01 Jul 2021 17:54:48
Its funny this time of year when people suggest that if team x, y, z sign player x, y, z we may aswell not bother turning up. Many a 'A' list transfer has fallen by the wayside. English football is a league like no other it takes time to adapt.
We have a manager who knows how to win domestically and in europe and he'll know what he needs. I'm yet to see the reds rollover. We've conquered all of europe, we're never gunna stop. you know the rest! . We go again.

{Ed0666's Note - post of the day. Pound land hamper on its way mate

01 Jul 2021 18:17:17
No mate, you’re wrong. Football is played on paper and events always transpire exactly how the experts predict they will. That’s why it is the most popular sport in the world. The strength of a team can be calculated through an intuitive formula whereby you add up all of the transfer fees of all the players and, when compared to the other teams, you can predict their exact league position. It’s basically a science. It’s a good job we didn’t bother competing for the big trophies with our £8 million left back and academy right back, compared City’s £200 million collection of full backs. What a waste of time that would have been.

Good job we have the pundits and twitter fans to keep us in check every year eh. We should be eternally grateful that they’re never wrong.

01 Jul 2021 19:20:35
And good job it wasn’t buying VVD and Allison for £140m that won us the league and last year when VVD was out we looked just as good and got the same amount of points.

{Ed025's Note - spot on WM..

01 Jul 2021 19:37:00
Are we in danger of becoming entitled here? 10 years ago i never thought i'd see Liverpool win the league in my lifetime.

FSG and Klopp have taken us so far that we're now in the mix to win trophies every year. Even last season we were right there in the knockout stages of the biggest competition in club football and ended up comfortably qualifying for the 4th year in row.

I want to win. 2nd place is just the 1st loser. I also think a lot of mistakes have been made at the club in the last 12-18 months. But at the end of the day, it's not our god given right to win anything or everything. If Klopp and the boys want it, they better go and earn it. Because our best XI with Konate in for Gomez and Thiago in for Gini, is stronger now than it was when we won 4 trophies in 2 seasons, and amassed 196 points in the process.

So i don't care what City do. Because if we get behind our team and they play to how we know they can, we're going to take them all the way regardless.

01 Jul 2021 19:43:45
Not aimed at anybody in particular by the way, and none in this thread. Just adding to the points made here. I don't see why a minority people expect us to compete financially with City etc. And think we are owed a player like Mbappe!

01 Jul 2021 19:56:44
We looked just as good at points last year? What games were you watching? We laboured points in the end and were lucky to get top 4 football. There were games that could have been ten hours long and we wouldn’t have scored. There is right to have a certain sense of scelticism. Teams who have prolonged success tend to invest year on year.

01 Jul 2021 21:28:17
Absolutely not entitlement. We’ve won ONE premier league and CL with this squad and put up a piss poor defence of both, it’s not even worth getting into our cup results. We’ve hardly built a dynasty like old Liverpool/ United teams or like City are doing etc. Could very quickly turn into back to back trophyless seasons. I’d hate to look back on this squads as underachievers because there’s no ambition from above, just happy to compete and be up there, if we came 2nd next season i promise you’d it’d somehow be passed off as a good season.

01 Jul 2021 21:44:58
I agree that Thiago for Gini is an improvement, and while I have little knowledge of Konate, I trust Klopp that he will be another improvement to the starting eleven. However other factors have also changed.

Alisson’s performances last season were below his standard, he had horrible personal circumstances but it is not a given he returns this season at the level of before, Van Dijk, Gomez and Matip all have had long spells injured and are unlikely to return at anywhere near their form of 2 years ago. Henderson’s getting older and injuries are becoming more and more frequent. Firmino’s form has slowly fallen consistently for the last 2 years and doesn’t show any signs of returning to previous levels. And finally Mane, he was one of the best players in the world last season whereas last season he would struggle to have been top 10-15 wingers in the league.

