The Football Thread

joslicx · 18th January 2016, 12:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san

Indeed! It would have been nice if we had a striker!

Thats what lots of us red devils have also been crying out for this season!!!

What happened to Benteke? Thought he was as proper a striker as you can possibly get!

RedDevil_KP · 19th January 2016, 11:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by joslicx

Thats what lots of us red devils have also been crying out for this season!!!

What happened to Benteke? Thought he was as proper a striker as you can possibly get!

I was baffled when Hernandez was let go by LVG. But again the guy needed starts, although I thought he was more of a Solskjaer mold.

What Liverpool were missing was Coutinho. His pace & skill makes a difference to any team

Liverpool_Red · 19th January 2016, 14:36

Coutinho would probably have made a difference but Liverpool had enough chances to score a goal. A striker who takes his chances is what Liverpool need at the moment, if only Sturridge could remain fit. I think even Ings would have made a big difference.

Benteke looks lost and isn't mobile enough. The amount of one on ones he has missed in the last few matches is staggering considering his price.

vb-saan · 19th January 2016, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by joslicx

What happened to Benteke? Thought he was as proper a striker as you can possibly get!

Proper striker - yes, but looks a bit too stationary.

I guess it will be a long wait until next season to see how Jurgen comes up with his own team.

Chetan_Rao · 19th January 2016, 16:38

After watching the twat Jordan Henderson miss at least three decent chances to tee up a team-mate making a run instead of taking absurd shots himself, I told the better half we'll lose by a narrow margin when Mignolet and/or the defense invariably muck up a routine set piece. Guess what happened.

I like Henderson for his tireless work-ethic, but the man hasn't got half the situational awareness needed from someone in a critical play-maker role. One specific chance where Emre Can was positioned perfectly for a tap-in if only Henderson had squared the ball instead of shooting himself had me cringing in frustration. Contrast that to how City's front four selflessly fed each other chances a few days ago, and it just boggles the mind.

There will be a summer clear-out at Anfield, and I'll be surprised if Sturridge has any long-term future at Liverpool unless there's a miraculous recovery.

I wonder why we can't sign Victor Valdes while he's still available. Keepers are young at 34, and he's a proven entity even with a long layoff.

reverse_gear · 19th January 2016, 18:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chetan_Rao

After watching the twat Jordan Henderson miss at least three decent chances to tee up a team-mate making a run instead of taking absurd shots himself, I told the better half we'll lose by a narrow margin when Mignolet and/or the defense invariably muck up a routine set piece. Guess what happened.

I wonder why we can't sign Victor Valdes while he's still available. Keepers are young at 34, and he's a proven entity even with a long layoff.

I am guessing you are not happy with the news that Mignolet's contract has just been extended to 2021. Another 5.5 years!!!

My personal view - Liverpool should stay off Valdes. It's not about age. He was not rated as a great GK even with Barca, he got by making a lot of mistakes because the forward line would invariably bail him out. Now, he has been out of competitive action for 2 years, so it's too much of a risk for a mid-table (wanna-be top 6) club to take. Better to go for Butland or Mattia Perin or even Keylor Navas (if Real Madrid get de Gea). Schmichael is also doing well and should be on the radar.

negativeH · 19th January 2016, 18:55

Benteke isn't a fluid motion striker; he's more of a new age poacher. Rodgers was just being Rodgers signing him.

Not sure bout the credibility, but United recently vetoed Valdes' offer to move to NewCastle for the rest of the season. So, even if anyone is interested, looks like MU are going to teach him a lesson, and end his major career behind doors.

Chetan_Rao · 19th January 2016, 19:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by reverse_gear

I am guessing you are not happy with the news that Mignolet's contract has just been extended to 2021. Another 5.5 years!!!

Football contracts these days are just bargaining chips anyway as/when the player is sold on, rather than an intent to keep/stay on part of the club/player. De Gea signed a long one too, not that he's any comparison to the Belgian juggler.

Quote:

My personal view - Liverpool should stay off Valdes......Better to go for Butland or Mattia Perin or even Keylor Navas (if Real Madrid get de Gea). Schmichael is also doing well and should be on the radar.

Valdes could be a good short-term bet for a couple years (if fit) and he can't be much worse than Mignolet, though I blame the shaky defense equally.

