Liverpool FC Forum

[Red H]

Striker/Right back,  on one hand we need a back up for Torres on the other you need a better RB than Arbeloa.

[quote]
Couldn't agree more.

Need more creativity from RB, in the Glen Johnson mold.
Would like to see a bit more promotion from within.

[Scottbot]

Straightforward question.  What is the weakest position in our team and why?  Assuming that is, that we stick with 4-2-3-1 with Gerrard playing as second striker.

The forum is full of talk about who we need to bring in this summer.  There is also a lot of talk of how many we should bring in - many advocating just a few signings but of higher quality than previous summers.

Which position is weakest then?  Right back would seem to be a lot of peoples' pick, with Arbeloa not convincing everyone.  Personally I'm happy enough with him but I'm sure there is room for improvement in that position.

Right midfield?  Before Christmas I'm sure that would have been most fans' pick.  Fact is though that Kuyt has grown into the RWF role and is producing goals and assists, seemingly winning over a lot of his doubters, or at least keeping them quiet for now.

Left back?  Aurelio is greatly improved this season and has certainly won me over.  I admit to having written him off before this season.  Still though, I hear people referring to our full back positions (plural) as our main weakness.

Left midfield.  Has Riera done enough to convince?  I think he has, but I still hear people say he's had a poor second half to the season - not an opinion I agree with.  Silva and this fellah Pranjic both play from the left mainly as far as I know, so does that suggest Rafa sees this as our main weakness if these reports that we are interested in them are true?

Centre back?  Would have seemed unlikely at the start of the season, but with Skrtel and to a lesser extent Agger failing to convince fans they're the real deal and Carragher dividing opinion on whether he's 'past it' or not, should a centre half be the priority next season?  Or can we get away with what we have another year?

Striker???

Seems strange that.  We have Torres who I think at the moment is the best striker on the planet, so how can striker be our main weakness??  Quite simply Torres can't stay fit this season and his hamstrings are a worry.  The striker position gets my vote, by a mile.  In a nutshell I believe that our greatest weakness is not any player in our first XI, but who replaces Torres when he can't play.  And it puts us in a really awkward position this summer I feel.  We need to get a striker in, no doubt, but they're not likely to start if Torres/Gerrard are fit.  Therefore who'd want to come?  How much do we spend?  Can we hit the jackpot and get someone verstile enough to fill in for an injured Torres and also play elsewhere when he's fit?

So, cards on the table, if you're to bring in one top quality player this summer, what position do you look for?

Good thread starter mate plus it's a tough one to pick the way we are playing right now.


Which position is weakest then?

Has to be one of the full-backs slots for me. As good as Arbeloa and Aurelio have played this season plus the promise Insua has shown. We still don't stack up when you compare our players to our rivals. At Left-back Cole and Evra definitely get the nod over Aurelio. I've seen less of Clichy (he's probably more suited to Arsenal's style than our own) to make a real judgement but I'd most probably go with him ahead of our lads. At Right-Back Arbeloa has had a good season, he's strong as an ox, makes few mistakes and has really grown in confidence as an attacking player the past three months but again I look at our rivals and see Bosingwa at Chelsea and Sagna at Arsenal. At united it's been more of a committee with Brown, Neville and Rafael sharing time but with Ronaldo in front of them I don't think it matters who they play there (we don't really have that luxury).

If I had to pick one it would be RB for a few reasons; We're short of back-up (only Carra) to play there when Arbeloa is injured/rested and while Deadly Dirk has been playing out of his skin the last 3 months, him and Arbeloa offer very little threat in terms of beating their man, running at players and being direct. They are both far more likely to stop, turn infield and play a simple pass backwards or sideways. Dirk likes to drift into central areas and that's when you want your full-back to push on and occupy that space. Arbeloa does this but he doesn't do it well enough against the bus parkers. A lot of people favour Johnson and I'd have no problem with that. Only problem is the fee, we always buy EPL based player RIGHT AFTER they have had their best season (see Crouch, Keane, Pennant) and subsequently end up paying top dollar.

Centre-Back - It's a tricky one, conceding goals hasn't really been a big problem this season except we look short at set-pieces without big Sami. I like Agger, i think he can be a top player with a full pre-season behind him. I'm not so sure about Skrtel but his form before his injury this season was pretty special so again, let's see how he goes after a full pre-season. I see a few posters are talking as if Carra is past it!? That's very premature, he is a FAR BETTER defender than either of these two. I do think he misses playing with a dominant (in the air) centre-half though, the mix of Sami and Carra was perfect. It isn't quite there with the other two.

I'd be VERY tempted to go after Hangeland at Fulham. I've been VERY impressed with him this season.

On the striker front - "Can we hit the jackpot and get someone versatile enough to fill in for an injured Torres and also play elsewhere when he's fit?"

We have to don't we? We can't buy an out an out striker of any real reputation because they won't want to come and play second fiddle to Gerrard and Torres. Has to be an adaptable player who can play anywhere across the front 4. Problem is there aren't many players who can do that.

