Is this the best first XI in the league?

[spider-neil]

Anyone who thinks Lucas isn't deserved of a place next year is stupid. The guy was immense.

 

immense? perfunctory is closer to mark.

[RobbieOR]

I think on paper, our first XI matches Chelsea and Uniteds.

 

You said the same last season.

[Juan Galonso]

Parker instead of Lucas? Fuck me.

 

Hell yeah. No thanks!

[JermainePennant]

If I had been told in jan we were going to spend 100m I would have expected the team/squad to be looking a lot stronger,Kenny has no excuses like former managers so he has to get us atleast top 4,IMO that is the 6th best team in the league on paper but its down to kenny to get more out of them.

[RobbieOR]

Hell yeah. No thanks!

 

You'd take Parker over him? Lucas deserves to be first choice after last season.

[Section_31]

It's nowhere near the best squad in the league, but that doesn't necessarily matter. Dalglish's Blackburn player for player wasn't a patch on the mancs, and although Wenger's arsenal had some great players in their first double winning season, I'd argue they weren't as good as the mancs on paper either.

 

We won't win the league next year, probably not the year after either, but I think we've got a good shout of top four. We'll be more than the sum of our parts and you can't overstate the importance of having a good bunch of lads who can all pass a ball pulling in the right direction.

 

For years now I've been worried watching Liverpool. Even when we finished second under Rafa and we had a handful of world class players, the fear was always that - underneath - we had nothing. We had no coherent style of attacking play, we had no 'system', we had very little in the way of youth, and the gulf between our smattering of top players and the rest of the squad was epic.

 

Now, we do have a system, a system which runs top to bottom, from youth team to senior squad. We have a crop of talented young lads ready to burst through, and a squad where the quality is more evenly spread than it has been for years. It won't be about the one or two players trying to do everything on their own, backed up by players who can't trap a ball and have the fighting spirit of the Swiss, now it'll be six or seven players with a solid level of ability and an excellent attitude, all wanting to win.

[JermainePennant]

Also if we go in to the season with G Johnson as left back that is a big fuck up by kenny considering he has had mils to spend.

 

M Kelly is injury prone an cant be relied on and flanagan has not proved he is good enough to play there yet, he had decent games but when he was up against decent wingers Guiteraz and Downing he stuggled.

[Funkasy]

Best fans in the world still think liverpool player of the season is not good enough to start for us, words can not describe how bitter and idiotic you sound like

[Section_31]

Also if we go in to the season with G Johnson as left back that is a big fuck up by kenny considering he has had mils to spend.

 

M Kelly is injury prone an cant be relied on and flanagan has not proved he is good enough to play there yet, he had decent games but when he was up against decent wingers Guiteraz and Downing he stuggled.

 

How the hell is Kelly injury prone!? He was ever-present under Dalglish and picked up one injury which kept him out until the end of the season.

 

Not buying a left back wouldn't be a big deal in my eyes, Johnson is excellent in the role (many a right-footed left back have carved out great careers) and we'd be dowing well to have both these lads at fullback.

[roblakio]

Far too early to say how good or weak they'll be. I still can't understand the stick that Lucas gets by some people. He was brilliant last year. I think it must still be a hard for people to give him credit as he was so weak when he first joined.

 

I would love to see the 4231 system as i think the players we have will fit it. Agree that a LB is needed but I doubt Kenny will leave that stone unturned

 

--------------------Reina

 

Johnson--------Carra----Agger--------?????

 

--------Lucas------Gerrard/Chalie Adam

 

Suarez-----------Meireles/SG---------Downing

 

----------------------Carroll

 

It's great to have such a strong bench as well. It was such a horrible feeling looking at the bench last year and the only option was bamby on ice N'gog

[JermainePennant]

How the hell is Kelly injury prone!? He was ever-present under Dalglish and picked up one injury which kept him out until the end of the season.

Not buying a left back wouldn't be a big deal in my eyes, Johnson is excellent in the role (many a right-footed left back have carved out great careers) and we'd be dowing well to have both these lads at fullback.

 

Did you not answer your own question there? He made his debut and then was out for a season then played a couple of months under kenny and was out for 3-4 months and Im pretty sure he had a few injury problems when he was in the reserves aswell.

 

His track record shows he picks up injurys so putting faith in him as our first choice rb is a risk, and also I dont think Johnson wants to be playing left back.

