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Strength and Weakness.

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Oncy

Oncy

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So what did we achieve?

GOALKEEPER - Reina - Reina = NO CHANGE.
LEFT BACK - Insua - Konchesky = IMPROVED.
CENTRE BACK A - Agger/Skrtel - Agger/Skrtel = NO CHANGE.
CENTRE BACK B - Carragher/The Greek - Carragher/The Greek = NO CHANGE.
RIGHT BACK - Johnson - Johnson = NO CHANGE.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD - Mascherano - Poulsen = WEAKENED
CENTRE MIDFIELDER - Lucas - Meireles = IMPROVED.

RIGHT MIDFIELD - Kuyt/Maxi - Kuyt/Maxi = NO CHANGE.
LEFT MIDFIELD - Riera/Babel - Jovanovic/Babel = IMPROVED?

ATTACKING MIDFIELD - Gerrard/Benayoun - Gerrard/Cole = IMPROVED

CENTRE FORWARD - Torres/N'gog - Torres/N'gog = NO CHANGE.

So is it enough? One area weakened four improved but the two main areas of concern (backup) forward and WIDTH still not addressed.
 
I think the first choice 11 has Gerrard in CM Oncy, with Cole in the hole. If Konchesky is above average defensively then I think we've improved marginally.

It might be just enough for atop 4 finish.
 
[quote author=GOD_23 link=topic=41708.msg1167930#msg1167930 date=1283275796]
I don't think that Cole is better than Benayoun.
[/quote]

Then you would be in the minority.
 
A lot may depend on HOW Roy wants us to play this season.

It may be that Meireles / Gerrard in CM and Cole in the hole is a much more fluid and attacking formation than last season.
 
[quote author=Frogfish link=topic=41708.msg1167940#msg1167940 date=1283276136]
A lot may depend on HOW Roy wants us to play this season.

It may be that Meireles / Gerrard in CM and Cole in the hole is a much more fluid and attacking formation than last season.
[/quote]

Please Roy.
 
----------------------------Reina--------------------------
Johnson--------Agger-----------Carragher----Insua
-------------------------------------------------------------
----------Mascherano-----------Lucas-----------------
Kuyt-------------------------------------------Benayoun
---------------------Gerrard------------------------------
-------------------------Torres----------------------------


VS

------------------------------Reina--------------------------------
Johnson---------Agger----------Carragher------Konchesky
---------------------------------------------------------------------
-----------------Gerrard----------Meireles----------------------
Kuyt---------------------------------------------------Jovanovic
--------------------------Cole-------------------------------------
-----------------------------Torres--------------------------------


Given that team A is managed by Rafa and team B managed by Roy, im confident team B will be the better side.
 
Agree Oncy. Plus his willingness to use Pacheco / Babel (sighs) / Shelvey and sub earlier (54 mins last match) may benefit us too.

Hey ! Add me to your army !
 
In addition we have Babel and Pacheco who are this season seen as forwards, so maybe with
Torres, Kuyt, Jovanovic, N'gog, Babel and Pacheco we have enough options. I think once again we are reliant on Torres staying fit.
 
For me, Jovanovic is not a left winger so I don't really think we've improved in that area of the pitch. I don't care how many times he's played there in his career, whenever I've seen him play, he's always looked better as a centre forward.
 
[quote author=Frogfish link=topic=41708.msg1167948#msg1167948 date=1283276412]
Agree Oncy. Plus his willingness to use Pacheco / Babel (sighs) / Shelvey and sub earlier (54 mins last match) may benefit us too.

Hey ! Add me to your army !
[/quote]Shit posted that just after you. Good point. Rafa saw Babel as an EMERGENCY LM, maybe Roy sees him as a back up CF.
Thats better for me.
 
Big difference here though Onky, is that Roy has said Babel is a striker. So, we have a player that couldn't get a game on the left last season, possibly being more involved as an attacker.

Pacheco has also played a lot as LW in the 4-2-3-1. Did very well there for Spain, and is an option there.

If we play 4-4-2, Cole and Maxi can also play on the left.
 
[quote author=Herr Onceared link=topic=41708.msg1167949#msg1167949 date=1283276439]
In addition we have Babel and Pacheco who are this season seen as forwards, so maybe with
Torres, Kuyt, Jovanovic, N'gog, Babel and Pacheco we have enough options. I think once again we are reliant on Torres staying fit.
[/quote]

and Maxi 😉 We actually have quite a few options, it's just that two of our main weaknesses have not been addressed (back up striker & winger). Roy did well though to cover both LB and DM quickly.
 
If we added a striker it'd have been the perfect window... If Torres stays fit, it may not matter... but that's a big if.

Early days for Uncle Woy, but the signs are good.
 
One more winger would have made me happier. If not an out and out winger, i would still consider someone who can play well as a LM in a 4-4-2. I have a feeling Roy considers Cole as that player...but i have my doubts about that working out.

I'm happy to consider the progress made by N'gog, Pacheco and Kelly as improvements to the Squad, but it seems we are banking exclusively on that.....that is certainly a risky strategy.

One thing is certain....we wont be competing for the league title with this Squad. For the first time in five years, i'm feeling this way at the start of a campaign.
 
[quote author=Frogfish link=topic=41708.msg1167937#msg1167937 date=1283275997]
[quote author=GOD_23 link=topic=41708.msg1167930#msg1167930 date=1283275796]
I don't think that Cole is better than Benayoun.
[/quote]

Then you would be in the minority.
[/quote]

And not just among LFC fans. In my experience of fans of other clubs, the signing of Joey Cole is one deal they wish we hadn't been able to do.
 
