13 Apr 2021 15:39:24
Ed001

What would you do with Taki Minamino at the end of the season?

I have noticed that he has been starting less and less for Soton (he has only started 2 of the last 7 games and didn't make it off the bench for 3 of those games) .

Do you still think he has a future to play in our squad or should we look to sell the lad and let him crack on with his career elsewhere? I remember you mentioned that he had difficulty settling into the squad previously - has there been anything to suggest that he may be more settled after his time with Soton?

Red Sandman.

{Ed001's Note - there are so many things going wrong with Southampton at the moment, it is not surprising he is out of the team. For all the plaudits and success early on, Ralph seems to have lost his way there and his team selections are questionable at best anyway. It has turned out to be an error to loan him to them. Which makes it very difficult to know if him not getting in the team is down to him or not.

For me I think he needs to be given a chance in preseason, as there is no Asian Cup this summer, while many of our other players will be playing in the summer and need a rest. It gives him the perfect chance to show whether or not the experience has fired him up or not. Then it is up to him.}

13 Apr 2021 16:28:58
I worry he might not cut it ed. Nonetheless he has to be tested out a lot in pre season. There have been very few asian players at LFC. I really want him to grab his chances in the pre season.

{Ed001's Note - I think it is too early to give up on him, it is a big adjustment for him coming from a culture like Japan to end up in the UK. I know people will say Germany and England have similar cultures, but the differences are, in large part aligned with the similarities between German and Japanese culture. So English culture is almost alien nowadays, now that manners and politeness is almost vanished in England! So the lad probably finds it a massive shock and Liverpool are not the best when it comes to helping players assimilate.}

13 Apr 2021 16:52:58
Dont think Taki will make it here, think he could go in the summer.

13 Apr 2021 16:59:03
ed001 I had high hopes for him when we signed him but I can't see him doing any good at the club now. I think best for all parties if we could sell him in the summer and let the lad settle down somewhere he is going to get game time.

{Ed001's Note - maybe, but I think it is a mistake to just throw him away because he can't settle, we should be looking to figure out how to help him settle so we can do more for future players.}

13 Apr 2021 17:05:36
Taki's gone this summer, permanently or loaned out again. Seems like a nice lad and would have been a nice story for a 7 million pound signing to cement a first team place, like Robbo.
But with Klopp wanting another forward this summer and Elliot expected to be the next big thing, I just don't see where Taki's opportunities are coming from.
Likely scenario is we sell Origi, Shaq and Taki to bring in a versatile forward this summer.

13 Apr 2021 17:17:45
Keeping fingers crossed. japanese people i know have adapted very well here in india one of the most diverse cultures out there.
Its difficult for them to gel around though but they are very respectable people and very hard working too.
I hope it works out for taki because he has shown he has the talent but in flashes only.

13 Apr 2021 17:10:27
I’d like Mino to make it at the club but apart from the Palace game he’s not really done it. In fairness though he’s not had a massive amount of chances.

Ed001 what do you think will happen with Naby in the summer?

{Ed001's Note - I think he has to go. He is not putting in effort to even convince he is worthy of trying to work with. If we can find anyone to take him!}

13 Apr 2021 17:31:47
I wonder if Minamino may just be a case of another good player who can’t quite make the step up mentally to play for a big club. I can see him doing well abroad or at a mid-table side, but it seems from the outside looking in that he doesn’t have the assertiveness or arrogance needed to start for us, almost as if he is daunted by where he finds himself.

I do think he’s a very talented player and i’d like him to stay and succeed, but there must be something about him that doesn’t instil Klopp with confidence. Could well be our next Aspas or Alberto.

13 Apr 2021 17:50:15
Take 15mill and get rid imo. Good player but too lightweight for the prem and isn’t going to be helping us win titles. Time to be ruthless especially if we don’t have funds. We need a clinical number 9 ideally with some
Physicality to rotate with Firmino for when we face 11 men behind the ball and need to put crosses in the box.

13 Apr 2021 22:02:20
Has he had that many opportunities really.? Its not like the keita situation, if we judged the rest of the squad off of this season we would be saying they can't settle or step up. He was good against Palace then was never seen again. You could say the same for a lot of the 1st team, though they actually did get selected.

13 Apr 2021 22:26:52
Mono is a very talented footballer and unthinkable Ed01 is right. We should not give up on him this soon and should b given every chance to prove himself cos even Klopp took the blame himself for not playing him more.

Also, there are about 4 or 5 players I would get rid of first before I even get to Mino and that includes Origi, Matip, Naby, Gini and prolly Ox and Shaq (50/ 50 on Ox) .

14 Apr 2021 04:07:47
Everything Ed is saying about the cultural differences between the UK and Japan is absolutely spot on. One of the main concerns I had about Minamino joining us (though I don’t know him personally) was how he would adapt to life in the UK as well as our squad.