Liverpool FC Forum

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:16 pm

every club has their icons, the first names on the teamsheet...and we're close to losing possibly 3 of them in the near future. namely, Gerrard, Carragher and Reina. but who could replace them?

Jose Reina
there's so much talk that he might leave after this season. and it's a shame because he's been such an immense player for us on numerous occasions and he's such an expert with penalties. even though he failed to stop them, he was able to guess the correct direction of the incoming ball. i've never seen him dive the other way. while players further up the field may grab more of the headlines, it is impossible to overstate the importance of a reliable goalkeeper.

Possible Replacements
Igor Akinfeev - made his debut at the tender age of 17 and has been a regular at CSKA ever since with 136 appearances to date.

Guillermo Ochoa - 47 caps for Mexico and widely regarded as one of the best young goalkeepers in the world.

Fernando Muslera - he kept clean sheets in all of Uruguay’s group matches and sent his nation through to the semi-finals of the competition by saving two penalties against Ghana. he made a total of 32 saves throughout the World Cup, the most of any goalkeeper.

David De Gea - 4th choice keeper for the Spainish team and considering the quality of the other 3 ahead of him, i'm sure he's pretty damn good. plus he is merely 19 i believe. currently on Manure's radar but would be nice to beat them to it.

Manuel Neur - i honestly think he has better distribution then Reina.

Diego Benaglio - Benaglio has been the Swiss first choice keeper since 2008 and helped Wolfsburg to gain the first Bundesliga in their history last season. and since his club is currently having a very hard time, we may be able to get him for a decent price.

Notable mentions: Ben Foster, Hugo Lloris and Piet Velthuizen.

Jamie Carragher
he's nowhere as fast as he was, and in time, he should no longer be an automatic starter. i for one, would be disappointed to see him start every game next season. without Carragher, we could possibly see the end of the hoof-ball tactics. so, while acknowledging Carragher as an amazing player who has stopped numerous scoring opportunities from the opponents and one who bleeds for the club, his clock is ticking very quickly.

Possible Replacements

Kyriakos Papadopoulus - we've been linked to him before. i don't know much about him but he's really highly rated. just 19 if i'm not mistaken.

Mamadou Sakho - this guy is a beast! would really love to have him in our team to give the much needed aggression we've been lacking.

Gary Cahill - has been in a series of commanding performances which has him stealing all the spotlight. Bolton aren't doing well financially so he could be a steal.

Micah Richards - he can play at rightback and also central defense. but with him being a City player, plus he is English, his price would probably be double his worth.

Simon Kjaer - another player from Wolfsburg.

Notable mentions: Per Mertesacker, Ryan Shawcross and Fabiano Santacroce.

Steven Gerrard
unlike the other 2 above, Gerrard is the hardest to replace IMO. i cannot think of any player whose combative style of play can lead a fightback.

Possible Replacements

Charlie Adam - he is actually being considered for the Player of the Season award. when was the last time a player from Blackpool was considered for an award which is usually won by players from the top 6 clubs?

Marek Hamsik - my personal first choice as he has all the attributes needed to be the next big thing.

Xabi Alonso - this is a long shot but well, i'm running out of options

Javi Martinez - already made over 100 appearances for the club both at home and abroad at the age of 21. tipped to be the perfect replacement for Alonso when he left us.

Notable mentions: Javier Pastore and Erik Lamela.

by **damjan193** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:23 pm

Don't hope too much on finding a replacement for Gerrard mate. It's not just his skill we're talking about, it's the mentality and knowledge of the team and all that stuff. Never going to find another Steven Gerrard IMO, but I think we all know that.

by **SouthCoastShankly** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:24 pm

I can only realistically see Reina leaving in the summer. He hasn't looked right this season, can see big clubs signing him.

Gerrard has a far too resale value based on his age and injuries this season, he value to the club exceeds any money we would get for him. Besides after the Chelsea debacle with Gerrard's u-turn and decision to stay at Liverpool, I think he will retire a Liverpool player.

Carragher will retire a Liverpool player and move into coaching, next season will be his last in terms of a starting position.

EDIT: If Gerrard's career has ended this is the time for FSG to show their real desire and make headway to sign a replacement. Not sure what the stance is on club insurance policies for high profile player injuries?

Either way, if Gerrard has had a MAJOR injury, then 4 months rehab will prove whether it is completely over. Don't give up on him yet.