[Juan Galonso]

You'd take Parker over him? Lucas deserves to be first choice after last season.

 

Never been a fan of Lucas although I will happily credit him when he plays well. Before Suarez v Man Utd his performance v Chelsea at home was the best individual performance of the season to that point but he was the best of an average bunch last season overall in my opinion. He still doesn't show in the mundane games whereas Parker shows great leadership qualities consistently and is a far better overall midfielder than Lucas, again, in my opinion.

[Guest LFD]

You said the same last season.

 

and when Dalglish took over he proved I was right!

[piscinin]

Did you not answer your own question there? He made his debut and then was out for a season then played a couple of months under kenny and was out for 3-4 months and Im pretty sure he had a few injury problems when he was in the reserves aswell.

 

His track record shows he picks up injurys so putting faith in him as our first choice rb is a risk, and also I dont think Johnson wants to be playing left back.

 

He was out for two years as a youth with back problems too. He's been injury prone, no question. Let's hope he grows out of it, because he's not a quick healer either.

[Barnesey]

Lucas will shore things up to a great extent.

 

I think Lucas is one of the best in his position throughout the League

[Major Tom]

and when Dalglish took over he proved I was right!

 

Proved right? In what way?

[Mojo]

evans is right that we need a centre-half, given Agger's fragility.

 

Lucas was our player of the season for a reason, and not simply by default. Please get off his back.

 

I would prefer another striking option ahead of a new left-back when both Johnson and one of the youngsters can play there well, but maybe I am just greedy..

[RobbieOR]

Never been a fan of Lucas although I will happily credit him when he plays well. Before Suarez v Man Utd his performance v Chelsea at home was the best individual performance of the season to that point but he was the best of an average bunch last season overall in my opinion. He still doesn't show in the mundane games whereas Parker shows great leadership qualities consistently and is a far better overall midfielder than Lucas, again, in my opinion.

 

I take your point mate, but isnt it much easier to look good playing for West Ham than playing for us? West Ham were utter dogshit last season, and Parker lead from the front. He wouldnt need to do that for us. theres no doubt he's a good player, and I would have signed him when he first went to Chelsea, but his time has gone now IMO.

 

and when Dalglish took over he proved I was right!

 

Not really, our terrific end to last season masked how limited our squad was. It underperformed in the first half of the season and over-performed to a small extent in the second half of the season.

[shaunstrudwick]

the team to beat is the Mancs:

 

---------Rooney

Nani-----Snjeider-----Young

----Anderson---Giggs*

Evra----Vidic---Rio----Rafael#

 

*or Fletcher

# or Fabio

 

where as we have:

 

--------Saurez---Carroll

Downing----------------?????*

-------Adam---Gerrard

????----Agger---Carra----Magic#

 

*Hendo

#Kelley

[Guest simon]

Spurs imo have the best quad on paper Sunderland are getting close aswell.

[Woo]

I take your point mate, but isnt it much easier to look good playing for West Ham than playing for us? West Ham were utter dogshit last season, and Parker lead from the front. He wouldnt need to do that for us. theres no doubt he's a good player, and I would have signed him when he first went to Chelsea, but his time has gone now IMO.

 

No, because he'd be surrounded by infinitely better players here and as such would have a much easier opportunity to play well than at West Ham.

 

Not that I'd have him, though. Got enough central midfielders as it is.

[stringvest]

We were great in the second half of the season, but we flagged at the end. That's consistent with an overperforming team. I'm not sure Lucas is in our best team anymore. I'm not saying he definitely isn't, I'm saying I'm not sure. We're probably about 4th in terms of first team (or will be at the close of the transfer window).

[RobbieOR]

No, because he'd be surrounded by infinitely better players here and as such would have a much easier opportunity to play well than at West Ham.

 

Not that I'd have him, though. Got enough central midfielders as it is.

 

It doesnt always work like that. Sometimes players dont make the step up.

[WoOGii]

As much as I love Carragher and as much as people on here will jump at me for saying this, I don't think he is good enough (anymore) to play week in week out for a team which is expected to push for Champions League places and maybe the title!

Edited July 15, 2011 by WoOGii
Spelling error

[Woo]

It doesnt always work like that. Sometimes players dont make the step up.

 

Errrr, no shit!