Liverpool Banter Archive November 30 2016

30 Nov 2016 23:32:08
So it's Utd vs hull and Southampton vs Us. I would have liked to avoid Southampton the most, I think against united you would prefer two games, so they don't have any chance of a smash and grab, Plus it would be a massive occasion. Against hull, it would almost be a bye, no disrespect to hull but they look very weak at the moment. I hope I'm left with egg on my face and they somehow beat united. Southampton is a game where we would be favourite and the pressure would be on us to beat them, but they are a tricky team as they showed against us last week and tonight against arsenal. I assume we will play a full strength team, so we should get through.

30 Nov 2016 22:00:26
what's happening with talk conspiracy.

{Ed002's Note - For now the site has been taken down. To work on emotive issues we will need a framework to work within or it can easily become an unacceptable free for all. We need to agree, amongst the Eds, what is acceptable and what is not - it is clear that the entirely open forum doesn't work.}

30 Nov 2016 22:19:49
Thanks for the update ed002, much appreciated.

{Ed002's Note - You are welcome - there are some good contributors but it easily runs away with itself. I would like to get it back but it is pretty essential to put that framework in place.}

01 Dec 2016 00:32:10
does framework mean censorship edd?
i think that was part of the sites charm .
shame its come to this.

01 Dec 2016 00:44:04
Agree with your point Ed002.
Do miss the page.

30 Nov 2016 23:58:33
Understood, many thanks to you and all the other Eds for all the excellent work you do for the sites.

01 Dec 2016 09:39:22
I didn't quite realize how many sites you have! - how many eds is there?

{Ed033's Note - There are about 70 sites. They can be accessed from the 2 grey drop down menus just before the start of the posts. Not all sites are popular though. There are around 10 eds.

01 Dec 2016 10:27:48
Thanks ed33 mate.

01 Dec 2016 17:23:53
"To work on emotive issues. " hmmmm, maybe that's what they WANT us to think,!

30 Nov 2016 21:29:33
Well if we are lucky, It would be liverpool vs UTD in the league cup final.

30 Nov 2016 22:46:48
I really hope so mate, bring them on!

30 Nov 2016 20:19:51
Thought the Young lad viera for Leeds last night was very good and only 18.

30 Nov 2016 21:46:24
I thought their LB Taylor was pretty impressive.

30 Nov 2016 23:17:24
yes charlie taylor impressed me to.
he is also out of contract in the summer.

30 Nov 2016 18:26:09
I completely agree with Ed001 - Lucas is one of my favourite players at LFC! Unlike some players, he plays with a smile on his face and it's obvious how much he loves the club. If you watch him at CB and at DM, he is excellent at headers despite his lack of height and his passing out from the back is fantastic. I don't care about head over heart, I want him to see out his career at LFC and believe he still has loads to offer, both on the pitch and in the dressing room.

30 Nov 2016 19:04:59
I can't see him staying beyond the summer mate. There was no need of buying klavan. Should have kept Lucas for aditional year.

30 Nov 2016 19:16:37
Have have always disagreed with Ed1 on this. Great guy though Lucas is he is simply not good enough. He's a better centre half than holding midfielder because everything is in front of him. As a holding mid he gets by passed too easily through poor positioning and chasing the ball then gives countless free kicks away around the box because he's tackling from the wrong side. I also feel that when you play for Liverpool especially at home, the holding mid is about 30 yards from goal for large parts of the game and has a lot of the ball so to have a player that can't hit a barn door with a banjo is just a waste. I love the guy for who he is but he's a squad player at best talent wise.

30 Nov 2016 19:58:19
I disagree, Pips. Lucas has always been a good DM and his passing ability has always been way underrated. Injuries has definitely slowed him down, along with the unwarranted and disgustingly appalling abuse he got for years by our so called "fans".

His ability to read the game, anticipate and cut out attacks before they happen, far out way his lack of pace. These qualities (acquired as a former AM and DM) are what allow him to play CB seamlessly, NOT due to the fact that everything is in front of him as you say. You will never see him making rash or last ditch tackles like say, Van Dyke.
Why? because unlike Van Dyke, Lucas is almost never out of position due to his reading of the game. He`s never been prolific, neither has been Mascherano when he was here so to use that as a stick to beat him with is unfair. He may not be the player he used to be BUT he`s more than a squad player, IMO. He`s a great guy to have in the team and due to his old head, a role model and on-field coach for Klopp.