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 4:28 pm

Gerrard and Carra may retire as a Liverpool player but who could replace them? Meireles and Kelly? Agger gets injured far too often and it's frustrating! apart from Meireles and Gerrard, none of our midfielders have any creativity (Spearing, Lucas and Poulson). we do have Aquilani though. forgot all about him.

by **PabloMedina28** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:14 pm

Maybe we couldnt bring in a single player to replace them, we could bring in a better player in this momemt in time but to get someone who would offer as much as Carra, Reina and Gerarrd have over 6-10 years is another thing. But we could bring in 2 or 3 ala Torres. For instance in Gerards case if we brought in someone like Adam, Hamsik or DeFour and also got 2 wingers like Turan, Sanchez or Young then i believe though Gerrards position would be weakened we would improve overall.

This thread sort of sums up the problem with most clubs, supporters and thier best players, is that when the time comes to move on people are afraid too and make a mountain out of a molehill.

by **metalhead** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:21 pm

I don't think ANYONE can replace Gerrard, he was out of this world, the best Box to Box and midfielder on the planet, he was that good! The only player who could replace him would come out of our academy, that is the only way I see it.

As for Carragher, I think we have Martin Kelly who can do a really good job in the center of defence, we also have Coady coming from the academy who looks pretty good.

by **worcester_red** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 5:24 pm

PabloMedina28 wrote:Maybe we couldnt bring in a single player to replace them, we could bring in a better player in this momemt in time but to get someone who would offer as much as Carra, Reina and Gerarrd have over 6-10 years is another thing. But we could bring in 2 or 3 ala Torres. For instance in Gerards case if we brought in someone like Adam, Hamsik or DeFour and also got 2 wingers like Turan, Sanchez or Young then i believe though Gerrards position would be weakened we would improve overall.

This thread sort of sums up the problem with most clubs, supporters and thier best players, is that when the time comes to move on people are afraid too and make a mountain out of a molehill.

Reina is a good keeper but I do not think he is great and I definitely think he's replaceable.
Carragher should not be starting nay games even this season, we have to get at least 1 quality CB this summer and have Carra as emergency cover only.
Stevie is still a very valuable player for us but we need to start thinking of the future and getting hold of a youngster who can learn the trade, or maybe we already have it. We have to get some more creativity into midfield as well plus some natural wingers would be nice.

by **PabloMedina28** » Wed Apr 06, 2011 6:37 pm

metalhead wrote:I don't think ANYONE can replace Gerrard, he was out of this world, the best Box to Box and midfielder on the planet, he was that good! The only player who could replace him would come out of our academy, that is the only way I see it.

As for Carragher, I think we have Martin Kelly who can do a really good job in the center of defence, we also have Coady coming from the academy who looks pretty good.

Key word was unfortunately, how many times have you slated me for biging up the youngsters and now you think the only player who could replace one of the greatest midfielders ever has to come through are academy?

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:27 pm

who is gonna be our next captain if Reina leaves and Gerrard is forced to retire? Carragher would be a squad rotation player i hope, so let's put him out of the equation. who is the next most senior player we have who can be captain? Suarez?

by **metalhead** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:32 pm

PabloMedina28 wrote:
metalhead wrote:I don't think ANYONE can replace Gerrard, he was out of this world, the best Box to Box and midfielder on the planet, he was that good! The only player who could replace him would come out of our academy, that is the only way I see it.

As for Carragher, I think we have Martin Kelly who can do a really good job in the center of defence, we also have Coady coming from the academy who looks pretty good.

Key word was unfortunately, how many times have you slated me for biging up the youngsters and now you think the only player who could replace one of the greatest midfielders ever has to come through are academy?

Oh jeez, you didn't understand my post, I'm not advocating shoving a 16 year old in the first team right now and see if he is the next Gerrard. I'm saying that IF a player like Gerrard will ever play for our club, most likely he will be from the academy.

capiche?

by **Greavesie** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 9:33 pm

Good question, personally I'd have said Agger if he could stay fit but because he's a part timer he cant be either.

I remember when we had a squad full of captains, how times have changed

by **ethanr** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:09 pm

Greavesie wrote:Good question, personally I'd have said Agger if he could stay fit but because he's a part timer he cant be either.

I remember when we had a squad full of captains, how times have changed

Interesting you mention the captains thing. Looking at many of the players we are linked with, we have bought Suarez who was a captain, we are linked with Charlie Adam who is a captain as well. We can bring that aspect back if we go after the right players.

