Liverpool Banter 2

01 Sep 2026 23:28:49
I think this team is going to struggle. We have Ipswich away Friday night and I’m not confident at all. The team is so imbalanced and looks like we are going to have to play players out of position.

01 Sep 2026 23:51:35
Good to read your opinion.

02 Sep 2026 00:11:31
I think we’ll batter Ipswich myself.

02 Sep 2026 00:39:28
Ipswich just got battered by Manchester United and are one of the favourites for relegation. If Iraola can’t beat them with the likes of Isak, Wirtz and Barcola then we have bigger problems than an unbalanced squad.

01 Sep 2026 23:26:21
There are a few positive straws to clutch at:
1) Expectations on the new manager are lowered. Less pressure, less clamour for instant results. Gives Iraola a bit of time with the squad.

2) Iraola can work with the players and see exactly what he can get out of them. There isn’t a player in our squad who can’t improve. Szob is arguably in the form of his life, but all the others can and have done better.

3) Hughes can be replaced with no more damage to the squad.

I’m keen to see what Koumas and Nyoni can give us whereas if we had bought more players, their paths would have been restricted.

01 Sep 2026 23:38:51
That's the spirit, Ron.
Let's see what Iraola can do. We've been wanting to see more minutes for our youth players... They'll get a ton this season, I'm sure.
Koumas, Nyoni and Rio all look extremely good. Also keen to see TYLP this season.

01 Sep 2026 23:45:24
That's not a bad way to look at it, Ron.

01 Sep 2026 23:50:52
Szobo is in the form of his life?

01 Sep 2026 23:52:55
A fan being a bit optimistic - it'll never catch on.

01 Sep 2026 23:07:09
The one thing I expected this window was to get in a replacement for Salah on the right wing. The bare minimum. I never even envisioned, despite Hughes' incompetence, that we would fail to do that. And yet, with the window now closed, our options at right wing are a 17-year-old left winger in Rio, and another left winger in Victor Munoz.

Speechless. Actually speechless.

01 Sep 2026 23:30:33
We bid for at least two, Chutney.

01 Sep 2026 23:47:28
We should've got another winger in, but Munoz is looking good, and hopefully Rio will come better on that side for now.
Salah replacement can be seen as Barcola. Yes it's the other wing, but the key is to have that start winger/player, doesn't matter if he is left or right side. Ideally it'd be the right so it is a direct replacement, but not essential.


With the collapse of Camara to Chelsea, and apparently we asked Monico and Camara to wait and we will be bidding in the next windows, hopefully we get the VM we need, along with a stronger RM.
Not ideal, but Barcola is a big Salah-type signing.

01 Sep 2026 23:50:01
Munoz can play there as can Gakpo. The more they play there, the better they’ll get. We might even play Barcola from the right.

The fact is we never tried to replace Salah because we don’t need to.

Did you forget how poor he was when we played with a number 9? We now play with wingers, not wide forwards, and Salah has never been a winger.

01 Sep 2026 23:57:06
1. You aren’t actually speechless - you took the time to type your opinion.

2. As AI’s system is a bit different to Slot’s, the requirement was not to specifically replace Salah - an impossible task on an individual level anyway - but to bring someone in who could play across the front and that is Munoz.



Forget Salah, he is gone and played an integral part in a system that we won’t be using this season.

01 Sep 2026 22:59:39
Based on the current squad after transfer season this is the team I play against Ipswich.

Alisson.
Szobo. Jacquet VVD. Chambers
Grav. Macca
Gakpo. Wirtz. Barcola
Isak


Couple of close calls.
I just want to see Grav and Macca together as a two. It's not perfect but they both hold the center a little bit better than Szobo in a two. Nyoni will remain under consideration if we can't find the right blend there or players not picking up the tactics.



Isak is on thin ice. He needs to pick up. If not, he gets hooked for Munoz with Gakpo going up top. Still he scored last game and I'm hopeful confidence and work rate will build from there. Only two games in.

Even though only two games in, I'm pulling the full backs in favour of giving Chambers a chance at left back and Szobo a threat from RB. Chambers might balance the side a little bit to free up Szobo.

01 Sep 2026 23:19:18
Davey has to be Munoz on the Right. He looks better there than Gakpo and Rio have.

01 Sep 2026 23:26:40
Finding it amazing how often I'm reading calls to play Dom at RB.
Maybe Slot saw something in it as a stop-gap...
I don't see it as a starting option in how Iraola plays.

I think Frimpong needs more time.
His connection with Jacquet is less than 2 games old.