30 Nov 2016 20:02:19
Lucas - comes as an attacking mid but let's be honest, who was ever going to compete with Stevie in that position? rafa moulds him into a DM and he makes that his own. then stevie gets too old to play high up the pitch so drops deep and then Lucas again is playing second fiddle to stevie! Even tho I would argue that Lucas was still better in that role. But through it all he remains committed to the club, the city and the fans. he is one of my all time favorite players, even when he was getting stick from all corners. THat kind of character is really special and you need that in the dressing room.

30 Nov 2016 20:10:11
Pip

You do realize the only reason Henderson is being played deeper is because he doesn't score goals!
Take that from me his goal scoring stats are one of the poorest in the league.
The traditional holding midfielders doesn't score a lot except Fernandinho who isn't one.

30 Nov 2016 20:38:25
I don't think 6, 5 and 7 goals from 2012-14 is that bad really. especially for a young up and coming midfielder being groomed to take over stevie.

30 Nov 2016 21:28:48
Sweet Hendo can score goals and he's proved it. Lucas can't score a tap in from 2 yards out and he's proved that. I'm not having a go at the guy I do like him but Hamilton how you can say that Lucas doesn't make rash tackles is beyond me. When he plays in midfield he fouls constantly. It's because he runs towards the ball leaving holes in behind him, gets passed around then he's either got to chase back or foul. He doesn't have the pace to recover so he fouls from the wrong side. It happens time and time again. As a centre back he can hold the line and everything is in front of him and he's looked really good. He has had great games in midfield too a game against City immediately springs to mind but his average games far outweigh the great ones. Fair play to Klopp for spotting his deficiencies in midfield and dropping him back it's prolonged his time with us by probably a couple of years and he seems like a really good guy to have around the dressing room.

30 Nov 2016 22:06:30
Hamilton also a word on his passing ability. He's decent for a centre half but average for a midfield player. He's good at fizzing balls along the ground through the lines but he always needs time to get the ball take a touch look up, decide what he wants to do then play the pass. That's fine for a centre half because you do tend to get that time more often but as a midfield player you need to be quicker and play quality passes first time. Who could forget the amount of times he's been caught being indecisive on the ball, been dispossessed and they are at our back 4. He's been the only defensive midfielder we've had at the club for years so he's got games and had some good ones but ultimately, for me anyway he's good but not good enough.

30 Nov 2016 22:06:52
Pip

I wouldn't disagree you completely on your view about Lucas. But I believe he is better than klavan by some distance and could easily play the 3rd choice back CB with us.
Defensive midfielders ( traditionally ) doesn't score a lot goals as they are ordered strictly to hold the line and stop an attack. But Klopp prefers a different type of player over there. So in that aspect I wouldn't judge Lucas on the basis of goals score mate. I would be happy my DM always stays in the middle and never charge high up.

Lucas reads the game brilliantly mate. He intercepts well but his lack of pace means he mistime tackles at times results in free kicks.

Lucas will be a decent player against a team who sit back and defend.

My observation mate ☺️.

30 Nov 2016 15:55:14
Had the pleasure of going to the game last night, although we didn't play well, always a privilege to see our team.

That said, despite the win, we were not great for a large portion of the game. I personally put this down to us having only 2 forwards on the pitch, and can and wijnaldum having to run into the attacking area on the left, where coutinho and firmino might usually be. Too many central midfielders resulted in the play being all passing and no bite. This was vindicated by how much our tempo improved as soon as woodburn came onto the pitch for ejaria.

While the front line was simply a matter of team selection, defence was where we looked especially dodgy.

And my point for this post is that i do feel slightly worried should we pick up any long term injuries back there. People say mignolet is a good backup, but he was awful last night. He hasn't improved. I'd much rather see an average, everyman goalkeeper there, than someone who looks capable of conceding a goal with every interaction of the ball.

