Liverpool banter 9

16 Sep 2026 12:43:12
Dom may have scored a great goal but for me, he has to positionally change. The lack of options may prevent that but he's not a good enough 8.
He could be top class on the right of attack. Great crosser and striker of the ball as I've said before.
You can't have an 8 who can't consistently pass and keep the ball well.

16 Sep 2026 13:52:38
He'd certainly be better in the 10 than where he's playing now.

16 Sep 2026 14:18:11
For me if he doesn't improve as an 8 then he should be a 10 or at rb.

16 Sep 2026 14:22:12
Genuinely intrigued what the value is of making the same point after every single game? Like what can be said that hasn't already been said? Your view is well documented across the transfer window too.

The transfer window is closed and there's no chance he isn't in our starting 11.

Just think it's more productive to wait for Andoni's tactics to fully transpire and judge after that?

16 Sep 2026 14:47:57
Hollywood Dom is a RB, or RM ( for the reserves) no seriously, let's hope Andoni can really focus his talents and turn him into something more.

16 Sep 2026 14:52:21
All this rubbish about 8s, 6s, 10s, Deep lying playmaker, Creative defensive midfielder, false 9s, real nines, fake this, fake that, all just boxxxx!! It's just names made up for positions that have been there since the game began!! Someone on here recently said Salah wasn't a winger but instead was a wide attacking forward or something of that ilk! It's a pity I didn't know that term for John Barnes! It's a game of just bloody 11 players, a Goalie, LB, RB, 2 CBs, 3 midfielders, 2 wingers, 1 cf.

They all have the same job to do which is to score goals and stop the opposite side scoring against them. That's what being in a team is all about!! Maybe it's me and I'm still living in the past but my namesake once said that football was a simple game. He was right. Stop trying to over complicate it.

16 Sep 2026 14:56:13
I don't think people are over complicating it SG. People are just saying he is not best suited to being part of a midfield two.

16 Sep 2026 14:57:00
But what about their profile Shanks?

16 Sep 2026 15:12:32
Couldn't agree more SG 👏.

16 Sep 2026 15:23:19
Shanks, I hear you - but I think, in midfield, there are three key different types of roles, that have different requirements: Central Midfielders, Wide Midfielders, and Wingers.

Under KD, we often played with 1 winger (Barnes) and one wide midfielder (Houghton) on the other flank.

England's "wingless wonders" of '66 sort of set a template, with Alan Ball the paradigm, which Italian football still seems to pursue: hard-running wide midfielders, rather than wingers.

I think Dom is perfectly suited to being a wide midfielder. As was Stevie G (when not playing as a 10).

As a spectator, I love watching wingers - and Klopp's use of them changed the game for a while.

But I think most managers err towards caution at the very too level, and prefer using wide midfielders. Look at Pep's treatment of wingers over the years.

This is why PSG's approach is so refreshing.

16 Sep 2026 15:24:21
H'ON THE TOWN BAZZA!!💥🥳🫵.

16 Sep 2026 15:25:15
We won the league with Dom playing as our 10, just saying.

16 Sep 2026 15:32:34
Didn't think we'd get a Rant today about different positions

Nobody let 'Shankleys Ghost' read the Karma Sutra for god sake.

16 Sep 2026 16:01:23
That would be wayyyy too complicated for me LFC8!

16 Sep 2026 16:10:39
I've come to realise what your favorite sort of post is on here, Ron Funk, it's making an argument that this or that highly praised central midfielder isn't actually a midfielder and should be playing somewhere else.

I wouldn't put him on the right wing, he's not going to be running in behind and I'm not sure he's really that good of a crosser in open play. From dead balls, sure. If you're going to change his position, I'd say right back suits him better since all the play will be ahead of him and he will have time to play a ball.

I think his goal last night was an absolute worldie but I didn't really appreciate his celebration. He played badly against Fulham and has not done his job well off the ball in pretty much every game so far. Winning 1 out of 10 duels should get you criticism, I'm not sure why he needs to give us a defiant celebration. Scoring a worldie doesn't exempt you from stick for not winning your duels most of the time.

16 Sep 2026 17:19:27
What people seem to be saying is that they don't have the patience to let Iraola coach dom or to see if he can learn to play in a midfield 2. So they want to rip the whole thing up and buy new replacements.

16 Sep 2026 17:36:57
Dom is a bit of a prima donna, that's how he is. But I'm guessing his celebrations are aimed at pundits and media as much as any fan.

Generally in order of where our difficulties have been he isn't one of the worst performers, there's generally always been end product with him. He's just dropped a bit below the standard he's set for himself, but there have been much worse players.

16 Sep 2026 18:16:09
I disagree, Clearview. Dom is not just a bit below the standard he set for himself. he's been very poor other than the goals.

No tackles. Loses most duals. Little to no creativity. Poor passing. Very suspect positionally.

