Is anyone else sick of this 'Liverpool won't be able to cope with CL' bollocks?

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

But is anybody daft enough to think we'd go into next season with this squad? Surely the purse strings will be loosened with CL money. Plus the calibre of player we'd attract would improve with CL football.

 

It's a bit pointless to say the current squad would struggle with CL football as it's highly unlikely that it won't be the current squad playing in said competition.

[moof]

As a fanbase we get swept along with however we're playing, everything is either great or shite, rather than taking a step back and trying to look at things objectively. If we got mullered by Cardiff this place would be like an abattoir again, "our defence is shit", "we need a ball winner", "wasted transfer window", "Purslow etc etc".

 

Our squad is paper thin, there's zero - and I mean zero - scope to rotate players, and we have glaring deficiencies in the defence, midfield and fullback positions, any coach with an appreciation of tactics that goes beyond 'putting it in the mixer' and who has the tools to do the job is going to exploit them with aplomb.

 

Our strike force is quality, our attacking play is great, but this is nowhere near the squad we had the last time we were in the CL, nowhere close.

When you see the likes of Rafa Benitez' Napoli getting outplayed home and away by Swansea, it tells me the gulf of quality between the premier league and the best European teams isn't as wide as you're making it out to be.

 

City lost to Barca, Arsenal lost to Bayern. Aside from those two teams and Real Madrid I'd expect us to beat any other side on our day

[Pureblood]

We'll be fine.  I want us to play Bayern Munich the most. 

[Boss]

I agree with Section, if we get into the champions league this year it'll be a very hard group because were unseeded. The fact that we've been out of the champions league so long makes it a certainty we'll draw a pot one team (Bayern, Real Madrid, Barcelona) and a dangerous pot two team like (Athletico, PSG or Juventus) in the group stages. Teams like Dortmund and Man City are in pot three, which is were we'll be most likely, so it'll be a serious challenge just getting out of the group stages.

 

If we do somehow manage to qualify out of the group, were not going to qualify first ahead of teams like Bayern, so from the last 16 onwards it'll be playing group leaders virtually all the way through. Our first eleven is a strong team but we have virtually no backup and i dread the thought of Flanagan up against Ribery or someone of that ilk. 

[Jairzinho]

I don't think anyone is suggesting we wouldn't give most teams a good match. In fact I reckon at our best there is no reason why we couldn't turn over Bayern, Real Madrid, or Barcelona.

 

But we've looked a little naïve against some utter dross at times this season. I don't think its mad to think that our gun-ho approach might occasionally get us into trouble in Europe.

[moof]

I don't think anyone is suggesting we wouldn't give most teams a good match. In fact I reckon at our best there is no reason why we couldn't turn over Bayern, Real Madrid, or Barcelona.

 

But we've looked a little naïve against some utter dross at times this season. I don't think its mad to think that our gun-ho approach might occasionally get us into trouble in Europe.

I think it's a bit mad to say we'd be battered by most quality European sides

[RedRazor]

I certainly don't worry about anything said by a wally on Sky Sports.

 

But the additional games must have an impact, even if it is just picking up a minor knock which hasn't completely cleared up by the time the next game comes around. A good example will be Gerrards foot this morning. I bet it is swollen to buggery, so he will have a bit of treatment, maybe sit out training for a day or two, but will be fine for Saturday. But what if we were playing Real, Barca or Bayern on Wednesday night?

 

As for the CL itself - I would like to see us playing this style of football against the best the continent has to offer. It might work or it might not but it has certainly worked well most of the time for Barca.

 

Great if BR gets a £100m to bring in three or four quality players - but he won't because FSG will not give him that sort of money. 

[Section_31]

I don't think anyone is suggesting we wouldn't give most teams a good match. In fact I reckon at our best there is no reason why we couldn't turn over Bayern, Real Madrid, or Barcelona.

 

But we've looked a little naïve against some utter dross at times this season. I don't think its mad to think that our gun-ho approach might occasionally get us into trouble in Europe.

 

[Jairzinho]

Valladolid turned over Barcelona last week.

 

We'd have a chance.

[Section_31]

Valladolid turned over Barcelona last week.

 

We'd have a chance.

 

I'm not patronising you mate, I'm buzzing about our direction now and I hope we have a quality transfer window, but it'd take some biblical shit to turn over any of those teams.

[Pureblood]

I can see Section's point but my view is opposite - I think we'll cope admirably.  Rodgers has shown he can change things and learn by playing a number of differing systems this season, the latest incarnation being the midfield diamond. He's shown he can live with other managers and adapt tactically so I have faith he'll reproduce that in the Champions League.  Rodgers' methods are very European, in my opinion, so it stands to reason he will prosper in European competition. 

 

I agree with Tony Gale that playing in Europe has a knock-on effect on league form but it's a good problem to have.  

[Jairzinho]

Real Valladolid.

 

The 18th best team in Spain.

 

I don't think our opinions are actually that far apart. I think we're the sort of team that would take a few beatings in Europe against tactically astute and disciplined sides. The sort you don't really get in England because half the teams are managed by potatoes.