Moreno, was equally bad, again. Where people think he has improved recently, sorry, i just don't see it. He still has the worst drcision making of any footballer I've ever seen, and continually was caught out by leeds attack targeting his area. Any tackles he made were very last ditch and made me wince. Going forward, he is still just as ineffective and poor at decision making as before.

The other culprit is klavan, who seems to get worse every time i see him. Hopefully he just needs time to settle in and get a run of games but, i see too many shades of him being skrtel mark 2 at the moment. His positionig and movement defensively, yesterday, was particularly bad.

Other than that, i thought man of the match was for alexander arnold, thought he had a virtually flawless game at right back, really did look mature. Woodburn changed the game when he came on, and origi put in a great shift in a misfiring attack. Can was also monstrous in midfield, was really impressed with his dominant, physical play and runs forward, he really gave it a good go.

Hopefully firmino, lallana and studge are back for the weekend, and we can keep the good form going!

30 Nov 2016 17:03:48
We had some luck yesterday on the process and we weren't great as some people are claiming in the page from morning.
I hope before I am taken to graveyard this page will understand what a CM should be to a team. If I die before Ed01, make sure you put up an article of different types of CM's.

The passing of sideways is an indication of lack of vision in your midfield to spot a run ahead or movement ahead.

{Ed001's Note - or it could be an indication of there not being a better option ahead of the player. Or it could be an instruction from the manager. Or it could be that the team have a lead and the player looks to play safe by keeping possession. Or it might be an attempt to draw out players to create space. There are many reasons for a sideways pass.}

30 Nov 2016 17:09:32
There could be more Ed01. But I don't think that's the case with us. We had 75% of possession in the first half. Leeds were sitting like a duck in their own 6 yard box.

{Ed001's Note - exactly. So they had compressed the space by sitting deep, one of the things the great Liverpool sides did in that situation was pass the ball sideways constantly. You need to go back and watch old footage, we played as many back passes to the keeper as we did forward passes. It was all about drawing out the opposition. You play it sideways to tempt someone to leave their position to make a challenge when they are sitting deep. If someone does get tempted out, then there is a gap to exploit.}

30 Nov 2016 17:15:00
Wooly, I agree with your post overall but you have to contextualize the game for what it was. Leeds are 5th in the table and a very good team, as we saw last night.

We had 8 changes to the team from the one vs Sunderland as well. This will definitely lead to a drop off in cohesion, team chemistry and overall, and team performance overall. With these in mind, I can understand why we were not as fluid.

One thing to also remember and this is critical, is that, we are not at our best right now and we are literally walking wounded with knock, and niggling injuries all around the squad with origin literally limping through the last 15 mins of the game yet came up with a goal and more than involved in the second.

This shows the mental strength and steel klopp has given this team to battle hard even if all is not going your way and we did that. I just hope we will have Lallana back next week, Mane well rested and back in form vs Bournmouth, Firmino and Studge back this week as well as hope Origi can shake off his knock because they kicked that boy from pillar to post last night.

30 Nov 2016 17:45:57
Why do people keep saying that Woodburn changed the game? He did well, and scored a good goal, but he did very little apart from that, and on a couple of occasions he went backwards when there was something on. I'm not slating him, because the boy is 17, but can we stop saying that he should challenge for Coutinho's spot as well, it stinks of overreaction, and putting way too much pressure on him.

30 Nov 2016 18:18:50
Harry, "The passing of sideways is an indication of lack of vision in your midfield to spot a run ahead or movement ahead. ". Clearly, you never played in midfield because if you did, you wouldn`t post a ridiculous comment like that.

30 Nov 2016 18:40:53
It wasnt reallt a criticism of the team going forward hamilton red, if anything i agree with you. The team was drastically changed and due to injuries it ended up being unbalanced and incohesive. Klopp saw what was wrong, changed it, and we won the game.

As for some of the players at the back though, their performance was not a matter of no cohesion, just being their usual selves. The point is that if we get long lay offs to karius, milner, or matip, we're basically screwed, judging by their performances last night.