I mean, you can make an argument he's had a decent start, because he's scored 3 goals in all comps, but when you think about the team contribution a central midfielder should have, he's been poor, and we need a much higher standard, especially from someone earmarked as a potential future captain.

I'd honestly prefer Dom at RB and Nyoni to start with Macca at CM, which is a viewed shared by a good number of people here. That shows many feel Dom is not performing as a central midfielder.

16 Sep 2026 19:45:40
I'd like Trey and Macca starting, with Szob in a more advanced midfield role. I'd drop Grav personally, not Szob, not yet anyway.

16 Sep 2026 19:49:54
Both Dom ad Grav do not give enough when tracking back, yesterday Dom was jogging as he watched Totenham players sprint past, it was infuriating, and Gravenberch is like the new Konate at times with his decision making.

They both need a good kick up the arse. I'd be fining Dom a weeks wages every time he's seen jogging back and Grav every time he goes past the centre circle. there's no excuse for not doing your job.

16 Sep 2026 20:05:50
Nred & Flo, Dom was the "no. 10" who was charged with everything else but actually being the creative spark in the team.

Those doing the creativity stuff were Trent, Macca in the advanced no. 8 role and VVD with those diagonals to Salah to beat the oppo.'s press. The guy has no creative bone in his body, like Wirtz possesses in spades.

So if you want to see Isak and the forwards get no service, play Dom in the no.10 and see what happens. because if you want creativity with him in the team, you're going to need to play with 12 players (including Wirtz). Or you're going to have to find a way to get Trent back. Your choice.

16 Sep 2026 20:50:23
Spot on @ shankleys ghost. Add a competitive 22 man squad to that and results take care of themselves. Another couple of transfer windows and we won't be far off.

16 Sep 2026 21:56:31
Dom should be the inverted RB. Similar to TAA, he's just not positionally aware or quick enough with the pass to play in the center. Inverted RB would let him play early crosses and drive in and have shots from distance when defenses sit off.

16 Sep 2026 12:09:29
What a great cup tie, many changes by both teams ensured energy in abundance, it was end to end, hugely enjoyable viewing.

The youngsters Trey, James & Lewis all played a major part and all look ready for when called upon for upcoming fixtures.

The new lad Joe Gomez played very well, Cody captained the team to an excellent victory, he again had a great night.

3 lovely goals with a worldie to seal it. Giorgi Mamardashvili had his best game in a Liverpool shirt, some excellent keeping, the save from the deflected shot from Marmoush was amazing.

Thoroughly enjoyed it, could of been 5-5 as Tottenham played pretty well but it's us that's in the hat for the next round 🤗, looking forward to Bournemouth on Sunday, I'm sure Andoni will get a great reception but it will have to go some to replicate Robbo' one last night.

Well done everyone involved 👏

YNWA.

{Ed001's Note - Gomez was captain until he went off mate.}

16 Sep 2026 12:50:33
What was the reason for the Gomez withdrawal? Hopefully managed minutes.

16 Sep 2026 12:57:32
Pretty sure that was the case Hoof. Felt like Iraola used it as a bit of a pre-season style game. Eased Joe back in, gave a few kids some decent minutes and gave Wirtz & Virg the night off. All-in-all it was a decent night.

16 Sep 2026 13:17:45
Iraola confirmed after the game that the plan was never much more than 45 mins.

16 Sep 2026 16:04:03
Yeah good point Ed001, I missed that out, both done exceptionally well, considering Joe's game time as well, he seems to be able to come back after long absences and perform straight away, it's such a pity his body keeps letting him down because he's been a real asset over the years for us when called upon.


YNWA.

{Ed001's Note - and he is a good person to have around the club as well. Such a shame, a major case of what could have been.}

16 Sep 2026 16:03:49
FORNAX, was this to check the efficiency of the new wing nuts, recently fitted in his flat pack knee caps?

16 Sep 2026 16:34:05
I can't remember which season it was under Jurgen, either the one we won the league or the one we won the Champions league and he was beside VVD at CB, anyway he was top top level that season.

He formed a fantastic pairing with Virgil. Always liked him and his commitment was never in question. Agreed with ED01 a major case of what could have been. Pity.

{Ed001's Note - the season we won the Prem it was. Then he got injured with England and has never been right since.}

16 Sep 2026 18:20:53
Joe is a fantastic CB. He could've been world class in my opinion if he had the fitness and consistency of VVD.

16 Sep 2026 20:08:34
I've watched JG give interviews in the past and he is such a good soul. As for "What might have been", Gomez was a starter for England until that bad knee injury in 20/21 season and that was it.

Had he been able to go injury free (in terms of devastating injuries), all these guys like Konsa, Guehi etc. would have never seen the pitch for England, he was that good esp. with VVD next to him.

