1.) 09 Jun 2016
09 Jun 2016 21:54:34
We have known for a while that Zielinski wants to play for Liverpool. It is finding a deal with Udinense that seems to be a problem, and more so that we seem to be interested in Dahoud.

2.) 09 Jun 2016
09 Jun 2016 22:02:00
@RealAG do you have a preference for signing either? Frankly I haven't seen much of either of them so have just been going on highlights, general opionion and their stats for the season.

3.) 09 Jun 2016
09 Jun 2016 22:18:46
Dahoud would be a quality signing, but something is telling me it won't be pulled off. who knows.

4.) 09 Jun 2016
09 Jun 2016 22:48:45
Zielinski is a better passer, and a more skillful dribbler. Dahoud is better defensively and more mobile. Zielinski has a good change of pace and is powerful on the ball, but his actual top speed isn't great. In contrast Dahoud is very quick across the ground, but he is built like Chirivella. Different players although both play on the sides of a midfield 3 and tend to be the more attacking player of the 3. So if we signed either you could safely assume they will join Hendo and Emre in midfield next season, and not replace either of them. We'd then have Stewart, Grujic and hopefully Brannagan but probably Milner as the second choice midfield.

I would prefer us to stick with Hendo and Can as a 2 man midfield and sign 2 wide midfielders so we can go 4-4-2, but if we sign Dahoud or Zielinski it will almost definitely be a 4-3-3 (especially with the confirmed interest in Mane who plays anywhere across a front 3), with the front line consisting of Firmino, Sturridge and Mane, with Origi, Ings and Lallana as the back-up.

Who is better? I'd say Dahoud has more potential, but Zielinski is currently a cut above him. Dahoud will also not represent value for money as it will take a massive offer to get his team to part with him as they have already sold 2 players of last seasons starting midfield 3.

Zielinski deal just seems to stall and stall though as we mess Udinese around and at some point, they will just put the phone down and press charges against us for tapping up the player (assuming they haven't already done so) .

5.) 09 Jun 2016
09 Jun 2016 22:56:44
have watched videos of zielinski and read reviews which makes excited as a transfer prospect, but never seen him play so can't really say within accuracy on how good he actually is. and know nothing of dahoud!

Quick question for eds about what ever happened to the player profiles page? Obvs love the site and appreciate all the work you provide, but seems to have gone off?

Maybe I was alone in enjoying it but really enjoyed the profiles provided by eds and posters who could at least provide some insight on players.

Cheers as always!

6.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 00:18:49
I have watched quite a bit of Dahoud, not seen much of Zielinksi if I'm honest. I would echo much of what Mk Scouser said, but I would add that Dahoud is an absolute engine in the midfield. He can go all day much like hendo and Milner in that respect. Calm in possession and has a good shot on him too.

By no means perfect though. He can be rash and at times goes off to the sides too often leading the middle exposed. Not much of a tackler, more of a harrier in midfield like hendo. I can't judge Zielinksi really, I have only seen clips of him. There not very similar players from the looks of it so perhaps it not one or the other.

7.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 00:45:23
Yeah that's what I meant when I said "mobile", Rookie.

He covers every blade of grass at real pace. Both players are pretty good at striking a ball as well.

Only bit I disagree with you on is it not being one or the other. Whilst they are different in terms of style, they ultimately still play the same position and unless we are loaning out Grujic and selling Milner, it makes little sense to have so many midfielders. As neither Dahoud nor Ziekinski is better than Henderson, I can't see us signing both as one would be joining to compete with Grujic for a position on the bench. Klopp clearly rates Can as the holding player (and Ed002 also believes that is his natural position) . Although some on here argue that Can is not defensive enough, Joachim Low clearly disagrees as he trusts Can enough defensively to utilise him at both left and right back due to the German talent pool severely lacking in those departments right now.

I think Dahoud will prove to be too costly so would not be surprised to see a midfield next year with Zielinski and Henderson either side of Emre Can, dictating the game from deep. That would be a very solid midfield with an excellent variation of abilities. Plus Zielinski can take a good corner!

8.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 04:28:26
Engine, run all day and other terms of that ilk are not neccesary in our midfield given the current pieces we have. Craft, guile, vision, technique, creativity are massive needs however.

9.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 04:33:19
Then BVB will sign him like the other two targets they had signed.

10.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 06:07:21
Again its very limited knowledge, but.
personally I think Zielinski is very energetic but quite wasteful with the ball and misplaces a worrying number of passes, and he will need need at least one season of development before a first team start. Ed002 referred to him as squad padding, but I'm not sure he is ready for the senior squad yet.
Grujic looks like he has a bit more quality and composure and is a better passer (and often seems to play a bit further forward), but if we play 4231
then I'm not sure either would claim a spot in the 2 ahead of hendo or can, although grujic looks a real prospect so who knows.

11.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 06:30:04
Gents we habe shown zero interest in Dahoud. I no all the Journos say we are after him but ed02 has explained that at this stage we are not.

12.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 06:47:07
I have to admit I've not seen neither of them play but I'm concerned to hear more than one person say that they're not as good as Henderson. If we want to compete we need to be replacing Henderson who isn't good enough, not buying some backup for him. I'm sure Klopp is smart enough to know this as well.

13.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 08:17:41
I just cannot comprehend the comment about Hendo - what are you expecting? Does someone not constitute being a good midfielder unless they are putting in 45 yard screamers each game? Whenever Hendo is in the team we are a better team, whenever he is out of it, we are a poorer team. That says it all. I hope we hang on to him and your opinion is the minority and not one of anyone with any decision making power within the club.

