Henderson

[Kev0909]

well it's really not surprising is it?

Been obvious we've needed improvements in the midfield for years I must have ranted and raved and posted at least 100 times about it over that time

I don't know how everyone could see it but the transfer team & klopp

makes 0 sense.... and if FSG miss out on champions footie........ makes 0 sense for them not to spend more money either...

[vin]

Exactly.
Just goes to show how bad the midfield got.
Unbelievable that only possibly a rookie like 18yo Bajcetic is the only player 'good enough' and has the level.

I think we'd all agree that Jones Milner Ox Keita , and to less extent Fabinho , Henderson are not good enough (anymore or never were).
Elliott isn't quite ready, but at 19yo has another 4 years to peak, gain experience, and strength.

It's a joke that Liverpool have waited so long.

Even if Liverpool got in 5 or 6 midfielders that would be a minimum tbh.

Fingers crossed for AT LEAST TWO.

I really wish people would stop throwing the likes of Milner and Hendo in with Keita, Ox, Jones.

Milner and Hendo have more than contributed to the success of this team.

[Kev0909]

To think I miss a few years ago A midfield of Wij Henderson and Fabinho the midfield that played in the champions league final win.

it wasn't the best in the world, but x10 better than now, and it worked think the mix of players was spot on.

they was also the trio that helped us win the league ... wij played 35 v hendos 26 in all honestly henderson has been going downhill fitness and injury wise more and more.... once again it's all fucking predictable.

Also that season trent played the most minutes after VVD..... he's not suddenly just shit.

99PTS, 18 above city..... how did we go downhill so fast in a few years..... jesus

Conceded the least goals too.......... once again with the same back 4 pretty much what the fuck, was the midfield trio and all being on it really that important it's ruined the back 4 too? obviously they're both linked in some-way, and now trent is getting exposed more because henderson can't cover him as much? which also hinders us going forward as he can't roam about as free anymore down the wing...... well he does and look what happens, same with Robbo on the left.

Salahs not getting any younger to backtrack all the time, we miss mane doing that on the left too, but Diaz is brilliant at that, not sure he's as good but still.

I blame the book......

[Insidious]

well it's really not surprising is it?

Been obvious we've needed improvements in the midfield for years I must have ranted and raved and posted at least 100 times about it over that time

I don't know how everyone could see it but the transfer team & klopp

Squad places were a problem at times, but the transfer team also needed to accept lesser fees a couple of times.

If you are going to operate with a model like ours then you need to sell well on top of the buying well.

With both Phillips and Ox we had opportunities to sell them for £12m and held out for £15m in regards to both players. Take your £24m and stick it in the kitty rather than sweating over the net £6m loss, particularly when you are going to have to pay the players for an extra year anyway.

Understand the principle of holding out for more (not being perceived to be pushovers in the market) but occasionally you should take the money and run.

[Nineteenx]

I really wish people would stop throwing the likes of Milner and Hendo in with Keita, Ox, Jones.

Milner and Hendo have more than contributed to the success of this team.

Thank you Vin, they've both been integral, a lot of people will never ever give either their due credit or rate them as highly as top professional players as they deserve to be and rightly should be

[Nineteenx]

99PTS, 18 above city..... how did we go downhill so fast in a few years..... jesus

Poor choice of evolution, rather than further evolve what had made us successful and for ways of keeping that style of play and identity and building on it with players who could do everything the current players could do and more and further developing aspects of our play within the existing framework, we tried to become a possession based team and play a different way, which wasn't to the majority of our players greatest strengths and made the wrong choices in recruiting players in key positions

It confused and annoyed the fuck out of me, if you hadn't all already guessed that, there was so much room for further improvement on what we were already doing with the players we already had to, with some of the fabled 'coaching' Jurgen talks a lot about but judging by Robbo's still appalling finishing and the incredible lack of development of the movement and finishing of our full backs never seems to happen

There were other far smarter ways to try and break down park the bus teams than trying to adopt a possession based style that also involved our full backs and only required us to work the ball in a certain way in wide areas with co-ordinated movement to create openings, never tried it

A long list of things we could have improved, enhance and further evolved in what we were already doing that never got done

The choice of evolution has fucked us every bit as much as the lack of investment

[jozza800]

To think I miss a few years ago A midfield of Wij Henderson and Fabinho the midfield that played in the champions league final win.

it wasn't the best in the world, but x10 better than now, and it worked think the mix of players was spot on.

they was also the trio that helped us win the league ... wij played 35 v hendos 26 in all honestly henderson has been going downhill fitness and injury wise more and more.... once again it's all fucking predictable.