Reina will be hard to replace because Arsenal and manure need keepers right now. That's 2 clubs we'd have to beat out for a new one, unless Reina went to one of them. I'm really hoping he stays and I think he sees that the rebuilding we are doing will be worth the stay. I hope.

Carra hasn't been very great for us for a couple of seasons now in my opinion. He is replaceable with the likes of Gary Cahill, possibly Simon Kjaer or Per Mertesacker. We do have Kelly as well, and for some reason I feel confident in us sighing Cahill, so if we started those 2 at CB then Carra would be a great back up.

Gerrard is an irreplaceable player. My personal best ever Liverpool player. But these things happen. I think he's still got another 3 or 4 years, but he won't be scoring 15 goals and getting 15 assists. If the injury is properly cared for, we may get another season or two of that, but I can't see it going much more. Charlie Adam I feel would be a good replacement. If you look at how he's carried his team, he is ver similar to Gerrard. Obviously he isn't as good as Gerrard, but I think he has similar qualities. Steven Defour would be a good signing as well because he is so young and promising.

Carra and Gerrard deserve to retire as Liverpool legends, and I hope Reina does too. I'm confident that if Reina sticks around for one more season, he will retire at LFC. He'll see the building process is serious and that it's working and we will win titles.

by **Thewaykokid** » Fri Apr 08, 2011 10:40 pm

I think it can be fair to say that with our injury list, there is little chance of achieving anything great this season. Therefore, in terms of looking for replacements for the likes of Gerrard, Carra, etc, I'd Be inclined to give some of our youngsters/benchwarmers a run in the starting team to prove their worth, if they fail and are too old (Cole...), ship in the summer. Just think about the likes of Arsenal who have thrown their youngsters in the firing line like Wilshere, perhaps all it takes is a good run of game time. Imagine if we used Shelvey as a gerrard replacement for the rest of the season, tried Cole out wide more often, maybe give Wilson a good run at CB, we could find that someone is really up to LFC standard, rather than dismissing them completely.

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 6:33 am

Thewaykokid wrote:I think it can be fair to say that with our injury list, there is little chance of achieving anything great this season. Therefore, in terms of looking for replacements for the likes of Gerrard, Carra, etc, I'd Be inclined to give some of our youngsters/benchwarmers a run in the starting team to prove their worth, if they fail and are too old (Cole...), ship in the summer. Just think about the likes of Arsenal who have thrown their youngsters in the firing line like Wilshere, perhaps all it takes is a good run of game time. Imagine if we used Shelvey as a gerrard replacement for the rest of the season, tried Cole out wide more often, maybe give Wilson a good run at CB, we could find that someone is really up to LFC standard, rather than dismissing them completely.

i would personally like to see Saric up front but with Carroll and Suarez ahead of him. he might be another one that's bound to move on just like Nemeth, and possibly Pacheco. the latter is impressing at Norwich so i'm really baffled as to why he had not been taken into consideration this season considering our lack of attacking players at one point.

we've got a number of defenders such as Ayala, Mendy, Sokolic and Mavinga who will probably leave in time as well as the sight of being in the first team falls further away. i do not mind that at all so long as the signings bought in place of them are of better quality. for example, i never understood the signing of Voronin when we had Nemeth, or Konchesky when we've got Insua, etc.

it would be disappointing if we were to release a player and he ends up becoming a hit with another club hence it's important that more time is given with the youth. can anyone shed some light on Bruna? he was highly rated as some point.

by **PabloMedina28** » Sat Apr 09, 2011 7:55 am

metalhead wrote:
PabloMedina28 wrote:
metalhead wrote:I don't think ANYONE can replace Gerrard, he was out of this world, the best Box to Box and midfielder on the planet, he was that good! The only player who could replace him would come out of our academy, that is the only way I see it.

As for Carragher, I think we have Martin Kelly who can do a really good job in the center of defence, we also have Coady coming from the academy who looks pretty good.

Key word was unfortunately, how many times have you slated me for biging up the youngsters and now you think the only player who could replace one of the greatest midfielders ever has to come through are academy?

Oh jeez, you didn't understand my post, I'm not advocating shoving a 16 year old in the first team right now and see if he is the next Gerrard. I'm saying that IF a player like Gerrard will ever play for our club, most likely he will be from the academy.

capiche?

I understood i was just giving u a taste of ur own medicine. Twisting peoples words to have a a go.

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