I hear Chow mein
Homegrown being the most obvious one as far as squad planning in 3 years goes. This is his most likely timeline for a regular spot in the first team.
A nice, although hardly in-depth, article on our burgeoning Thiago-KeĆÆta axis here:
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My gut and head says we need a new player or two in midfield. Cover for Fab maybe and something to compliment the rest.
When my head and gut agree on something it normally isnāt good news for my waistline.
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Nothing but love and respect for Milly but tbh and donāt want him to sign a new contract.
Him and Ox leaving would mean significantly more game time for Jones, Elliott and Carvalho and would increase the chances of signing another midfielder (Tchoumeni?).
Let him join the 'back room 'boysā¦and ease him slowlyā¦thats if he wants toā¦
If any of those cant complete with him for game time, then there is a bigger issue. I would love him to stay on a year rolling contract, just for what he brings beyond the game time.
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Jones and Elliott have to prove they can play more and Carvalho isnāt even at the club yet, heās a player with 1 Championship season under his belt and weāre one of the very best sides in the world.
Iām not saying itās impossible for one of those or some of those to go up a level next season, but I canāt possibly put them individual cases so high as priorities. We probably donāt see the complete picture what Milner means to us both as a player and character.
Theyāre here on merit of course and for something more, Iām sorry but nobody is blocking them, weāre a superb side, some of our most important and/or best players are playing in those areas and it should be difficult. Some will make it and be important here for a long time, some will not (more of them will not). Team comes first.
I think Millie is also well aware that it could happen that he plays less, if there are other players doing well. Itās probably why heās also in no rush to make a decision, even though the latest information is that he will sign.
Long seasons, different scenarios/forms/evolutions are possible, just look at the example of Gomez whoās doing well backing up at RB lately.
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Milner and Ox together has played around 2600 mins this season. If those mins are spread across Curtis (1300+), Elliott (500+), and Carvalho; I think they are good enough to take that incremental responsibility. Milner knows that with the extension his role will include less playing and more dressing-room, training ground tutelage of the young players.
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A minute for minute comparison doesnāt capture the true picture. A lot of Millyās minutes were situational, minutes where Klopp was specifically looking for the most reliable option he had. Those minutes dont go to a kid trying to establish himself.
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Thatās true. This season, most of the time Milner was called upon to disrupt the rhythm of the opposition and regain the momentum of the game. None of our midfielders has that dark-art skill.
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I canāt think of anything better for the development of Jones, Elliott, Carvalho and any other young Liverpool midfielder than to have James Milner in the squad.
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Personally I would let Milner go, Henderson can take his place. Chamberlain needs to be moved on in the summer, Tchouameni can replace him and we got that Carvalho from Fulham.
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Our winning midfields have always been about balance. When we won the league and CL, our midfield was mainly Hendo, Fabinho and Gini. Hardly inspiring in terms of creativity but it works because Hendo and Gini could cover the earth 3 times over in a match while having the confidence that Fabinho is there when their hassling got broken through. When Thiago came, there was a huge surge of creativity but there was an initial drop of stamina and running and hustling because I think Thiago did struggle a fair bit in terms of running for long periods in matches but as with the mark of a great coaching team and a world class humble player, Thiago quickly improve on those aspects and thus bring another dimension to our title winning midfield after Gini left. I do not think its going to be easy to find another Thiago, even if there is because you need a player with great stamina, who can tackle and run all day and yet has that creativity. Something has to give and that is why Klopp always likes players who can play across roles in the squad. That is why Hendo is so highly valued, he may not be 10/10 in every role but he gives a 8/10 almost everytime in any midfield role he is given.
Tchouameni looks good as an all rounder, likewise Bellingham but Tchouameni looks the most realistic in terms of costs and the right time and age for him to move. I donāt know honestly there is a specific MF we are looking for but personally I think the only type that I would never want to see because simply not fitting to us is the previously like Sahin/Coutinho type where they play only when they decide to with occasional brilliance and then disappears. The base qualities we should be getting are high energy, highly mobile and team oriented and then you start building on top of those. Without those 3 qualities, you can be the best player in the world and Klopp will still not want you and that is why Thiago is such a world class player because he came and adapted.
Sahin was the best player on Kloppās first title at Dortmund. He was off the boil by the time he came to us, but also had Rodgers trying to play him much further forward than he previously had, but he is exactly the profile of the sort of player who would do well for us - a hard working, busy player who covers a lot of ground always looking to make a progressive pass.
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Is Gravenberch definitely going to Bayern Munich? Seems to be the general consensus but canāt find anything to say itās definitely happening or been confirmed.
There was a bit of noise a couple of days ago that the dealās close - Fabrizio doesnāt seem to drop much BS these days - heās just all about the hype
Maybe we announce something the day after the CL final (whether that be Gravenberch, Tchouameni or whoever) - weāve had form of getting them done quick - Carvalho was all but done and dusted and we tend to operate quietly and efficiently.
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I saw a DW Kick-off post confirming this.
Need improvements to make the 5 subs count.
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To be fair, unlike last year, our midfield succeeded in taming Kroos and Modric, though Casemiro was excellent.