How good is our squad as of August 7?

[bossy]

10 hours ago, aws said:

Qualifies for CL comfortably if it doesn’t get wrecked by injuries. 

Agree with this. 7/10 squad. We need to add to MF and defence, as all of us know. I think we’ll be back to the days of being sublime when everything goes right and possibly chaotic when it doesn’t. 

[Creator Supreme]

7/10 my arse.

 

Allison is still quality, as on his best days is Mo. Szobo and Mac are unknown quantities in a Liverpool team but should be OK.

 

Virge has I'm afraid jumped the shark and is almost as pointless as Matip and Gomez now. Trent is lost as far as I'm concerned as he's neither one thing or the other.

 

Thiago and Konate are crocks, Robbo is sadly past his best, Tsimi still has question marks over him.

 

Elliot is an unsure for me, Gakpo may be good, Jota if he stays fit is a good finisher, Nunez is shite, Diaz looks great if he stays fit.

 

That's a poor, thin, injury prone squad for a club which aspires to challenge for major honours again.

[Razoray]

I think Gakpo will play ahead of Jones in midfield against Chelsea, with Jota up front.

We all know we need reinforcements in midfield and at the back. If we get a defensive midfielder and a left-sided defender in the next few weeks, I think we will be ready to challenge for titles. 

 

-----------Allison

Trent—Konate—VVD—LD

MacAllister—DM—Szobo

Salah—Gakpo——Diaz

 

That leaves a 2nd team like this:

Kelleher

Bradley Gomez Matip Robbo

Jones Bajcetic Thiago

Elliott Jota Nunez

 

The few kids will play in Europe with Tsmikas and I'm looking forward to seeing Doak, whenever he gets a game. 

 

Realistically, IF we could keep injuries to a minimum, the squad is strong.

For comparison, City's 2nd team is like this:

Ortega

Walker Laporte Ake Lewis

Kovacic Phillips Palmer 

Doyle Alvarez Gomez.

This may change as it looks like a could be in/out. They are stronger at the back but we are a mile better in midfield and attack, on paper.

[dave u]

The squad is worse than the one that ended last season. 

 

The starting eleven MIGHT be better. We'll see.

[Brownie]

Weaker than it was at the end of last season which is crazy. Especially given what we were fed with regards to not signing Bellingham (“major rebuild” etc).

[Pidge]

With a DM I think it's at least on a par with last season, probably better considering the quality of the two that have come in already, and a full season of Gakpo. Still need another midfielder imo. Eyes on that Fluminense game tonight.

 

I think there is genuine depth coming from the youth sides. Quansah, Clark and Bradley adding themselves to the ones we already know about. Quansah's emergence does not stop us needing a CB though. Gomez is going to be needed at RB, and we need to plan for Matip going as well as giving VVD more time off.

 

These additional players are adding depth we didn't really have last season either.

[aws]

9 minutes ago, dave u said:

The squad is worse than the one that ended last season. 

 

The starting eleven MIGHT be better. We'll see.

How is it worse though? Keita and Ox are no loss, it looks like Mac and Zob are up-grades on Henderson and Fabinho. Doak and Bradley look ready to play a part. We’ll miss Milner’s influence a bit but on the whole I think our squad is as good and I think our starting eleven will be better. 

[dave u]

1 hour ago, aws said:

How is it worse though? Keita and Ox are no loss, it looks like Mac and Zob are up-grades on Henderson and Fabinho. Doak and Bradley look ready to play a part. We’ll miss Milner’s influence a bit but on the whole I think our squad is as good and I think our starting eleven will be better. 

 

It's worse because we've lost Firmino, Milner, Henderson and Fabinho, who all played a big chunk of games. We also lost Keita and Ox who were no great loss but provided some depth. Phillips is also going, further reducing the depth at that position.

 

We've brought in two players. So the squad is absolutely weaker than it was. The team might be better, depending on how good Szoboszlai turns out to be. I have no concerns at all about Mac Allister, he's defo going to be a big plus.

 

Also don't know how you can say the squad is good when we literally have no natural six at the club. We can make do with Thiago and Bajcetic when they're fit, and others can 'do a job' there. But as of now we have no holding midfield player.

