This Liverpool team COULD become a bit special

[robbies_line]

Right, I know I might be getting a bit ahead of myself and too optimistic after our last two league performances and being top of the league an all, but I'm gonna go for it anyway and say that this current Liverpool side (even if we dont win the title this year), could become very special in the next few years.

 

Its taken Rafa quite a bit of time to get the team he wants after inheriting a mediocre team from Houllier and having to get rid of the crap (Diao, Diouf, Le Tallec most notably). But I reckon that if he is able to fill two positions this transfer window or in the Summer with top class players, then this team could become really really good.

 

I feel we need to find a top right back, and a class RW (as much as I love Dirk). I know its easier said than done, but if we do then I can't think of a better first XI than ours would potentially be. Certainly, I reckon our spine of Pepe, Carra, Masch, Xabi, Gerrard and Torres must be the best in Europe.

 

Only team on paper I think would rival would be Barca, who would have a slightly better attack maybe, but we'd edge it with our defence.

 

Now, I'm probably being too hopeful and optimistic, but fuck it, I think we have got a proper class team here who could win a lot of trophies in the coming years. Lets hope so anyway....

[SpeedyG]

We still need a CM pairing that can get goals / assists. Xabi and El Jefecito don't get enough. We don't need to buy to address that, but we definitely need to add it if we are going to consistently challenge.

[Guest simon]

Could it is.

[KevieG]

Ribery and someone of that quality for the left would see the team go to another level entirely. Teams like Hull and Stoke wouldn't be able to cope, as they can just about do at the moment.

 

Easier said than done though and I don't think its entirely in Rafa's nature to allow it.

[Guest simon]

Ribery and someone of that quality for the left would see the team go to another level entirely. Teams like Hull and Stoke wouldn't be able to cope, as they can just about do at the moment.

 

Easier said than done though and I don't think its entirely in Rafa's nature to allow it.

 

Riera :telloff:

[SpeedyG]

Ribery and someone of that quality for the left would see the team go to another level entirely. Teams like Hull and Stoke wouldn't be able to cope, as they can just about do at the moment.

 

Easier said than done though and I don't think its entirely in Rafa's nature to allow it.

 

What do you mean? He'd die for a Maxi / Ribery type on the flanks. To me they're like Kuyt with quality.

[Barnesey]

I think Arbeloa is better than many people think and is having a great season.

 

Stories this morning suggest Walcot might be available for peanuts. get in there, I say

[Woo]

We still need a CM pairing that can get goals / assists. Xabi and El Jefecito don't get enough. We don't need to buy to address that, but we definitely need to add it if we are going to consistently challenge.

 

We don't really though. They mainly play as holding midfielders so it's obviously going to be harder for them to get assists from deeper positions.

 

And given that Gerrard takes most of the set pieces, what chances are they realistically going to have to get assists and goals, bar shooting from range?

 

The midfielders are sound, its the attacking and wide options that need to be improved, as that is where we need to improve the goals and assists from.

[KevieG]

Riera :telloff:

 

Decent player, but I'm talking about someone world class. No shame in that though and the best we have had on the left in quite a few years.

[Dicko]

Could it is.

 

Deary me Simon think before you post.

 

When they've won league's consistently and in Europe then they can be classed as great.

 

Right now we are just in the middle of a promising season.

[robbies_line]

We won't be able to get Ribery, would cost at least 30 mill, considering he signed for Bayern fro 25 mil euros. A world class winger is hard to come by these days.

 

I terms of the full back position, If only we'd paid the 12mill for Dani Alves.....

[moxter]

We won't be able to get Ribery, would cost at least 30 mill, considering he signed for Bayern fro 25 mil euros. A world class winger is hard to come by these days.

 

I terms of the full back position, If only we'd paid the 12mill for Dani Alves.....

 

£30m's worth less than 25m euro these days...

[Guest simon]

We won't be able to get Ribery, would cost at least 30 mill, considering he signed for Bayern fro 25 mil euros. A world class winger is hard to come by these days.

 

I terms of the full back position, If only we'd paid the 12mill for Dani Alves.....

I thought Barca paid somthing near 4 mill for him.

[Dicko]

I thought Barca paid somthing near 4 mill for him.

 

Add another £20m and you're nearer the mark.

[bobhorse]

We still need a CM pairing that can get goals / assists. Xabi and El Jefecito don't get enough. We don't need to buy to address that, but we definitely need to add it if we are going to consistently challenge.

 

3 games played and 7 different scorers i dont think there is to much wrong with who is getting the goals

I think we have seen the difference this season of having tallent on the left hand side of midfield and how the team has improved for having natural tallent in that position if we can do the same on the right then i think we will be almost imposible to beat

[George Costanza]

We won't be able to get Ribery, would cost at least 30 mill, considering he signed for Bayern fro 25 mil euros. A world class winger is hard to come by these days.

 

I terms of the full back position, If only we'd paid the 12mill for Dani Alves.....

 

Sell Keane, Babel, Voronin and Pennant and we might not be a million miles off. In an attacking sense he is all we need IMO. Ribery one side, Kuyt or Reira on the other is a possible dream. Benni also providing backup.