I know I said FB was our weakest position but If we could sign just one player (within reason) I would put all our eggs into signing Sergio Aguero. He's quick, strong, skillful, goal scorer and goal creator. He used to be a very slight kid who could get bullied but he's got a low centre of gravity, incredible balance and an awesome touch. I don't know how much he'd cost, £25 million at a guess (so long as City don't want him) and i'm not sure Atletico would be so keen to sell another golden boy to us but i'd love it to happen.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4gWg0k_N5o

[Kharhaz]

Actually the Goalkeeper is the weakest. If Reina gets injured we are buggered !

[DrPepe]

Actually the Goalkeeper is the weakest. If Reina gets injured we are buggered !

how do you know?

cavalieiririri wotsit has only played 4 games!

[Kharhaz]

Actually the Goalkeeper is the weakest. If Reina gets injured we are buggered !

how do you know?

cavalieiririri wotsit has only played 4 games!

He has conceded 1 against crewe, 4 against spurs, 1 against PSV and kept a clean sheet against preston. Not the most challenging of opponents are they and yet I think its fair to say he doesnt fill us with confidence. He has played only four games for a reason !

[Greavesie]

Well I would say our defence has been reasonably sound this season, by that I mean that the points that we dropped that frustrated me the most were the 0:0 draws at home. I feel that one of the wings needs bolstered more vitally than that of the full backs. I would go for left-wing because of the form that Kuyt has produced over the last few months.

Riera has been a great addition to the squad but thats it, we were always in need of a genuine left winger and when he arrived the impact was obvious, then his early form seemed to disappear. I reckon a left winger that can reach high standards on a consistent basis would be one of the foundations to move us closer to the title

[Reg]

Actually the Goalkeeper is the weakest. If Reina gets injured we are buggered !

Thats not true, despite a few goals the reserve goalie we have now is the best we've had in the past 10 years. If Reina was injured I wouldnt bat an eyelid.

[Kharhaz]

Actually the Goalkeeper is the weakest. If Reina gets injured we are buggered !

Thats not true, despite a few goals the reserve goalie we have now is the best we've had in the past 10 years. If Reina was injured I wouldnt bat an eyelid.

But wasnt Kirkland a promising one, or Carson? Or indeed, wasnt Dudek brought in as a backup and ended up number 1 keeper? No, by all means, defend the lad, but compared to what we have had, he is not the best we have had in years. We rely entirely on Reina keeping fit. If he gets injured, we are or indeed will be, buggered if Reina gets injured.

[Greavesie]

keepers very rarely get injured but i'd sh!t myself if he did

[DrPepe]

Actually the Goalkeeper is the weakest. If Reina gets injured we are buggered !

how do you know?

cavalieiririri wotsit has only played 4 games!

He has conceded 1 against crewe, 4 against spurs, 1 against PSV and kept a clean sheet against preston. Not the most challenging of opponents are they and yet I think its fair to say he doesnt fill us with confidence. He has played only four games for a reason !

"the reason" is Pepe Reina 


seriosuly though - not an easy thing to keep a very good keeper satisfied on the bench, unless you give them loads of wonga...

...he seems decent enough to me as backup - quite hard to look good  when the back 4 isn't used to you. And what teams did we have on the pitch versus crewe and spurs?    not our first team i imagine

[Bad Bob]

RB for me.  As Sabre's said, we're paper thin in that position and Arbeloa is good, not great.  We simply cannot afford not to buy a RB this summer, given our lack of options.

[bigmick]

RB for me.  As Sabre's said, we're paper thin in that position and Arbeloa is good, not great.  We simply cannot afford not to buy a RB this summer, given our lack of options.

How do you know Degens not going to suddenly get fit Bob     

[JC_81]

RB for me.  As Sabre's said, we're paper thin in that position and Arbeloa is good, not great.  We simply cannot afford not to buy a RB this summer, given our lack of options.

How do you know Degens not going to suddenly get fit Bob     

You may joke Mick, but I think there's a real chance Benitez won't buy a right back this summer and give Degen a chance there.  He's apparently fit again, maybe Benitez will write that off as an unlucky season and give him a clean slate next year.  To be honest I haven't seen a lot of the lad to say whether he's any good or not.

[JC_81]

Centre-Back - It's a tricky one, conceding goals hasn't really been a big problem this season except we look short at set-pieces without big Sami. I like Agger, i think he can be a top player with a full pre-season behind him. I'm not so sure about Skrtel but his form before his injury this season was pretty special so again, let's see how he goes after a full pre-season. I see a few posters are talking as if Carra is past it!? That's very premature, he is a FAR BETTER defender than either of these two. I do think he misses playing with a dominant (in the air) centre-half though, the mix of Sami and Carra was perfect. It isn't quite there with the other two.

I'd be VERY tempted to go after Hangeland at Fulham. I've been VERY impressed with him this season.]

Scott it's a good point about Carra missing playing with a centre half who's dominant in the air, I do think we always got the best out of Carragher when he played spare and let Hyypia go for the first ball, worked a treat - similar to how Keown and Adams used to work at Arsenal.  I Carragher is very very simlilar to Keown was in style of play.  The idea of bringing in a big centre half to win it in the air is one I'm in favour of, not convinced Hanglaand is the man but that's just my opinion.  I think he's too clumsy on the deck, but he is a good player.

On the centre half position though, I think it will need addressing in the near future but I'd leave it be this summer.

[NANNY RED]

I agree with Sabre an Bob, im agreein alot with Bob latley.

An i know this might sound strange but id change Doc Waller, bring someone in with new fresh ideas