Our 3rd striker

[rurikbird]

One of the lessons from the end of this season for me is that even having 2 amazing strikers is not quite enough – even in the season away from Europe. As great as they are, even Suarez and Sturridge go through bad patches – they might even score in some of those games, but you can see they keep getting the decisions wrong and getting frustrated with themselves and their teammates. My conclusion is that we need a 3rd striker with a genuine creativity and a cutting edge.

I like Borini a lot, as he has the right personality to be a 3rd striker – always positive attitude, works hard for the team, has a knack for scoring important goals. But in my heart, I have to say I'm not really convinced by him. Physically he is very average, so he really needs to be a great instinctive finisher like Huntelaar or Solskjaer in order to compensate for that – and so far I don't see that either. But I'm not prepared to give up on Fabio…

However, there is another striker we've been linked with who makes me excited about the possibility of him being a Liverpool player. I am talking about this guy:



He is raw at 21 years old and the stats are not overly impressive yet (9 goals and 4 assists in 30 games this season), but he has all the tools of a really good 2nd striker. He is fast and pretty strong, creative, shoots equally well from both feet and has the cutting edge and unpredictability about him. I think he is going to get better and better with each year and his style suits Rodgers well. Obviously the marketing team will be ecstatic as well about signing a star from Korea – but that's ultimately not nearly as important as his football ability and potential, which I think is very promising.

 

[localny]

Good shout. Looks scintillating in a non you tube kind of way. All self created goals, and all from outside the box. Something from nothing. He got a lot of space though. How did he do in the tighter games, with less space vs Leverkusen, Munich, Dortmund, Schalke et al?

 

[rurikbird]

As you can see, two of those goals are vs Dortmund.

Of course, like any striker, he looks less "happy" in tighter games against teams who close down the space. And his game is built for the counter-attack in some respect. But he also can create something from nothing, like you said, and shoot well from distance, which can be useful in tight games.

 

[localny]

As you can see, two of those goals are vs Dortmund.

I didn't, thanks. Looks quite powerful. And we don't have many long ranch shooters these days.

 

[hamstrung_pigeon]

Or he could become the next Fabio Borini. 😉

I'd lean towards keeping Borini, since he's a known entity.

Actually, it would not surprise me if we didn't add any strikers, and Sterling was used as the third striker in the absence of Suarez and Sturridge next season. That could happen if we added only attacking midfield options, which would free him up to move into that role when needed. That's actually quite an attractive option to me. Perhaps the answer was here all along.

 

[hmmmmm1]

sign for he marketing alone

 

[6TimesaRed]

We don't need strikers.

Suarez/ Sturridge/ Borini/ Sterling/ Konoplyanka will do the job accordingly

Top quality AM(Llana), DM, Winger (Kono), 2 CB and LB needed

Ship out Agger, Lucas, Aspas, Kelly, Moses & Cissokho

Hopefully Enrique will have recovered next season, understudy to new Left Back, Flannagan can do a job at right back

Suso and Wisdom back in the squad alongside Borini

Job Done

 

[DHSC]

Ezequiel Lavezzi

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

We don't need strikers.

Borini/ Sterling/ Konoplyanka will do the job accordingly

Top quality AM(Llana), DM, Winger (Kono), 2 CB and LB needed

Ship out Agger, Lucas, Aspas, Kelly, Moses & Cissokho

Hopefully Enrique will have recovered next season, understudy to new Left Back, Flannagan can do a job at right back

Suso and Wisdom back in the squad alongside Borini

Job Done

What job exactly?

 

[6TimesaRed]

What job exactly?

Merely trying to explain we don't need strikers...

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Oh right. Good job.

 

[keniget]

He had a good season last year and the type of player that pops up on the Bleacher Report. I think Ross mentioned him too as some stat was very good - goals to mins perhaps.

Anyways, yeah. He'd be a good acquisition. I can't recall us being linked to him though.

 

[keniget]

We don't need strikers.

Suarez/ Sturridge/ Borini/ Sterling/ Konoplyanka will do the job accordingly

Borini is average, Sturridge is injury prone, Kono from what I understand is not much of a goalscorer himself, which leaves Suarez who needs some relief from the pressure (if he's still here) and Sterling who is still young.

 

[StevieM]

Sturridge has not featured in 9 of our EPL games this season.

That's not injury prone.

 

[peterhague]

Sturridge tends to pick up regular injuries.

That *is* injury prone.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

Sturridge has not featured in 9 of our EPL games this season.

That's not injury prone.

How many would you have to miss to be injury prone? 25% of matches missed seems like a lot to me. Obviously could be worse, but we do need to account for him missing games most seasons I would think.

 

[6TimesaRed]

Striker is not a priory imho..

The money is better spent on the squad elswhere imho..

I expect next season Suarez & Sturridge won't feature as a partnership as often as you have seen this season

You bring in the right players their will be no need too..

 

[FoxForceFive]

Yeah, I can see Sturridge & Suarez playing lone striker roles a lot more next season if they both stay here (I'm still not convinced Suarez will be here).

 

[Delinquent]

Striker is not a priory imho..

