]

Quick and dirty.

OMG someone save me I am dying from lack of oxygen .

 

[Fry]

I don't think we're missing Raul Meireles. He was good, but was never that important to us.

Of course he was. He gave the midfield fluidity, next to Lucas and Spearing, something Adam can't, and he went on a goalscoring run that must have given a lot of points in the end.

 

[elseanio]

The best thing about Lucas and his defensive qualities is that it allows for Agger to go forward. Lucas doesn't have the same attacking qualities as Alonso did. He goes for the shorter and safer pass more often. But he enabled Agger to leave the back line without exposing it. Now that they're both out with injuries we're lacking that option and it has constrained us at times. We've looked quite helpless whenever the opposition has been able to lock us down in the midfield.

A stat posted a couple days ago said Lucas has made 68 tackles more than any LFC player this season, despite being out for 4 months. He's definitely been missed. We take far too long getting the ball forward from the back. When Lucas won it in midfield, he got it out his feet quickly and put us on the attack straight away. There is also a huge gap between Suarez and any of our midfield, because players like kuyt, Henderson, Gerrard are needed deeper because that protection isn't there.

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

Jordan Henderson is the most "skillful" player on our squad, if we're talking about dribbling and ball control. He's highly talented and his lack of contribution when we need it looks – for me – to stem from mental issues and experience, not a lack of ability. You can see how good he is when he plays for the England U21s. It doesn't bother me that fans of other clubs seem to hate him or think he's shit. He'll become a very, very good player.

I don't think we're missing Raul Meireles. He was good, but was never that important to us.

We need a finisher. I could see us going for someone like Giuseppe Rossi or Roberto Soldado. Rather, I'd like us to go for one of those two as I think they'd fit how we want to play more so than what we have right now. Suarez needs a partner who understands the game as well as him. You can see that Gerrard does, in instances like that slick pass and finish against Wigan, but Carroll doesn't at all. Of course Cavani would be perfect for myriad reasons, but we won't go into that.

Hmmmm, see, I think this is putting the cart before the horse a bit.

I know you've hit the post a fair bit, but I think there's an argument to be made that this is, in part, due to the sorts and numbers of opportunities you're creating. I know statistically your chance creation is quite high but I think that to an extent those statistics lie. Or at least the statistics aren't discerning as to whether you create good goalscoring chances in a lot of cases.

 

[dc89]

If I go quiet, it's cause Game of Thrones is just too good.

 

[Slizz]

If I go quiet, it's cause Game of Thrones is just too good.

S2 started last night?!

 

[Messi]

If I go quiet, it's cause Game of Thrones is just too good.

Awesome stuffs

 

[Hixx]

S2 started last night?!

no, sunday coming.

 

[Clegg]

S2 started last night?!

Next Week

 

[Slizz]

no, sunday coming.

Phew, was gonna get a little pissed at myself for missing it.

 

[BlindCommunication]

He looked half decent, but you could tell he didn't really want to try (drawback of the reserve league). Todd Kane and Billy Clifford looked a lot better.

He has stated multiple times in the Belgian medias he wants first team football over the past few months. His morale is at an all time low at the moment, he's looking for a loan next season unless he gets some playtime. Would be better for him and Chelsea if it happened since his level isn't good enough to earn him a place in the squad.

He did well enough for Anderlecht since he was 16 but there's no way he was worth his transfer value. His reputation was mostly based on his physical potential, being so tall and sturdy, it was easy for him to get labelled as "the next Drogba" and the rest is agent-fuelled hype as usual.

You could tell from the goals he scored that it was more based on luck/confidence/crappy defending, most of them were quite dodgy quality wise. He's still way too rough around the edges, you wouldn't take him over Heskey nor any other EPL striker atm.

Seems like we're going to sign a Japanese RB called Hiroki Sakai. Not sure if we really need a RB but maybe it's just buying a Japanese for Kagawa to sign his contract

Think he could do well for you guys, saw him a few times in action, he's a physical "brute" (at least for a Japanese player), all about outpacing his opponent then whipping in a decent cross. He got some good enough acceleration. Dortmund have been linked to every single young promising Japanese players anyway because of Kagawa.

Surprised Ganso and Damião are not on that list, maybe a bit older but they are definitely up there. The price tag over EPL kids is ridiculous though.

