The squad situation

[singlerider]

CB:
I think we're missing a clear third choice defender imo. The successor to Van Dijk, if you will.
Neither Gomez nor Quansah fill me with any confidence. Quansah might get there, but I don't see him and Konate starting together next season if Van Dijk leaves.

Harsh on Quansah IMO.

He's almost always impressed when I've seen him; when he broke into the team I was nervous as hell - CB is a tricky position for a kid with little experience, but it only took a few games for those fears to be assuaged.

Whilst clearly not the finished article he played with a calmness and composure way beyond his tender years, and I thought you could see the influence of him having played with our senior CBs - his reading of the game and distribution was reminiscent of (not as good obvs, but reminiscent of) Van Dijk's. He carried the ball in a manner suggestive of Matip. His recovery pace allowed him to get back like Gomez.

Whilst I'd not say he was at the level of them in any of those respects, you can definitely see there is huge potential there, and whereas before I would've been shitting me pants at the inevitable long-term Konate injury, now I find myself rather more sanguine

 

[bluebell]

Tsimikas isn't good enough good lad but he needs replacing

 

[Modo]

Harsh on Quansah IMO.

He's almost always impressed when I've seen him; when he broke into the team I was nervous as hell - CB is a tricky position for a kid with little experience, but it only took a few games for those fears to be assuaged.

Whilst clearly not the finished article he played with a calmness and composure way beyond his tender years, and I thought you could see the influence of him having played with our senior CBs - his reading of the game and distribution was reminiscent of (not as good obvs, but reminiscent of) Van Dijk's. He carried the ball in a manner suggestive of Matip. His recovery pace allowed him to get back like Gomez.

Whilst I'd not say he was at the level of them in any of those respects, you can definitely see there is huge potential there, and whereas before I would've been shitting me pants at the inevitable long-term Konate injury, now I find myself rather more sanguine

Yeah I know it's harsh but that just how I see it. I'm not saying that the potential isn't there but I'd feel more confident having two more experienced CB's on the pitch. Konate is definitely there. Quansah still plays for England's u21s.
Van Dijk didn't turn into the monster he is today until he joined Southampton when he was around 24-25. So there's still time.

I'd honestly be more comfortable if Matip still was our third choice and Quansah was fourth.

The issue is Gomez, he should be our stable third choice experienced defender.

 

[Fabio]

Miscommunication obviously, but the bigger issue for me is that Nunez is in the same space Chiesa is in and that's why he's mad.
Like why are you here and why did you take the ball off me?

It was in an area that really favoured no one, and in the half space between the positions. Nunez takes it and goes in to space to allow others to join the attack - low risk but reduces chance of a goal. Chiesa takes it in his stride but right in to a centre back - high risk but potential for a goal.

Neither was incorrect for me. However it panned out it could be wasteful or lead to a goal.

 

[Brizzle]

I am not worried about Quansah, but I am about Tsimi and about CM/DM. I think a new LB and a CM/DM in Jan would be pretty important to our season as Robbo isn't as indestructible as he once was.

I think the challenge in that video re: Nunez is a bit of an example of a player feeling he has to prove himself. He knows he isn't a preferred starter, and is building his game back up after a confidence hit end to last season.

 

[Farkmaster]

It's just two players who aren't regularly playing and never have played with each other.

One of them is Italian and one of them is Nunez, so I'm guessing the amount of thought in their head about theoretically correct positioning differs somewhat.

 

[rurikbird]

It's just two players who aren't regularly playing and never have played with each other.

One of them is Italian and one of them is Nunez, so I'm guessing the amount of thought in their head about theoretically correct positioning differs somewhat.

Haha, I like that Chiesa seems to have accepted the challenge of coaching Nunez… with all the frustration that comes with it.

 

[Squiggles]

Despite inheriting a squad stacked with top talents like Pepe Reina, Luis Suarez, Jamie Carragher, and Steven Gerrard, Hodgson only mustered seven Premier League wins from 20 games, suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and a shock 3-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers before parting ways with the club.

However, it wasn't just on the side-lines where Hodgson made mistakes, with one at the time Liverpool star confessing that he was mistakenly sold to Fulham in a swap deal gone wrong. While the gaffer was able to secure Paul Konchesky from Craven Cottage, it meant that Lauri Dalla Vale and Alexander Kacaniklic headed in the opposite direction - alongside a sweetener of £3.5million.

However, it has emerged that Kacaniklic was never supposed to be a part of the deal, with Hodgson also noting how he tried to put a stop to the transfer as he was selling the wrong Alex. Kacaniklic previously told fotbolskananelen in a podcast: "It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me, but when I was in Fulham and before I signed up, I had a conversation with Roy Hodgson on the phone, where we found out that he had chosen the wrong Alex.

"In his head, he thought he had sold another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It's a little fun. Then he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but that I could do what I felt. By then I had already made my mind up and was very excited about coming to Fulham."

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My word...

 

[Modo]

Despite inheriting a squad stacked with top talents like Pepe Reina, Luis Suarez, Jamie Carragher, and Steven Gerrard, Hodgson only mustered seven Premier League wins from 20 games, suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and a shock 3-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers before parting ways with the club.

However, it wasn't just on the side-lines where Hodgson made mistakes, with one at the time Liverpool star confessing that he was mistakenly sold to Fulham in a swap deal gone wrong. While the gaffer was able to secure Paul Konchesky from Craven Cottage, it meant that Lauri Dalla Vale and Alexander Kacaniklic headed in the opposite direction - alongside a sweetener of £3.5million.

