Jump to content
  • Sign up for free and receive a month's subscription

    You are viewing this page as a guest. That means you are either a member who has not logged in, or you have not yet registered with us. Signing up for an account only takes a minute and it means you will no longer see this annoying box! It will also allow you to get involved with our friendly(ish!) community and take part in the discussions on our forums. And because we're feeling generous, if you sign up for a free account we will give you a month's free trial access to our subscriber only content with no obligation to commit. Register an account and then send a private message to @dave u and he'll hook you up with a subscription.

2018/19 Season Report Card - Xherdan Shaqiri


tlw content
 Share

Recommended Posts

I love this little guy. How can you not love him? Look at his little smiling face. If I was one of his team-mates I’d spent all day just ruffling his hair and high fiving him. He’d probably end up hating me or reporting me for harassment.

 

When I think of Shaq, the first thing that comes into my head is this clip of him on his first day at Melwood giving it the 'finger gun' when he saw the fitness guy he worked with at Bayern. That’s Shaq right there, a gif makers wet dream. 

 

tenor.gif

 

He’s the kind of player that fans are drawn to. If he stays here another year (or hopefully more) he’ll be even more of a cult hero than he already is. In a squad full of so much talent he’s never going to be one of the main men even though he’s a top player in his own right. He’s a modern day Ronny Rosenthal type. Someone who made a big impact in limited playing time and who will always be remembered fondly and with a nostalgic smile.

 

I wish he’d played more this season but I trust Klopp’s judgement implicitly (let’s face it, how can you not?) and if he’s not picking him much then there’s a reason for that. It’s probably due to his off the ball work more than anything. It’s not that he’s lazy or unwilling to work, I just don’t think it’s something he’s particularly good at as it doesn’t come naturally to him.

 

Some players can just do it instinctively, but if you’ve got to think about where you need to run and when you need to close down, that split second can make all the difference. 

 

Initially I hoped Shaq might be able to fill the role Coutinho vacated. Sometimes in the front three, sometimes in a midfield trio. In theory it seemed like it could work, but Klopp never played him in midfield and usually when he picked him he changed the system to 4-2-3-1.

 

It has to be down to a lack of trust in him defensively, as nothing else makes sense. Even taking that into account I still thought he could have been used more, because he is a difference maker. His goals and assists record is really good based on minutes played, and he’s one of those players who can lift the crowd as soon as he steps onto the field.

 

He made an instant impact with a spectacular overhead kick goal against the Mancs in a pre-season game in the States, and he looked sharp from day one. A free-kick that hit the underside of the bar against Southampton (Mo followed in and buried it) also stands out as an early memory.

 

 

This is just a teaser, click to view the full article

 

Please note, 'Season Report Cards' are only be available to TLW subscribers. Subscriptions are just £2 per month and can be purchased here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • dave u pinned this topic

You can't high five Shaq, you have to low five him, but otherwise I agree with all in the OP. I can't quite figure out how he didn't play more often, aside from injury, because he knew the kind of game he'd have to play when he signed, and he's a smart enough player to appreciate how he needed to adapt. His attitude, contrary to Charlie Adam's gossip machine, seems fine, so I just hope he and Klopp work out a better, clearer, role, or roles, for him this time around. He's a very handy player to have in the squad.

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Charlie Adam stuff was ridiculous, especially when his manager was on telly talking about how great Shaq was to have around and what a good pro he is. That manager had been sacked and could easily have insinuated that he was let down by his 'star' player, but instead he did the opposite.

 

The Stoke fans all seemed to side with Shaq too, even though he'd left.

 

He seems like a great lad and everyone in the dressing room seems to love him.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • dave u unpinned this topic
On 21/06/2019 at 14:57, dave u said:

The Charlie Adam stuff was ridiculous, especially when his manager was on telly talking about how great Shaq was to have around and what a good pro he is. That manager had been sacked and could easily have insinuated that he was let down by his 'star' player, but instead he did the opposite.

 

The Stoke fans all seemed to side with Shaq too, even though he'd left.

 

He seems like a great lad and everyone in the dressing room seems to love him.

That fat twat calling anyone lazy is a joke. 10s of thousands per week and he can't even keep himself fit. That's a lazy bastard!

  • Upvote 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...