Or maybe we’ll cash in on Alisson and give Irish Kevin his chance???
Young players watch
- Thread starter rurikbird
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Or maybe we’ll cash in on Alisson and give Irish Kevin his chance???
I don't follow it like I used to but it seems clear that Nyoni is way out ahead as the best prospect. I'd say he's likely to make it.
McConnell and Bajcetic both have half a chance. I think Doak's talented but I'd be surprised if he makes it. He's done well on loan but not been outstandingly brilliant, but the real issue is I'm just not sure where an old-fashioned jinky winger fits in the modern game. Feels like that sort of player is almost better off trying to be a full back these days.
Danns I like but probably isn't agile enough to play at the very top.
The only other one worth mentioning is Ngumoha, who's very highly rated but I'm personally not convinced by. Lots of stepovers and dribbling in circles. He's really skilful though, and has a great shooting technique with hardly any backlift.
There was or is a theory that football like fashion and music is in the habit regurgitating the past and repeating past trends.
The theory basically used Guardiola as the, lightening rod, I guess, and looked at how he was changing his team setup over the last few years - with him basically being considered the best modern coach and the trendsetter of a lot of how the game is played today. The idea being as soon as everyone else starts copying you, you lose a huge part of your competitive edge, so you need re-invent yourself.
So, from his desire for absolute control and possessions based football to pass [or bore] teams into submission, the introduction of Haaland to his front line suggested a shift in strategy.
He subsequently followed that up by starting to sign “jinky wingers” who ran at people at pace to cross and create opportunities for the central goal scorer, as opposed to inverted wide forwards and a false 9 creating space for them.
I presume the reason being that, in attack, he can increase the ”playing area” and therefore create more space in the centre and half spaces for the CF and midfield runners from deep.
If it works, then it’s more likely that players like Doak, who are fast and good at taking on players out wide will become more relevant as more managers copy Pep’s new style.
Doesn’t mean it’ll work… maybe Pep is a latter day David Bowie - a genius who constantly reinvented himself, but not always in a good way - as anyone who bought a Tin Machine album can attest to.
Also doesn’t mean Slot is going to follow suit - maybe he’s Iggy Pop, has found his groove and is just going to stick to it.
I just want to say this is an all-around fucking quality post the likes of which you will probably not find anywhere else but SCM. Well done.
Sidebar: This Tin Machine video was made in Ringsend, Dublin circa 1991.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4xeHYI4A2k
Agreed, the post of a true Dirty Slot. I don't recall seeing these in the Kelly's Heroes era
https://www.heraldscotland.com/spor...alt-major-injury-blow-doak-undergoes-surgery/
Ben Doak's season could be over
Ben Doak's season could be over
I think Bajcetic at 17 was better than Nyoni.
Maybe, he hasn't really progressed as you'd hope from there though. Right now I think Nyoni has a better chance.
View: https://x.com/LewisSteele_/status/1902338165190386066
Stefan Bajcetic has been compared to Sergio Busquets on loan at Las Palmas – just two months after ending a difficult stint with Red Bull Salzburg.
The 20-year-old has quickly become a fan favourite for his ‘pure talent’ and ‘exceptional attitude’ as the La Liga club look to avoid relegation.
It marks a strong turnaround from his apparent struggles in Salzburg, where he only completed one full 90 minutes and saw Jurgen Klopp’s former assistant, Pep Lijnders, get sacked as the Austrian heavyweights faltered.
Many fans are wondering what the future holds for the midfielder after an injury ruled him out for most of last season, and his time with Salzburg left a lot of question marks.
‘Bajcetic couldn't even come close to reaching his potential,’ Aleksandar Andonov, head of sports at SALZBURG24, tells Confidential. ‘A closer look at his performances suggested that he wasn't playing with full effort and wasn't fully committed to the club on the field.’
Damning words indeed, especially for a star who was courted by Barcelona in the past. Liverpool recalled the Spaniard in January and flung him out to the Canary Islands, where fans and the media give glowing reviews to Confidential.
One fan purrs: ‘Stefan definitely stands out from others. You can see his pure talent almost all the time. He is our star and every Las Palmas supporter would love to have him here for as long as it's possible.’
Meanwhile, local journalist Manuel Garcia says: ‘He reminds me of Sergio Busquets, because of how he drives the ball and how he moves around the field.’
Now, now. After just seven games, any such comparison should be taken with a spoonful of salt.
And the stellar form of Antony at Real Betis, after his plight at Manchester United, serves as a reminder that thriving abroad does not necessarily equal Premier League success.
But the early indications are that Bajcetic is showing the defensive grit that defined his impact at Anfield before his injury. Few players in La Liga have made more tackles, blocks, interceptions, or aerial wins than him per 90 minutes since he arrived.
A reminder as well of Slot’s words in August on Bajcetic. ‘I hope it will be a big year for him because he’s a very talented player and I think he could become a very important player for us, but only if he gets playing time now,’ said the Liverpool head coach.
‘It’s a smart decision, at least in our opinion, to let him go somewhere, where he will hopefully play a lot of games. Then for next season, we’ll have a player. If he fulfills his potential, he could definitely, definitely play for us in the future.’
Let’s see what the future holds, then.
Went to check and young Bajcetic has indeed played in the last seven games for Las Palmas -- as a result of which they have lost five of those games and drawn the remaining two.
I’d treat it like preseason with him. The results don’t matter. It’s about playing time and his attitude. If they are spot on then he will have a place here next season. Maybe slot will share minutes between him and Gravy.
View: https://x.com/blackburnrovers/status/1906587267155861617
Valerien Ismael insists it was not a risk to play Owen Beck after the defender suffered a repeat of his hamstring injury whilst Hayden Carter was withdrawn with pain in his calf.
