This manager has broken every other curse, maybe he can break the Italian curse too
Transfer rumours
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His name still gives me a chuckle, tho
What Samatta?
Seriously though Binomial, what Samatta?
A gold plated steak? That sounds chewy as hell
Has he played for the national team against another natioanl team who are in the top 10 ? Can never tell if a player that starts in Italy is deemed very good only because everything is very slow in their game or that they are talented. Its too much of a risk if you ask me.
I know nothing about him other than I've signed him as my up-and-coming DM, but with this alleged interest in Havertz (who I've also signed) I can only conclude that LFC is basically building my FIFA 20 team, in which case folks, you heard it here first...we're signing Fekir in midfield, Munir for back-up up front, Muñoz at back-up LB, Wagué back-up RB and Ikoné as a prospect at AM
*taps nose*
If he doesn't reply shaddup you face can we ban him on principle?
This is an interesting take – an article on Sky analyzing LFC's age profile compared to the likes of United and Barca.
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When Liverpool face Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, nobody will be in any doubt which is the better team. The inevitable combined elevens will be a source of humour for one side and frustration for the other. How has it come to this? United have spent money only to go backwards. Even now, they have the bigger wage bill.
Liverpool look formidable. A team with no obvious weakness. Technically excellent. Physically robust. Mentally strong. Jurgen Klopp deserves huge credit for the vision, skill and man-management that has taken Liverpool to the top but it would be a mistake to think that this is just happy coincidence. A tale of gems unearthed. A team that simply struck gold.
Liverpool's success is one of strategy too and the clearest evidence of that is in the age profile of the team, providing Klopp with a key advantage over his rivals that should not be overlooked. It is not just that Liverpool have better players, it's that they have better players right now. A team of players who are each operating at close to the peak of their powers.
The average age of this Liverpool team is 27 but that only tells part of the story. Such an average could be the result of a team packed with teenagers and thirtysomethings or a group of players in their prime.
In Liverpool's case, it is unmistakably the latter.
Liverpool peaking at the right time
Ten players have played 1000 Premier League minutes or more for Liverpool this season and captain Jordan Henderson is the oldest among them at 29. Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Scouser in the team, is the baby at just 21 but the next youngest is Andrew Robertson at 25.
As a result, 73 per cent of all the minutes played by Liverpool players this season have been played by players aged between 25 and 29. That is a huge number, much more than any of their rivals. At Arsenal, for example, the figure is as low as just 25 per cent. When Graeme Souness talks of a team full of men, it might seem old fashioned but it still matters.
Liverpool's squad building is no fluke. It is by design. A product of the recruitment strategy under Michael Edwards. The club has prioritised the need to sign players within the right age bracket. Liverpool have not spent their money on teenage punts or players on the wrong trajectory. By signing players who are about to peak, they are seeing their best years.
Consider the line-up that won the Champions League for Liverpool. With the exception of Alexander-Arnold, an academy graduate, and Henderson, the club's longest-serving player who was bought by the previous regime aged just 20, each of the other nine players were signed between the ages of 23 and 26. The perfect age to make an instant impact but improve too.
The contrast with United during their descent is marked and much of it can be put down to mistakes. Recruitment has focused on big fees for young players and bigger wages for older ones. Henrikh Mkhitaryan cost £38m at the age of 27, while £40m was spent on Nemanja Matic at 28. Alexis Sanchez was made the Premier League's highest-paid player at 29.
These errors prompted a shift in approach. In the summer, Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were both brought in as 21-year-old prospects. This was seen as a sea change but the squad also includes Anthony Martial, who became the world's most expensive teenager in 2015 - breaking a record the club had set when signing Luke Shaw the previous year.
The challenge of finding players the right age
It should be no surprise when signing players so far away from their prime that consistency can be an issue. The problem with signing young prospects to play alongside those who are past the peak is that the former represents a gamble on potential and the latter is short-termism. The consequence is a team with too few operating at their maximum.