Now, it is very possible every single player mentioned reaches the levels of 2 years ago, and if any man can do it, it’s Klopp. However, I do not envy him as he has a serious task on his hands, other sides are getting stronger, and I’m not convinced we actually are.

While complaining we aren’t signing Mbappe, Sancho etc. is futile and was never going to happen, we can dream, and it is only natural to be envious seeing rivals spend big. However I’m sure everyone agrees to support the team regardless of who is playing (we did in much worse times than now) . It is not a case of being entitled, we over a period of 3 years were one of the best teams in the world, and fans understandably want to stay there as we now have a taste of what it’s like to really be one the elite and boy does it taste good.

01 Jul 2021 22:20:17
Second would be a good season, just not a great one. I guess you have to remember where we started on this journey to actually look back at last season when we finished third and think that it was a "piss poor defence"

By rights City should win the League hands down each year. They spend for fun, have practically 2 teams to pick from. So I want us to win big time but I'm not going to get out of my pram if we compete and don't win.

I also think some posters need to be a bit more grown up in their expectations and demands of the club. We just don't have the financial resources compared to City, but saying that Klopp has purchased some very expensive players and it worked, we won the League, first time in 30 years and another CL trophy. Its just not sustainable long term without selling some assets along the way. It is what it is and no amount of moaning or blaming the hierarchy is going to change that predicament.

01 Jul 2021 22:46:54
Second would be a poor season, no more excuses. It would only be saved by winning the cl. How can you call finishing second a good season?

If you think like me that we have the best first 11 and the best manager. Then as back up we have Gomez, Firmino, OX, Curtis Jones, Milner, plus 1 or 2 signings and we are golden. This season will be exactly like the season after we got 97 points, the players and manager are hurting. We will come out firing on all cylinders, I expect 95 points min.

02 Jul 2021 00:45:22
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, anyone judging anything based on last season is barking up the wrong tree. Last season was a fake season with no fans and injuries galore for lots of teams not just us.
No time to train and no proper preseason.
City were the only team that ever stood a chance under those circumstances with the ridiculous squad they have. Added to that they don’t exactly rely on the passion of their fans to push them over the line do they?
We saw the likes of Sheffield Utd and Burnley have really poor seasons because without the fans to push them on their lack of quality was badly exposed.
It’s a different game without fans. Completely different. I’ve seen one of the best players ever to play the game shrink and hide from the ball under the pressure of the Anfield noise.
Next season is a clean slate with hopefully fan capacities back up to normal, proper preseasons and time between games. We’ll be back to our best and if anyone can finish above us they’ll win the league.

{Ed0666's Note - fantastic post fella: well crafted and rings true

02 Jul 2021 07:12:25
Markp. We do have a great 15/ 16 players when fit and a great manager also. City have a great squad and a great manager. Despite Klopp spending big on 3 players I still think he had produced a minor miracle to what he has done for Liverpool. For me, I still believe we need to have the perfect season to win another League. Let's see who we bring in before the window ends. A lot of fringe players need replacing in my opinion. If we start with Origi etc as our back up players it will be a tough old season again for those 15/ 16 trusted players. I certainly don't discount us winning.

02 Jul 2021 11:22:21
Agree 100% Beckers Pecker, top post.

Warmachine73, have you not considered the reason we can’t go out and buy more Alissons and van Dijk’s is because we’ve already gone out and spent loads of money on Alisson’s and van Dijk’s? The owners coughed up the money when we had a clear need for those players at a time when we weren’t financially crippled, where is the need to do it now when we already have an exceptionally strong team and cannot afford it? Are you saying we should be buying backup van Dijk’s just incase he gets injured again, just for the sake of spending money so everyone feels a little bit better?

For all these calls to spend loads of money on top players i’d just like someone to tell me where it is they think we should be spending it. We’ve already bought a top centre back and a top quality midfielder will most likely be on the way. We will be strengthening the forward positions but unlike City we don’t have a clear need to sign starters up front; they have let Sane and Aguero go and thus they need replacing with players to go into the starting XI. We definitely could improve on Mane based on his declining form, but we can’t move him on due to the economic conditions this summer so there isn’t much we can really do about it. What are we going to do, just sign Sancho on silly money to keep Jota AND Mane on the bench? It doesn’t make a lot of sense.