16 Sep 2026 23:37:35
Southgate made him train hard when Jurgen had told England setup that Joe was in the red zone. Never forgiven them for that.

Gomes joins the list of Liverpool players crocked on England duty. Barnes and Redknapp suffered significant career altering injuries while being played in meaningless friendlies.

16 Sep 2026 11:15:00
I really wanted us to go for Rayan in the summer but he is absolutely not worth 130m.
If we do go in for him in Jan/ summer it needs to be below £100m (£80m max imo) otherwise go in for Minteh. And we absolutely need a ball winning CM which is paramount.

16 Sep 2026 11:57:08
I would like us to develop by Nyoni and McConnel for the midfield both have talent.

16 Sep 2026 12:00:19
He's only worth 35-40 million. Anything more is over paying.

16 Sep 2026 12:04:44
You're not going to get anything in today's market for that price scouse John, especially not a regular in the Brazilian national first team. Look at the price the likes of Liam Delap and Garnacho went for.

16 Sep 2026 12:50:10
I'd try Dom on the right wing before spending fortunes more on players barley scoring every season.

16 Sep 2026 13:14:40
Minteh is a completely different beast to Rayan, and would have a transformative on the team imo.
Minteh is a pressing machine.

16 Sep 2026 13:25:22
Made his Brazil debut in March. Hardly regular. In an absolute pony Brazilian squad. Would people have Rayan in the English squad I wonder. I wouldn't.

16 Sep 2026 13:42:00
That hardly matters though Florian, I'm pretty sure he will be a fixture in the Brazilian squad from here on out, he is young and will continue to improve. My point is that he's already a much better player than Garnacho, and look at the price Garnacho went for.

16 Sep 2026 14:00:59
I like Rayan. Seems a good young player. Garnacho was also a good young player when he first came on the scene. Obviously seems to have lost his way. But this is my point with Rayan. People go on as if he's proven in the Premier League. Its a small sample size and he has done OKAY, nothing more nothing less.

Gets a lot more space than our wingers do against the parked buses. The whole Brazil thing is irrelevant to me as they havnt got anything like the depth anymore that the top countries like England and France have. He wouldn't get in their squads. Even on the right for Brazil I'd Estevao over him all day long.

16 Sep 2026 14:35:29
In this inflated and crazy market, Rayan would be a decent deal at a similar price to Minteh - £50-£75m range.

For that reason, if Bournemouth stick rigidly to the £130m clause that activates from Jan 27, I would pass on Rayan as he would be roughly double his value (in my opinion, obvs others may disagree).

I think we could get Minteh in that price bracket and I agree, he would be perfect for an Iraola system.

16 Sep 2026 14:58:20
We would get Minteh and a good midfielder for £ 130m.

16 Sep 2026 18:25:15
Yeah, I'd rather Minteh and Camara for the same price of Rayan if Bournemouth want that outrageous valuation for him.

I don't think Rayan has done enough for Bournemouth to demand £100m+ for him. He goes missing a lot on games for both club and country.

16 Sep 2026 20:10:05
Wouldn't touch either Minteh nor Raya esp. not at 130m for a guy who literally does not score anywhere near the goals to warrant such a crazy fee. Hard pass.

16 Sep 2026 09:30:04
So what we think lads? Should Koumas get more minutes?

16 Sep 2026 09:47:30
He's already getting plenty 👌.

16 Sep 2026 10:22:55
Good player him. Gives everything!

16 Sep 2026 11:02:43
Koumas already getting more minutes than he ever dreamed of going into the season.

I say, keep feeding the beast.

16 Sep 2026 11:06:02
Isak won't start or finish every game. Lewis will get plenty of time until Hugo is back.

16 Sep 2026 11:08:00
A good start from the lad. Presses a lot but let's not go overboard here. He's young but will need to start contributing towards goals before he replaces Isak who is proven and will likely improve a lot as we also improve as a team this year and he gets more confident that his body will hold up.

16 Sep 2026 11:22:15
Koumas does what andoni demands and wants. I would absolutely start him if he continues in the same vein.
We've quite a few players that are not andoni players and I simply can't see them suddenly becoming that type of player.

16 Sep 2026 11:31:01
The problem is though Ron Funk is doesn't he have the quality to score 20 plus goals and or assist loads for a pl team. I don't think he does, but I do think he is a valuable squad option.

16 Sep 2026 11:35:57
With you Todd, he's can be a very good HG squad player which is really needed.

16 Sep 2026 11:37:03
He's doing what he needs to do, knocking on the door and showing Isak what's required in terms of effort off the ball. I'm sure he's going to be the first thing on Iraola's mind if Isak needs to come off in the second half going forwards.

16 Sep 2026 11:57:57
Superb effort from the boy covered every blade of grass and was unlucky not to grab a goal. More of the same please Lewis!

