He used to come up with some good LFC stuff occasionally when Rafa was manager. When Rafa left, Balague's access went with him but Balague still likes to present himself as being in the know. It's no real biggie but it is rather irritating.
Bet Victor's next
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^^^^ This. He presents himself as an ITK on all things La Liga related. I suspect he's a massive faker but for some reason Sky Sports laps it up.
Ha ha - she's a real sweet-heart with people !
Guillem Balague @GuillemBalague 6h
FCB tried its hardest to keep Víctor Valdés but he was desperate to leave for new challenge. Anfield beckons now. Perfect match player/club.
FCB tried its hardest to keep Víctor Valdés but he was desperate to leave for new challenge. Anfield beckons now. Perfect match player/club.
competition is what capitalism does best - its what we need in every position too. Ming should rise to the challenge
We now don't play anything like 'that' Barca team, nor aspire to. We kicked Spurs' arse with 39% possession.
Really? 39%! Ha!
A
Appaz. Didn't feel that way watching it, but those are the stats put out there after the game.
He said Aspaz and Alberto were fantastic signings for a start.
I've watched it about 3 times now and it didn't look like that at all. Stats don't lie though so this pleases me. I don't think I've been happier with this squad since the 80's! Bring on Villa 🙂
I hope she attacks this bastard:
I don't know why we bother. If you want a true Red with a nose that big, just fetch Thommo in.
Is that the Ayremobile in the background?
Yeah, I watched it again too and that stat has me scratching my head. But whatevers, we were ace! The point is that thankfully BR ditched the ponderous pass to death idea and has filled us full of pace and running and breaking quickly and gambling in attack in ways that mean we risk a quick turnover of possession. We've almost become the antithesis to that pass ad infinitum until the other team falls asleep style of play. Thank God.
Great point fella. I know it sounds a bit strange but I think we have a lot to be thankful to Suarez as well as BR. His passion, commitment to movement and pressing with fast paced breaks seem to be the key to a great side. Hendo for one (And Sterling) have benefited enormously from the bitey bellend in my humble opinion. I guess that's what happens when you have one of the best players in the world playing next to you. Great play rubs off.
Whilst I agree with the overall point, I wish we would simply revert to that pass to death style occasionally, when it's nil nil & we're trying to open them up, & when we're a couple of goals up but they've started to see more of the ball.
It'd be great to be able to fall back into that style to kill the momentum or draw teams out.
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I don't want him. We have a keeper who seems ponderous already and I'm not sure this will help. Time will tell I suppose.
Yeah, it would be nice to be able to do this, but the likes of Sterling and Studge want to tear teams apart and if the ball goes to them it's death or glory I fear.
Neither am I on Mignolet. But I'm not on Valdes either to be honest. I'm not sure this will work out well in the man management stakes.
But I'll be happy to be wrong. I just don't see Mignolet as the type to react well to a challenge. Oh well we will see.
Absolutely. There were times during the Southampton game in particular when I'd have killed for some unadventurous, tedious possession.
Personally I don't think Rodgers is deliberately going for a team that doesn't value possession. I think what he wants primarily is an attacking team that will always look to take risks with the ball and numbers advancing forward, to create opportunities first and foremost and beautiful football only as a means to that end. The model that most comes to mind is the great Utd teams under Ferguson, and from what I've seen of them, the Liverpool sides of the 80s.
The old Liverpool sides passed back to the keeper over and over again. That's mainly how they killed games off. But they also had great patience - and that is something we could do with today. We've got the players to keep hold of the ball. We need to cut out the impetuous ball into the centre of the area that bounces off the CBs, as well as the weird pass back all the way back to Mignolet only for him to boot the ball back up to the opposition. Keep the ball and THINK.
I don't actually think that'll be a problem. Mignolet's a bright guy and more mature than the average player, so I'm hopeful he'll be above sulking if we bring another big name in. I do agree about Valdes not necessarily being much of an improvement on him, but (looking on the bright side) that might mean the competition between them is particularly acute and, if that's the case, it might work pretty well.
It was much easier back then Macca - Keepers could pick the ball up from a back-pass 😉
With regards to the second part - this is understandable when considering how some teams especially play today, with constant pressure on the man in possession instead of standing off.
Errors will creep in if the defence is playing 150 cross-field balls to other defenders throughout the match. The key are the midfielders taking possession and switching from defence to attack, that's not going to kill a game though. The onus for doing that is on the defence and DM.