 

[bjaelke]

Suarez, Skrtel & Sterling set for New Contract Offers

Hmmmm, see, I think this is putting the cart before the horse a bit.

I know you've hit the post a fair bit, but I think there's an argument to be made that this is, in part, due to the sorts and numbers of opportunities you're creating. I know statistically your chance creation is quite high but I think that to an extent those statistics lie. Or at least the statistics aren't discerning as to whether you create good goalscoring chances in a lot of cases.

A lot of our chances have been shots off target from far out. Instead of playing into the box, Charlie Adam and Gerrard have been attempting to score from outside the box. I reckon our "in box" conversion rate is acceptable at this point - it's a our lack getting inside the box that's worrying me.

 

[Messi]

Anyone know if the game of thrones Blu packaging is the same in the uk and USA? Usually hbo cheap out on the uk/Irish sets (see true blood)

 

[Maklershed]

All caught up on the games from the weekend. What a goal from Crouchy.

Also - I'm so excited for the CL games. Can't wait. Rooting for Chelsea and Barcelona.

 

[Salazar]

Crouchy is one of the great cult figures of modern British football.

Damn this sun. It's brought a lot of people out, and I can't take the sort of extremely touristy photos I'd like to.

 

[Awesome Animals]

Gah! I missed last nights Mad Men premiere!!!!!!

Good Morning FootyGAF located in Community now. And I still need to watch S1 of GoT...ah!

CrouchyHeskey is one of the great cult figures of modern British football.

Damn this sun. It's brought a lot of people out, and I can't take the sort of extremely touristy photos I'd like to.

Edit, done fixed that for you.

 

[Salazar]

Edit, done fixed that for you.

Good point. I think Crouchy has a shout, though.

Incidentally, I like the comment about Grant Holt from his manager in today's paper - that when you watch him in training you just can't see how he's ever going to score a goal.

 

[Yurt]

(apologies for the interruption)

Del Piero's kid sticking his tongue out lol

 

[Milchmonster]

Think he could do well for you guys, saw him a few times in action, he's a physical "brute" (at least for a Japanese player), all about outpacing his opponent then whipping in a decent cross. He got some good enough acceleration. Dortmund have been linked to every single young promising Japanese players anyway because of Kagawa.

Yeah, I know lol

I heard he can play as LB, too. Do you know if he is any good at it? Because I really don't see him getting past Piszczek and Piszczek is just 26. And who knows if he'd even get a bench place with Julian Koch coming back next season (although it's of course uncertain in which shape he'll come back and how much time he needs to really come back). But I wouldn't mind Sakai putting Schmelzer a bit under pressure on the left side because he just sucks in attack.

 

[fadetoblack]

My god our cheerleaders are so beautiful.

When is Boniperti's grandkid going to get his act together? Del Piero's kid already has the Juve grinta, it seems.

 

[pslayer666]

(apologies for the interruption)



Del Piero's kid sticking his tongue out lol

Great game last night. Enjoyed it a whole lot. Buffon had a few very crucial saves too.

lol@Del Piero's kid.

 

[Yurt]

So now everyone wants a Japanese player after Kagawa?

Forget about Japan! South America is where it's at this season!

Spoiler

Maybe not Forlan

Great game last night. Enjoyed it a whole lot. Buffon had a few very crucial saves too.

lol@Del Piero's kid.

It was! Buffon kept us in the game the entire first half with MASSIVE saves.

 

[Carbonox]

(apologies for the interruption)

Odd question but what is he wearing on his socks? It looks like some sort of slip on fabric that keeps the shin pads in place (as opposed to them slipping down)?

If so, I want to get a pair as I fucking hate using tape during matches. :lol

 

[Hixx]

Odd question but what is he wearing on his socks? It looks like some sort of slip on fabric that keeps the shin pads in place (as opposed to them slipping down)?

If so, I want to get a pair as I fucking hate using tape during matches. :lol

Hes cut the kits' socks off and used a pair of thinner ones underneath.

 

[Carbonox]

Hes cut the kits' socks off and used a pair of thinner ones underneath.

If it's for the purpose I mentioned (could just be for aesthetics) then that's pretty clever.

 

[Milchmonster]

So now everyone wants a Japanese player after Kagawa?