30 Nov 2016 18:57:36
And they did not home out from their position whole first half and we went to the break 0-0.

Hamilton
Happy to know you have been playing in the midfield well.

30 Nov 2016 20:13:32
Good to know that you avoided responding the your own quote and explaining it so, I will help you explain your own quote. Whether they came out of their positions or not, is irrelevant. Your quote if taken seriously, means that any midfielder who passes sideways, lacks vision is still appallingly unintelligent. So does that mean midfielders like Xavi, Iniesta, Pep and the other maestros of Barcelona who practiced Tiki-Taka (the ultimate sideways passing system) lack vision as well? So did Zidane lack vision as well whenever he passed sideways (which was a lot) vs teams who parked the bus? Ed already explained this to you but you still go on down this rabbit hole for reasons best known to you. You keep passing the ball around as a team to keep possession, move the opposition block around so as to find the right openings/ pockets of space to score. More talented teams play this way all the time but when it`s LFC to you, the midfielders lack vision. Always trashing our players when you whenever it`s covenient for you. Utter nonsense. I stand by my statement. You`ve never played the game nor in midfield because if you did like I did, you would not have made that quote.

30 Nov 2016 20:17:33
Wooly, your point is taken but I just believe that the situation and the circumstances we were in must be taken into context before drawing such a conclusion. We do agree that we cannot be our best all the time so you have to consider and respect that fact. Let`s just enjoy the win, give the boys credit for fighting hard through some adversity and then hope the injury situation clears up instead worrying about things that have not happened or may not happen.

30 Nov 2016 21:28:36
Hamilton

Mate I am pretty sure you know better than me. But Xavi was arguably the best Controller in the modern era.
Relentless passing of only sideways is not a great sign of a top CM according to me at least.
Luka Modric is currently the best player in that position.
Passing sideways also means leaving the responsibilities to someone else and staying safe from the action.

Everyone pass to sideways.

01 Dec 2016 17:18:15
Harry, stop being an imbecile and just accept that your original criticism of sideways passing was just wrong! I can't be bothered to explain again why its wrong as you seem to not understand Ed001, Hamilton or the countless others who have pointed it out.

Its like banging one's head against a brick wall sometimes with you! Scratch that, most of the time!

30 Nov 2016 14:34:12
The game was poor, except for Woodburn's goal and Mignolet getting involved with play. This shows that the second team or not as well oiled a machine as the first.
I would like to see Woodburn pushing Couthino for game time. See the wonders competition did for Mignolet's game.

30 Nov 2016 17:20:06
Xpertoyin, you are not giving any credit to Leeds and the way they played. Their fist team, a very good one by the way sitting 5th in the Championship, gave us a good game and the main reason we were not at our best was because of the way Leeds played. Bottom line is that we hung in there, fought hard and got the win and a clean sheet and Woodburn scored, job done. If you are expecting the second team to play as well as the first and score 5 goals vs a team as good as Leeds were, then you will be disappointed every time, my friend.

30 Nov 2016 17:23:36
It's the same team that creamed Spurs. Last night was an off game that we still won!

30 Nov 2016 17:23:36
It's the same team that creamed Spurs. Last night was an off game that we still won!

30 Nov 2016 19:01:11
Giving Leeds credit for what Hamilton?
Another side who watched our footie on the TV and decided to park the double decker.
Give me a break mate.
It doesn't matter where does a team sit. What matters is how they set up. Bournemouth will play football unlike sitting back on Sunday.

30 Nov 2016 20:22:23
Harry, If you think Leeds only sat deep the whole game then again, you live in an alternate reality as they had the best chances and attacked us a lot more than Utd did at Anfield, . Leeds played well and were an attacking threat and they deserve credit for that. I suggest you watch the game again instead of making blanket statements that refer ONLY as your opinion and nothing more because all you do is moan, moan and moan. Seems you want us to fail so you can come on here and say "I told you so".

30 Nov 2016 21:11:00
Thanks for your kind comments. I thought we (Leeds) played pretty well too. 😎.

30 Nov 2016 14:25:32
I am glad to see people on here are not over doing the fact that Woodburn scored last night. There are lots of articles floating around about the impact Klopp is having in the youth set up.

