One thing we shouldn’t do under the current circumstances, is offer Keita a guaranteed contract extension. It’s has become a pointless exercise to keep him fit, and per minutes played he has to be one of the most expensive signings in the history of LFC. I really wanted this to be the year, and last year I really wanted to be the year, I now just don’t care, I want him out of the way so that the highly rated youth have definitive path, 2 or 3 of them fighting over genuine squad position, rather than a player that can’t physically deliver. Keita’s stock is going to be much higher in the BL, we should take advantage of that now. The analysis dept have years of smart investments, you allowed to miss once in a while rather than trying desperately to will a signing into some type of unattainable existence. Cut your fucking losses.
Regardless of how he does, I don’t want to see us signing Arthur permanently. His injury record is just atrocious and even if he manages to stay healthy for one season… I have huge doubts it will last for a second one.
No need to offer extensions to Ox or Keita either and I’m quickly losing faith in Curtis Jones’ ability to stay healthy too.
Let’s free up some space for players who we can actually count on.
Some size, speed and athleticism besides the prerequisite skill is needed.
Is it awful? He still played 30+ games a season since being in Europe despite never being first choice at either club.
I’m fairly certain someone on here posted a quick look at the injuries, and like many other supposedly injury-prone players, it was mainly one injury that he didn’t recover from properly?
Or am I completely misremembering?
Pretty much this, big big overhaul needed this summer…no more hanging onto these sick notes or players who are years past their best.
& time to actually fork out a bit of money to bolster the squad.
It didn’t happen enough in his time here, but I don’t like Bobby in midfield. It can always change of course, even a little bit, but I think we’d see it more often if that was the case.
I think there’s a limit just how deep he plays for his own and the team’s good. There’s a difference between his dropping and linking when he’s up top and then being one of the or the most advanced of the two #8’s.
I’d just continue playing him where he’s best, not all the time, but go from game to game and see what’s our best option up top between him, Nunez and Jota (Salah optional at times if we do 4-2-3-1).
Hopefully Thiago is good to stay fit for a while when he gets back soon and let’s see if Arthur can provide some helpful minutes as well. We’re a bit short on people who can calm the game down right now.
Keita gone. He’s inconsistently occupying a place that can and should be replaced. There is some value come January, if he is partially fit, get some money. Loan him to BD for the rest of his contract (6months?) to get Jude 6 months early maybe?
Thiago, we knew he wouldn’t play an excessive amount of games. The games he does play in are excellent. He’s a unique midfielder amongst our squad. He’s living up to what we though we would get.
Hendo, should have reduced influence in starting most games over the next 3-4 years.
Fab plodding along, peak years coming up. Needs some energy/speed close to him or else he’s going to continue along current form, which is not as good as he really is.
Milner actually doing what he is meant to do, rather than having to step on for players that are constantly injured.
Ox gone, pointless extending under any contract terms.
Jones, I just don’t know. Still lots of time on his side, definitely a quality squad midfielder, a consistent starter, not sure.
Harvey nailed on to become a consistent starter over the next few years.
Little Fab will transition more to Harvey type role but on the left. Very young to be considered as a current starter.
Melo, obviously don’t know.
Baj, too young, one of these players that have it, but can realistically still go either way. He won’t, and shouldn’t get enough game time in a fully fit midfield.
Jude would be a major part, fantastic engine/skill/everything and should be the anchor in the spine of the squad. A Keita/Ox replacement is an absolute no brainer.
One more robust quality midfielder to complete the outgoings (Ox/Keita).
So 2 at least.
My priority would be something like;
Bellingham → Caicedo → Barella → Kone
We need a no.8 and also someone who can play no.6 (but also no.8).
So we sell Keita or he leaves on free, the no 8 becomes available, and a midfielder of quality comes in, maybe even English international, sounds agreeable to me.
Barkley?
I was wondering if someone would say Rice.
Yea I ran through the lot, decided Barkley was the most amusing.
But we all know there is only one England international who will be replacing Kieta’s minutes.
Rice would be a great signing.
Not long ago Fabinho was the best #6 in the world. A bit off at the moment - like many of our players but it will click soon.
Henderson also had some great games for us as a #6 and the older he gets the lesser games he will play as a #8 and will rotate more with Fab on the #6
Declan Rice - another overrated English player. Overrated especially because he is English 
Doubt he will ever reach Fabinhos top level - so highly doubt we would pay the +£80m.
Never considered Fabinho as the best #6 in the world, he is good, but just from the top of my head, Verratti, Jorginho, Busquets and even de Jong are IMO better in playing #6.
I think they’d all struggle playing for Klopp. The demands he puts on a #6 are extreme.
I see Rice as Hendos replacement. Natural 6 but capacity to push up.
He is overpriced being English but not overrated imo
Couldn’t lace Fab’s boots. Have seen him live for Chelsea and Italy. Shite.
I posted this in the match thread but reposting here so I don’t feel the need to post the same thing every game. Klopp and co. need to go back to the drawing board. The system they’ve designed this summer does not work unfortunately.
I don’t know how Klopp and Lijnders can’t see the problem tbh. It’s been every game so far this season. I’m already bored of talking about how the shape does not work, I expected to see some more pro-active moves to fix it tbh.
Salah and Diaz not being put into dangerous positions enough. Trent and Robbo being asked to do everything both creatively and defensively, massively overworking them. Midfielders not being required to do any covering defensively and pushing forward at every opportunity, but also not trying to put pressure on deep lying midfielders. The DM role having to do the work of three people because of the lack of cover in midfield - and on top of that Fabinho playing like shite. CBs massively exposed by the garbage system in front of them
Then to compound it all we are playing a ridiculously high line that teams are finding it very easy to play over the top of.
We redesigned our entire playing system over the summer and no doubt that was shaped around Nunez, Konate and Thiago being there. Maybe it would have worked better with those three available but I really doubt it. We need a massive rethink.
My view of this is we’re not pressing the opposition very well whilst still playing that high line.
If we do press, it’s slow, predictable and in ones and twos, not the pack we used to hunt in. It’s easy to bypass and that’s how we end up with half their team running at Fabinho and the centre backs. If we don’t press, then there’s time for their runners to find channel, either wide or over the top down the middle and there’s loads of time for someone to make that pass.
Question is why. If we’re not meant to press, why is the line so high? If we are meant to press, then why are we so bad at it all of a sudden? I suspect it’s the latter and we’re bad at it because the team is physically and mentally goosed after the last 4-5 years. That and there’s a lack of trust in the midfield area to do what’s needed to execute their role in that and the midfield is currently proving them right so it’s exacerbating the issue game on game.