28 Apr 2024 21:54:01
Eds, I would love your perspective on how Slot might use Dom next year. I am convinced there is a special player there just not sure what position; mid, r wing?
{Ed001's Note - I would expect him to play further forward on the wing.}
28 Apr 2024 23:53:47
Thanks! Salah replacement then move trent to attacking mid?
{Ed001's Note - or as one of 2 at the base of midfield maybe? That would then free up Mac Allister to play further forward.}
29 Apr 2024 00:52:39
Thanks as alway ed001 and all Eds that make this side pire addictive! cheers from the states.
{Ed001's Note - very welcome mate. I was just thinking I would play Trent deeper as he has a better range of long passes than Mac Allister. Macca is better at slipping passes in around the edge of the box, which would suit a higher position.}
29 Apr 2024 06:18:59
I can definitely see a couple of the older attackers being moved on to free up more minutes for the youngsters. If we do move to 4231, I think it would be beneficial to Elliott, Clark, Doak, Carvalho. I think it is exciting. But unfortunately I can just imagine the hysteria on social media if Salah and Diaz both go and we don't get big money replacements for them both. I think we will see the resurgence of the FSGOut babies again this summer.
Anyway I hope Slot gives an opportunity to his fellow Dutchman van den Berg as I think he's a real talent who deserves a chance in the first-team. I'd also sign Huijsen and keep him on loan at Roma as a long-term replacement for van Dijk. If Trent moving into midfield is an inevitability, I would sign Sugawara to compete with Bradley for right-back.
29 Apr 2024 07:43:14
I agree with Ed001 about MacAllister. The more I've seen of him, the further forward I want to see him. Not as a wide player but maybe in front of a two in midfield or even as a 10. Those little interchanges and short passes are better on the edge of their box than they are on ours. And he has got a decent shot in him.
29 Apr 2024 08:37:33
Can Trent be reprogrammed to be a cog in a midfield machine after 4 seasons of being the (attempted) key in Klopp/ Ljinders recent tactics? Everything has been designed to make him the free man to create. Does he have the humility, hunger, mobility and alertness to danger to play as a midfielder at this stage? A big question for me.
29 Apr 2024 09:06:44
For me personally i would like him to go back to right back, i think when he was up and down on the right he created more and had more assists, I know we are a different team but creating width is still the best way to attack teams.
29 Apr 2024 09:54:13
TAA can play there with the right players around him. He's good enough to build a team around especially with the pick of our youngsters being a right back.
29 Apr 2024 09:47:07
For me Trent as the double 6 will be best, if we bring in a proper DM or Baj gets fully up to speed. I can’t see Dom being first choice on the right we would lose 25 goals a season and I doubt we could make that elsewhere.
29 Apr 2024 09:49:42
Ed, I say to anyone who’ll listen to read your opinions on players if they want to know who is or isn’t good, but I just can’t behind Trent being a midfielder. He’s slow, lacks aggression and bite in duels, isn’t particularly agile or fast on the turn, and seems to take little interest in improving the defensive side of his game - of the flaws he has defensively, many have been there since he broke through.
Jones, MacAllister and Trent make for a midfield of superb quality but almost no athleticism at all. It will get overrun and overpowered.
29 Apr 2024 10:24:57
The midfield won’t be Trent, Mac and Jones no one said that. Baj is an Athlete, as is Dom and I am fairly sure another midfielder will be brought in.
29 Apr 2024 10:28:49
Trent and koopmeiners for CDM macca at csm. Is szob fast enough for the wings?
29 Apr 2024 11:39:25
Trent and Koopmeiners as a central midfield partnership is a recipe for disaster Amorim, neither are very good defensively, neither are particularly athletic (Koopmeiners in particular is slow and immobile) . I mean if we’re still going with this whole “let’s give the opponents a one goal head start” thing, then yeah, let’s go for it. I’m sure our centre backs will absolutely love having no protection.
29 Apr 2024 14:26:07
I still can't get over Koopmeiners being slow and immobile in your head, VV. He was absolutely everywhere in both legs against us making runs beyond their forwards and man marking our midfielders all over the pitch. Koopmeiners not being very good defensively, I disagree with you but at least that is subjective and quite a nuanced statement as there are lots of facets to be defensively solid. Calling him slow and immobile is just blatantly incorrect though. He wouldn't be the star player in a team that man marks all over the pitch if he was immobile.
Where we do agree is on Trent in a holding midfield role though. I personally think he needs to stay out wide. His best attributes are switching the play and whipping crosses into the box. He can't use those attributes to hurt teams as often if he's playing in midfield or as an inverted full back. I think Slot needs to sit him down and ask him what he wants from his career. Does he want to be the best right wing back of all time, or does he want to just be a decent midfielder? Because if he goes back to being a proper a right wing back people will talk about him for decades and he'll set a record for assists from a defender that will never even come close to being broken. There are shades of Gerrard under Rafa when he wouldn't play right wing, although reading between the lines I think a lot of this with Trent's position is actually Lijnders influence on the tactics and Klopp going along with it. I'm hoping Slot is a bit more no nonsense about the whole Trent situation. If he won't do what is best for the team, I'm pretty sure Bradley will. Bradley isn't a generational talent like Trent could be, but he's a bloody good young player who won't let us down either.
29 Apr 2024 16:58:16
Is aw the Koop-fella play out wide in the attack when Atalanta came to Anfield so not sure how he can be called a CM, personally.
29 Apr 2024 22:07:43
I’ll bet Baj gets a game or two next season
Ali,
Bradley, Konate, Quansah, Robbo
TAA, Baj / Endo
Dom, Macca, Curtis
Gakpo.
29 Apr 2024 23:01:20
No van Dijk, WDW?
There's a lack of width for me, there, mate; especially on the left. I'm not sure Curtis Jones is even a squad player anymore and I couldn't have Gakpo leading the line.
It'd be good to see Bajcetic back though. I keep forgetting about him.
29 Apr 2024 23:41:21
I reckon VVD and Mo will go and perhaps Diaz too. I was picking from the rest of the current squad. I think there will be two ot three new faces when we kick off next season.