Seeing Woodburn and A-Arnold playing last night is a great omen for the future.

I wonder if the eds, or any other informed reds may be able to give a balanced view of some of the prospects who are coming through the academy?

The ones to watch as it were?

Also any thoughts on whether Flanno has a future with the club?

30 Nov 2016 16:25:38
Much as it pains me, I'm not sure Flano has a future, certainly as a RB.

With Clyne and not TAA, I think that position is sown up for a few years to come.

Such a shame as I think Flano is a great player, but in my mind he's not attacking enough to fit the Klopp system.

A year or two ago, there was talk of him as a DM, and if that is a position he can/ wants to play, I can see him pushing Lucas and Stewart for that role.

Again, unlikely as its not his natural position (has he every played there, Eds? ) and it would be a heart over head choice as he's a scouser and has come up through the ranks.

{Ed001's Note - he played there for a while, prior to the injury crisis which forced Rodgers to give him a go at full back. Flanno would play in goal, if Liverpool asked him to. The lad just desperately wants to play for Liverpool. He proved he was good enough and his goal against Spurs surely shows he has the attacking quality needed as well?}

30 Nov 2016 17:28:09
Good point on Spurs, Ed, forgot about that. Do you think he has a future with us? In an ideal world, he would have the RB position and TAA would be challenging him. However, Clyne seems to be growing into the role and will be difficult to dislodge, or certainly Klopp seems to think so?

Also, above, I meant to type "With Clyne and NOW TAA", not "not"!

{Ed001's Note - personally, if Flanno was at his best I believe he would be first choice right now, but he is not back to his best yet and it takes time after a long injury to recover. Recent studies have shown that an ACL injury changes the way the brain uses the legs and requires retraining to ever return to normal.

“The brain fundamentally changed in how it processes information from an injured knee,” said Dustin Grooms, Ph.D, a researcher who conducted the study at Ohio State and is currently employed at Ohio University. “We think those changes play a big role in why people who recover from ACL injuries don’t trust their knees entirely and tend to move them differently.”

The above is a quote from a study recently published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy. It shows why players face such a long road back to their best after such serious injuries. Flanno has the desire, he has the will to do it, so I do believe, in time, he can be back to something like his best, but I don't believe we are willing to give him that time. Sadly I think he will end up moving on, though he is potentially far better than Clyne. Unless he returns to something approaching his best before the season ends, I think he will end up leaving.}

30 Nov 2016 18:55:02
Surely jurgen knows how much he loves the club and will give both flanagan and ings the support they deserve. Just because they can't offer anything on the pitch for a while, does not mean we cast them off. We look after our own and hopefully that will reap its own rewards.

30 Nov 2016 12:10:34
I am sure Woodburn is a great player in his own right but just because he is so young and scored an important goal is he now a wonder kid? He looked tidy and composed last night but nothing more, for a 17 yr old he didn't look out of place at all - that isn't meant to be derogatory just realistic. I don't think anyone on this site is guilty of getting carried away but the media does my head in from that point of view, Woodburn Womderkid etc.
That all said I always though Ojo was top of the prospects, how close is he to a return?
Fingers crossed Woodburn does develop well and last night will have done him the world of good 👍🏻.

30 Nov 2016 13:19:43
I agree. Just look at how arrogant Sparky has been since Ed002 called him wonderdog.

30 Nov 2016 13:31:21
I'm pretty guilty of getting carried away with the team's prospects but not with any of the young players.
For his age he looks great and seems to be very focussed and driven. He's a great prospect but he needs handling with care. Kloppo is the best man for the job.

30 Nov 2016 14:03:51
I think it's okay to call him wonder kid. Question is, though, does that mean he'll go on to be a wonder man?

30 Nov 2016 14:21:23
Leave the kid alone. Stop overhyping. there is a long way ahead for the kid. Ibe, Sterling, Stewart there are some examples which never went the way we loved.

30 Nov 2016 14:59:30
He needs to just carry on with what he's doing and he'll be fine. The media nobody should listen to and surely they're taught that. K lopp is the best man to handle young Woodburn I think he's the next big thing but will take time and patience he's only just turned 17.