16 Sep 2026 12:28:56
I think that once Koumas gets off the mark for the season, his confidence will grow and we will see even more from him.

16 Sep 2026 12:56:01
You don't have to have the final pass to be involved in an assist (unless your under 20).
As long as he's involved and contributing!

16 Sep 2026 13:19:01
Thought Nyoni and McConnell looked fantastic as well. Nyoni ran the game for large parts.

16 Sep 2026 16:59:48
Koumas definitely gives 110%, still doesn't get the head up often enough for me, if he did he would have had a goal last night, chalk it up to wanting to impress for now but it's not the first time I've noticed it, let's see how he develops. He did well, A+ for effort no doubt, good squad option, very much capable of putting defenders under pressure, very useful in the press.

Nyoni looks good, keen to see him getting more minutes, but he still needs time to develop, there were a few moments where he was caught out, it would have cost us against better teams, he doesn't quite look ready to play a regular starting role to me.

Can't honestly say I was impressed by McConnell, he was misisng for a lot of the game in my opinion, not taking anything away from him, he did well for a young lad but I need to see more.

We were extremely unsettled for the first 15 minutes or so, and lucky not to go a goal or 2 down, could have been a totally different game. Once Macca got the first goal it took the sting out of Tottenham and settled our nerves. The 2 lads in the middle did much better after that.

16 Sep 2026 18:32:50
I think Andonj is easing them in and not rushing them, which shows good management from him.

Trey and Koumas will probably get plenty of minutes this season and it's a good thing to not throw them straight in the deep end. imgine rushing them to start and they have a bad game due to nerves and get subbed off at half time, you crush their confidence. kind of similar to what Slot did with Quansah on the first game of that season.

16 Sep 2026 20:13:04
Man. of. todd, we don't need him to do that. What we need from Koumas is to spell Isak and give the oppo. something else to deal with because you ay not have noticed, w e have the wide forwards either side of him to score goals.

And also, AI had Evanilson who is essentially a Koumas type player and wasn't a goal scorer. They had Tavernier, Kluivert & Kroupi to do all that. It's the exact same scenario with Koumas.

16 Sep 2026 06:53:25
Quick question for Ed001. As it's in the news a lot recently I was just wondering what you know about the impact of Artificial Intelligence on the game.

I know there have been data analysts around the game for years and that loads of player metrics are measured, but was just wondering whether teams were using models which, based on patterns of play, could make real time adjustments to tactics and personnel? Could the age of the 'tactical genius' manager be over and they be replaced by analysts and data scientists in the dug out, who respond to data being relayed to them as the game is in progress?

{Ed001's Note - that sounds like my worst nightmare but also probably very likely. The players are already robotic enough, I wouldn't be surprised if they even shift over to using robots so they don't have to pay wages as well. I don't actually know for sure about AI, it is something I personally hope is banned, as it is not intelligence anyway. It is just scraping other people's work and copying it. I am sure there is a usage of it to sift through stats etc, but I hope it never reaches the level you are talking about!}

16 Sep 2026 08:29:52
Thanks. Appreciate your response. Suppose, at this stage, the models are only as good as what someone tells them to do.

16 Sep 2026 09:50:59
this future is genuinely not far from now. it could be 2-3 years away. there are already features in smaller games (i mean playing area sizes, given the capabilities to cover an entire football field + its complexities) such as pickleball.

recordings of a game can be read and itll disect game by game moments by the player chosen (likely atm still works because the AI can identify the players, unless twins wearing similar outfits) and u can get clips of your own plays to analyse.

i know this sounds incredibly basic but this is accessible to the public, like u and me. with tech the improvements made are vastly incremental, consider how long ago was the will smith spaghetti video and now AIs are making video clips of kanye singing in chinese.

im not for or against but some form of it is inevitable.

16 Sep 2026 10:07:58
To a degree isn't Brentford already like this in some way? Or the RB teams? Everything is in place and changing the manager doesn't make too much difference unless they are truly hopeless.

16 Sep 2026 10:19:40
Replace the refs first. This would actually be good for the game.

Machine learning based models for systems, tactics, player action are already being used by analytics departments. Currently this information is supplementary to coaches and recruitment to inform decisions. Is it possible to make those model more prominent in the decision making? That will depend on the coach and sporting directors being willing to defer to agents on decisions. I could see some startup club owned by a crypto degenerate trying it out just for publicity and curiousity but would be quite surprised to see it become mainstream.

More likely might come augmented reality viewing experiences - make your home feel more like you're in the stadium with your mates.

Whether the game will make the leap to players having information/data being fed to them via technologies, it's difficult to tell. Surely players would push back on that on account of them not wanting to be seen as robots on the pitch.

And you wonder in the growing world of live streamers, some players might be under pressure to reveal a bit more of their lives and personalities online in this attention economy, whether for individual or club marketing income.

