The Official Liverpool FC Thread [Vol 10]

[Flip Martian]

ascayman said:

Just seen sturidges first goal, what a finish that was!

Your season will be defined by how many games he plays I think.

Sadly this is true. Already fed up of all the "yay Sturridge is back and we've been his missing goals". Frankly for anyone with top 4 aspirations to only have 1 goalscorer (and an injury prone one at that) after 3 years of anyone's management is shoddy. Whether that's BR, the TC or the board. Its incompetent.

[Pommygranite]

tux said:

curlie467 said:

Not really, I still don't want him.

Sadly if past form is anything to go by then now we will go on a mad 10 game wining run and Rodgers will be the best thing since sliced bread.

I bloody hope so.

[RWD cossie wil]

Flip Martian said:

ascayman said:

Just seen sturidges first goal, what a finish that was!

Your season will be defined by how many games he plays I think.

Sadly this is true. Already fed up of all the "yay Sturridge is back and we've been his missing goals". Frankly for anyone with top 4 aspirations to only have 1 goalscorer (and an injury prone one at that) after 3 years of anyone's management is shoddy. Whether that's BR, the TC or the board. Its incompetent.

To be fair they have tried to sort it out with 3 new strikers, Benteke will be formidable when he's supplied correctly, Igs gives us a different option who also looks very sharp, & Origi should be a pretty hot prospect for the future whilst still giving us an option now.

Sorry but any team that loses a striker of Sturridges quality will suffer....

[DuncanM]

RWD cossie wil said:

Flip Martian said:

ascayman said:

Just seen sturidges first goal, what a finish that was!

Your season will be defined by how many games he plays I think.

Sadly this is true. Already fed up of all the "yay Sturridge is back and we've been his missing goals". Frankly for anyone with top 4 aspirations to only have 1 goalscorer (and an injury prone one at that) after 3 years of anyone's management is shoddy. Whether that's BR, the TC or the board. Its incompetent.

To be fair they have tried to sort it out with 3 new strikers, Benteke will be formidable when he's supplied correctly, Igs gives us a different option who also looks very sharp, & Origi should be a pretty hot prospect for the future whilst still giving us an option now.

Sorry but any team that loses a striker of Sturridges quality will suffer....

Sturridge is seriously good in front of goal, these player don't grow on trees.

My frustration is more to do with the insistence on trying to play 1 up front when we clearly look a million times better with two proper strikers, no matter who they are.

2 proper strikers with Coutinho directly behind, no matter what formation it entails.

Could save BR's job, is that a good thing?

[Flip Martian]

RWD cossie wil said:

To be fair they have tried to sort it out with 3 new strikers, Benteke will be formidable when he's supplied correctly, Igs gives us a different option who also looks very sharp, & Origi should be a pretty hot prospect for the future whilst still giving us an option now.

Sorry but any team that loses a striker of Sturridges quality will suffer....

I agree but all those you name were signed or first used in season 3. If we'd had a Benteke or an Ings this time last year we might have coped without Sturridge far better.

[London424]

Flip Martian said:

RWD cossie wil said:

To be fair they have tried to sort it out with 3 new strikers, Benteke will be formidable when he's supplied correctly, Igs gives us a different option who also looks very sharp, & Origi should be a pretty hot prospect for the future whilst still giving us an option now.

Sorry but any team that loses a striker of Sturridges quality will suffer....

I agree but all those you name were signed or first used in season 3. If we'd had a Benteke or an Ings this time last year we might have coped without Sturridge far better.

You had Balotelli, Lambert and Borini.

[Flip Martian]

London424 said:

You had Balotelli, Lambert and Borini.

Yeeeees....that's the point. We had 1 striker capable of finding the net regularly - Sturridge. Who gets injured a lot. None of those 3 were really of his calibre (you can argue Balotelli should be but that was always going to end in disaster).

[DuncanM]

Flip Martian said:

London424 said:

You had Balotelli, Lambert and Borini.

Yeeeees....that's the point. We had 1 striker capable of finding the net regularly - Sturridge. Who gets injured a lot. None of those 3 were really of his calibre (you can argue Balotelli should be but that was always going to end in disaster).

I'm just not convinced by this argument, the biggest problem was constantly playing 1 up front.

Sturridge is a class above for finishing though, but then I think he's one of the best in the Prem when fit.

[Flip Martian]

DuncanM said:

I'm just not convinced by this argument, the biggest problem was constantly playing 1 up front.

Sturridge is a class above for finishing though, but then I think he's one of the best in the Prem when fit.

Surely if we'd had 2 strikers that were any good, we'd have played them. I hate the 1 up front thing as well but whenever we DID have 2 on the pitch (usually after a substitution and we were chasing the game) we were totally ineffective. Lambert sadly wasn't any good, Borini ran around a lot but with little effect (arguably never had enough chance to) and Balotelli was...Balotelli.