Higgins I agree mate Ojo looked top quality and I believe he will once fit again The kid has massive potential.

30 Nov 2016 16:21:37
After a bit of googling it looks like Ojo resumed full training a couple of weeks ago with no news of any further set backs so hopefully he will be in a position to contest for a place next year when Mane goes away.

30 Nov 2016 17:38:54
Spot on, Harry and LFC16. The overhyping of Woodburn by the media and especially from our fans should stop. Woodburn is talented and last night`s goal didn`t show me that as I watched him in pre-season and the boy was solid so not surprised. I trust Klopp to take care of him and send him back to the U23 team so he can keep playing and improving. He doesn`t need to be fast-tracked at all for now so my hope is that fans and supporters alike, will not start spitting their dummy out just because they don`t see him in the first team for a while.

30 Nov 2016 10:46:57
Lucas should be given an extension at the club. I am convinced he has still got it with him after watching him yesterday. His reading of the game is magnificent. I have watched that interception for more than 10 times already. If anyone needs to be moved on it has to be Lovren and Klavan.

And I am not a big fan of Lucas either.

30 Nov 2016 10:56:30
What is the risk in starting Lucas alongside Matip given we dominate most of the games. Ed01
I know he lacks pace so does Lovren. I can't see any drastic difference between either of two.

{Ed001's Note - personally I prefer Lucas, but he does lack height and so that makes defending set pieces more difficult. Defending in open play is fine, as he is able to make a running jump to head the ball. At set pieces, you are often stood still when required to make a header.}

30 Nov 2016 11:00:57
Id like to see Lucas at LFC for the rest of his career although it doesn't look like he's going to be a constant in the first eleven. Lovren has a few outstanding games and misfires occasionally but i rate him highly on his good days. Klaven has played what.3 games?

30 Nov 2016 11:05:13
I agree on height. But time and time again Lovren has been caught on Ariel balls. We do have players in the team who are tall and could handle the pressure. Lucas is also the better passer among the two.

30 Nov 2016 11:51:52
I've checked my temperature and I am not ill, but I am about to agree with Harry!

Lucas should definitely stay and see out his playing career. He is an extremely reliable backup to defence and midfield and a great servant to the club. If he is happy becoming more of a backup than a starter, then its a no brainer to keep him. However, if he wants a starting position then we shouldn't block his ambition.

As to what happens with Lovren/ Klavan, a lot depends on whether Klopp goes back in the market for a partner for Matip, who is growing into a great ball playing defender, or whether Gomez can finally put his run of injuries behind him and step up.

I have a sneaking suspicion that Gomez/ Matip will be emerge as our first choice pairing in the next 12-18 months and become the bedrock of our defence for seasons to come. I've based this purely on the reports about Gomez from others, and also the few games he had under Rodgers last season, which is not a lot to base it on, but its just a gut feel.

30 Nov 2016 11:55:23
BTW, we've also seen the future of our RB position last night! I like the competition between Clyne and TAA that could develop over the next couple of seasons.

Shout out to Adam or others who follow the youth teams, do we have a young left back or two coming through the academy? That's the only unknown in our defence for the future. Milner is great, but is now 30 and for every good game that Moreno has (last round) he has a shocker (last night! ) so too risky in my view.

30 Nov 2016 12:10:28
Chin is that the same Ariel out of the Little Mermaid?

30 Nov 2016 12:36:02
Ariel is a mermaid, she doesn't have the normal lady parts let alone balls. Hence lovern getting caught out, its just that he is surprised.

30 Nov 2016 12:53:14
Barry

Your display picture looks cute 💕. Better than the previous one.

30 Nov 2016 13:31:11
Personally Zed, I would keep an eye on Sam Hart.

He is a right back, but if TAA has that position tied up, Hart may have to adapt to the left side to get into the side in the future.

Not overly impressed with Juanma defensively, and Maguire is looking more like a centre back.

30 Nov 2016 13:34:22
As much as we love Lucas the man, we have to move on from letting hearts influence heads.
If he is good enough he should be retained, but he might want to maximise his time on the pitch so I wouldn't stand in his way if he wanted to move on.

