verlaine1979

I did always like that quote about training to play from a position, rather than in a position.

Mhmm, for big clubs it equates to bringing on one of the good players they couldn't fit in their first XI to see if they can do better. For smaller clubs it either equates to... ahem... bringing on the big man or the nippy wide man and trying to get it in the mixer.

Better defensive options and the potential for more pace in the first XI than at any time in the last five years, both things the squad has probably needed stretching back as far as our relegation season. Disappointed at some of the departures, and certainly a bit disillusioned about the possibility of ever really building and keeping hold of a decent XI for more than a year or two, but looking forward to seeing Aldeweireld's range of passing to Tadic and Mane on the flanks.

Bah, that's really taken the shine off. Ramirez a much better option than JWP or Davis at no. 10.

Glad Villa didn't get Canales - really good player.

Hmm, created nothing so far. There aren't enough goals/assists between Davis and JWP to justify both of them through the middle.

In an attacking sense, the game didn't seem too dissimilar to several games last season where we were over-reliant on attacking down the flanks with no one prepared to drive forward with the ball through the middle (unless you pass the ball incredibly quickly, you still need players to run with the ball occasionally to commit opponents and create opportunities for overload). I also remember Lambert struggling more than once last season to win much in the air all game against industrial-strength CBs - more worrying was the fact that Pelle's touch on the ground looked ropey, which was very rarely the case with RL.

Neither Davis nor JWP playing with the courage in possession required by their positions.

Based on last season, Davis got 2 goals and 7 assists in about 2500 minutes, while Gaston got 1 goals and 3 assists in about 600 minutes. Ramirez is never going to do the water carrying of Davis, but if we have Wanyama and Schneiderlin behind him, why would he need to?

Based on last season, Davis got 2 goals and 7 assists in about 2500 minutes, while Gaston got 1 goals and 3 assists in about 600 minutes. Ramirez is never going to do the water carrying of Davis, but if we have Wanyama and Schneiderlin behind him, why would he need to?

We lost quite a few close games last season by being less clinical with our chances than the opposition. To be honest, I doubt swapping in anyone would've changed the result.

We lost quite a few close games last season by being less clinical with our chances than the opposition. To be honest, I doubt swapping in anyone would've changed the result.

The question mark over Davis's place is that since we're now missing goals from Lambert, Lallana & JRod, the midfield will probably have to pick up a bit more of the goal scoring slack unless Tadic, Pelle & Long all settle immediately. Unfortunately, apart from popping up to knock in a couple of late efforts against already beaten opponents, Davis just doesn't look like he'll score many. He's a good player, very energetic and he plays a very disciplined tactical game, but with Wanyama & Schneiderlin at DM there's room to accommodate someone with a bit more of a goal threat.

The question mark over Davis's place is that since we're now missing goals from Lambert, Lallana & JRod, the midfield will probably have to pick up a bit more of the goal scoring slack unless Tadic, Pelle & Long all settle immediately. Unfortunately, apart from popping up to knock in a couple of late efforts against already beaten opponents, Davis just doesn't look like he'll score many. He's a good player, very energetic and he plays a very disciplined tactical game, but with Wanyama & Schneiderlin at DM there's room to accommodate someone with a bit more of a goal threat.

12m? So that's what 'penetralia of the club' means.

How is this Krueger's fault? The board have obviously done what most fans were asking for, and told our best player he isn't leaving, before announcing that decision to the media. It isn't a coincidence that Schneiderling timed his Tweet to come just after RK's interviews, with all the media attention they generated - he's trying to get maximum exposure to voice his opposition to the decision.

Chambers doesn't have anything like Bale's pace, nor does he have his ability to strike a ball. He's good, don't get me wrong, but he's going to turn into a very solid player who does several things well, without being exceptional at any of them. He's never going to be a £50m player.

I thought the histrionics when Lallana left were a bit weird, but some on the Liverpool forum are blubbering like their marriages have just collapsed, talking about how he'll never feel the same adoration etc etc. Bit much.

Usual caveats about tournament performances aside, Muhamed Besic of Bosnia looked like an ideal replacement for Schneiderlin. Swansea apparently very close to signing him for £4M.

Good players want to play with other players they believe to be their equals. Unfortunately, we had a team that was largely assembled on the cheap, in which four or five players suddenly found themselves valued at £20m+. I think in order to keep them happy we'd have to have been looking to acquire new players in that kind of price range, which certainly isn't feasible now, and probably wasn't likely to have been feasible if ML hadn't died.

Not exactly. With both Shaw and Lallana there's an element of inflation because of their passports & the PR that comes with being called up to the WC squad - you'd pay at most 2/3 of those fees if you were importing foreign players of equivalent quality, probably more like half. Standing still in terms of individual quality shouldn't be that hard if our scouting network is all it's cracked up to be, though that doesn't necessarily mean we'll be able to match last season's quality as a unit.

Between Basel, Bayern & Ajax, they've both pretty much spent their entire careers so far in the Champions League. Neither was ever going to come here. Not even a shred of a chance.

The choice of the word 'mercenaries' wasn't mine, and isn't how I'd choose to describe our players. However, I do think that to imagine that the team had some unusual degree of togetherness over the past few years is probably naive. Of course the players will have taken pride in the achievement of moving up through the leagues and having a good post-survival premier league season, however, I imagine they'll feel just as engaged by contesting the league title, or performing well in Europe at the clubs they move on to. They are basically employees, and like most employees, I suspect the oaths of fealty they make to their employer are pretty hollow.

I think the fact that so many of them seem to be agitating for a move away, suggests that the team that spent 5 years bonding was basically full of mercenaries anyway, right?

Besic having another very tidy game in midfield for Bosnia. Would be a like-for-like replacement for Schneiderlin if he leaves.