Weird times indeed.

16 Sep 2026 17:22:13
Teams are already using AI, but it will never replace coaching, AI isn't actually intelligent, it's not capable of coming up with new ideas, it can take what it's been taught in spit out variations but it's never going to have the awareness required to spot the infinite subtleties a human is capable of picking up on.

It shouldn't even be called AI because it's really just machine learning with a chat function. When it comes to something like football, it's really not that useful except for gathering and sharing data, the unpredictability is such a massive factor that just cannot be computed.

Not to mention the human factor, it doesn't pick up on the subtle tells of body language, mental state, emotion and so on, it has no instincts whatsoever. A football coach can see 10 different things at once and immediately KNOW what's wrong, whereas AI can only run the numbers and use probability to speculate an answer. Sure Paddy Power already does that.

16 Sep 2026 06:21:09
Macca is coming back to his best it seems. Looks good.
Love his english.😭.

16 Sep 2026 07:22:02
Playing for a new contract like Gravenberch may be?

16 Sep 2026 08:22:05
The way it should be Sonic.

16 Sep 2026 08:56:18
No World Cup to worry about now.

16 Sep 2026 10:08:10
Or maybe he struggles with Slot ball.

16 Sep 2026 11:08:25
Think it's more of a case of he's decided to get his finger out to help get what he wants. Think enough players have struggled this season to show it wasn't all down to slot all.

16 Sep 2026 11:23:45
Florian mate. The season has barley kicked off, let's not write off any players yet specially with the big shift in tactics and intensity which surely comes with some teething pains!

16 Sep 2026 12:12:26
Wasn't writing anyone off ASB. Im not the one mentioning ripping up contracts, selling or even just giving players away. What people have been criticising a lot players for hasn't been struggling with a new system it's been playing for themselves, not following orders, showing little heart and also just been not good enough.

16 Sep 2026 01:03:05
Missed the game as I was working, were we really as bad as everyone is making out on here? ED001 thoughts?

{Ed001's Note - I thought we were ok, after initially being poor. When you consider the mixed up side, I thought it was a decent performance from a couple of the kids, Koumas in particular, and the side overall did enough to win. There was a short period after Szobo and Gravy came on that they were very slack and allowed to Spurs to get into it, but as soon as they scored Szobo stepped up a gear and cut out the slackness and then scored. It wasn't a great performance by any means, but there were some good signs - particularly the pressing by Koumas which caused so many problems. To be fair though, Spurs are an awful side, they play themselves into trouble constantly.}

16 Sep 2026 07:24:25
Not difficult, but so much better and more enjoyable to watch than last year's performances.

16 Sep 2026 07:29:06
Koumas aggressive pressing was great to see, mcconnell in the 10 also particularly as game went on. Made a real difference forwards pressing like they meant it.
Both full backs had there best game of season also I thought.

16 Sep 2026 08:23:01
Iam with you Digger Kumas living the dream, love to see putting a real shift in.
Would absolutely love to see this kid push on as I think we have a real talent with loads of heart for this club we love.
Great home support as usual.

16 Sep 2026 09:02:34
McConnell, Nyoni, Koumas all excellent, Mamardashvili brilliant shot stopping performance. Not sure why anybody would say that was a bad performance from us, if we were bad then Spurs were truly wretched. Started pretty badly but really grew into the game, second half was another example of us going ahead and then clamping down to take the sting out the game.

16 Sep 2026 07:57:34
I thought Spurs played into our hands by playing from the back. As Ed said we gained control in the game after an unconvincing start. The midfield looked much more balanced with Grav and Nyoni as the pivot. Grav I thought played better but he still wants to be in front of the ball, which unbalances the team.

He really does need to step it up.
Koumas pressing was great, he missed a good chance too. At times I thought his hold up play was good too.
Frimpong looked strong and aggressive against Tel probably a reflection of how bad Tel is but you have to give Frimpong credit as he didn't look so lightweight for a change.

16 Sep 2026 09:30:02
Ed01 if I may re: Koumas and is ability to run for days and press the oppo. well, does this not remind you of what Evanilson was doing under Iraola at B'mouth? because that was what he was known for, not scoring goals for fun because they had/have Tavernier, Kluivert, Kroupi and Rayan to bank on. Or even Alex Scott.

Hence in a perfect world in our situation (I know, good luck with that), do you think that AI would rather an Evanilson/Koumas type player as the CF, one who presses and pursues then oppo.'s defence and who also has the striking ability Isak in front of goal? Cheers, man.

{Ed001's Note - yes, I think he is a better fit on that performance and Isak's performances so far this season. I think that was obvious by the way Isak came on and ran about for a change. He must realise that his place is now in jeopardy after the way Koumas played. The youngster showed him up.}

16 Sep 2026 09:52:39
I mean no disrespect, I Just disagree on the Isak part, Isak is Just getting fitter by the day. They are on a different planet quality wise and I am convinced Isak will prove his worth soon enough 🙏.

