08 Mar 2021 12:37:04
This is what I think about current issues and solutions.

This will get worse before it gets better because I can't see the answer to the problems this season. I believe it all stems back to the non investment in the summer after we won the champs league. The consequence of that and C.V. means that we have relied on the same 12 or 13 players for 3 continuous seasons.

This has now led to the following problems

1 Attack. 3 players who are basically burnt out

2 Midfield. Too many injuries and no energy to press. Gini can hardly raise a gallop, although to be fair to him he is giving everything he has. Tiago and Jones can't get around fast enough to press or break ahead of the opposition to cause them problems or help the front three

3. Defence Well the less said about that the better.

I don't think there is an answer this season. The worry is that JK is saying that a squad overhaul is unnecessary.

The following need to be sold in my opinion

Origi. Shaqiri. The Ox. Tiago. Milner. Matip and one of Salah or Mane

Mini needs to be brought back after the summer to either understudy or start in front of Bobby. We then need to buy 2 possibly 3 forwards to complement. Jotta, Salah/ Mane. Bobby and Mini

Midfield needs a complete overhaul especially if Gini leaves.

We need 2 class centre halves and we need somehow to get Keita fit enough to play in the Premier league

Not sure if the club have enough cash to do it so could be in for a tough time in the next season or two

The only two optimistic things I can cling to are that we will get a huge boost from the return of fans. I believe that we suffer more than others in this issue. The second is that Harvey Elliot seems to be progressing nicely at Blackburn and will almost certainly return a better player

JK and Edwards are really going to have to earn their huge wages this summer.

08 Mar 2021 12:45:47
redwayne,

Very well put and unfortunately accurate.

Investment would always have been a problem. To keep up with other teams. Deep pockets are needed, that is the way football is these days.

08 Mar 2021 12:48:52
In a million years Keita will never be up to playing in the premier league. We should cut our losses before he becomes another Markovic.

08 Mar 2021 13:15:23
6Times - I agree with you because Keita has been too often injured to show any kind of consistency.

However, I thought he was definately one of our better performers yesterday, and IF he can stay fit we will have a chance to evaluate his true worth then.

That is a big IF though.

08 Mar 2021 13:21:07
Good post redwayne. It's going to be an interesting summer for sure. I don't agree with those that think we need an overhaul though.3/ 4 fresh faces will make all of the difference.

Personally it's 2x CBs, a no8 and no9 for me. I can't see Kabak and Davies being long-term answers for us and I dread another season of instability there if Virgil and Joe have setbacks.

And if either Salah or Mane were to leave, then we'd need to bring in a replacement there too.

08 Mar 2021 13:23:55
I agree with some of what you Have said mate. Selling Thiago would be silly imo, he's a world class player who unfortunately due to the fatigue you have mentioned he has no movement in front of him. Also I don't see gini giving 100%, far from it actually. He looks like a player who doesn't want to risk an injury to ruin chances of a move in the summer.

Personally I would drop gini and play fabinho in the midfield role where he has shown he is top class. At centre back give Phillips a run of games and then whoever klopp prefers from kayak and Davies (rhys Williams not good enough) .

It does feel we need serious investment in the summer and maybe time to cash in on salah or mane for a first team defender and someone to replace Bobby.

08 Mar 2021 13:31:04
Agree 6Times, Keita needs to be the first out the door, he strolled around that pitch as if he was Gerrard, could easily of grabbed that midfield by the scruff of the neck and put a mom performance in, he has no bottle watsoever, very frustrating as there is clearly a player there, but he is a poor professional, the defense has done its best and i think has let Bobby and Mane off the hook until the clear lack of goals showed up, I have said for more than a year Bobby is done and Gini has been the same, the lack of investment has been crucial but we all the story of these owners. For this squad and what they have achieved to be needing 5/ 6 players of quality is criminal, it feels like we have missed an opportunity to really dominate for a few years at least, we have the best manager we could wish for and a first 13/ 14 that matches ANY side in the world, we have seen its not enough, investment or new owners can't soon enough for me.

08 Mar 2021 13:44:06
Stick Keita on that out list and I agree with it all.

08 Mar 2021 14:11:22
Out list for me would be :
Gini, Bobby, ox, Milner, matip, origi, Williams, Adrian, karius, shaq,

08 Mar 2021 14:33:39
I’d cash in on Mane and Firmino, Salah had scored 20+ every season and that’s hard to replace.

09 Mar 2021 08:57:27
OP, the owners have NOTHING to do with any of this.

{Ed025's Note - i dont know whether thats actually true RM, the squad depth has been an issue for a long time now and not investing in a strong back up option has frankly come back and bit them on the arse,
For the last couple of seasons liverpool have been very lucky where injuries have been concerned so the squad depth has never really been an issue, this season has been the complete opposite and the team has been decimated with injuries and that has exposed how weak the club is depth wise, im not saying you have unlimited funds to correct this and FFP will obviously have to be a factor but the other top clubs seem to manage.
I think FSG have done a good job overall but to state that they are blameless is a bit naive i think, thats just my view though mate..

09 Mar 2021 13:07:51
OliRed

I didn't say that it was the owners fault. I believe that jk wanted to keep the same squad to win the title and then splash out big time to push on. Unfortunately C.V. came and that seriously affected funds available to spend last summer. I'm sure if jk and fsg could have forseen C.V. they would have spent much more money after the champs league victory.