 

Its realsitic is played right. Bayern still have their problems and we continue to lose their best players to the 3 big leagues. While the Mancs have Ronaldo, madrid have Robben and Barca have Messi I don't see any reason why we can't afford and tempt Ribery to Anfield.

[SpeedyG]

We don't really though. They mainly play as holding midfielders so it's obviously going to be harder for them to get assists from deeper positions.

 

And given that Gerrard takes most of the set pieces, what chances are they realistically going to have to get assists and goals, bar shooting from range?

 

The midfielders are sound, its the attacking and wide options that need to be improved, as that is where we need to improve the goals and assists from.

 

Well, I think we do. We only play 2 holding midfielders because neither Mascher or Xabi can do anything else. Watch what happens once SG is moved back into CM. If we intend to dominate in the coming years it needs to be addressed.

 

Lampard, Scholes, Cahill, Rafas CMs at Valencia. There's no excuse for so few goals from CM.

[keniget]

Well, I think we do. We only play 2 holding midfielders because neither Mascher or Xabi can do anything else. Watch what happens once SG is moved back into CM. If we intend to dominate in the coming years it needs to be addressed.

 

Lampard, Scholes, Cahill, Rafas CMs at Valencia. There's no excuse for so few goals from CM.

 

If Gerrard is moved back to CM, it means we're playing a different system, so you can't compare.

 

As for other teams:

 

How many goals did the likes of Essien, Makalele and Mikel get between them? Not very many.

 

How many goals did Xavi, Deco (bar one season), Marquez / Edmilson get during the heyday of Rijkaard's rampant Barca side? Again, not many.

 

The holding midfielders for Real Madrid, e.g. Gago, Diarra don't contribute much in the way of goals.

 

Last season Utd won the league, yet I'd wager that Scholes, Hargreaves, Anderson and Carrick had about 5 goals between them, if that.

 

Your argument doesn't hold water.

[Guest TK-421]

25 games from greatness.

 

Being serious I think we're on the cusp of achieving something too, but it's best not to get too far ahead or full of hope as sport is a cruel beast and can **** you in the **** in the blink of an eye.

[robbies_line]

Well, I think we do. We only play 2 holding midfielders because neither Mascher or Xabi can do anything else. Watch what happens once SG is moved back into CM. If we intend to dominate in the coming years it needs to be addressed.

 

Lampard, Scholes, Cahill, Rafas CMs at Valencia. There's no excuse for so few goals from CM.

 

Disagree. Xabi and Masch are filling their roles perfectly. Masch's defensive protection and Alonso's playmaking and passing is allowing Gerrard the attacking license to get his 20 plus goals a season.

 

As for the Lampard, Scholes, Cahill mention, what is this supposed to highlight apart from the fact that they score a fair few goals? None of Utd's CMs score that many (even Scholes these days), Fat Frank is the only XM who scores regularly for Chelsea, and Baraja the only real CM goal threat for Rafa's Valencia. Barca's Xavi and Iniesta dont even get that many goals per season.

[Guest simon]

Add another £20m and you're nearer the mark.

 

Ahh rite my bad.

[robbies_line]

25 games from greatness.

 

Being serious I think we're on the cusp of achieving something too, but it's best not to get too far ahead or full of hope as sport is a cruel beast and can **** you in the **** in the blink of an eye.

 

For those who are unsure, the two ****s stand for 'fuck' and 'arse' respectively.

[Jose Jones]

25 games from greatness.

 

Being serious I think we're on the cusp of achieving something too, but it's best not to get too far ahead or full of hope as sport is a cruel beast and can **** you in the **** in the blink of an eye.

 

Or as Winston Wolf might put it:

 

 

Let's not start suckin' each other's dicks quite yet

[Unrighteous]

I thought Barca paid somthing near 4 mill for him.

 

Barca paid 25m euros.

[SpeedyG]

If Gerrard is moved back to CM, it means we're playing a different system, so you can't compare.

 

As for other teams:

 

How many goals did the likes of Essien, Makalele and Mikel get between them? Not very many.

 

How many goals did Xavi, Deco (bar one season), Marquez / Edmilson get during the heyday of Rijkaard's rampant Barca side? Again, not many.

 

The holding midfielders for Real Madrid, e.g. Gago, Diarra don't contribute much in the way of goals.

 

Last season Utd won the league, yet I'd wager that Scholes, Hargreaves, Anderson and Carrick had about 5 goals between them, if that.

 

Your argument doesn't hold water.

 

How many goals did the Chelsea midfield they played in get? You seem to be missing the point that they were paired with Lampard who got 20+.

 

And if we had 4 30m strikers I wouldn't care about goals from CM. Fact is we don't! Kuyt is not going to score as many goals as Ronaldo and Riera is not going to score as many goals as Rooney. That's a fact. Until we have those 30m strikers we need to find other ways to score. Yeah, we'll need to pick Sami more often and setup set pieces for him and yes heaven forbid we might need to get more than 4 goals a year from CM, especially as Valencia proved that 10-15 goals from CM can be the difference between winning and losing a title.

 

BTW Last season Xavi had more goals and more assists than Xabi has had since he joined us.

 

BTW It wasn't an argument it was an opinion!