{Ed001's Note - well said.}

14.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 08:42:19
I am sure klopp is smart enough to know that henderson is the best midfielder in our squad hands down. there is nothing you can do to explain if one cannot see the contribution he makes when he plays and what liverpool lacks when he doesn't play.

15.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 09:00:49
I hear what you're saying Gibbs, but you're talking about him improving a poor team, we are looking to move forward and challenge. Would he improve any of the big teams, I have to say no. Being the best of a bad bunch doesn't make a good player, taking the match by the scruff of the neck when things aren't going well, and winning it single-handedly is something he doesn't do, that's what we're missing.

{Ed001's Note - no we aren't. We are missing a team to grind results out when things are not going well. We spent too long relying on one man to do that and that is why we are mid-table. The great teams we had all had players like Henderson that were the building blocks. Oh and he would waltz into the City side, are they not one of the big teams? He is twice the player of Cesc Fabregas, who is a regular for Chelsea. I wish people like you would understand the game, instead of the glory.}

16.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 09:17:12
Ok ed001 I am putting this one to bed now, it's a matter of opinion. Just out of interest, would ed002 like to see Hendo in the Chelsea team?

{Ed001's Note - it is not an opinion, it is a lack of reading of the game that leaves people unable to see what he brings to the team. The stats generation have absolutely f all knowledge of the game other than what the moronic stats and those imbeciles at OPTA trot out to them.}

17.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 09:39:38
Are you suggesting I'm one of the stats generation ed? I've been going the game since the mid 80's, I can read the game very well, and can see what's in front of me clearly, therefore I can safely say it is a matter of opinion. If football wasn't a matter of opinion why has there ever been any debate about who is the best player in the world?

I respect the job you do on here but you have to be able to accept people's opinions on these matters, I think mignolet is about as much use as a wheelie bin, but other people think he's a good gk, that's another example of opinion.

{Ed001's Note - I have only ever heard one person suggest Migs was a good keeper, and that was a Belgian bloke who supported his first team. So I fail to see your point with that. Clearly you do not read the game well or you would not think it was about one man, rather than the 11 on the pitch.}

18.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 09:31:14
I think sometimes Hendo tries to hard to take the game by "the scruff of the neck".
I don't think we're lacking "craft and guile" at all in midfield, that's what our attacking players have (Lallana, Firmino, Coutinho) .
Too many times last season I thought our midfield structure fell apart. Teams glided through the centre of our team like there was no-one there. We need to be more disciplined in our structure. Too often I'd see a midfielder go back to the central defenders, take the ball off them, lose possession 2 passes later and hey presto there's a bloody great big space in the middle of the park.
We have to stop doing that.
I don't think we necessarily need more bodies in centre mid, we have Hendo, Can, Grujic, Stewart, Lucas, Brannagan plus Joe Allen if he stays. I think a few tactical tweaks and better organisation is all we need.

19.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 10:26:54
Ron - that's part of my point. Our CMs can be quite 1-dimensional. Ya rarely see 1-2s out the middle or atound the box with our attacking playerx. Its often very lateral and I think contributes heavily to to our inability to break down teams. Just getting it to the feet of couts, firmino etc isn't enough. We need to be creating angles, making late runs etc on the odd occssion we hav played triangles etc it looks really good. Origi goal vs dortmund set up by can immediatrly springs to mind. That creativity and linking btfn mid-attack is often missing for us.

20.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 11:00:59
For sure Henderson i hope stays!
As for our most important midfielder, who knows, but for me Can has amazing potential and i hope he stays for a long time. He is our future i think. in that position anyhow.

21.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 11:11:37
Zielinski's game is built on quick passing, forward runs and linking up the midfield to the attack.

So I think you will like him Faithinworks.

22.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 13:59:04
As souness said, defenders (he was refering to moreno's lack of poditional sense, and rashness in running up field to often), let the attackers attack and do what they get paid to do.
Point I'm making is, central midfielders break (when defending) up play and link (when attacking) play. Henderson is a wonderful example of this and if he played for say Stoke, is exactly the type of player we would be shouting at the club to buy. i'm fortunate enough to go to anfield on a regular basis, and believe you me we are so much better when Henderson plays.
From what Mk has said, zielinski sounds like the exact type of player we need for certain matches, and like ed01 said in some games you just need someone to get stuck in. My prefeence from the players I know extensively would be Kante or Gueuy (aston villa, please excuse my spelling) .

23.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 14:33:46
We sold Suarez after finishing second. Out Leicester season.
We finished 6th and then we finished 8th.

I don't know who all our great players are but I do know this, we are miles behind because of our squad. Miles.

GK. Both wing backs. Both centre halfs. All our midfield. All our attack. All of these have finished 6th and 8th.

Coutinho plays now and again. Firmino plays now and again, more when Coutinho plays. Lallana is useless. Milner and Henderson wouldn't grace our reserve team in the 70's or 80's. Sturrige when he plays is our best striker. All the young up and coming players are hit and miss so far. None of them are showing that brilliance over several games that makes you think when they grow up a bit, they are going to be brilliant. Ibe looks like he will be the next Pennant. Ojo, who knows. Brannagan looks a possible. And when has Henderson ever had a season like Fabregas? Never.

Bought for a ridiculous amount of money and he has been brilliant in one match. One. Versus Spurs away when he must have forgotten to think and he actually played like a star. There's opinion. 6th and 8th.

24.) 10 Jun 2016
10 Jun 2016 15:56:15
Suarez finished 6th, 7th and 8th before he came 2nd doesn't mean he wasnt clearly a brilliant player. You can't write players off based on where they finished in the league and of course the younger players are inconsistent, all young players are, doesn't change the fact that anyone can see the likes of Can and Origi could become very good players.