 

The question was about the squad now, not the one that we'll have when the window shuts. As of now, it's worse than it was last May.

[John102]

Id also argue that moving to this box midfield will mean that whilst we have 2 left backs in Robbo and Kostas, their effectiveness in the new roles is so far suggesting they will be weaker options this year.

[Pidge]

Where are the concerns about Szoboszlai coming from? I though he's looked good so far, had to cover Trent more than you'd want him to, but looks an upgrade in general, an improvement on set pieces and also a bit of a goal threat.

[dave u]

9 minutes ago, Pidge said:

Where are the concerns about Szoboszlai coming from? I though he's looked good so far, had to cover Trent more than you'd want him to, but looks an upgrade in general, an improvement on set pieces and also a bit of a goal threat.

 

Concerns as in it might take him a little while to get fully up to speed. I think Mac Allister will just seamlessly slot in.

[dave u]

17 minutes ago, John102 said:

Id also argue that moving to this box midfield will mean that whilst we have 2 left backs in Robbo and Kostas, their effectiveness in the new roles is so far suggesting they will be weaker options this year.

 

Agree with this too.

[bossy]

5 hours ago, Creator Supreme said:

7/10 my arse.

 

Allison is still quality, as on his best days is Mo. Szobo and Mac are unknown quantities in a Liverpool team but should be OK.

 

Virge has I'm afraid jumped the shark and is almost as pointless as Matip and Gomez now. Trent is lost as far as I'm concerned as he's neither one thing or the other.

 

Thiago and Konate are crocks, Robbo is sadly past his best, Tsimi still has question marks over him.

 

Elliot is an unsure for me, Gakpo may be good, Jota if he stays fit is a good finisher, Nunez is shite, Diaz looks great if he stays fit.

 

That's a poor, thin, injury prone squad for a club which aspires to challenge for major honours again.

I shouldn’t have said 7/10 for the squad, I meant for our best 11. Squad more like 5 or 6. I think Virgil has looked sharper and while I agree about Trent to a degree, I’m hoping he’ll find a way to work. 7/10 if that best team fires on all cylinders and doesn’t end up with injuries galore. That should cover it…

[Barrington Womble]

Clearly we're not better. But luck with injuries might carry us somewhere, especially if we give up on the domestic cups like we used to and don't put effort into the EL until the quarters if we're still in it. The squad is smaller and others are right to point to the new formation creating issues for players, I would say matip, Gomez, robbo, Kostas and thiago leave you scratching your head how you could use them as effectively as if the squad was in the old formation. 

 

The summer has been a shit show. There's no getting away from it. A proper spurs summer this. 

[TheDrowningMan]

10 minutes ago, Barrington Womble said:

Clearly we're not better. But luck with injuries might carry us somewhere, especially if we give up on the domestic cups like we used to and don't put effort into the EL until the quarters if we're still in it. The squad is smaller and others are right to point to the new formation creating issues for players, I would say matip, Gomez, robbo, Kostas and thiago leave you scratching your head how you could use them as effectively as if the squad was in the old formation. 

 

The summer has been a shit show. There's no getting away from it. A proper spurs summer this. 

Not with Spurs level money going out though. They’re far bigger than us in that respect, even though they use it badly.

[Trumo]

No doubt we are in need of a couple of additions in key positions, but I do think Klopp needs to settle on either a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3, and use Trent in a fixed position rather than a hybrid role. He is seeing more of the ball by coming into midfield to affect play, but we are too exposed down our right, don't have a defensive-minded midfield option, and are adding an exceptional workload on the right-sided centre back. So either have Trent playing the more 'orthodox' attacking right back role he has done exceptionally well in, while adding an athletic defensive midfielder, or have Trent as one of the midfield 4 and bring in a left-sided defender capable of playing in a back 3 or as a left back alternative. Ideally I would want us to do both, so that both tactical set-ups are a genuine option without needing to shoehorn anyone into an unfamiliar role.

[lebron]

21 hours ago, dave u said:

 

It's worse because we've lost Firmino, Milner, Henderson and Fabinho, who all played a big chunk of games. We also lost Keita and Ox who were no great loss but provided some depth. Phillips is also going, further reducing the depth at that position.