01 Sep 2026 23:38:13
Faith, Frimpong just isn't a fullback for me. He's a wingback in a 3-4-3 or 3-5-2 formation where, if he loses the ball or doesn't get the tackle in, there's enough cover from the right-sided CB and holding midfielder for it to be less of an issue. He leaves us too exposed within our setup (not helped by our '2' both galloping upfield).

01 Sep 2026 23:32:32
The Bald Guy got slaughtered for playing Szob at RB.

02 Sep 2026 00:18:26
Trent wasn’t a fullback either, Lofty, but he did ok once he got to grips with it.

The game’s history is littered with players who have learned new positions, new systems and flourished.



Give Frimpong time to build relationships on the pitch and to learn the system and what’s expected of him. He will improve.

Bradley will also be back soon so we will have more options.

01 Sep 2026 22:30:24
There's going to be serious pressure now on those midfielders. If they get found out game after game, there's no one to jump in and take the pressure off.
Wirtz is a luxury player. No one would say he's a midfielder even as a ten. If Andoni wants to drop him favouring Isak and two wingers, you're then playing all your central midfielders available in the 3.

So guaranteed no injuries?
Bonkers. I cannot imagine Andoni would have kept quiet knowing if Jones goes, there'll be no replacement or competition.

We're relying on Macca probably to sit and be our 6 😂 now against top teams who have all strengthened their central midfields.

01 Sep 2026 23:09:40
We’ll be fine, Ron. Try not to lose any sleep over it.

01 Sep 2026 23:24:56
It is mad that we've left ourselves so short in midfield, but it could be the perfect opportunity for Trey Nyoni to step up. The team looked the most balanced it had all game when he came on against Forest.

I don't agree on Wirtz being a luxury player. He does press and did well for Leverkusen. It's hard to judge any of the players on last season, frankly, as it was comical at times. We were saved by flashes of brilliance from a lot of these players, Wirtz included, to somehow drag ourselves into the Champions League.

It was also his pass to Gakpo on Saturday which unlocked their defence for Isak's goal.

I believe we need to give the squad a clean slate and allow Iraola a fair crack at getting a tune out of them before drawing any conclusions. In the meantime, we should be getting behind them all.

All will become clear as the months pass, but as we sit now, we're only 2 games in. OK, the squad is not in the best shape, but we have improved our attacking and defensive options in this window - just not as much as most of us hoped.

01 Sep 2026 22:28:10
I’m sick - Chelsea got Camara! They’ve added him to Caicedo and Lavia as dm’s and we are being told we don’t need one!

Absolute mess bar the kid Trey there's not one good battler or tackler in Grav, Sobo or Mac and all brutal without the ball.


3/4 seasons after trying to sign Caicedo and Zubimeni we’ve still not signed a dm.

Iraola hasn’t been backed. We can’t fault him.

01 Sep 2026 22:52:01
I don't know where the management's head at. Like it's obvious to the whole world, just not people sitting in the office. They haven't spent on everything but the most important position.

01 Sep 2026 23:08:55
If someone told you we don't need one, then someone might think we don't need one.
It's ok to disagree. Don't be sick about it, Jay dub.

01 Sep 2026 23:11:16
Chelsea finished 13th last season with Caicedo and Lavia.

They can’t play all of them at once either. Call me stupid, but I’m not jealous of Chelsea.

01 Sep 2026 23:13:19
Looks like they're not getting him after all.

01 Sep 2026 23:20:34
Camara to Chelsea has fallen through after AS Monaco went back on their word.

Sky Sports.

01 Sep 2026 23:44:01
You’ve got to laugh. Couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch.

01 Sep 2026 23:49:04
And apparently we had a word with Monaco and Camara and asked them to wait and we would follow up interest in another window (hopefully Jan).

01 Sep 2026 23:58:55
Can you imagine if that had happened to us? Hughes would be castigated! Goes to show, transfers aren't easy and failures can happen to anyone.

Arsenal tried and failed to get their attacking reinforcements in, United failed to get a left back and centre backs, City need centre backs, fullbacks and cover for Haaland, Villa have destroyed their entire first 11.

It's really not easy.

I have no real opinion of Hughes as I don't really know anything about doing his job but I do think we've won a league and signed some players that I never thought we'd be capable of signing since he's been at the club.

I think it's a good time for him to go but he hasn't been all bad in my opinion.

01 Sep 2026 22:24:58
Just seen on YouTube Fabinho breaking up play, passing forwards then that player immediately playing Salah through who trademark bends round the keeper…. Ah those were the days.

I am excited to see Barcola, I think if we can sort out the midfield balance a front four of Barcola, Wirtz, Isak and Munoz has the potential to be one of the most lethal front lines in Europe.

The concern is lack of depth, but we also have reasons to be excited.
Plus already two games in I have enjoyed the football more than at any point last season, let’s get behind the manager and our boys.

