http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/jun/29/liverpool-raheem-sterling-jordan-henderson-captain
This article made me think.
Today where Liverpool is we are not able to get the best players out there.
I am not personally convinced about Roberto Firminho but I will wait until decide on him until a couple of seasons (hope someone holds me to that because it is a lot of money to pay).
I have been wrong before and thought for example stupidly that Roy Hodgson was going to bring us back into the Top 4 but was proven very wrong.
After all that is one of the things that fascinates me the most about football. I am always learning. The game is constantly developing and the amount of tactics you can take from one game especially when things are not working and the manager is trying different things is amazing.
There is no doubt the manager Brendan Rogers have made many mistakes through his tenure as manager but I remember last season praising him for learning from his mistakes.
This most recent season he made a lot more but he was also faced with a much more difficult situation losing Sturridge and Suarez (the vast majority of his goals) and the arguably best players in his squad.
That may have been what saved him in his review. And the fact that they never signed a proven goal scorer in the summer.
List of mistakes he made last year (no where near complete):
- Still cant organize a defence
- Used Ballotelli wrong (apart from Tottenham up front)
- Never used Fabio Borini with Ballotelli in a pair
- Put guys at wing back that never should have had a chance there
- After a few decent display's Javier Manquillo never got a look in at right back last year
-Using players in wrong positions:
a) Emre Can played right back (after being great at centre D) and having the performance of the season when he was moved into DM vs. Bolton.
b) Markovic as wingback
c) Lallana as wingback
d) Downing as wingback
e) the list could go on from a) to z) but it would be wasted words and time
- Falling out with key individuals (Agger, Reina, Sterling and at times others like Borini and Gerrard if you believe the reports).
What I hate being a fan on the outside is that we do not know what goes on behind closed doors, promises made etc. and what part players have in the fallings out with the manager.
Rogers was hailed for turning around the Suarez situation and his man management but there are a lot of examples of the opposite where he has even gone as long as ostracizing people around him.
All you can hope is that he learns.
There are some really good signings in there that should help him this season.
- Markovic, Sakho, Can, Moreno and I think even Milner, Balotelli and Manquillo will be useful if used correctly. We all remember how well Skertel played when he was used in a back three last year (he is always going to be liable for mistakes and going for balls he shouldnt a bit like Sakho in that way) but that makes it even more important who have a defenders who's natural inclination is to drop in inside and cover for him. Agger was that type of defender. I am not sure if we have one now (a centre back that will do that well).
Maybe Illori or Wisdom but I havent seen near enough of them. It would be fun to see them given a chance. I also thought we should have kept Coates over Toure who has his limitations (pace and general lapse of concentration as well) not to mention he is getting older.
Perhaps though there is something to be said for having an older head in the dressing room who can teach and talk to the younger kids and defenders.
But back to why I wrote this blog.... I do this all the time... go on tangents and way later get back to the point where I was supposed to get to.
That article at the top regarding Sterling is why I decided I wanted to write another blog... it made me think and a point where I think Paul Doyle is right is that we need to keep our best players and some other points he made in the article like about mistakes in picking captains.
The Sterling saga has maybe gone too far at this point. It is hard to say again what has happened behind closed doors. I would take 50M quid for him provided we know we would spend it wisely.
And of that I am not convinced. Lovren is maybe the best proof of a bad signing considering everything but I would argue with defensive coaching or if used in a back 3 even him can be useful at times. We just spent way too much on him. Was hardly worth 10M.
Lallana is not a bad squad player but same story... albeit also too much money.
The captain should be someone who knows how to organize, motivate but more important than that someone who everyone can look up to. I am not sure Coutinho or Sterling would ever look up to Henderson. They may admire his dedication and his workrate but in terms of skill or intangable value I cant see them looking up to him as a captain.
I hope I am wrong but who knows.
Dave Hendrick from the AI podcasts. "The happy hour" and the main one "The Anfield index podcast" is a real insightful pundit and he wants Sakho as a captain. I am not sure I agree with him but think he should definitely be someone in the running for that position.
There was a good discussion on this on the Face off podcast also off the Anfield index feed. If you google the podcast and website it is brilliant for us LFC fans and gives us something to do during the drub summer months and gets us excited also for the season to come.
Now that I have less time (after having kids) to watch football (other leagues than the PL), never mind playing football manager or reading or learning about new up and coming players podcasts like that is a real time saver in terms of getting up to speed.
Maybe for non LFC fans the transfer committee podcast (another of the AI feed) was well worth a listen and taught me a ton about other players for example in the Spanish and the German league.