The only remaining area where i see a clear need to invest money would be up front as Firmino has also been flagging and desperately needs proper competition, with Origi likely to be moving on. However, notice that City have an even clearer need to move for a centre forward and, despite having the finances to draw them in, are avoiding Haaland and Mbappe like the plague. Even for them, they see their wages as unsustainable and a likely disruptor of squad harmony. They’ve gone for the one other top striker who is available, Harry Kane, as he wouldn’t present an issue in that department. Harry Kane just isn’t a very Liverpool signing and comes with his own caveats and risks that mean he may not be the roaring success at City that everyone expects him to be. If Haaland or Mbappe were asking for reasonable wages, i actually think we would try everything in our power to get them. As they are not, we have to look a bit further down the footballing hierarchy for our striker.

So someone please, tell me, where is the space, clear need and opportunity for us to bring in this unidentifiable marquee signing? Surely you aren’t suggesting we sign a third left winger to keep Mane and Jota out of the team? Surely you aren’t suggesting we bankrupt the club and upset all of our players with a 500k a week striker? Where is this mystery striker who is both available, obtainable and better than someone like Malen or Vlahovic?

Or is it simply the case that actually, you can’t tell me who this unicorn player is because he doesn’t actually exist. All that seems to be happening here is that people are just jealous that Man United have signed Sancho, a signing where there is evidently a clear need (they literally don’t have a right winger) and also one who has been brought in for eyewatering, ludicrous costs that no well run club should ever feel comfortable consenting to. I think this is really just an impulsive, childish reaction to the inescapable and obvious fact that rival clubs will also sign good players.

If anyone can correct me and tell me where there is both a clear need and a genuine opportunity to make a signing of the magnitude of van Dijk, Alisson, Sancho or Kane, please do tell me, i’m all ears. It’s just that i’m pretty sure you can’t.

The next time a rival club makes a big signing and you begin to feel emasculated and jealous, please just take a minute to think before you moan.

02 Jul 2021 12:39:11
Spot on, Beckers and and IR. We cannot spend what we don't have, pure and simple. We have City who literally play FIFA Manager with real players and monopoly with real money so how do we compete with that. As Irish Rover said, it is a miracle we have been successful under such circumstances going against a club with the deepest pockets in football and a ridiculous squad that are and we had to have two near perfect seasons to dethrone them.

A perfect season or close to it, will be required again so we have to do our very best under the current circumstances. If anyone thinks we should be signing players or backups similar to the quality of VVD, AB, etc. then you are living in cloud koo-koo land and setting yourself up for a meltdown on a weekly basis. WON'T HAPPEN esp knowing full well we cannot do that.

IMO, The people who want this prolly know about our financial status BUT who cares about facts provided they can moan about the owners not doing what they want knowing full well, they can't. You have the manager, the club, the players and the owners you have. Get behind them while calling them out on their screwups. Stop asking them for things YOU KNOW they cannot give you. It is pointless.

02 Jul 2021 18:51:02
Pretty obvious to me AW. If you don’t improve and freshen up the team each year you get left behind and teams with money have a far greater chance of success as they can buy the best players and this usually leads to success. It ain’t rocket science. I thought the money from Coutinho payed for Allison and VVD but I take Ed02s tip and don’t have a clue about finances / wages / deferred payments / income etc. But one thing is very very clear to me, if you don’t carry on investing and improving your first 11 each year you will be left behind. My personal opinion is there is a lot of improvement needed in our squad as we were nowhere near that many points better than other teams when we won the league and it wasn’t a surprise to me that we struggled last season with or without injuries and C.V.. We need a world class number 9 and a world class attacking midfielder or top 4 is best we can do.