The money is better spent on the squad elswhere imho..

I expect next season Suarez & Sturridge won't feature as a partnership as often as you have seen this season

You bring in the right playes their will be no need too..

Look at the state of Suarez. He's fucked, and consequently a shadow of the player he was earlier in the season. We've basically run him into the ground.

Of course we need another striker.

 

[Gerry_A_Trick]

If you compare our strikers to City, we're obviously up there with our first two. But to compare Borini to Negredo or Jovetic is crazy. Obviously we'll never spend the money that they do, but we need to at least have some sort of comparable squad to them to be able to compete on a long term basis.

We need better than Borini, much better.

 

[6TimesaRed]

Borini is probably on par with Jovetic, if not better. .

We don't need another Striker, just not convinced. . Sterling can play as a striker if need be..

To get the talent you ask for it will blow or transfer kitty, money is best spent on the squad where it is needed, elsewhere

 

[6TimesaRed]

Look at the state of Suarez. He's fucked, and consequently a shadow of the player he was earlier in the season. We've basically run him into the ground.

Of course we need another striker.

We have relied upon him for creativity, changing the game..

You address those issues elsewhere you rely upon him less.. The fact that Suarez and Studge will probably play less together next season will also be a crucial factor..

 

[peterhague]

Borini is probably on par with Jovetic, if not better. .

It's hard to know what to say...

 

[Fabio]

There's optimism, then there is down right idiocy

Jovetic would walk in to the starting line ups of most sides. Borini wouldn't.


Even though I do love the knife biting cunt

 

[6TimesaRed]

There's optimism, then there is down right idiocy

Jovetic would walk in to the starting line ups of most sides. Borini wouldn't.


Even though I do love the knife biting cunt

Jovetic is hardly ripping up trees in the prem... Yes his chances have been limited.. but what I have seen of him has not convinced me, imho..

Borini has been brilliant In a very poor Sunderland side... Stick him around better players, he will probably flourish.

 

[redhorizon2]

One of the lessons from the end of this season for me is that even having 2 amazing strikers is not quite enough – even in the season away from Europe. As great as they are, even Suarez and Sturridge go through bad patches – they might even score in some of those games, but you can see they keep getting the decisions wrong and getting frustrated with themselves and their teammates. My conclusion is that we need a 3rd striker with a genuine creativity and a cutting edge.

I like Borini a lot, as he has the right personality to be a 3rd striker – always positive attitude, works hard for the team, has a knack for scoring important goals. But in my heart, I have to say I'm not really convinced by him. Physically he is very average, so he really needs to be a great instinctive finisher like Huntelaar or Solskjaer in order to compensate for that – and so far I don't see that either. But I'm not prepared to give up on Fabio…

However, there is another striker we've been linked with who makes me excited about the possibility of him being a Liverpool player. I am talking about this guy:



He is raw at 21 years old and the stats are not overly impressive yet (9 goals and 4 assists in 30 games this season), but he has all the tools of a really good 2nd striker. He is fast and pretty strong, creative, shoots equally well from both feet and has the cutting edge and unpredictability about him. I think he is going to get better and better with each year and his style suits Rodgers well. Obviously the marketing team will be ecstatic as well about signing a star from Korea – but that's ultimately not nearly as important as his football ability and potential, which I think is very promising.

Agree

 

[Spaghetti Legs]

Striker is not a priory imho..

The money is better spent on the squad elswhere imho..

I expect next season Suarez & Sturridge won't feature as a partnership as often as you have seen this season

You bring in the right players their will be no need too..

Its not a popular opinion on here but i agree with you RN, we really don't need to be spunking money on a striker when we already have 2 of the best in the buisness and other priority positions to sort out.

The OP here is basically saying get rid of one young striker and buy another young striker, its swings and roundabouts, im not his greatest fan yet but Borini deserves another chance to play for us and our better quality players.

You are right that Sturridge and Suarez won't be playing as a partnership as often next season, its just not feesable, with the right attacking signings we will have plenty of options at the attacking end of the pitch, if we get a load of injuries and bad luck then there is always the January window.

Say we sign Lallana and Kono - if we cant get by with those 2 plus Sterling, Coutinho, Suarez, Sturridge and Borini as our attacking options then Rodgers would be doing something seriously wrong.

 

[Dirkus_Circus]

I'd settle for Benzema.

 

[Frogfish]

Borini is probably on par with Jovetic, if not better. .

Whatever it is you are smoking ..... You'd better stop. It's destroying 'ze little grey cells' !

I hope Borini keeps improving but I'd like to see him on loan again for next season, and somewhere else to Sunderland to give him more variety and experience in another team.

We do need a 3rd striker. With all the extra matches in Europe and hopefully better FAC & LC runs then 3 front line strikers is a minimum !

 

[Spaghetti Legs]

On the BBC gossip column earlier it said that we might let Borini have another season at Sunderland.

That would be the worst option out of anything, either get him back and give him another shot or just be done with it and flog him and put the money towards a replacement, Sunderland would near enough give us our money back for him, just don't see the point of another loan, whats to be gained from it?