It is a problem being experienced by other big clubs currently in transition too. The Arsenal team for Mikel Arteta's first game in charge against Bournemouth included a trio of youth-team graduates in Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as well as a quartet of players who are the wrong side of 30. Liverpool don't have that many on their staff.
Chelsea involved five former academy players in their recent win over Arsenal in Arteta's second game. Frank Lampard has been widely praised this season following a series of impressive results although that praise has come with a caveat. Wins have often been followed by frustrating defeats but this lack of consistency is inevitable with young players.
Only Liverpool have been able to deliver week in and week out and this is because they have been building towards this for years. Now they are reaping the rewards. The challenge, of course, is to stay on top rather than face a situation where the team is allowed to grow old together. That is the fate that befell Liverpool's last title winners some 30 years ago.
Back then, Ian Rush, Steve McMahon, Ronnie Whelan, Steve Nicol and Ray Houghton were all 28. Peter Beardsley was 29, while Alan Hansen and Bruce Grobbelaar were considerably older. Liverpool were well aware of the need for a refresh but they got the rebuild wrong.
They signed several players who were just as old and others such as Don Hutchison and Jamie Redknapp who were still teenagers. Even when bolstered by the emergence of Steve McManaman from within the club's academy, Liverpool were left with a squad that included hardly any players of the right age. With hindsight, the subsequent slump was inevitable.
The signs this time are more encouraging. January signing Takumi Minamino, a 24-year-old Japan international, is neither an unproven youngster nor someone whose career is on the down slope. Instead, he is a player with something to prove who is about to embark upon the best years of his career. With signings like this, the success can be sustained.
Ultimately, Liverpool's rise owes much to the quality of the players and the coaching of Klopp. The right players are essential, of course. Knowing where to look is important. But the biggest thing that separates Liverpool from so many of their rivals is that they know what they are looking for too. It has got them to the top. It might just keep them there.
============
When Liverpool face Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, nobody will be in any doubt which is the better team. The inevitable combined elevens will be a source of humour for one side and frustration for the other. How has it come to this? United have spent money only to go backwards. Even now, they have the bigger wage bill.
Liverpool look formidable. A team with no obvious weakness. Technically excellent. Physically robust. Mentally strong. Jurgen Klopp deserves huge credit for the vision, skill and man-management that has taken Liverpool to the top but it would be a mistake to think that this is just happy coincidence. A tale of gems unearthed. A team that simply struck gold.
Liverpool's success is one of strategy too and the clearest evidence of that is in the age profile of the team, providing Klopp with a key advantage over his rivals that should not be overlooked. It is not just that Liverpool have better players, it's that they have better players right now. A team of players who are each operating at close to the peak of their powers.
The average age of this Liverpool team is 27 but that only tells part of the story. Such an average could be the result of a team packed with teenagers and thirtysomethings or a group of players in their prime.
In Liverpool's case, it is unmistakably the latter.
Liverpool peaking at the right time
Ten players have played 1000 Premier League minutes or more for Liverpool this season and captain Jordan Henderson is the oldest among them at 29. Trent Alexander-Arnold, the Scouser in the team, is the baby at just 21 but the next youngest is Andrew Robertson at 25.
As a result, 73 per cent of all the minutes played by Liverpool players this season have been played by players aged between 25 and 29. That is a huge number, much more than any of their rivals. At Arsenal, for example, the figure is as low as just 25 per cent. When Graeme Souness talks of a team full of men, it might seem old fashioned but it still matters.
Liverpool's squad building is no fluke. It is by design. A product of the recruitment strategy under Michael Edwards. The club has prioritised the need to sign players within the right age bracket. Liverpool have not spent their money on teenage punts or players on the wrong trajectory. By signing players who are about to peak, they are seeing their best years.
