06 Jul 2014 21:38:21
Liverpool fans keep playing down the sale of Suarez by saying they will be able to strengthen four other positions. Well they would have been able to do that and keep Suarez. So a pointless thing to say really. Whether Suarez was sold or not they would be buying the likes of Bertrand, Origi, Lovren, Can, Lallana, Lambert etc and improving their weak areas. Suarez leaving is a massive blow to their side. No matter who they sign this summer. I'm not sure any of their signings or likely signings have improved their first XI. Lallana on the left instead of Coutinho? Lovren instead of Skrtel? Bertrand instead of Flanagan? Can will be on the bench. Lambert will be on the bench. Origi will be out on loan. Man for man there's no big improvement or any improvement at all. I think after losing Suarez they needed to go out and buy some proper top notch signings. I think so far the signings have been squad improvements, whereas the first XI will be substantially weaker.

Arsenal seem to be doing some nice business. Debuchy, Sanchez, Schneiderlin if they can get these players they will have improved their first XI significantly. Chelsea have improved their first XI. Costa & Cesc already in, possibly Pogba, Khedira or Vidal could be added. Courtois to come in from his loan. Varane and Luis to strengthen the defence if they can get them in. City really didn't need to do much. They have given their mercenaries a bigger contract each to keep them happy for another year (Yaya and Aguero). Ourselves are not yet done in the transfer market. Already two instant improvements. Wilson knocking on the door of the first team. I think he will be a breath of fresh air next season. A decent manager and a couple more signings and I think we will be in very good shape for next season. A top notch CB, another top midfielder and a pacey attacker and I think we will be set. After the season we have just had anything to be fair will be an improvement.

1.) 06 Jul 2014
Well you know syd, we need squad players because we're competing on all fronts ;)

Unlike you lot our only European trip won't be to play Swansea away.

Please inform your 'tactical genius' Van Gaal that there are no penalty shoot outs in the premier league. 0-0 against Costa Rica after 120 minutes, impressive

2.) 06 Jul 2014
06 Jul 2014 22:34:56
Great post syd! I agree with what you have said.
However, if yaya was to leave city do you feel Fernando is the right replacement? Or will they opt for someone like pogba?
I feel that arsenal and Chelsea could do the best business.
We need to do business; the additions of hummels, de vrij, Vidal and a winger will be great.

3.) 06 Jul 2014
I couldn't agree more Sydney the moment Suarez leaves liverpool fear factor won't be the same and it be intresting see how sturridge does this season he have all the pressure on him and the opposition will focus a lot more on him unlike last season it was all about stopping Suarez and any liverpool fan who thinks they will be stronger than last season without Suarez are crazy any team losing the quality of Suarez will be weaker

And Mohawk talking about tactical genius van gaal might not be perfect but he sure won't be like your tactical genius Brendan and lose a 3 nill lead in last 10 mins

4.) 06 Jul 2014
I think Fernando will replace Garcia in the squad. I think just Hummels and Vidal would do. Di Maria would be a great bonus.

5.) 07 Jul 2014
06 Jul 2014 23:26:40
Spot on syd and an obvious nice little bite from aggers with the boring old 'we are in Europe' jokes.

I've seen a few scousers talk about the 0-0 against Costa Rica and that proves lvg isn't very good. He is having to play with dirk kuyt because the Dutch squad is so poor and has got them to the semi finals. The Costa Rica keeper had the game of his life and if you watched the match you will have seen plenty of chances for holland players and only one team ever going to win the match.

6.) 07 Jul 2014
Sydney, we've already signed Lallana, Can and Lambert for £40M, do you honestly see Liverpool being able to afford Lovren (you're seriously questioning replacing Skrtel for Lovren? are you being serious?) for £20-25M, Moreno for £15-20M and Shaqiri/Markovic for £20M, taking our transfer spend to £90-100M, can we do this without the sale of Suarez? I certainly don't think so.

A starting eleven of Mignolet, Flannagan, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho/Can, Shaqiri/Markovic, Sturridge, Sterling/Lallana

is a much stronger elevel than, Mignolet, Johnson, Skrtel, Sakho, Flannagan, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho, Sterling, Suarez, Sturridge.

