Klopp should pin this to the dressing room wall
The problem I have with such a point of view is that they are presuming that such mega transfers will always be a success. Apart from my personal disdain for this āGalacticosā thought process, only the oil clubs have shown that to achieve some level of success, and even that is tempered by the people they have making these decisions. We can look at these massive transfers and think, surely that will improve them massively, but how often does it really? Look at City, which have done better than most on that model, in part thanks to Guardiola and that myth surrounding them. Theyāve literally spent hundreds of millions on full backs alone. No doubt some on here have been more than willing to write us off on that, but in the last 3 seasons alone, just luck and an incredible injury crisis have thrown us off. In contrast, United have spent like the proverbial drunken sailors, but with very little to show for it. Despite all of Chelseaās spending, theyāre still back where they were without any of these transfers (and with Frank Lampard at that).
Lukaku is a scary prospect, yes, but will he actually fit in well with the rest of their team? And if so, who do they leave out to fit him in, and how much spending gets negated because of that? And what happens if he gets injured and they go back to square one? Grealish breaks transfer records, but does he play together with De Bruyne? Arguably Varane might be a good player, but one who hasnāt convinced over the last couple of seasons. And who are we left with, Sancho? I donāt know much about him and their forward line, but one game against Burnley and they might just have him out for an extended period of time.
In contrast, what weāve done seems to be evaluating our current position, and determining that we donāt really need much of an immediate improvement. For all the chatter about KonatĆ©, Iād be very surprised if the move wasnāt in the making for at least a year now, considering his age. Any incoming business we do now is likely to be supplementing the squad with younger options, who thanks to the possibility that they might not work out, probably wouldnāt impress as much with their price tags, unless they were already a big name. But if so, thatās again putting too many eggs in one basket, which leaves us at risk once again.
The main areas we really need to improve in our squad genuinely remain getting more out of our current team. That means improving on the situations in which the likes of Origi and Shaqiri can be used if they stay (Iām presuming Minamino is not leaving no matter what). Despite all the chatter about them, one reason why they, KeĆÆta, and Ox werenāt used that much last season was actually our defensive frailties and the need to be more conservative to compensate for that. Obviously work can be done to improve them in those areas. Origi for one has even started pressing. KeĆÆta probably needed more fitness and better timing, he was a star in the Bundesliga not just for his attacking prowess.
I would say we needed replacements for those players who are around the age of 30 and up, but it seems like preseason was where we found them. Iām guessing Gordon featured a lot, even in place of other supposed first-teamers, just because we wanted to evaluate how he does in those situations, and to develop the plan for him better. We may well not need to buy any more new players to replace our forward line, because these replacements might already be here. Iām guessing KonatĆ© is in part meant to be a Virgil replacement down the line, or more immediately, a a Matip replacement, rather than being a shoo-in for the first team. I would be more concerned about losing Wijnaldum, and having Thiago and Henderson aging, if not for the emergence of Jones and Elliott. The manager also seems to value the likes of Clarkson, Cain, and Woodburn, so we may well have held our hand with an eye on their potential future development. Theoretically, the replacements for Henderson and Thiago as starters are already here in the form of Ox and KeĆÆta, so itās Fabinho I worry about the most.
Hot take, but I think Chelsea and United will end up no higher than 4th this season.
What a bunch.
I wanted Daka, they are trying to get Doku!!!
Not surprised Warnock had us down in 3rd - heās absolutely miserable everytime heās on LFCtv
Still bears a grudge maybe?
No, I have no doubt heās a fan. I think heās just a massive pessimist.
Thats a good thing in my opinion,
let the other the teams take all the pressure
I still expect us to challenge strongly for the league & CL and wouldnt be surprised if we won at least one of them, but am not that surprised that view isnt shared by āprofessionalsā.
Shearer has a piece on the BBC on how 1 signing may be the key to the title. Itās about Lukaku. It is 9 paragraphs of him just finding different ways to restate that heās a good player. The professions are mostly fucking idiots.
When you look at what a team has added from the previous year a new signing is exciting, but even the most expensive signing is less of a sure thing than someone like Virgil coming back. Itās a question of a known quantity (questions about recovery accepted) vs imagination.
Ultimately no one at our club will give a fuck
Is Lukaku really that much better now than he was when he wasnāt good enough for United?
Iām sure on LFC TV he said we would be champions during Osasuna game.
Nope the slow pace of Italian football has inflated his performances he is still too slow and lazy.
The thing I find amusing about the gushing over United is they have arguably the worst midfield off all the top 6. Would Fred, McTominay, Matic get in any other side not a chance. Iāve not mentioned Pogba because there is no chance he doesnāt become a distraction during season like always.
No, I have no doubt heās a fan. I think heās just a massive pessimist.
That Sergi Canos looks a good option for the Right Forward option. Have we been linked with him at any point?
LMFAO. I got to watch him play for Brentford 2 years ago as part of my visit to UK. 3 days before Anfield, I took my son to Brentford FCās little stadium and saw them play Leeds. He had a bit of quality to him but wasnāt the best player on the pitch. Maupay was quality that day
Maupay, Watkins, Canos, Toney - the scouts at Brentford certainly have an eye for a decent attacking player
Watched him 4 or 5 seasons ago in a cup game and surprised no one had come in got him.
That Sergi Canos looks a good option for the Right Forward option. Have we been linked with him at any point?
Spoke to Sergi on a train a few years ago.He said heād be back in the Premiership soon enough and that going down a league was just a temporary thing to get his career moving forward. Proven to be right so far.
Glad to see him score tonight, heās a top lad.
Maupay, Watkins, Canos, Toney - the scouts at Brentford certainly have an eye for a decent attacking player
Do they have āscoutsā? Their owner has been quite active in using data and analytics I donāt know if they still have anyone functioning as scouts have traditionally done.