16 Sep 2026 10:03:46
Ed, what do you think about Nyoni last night? I didn't watch the game as they don't broadcast the Carling Cup in my country, but many said we lost control of the game once he and McConnell were replaced by Dom and Grav.

That's not a good thing, is it? We allowed Spurs to get into the game and only stepped up when they scored. Good sides won't allow that to happen.

{Ed001's Note - Nyoni was very good, he held position and did his role without trying to be a hero, like Gravenberch does. That is why the control vanished without him, as suddenly there was a hole at the base of midfield at times. Gravy initially sat in but soon started wandering. I would say Nyoni, like Koumas, showed the most last night to suggest they could push the first choice players.

I have seen a lot of praise for Mamardashvili, but he was not good. He made one very good save, one good save and one was hit at him, that was the good, but everything else was horrible. He kicks every ball to the opposition. He flaps miserably at corners and crosses, costing a goal. And he is so slow to do anything that it invites pressure from the opposition. He is not what we need at all. He creates more problems than his shot stopping even comes close to fixing.

McConnell grew into the game and got better, after initially not playing well. By the time he was taken off, he was playing very well.

Rio was again poor, at best. He gives the ball away far too easily and often. Even the goal that came from his run was luck it broke the right way after he messed up, rather than him doing well.

Gomez was ok, looked rusty but showed some good pieces of defending. I liked that he was aggressive and looked to make challenges early, but there were moments you could see he was just back after a long break.

The full-backs both had their best games for us yet, Kerkez in particular was good.

Mac Allister, Gakpo and Araujo were all good, helped the team to find its feet together. Mac Allister was particularly good, to be fair, he looks like he has realised Mourinho is not coming in for him and so is working for that new contract!}

16 Sep 2026 11:05:41
Thanks, Ed01.

@Arne, I see your point and do think Isak is getting fitter and more confident. I see it a diff. way. I see it as us having two options to pick from who offer diff. qualities.

And for Koumas with a bit of luck, could have scored last night, as well.

16 Sep 2026 11:34:06
Thanks for the complete summary, Ed. I really appreciate it.

Who would you go for in midfield this weekend? I would personally go with Nyoni and Macca as the pivot with Wirtz as the 10. I think that would be the best midfield going forward.

{Ed001's Note - I am with you on that. I think Dom needs that kick up the arse. He was terrible until Spurs scored.}

16 Sep 2026 12:02:34
Kerkez was magnificent I think. Also agree with you about Mamardashvili ed, but that save he pulled off from the deflection was one of the very best I've seen in recent memory, and not sure he could do too much about the goal we did let in.

Overall he doesn't have the skillset to do what we need a Liverpool keeper to do, the young Belgian lad coming in looks special though and could be a worldie in a few years.

16 Sep 2026 12:02:34
Kerkez was magnificent I think. Also agree with you about Mamardashvili ed, but that save he pulled off from the deflection was one of the very best I've seen in recent memory, and not sure he could do too much about the goal we did let in.

Overall he doesn't have the skillset to do what we need a Liverpool keeper to do, the young Belgian lad coming in looks special though and could be a worldie in a few years.

16 Sep 2026 12:54:17
After seeing the evidence of the last few games and pre season the starting midfield and front four should be Trey and Macca, Gakpo left, Szob central, Barcola right, and Isak upfront. Wirtz and Koumas can swap out for Szob and Isak if it's not gelling.

Reality won't be that but on merit that's probably how you'd start.

16 Sep 2026 14:29:54
I think Archie Gray's subtle nudge on Mamardashvilli did the damage on the goal. Yes, he should have been stronger but it was a clever move from the Spurs player and just put him under the ball by a foot or so, so he flapped at it.

16 Sep 2026 01:03:55
The narrative around Rio is the exact reason why we can't replicate Bournemouth's scouting strategy and bring in player's before they make their name

This is amplified at our club imo.

16 Sep 2026 02:45:30
Agreed, Rayan has 0 goals and 0 assists this season but no one notices because he's at Bournemouth.

16 Sep 2026 03:50:31
There is no "narrative" around Rio. Apart from that one post on the rumours page, I have not seen discussions in any fan forum about him being sold or anything. Everyone realises that he has immense talent and can blossom into a truly great player if he can work on his weaknesses.

That thread was just some fans highlighting his weaknesses currently. We don't need to blow everything up for no reason.

{Ed666's Note - it’s just discussion mate. People are just airing their thoughts. No one is blowing anything up..in my opinion no one player indispensable in this team. Honestly out of the whole squad the only ones I’d keep are Ali, Leoni, Jacquet, Virgil, Ronald, Isak Nyoni, Munoz and Wirtz the rest are saleable assets. Not because they’re bad players but I don’t think they fit the system.