The good ones will only be available either in the summer, or for absurd sums of money if they're currently not at a top side. I believe Klopp already has long-term plans for the next few transfer windows (not sure where he'll get a keeper though) and he has a loyal contingent of players at Dortmund, some of whom he may be able to lure away. Interesting times ahead.

csnanjappa · 19th January 2016, 20:08

Ah Ah , didn't know that there was a thread for EPL . Looking forward to throw some opinions but right now still moaning that loss to ManU. Not at all worried about ManU played better or something , we were miles better and did not take our chances. A goal scoring striker is the need of hour ,January is difficult for good strikers and so is champions league places.

barcalad · 19th January 2016, 20:16

Liverpool would do well to sign Valdes as a backup or a first teamer. Something better than nothing.

Who else is Klopp going to sign? Which young goalkeeper with immense potential is available for cheap now?

Don't expect him to sign a jersey seller goalkeeper now that Mignolet has extended. Word.

If not Valdes, sign Handanovic or Diego Alves. Very underrated keepers.

joslicx · 19th January 2016, 22:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by RedDevil_KP

I was baffled when Hernandez was let go by LVG. But again the guy needed starts, although I thought he was more of a Solskjaer mold.

The game at the top level has moved away from pure strikers. If you look at teams like Barca, Real, Bayern, Juve, there are hardly any pure strikers at these clubs. Top clubs want top attacking players who are good at scoring - the likes of Ronaldo, Messi, Suarez, Neymar, Mueller, Bale etc. Poachers who cannot contribute to game play are finding it difficult to stay at these kind of clubs. Javier had chances at both United and Real and he couldnt make it at both. He is a very good striker but he needs to be fed chances. At top clubs you'd be expected to create chances as well. Thats the expectation from Martial (thats why he is being played on the wing - to develop his game)

Javier would have been a great buy for Liverpool though!

Quote:

Originally Posted by vb-san

I guess it will be a long wait until next season to see how Jurgen comes up with his own team.

It would be interesting to see how Liverpool stand behind Jurgen. He is an outstanding manager and one I'd have liked to see in the hot seat at United. He would have made a fantastic United manager. Its just so unlucky Fergie's farewell was so ill timed!

RedDevil_KP · 2nd February 2016, 11:41

So the worst kept secret is out. Pep to City & this was in place right from 2012. The way city built their academy, their youth signings, the stadium, promotions etc, seems like Barca structure. I will not be surprised if Pep had a hand in all this after all. With a very well balanced team, Arabs looking after them & now Pep managing, boy oh boy City have arrived amongst Europe's elite. Only thing is to start winning trophies.

Also you got to sympathize with Pellegrini. Wonderful manager, but he always knew he would not stick on for a long time. If Klopp wasn't enough, now we need to deal with Pep & all the Blue moon has risen S***T

csnanjappa · 2nd February 2016, 19:14

Next year should be awesome for EPL - Mouniho @ Manu , Klopp , Pep, Wenger and so on . For some reason i think it would difficult for pep at city. EPL is different ball game compared to any other European leagues. On a day any team can defeat any team irrespective of star players or money they have spent.

Chetan_Rao · 2nd February 2016, 19:54

All this talk of a 'dynasty' at City is just hot air and media hype at this point. Pep is good but he hasn't really faced a crisis situation yet, so dubbing him the best is a stretch. Boatloads of cash, good managers and star players don't always guarantee success, forget domination.

Real Madrid anyone?

joslicx · 2nd February 2016, 20:43

Pep has a very different philosophy and city will have to invest in new players to make his system work. He is actually very much like LVG, in that both play possession and patient football. Pep has been successful coach as luckily for him both the teams he has managed were already loaded with world class attacking talents. It would be interesting to see how his time at city will pan out. He is going to need a big budget to assemble his team, that is for sure. He wont win anything with the current city team

Mourinho at United is very much welcome

I would love to see him manage united. If anybody is made for united it is him!

19th January 2016, 14:36	#1548
Liverpool_Red BHPian Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Singapore Posts: 50 Thanked: 6 Times	Re: The Football Thread Coutinho would probably have made a difference but Liverpool had enough chances to score a goal. A striker who takes his chances is what Liverpool need at the moment, if only Sturridge could remain fit. I think even Ings would have made a big difference. Benteke looks lost and isn't mobile enough. The amount of one on ones he has missed in the last few matches is staggering considering his price.
	() Thanks