Yeah, that's totally true in the Bundesliga.

Japanese players in the Bundesliga before Kagawa joined BVB:
Hasebe

Japanese players in the Bundesliga after Kagawa joined BVB:
Okazaki, Sakai, Otsu, Hosogai, Usami (lol), Hasebe

 

[Yurt]

If it's for the purpose I mentioned (could just be for aesthetics) then that's pretty clever.

Possibly. He took a few knocks on his knee before.

 

[Hixx]

Its for better grip in his boots I think, thick football socks make it feel a bit... slippy, I suppose. Football socks are so uncomfortable

 

[dc89]

"Distinct lack of Koptimism in the football thread. A far cry from this anyway: http://neogaf.net/forum/showpost.php?p=29327782&postcount=263 How the mediocre historians have fallen."
@KermitTheDogGAF

HAHA!

 

[Yurt]

dc, it's not really Kermit

 

[LabouredSubterfuge]

Any word on whether we'll get some Pog or Super Tom action tonight?

 

[Clegg]

Liverpool still have a very good chance at the FA Cup.

Fake Kermit should reveal himself in a grand manner.

 

[bjaelke]

Liverpool still have a very good chance at the FA Cup.

Fake Kermit should reveal himself in a grand manner.

I concur. Our cup form have been quite good so far. Another trophy wouldn't hide the fact that we've had an abysmal run in the league, but I'd gladly take it at this stage.

 

[dc89]

dc, it's not really Kermit

I know that! I just find it funny.

 

[Clegg]

Any word on whether we'll get some Pog or Super Tom action tonight?

There has been no update on the Clev recently so I'll assume he's still not fully fit.

If SAF follows his recent squad selection then Pog should be on the bench.

 

[WrikaWrek]

Chelsea making a 100 million bid for Ronado and Higuain.

Somehow I just think that's hilarious, did Ronaldo and Higuain go down in value or something?

 

[José Mourinho]

Chelsea making a 100 million bid for Ronado and Higuain.

Somehow I just think that's hilarious, did Ronaldo and Higuain go down in value or something?

Spotted this on the Telegraph and lol'd. It must be great to work in sports journalism. Having a licence to make stuff up and get paid for it must be fun.

 

[Carbonox]

Speaking of shin pad guards:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/nike-guard-stays-818032?colcode=81803230

I've found cheap ones on the Sports Direct site. Guess that's what I'll get. Maybe the black ones as well depending on the socks I wear.

 

[bjaelke]

Spotted this on the Telegraph and lol'd. It must be great to work in sports journalism. Having a licence to make stuff up and get paid for it must be fun.

Every Twitter users' dream.

 

[Moobabe]

Spotted this on the Telegraph and lol'd. It must be great to work in sports journalism. Having a licence to make stuff up and get paid for it must be fun.

I've been musing the past couple of days, and it'd be interesting to hear your, and other Chelsea fans', take.

I watched Newcastle comfortably beat West Brom and thought - this side were in the Championship 2 years ago - how have they done it? Getting relegated was the best thing that could have happened to Newcastle; staying up simply papered over the cracks - the shock of relegation woke everyone up at the club - and that drove them all, especially Mike Ashley, to push the club in right direction, in the correct way.

What about us though? For me - not qualifying for the Champions League could be the best thing to happen to the club. If we do pip Spurs for fourth, not only will it be undeserved but also it'll be another season of "yeah we managed."

It's the kick we need - not CL football will force our hand as a club - Lampard, Malouda, Essien, Bosingwa, Ferreira, Drogba, Kalou are out the door - and, I'd imagine, for a decent amount of money which we can invest in some younger faces.

But what about the Europa League? It could be a blessing in disguise - we have "fringe" players - Lukaku, McEachran, De Bruyne (next year), Bertrand, Romeu and some very promising youngsters - who aren't getting any football because we're putting faith in an old guard that don't deserve Champions League football. The Europa League allows these guys to play european football against top sides - granted not the top sides, but there are some excellent footballers in that competition. It gives them game time, experience and allows to stake a place for the PL games at the weekend.

We need to have a plan - and we need to miss out on fourth to make the club move forward as we all hope it will - we can't invest hundreds of millions every year, it's not feasible, we have to produce our own players and become self sufficient.