However, it has emerged that Kacaniklic was never supposed to be a part of the deal, with Hodgson also noting how he tried to put a stop to the transfer as he was selling the wrong Alex. Kacaniklic previously told fotbolskananelen in a podcast: "It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me, but when I was in Fulham and before I signed up, I had a conversation with Roy Hodgson on the phone, where we found out that he had chosen the wrong Alex.

"In his head, he thought he had sold another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It's a little fun. Then he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but that I could do what I felt. By then I had already made my mind up and was very excited about coming to Fulham."

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My word...

Well Kacaniklic turned out to be shit anyway so...

 

[binomial]

I actually have a little empathy for the mess Roy was brought into even if he went on to make us 10x worst, every signing bar Meireles being a horror and losing to Northampton Town being one of the biggest lows in decades (excluding any tragic events).

We see what happens when managers, who are so used to winning, are brought in to a different environment they haven't felt before and they're unable to turn the mess that was left behind around........it always ends badly.

He took over from a team that had just finished like 6th and the club was right in the middle of the takeover process......the dude got £20m to spend and we'd just lost Yossi and Masch.

 

[Dreambeliever]

We are doomed to repeat the mistakes of last season should we continue in both domestic cups and the CL while trying to challenge in the league.

It’ll be gut wrenching if we are in striking distance of Arsenal and City get docked 30 pts and the Gunners win the league because we were spread too thin yet again.

 

[Squiggles]

We are doomed to repeat the mistakes of last season should we continue in both domestic cups and the CL while trying to challenge in the league.

It’ll be gut wrenching if we are in striking distance of Arsenal and City get docked 30 pts and the Gunners win the league because we were spread too thin yet again.

It's largely dependent on injuries. It's fine to play the second string for now. The majority of the team last night had barely kicked a ball in weeks.

If injuries ramp up then I'd prefer kids fill the gaps in the cup team.

 

[Brizzle]

Agreed - no problems with the Carabao if we rotate like we did. Should do the same for FA Cup and the lesser CL opponents IMO too, at least until Jan when we can reassess reinforcements.

 

[MomoWASright]

Agreed - no problems with the Carabao if we rotate like we did. Should do the same for FA Cup and the lesser CL opponents IMO too, at least until Jan when we can reassess reinforcements.

Just not against Bologna. I need gravy in my life.

 

[localny]

Despite inheriting a squad stacked with top talents like Pepe Reina, Luis Suarez, Jamie Carragher, and Steven Gerrard, Hodgson only mustered seven Premier League wins from 20 games, suffering a humbling 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and a shock 3-1 loss to Blackburn Rovers before parting ways with the club.

However, it wasn't just on the side-lines where Hodgson made mistakes, with one at the time Liverpool star confessing that he was mistakenly sold to Fulham in a swap deal gone wrong. While the gaffer was able to secure Paul Konchesky from Craven Cottage, it meant that Lauri Dalla Vale and Alexander Kacaniklic headed in the opposite direction - alongside a sweetener of £3.5million.

However, it has emerged that Kacaniklic was never supposed to be a part of the deal, with Hodgson also noting how he tried to put a stop to the transfer as he was selling the wrong Alex. Kacaniklic previously told fotbolskananelen in a podcast: "It was a bit difficult for Liverpool to replace me, but when I was in Fulham and before I signed up, I had a conversation with Roy Hodgson on the phone, where we found out that he had chosen the wrong Alex.

"In his head, he thought he had sold another Alex for Konchesky. But then it was too late. It's a little fun. Then he just told me I was welcome back in Liverpool with open arms, but that I could do what I felt. By then I had already made my mind up and was very excited about coming to Fulham."

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My word...

Jaysis, what kind of journalism is this. Suarez never played for Woy.

 

[white-sox]

I actually have a little empathy for the mess Roy was brought into even if he went on to make us 10x worst, every signing bar Meireles being a horror and losing to Northampton Town being one of the biggest lows in decades (excluding any tragic events).

We see what happens when managers, who are so used to winning, are brought in to a different environment they haven't felt before and they're unable to turn the mess that was left behind around........it always ends badly.

He took over from a team that had just finished like 6th and the club was right in the middle of the takeover process......the dude got £20m to spend and we'd just lost Yossi and Masch.

Nar. No sympathy. He was an absolute whopper. Can't stand the man

 

[binomial]

Nar. No sympathy. He was an absolute whopper. Can't stand the man

He was but aswell I don’t need to have liked the guy to feel a little empathy for the mess he was brought into. We were a club in turmoil.

 

[moron]

He was but aswell I don’t need to have liked the guy to feel a little empathy for the mess he was brought into. We were a club in turmoil.

Those were fucking dark days. Been supporting Liverpool since mid 80's and after the tragedies in our history then comes that dark period between Rafa leaving and Hodgeson leaving.

 

[localny]

Nar. No sympathy. He was an absolute whopper. Can't stand the man

he was so bad, they started a "Hodgson out" thread, BEFORE he became a manager

 

[StevieM]

We are doomed to repeat the mistakes of last season should we continue in both domestic cups and the CL while trying to challenge in the league.

It’ll be gut wrenching if we are in striking distance of Arsenal and City get docked 30 pts and the Gunners win the league because we were spread too thin yet again.

Didn’t you say in another thread that you’d be happy with third and a cup?

How are we going to do that if we forgo the cups to focus on the league?

Also… we do have a big enough squad…