As for defending, Lucas is a bit too unlucky to be a defender. He seems to give away more than his share of freekicks in dangerous areas.

30 Nov 2016 13:58:45
Lucas just keeps coming back doesn't he, similarly to Milner you've just got to love his attitude. With Sakho and Ilori in the wilderness, Gomez's injury and Klavan not really making the grade Lucas is yet again proving just how versatile he can be. I can see the argument for him starting in the league, with most teams playing conservatively the requirement for a specialist CB is reduced but with the team doing so well I think Lovren owns that role for now. My hope though is that over the rest of the season we transition from Lucas being first reserve to Gomez.

30 Nov 2016 14:58:40
They say all players want to maximise their time on the field and win as many trophies as possible. Given the large amount of time Lucas has been off the field (some due to injury and some due to not being picked), I think loyalty and being faithfull to a club he loves are as important to him as being a starter every game. Otherwise he would have been gone a window or two ago when he saw the likes of Can and Stewart being brought in. And there is no knowing if he would start regularly elsewhere. As far as winning a trophy is concerned, I think he can smell that he is the closest he has ever been (aside from 2013/ 14) to winning one. Once again, there's no way of knowing if he would end up in a team (if he left) that has a chance to win a title/ trophy elsewhere. As long as Klopp wants him, I would not be surprised if Lucas finished his career with LFC.

30 Nov 2016 17:52:40
Lucas is free to stay at LFC as long as Klopp wants him, IMO. The guy is such a great person. Very humble, hardworking, tough and mentally strong to get through some of the nightmares he`s been though in his LFC career YET he still wants to stay here and prove people wrong and boy, has he proved people wrong. Lucas at CB would be my pick as well because his passing ability and his ability to step out of the CB position and into midfield to join the attack like he did last night, is essential in a system where we will always have the ball as teams park the bus against us but I understand Ed`s point of view as he would struggle defending set pieces du to his height. We will see what klopp does but I doubt Gomez will be the starter as he has not proven over a decent period that he can actually play CB for LFC. He needs to do that first before he can be judged.

{Ed001's Note - you are misunderstanding mate, I am saying what coaches have told me as the reason for Lovren being ahead of Lucas, not what I would choose. I would have Lucas in the team every time, if it was up to me. I absolutely love Lucas. He is one of a very very small number of footballers that I would allow to marry my daughter. He would be one of an even smaller number of people that I would actually approve of as a son in law. That is how much I love Lucas.}

30 Nov 2016 18:35:05
Oh, I agree with you Ed as I understood your overall point. Lucas has been outstanding overall when called upon to play at DM or CB so no issues there and I understand why the coaches pick Lovren over him. I would too if I was a coach but I`m not. I was just stating that he has tools that lovren does not have. You don`t need to explain it to me any further my friend.

I love Lucas, as well because he is not only a very good player, but even a much greater man as he represents all that is good in people in general and his humility, sensitivity, selflessness to the club`s cause and willingness to help his fellow man, are the things that endear him to me much more than his abilities as a footballer.

Now for his daughter to marry my son? Now, I would have to meet him one on one first to judge that, lol.

30 Nov 2016 19:07:36
Thank you very much. That's me and the family mate.

30 Nov 2016 07:33:41
Saw something about Klopp mentioning about watching and keeping tabs on smaller leagues, any idea which league (s) they keeping close tabs on? Klopp has had some luck with Poles, obvious Buvac and balkans connection, there are number of countries with some great generations of footballers right now.

30 Nov 2016 08:03:10
Polish league I heard. Buvac has a regular check over there.

30 Nov 2016 10:25:48
I don't know. When I had dinner with Buvac last week, I clearly remember him saying he was focusing on Albania. There seems to be tremendous untapped potential there. But I also remember Klopp sitting on the next table, having dinner with some unspecified Norwegian. I overheard Klopp say "they have really difficult names to pronounce, but those Polish boys are tough and run really fast, I like them". So, I guess that's how it is. (LOL)

30 Nov 2016 15:05:24
Lol ra1969.

30 Nov 2016 17:53:32
Good one, Ra.