22 May 2024 10:51:16
Ed1, I've seen Willian Pacho name being mentioned a lot in past few days as potential Van Dijk long term replacement. Have you hot any chance to watch him play?
{Ed001's Note - no, sorry I have not seen him play.}
22 May 2024 11:30:38
I’d imagine he would play left back allowing Trent to roam into midfield and the defence shuffle over to make a 3 as that’s arnes preferred system not sure where that leaves robbo or beck maybe another loan for beck and robbo as back up because of injuries.
22 May 2024 11:53:47
Plays more like a left-back than a CB to me. Likes his recovery runs, ground duels and progressive passes into the channels. By no means a Virgil replacement from what I can tell but I haven't watched him over a whole season. His aerial duel stats are terrible.
22 May 2024 11:53:47
Plays more like a left-back than a CB to me. Likes his recovery runs, ground duels and progressive passes into the channels. By no means a Virgil replacement from what I can tell but I haven't watched him over a whole season. His aerial duel stats are terrible.
22 May 2024 12:56:59
FPF, no idea about his stats but I've been reading up on how Willian Pacho's utilised and it's off the left side of a very wide back 3 quite often. So playing at left back in a back 4 that becomes a back 3 when Trent inverts, would seem to be what his experience leans towards. He even actually played left back a few times for Frankfurt in a back 4, most notably in their 5-1 demolition of Bayern Munich. It does seem like that is where his strengths would be best suited in our team.
For me, we should be looking at Jarrell Quansah as the Virgil replacement and Sepp Van den Berg as the Konate replacement. It would mean when Trent inverts we'd shift to a back 3 of Pacho off the left and Sepp off the right with Quansah in the centre, which makes sense given he probably the strongest in the air of the 3 players and also the slowest of the 3 so not the one you want facing up against wingers if he get's dragged out wide.
It's a very young back 3 but that hasn't hurt Arsenal since putting their faith in White, Saliba and Gabriel when they were all 21/ 22 years old. It's just my thoughts of course and Pacho hasn't actually even signed yet so it's all steeped in assumption!
22 May 2024 13:31:21
MK - I commend your romantic view of these young players.
However, I'd like to get back to winning titles, please.
22 May 2024 13:58:57
FPF, do Frankfurt plays with back three or back four? I do think that aerial abilities for CB is really important though. Like how we were so poor defensively when defending set pieces before Van Dijk coming in. We were starting to be better once Van Dijk came because how he would win almost every header when opponent team has set pieces. I don't know how that would translate if he is to come to Liv.
22 May 2024 15:05:57
There’s a lot to like about him.
Sometimes players play better in different systems with different teammates in different leagues with different coaches.
I’d sign him.
22 May 2024 15:13:24
FPF, because you don't win anything with kids, right? As Hansen so famously claimed just before United embarked on a period of domestic domination unlike anything in English football history.
We've spent so much time and money upgrading the academy in recent years, and signing the best young talents in Europe. It would be criminal not to utilise it when we actually produce excellent young players. Where we lack proven top level quality in the youth ranks I have no problem if we choose to dip in to the market. I'd encourage it even. For example I am not 100% convinced by Beck or Chambers, nor am I by Doak or Gordon, so I fully support going into the market for options at LB and RW. Even Bajcetic and McConnell I'm not 100% confident on hence why I'd like Koopmeiners to come in to play in the double pivot. None of Beck, Chamber, Gordon, Doak, Bajcetic or McConnell have extensive experience starting at a high level and to be honest I think Bajcetic is the only one who will turn out to be good enough.
That's just not the case with Quansah and Sepp. Quansah started 27 games for us this season. Sepp started 31 for Mainz. These aren't players I am romanticising are ready, these are 2 players who have proven they are ready by starting regularly in the Premier League, Europa League and Bundesliga and actually shining.
Long story short, I agree with you that we can't put blind faith in unproven kids. But I don't think Quansah and Sepp belong in that category anymore. They are senior players who've stood out significantly in the last 12 months.
{Ed025's Note - good post that MK..
22 May 2024 15:22:44
That's right FPF. Everyone knows you don't win anything with kids.
Personally I like to support and believe in our youth. If you don't fair enough, I'll bow to your obviously superior football knowledge that you have used to have a damning opinion of these players likely without ever seeing them play. Your the type of manager we need.
22 May 2024 18:03:43
To be fair the “you don’t win anything with kids” must be 30 years old and while there have been young talent introduced to established playing squads over the years Hansen was pretty much correct, his timing was off tho. Can anyone else name me the last time a group like Beckham, Butt, Giggs, Neville, Sharp Scholes all came thru in such a short period of time and had great careers at the same club? Exactly!
22 May 2024 18:19:28
In my opinion the young ones don't get enough of a chance so when they do I absolutely love it. Throw them in at the deep end, if they don't cope with it then don't play them, if they do, keep playing them. I agree with your post fully MK, I'd just add Bradley to that mate. I think he's going to be an absolute machine for us. I do love our youth setup I must admit, we've got so many talented youngsters who are ready to step up and Slot is known for bringing in the youth, I think this is exciting. Bring on the next chapter.
Believe.
22 May 2024 19:03:49
Liverpool really need to get a move on and make an offer for him as I've just heard a rumour that Ron Keague is very interested in signing him, Ed002, any truth in this rumour ?.
22 May 2024 19:49:58
I’ve met his buy out clause.
22 May 2024 19:52:18
Agree MK scouser. But that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t sign a Central Defender. Simply because Konate is going backwards, it’s probably the injuries, but this season he’s basically been Sakho. We can’t rely on Virg forever.
22 May 2024 20:42:50
Btw for clarity I rate our kids and have no issue dropping them in from time to time.
But we need some realism too if you want to win major honours.
22 May 2024 20:57:34
Liverpool FC8, I’d sign one too. But I’d like Pacho to replace Gomez as a CB/ LB option. Then bring back Sepp to replace Matip. I don’t think it makes sense to not give Sepp a chance. If his name was Branthwaite and he was going to cost £70m people wouldn’t be complaining about him being 22 years old. Some people just want to see money spent in my opinion.
22 May 2024 21:34:03
No doubt big Arne will take a look at him in pre season MK.
This ederson fella in defensive midfield for Atalanta is an absolute beast. Makes me feel slightly better about them destroying us at anfield because they’re embarrassing Xabis invincibles.
22 May 2024 21:39:08
How else does a player prove they are ready without being given a chance? No-one had heard of Quansah when he came in for us this season. Who's to say Doak wouldn't have played more with us or on loan had he not got injured. McConnel and Clarke did nothing wrong for us when playing this season during a period we were playing considerably better football than our supposedly superior experienced players when they all returned. Beck has just finished a season being picked out as a star performer playing in a league comparable if not superior to that where Bradley and Quansah were playing last year but he's not good enough whilst those two are?
Nah sorry but I'm not having any of that. I think they should all be given a chance, including Carvalho and Sepp and if they take it great. If not then yeah fine bring someone in.
22 May 2024 22:54:15
Westwood - by all means you can want to see that.
However I suspect Hughes and the nerds will want to make their mark this summer. Expect churn.
23 May 2024 12:46:38
Great Post MK. but quansah, Sepp and bradley still had to get their chance.