19th January 2016, 16:38	#1550
Chetan_Rao Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,908 Thanked: 24,106 Times	Re: The Football Thread After watching the twat Jordan Henderson miss at least three decent chances to tee up a team-mate making a run instead of taking absurd shots himself, I told the better half we'll lose by a narrow margin when Mignolet and/or the defense invariably muck up a routine set piece. Guess what happened. I like Henderson for his tireless work-ethic, but the man hasn't got half the situational awareness needed from someone in a critical play-maker role. One specific chance where Emre Can was positioned perfectly for a tap-in if only Henderson had squared the ball instead of shooting himself had me cringing in frustration. Contrast that to how City's front four selflessly fed each other chances a few days ago, and it just boggles the mind. There will be a summer clear-out at Anfield, and I'll be surprised if Sturridge has any long-term future at Liverpool unless there's a miraculous recovery. I wonder why we can't sign Victor Valdes while he's still available. Keepers are young at 34, and he's a proven entity even with a long layoff.
	() Thanks

19th January 2016, 18:55	#1552
negativeH BHPian Join Date: Jul 2012 Location: New Delhi Posts: 192 Thanked: 73 Times View My Garage	Re: The Football Thread Benteke isn't a fluid motion striker; he's more of a new age poacher. Rodgers was just being Rodgers signing him. Not sure bout the credibility, but United recently vetoed Valdes' offer to move to NewCastle for the rest of the season. So, even if anyone is interested, looks like MU are going to teach him a lesson, and end his major career behind doors.
	() Thanks

19th January 2016, 20:08	#1554
csnanjappa BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 296 Thanked: 152 Times View My Garage	Re: The Football Thread Ah Ah , didn't know that there was a thread for EPL . Looking forward to throw some opinions but right now still moaning that loss to ManU. Not at all worried about ManU played better or something , we were miles better and did not take our chances. A goal scoring striker is the need of hour ,January is difficult for good strikers and so is champions league places.
	() Thanks

19th January 2016, 20:16	#1555
barcalad BHPian Join Date: Feb 2014 Location: NCR/Patna Posts: 802 Thanked: 1,325 Times	Re: The Football Thread Liverpool would do well to sign Valdes as a backup or a first teamer. Something better than nothing. Who else is Klopp going to sign? Which young goalkeeper with immense potential is available for cheap now? Don't expect him to sign a jersey seller goalkeeper now that Mignolet has extended. Word. If not Valdes, sign Handanovic or Diego Alves. Very underrated keepers.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2016, 11:41	#1557
RedDevil_KP BHPian Join Date: Jul 2015 Location: Bengaluru Posts: 41 Thanked: 27 Times	Re: The Football Thread So the worst kept secret is out. Pep to City & this was in place right from 2012. The way city built their academy, their youth signings, the stadium, promotions etc, seems like Barca structure. I will not be surprised if Pep had a hand in all this after all. With a very well balanced team, Arabs looking after them & now Pep managing, boy oh boy City have arrived amongst Europe's elite. Only thing is to start winning trophies. Also you got to sympathize with Pellegrini. Wonderful manager, but he always knew he would not stick on for a long time. If Klopp wasn't enough, now we need to deal with Pep & all the Blue moon has risen S***T
	() Thanks

2nd February 2016, 19:14	#1558
csnanjappa BHPian Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 296 Thanked: 152 Times View My Garage	Re: The Football Thread Next year should be awesome for EPL - Mouniho @ Manu , Klopp , Pep, Wenger and so on . For some reason i think it would difficult for pep at city. EPL is different ball game compared to any other European leagues. On a day any team can defeat any team irrespective of star players or money they have spent.
	() Thanks

2nd February 2016, 19:54	#1559
Chetan_Rao Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Bangalore Posts: 5,908 Thanked: 24,106 Times	Re: The Football Thread All this talk of a 'dynasty' at City is just hot air and media hype at this point. Pep is good but he hasn't really faced a crisis situation yet, so dubbing him the best is a stretch. Boatloads of cash, good managers and star players don't always guarantee success, forget domination. Real Madrid anyone?
	() Thanks

2nd February 2016, 20:43	#1560
joslicx Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,286 Thanked: 1,011 Times	Re: The Football Thread Pep has a very different philosophy and city will have to invest in new players to make his system work. He is actually very much like LVG, in that both play possession and patient football. Pep has been successful coach as luckily for him both the teams he has managed were already loaded with world class attacking talents. It would be interesting to see how his time at city will pan out. He is going to need a big budget to assemble his team, that is for sure. He wont win anything with the current city team Mourinho at United is very much welcome I would love to see him manage united. If anybody is made for united it is him!
	() Thanks