I didn't say we do, I said our system. It still requires a gk to be comfortable with the ball and to act like a sweeper. Our reduced possession hasn't changed that requirement.
My point about the old LFC teams was meant to be: we can't learn much from the past in this respect for that very reason.
But as for your second point: this IS something that isn't rational, let alone necessary. We don't need to be patient in a robotic way like the Barca of a couple of years ago, where they were so content to keep the ball moving from side to side around the area they ended up ignoring precious chances to actually attack the goal, but we do need to be calmer when other teams park the bus. Coutinho this season seems unable to resist trying to thread the ball through gaps that just aren't there. But we also have this strange habit when we're midway, or even deeper, into the opponents' half of suddenly passing right back to Mignolet when there were still several perfectly good options in attack - and when Mignolet only proceeds to kick the back up where the opposition collect it, that just isn't clever possession football, it's just a circuitous way to surrender possession. So as I keep saying, you might as well kick the ball into touch near their corner flag if all you're going to do is throw possession away. Maybe Mario will help us to win the ball more often when it's punted up by the keeper, but I'd prefer us to be much more reluctant to start attacks via that method - as Rodgers has so often said, players should absolutely hate to give the ball away, and that's about the most likely way to do it. If we MUST go all the way back to the keeper, then start a new attack by passing back out to our defenders. Outlaw the long kick!!
As for Mignolet, I can't see any other keepers of a decent age who'd be available to us if we wanted to change him. Maybe Begovic? That's about it. So we may as well keep working to improve Mignolet. He actually saved us quite a few points last season yet still ended up being hammered as if he was the second coming of Westerveld. With a settled defence in front of him, and a good vocal relationship between him and Lovren, and a better goalkeeping coach to work with him, I don't see why he shouldn't keep improving.
Fair enough.
If Valdes can teach Ming how to play the ball confidently with his feet and read when to come out and when to stay between the sticks then the transfer will be a massive success.
Ballague in AS: http://futbol.as.com/futbol/2014/09/04/internacional/1409801340_552719.html
Víctor Valdés played at Liverpool from this fall if the medical review that next October will not discover any anomalies. The talks have been quietly but last season began. Valdés chose the Monaco but Rodgers knew he was a fan of his game and his personality. After his torn ligament in his right knee on 30 March, the Monegasque club thought and after the medical examination and the goalkeeper passed on June 2, rejected incorporation.
By thus breaking the preliminary contract signed, Liverpool called his agent, Gines Carvajal. The player decided to sue the Monaco and the resolution of the case should arrive in October. By then, an estimated able to train and spend a further revision in Liverpool.
"Victor loves Liverpool and what it represents," says the authoritative source AS club. "And he loves Rodgers Victor". The coach is in love with the style of the club.The personal tension with Reina prevented it to stay, so the arrival of Valdés fits the style. Mignolet is not as technical ability with his feet or tactical knowledge gained by the Catalan from the arrival of Guardiola. His contract could be a season, but the club wants to convince him to stay longer. G. Balagué
A few weeks ago, Gines Carvajal Valdés said he would "play a big Before Christmas" and will be Liverpool. His contract could be one season, but the club wants to convince a longer period to stay.
Víctor Valdés played at Liverpool from this fall if the medical review that next October will not discover any anomalies. The talks have been quietly but last season began. Valdés chose the Monaco but Rodgers knew he was a fan of his game and his personality. After his torn ligament in his right knee on 30 March, the Monegasque club thought and after the medical examination and the goalkeeper passed on June 2, rejected incorporation.
By thus breaking the preliminary contract signed, Liverpool called his agent, Gines Carvajal. The player decided to sue the Monaco and the resolution of the case should arrive in October. By then, an estimated able to train and spend a further revision in Liverpool.
"Victor loves Liverpool and what it represents," says the authoritative source AS club. "And he loves Rodgers Victor". The coach is in love with the style of the club.The personal tension with Reina prevented it to stay, so the arrival of Valdés fits the style. Mignolet is not as technical ability with his feet or tactical knowledge gained by the Catalan from the arrival of Guardiola. His contract could be a season, but the club wants to convince him to stay longer. G. Balagué
A few weeks ago, Gines Carvajal Valdés said he would "play a big Before Christmas" and will be Liverpool. His contract could be one season, but the club wants to convince a longer period to stay.
It seems more likely that Ming will be sold if Valdes comes unless he's happy to sit on the bench.
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