 

[immy]

Speaking of shin pad guards:

http://www.sportsdirect.com/nike-guard-stays-818032?colcode=81803230

I've found cheap ones on the Sports Direct site. Guess that's what I'll get. Maybe the black ones as well depending on the socks I wear.

Your joking right?

 

[Carbonox]

Your joking right?

Shhhh

 

[Vivalaraza]

Henderson is a neat and tidy player but I don't think he's particularly skilful. Technically he's sound, but that's not the same as skillful in the "samba" sense of the word. He's not a great entertainer who gets the crowd on the edge of their seats and frightens opposing defences.

And that's what Liverpool need. They need players with pace who are direct and can take men on, show a few tricks (not neccesarrily but it's a nice bonus). That gives you a big edge in games and Liverpool just don't have enough players like that, just Suarez really.

Also, I do like Henderson, but mental weakness has many a time seen a good player fail to make the grade. I have no idea if that is or will be the case with him but IMO mental deficiency is a bigger worry than any technical short comings.

 

[pappe]

I've been musing the past couple of days, and it'd be interesting to hear your, and other Chelsea fans', take.

I watched Newcastle comfortably beat West Brom and thought - this side were in the Championship 2 years ago - how have they done it? Getting relegated was the best thing that could have happened to Newcastle; staying up simply papered over the cracks - the shock of relegation woke everyone up at the club - and that drove them all, especially Mike Ashley, to push the club in right direction, in the correct way.

What about us though? For me - not qualifying for the Champions League could be the best thing to happen to the club. If we do pip Spurs for fourth, not only will it be undeserved but also it'll be another season of "yeah we managed."

It's the kick we need - not CL football will force our hand as a club - Lampard, Malouda, Essien, Bosingwa, Ferreira, Drogba, Kalou are out the door - and, I'd imagine, for a decent amount of money which we can invest in some younger faces.

But what about the Europa League? It could be a blessing in disguise - we have "fringe" players - Lukaku, McEachran, De Bruyne (next year), Bertrand, Romeu and some very promising youngsters - who aren't getting any football because we're putting faith in an old guard that don't deserve Champions League football. The Europa League allows these guys to play european football against top sides - granted not the top sides, but there are some excellent footballers in that competition. It gives them game time, experience and allows to stake a place for the PL games at the weekend.

We need to have a plan - and we need to miss out on fourth to make the club move forward as we all hope it will - we can't invest hundreds of millions every year, it's not feasible, we have to produce our own players and become self sufficient.

Throwing out the whole of old guard and playing new faces altogether is not the option.

You need to maintain the balance. If you rely on just the youngsters you will have to stay without the UCL football for more than 2 seasons till they get their act together coz Spurs will just get stronger if they make the UCL this year.

Throw out Lamps, Drogba ,Kalou and Malouda. Keep Terry, Cole and Essien to guide the youngsters.

Or just appoint Terry as the manager , coz no matter what others think, Chelsea, more importantly Abrahmovich, believe the club cannot move forward without Terry. Thats why they dumped AVB when he stood against him.

 

[Hixx]

Henderson is a neat and tidy player but I don't think he's particularly skilful. Technically he's sound, but that's not the same as skillful in the "samba" sense of the word. He's not a great entertainer who gets the crowd on the edge of their seats and frightens opposing defences.

And that's what Liverpool need. They need players with pace who are direct and can take men on, show a few tricks (not neccesarrily but it's a nice bonus). That gives you a big edge in games and Liverpool just don't have enough players like that, just Suarez really.

Also, I do like Henderson, but mental weakness has many a time seen a good player fail to make the grade. I have no idea if that is or will be the case with him but IMO mental deficiency is a bigger worry than any technical short comings.

Henderson can play like that. A couple of times last season he stepped up and won us a game - Wigan at home, getting beat in a vital game and our last fit striker got injured and had to go off. He steps up and gets 2 goals and an assist. Turned the game by himself.

Dalglish hasn't got a clue how to use him and he's stunting a very promising players growth by trying to shoehorn him in.

 

[Carbonox]

Looking at Ben Arfa's stats, he's scored or assisted in 11 goals in 18 appearances in the league. That's a pretty damn good statistic for him. Really happy with that. I think he's now our top assist player. He was on another level against West Brom.