Liverpool FC Forum

[Owzat]

I think we just need to try some youngsters. If these youngsters turn out to be really good it could safe us a lot of cash in the future.

And what if they aint good enough?

Then we don't win the title, not exactly going to be in the way of change there the way things are currently going.

[Fowler_E7]

It has to be said, if we are so broke why did Rafa spend the majority of the cash on an injured player who wont be available for two months? Van der vart is apparently avalaible for a lot less that we got aquilani for and is by far the more established player and is fit! seems a bit strange that one to me. I hope for ours and Rafa's sake that Aquilani turns out to be a superstar because we cant afford for him not to be.

[Tim LFC]

I think we just need to try some youngsters. If these youngsters turn out to be really good it could safe us a lot of cash in the future.

And what if they aint good enough?

Then there either not good enough or not ready. We might have some not ready and some ready. I mean some our 21 ffs! That's hardly young compared 18 or 19!

[crazyhorse]

The thing is none of the reserves are setting the world on fire in reserve games and knocking on Rafas door for their chance. We have no Gerrards/Owens/Fowlers/Carra/Maccas waiting in the wings!! There is no point rushing them into the first team if they are not ready, it will only set them back.

[bunglemark2]

The thing is none of the reserves are setting the world on fire in reserve games and knocking on Rafas door for their chance. We have no Gerrards/Owens/Fowlers/Carra/Maccas waiting in the wings!! There is no point rushing them into the first team if they are not ready, it will only set them back.

Good point there mate...
Can't help but remember the Ressies last season and in most of the games I watched, I can't say one really stood out.
Looking at the other young players out there, you'd have to say the likes of Arsenal and Manure just churn one good player after another out, most of them ready to step into the first team....

[KOPMATT]

Maybe we need to bring back Heighway? But thats not going to happen is it.

[Bammo]

It has to be said, if we are so broke why did Rafa spend the majority of the cash on an injured player who wont be available for two months? Van der vart is apparently avalaible for a lot less that we got aquilani for and is by far the more established player and is fit! seems a bit strange that one to me. I hope for ours and Rafa's sake that Aquilani turns out to be a superstar because we cant afford for him not to be.

Because Aquilani plays CM and VDV (who I'd still like here for £7m!) plays further forwards?

Aquilani was a direct replacement for Alonso. Had he not been sold then Rafa may well have spent money on a more attacking player.

[Igor Zidane]

We'll be alright , just bought another defender for how much ? 3million euro. Great stuff ,well in Tom and George . Back the manager to the hilt for another title challenge ,so so close .

[Lando_Griffin]

Why is the squad too thin there can only really be one answer, Rafa , and its getting a bit boring everybody trying to blame the owners who although not my favourites mainly due to the debt and stadium failure, have provided funds, lets not forget 20m+ Torres, 20m Keane, 8m Riera, 9m Babel, 20m Aquilani, 17m Johnson (Thats not small change)
Rafa has been in charge 5 years and  had well over 150m in transfer funds, although I accept he has also recouped a good amount, but after all that he has his team, no excuses, the only players left from when he took over are Gerrard and Carra, both of which most teams would want. However the simple facts are there to see, we have an unbalanced squad lacking in depth and in some areas quality. Quite simply to many of Rafa's average buys have not worked out leaving us looking very thin. And his defensive nature is why despite everybody with any sense knowing we need better options up top to break teams down who defend deep at Anfield causing us to draw games, his first signing in the window was a defender and now he is looking for another.

Top scorers last season.

[baldricks_cunning_plan]

We'll be alright , just bought another defender for how much ? 3million euro. Great stuff ,well in Tom and George . Back the manager to the hilt for another title challenge ,so so close .

A top world class defender as well mate, don't forget that. Give them credit where it's due eh. 

[The_Rock]

In respect of your other point about "funds raised over and above", well so what ! how he came to the amount he has to spend does not matter, he has spent considerable money, and had 5 years to build a squad, so I simply cannot see how we are short on the opening game of a season at this point in time, I mean our bench was laughable for a team that should be title contenders.