In the end I think we have to get rid of Sterling now because it has gone on too long but who knows what happens through the summer. The Suarez situation took a 180 turn. I am just not sure Sterling is captain. I am all for making him an important player, offering him 150K a yr and making him stay another 2 yrs to get us into the CL (and putting in a clause that he can go for cheap if he doesnt do that) but if we decide not to do that I would be happy with selling him as well.
I actually do not think we have bought that many bad players I just hope Rogers starts using them in the best positions going forward here. Can as a DM or central box to box mid. Markovic in any of the 10, RW or LW positions, Henderson to stay in centre mid unless someone better gets signed.
Milner to be played there as a back up to Henderson (running machine and at DM maybe but not sure he has the passing range).
Firmiho to be used at no 10. role just behind the striker, or at left wing but preferably played sparingly as a winger if at all. If you read the reports he is alledgedly better as a false 9 or a no 10. drifting into space.
Coutinho in the no 8 or 10 role (i.e. centre mid to slip balls through and hounding the opposition through his pressing like he did with Ozil 2013/2014 in the 5-0 win) or right behind the striker.
Markovic mainly in the right wing over Lallana. Hope Lallana does not get much playing time as a starter in the big games next yr.
It will be another interesting season. My biggest concern with Rogers and the main reason many will have wanted him out is his lack of ability to organize a defense and prove that he can deliver value to the players he got.
The plan going forward has to be clear and he needs to have the team able to play more than one system. I can only hope he learns a lot on the defensive organization, what types can play in which positions and that he gets in another one or two quality additions.
Last point I promise because I realize this has been another monster blog....
Should we sign Szczesny now that Arsenal have got Cech and have got Ospina in backup. I think he has massive talent, has fallen out with Wenger and could be available for a decent fee.
He should also be available to compete with Mignolet much more than Bogdan ever would (signed from Bolton this summer) and is taller, more commanding in the box, still young and only negative would perhaps be that he is a smoker and seems adamant he wants to keep doing it.
To me a keeper doesnt have to be the fittest there is or well behaved. You want them to have a bit of arrogance about them. Szczesny has that in abundance and if you can get him starting and commanding that defence he could have a season that saw his joint top clean sheet keeper in the PL again one yr.
Would love to hear others thoughts on him.... and the rest of my blog of course. Either on twitter.com/sga555 or in other channels like my email sga555AT gmail.com
YNWA,
Stian
@sga555
This article made me think.
Today where Liverpool is we are not able to get the best players out there.
I am not personally convinced about Roberto Firminho but I will wait until decide on him until a couple of seasons (hope someone holds me to that because it is a lot of money to pay).
I have been wrong before and thought for example stupidly that Roy Hodgson was going to bring us back into the Top 4 but was proven very wrong.
After all that is one of the things that fascinates me the most about football. I am always learning. The game is constantly developing and the amount of tactics you can take from one game especially when things are not working and the manager is trying different things is amazing.
There is no doubt the manager Brendan Rogers have made many mistakes through his tenure as manager but I remember last season praising him for learning from his mistakes.
This most recent season he made a lot more but he was also faced with a much more difficult situation losing Sturridge and Suarez (the vast majority of his goals) and the arguably best players in his squad.
That may have been what saved him in his review. And the fact that they never signed a proven goal scorer in the summer.
List of mistakes he made last year (no where near complete):
- Still cant organize a defence
- Used Ballotelli wrong (apart from Tottenham up front)
- Never used Fabio Borini with Ballotelli in a pair
- Put guys at wing back that never should have had a chance there
- After a few decent display's Javier Manquillo never got a look in at right back last year
-Using players in wrong positions:
a) Emre Can played right back (after being great at centre D) and having the performance of the season when he was moved into DM vs. Bolton.
b) Markovic as wingback
c) Lallana as wingback
d) Downing as wingback
e) the list could go on from a) to z) but it would be wasted words and time
- Falling out with key individuals (Agger, Reina, Sterling and at times others like Borini and Gerrard if you believe the reports).
What I hate being a fan on the outside is that we do not know what goes on behind closed doors, promises made etc. and what part players have in the fallings out with the manager.
Rogers was hailed for turning around the Suarez situation and his man management but there are a lot of examples of the opposite where he has even gone as long as ostracizing people around him.
All you can hope is that he learns.
There are some really good signings in there that should help him this season.
- Markovic, Sakho, Can, Moreno and I think even Milner, Balotelli and Manquillo will be useful if used correctly. We all remember how well Skertel played when he was used in a back three last year (he is always going to be liable for mistakes and going for balls he shouldnt a bit like Sakho in that way) but that makes it even more important who have a defenders who's natural inclination is to drop in inside and cover for him. Agger was that type of defender. I am not sure if we have one now (a centre back that will do that well).
