Here we go, 2 years later and we finally see this great versatility from Shaq. Although more as a LCM in a 4-3-3.
Joke aside, fantastic free kick. We’ll see who stays. We need a 3rd option along with Minamino and Jota. Positionally, Shaqiri would make more sense than Origi, but it wouldn’t surprise me if we keep Divock for another (and hopefully final) season.
I thought this game was a great encapsulation of his time here. not only did we see the great goal, but the first 15 minutes absolutely everything was going through him…he was almost Thiago like. He then drifted in influence. It’s first game in forever and the game was already won by that point, but when you see the likes of Taki and Jones just demanding the ball and keeping up the intensity you see what it’s going to take to break through and get meaningful minutes in meaningful games in this side.
I love him, think he’s wonderfully talented and he seems to have a great attitude and personality and so I really want it to work for him here. But there is just something that is not quite clicking for him.
I think he doesn’t have the physical and mental attributes to play for us anymore. Perhaps the injuries have eaten into his hunger.
Jota, Takumi and Curtis will be prefer over him. Would be best if he can be moved on.
The only thing which isn’t clicking for him is his fitness record. Otherwise he has everything to play in and around a top team like ours. But it’s these f… injuries which throw him back on a regular basis. It’s a pity, as he’s a genuine quality player.
It’s interesting who remains with us. Like I said, with Minamino and Jota being here for sure, that’s already two players.
Positionally, let’s say Jota mainly competes for that left side, Taki centrally and then out of all others, Shaq would make most sense for the right side.
Origi mainly competes for that left side, sometimes centrally. He can make some runs, but too few in my opinion, he plays a very inconsistent game, just doesn’t know how to bring the best out of him. The only hope with him is that he fights, uses his good size/pace and can score from that left side channel which he did a few times.
The problem with Shaq is his availability, but also style. He just doesn’t make offers in behind, he wants the ball into feet.
So, whatever happens, whoever stays as the 3rd, my hope is that Jota is at least that one in backup forward positions who can make offers in behind. He strikes me as someone who can do a bit of both; combine, but also make runs.
I really like him too but it’s just not going to work out for him here and I hope for his sake he can find another club. I’ve always thought he was a consolation prize when the Fekir transfer didn’t happen and JK has never really fancied him or at least found a place for him to play. Constantly being injured hasn’t helped much.
Regardless of his injury issues, every time I look at him, I see a classic no. 10. I think he would have been remembered like Recoba if he played twenty years ago, he has that technical quality and vision but Klopp doesn’t have a clear role for him in his team, especially now. Around this time two years ago, he was the key creative outlet in the team for about two or three months, his best spell for Liverpool in my opinion, but Klopp tweaked his tactics a bit to make the most of Salah’s and Mane’s skill, speed and attacking instincts, while Wijnaldum and Henderson became truly indispensable.
Technically he’s the best player at the club IMO. Set pieces, crosses, passes, shots, touch…has it all. But he’s a player who impacts the game in moments and he can’t keep up with the speed of the game. Doesn’t have the fitness, pace or durability to do so.
He could be kept around as an impact player, or somebody to start lower intensity games. Getting rid of him makes so much sense but every time I see him play I want us to keep him instead.
Let’s not exaggerate. 
Exaggerate what?
Never stayed fit for a whole season.
Recoba and being the best at the club technically. He’s a pretty good little player when he’s fit and in form, but I don’t think he’s (or ever was) that level.
Who is better?
Now Thiago is signed, he is. But apart from that only Trent gets close and Shaqiri takes the set pieces over him when they’re both on the pitch.
Football is about more than technique, which is why Shaqiri doesn’t start, but his technique is top level without a doubt.