[DuncanM]

Flip Martian said:

DuncanM said:

I'm just not convinced by this argument, the biggest problem was constantly playing 1 up front.

Sturridge is a class above for finishing though, but then I think he's one of the best in the Prem when fit.

Surely if we'd had 2 strikers that were any good, we'd have played them. I hate the 1 up front thing as well but whenever we DID have 2 on the pitch (usually after a substitution and we were chasing the game) we were totally ineffective. Lambert sadly wasn't any good, Borini ran around a lot but with little effect (arguably never had enough chance to) and Balotelli was...Balotelli.

I love Balo, and I reckon Borini needed a better run out in the team.

I hated how toothless we were last year, if BR does go, then he should go Keegan styly with mad attacking football and not the terrified safe ste we've seen all too often.

[RedTrident]

It was obvious last season that playing Mario alongside another striker was what we needed. As it is obvious this season that Benteke up front on his own is clueless also.

It will be interesting to see what Benteke and Sturridge look like. I thought Ings played well, did a lot of running, maybe lacks that extra bit of talent but a hard worker. Unfortunately not top 4 striker material though but with more games who knows.

[DuncanM]

RedTrident said:

It was obvious last season that playing Mario alongside another striker was what we needed. As it is obvious this season that Benteke up front on his own is clueless also.

It will be interesting to see what Benteke and Sturridge look like. I thought Ings played well, did a lot of running, maybe lacks that extra bit of talent but a hard worker. Unfortunately not top 4 striker material though but with more games who knows.

RT, does Sturridge look a different class? His finishing makes me grin from ear to ear!

There's something about how the top strikers hit the ball with power and precision, it's different, and great to see from a Liverpool player.

[Flip Martian]

DuncanM said:

RT, does Sturridge look a different class? His finishing makes me grin from ear to ear!

There's something about how the top strikers hit the ball with power and precision, it's different, and great to see from a Liverpool player.

Exactly my point - he's the only striker we've had other than Suarez who can do that in the last 4 years or so.

[RedTrident]

Sturridge is on a completely different level to our other strikers, including Benteke. Importantly also, defenders are scared of him. His finishing at times is sublime and at other times shoddy but what he has is a self belief that means he keeps showing for the ball.

We have missed him but then I'd say the 75 million we got for Suarez and the 45 million for Sterling should have at least got us another proven dynamic striker that can play as a front 2 or across the front 3.

As a lone striker I think its easy to mark him out of the game. Needs to be playing alongside another striker. My gut says Ings is a better fit than Benteke...

[ras62]

3 points was welcome but we are a complete mess in defence. first half saw 71% possession as we aimlessly passed it around the back line,yet even with all that possession Villa had the better chances. The keystone cops defending continues.
Can's distribution is rank, he is no defender and not yet disciplined enough to perform middle of midfield. Quite why our defenders are pulled out of position so easily I don't know, again a lack of discipline. 3 at the back with Lucas I simply can't stand, it's an accident waiting to happen and happen it will....just like last season. Wee Brendan is winging it but not for much longer.

[type-r]

Adam B said:

can anyone explain what the f he was doing for the first goal? Infuriating

Haven't got a clue what he was doing. Perhaps sending a subtle message to Rodgers? I loved Sakho's reaction when the goal went in - he was so infuriated, he got down on his hands and knees and started beating the pitch.

[mr sagman]

Sturridge is total class.. A genuine and natural number 9.. He is instinctive and lethal.. He scores without even having to think about it.. How many 0-0 draws would he have won us last season? We will never know.. Him and Ings / Benteke should be a lethal frontline especially with Coutihno behind them... However if he cannot sort out the defensive / goalkeeping mess we are totally fecked.. Unless he plans on outscoring everyone as per 2013/14 Suarez era.. God only knows where Cann will end up as he has played almost everywhere bar in goal so far.. totally bizarre.. Moreno is starting to grow on me as he definately offers us an attacking option on the left.. Possibly a little weak defensively though.
Overall its a real pickle that needs resolving very very quickly.

[DSLiverpool]

Direct quote:
"But it is a huge club. As a manager you know that and deal with it. It’s not about proving people wrong. I think I’ve shown in the early stages of my management — without being arrogant — that with a talented group of players I can compete at the top end."

So last year he didn't have a talented group of players but what's really got my goat is he thinks he can compete at the highest level when every CL game has been an embarrassment plus the cup semi plus the title slip
- he bottled every game.

Charlatan !!!

[Flip Martian]

RedTrident said:

Sturridge is on a completely different level to our other strikers, including Benteke....
We have missed him but then I'd say the 75 million we got for Suarez and the 45 million for Sterling should have at least got us another proven dynamic striker that can play as a front 2 or across the front 3.

Exactly my point - we've had 2 summers to get another Sturridge (if not a Suarez) and done neither. That's not just BR's fault, its the club's as well.

[Black can man]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-...


Not sure they would allow him to have total control.