 

We'd get ruthlessly pasted by Bayern, Barca, and Real Madrid seven, maybe eight times out of ten, but we have enough attacking potential that if everything really clicked we could win the other two or three games. Whilst, for e.g, the current Spurs/United/Everton/Arsenal (in a meaningful game, not having been put out of the tie in the first leg) sides would probably lose all ten.

 

Our current approach to matches means we belt all the shite, and can give anyone a game, whilst also being more than capable of shipping quite a few goals. I'm pretty confident Rodgers will adapt the style for European football. Our current approach to the league makes sense. We have very good attackers. Gerrard aside, a good if unspectacular midfield. And lots of teams in this league are really fucking stupid.

[Coro]

Glaring deficiencies in midfield?

 

We've got 4 very good midfielders

[RedRazor]

I'm not patronising you mate, I'm buzzing about our direction now and I hope we have a quality transfer window, but it'd take some biblical shit to turn over any of those teams.

Biblical shit?

 

 

We can do that.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

We'll be fine.  I want us to play Bayern Munich the most.

I can't fucking wait to be back in the big time. It's been a long ol' road back (assuming we make it, etc), hasn't it? I've missed it. Big time.

[Section_31]

I can see Section's point but my view is opposite - I think we'll cope admirably.  Rodgers has shown he can change things and learn by playing a number of differing systems this season, the latest incarnation being the midfield diamond. He's shown he can live with other managers and adapt tactically so I have faith he'll reproduce that in the Champions League.  Rodgers' methods are very European, in my opinion, so it stands to reason he will prosper in European competition. 

 

I agree with Tony Gale that playing in Europe has a knock-on effect on league form but it's a good problem to have.  

 

In fairness, it's a hard one to predict either way as Rodgers is learning faster than Skynet. And as others have said we'll have to see what kind of squad we (hopefully) go into the CL with. As things stand though, I just think we'd struggle, bear in mind it was only a couple of weeks ago Toure was tripping over his own arse trying to trap a football. The damage someone like Ronaldo could do doesn't really bear thinking about. The squad does need some work. We've been exceptionally lucky with injuries too.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Tell you what, we're going to win the European Cup next season. You can take that to the fucking bank.

[Coro]

We've been exceptionally lucky with injuries too.

 

We haven't had a settled back 4 all season.

 

Johnson, Enrique, Sahko, Agger, Lucas, Allen, Sturridge have all had spells out.

[mgw100]

And gerrard

 

 

 

[RedRazor]

In fairness, it's a hard one to predict either way as Rodgers is learning faster than Skynet. And as others have said we'll have to see what kind of squad we (hopefully) go into the CL with. As things stand though, I just think we'd struggle, bear in mind it was only a couple of weeks ago Toure was tripping over his own arse trying to trap a football. The damage someone like Ronaldo could do doesn't really bear thinking about. The squad does need some work. We've been exceptionally lucky with injuries too.

Lucky?

 

Sturridge

Gerrard

Enrique

Johnson

Agger

Sakho

Allen

Kelly

Lucas

 

Even our players out on loan are getting injured.

[Pidge]

Our squad is paper thin, there's zero - and I mean zero - scope to rotate players.

 

Zero? Oh right... hence the total absence of any debate over who should play in the midfield over the last couple of weeks... Starting Allen was the only option.

[Guest Numero Veinticinco]

Lucky?

 

Sturridge

Gerrard

Enrique

Johnson

Agger

Sakho

Allen

Kelly

Lucas

 

Even our players out on loan are getting injured.

And Coutinho has had a lay-off. Crazy. Suarez with time out for bad behaviour, too.

[Section_31]

Zero? Oh right... hence the total absence of any debate over who should play in the midfield over the last couple of weeks... Starting Allen was the only option.

 

Allen, who's been roundly ridiculed on these boards virtually all season, and will be again as soon as he has a shit game.

 

As for the injury situation, nobody is saying we've had no injuries all season, but we've always had the bulk of our decent attacking players and Gerrard available for most of the season. Don't see the point in going through the squad's entire injury record to prove a point.

 

Bizarre thread, it's like some kind of mass hysteria where anyone who doesn't agree is letting the side down.

[Pureblood]

I can't fucking wait to be back in the big time. It's been a long ol' road back (assuming we make it, etc), hasn't it? I've missed it. Big time.

 

Can't wait either.  Well, I can wait 9 games. And a World Cop,  But after that I definitely won't be able to do much waiting. 

 

In fairness, it's a hard one to predict either way as Rodgers is learning faster than Skynet. And as others have said we'll have to see what kind of squad we (hopefully) go into the CL with. As things stand though, I just think we'd struggle, bear in mind it was only a couple of weeks ago Toure was tripping over his own arse trying to trap a football. The damage someone like Ronaldo could do doesn't really bear thinking about. The squad does need some work. We've been exceptionally lucky with injuries too.

 

Dunno about exceptionally lucky but it has been good that one of Suarez and Sturridge has been fit all season together with Gerrard, Skrtel, Henderson and Mignolet..  I'm with you that we'd have struggled this season as the squad is not well equipped for fighting on multiple fronts at the moment, as our cup performances have shown (although unlucky to get Man United and Arsenal away).  

[Nelly-Szoboszlai]

It's fucking March. The CL would start in August. Let's judge the strength of the squad then, eh?

 

Totally pointless discussion.