Our defence and midfield will have been improved drastically, whereas our attacking depth would be improved, there's also talk we're looking at a new keeper, I'd expect someone like Begovic, who'd be an improvement on Mignolet, £70-80M, for a player turning 28 in 6 months, 3 biting offences in 3 years, isn't too bad, you predicted we'd get £35M tops for him after all Syd ;)

7.) 07 Jul 2014
Aggers, who's next on the list when Chelsea sign Markovic?

8.) 07 Jul 2014
Chelsea are a stronger team than City as it stands and they are not finished yet.

Liverpool will be weaker next season but give it a few seasons and players like Markovic and Origi will have them competing for top 4 again.

9.) 07 Jul 2014
07 Jul 2014 00:36:38
McDonald

You have posted pretty much the exact post on here before and were torn apart for it then as well. Do you want the same again?

10.) 07 Jul 2014
Writing Liverpool off from Top 4 because they have lost 1 player from when they almost won the league. FML! Where do we find them from!

11.) 07 Jul 2014
Gds2, you can't argue against my points, if we add Lovren, Moreno, Begovic, Sanchez/Shaqiri, we'll have a stronger 11. nice to see manfromchester has a brain and the ability to take off his red tinted glasses.

12.) 07 Jul 2014
McRonald, if Suarez had stayed you would still have signed Can, Lambert, Lallana, Bertrand & Lovren. The only one's you wouldn't sign are the likes Origi & Markovic/Sanchez.

So the question is who is better Markovic or Suarez? There's your answer. Suarez leaving is a major blow no matter how much you pretend it isn't.

13.) 07 Jul 2014
MANfromCHESTER, who has written Liverpool off from a top four place? Where is that written?

14.) 07 Jul 2014
07 Jul 2014 09:30:04
But you will not have any world class players. Them players are good players and will add to your squad and give you a chance at top 4 obviously, but without Suarez in the big games, you do not have that x factor that will keep you up there with the big boys.

15.) 07 Jul 2014
Aggers, McRonald, question, which is the stronger attack:

Sturridge, Suarez, Sterling & Coutinho.

Or

Sturridge, Markovic, Sterling & Lallana?

16.) 07 Jul 2014
Sydney with the latter attack, Coutinho will still be playing from midfield, with the sale of Suarez our starting 11 and squad will be much stronger as a whole.

17.) 07 Jul 2014
GDS2, your fixation with the term "world-class" need's to stop, last season according to you we had 1 world clss player in Suarez, whereas most United fans deemed you to have 4, Rooney, Mata, RVP and Vidic, we finished 2nd and you finished 7th, enough said really.

Rodgers is building a team not a team of galacticos that'll fail year in year out, a team of Mignolet, Flannagan, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno, Gerrard, Henderson, Coutinho/Can, Lallana/Sterling/Markovic, Sturridge, Shaqiri/Sanchez

Playing the Rodger's philosophy of cohesive unity, effortless pressing of the ball, relentless direct counter attacking football, will make us a formidable side, their may not be an established world class player, however Sturridge, Coutinho, Sterling, Lovren, Sakho and Moreno, all have great potential and current ability and barring any hiccups will go on to be great footballers. I think the problem is, you hope with the sale of Suarez we will go back into mediocrity, just like we hope you will, I however believe both sets of fans need to accept that starting from next season Liverpool and Manchester United will once again both be competing at the top of English football, which afterall is great for the English game.

18.) 07 Jul 2014
Also another point, GDS2, Suarez rarely turned up if at all against the big clubs.

19.) 07 Jul 2014
McRonald, NO IT WON'T!

Like I have said above in plain English. Even if Suarez had stayed you would have signed the likes of Can, Lambert, Lallana, Lovren, Bertrand etc. The only ones who wouldn't have signed are Origi and Markovic. Would you rather have Suarez or Markovic and Origi? It's a simple question.

20.) 07 Jul 2014
Let me put it in a simpler way for you. Would you prefer:

Lovren, Bertrand, Can, Lallana, Lambert & Suarez?

OR

Lovren, Bertrand, Can, Lallana, Lambert, Origi & Markovic?