But it does make a difference, mate.  If Rafa is given a wedge of cash to spend from the owners and is able to use it go and sign the players he wants its different than if he has to sell before he can buy.  In the second scenario he has to ship out players he might otherwise like to keep in order to raise funds to get the top players in that we need to truly have a go at the league.  Look at our right back situation, for instance.  We can all agree that Johnson is probably an improvement on Arbeloa but I think most of us might have preferred to hang onto the Spaniard as back-up as well.  But in a 'sell in order to buy' scenario, Rafa doesn't always have that luxury.  To my mind that goes someway to explaining why we have a relatively threadbare squad despite seemingly spending a lot of money on transfers during Rafa's time at the club.  It also suggests that the money spent numbers need to be seriously juxtaposed with the money raised numbers, rather than just dismissing the latter as something that has no bearing on the former.

All of which is true Bob, but if we start to tailspin this season due to a weak squad, people will ask the question all the same about the "rebuilding" which has taken place over five seasons.

My own take is fairly obviously from my stance over the years that we could have done it better. That debate though is for later, for now we've got to find the best way of getting into and staying in the title race.

Given the players available, I'd leave the same team for Stoke with the exception of replacing babel with Benayoun. If however Riera is fit, then as I said before the season started we may have to make a harsh decision. In that scenario I'd go with this as our best team :

                 Reina

Johnson   Carragher  Skyrtel   Insua

Kuyt    Gerrard     Masherano     Riera

        Benayoun

                        Torres.

No surprises here, but I'd play that team until someone gets injured. No fecking about, revolving, gazelling, taking into account the opposition and all that old b0llocks (I might swap Lucas for Benayoun and go 4-5-1 at Chelsea) I'd play this team. That is our best team I think if everyone bar Aquilani is fit, once he is we can shift Gerrard back forward and have a look at him. My worry is too much of a dalliance with the likes of Lucas and Babel will see us out of it before it's even fecking started.

Think this is the team most of us will prefer too. But guess u should know benitez's stubborness by now. He seems intent to unleash Lucas this season. Can't see him dropping Lucas in the near future.

[akumaface]

What we did near the end of last season, we stuck to our best line up and played really really well. That is something Rafa should think about. But by dropping Gerrard back to the middle, that would means Rafa is admitting defeat in his decision to play Lucas. Don't mind Lucas coming off the pitch as a replacement but there is a limit as to how long Rafa should stick to him....In the spurs game, we needed offense at the end and should have taking out Lucas and not Kuyt. Anyway, just don't understand Rafa sometimes....

[heimdall]

We'll be alright , just bought another defender for how much ? 3million euro. Great stuff ,well in Tom and George . Back the manager to the hilt for another title challenge ,so so close .

Yes would be much better if we did like Leeds and just borrowed even more money to buy players and drive the club into even more debt.   

Make your mind up mate do you want us to be more in debt or be sensible and realise that we, as almost all other clubs, have feck all money. We'd all love to be like citeh but if the money isn't there then it just isn't there.

[bigmick]

The danger with sticking with Lucas for the Stoke game is that we come through there but suffer in the two tricky games that follow. I know many maintained that he had a fairly decent game against Spurs, but true or not it's hard to make a case for the Lucas/Masherano providing the necessary thrust from central midfield. Alonso was hardly box to box, but he did help in an attacking sense by moving the ball around smartly. Although in the immediate aftermath of the Tottenham game I advocated leaving Lucas in, the more I think about it and the more I look at our next two games after stoke (Villa at Home and Bolton Away), the more I'm coming round to thinking that we might as well bung our best team available out right now.

Apparently Chelsea were massively impressive at Sunderland, and I fear that if our defeat at Spurs is allowed to develop into one of our bliiiiiiips, we could be out of it very quickly. Lets get the best team out as of now, and get something going.

[heimdall]

The danger with sticking with Lucas for the Stoke game is that we come through there but suffer in the two tricky games that follow. I know many maintained that he had a fairly decent game against Spurs, but true or not it's hard to make a case for the Lucas/Masherano providing the necessary thrust from central midfield. Alonso was hardly box to box, but he did help in an attacking sense by moving the ball around smartly. Although in the immediate aftermath of the Tottenham game I advocated leaving Lucas in, the more I think about it and the more I look at our next two games after stoke (Villa at Home and Bolton Away), the more I'm coming round to thinking that we might as well bung our best team available out right now.

Apparently Chelsea were massively impressive at Sunderland, and I fear that if our defeat at Spurs is allowed to develop into one of our bliiiiiiips, we could be out of it very quickly. Lets get the best team out as of now, and get something going.

I bet we start with the same team as against Spurs, or at least the same midfield.

We really have to win this game but I have a bad feeling about it, wish I could be positive but I just can't right now, the team is just not right at the moment.