16 Sep 2026 04:25:38
E dry so gle player uses other clubs interest to drive up wages or try and get a better deal. No difference in what he's doing. His contract runs u til 2028 anyway so no rush. Let's see how he does this season.

16 Sep 2026 07:59:57
What narrative?

He has potential but has everything to prove. His decision making needs to improve as he has a tendency to run into blind alleys.

I think the general consensus is hope and excitement he will develop into a top player.

16 Sep 2026 08:25:02
Good point fifth element. And many a fan would be happy to spend £130m on that lad.

16 Sep 2026 09:34:21
Spot on Fifth & Flo. The Rayan "narrative" is one I don't care to get into because like Rio, he has just as much to prove.

If anything, Rio when it comes to end product, has done a bit more than Rayan has.

16 Sep 2026 10:48:19
Rayan has done far more than Rio and he's a better player.
He's played for Brazil- not a good Brazilian team, I must add- and scored in a WC tournament for a start.
That said, I wouldn't be paying £130m for either of them.

16 Sep 2026 11:50:51
One thing that's the most important thing that i feel playing for us is effort ed01 mate, and right now, no one is putting the effort that koumas has been putting, its been a joy to watch him.

{Ed001's Note - I am really impressed with him. I would start him personally, but I can understand why it probably won't happen.}

16 Sep 2026 08:16:33
Ed 666 I agree with your list of keeps and would add Hugo.

{Ed666's Note - with a heavy I’d sell Hugo also because it will take him a very long time to get to his best if indeed he does after such a nasty injury and we haven’t got time for passengers. But I love Hugo I truly hope he gets back firing on all cylinders but if not get rid.

16 Sep 2026 11:19:59
Ed666 you wouldn't keep Dom or gakpo?

{Ed666's Note - No mate. Gakpo doesent have the skill set of what I require from my left winger (although he’s going through a purple patch now) and Dom has been found out football IQ wise.

16 Sep 2026 20:18:13
Rigsby, playing for (a dead) Brazil is no longer the flex you think it is and i'm not arsed about any of that. Just as I don't care that Macca won a WC because it has nothing to do with LFC.

I compare them both based on what they have done in England and Rio (altho still raw and young) has done more than Rayan has in terms of actual end product.

17 Sep 2026 07:48:55
OliRed, that's fair enough but what is the actual end product you are talking about?
Rayan has more goals and assists than Rio Ngumoha.
Is it step overs?

15 Sep 2026 23:55:57
Here's hoping for a Macca, Nyoni, Wirtz midfield against Bournemouth. Don't want to see Dom play in the pivot. It's him or Wirtz for the attacking midfield role.

{Ed666's Note - Or play Dom at RB as he’s pretty good there and if he’s not happy sell him in the summer, get a lot of money for him and sign players that will play anywhere on the pitch just because they are proffesionals and they want to play for the shirt

16 Sep 2026 00:45:56
Dom did say to Gerrard in his interview that he is happy to play anywhere when needed but did prefer the 8/10 roll. At Salzburg he was playing lw and lm all the time then at Leipzig rw and as a 10. He needs that free role like Stevie had with Alonso and Mascherano behind to cover.

16 Sep 2026 00:46:06
Play Dom on the right of the three :

Trey - Macca

Dom - FW - BB.

16 Sep 2026 00:57:56
is the Dom the new whipping boy?
Where can I get updates to keep up with who we're bagging on next.

{Ed666's Note - when players aren’t performing well have a right as a fee paying fan to criticize. People pay hard earned money to garnish footballers salaries in every capacity be it TV channels, merchandise, going to the game etc etc..I think that gives us the right to at least vent when someone who’s on circa £250k a week is playing like a cnut. Don’t you? Or do we just keep quiet and don’t say nothing pretending it doesn’t bother us? I am ashamed to admit I’m old enough to remember when the King went through a bad spell of form when he played for Liverpool and I ripped his posters off the wall and called him every name under the sun because he didn’t score for a few games. Does this make me less of a fan? Or does this make me a fan that is passionate about my club and want them to do well? If you want whipping boy updates..tune into my editing I’ll tell you how I feel when players aren’t pulling their weight for the inflated salaries they are earning. Ridiculous that we can’t criticize these prima Donna’s

16 Sep 2026 01:03:04
I'd play Dom at RB. I just don't think you can play him at RW when we've bought Barcola for one wing and you got Gakpo banging in the goals and assists, and Muñoz in decent form.

I think Dom at RB is an awesome option and also rotate with Wirtz on the 10.

16 Sep 2026 01:18:38
Although it's a small sample size, trey has shown all the necessary characteristics of being the starting six for Liverpool. He's calm under pressure, doesn't lose the ball, has great positioning, is actually rather strong defensively against duels, and my favorite characteristic is his progressive passing between the lines.