21.) 07 Jul 2014
McRonald, don't you think Liverpool may have got the news back last night that Sanchez has no interest in signing for Liverpool and then Liverpool immediately activate Markovic's clause? I do not think Liverpool had any intention of signing both Markovic and Sanchez. I think it was always one or the other. I could be wrong, but it seems odd that Liverpool would sign both Markovic and Sanchez and not have the room to fit them into the same team. How would you fit Sanchez, Sterling, Markovic, Lallana & Sturridge into a four man attack? I could be wrong, but I think Markovic is an alternative to Sanchez/Shaqiri and a direct replacement for Suarez. Suarez spent most of last season interchanging with Sturridge, but Sturridge was the number 9 predominantly and Suarez played on the right of him. Which is where Sanchez, Markovic & Shaqiri would have played. Where Markovic will play next season if Chelsea decide they don't want him.

22.) 07 Jul 2014
Sydney, at the end of the day come the 1st of September our first 11 and squad will be stronger than it currently is.

23.) 07 Jul 2014
Also we'll get Moreno or Rodriguez not Bertrand, don't believe everything you read.

24.) 07 Jul 2014
Okay then, you keep avoiding the truth. Keep burying that head of yours deep deep deep in the sand. Come September 1st, you will have a slightly stronger squad, but a weaker first XI. The evidence is pretty clear.

Lets wait and see if you bring anyone else in other than I mentioned above, but if Bertrand, Lovren, Can, Lallana, Lambert & Markovic are your signings. And Agger or Skrtel leave, along with Suarez, then your first XI will NOT be stronger.

25.) 07 Jul 2014
Sydney, is Flannagan, Lovren, Sakho, Moreno a better defence than Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Flannagan, the answer is a definite yes.

Lovren will be a huge upgrade on Skrtel, as for Agger he hardly got a game last year and he's extremely injury prone.

26.) 07 Jul 2014
IN REPLY TO SYDNEY!

'Chelsea are a stronger team than City as it stands and they are not finished yet.

Liverpool will be weaker next season but give it a few seasons and players like Markovic and Origi will have them competing for top 4 again.'

RedSeven

That's where Liverpool were written off from top 4! Next?

27.) 07 Jul 2014
McRonald, Sakho was available last season, but not picked. Moreno is not looking like happening, it's looking like Bertrand. Is Lovren a "huge upgrade" on Skrtel, no quite frankly. Is he a better player? Yes, is he a much better player, er not a chance. There will be no significant improvement. Skrtel to be fair saved many goals last season with his constant fouling which went unpunished. Is Markovic and improvement on Suarez? Not a chance. Is Lallana an improvement on Coutinho? Maybe. No doubt you will have a slightly better squad, but your first XI will not be as strong as it was last season and Suarez leaving is a HUGE blow. Liverpool will no longer have that fear factor that you once had with Torres and Suarez. As it stands, Liverpool have very little to be upbeat about at the moment.

28.) 07 Jul 2014
Sydney, Lovren is a huge upgrade on Skrtel, Lovren is quality, he's in the top 3 cb's in the league with Kompany and Koscielny, Sakho had an injury which kept him out for 2 months, he was also climatising to a different environment, there's a reason he was PSG's captain at 19 and France captain at 22, him and Lovren will form a formidable partnership.

Skrtel has no positional sense and no pace, which forced us to play a deep line, which is something Rodgers clearly doesn't want, he'd like us to play with a higher line, which he'll be able to do with Lovren.

What makes you think we'll sign Bertrand? because the Daily Fail says so? seriously, you bash people like Fresh! for reading to much into what the papers say, yet you use it to back yourself up in arguements, once Sauarez is sold and we have the cash, Moreno will be signed.

You're asking whether Lallana is an improvement on Coutinho, yet you bashed us all last season for having no quality in depth, now we're getting depth, you're trying to compare player A and player B, you're seriously dense.

29.) 07 Jul 2014
MANfromCHESTER.

Top four next season will be Chelski, City, us and Arsenal.

30.) 07 Jul 2014
Just like you said last season red seven, ey ;)

31.) 07 Jul 2014
07 Jul 2014 21:12:50
McRonald, we are talking about first XI's. What has that got to do with depth? Clearly it's not me who's dense.

Liverpool have enquired about Bertrand very recently and Moreno is unlikely to happen. You need to listen to Ed002.

32.) 07 Jul 2014
McRonald -

Not at all. I said we'd finish fifth and Liverpool would finish in the top 4 last season.