Did we have a minus spend then?

If so, then we've very well to maintain a respectable side.

Question is, how long can we remain up there with more players having to be sold?
 
What's all this shit about 'Team A' managed by Benitez, Team B by Hodgson, so Team B is better?

Surely nobody is fucking stupid enough to think that Roy Hodgson is a better coach/ manager than Rafael Benitez?

And as for the team being improved, Cole is better than Benayoun, Konchesky is better than Insua, and Meireles *has* to be better than fucking Lucas or Aquilani, but Masher is twice the player Crapsen is.

It's close.

Ie not good enough
 
am i missing something, why is Insua in the teams and not Aurelio. did fat chops not go to turkey?

edit... yes im being retarded
 
It's not significantly better than last season. In fact, the gap between Mascherano and Poulsen/Lucas might easily offset the improvements made through Meireles over Lucas, Konchesky over Insua, and Cole over Benayoun. I expect us to finish 6th. Chelsea, Scum, Arsenal, City and Spurs have better squads and possibly better first XIs than us. If (i) Torres and Gerrard stay fit throughout; (ii) Lucas plays to a minimum; (iii) Kuyt and Jovanovic play together to a minimum; and (iv) Pacheco and Shelvey play more consistently, we'll have a fighting chance for 4th.
 
One bit of good news from today if its true. Lucas said he wants to stay and fight for his place. Suggests he in no longer 1st choice. Please
 
[quote author=Herr Onceared link=topic=41708.msg1167926#msg1167926 date=1283275633]
So what did we achieve?

GOALKEEPER - Reina - Reina = NO CHANGE.
LEFT BACK - Insua - Konchesky = IMPROVED.
CENTRE BACK A - Agger/Skrtel - Agger/Skrtel = NO CHANGE.
CENTRE BACK B - Carragher/The Greek - Carragher/The Greek = NO CHANGE.
RIGHT BACK - Johnson - Johnson = NO CHANGE.

DEFENSIVE MIDFIELD - Mascherano - Poulsen = WEAKENED
CENTRE MIDFIELDER - Lucas - Meireles = IMPROVED.

RIGHT MIDFIELD - Kuyt/Maxi - Kuyt/Maxi = NO CHANGE.
LEFT MIDFIELD - Riera/Babel - Jovanovic/Babel = IMPROVED?

ATTACKING MIDFIELD - Gerrard/Benayoun - Gerrard/Cole = IMPROVED

CENTRE FORWARD - Torres/N'gog - Torres/N'gog = NO CHANGE.

So is it enough? One area weakened four improved but the two main areas of concern (backup) forward and WIDTH still not addressed.


[/quote]
It looks pretty good when you put it like that, but there are a lot of uncertainties regarding the players we have kept.

- Carra is our best defender, but he is slowly deteriorating with age. Is Agger and Skrtel improving fast enough(at all?) to cover if need be?
- Gerrard is our best midfielder, but last season wasnt his best, and he is getting older like Carra. Will this season be any better? Worse?
- Kuyt was very poor much of last season. Will this season be different? Will Maxi be good enough to cover?
- Ngog is improving, we can all see that, but is he enough when Torres (inevitably) gets injured?
- Torres is awesome when he is not injured, but will he reach the heights he did before his latest injury?

etc etc.

Lots of uncertainties this season, we will need a fair bit of luck me thinks to make top 4.
 
[quote author=Jack D Rips link=topic=41708.msg1167987#msg1167987 date=1283279767]
One bit of good news from today if its true. Lucas said he wants to stay and fight for his place. Suggests he in no longer 1st choice. Please
[/quote]

Every cloud ....
 
I would not disagree with you on this Oncey, even with Brendan's comments about the respective managers.
regardless of how you view Rafa v Hodgson, Bren, Rafa had lost the plot completely and was just a liability in the last season.
I do think like others have mentioned we may be able to benefit from some of the youngsters coming through this year, Kelly, Pacheco, and Shelvey (I will count him in that category for the sake of argument).
Sadly , as last season, when it was blatantly obvious if we did not bring in a striker we would be in the shit , it happens again this year.
It's turned a decent window into another fucking disaster..........ARRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH.



regards
 
Unlike last season though Vlad, we now have Jovanovic and (as Roy sees him and Rafa didn't) Babel to cover in desperate times, as well as N'Gog. Still not good enough unless Jova produces something we are unaware of.
 
[quote author=Brendan link=topic=41708.msg1167979#msg1167979 date=1283278974]
Julian> you were confident in the squad last season? I fucking wasn't
[/quote]

I didn't expect Aquilani would be that dire.

I didn't expect Torres' season would be a complete write-off.
 
I don't think there is much improvement, if any, to crow about with this summers transfers.

Our midfield has a big question mark hanging over it with the Poulsen and Meireles, relatively unknown quantities in the Premiership, coming in for last years player of the season in Masher.

Out wide things are pretty much the same. The right flank hasn't changed and on the left we're still utilizing guys that look like they're unsuited to playing there.

Konchesky has to really justify his signing by being defensively competent, so I would hope to see an improvement over Insua at LB. Then we have Kelly and Pacheco who will hopefully contribute.

We're largely left hoping that a) we get lucky with injuries, b) Meireles turns out to be fantastic and c) the team fucking buck up their ideas after last season, although so far that hasn't looked like happening.
 
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