I agree he should be starting or at minimum playing a lot. We can let Dom and Florian fight for the 10 or as others have said, we can look at moving Dom to a right back or another position.

16 Sep 2026 01:43:42
Maybe an unpopular opinion, but I rekon between Macca, Dom, Grav and Nyoni, we have four really good midfielders who can deliver in that double pivot system.

more games together will help them embed the system and understanding of their movements, when to cover space etc.

As they build confidence, then the rest of their game will open up

Nyoni is definitely ready for more game time. But let's also give the kid a chance to fail safely. Looking at the praise turned critique of Macca, Grav and Dom, it won't be long until Nyoni is thrown to the scrapheap on here too.

16 Sep 2026 00:59:30
Szoboszlai also said if he and Gerrard were in the same team he would play 10 and Gerrard would play right back, so clearly he is delusional.

16 Sep 2026 02:26:31
triple6 - I confess I didn't read all of your reply. I stopped at the emotionally and politically charged line of "fee paying citizen".

We will go around and around the mulberry bush and it seems it's Dom's turn. Do your thing and run the players through the ringer, if we were in charge we'd not have a squad for the weekend.

{Ed666's Note - I actually said fee paying fan..but if I was in charge mate I’d tell them it’s club before ego and hence why I loved Klopp so much. He was a father, friend and foe on any given day. When AI gets his own players we will click. I feel sorry for the guy he’s inherited some players not all that he probably wouldn’t choosen if he had the choice...so let’s see what’s transpires. Gonna be a rocky ride this season that’s for sure. Hopefully post Xmas we can pull it together and win the Eurovision Song Contest

16 Sep 2026 04:30:54
Faith can you point me in the direction to post where someone has said Dom's is poor or rubbish. We are simply discussing what we as fans think is his best position. I mentioned his positions at his previous alluding to the fact he has done well there. In our title win he was the 10. Following season he was helping the team being at RB and has done well.

For me and other posters plus ed he simply isn't good enough in the pivot. You wouldn't put Stevie in a two as he was so dangerous going forward. This is a forum for posters to discuss things or vent if I happy about players. Ultimately Andoni will decide what's best.

16 Sep 2026 08:28:04
If Dom has to play RB(something that caused absolute chaos on this site last year)then it should only be until January. Get a RB in and let Dom and Wirtz compete for the No.10 spot. Let the best man will. That will improve both the RB and No.10 position.

16 Sep 2026 09:47:38
Flo, where is the competition? because I don't see it at all. Dom simply does not possess any of the qualities (guile, vision, intelligence, eye for the key pass or pre-assist, weight of pass in the final third, etc.) that you need to be effective in those pockets of space in the final third, all of which a at basic level, Wirtz possesses.

All of the above is not Dom's game as his has no creative bone in his body. Now if you want to play him as the most advanced midfielder behind Isak as we did in the season we won the title then, you need to go get Trent back, Macca in the 8 and VVD who could just send the ball 60 yrds to whom? Yeah, Mo Salah and we are off. because these guys were the ones doing near all the creating stuff, not Dom. He was the runner and presser, covering ground and chipping in with a goal here or there.

If you're not going to do any of the above (which we can't) then, Dom is useless in the creative no. 10 position as a creator. Just my take.

16 Sep 2026 10:14:55
If we're all honest, dom came on last night had a mare and scored a screamer.

The goal will mask his performance, Jt was fantastic, but he was objectively poor when he came on.

He has the ability to be a fantastic midfielder, but he isn't one yet. Fantastic athlete and a great striker of the ball, my worst fear is his issue could be in game intelligence, he can press for days, yet when he does he picks the wrong time/trigger and opens up passing lanes for the opposition.

If Iraola can tweak his weaknesses he'll be phenomenal, but at the moment there's a disconnect.

16 Sep 2026 11:20:59
"Dom simply does not possess any of the qualities (guile, vision, intelligence, eye for the key pass or pre-assist, weight of pass in the final third, etc.) that you need to be effective in those pockets of space in the final third, all of which a at basic level, Wirtz possesses"

The problem is with this paragraph that a lot of posters haven't seen this from Wirtz either🤷‍♂️. Like it or not he's been a passenger in too many games and blaming other players isn't going to change that. Being completely honest Isak has stepped up more in the very early part of this season and Wirtz hasn't so far.

16 Sep 2026 11:27:32
OliRed, where's the evidence that Wirtz can do it as a creative ten?
I'm not saying he can't but the logic you use to describe Szobozslai as 'useless' can also be applied to Wirtz.
If you want Wirtz to 'cook' then doesn't he need the runners that we don't have or the players he played with at Leverkusen? Because at Liverpool he just hasn't done it.