Maybe Illori or Wisdom but I havent seen near enough of them. It would be fun to see them given a chance. I also thought we should have kept Coates over Toure who has his limitations (pace and general lapse of concentration as well) not to mention he is getting older.
Perhaps though there is something to be said for having an older head in the dressing room who can teach and talk to the younger kids and defenders.
But back to why I wrote this blog.... I do this all the time... go on tangents and way later get back to the point where I was supposed to get to.
That article at the top regarding Sterling is why I decided I wanted to write another blog... it made me think and a point where I think Paul Doyle is right is that we need to keep our best players and some other points he made in the article like about mistakes in picking captains.
The Sterling saga has maybe gone too far at this point. It is hard to say again what has happened behind closed doors. I would take 50M quid for him provided we know we would spend it wisely.
And of that I am not convinced. Lovren is maybe the best proof of a bad signing considering everything but I would argue with defensive coaching or if used in a back 3 even him can be useful at times. We just spent way too much on him. Was hardly worth 10M.
Lallana is not a bad squad player but same story... albeit also too much money.
The captain should be someone who knows how to organize, motivate but more important than that someone who everyone can look up to. I am not sure Coutinho or Sterling would ever look up to Henderson. They may admire his dedication and his workrate but in terms of skill or intangable value I cant see them looking up to him as a captain.
I hope I am wrong but who knows.
Dave Hendrick from the AI podcasts. "The happy hour" and the main one "The Anfield index podcast" is a real insightful pundit and he wants Sakho as a captain. I am not sure I agree with him but think he should definitely be someone in the running for that position.
There was a good discussion on this on the Face off podcast also off the Anfield index feed. If you google the podcast and website it is brilliant for us LFC fans and gives us something to do during the drub summer months and gets us excited also for the season to come.
Now that I have less time (after having kids) to watch football (other leagues than the PL), never mind playing football manager or reading or learning about new up and coming players podcasts like that is a real time saver in terms of getting up to speed.
Maybe for non LFC fans the transfer committee podcast (another of the AI feed) was well worth a listen and taught me a ton about other players for example in the Spanish and the German league.
In the end I think we have to get rid of Sterling now because it has gone on too long but who knows what happens through the summer. The Suarez situation took a 180 turn. I am just not sure Sterling is captain. I am all for making him an important player, offering him 150K a yr and making him stay another 2 yrs to get us into the CL (and putting in a clause that he can go for cheap if he doesnt do that) but if we decide not to do that I would be happy with selling him as well.
I actually do not think we have bought that many bad players I just hope Rogers starts using them in the best positions going forward here. Can as a DM or central box to box mid. Markovic in any of the 10, RW or LW positions, Henderson to stay in centre mid unless someone better gets signed.
Milner to be played there as a back up to Henderson (running machine and at DM maybe but not sure he has the passing range).
Firmiho to be used at no 10. role just behind the striker, or at left wing but preferably played sparingly as a winger if at all. If you read the reports he is alledgedly better as a false 9 or a no 10. drifting into space.
Coutinho in the no 8 or 10 role (i.e. centre mid to slip balls through and hounding the opposition through his pressing like he did with Ozil 2013/2014 in the 5-0 win) or right behind the striker.
Markovic mainly in the right wing over Lallana. Hope Lallana does not get much playing time as a starter in the big games next yr.
It will be another interesting season. My biggest concern with Rogers and the main reason many will have wanted him out is his lack of ability to organize a defense and prove that he can deliver value to the players he got.
The plan going forward has to be clear and he needs to have the team able to play more than one system. I can only hope he learns a lot on the defensive organization, what types can play in which positions and that he gets in another one or two quality additions.
Last point I promise because I realize this has been another monster blog....
Should we sign Szczesny now that Arsenal have got Cech and have got Ospina in backup. I think he has massive talent, has fallen out with Wenger and could be available for a decent fee.
He should also be available to compete with Mignolet much more than Bogdan ever would (signed from Bolton this summer) and is taller, more commanding in the box, still young and only negative would perhaps be that he is a smoker and seems adamant he wants to keep doing it.
To me a keeper doesnt have to be the fittest there is or well behaved. You want them to have a bit of arrogance about them. Szczesny has that in abundance and if you can get him starting and commanding that defence he could have a season that saw his joint top clean sheet keeper in the PL again one yr.
Would love to hear others thoughts on him.... and the rest of my blog of course. Either on twitter.com/sga555 or in other channels like my email sga555AT gmail.com
YNWA,
Stian
@sga555
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