01 Sep 2026 22:53:05
What's the point of having those attackers when there is no one to bring the ball from the back?

01 Sep 2026 23:05:13
Iraola needs to coach all three of Grav, Szobo and Macca to put their foot in and win the ball back.
It can be done, this is not a travesty. It's just gonna take all of Iraola's coaching skill.

This is what he lives for, let's let the man cook. He literally turned seemingly average players into elite players over the course of 6 months. Hope he can do it again.

01 Sep 2026 23:53:03
Yeah, let Doni cook.
On the menu, we have Gravy, Mac and Chiesa, a Jacquet and the two Hungary boys.
Ekitikka is on its way, so get a Trey and fill yer boots.

02 Sep 2026 03:47:43
Rigsby, do you mean chicken-Ekitikka?

01 Sep 2026 22:30:07
Unpopular opinion, but i would have sold nyoni if that meant bringing in camara.

Nyoni just has bad phases in games and is just too inexperienced for the DM position, a couple of games he starts and we loose, AI will be forced back to start gravy and macca/ szobo in the midfield.

For nyoni to continually start he needs to make a difference in every game and help us win. Its a unfair and rather tall ask of a young kid to be fair, given we have absolutely trash full backs when it comes to defending,

We were getting good money and could have had a buyback clause and funded camara - who would have made a definite positive impact.

01 Sep 2026 22:46:36
If we sell Nyoni, there is one less homegrown player, so we would need to sell one more or even two non homegrown to make room for Camara.

01 Sep 2026 22:47:53
MKS is about to have a Flocking meltdown.

01 Sep 2026 22:49:38
You would probably have sold Robbie Fowler to fund Paul Warhurst.

01 Sep 2026 22:52:04
Sell a promising homegrown youngster for an unknown quantity... Just because someone costs 40/50 mil doesn't mean they're a guaranteed success. We've missed out on loads of "prospects" who wanted us. Look at Fofana going to Sunderland after being linked heavily with us last year... Granted bad injury but still.

Maybe Camara was the answer, maybe not, but Nyoni has been one of our shining lights in pre-season and still only 19... Personally I'd much rather give him the opportunity first before spending recklessly. Not saying we didn't need Camara, would have been a nice addition for sure to the squad, but don't think getting rid of Nyoni to do so would have made sense.

This is the danger with signing foreign players on big wages, hard to shift them when it doesn't work out... See Chiesa. As loveable a fella that he seems, cracking song too, just isn't good enough and nobody will take him off our hands for the wages he's on.

Personally I'm not as downbeat about the window. Definitely think we could have done more but I'm happy with the players we brought in and see enough gaps for maybe a youngster to get a chance to prove themselves and look for the next Trent (before he became too big for his boots). Iraola has a history of trusting youth, let's see if he can get the best out of some very good prospects we have. I'd rather not be a Chelsea or City and just stockpile players, I still want us to be a place for kids want to come not just for the money but for the opportunity to actually make a breakthrough at one of the top clubs in the world.

Delighted the windows closed and we can now focus on improving and watching some exciting football back at Anfield!

01 Sep 2026 22:52:04
Sell a promising homegrown youngster for an unknown quantity... just because someone costs 40/50 mil doesn't mean they're a guaranteed success. We've missed out on loads of "prospects" who wanted us. Look at Fofana going to Sunderland after being linked heavily with us last year...granted bad injury but still.

Maybe Camara was the answer, maybe not but Nyoni has been one of our shining lights in pre season and still only 19... personally I'd much rather give him the opportunity first before spending recklessly. Not saying we didn't need Camara, would have been a nice addition for sure to the squad but don't think getting rid of Nyoni to do so would have made sense.

This is the danger with signing foreign players on big wages, hard to shift then when it doesn't work out...see Chiesa. As loveable a fella that he seems, cracking song too, just isn't good enough and nobody will take him off our hands for the wages he's on.


Personally I'm not as downbeat about the window, definitely think we could have done more but I'm happy with the players we brought in and see enough gaps for maybe a youngster to get a chance to prove themselves and look for the next Trent (before he became too big for his boots).

Iraola has a history of trusting youth, let's see if he can get the best out of some very good prospects we have. I'd rather not be a Chelsea or City and just stockpile players, I still want us to be a place for kids who want to come, not just for the money but for the opportunity to actually make a breakthrough at one of the top clubs in the world.

Delighted the windows closed and we can now focus on improving and watching some exciting football back at Anfield!

01 Sep 2026 22:22:42
Chelsea apparently agreed fee of 47million for Lamine Camara according to Matt Law..... I hope someone from our team was at least bidding. Surely we could have scraped together that.....