The Liverpool defender returned to action against Portsmouth after eight weeks out. But Beck lasted only 10 minutes before going off, visibly emotional as he went down the tunnel, with the rest of his spell at Ewood Park now in jeopardy.
Ismael, though, refuted the suggestion starting Beck was a risk after a full two weeks of training during the international break.
"It disrupted our plans, Owen Beck has got a hamstring injury," Ismael said.
"So we need to assess him to see how he is. We assessed him the last three weeks and he trained the last two weeks. He made all the training sessions with high intensity. Very high numbers for the week.
"He got enough recovery in between, so it was not expected to have that result."
Hamstring injuries are building up for Rovers. Beck, Augustus Kargbo and Emmanuel Dennis are now sidelined with that problem. Danny Batth, Lewis Travis and Sondre Tronstad have all suffered with that too.
It has begged the question as to whether there is an underlying issue causing the repeat problems with muscle injuries. Ismael says that's something they'll investigate in the summer.
Here's some more Bajcetic:
Back playing for Spain's u21s
View: https://x.com/TheRedmenTV/status/1905956021425635688
We have to bring him back next season.
Back playing for Spain's u21s
View: https://x.com/TheRedmenTV/status/1905956021425635688
We have to bring him back next season.
Bajcetic definitely seems to be the sort of player Slot likes. It makes a lot of sense to integrate him into the squad next season, assuming he's not wishing to go back to Spain at this point.
On paper, he gives us a genuine alternative to Gravy in the #6 position as well as the option of playing a double pivot alongside Gravy.
On paper, he gives us a genuine alternative to Gravy in the #6 position as well as the option of playing a double pivot alongside Gravy.
Yeah if we were going to sign a perfect backup for Gravenberch then Bajcetic is basically who you'd be looking at. Young enough that he won't demand to always be starting, technically sound, versatile enough that he should get minutes elsewhere. Maybe you'd want someone a bit more experienced, but it's a pretty good fit for all told.
What I've been saying from the get go.
Left back Owen Beck will not play for Blackburn again this season due to a hamstring blow, joining several other loanees who have had their stints away dashed by injury.
Ben Doak is unlikely to play again for Middlesbrough this season after undergoing what was described as minor thigh surgery in February. The Scotland international has not played since January.
And Jayden Danns remains in rehabilitation work at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby having not featured once for Sunderland since his loan move on Deadline Day.
On the topic of loans, Nat Phillips is loving life at Derby since John Eustace took over at the club.
The defender was once a bit-part player at the Rams but is now a regular starter as Derby have won four of their last six games, also drawing one to promotion-chasing Burnley.
Ben Doak is unlikely to play again for Middlesbrough this season after undergoing what was described as minor thigh surgery in February. The Scotland international has not played since January.
And Jayden Danns remains in rehabilitation work at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby having not featured once for Sunderland since his loan move on Deadline Day.
On the topic of loans, Nat Phillips is loving life at Derby since John Eustace took over at the club.
The defender was once a bit-part player at the Rams but is now a regular starter as Derby have won four of their last six games, also drawing one to promotion-chasing Burnley.
View: https://x.com/JamesPearceLFC/status/1910733557942682042
Liverpool striker Jayden Danns will not play any part in Sunderland’s promotion push after being ruled out for the rest of the season.
The 19-year-old academy graduate signed on loan for the Championship club on deadline day in February, but remained on Merseyside for treatment after concerns over a back injury were flagged during his medical.
There was hope initially that Danns would recover and be able to feature for Sunderland towards the back end of the campaign, potentially in the play-offs.
However, that has now been dashed and Liverpool’s focus is on getting him ready for the start of pre-season training in July.
“He won’t play with us this season. It is definitive now,” Sunderland head coach Regis Le Bris told reporters on Friday.
Sunderland beat off interest from several Championship clubs to secure the teenager’s services. Le Bris’ side are fourth in the table and 16 points ahead of seventh-placed Middlesbrough with five games remaining.
Danns, who has scored three goals in nine senior appearances for Liverpool, became the youngest player in the club’s history to start a Champions League game when he lined up against PSV Eindhoven in January.
We are all fine with the idea of gravy being a number one guaranteed starter then? We don't want someone who can push him harder or improve on him? Or is it just that of all the positions we have to deal with, using little money, let's just take two built in solutions?
I think Gravy was a revelation for a third of the season. Since then he's looked to me like a good player, but nothing special. He's so young that there's lots of room to grow, but is it into a 6? That's what I don't know.
What I do know is he played too much and slot doesn't rate Endo, at all, even how he rates him doesn't rate him.
I think Gravy was a revelation for a third of the season. Since then he's looked to me like a good player, but nothing special. He's so young that there's lots of room to grow, but is it into a 6? That's what I don't know.
What I do know is he played too much and slot doesn't rate Endo, at all, even how he rates him doesn't rate him.
Depends what we think Bajectic's future next year looks like. I would prefer to have genuine competition for Gravy in the midfield but it wouldnt be my top priority given our other needs.
If Bajectic will actually be played as an occasional replacement or regular sub, we're good to wait. If not, we can't kill Gravy by over playing him as much as this season.
Yeah I saw the game. The boy is too good for that Las Palmas team.
Played very deep yesterday, so didn't do much in attack.
Even more Bajcetic:
View: https://x.com/LFCTikiTaka/status/1911140244314808597
The pace of that game beside the PL is glacial. It is like watching in slow motion. I wish we had loaned him in the Championship to the likes of Leeds. Still, I do think he should be allowed to stake a claim in preseason. We all saw what he was capable of a few seasons back when he was younger and slighter, so it would be a massive bonus if Slot thinks he's good enough.