We can talk about technique in general (touches?) or technical elements. Also ball manipulation. Dead ball situations are not really high on that list of elements for me, you can have that aspect without being a technically high level player (there are different levels of course). It is why you could see last night, although he played in a new role for him, he almost always looked for the same options. Bobby is certainly up there (although he can have his technical “farts”), Naby too, Trent like you say or maybe even Virgil. The likes of Jones, Taki and Jota could show it more regularly soon. It’s difficult to put technique in one general bracket, that’s also part of my point. Shaq is mainly a combining player. I don’t see him as such a pure #10 because playing #10 for Switzerland and off the right in almost of all of his club football career is not the same situation nor level. There’s a reason why he ended up at a place like Stoke for a few years. He mostly played off the sides, towards the inside. Technical player? Yeah. Highest quality? Nah.
The primary technique in football is kicking the football. Shaq does that better than most and definitely is top quality in that respect. His close control is very good too.
Not the cleverest player, not the fittest player, but superb technically.
Yeah, I’d agree he falls in the bracket of mainly a technical player. A combining one. Maybe his physical peak is past/gone, though if he’s on it, he will always be a tough little cookie. I just don’t see him as such high level quality in the things he’s good at. There is a level or two ahead of that.
Not sure I agree with you there, mate. Within a 433, sure, his options will be limited. However, in a 4231, as the right playmaker on the wing, or as the no. 10, he has an awful lot to offer. Yeah, as @Zoran said, he’s not the kind of player who will rush in-behind a defence, but he can make things happen if he has the runners in front of him.
That’s why I think that it is a pity that his injuries have hampered him so much during his spell with us. As you say, he was one of our creative outlets at the beginning of his spell with us, but what stopped him at that moment? Injuries. I’m sure that had he stayed fit, he’d have played very regularly as soon as we’d face inferior sides mainly trying to defend against us. But also against some top sides, he could have offered a lot. Against Atletico last spring, he’d have been worth his weight in gold for us if he had been available.
Anyway, ifs and whens… his injuries always throw him back, which explains also why he can’t keep up physically during high-intensity games. I’m actually amazed at how he always recovers from all these set-backs to show his quality again. But the question has to be raised in fairness whether he can stay fit from now on. Given his record until now, I’d say no. It’s like Aurelio or Kewell when they were with us: a lot of quality put into a fragile body.
I hope that he’ll prove me wrong though, stay with us this season and stay fit from now on. IF that happens, he’ll be of great value to us I’m sure.
The best thing is that I actually wanted us to sign him from Bayern (he used to cover 2-3 positions there are a backup/rotation option) when he was going off to Inter and we were far from the level we are now. I think Shaq mentioned we were also an option, but our offer wasn’t something Bayern wanted. His career is not over, but at the end of the day, he is one of those where I think the talent/attention/sympathy were a bit higher than the end product for the best years of his career. It’s a shame that for someone nicknamed Power Cube, he’s not available often enough. Muscle issues, etc. Klopp spoke about it. Honestly now, even after a season of practically no football, I’d still prefer him to stay than Origi. But I’ll understand if the opposite happens, maybe it will also depend on offers.
To be fair, everyone was scratching their heads when he headed to Stoke. He was considered as one of the most talented footballers in the Bundesliga at the time. Dortmund wanted him, but he went to the place with the most money.
It was a career-defining mistake imo. Instead of continuing to play with quality players and being further groomed by top level coaches, he went to Mark f… Hughes and a Stoke side which was still heavily influenced by the Pulis years. Adam was one of the ‘main creative players’ there at the time… 
I remember that he got a lot of stick from ex-players and pundits in Germany for that choice.
It’s also at Stoke that he built up all these muscles which are now causing him all these problems. The fitness coach there must have been a complete idiot.
I know, but when you go to Stoke and remain there for, what, 3 years? Maybe there weren’t fantastic offers on the table. Don’t get me wrong, opposite cases can happen, too. Players being unlucky. Sometimes you’re limited by your (selling) club. Not everything is pure logic in football, in fact illogical things happen almost every day. People make judgements/valuations, we all make mistakes. But I still think quality prevails in most cases and there are good reasons (not often spoke about or people don’t like to admit them) for it, especially in a span of a few years.