Also that season trent played the most minutes after VVD..... he's not suddenly just shit.

99PTS, 18 above city..... how did we go downhill so fast in a few years..... jesus

Conceded the least goals too.......... once again with the same back 4 pretty much what the fuck, was the midfield trio and all being on it really that important it's ruined the back 4 too? obviously they're both linked in some-way, and now trent is getting exposed more because henderson can't cover him as much? which also hinders us going forward as he can't roam about as free anymore down the wing...... well he does and look what happens, same with Robbo on the left.

Salahs not getting any younger to backtrack all the time, we miss mane doing that on the left too, but Diaz is brilliant at that, not sure he's as good but still.

I blame the book......

When you set the bar at 99pts the only real direction is downwards. We've broken the 90pt barrier on 3 occasions in the last 5 years and played in 3 European Cup finals.

A genuine question - how deep do you expect the midfield to go? Dicko has mentioned needing 5-6 new midfielders!

Assuming a minimum of 2 new starting midfielders are brought in are we happy with Hendo, Fab and Bajcetic being 4th/5th/6th choice midfield? Elliot/Jones/Morton/Milner(?) as 7th/8th/9th choice?

[Steveo]

It’s not just the midfield though is it. We haven’t got that front 3 we had in 97 and 99 point seasons. They were bedded in. Proven Premier league players at their peak. Nunez is a rookie here. Tons of chaos and threat but he isn’t close to the Mané of 2018 -20 - not yet at least… is he. That takes time. Gakpo is just in the door and comparisons with Bobby are great - but which Bobby? The one from last season or the Bobby of 2017-2020? Then we have Mo, clearly not at the level he was alongside the other 2 we are now missing.

We don’t have that same rock in Virgil or the same depth at the back we had 2018-20.

We have Gomez (failing at CB) and Matip (an injury prone free transfer who has been unreliable fitness wise 2/3 years) plus a slowing Virgil and a Rookie in Konate.

This is all before we talk about the neglected midfield.

[shminkyred]

Can’t argue with this. We shouldn’t need Hendo - or Virgil or even Alisson to get past any team at the foot of the table.

And Hendo has been worked to death. New contract or not. Look at Virgil. Still a decent age for his game but he looks wasted too. Too many games in the legs making those runs (to avoid the last ditch tackles) to thwart the attacker that helped us win all those games.

fear of injuring themselves again as well

[jozza800]

It’s not just the midfield though is it. We haven’t got that front 3 we had in 97 and 99 point seasons. They were bedded in. Proven Premier league players at their peak. Nunez is a rookie here. Tons of chaos and threat but he isn’t close to the Mané of 2018 -20 - not yet at least… is he. That takes time. Gakpo is just in the door and comparisons with Bobby are great - but which Bobby? The one from last season or the Bobby of 2017-2020? Then we have Mo, clearly not at the level he was alongside the other 2 we are now missing.

We don’t have that same rock in Virgil or the same depth at the back we had 2018-20.

We have Gomez (failing at CB) and Matip (an injury prone free transfer who has been unreliable fitness wise 2/3 years) plus a slowing Virgil and a Rookie in Konate.

This is all before we talk about the neglected midfield.

Appreciated. And like we had to give time to Bobby, Mane and Salah we equally have to give time to Gakpo and Nunez. the front three had to be replaced at some point. And they're replacing one of the best forward lines of all time. Replacing them might be impossible and this is what I was referring to the 99pt season. We've caught lightening in a bottle that might not be repeatable no matter who we sign. But we should certainly be far better than what we are at the moment. There is enough ability in the squad to be at least making a proper fist of the season.

Also, the 'rookies' you have mentioned have cost a combined £150m. It's not an insignificant amount.

I think lines are being blurred with money not being spent and the way the squad is being de/constructed. We've spent good money, just dont think it's being spent in the best manner at the moment.