Consider the line-up that won the Champions League for Liverpool. With the exception of Alexander-Arnold, an academy graduate, and Henderson, the club's longest-serving player who was bought by the previous regime aged just 20, each of the other nine players were signed between the ages of 23 and 26. The perfect age to make an instant impact but improve too.
The contrast with United during their descent is marked and much of it can be put down to mistakes. Recruitment has focused on big fees for young players and bigger wages for older ones. Henrikh Mkhitaryan cost £38m at the age of 27, while £40m was spent on Nemanja Matic at 28. Alexis Sanchez was made the Premier League's highest-paid player at 29.
These errors prompted a shift in approach. In the summer, Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka were both brought in as 21-year-old prospects. This was seen as a sea change but the squad also includes Anthony Martial, who became the world's most expensive teenager in 2015 - breaking a record the club had set when signing Luke Shaw the previous year.
The challenge of finding players the right age
It should be no surprise when signing players so far away from their prime that consistency can be an issue. The problem with signing young prospects to play alongside those who are past the peak is that the former represents a gamble on potential and the latter is short-termism. The consequence is a team with too few operating at their maximum.
It is a problem being experienced by other big clubs currently in transition too. The Arsenal team for Mikel Arteta's first game in charge against Bournemouth included a trio of youth-team graduates in Bukayo Saka, Reiss Nelson and Ainsley Maitland-Niles as well as a quartet of players who are the wrong side of 30. Liverpool don't have that many on their staff.
Chelsea involved five former academy players in their recent win over Arsenal in Arteta's second game. Frank Lampard has been widely praised this season following a series of impressive results although that praise has come with a caveat. Wins have often been followed by frustrating defeats but this lack of consistency is inevitable with young players.
Only Liverpool have been able to deliver week in and week out and this is because they have been building towards this for years. Now they are reaping the rewards. The challenge, of course, is to stay on top rather than face a situation where the team is allowed to grow old together. That is the fate that befell Liverpool's last title winners some 30 years ago.
Back then, Ian Rush, Steve McMahon, Ronnie Whelan, Steve Nicol and Ray Houghton were all 28. Peter Beardsley was 29, while Alan Hansen and Bruce Grobbelaar were considerably older. Liverpool were well aware of the need for a refresh but they got the rebuild wrong.
They signed several players who were just as old and others such as Don Hutchison and Jamie Redknapp who were still teenagers. Even when bolstered by the emergence of Steve McManaman from within the club's academy, Liverpool were left with a squad that included hardly any players of the right age. With hindsight, the subsequent slump was inevitable.
The signs this time are more encouraging. January signing Takumi Minamino, a 24-year-old Japan international, is neither an unproven youngster nor someone whose career is on the down slope. Instead, he is a player with something to prove who is about to embark upon the best years of his career. With signings like this, the success can be sustained.
Ultimately, Liverpool's rise owes much to the quality of the players and the coaching of Klopp. The right players are essential, of course. Knowing where to look is important. But the biggest thing that separates Liverpool from so many of their rivals is that they know what they are looking for too. It has got them to the top. It might just keep them there.
With this in mind, I wonder if we're mistaken thinking that our prime targets next summer are the likes of Sancho (19), Tonali (19), Havertz (20) or Aouar (21). Surely the club has no reason to deviate from the strategy that brought us Salah (signed at 25), Mane (24), Fabinho (25), Van Dijk (26) etc. Younger players nowadays don't cost any less, but carry a lot more risk; there is a lot that can go wrong for a 19-year-old after an early big-money move whereas a player who has reached the age 23-24 on a continuous upward trajectory is usually a pretty safe bet – by this age they've already experienced adversity and became better players and men for it. There is a good chance our next Salah or Mane is already 21-23 and somewhat under the radar like they were.
