I said last week I was hoping we would use him more in this way regardless of the score at the time as his pace will help both in defending and counter attacking as well as attacking.
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We need to be seeing more of him period. No ifs or buts about it. He helps drive the team forward and puts defenders on the back foot, which we sorely lack when Gakpo and Mo play. Rio and Frim were both far more threatening in the 15mins they had.
& All this talk of being burnt out by whatever age is fanciful talk - someone go have a look how much Milner had played at the same age, heās not done too badly, besides itās really none of our concern right now as we donāt even know if heāll still be a Liverpool player in 2ā¦5ā¦10 years time.
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509 minutes across 18 games.
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Right now, my priority order for wingers is Frimpong, Wirtz > Rio > Gakpo >> Salah > Chiesa.
hope both Gomez and Frimpong can stay fit for the rest of the season.
Rio understandably is still a very individual player. You can see how things slow down when the ball gets to him because his first second and third thought is all about taking on his defender. You can see how a coach might be reluctant to use him too often too early if coherent collective play was our identity. As we keep being told is the goal. But that isnt what we are. We are moments FC, a side that wins points by being better than the opposition across a small collection of key moments without necessarily having put in a good team performance. If thatās how youāre going to earn your wins, rather than through ācontrolā then there is even more reason to use Rio so he can do something individual and special to create those moments
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Very good game today a lot more quality and changed up his game both dribbling inside and out and also passing intelligently.
A lot of talk about Mane for them but doesnāt hold a light to young Rio.
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I liked that moment from the second half when Van Dijk gave him a serious look and waved him on to go forward with the ball and take on his man. Throughout the match, I had a feeling that seniors were fully aware of what he could do with the ball and looked to him to create chances as if he was their equal. Thatās encouraging and I hope more youth players from the club will follow in his footsteps.
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Robbo was constantly encouraging him
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Another thing that I liked from his performance, he kept getting fouled/clattered and just bounced back up and got on with, so good to see.
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I think weāve got a talent on our hands here.
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That said, I think some of the hype around him on Friday was extravagant. He was good, but he wasnāt quite as good as the gushing from the commentary every time he touched the ball, or the pundits acting like he was going to single handedly save our season. I want to see more from him, and Iād like him to be getting starts and significant sub minutes, but Iād also like ever to calm down a bit too.
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Flog him now, bloody useless.
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Heās only 17 years old, but heās already so much better than that one-trick pony Gakpo, whose nationality is the main reason heās selected week after week.
Itās not just the supporters who are ready for a new manager, but the players too.
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Hey Rio - ever heard of Woodburn, Brewster, Sinclair, Ibe, Doakā¦?
Try having a real breakthrough first. Like reaching Raheem Sterling level at Liverpool. Then add some trophies.
But even then youāre not doing yourself any favors talking about individual awards. Just ask Trent.
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Not sure thereās too much wrong there with what he said.
Maybe lose the ballon dāor talk.
& perhaps you could halt the āone of the best everā for another time.
Ok and maybe not mention winning many PLs/CLs when weāre in the state weāre inā¦it comes across as a little oblivious.
Actually you know what Rio, just avoid any future media invitations and leave them to Virg.
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Hat trick today Rio, just to shut everyone up!!
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I watched the interview and it was nowhere near as bad as the quote appears. He was answering all kind of questions from fans. He was directly asked about his ceiling, and thatās what he answered. Perhaps, he should have toned it down, but he was being as genuine and confident as he was throughout the interview.
Frankly, I disliked more him saying that he looked up to Neymar as a forward and also mentioning that his first Liverpool memory is the 2019 CL final, which made me feel incredibly old, but overall, I thought that he came off well.
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Nothing wrong with confidence and setting himself big goals.
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I believe him.
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