Ideally the player we bring in needs to gel with those guys who start wider but also be capable of scoring more often than Bobby does. Benzema is a great example of what you’re after. Someone unselfish enough to let others shine but also more of a natural centre forward capable of contributing heavily too. With Ronaldo gone and Hazard being a flop, he’s been able to step up to be the main goalscorer. Unfortunately with Bobby you don’t get that. He scores some important ones but not really often enough, especially if either of Mane or Salah are having an off game/period/season.
If a centre forward eats in those guys goals a bit then that’s no bad thing providing we’re scoring more efficiently than we are this season. And if we don’t have to sell Bobby to bring that person in, then we still have the current option when we need.
But to move Salah to be the central player and then replace him with a right footer on the right hand side seems to be a case of changing more variables than we need to just to try and accommodate a shiny new toy.
Arguably what we are doing up front has gone stale and it needs to be refreshed. I am not for a minute suggesting wholesale change, but if the level of change was selling Firmino and buying Sancho, and that meant playing Mo more centrally more often, a position he has played and can play, I’m OK with that. If we added another change, selling Origi and upgrading to Abraham, bring it on. Origi hasn’t kicked on and Abraham might be hungry and do well here.
Back to Mo. It sounds like he is going to play almost as much international football as domestic football next season! To my mind he can cover right and center to a very high level, and I am convinced he will get his goals from either position.
He can, and should, be deployed for the overall good of the team. If it turns out playing more centrally slightly limits Mo’s goals (and I’m not convinced it will) but the overall unit is more effective, bring it on.
No, he already talked about it. He prefers the role he plays and I think he should remain there.
He did it a few times and it will remain an option when we flip to 4-2-3-1 (or to finish games up top in a 4-3-3 when we counter), but I don’t think we will build our future with him (if there is one) centrally up top. At least not under Klopp.
This is kind of along the lines of what I’m hoping for. Basically an upgrade of Origi. Shaqiri replaced internally by Elliott. Plus something changed up top. I do think it’s gone stale and predictable, I actually think we are being limited by other clubs setting up to combat against us. I’m not even sure the issues Firmino and Mane are facing are just form. One of our traditional front 3 starters do probably need to move on and I wouldn’t be shocked if two did. We need to get it right if any leave though and I think Sancho seems to be lining up perfectly, doesn’t mean it’ll happen but it certainly could and would certainly be a good move. If one of Salah, Mane or Firmino is to go I would be picking Firmino every time.
Sancho and Abraham combined will cost in the region of 120 million. True, the sale of Firmino, Origi, Shaqiri, and most possibly, Takumi will recoup a significant amount. But how much! Because in the end, it’s all about economics.
I’m like totally confused, Salah is pretty much our most forward player at all times, he’s given the least defensive responsibility and in attack takes up the no.9 positions…
This notion he is a wide attacker is so 4 years ago…
Usually I try not to make a definitive statement, but yes, for me, it has very much gone stale up front.
The counter argument might say that yes, the strikers have gone stale, but that it is mostly to do with the overall issues the team has struggled with this season. So… get the defenders back, get some oomph in the midfield, get the midfield closer to the strikers, get them pressing a bit more like we can do, pinning the opposition back… and all of a sudden the existing strikers we already have here will start to look a lot better again.
I can see some merit in this viewpoint, but the group needs to change.
Sancho and Abraham for Firmino and Origi (plus other players out too) might be too much to hope for, financially, but that’s the sort of refresh it needs.
I think that theory was blown out of the water with 150ish chances created and 3 goals scored at home… I agree the front 3 have had their day and Klopp knows it.
I agree Sancho and Abraham will cost around 120 Million.
Factor in Bissouma, Kabak and Konate and the outlay is more like 200M.
At that point it all looks very fanciful, I agree.
Firmino - 55 million (Atletico? Don’t know how realistic this is, but I heard it).
Origi - 15M
Shaqiri - 15M
Ox - 20M (Dortmund interested?)
Smaller fees for Wilson, Grujic, and a couple of others who barely feature?
All of a sudden we might ‘just’ need, say, a 60-70M outlay. Maybe the investment will give us the ability to do that, especially if the owners recognize the need to make it happen to be able to continue to challenge at the top, and thus protect the value of their asset?
Yep, fair enough. I’m on the bus that says it is stale and needs to be refreshed! Just trying to be as charitable as possible with the mitigating circumstances.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the summer. I’m hoping we are able to do something like I am suggesting above in terms of recruitment, as it will freshen it up and keep us challenging.
I think sales of Firmino, Minamino and Awoniyi would pay for Sancho. Sales of Shaqiri, Origi and Ojo should cover Abraham pretty much. Keita, Ox, Grujic should recoup enough for a midfielder or two. Phillips, maybe Wilson, maybe a few other loaned players and aging academy players to bring in a CB or 2, if 2 it’d be Matip or Davies also moving on to help fund the second. I think we’d recoup enough for that level of recruitment. I expect 2 CBs, a CM, a starting level forward and a forward to be an option but with potential to become starting level.
That suggests the attack is fine at creating chances but we’re just missing the clinical touch in front of goal. Doesn’t sound like it needs tearing up and starting again, it sounds like we could do with someone a bit more clinical and a slight uptick in the form of the guys we have.
We’re in a funk. We’re missing crowds. We’re missing on field leaders. We’re missing some luck with fucking VAR. Agree we need some fresh impetus but we’re a long way off needing to bin off all of the front three.
Nobody is saying we need to bin them all off. But we also can’t have an unlimited squad. I don’t see how we can add real quality up top whilst keeping all 4 of Jota, Salah, Mane and Firmino. Adding say Sancho and Abraham but losing Firmino and Origi seems like something that keeps as much as possible of what we have but trying to add and freshen up the attack.
I don’t think it’s fanciful. I’m pretty sure that the owners have confirmed additional/supplementary funds for summer overhaul. In my view,
Kabak, Konate, and a midfielder is a lock for obvious reasons. While players sale is expected to fund these purchases, they will proceed notwithstanding.
If the sales go as expected and there’s a good offer for Firmino, we will go hard for Sancho. But if there’s no good offer for Firmino we will keep him and get an economic option.
If there’s decent offers for either AOC or Naby, we will go for another midfielder.