 

We've brought in two players. So the squad is absolutely weaker than it was. The team might be better, depending on how good Szoboszlai turns out to be. I have no concerns at all about Mac Allister, he's defo going to be a big plus.

 

Also don't know how you can say the squad is good when we literally have no natural six at the club. We can make do with Thiago and Bajcetic when they're fit, and others can 'do a job' there. But as of now we have no holding midfield player.

 

The question was about the squad now, not the one that we'll have when the window shuts. As of now, it's worse than it was last May.

 

We'll miss Bobby, no doubt, but I actually think our squad looks better equipped to deal with the physical rigours by bringing in two youthful midfielders and getting rid of Milner/Hendo/Keita/Ox. Having Jones back in something resembling full capacity is also immensely helpful. Neither of the preferred (?) starting midfield 3 (Jones, Mac Allister, Szobo) are particularly defensive-minded, but they've got the legs to get back in position and seem to be willing to make the necessary tactical fouls that Henderson (especially) and Fabinho didn't make last season.

 

Whoever we bring in from now on will be fringe players up until the new year anyway. Having watched our pre-season games back, I think we'll do well in the start of the season. We look much better than a couple of those teams that are supposed to be better than us offensively. I also believe that some of the growing pains with our press/high line will be resolved when the new players settle in even better.

 

I would be a bit edgy if we were drawn in a tough CL group that we needed to come out on top of, but I'm super-calm in terms of what we're going to achieve in the league. I'm fine with prioritising the league above everything else as we establish a new midfield and front three.

[johnsusername]

I'd be playing Gomez at right back against Chelsea, with trent right midfield. McAllister 6 and Jones or Dom left midfield. 

 

Chelsea have got a tonne of wingers - we can't leave that space vacant like we have been doing. 

[Bobby Hundreds]

What actual position is Trent supposed to be. He's shite as a 6 it completely nullifies his attributes and asks him to do what he's shit at. If he's an 8 then why buy Macallister and Szobozlai alongside the billion forwards we have. We seem way too top heavy, everybody wants to attack except VVD and Konate and when other sides attack its VVD and Konate in the trenches waiting for the back up to arrive. Warwick Davis would beat Trent on the back post.

[Scott_M]

16 minutes ago, johnsusername said:

I'd be playing Gomez at right back against Chelsea, with trent right midfield. McAllister 6 and Jones or Dom left midfield. 

 

Chelsea have got a tonne of wingers - we can't leave that space vacant like we have been doing. 

I genuinely think we could solve a lot of our issues by ditching this Trent experiment. 
 

He’s vice captain now, he plays at right back & leads by example or him and Klopp have a full discussion about moving into midfield permanently and we sign a right back. 

[sir roger]

8 minutes ago, Scott_M said:

I genuinely think we could solve a lot of our issues by ditching this Trent experiment. 
 

He’s vice captain now, he plays at right back & leads by example or him and Klopp have a full discussion about moving into midfield permanently and we sign a right back. 

 

Will help Mo as well.

[Special K]

It wasn't good enough last season, we've got rid of 6 (or 7, I don't know) and brought in 2.

 

We aren't in good shape

[Strontium]

3 minutes ago, Special K said:

we've got rid of 6 (or 7, I don't know) and brought in 2.

 

8, soon to be 9 when Phillips departs

 

Milner, Keita, Oxlade, Firmino, Henderson, Fabinho, Arthur, Carvalho

[Special K]

2 minutes ago, Strontium said:

 

8, soon to be 9 when Phillips departs

 

Milner, Keita, Oxlade, Firmino, Henderson, Fabinho, Arthur, Carvalho

Can't wait to see the bench against Chelsea

[Barrington Womble]

38 minutes ago, Bobby Hundreds said:

What actual position is Trent supposed to be. He's shite as a 6 it completely nullifies his attributes and asks him to do what he's shit at. If he's an 8 then why buy Macallister and Szobozlai alongside the billion forwards we have. We seem way too top heavy, everybody wants to attack except VVD and Konate and when other sides attack its VVD and Konate in the trenches waiting for the back up to arrive. Warwick Davis would beat Trent on the back post.

Didn't Trent have something like 8 assists in 9 games there at the back end of the season? 

 

Edit... 7 assists and 1 goal in 10 games.