Here are some names and ages of some of the most promising attacking players in this age group:
Emiliano Buendia (Norwich), 23
Adama Traore (Wolves), 23
Timo Werner (Leipzig), 23
Marco Asencio (Real Madrid), 23
Moussa Dembele (Lyon), 23
Milot Rashica (Werder), 23
Ousmane Dembele (Barca), 22
David Neres (Ajax), 22
Luca Jovic (Real Madrid), 22
Malcolm (Zenit), 22
Victor Osimhen (Lille), 21
Ismaila Sarr (Watford), 21
Moussa Djenepo (Saints), 21
Here are some names and ages of some of the most promising attacking players in this age group:
Emiliano Buendia (Norwich), 23
Adama Traore (Wolves), 23
Timo Werner (Leipzig), 23
Marco Asencio (Real Madrid), 23
Moussa Dembele (Lyon), 23
Milot Rashica (Werder), 23
Ousmane Dembele (Barca), 22
David Neres (Ajax), 22
Luca Jovic (Real Madrid), 22
Malcolm (Zenit), 22
Victor Osimhen (Lille), 21
Ismaila Sarr (Watford), 21
Moussa Djenepo (Saints), 21
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Corrected 😉
Can only really see him ending up at Juventus.
They'll most likely offload Can at the end of the season and I got a feeling that Rabiot may also be sold (after just 1 season) to make way for Tonali.
Also, we're not really in the business of developing players in the first team at the moment.
Even some of our senior squad players struggle for game time. Klopp clearly will only play players he feels he can depend on and bar the odd game (usually in the cups), he hasn't taken too many risks with his selections.
For that reason, it's hard to see us take on a problem player (like Dembele) or a player that still needs another season or two playing week in, week out to develop.
That being said, putting the financial risk to one side for a moment, sometimes age isn't the only factor to consider. Havertz and Aouar, for example, have a lot of senior experience already.
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You could add Gabigol to that list too. A player with something to prove in Europe.
Certainly qualifies based on talent, but seems like he was traumatized enough by his experience in Europe that wants to stay in South America for good. Transfer to Flamengo about to be finalized.
#Mbappe2020
Jokes and banter aside, this is exactly the kind of player we should be going for. Ones who proved everything at their level and are ready to take the next step.
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Yes - but doesn’t it have to be a balanced approach.
It only really applies to players that haven’t made their move to a top tier club by the time they’re 23 - for whatever reason.
Take Wan-Bissaka for example - by no means the finished product - an excellent prospect - but off the radar completely as he’s st a club that is unlikely to ever sell to us.
So - sometimes you have to take the gamble and sign the player younger or else there is no chance you’ll ever sign them.
That’s effectively what PSG did with M’Bappe, Man Utd did with Ronaldo.
I guess the stats approach is to identify outliers in terms of performance as early as possible but sign them when the probability narrows that the player will continue to develop along that trajectory.
At the same time the cost would be measured against risk and necessity.
Van Den Berg and Harvey Elliot are good examples - young, performance outliers, certainly in VDB’s case, who cost nothing to pick up now - in Elliot’s case there was probably more of a buzz and chance he’d be snapped up elsewhere.
I’m not against topping up with a few older pros either - Milner being the prime example of a perfect pickup in that area.
Yeah probably
Seems to me he's just another penalty merchant, look at his stats at international level when Ronaldo takes all the pens.
He's already scored 6 pens this season...20 of his goals in total have come from the spot.
Basically the portuguese Luka Milojojevic 😉
I don't understand your Wan-Bissaka example. Are you saying we should have bought him when he was at Palace? Or that he's too expensive now? Or unattainable because he's at United?
Because Palace sold him at 21 years of age for £50m, which already made him one of the most expensive full-backs in the world. It's not hugely dissimilar to the deals we put together for Mane and Salah, although they were a bit older.
And let's not forget that the fees we paid for Alisson and Van Dijk were world records too
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And that is eaxctly the sort of player we've been buying - Van Dijk, Alisson, Mane, Salah, Robertson, Wijnaldum, Chamberlain, Fabinho.
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