Liverpool 2010/11 Season Thread

[VR46]

Six years service and £11m profit on the transfer fee isn't to be sniffed at no.

[hudson]

Great. Someone else with quality that'll keep defenders on their toes.

Now we just need to get Silva in and we're ready

[arcnas]

Ready for fourth place again that is i assume

[hudson]

Eh up, someone's arse has gone

[hudson]

It's official

Bobby Bean has signed a 4 year deal.

[FreelancePolice]

All the best keane, I gained a little more respect for him thanks to the waiving of the signing on fee.

Still judas etc.

I bitterly hope you don't get the service we got out of him (:P) but the deal is damn good for spurs (and liverpool if they get robbie's best)

[SharkSkin-Man]

Good news all round this, always rated Keane, another player who will pretty much guarantee you 15+ goals a season. Keane, Babel & Gerrard playing behind Torres looks pretty good on paper.

A nice side affect of this is hopefully us not having the cash for Gareth Barry. I think he's a decent player, but not really what we need.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Keane, Babel & Gerrard playing behind Torres looks pretty good on paper.

Sadly, football isn't played on paper. Babel needs to step it up this year and make a real impact - he has the talent, after all.

Admittedly, Robbie Keane looks to be one of the better attacking signings made by Rafa in recent times, but I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't slightly apprehensive about £20m being spent on a 28-year old. Lest we forget, we are still in need of at least one quality attacking wide-player (imo) and probably a right back now, given that Degen's going to be out with injury and Arbeloa seems to want a return to Spain.

[SharkSkin-Man]

If everyone is fit, I can see Gerrard playing the bulk of the season out wide to the right of Keane...would be very surprised to see a wide midfielder come in.

[mr_sockochris]

Bearing in mind what Rafa has said about our full backs providing the width I would expect this to be our lineup for the new season -


--------------Reina--------------
Degan---Carra---Agger---Dossena
-----------Mascherano-----------
-------Gerrard------Barry*--------
-Keane--------------------Babel-
-------------Torres--------------

In terms of shape is similar to what we played last year. The front 3 to work like Utd do with Rooney, Ronaldo and Tevez swapping around. Babel is a striker playing wide, Torres used to be played wide with Atletico and Keane has played all over the place in his time at Spurs so all 3 should be comfortable anywhere up top.

The attack mindedness of our new fullbacks will provide the width, plusbBoth Gerrard and Barry have played right/left mid in thier career so they're not exactly restricted to the middle either.


*assuming we get Barry, if not Xabi/Lucas will fit in.

[FreelancePolice]

Don't play keane out wide

He's played for us wide before (left and right) and never really gelled into that position. He often finds himself isolated and I'm not sure he's fast enough to warrent such an attacking wing role

[Nu-Eclipse]

If everyone is fit, I can see Gerrard playing the bulk of the season out wide to the right of Keane...would be very surprised to see a wide midfielder come in.

And we all know how much Gerrard dislikes the role, even though he scored 20-odd goals from that position a few seasons ago. I personally think that he's better where he is, just off Torres.

Don't play keane out wide

He's played for us wide before (left and right) and never really gelled into that position. He often finds himself isolated and I'm not sure he's fast enough to warrent such an attacking wing role

Is correct. Keane is versatile, but playing him wide left/right is a complete non-starter for me.

[EJG1980]

Don't play keane out wide

He's played for us wide before (left and right) and never really gelled into that position. He often finds himself isolated and I'm not sure he's fast enough to warrent such an attacking wing role

Agreed. The only time he really played out wide for us was when we were losing and we'd throw on an extra striker to try and rescue the match. I honestly can't recall a time he actually started a game anywhere other than up front.

[SharkSkin-Man]

Well you can't play both Keane and Gerrard just off Torres, so one of them is going to have to play wide, and seeing as Gerrard is actually pretty good playing out there it's probably/hopefully going to be him.

[Nu-Eclipse]

Well you can't play both Keane and Gerrard just off Torres, so one of them is going to have to play wide, and seeing as Gerrard is actually pretty good playing out there it's probably/hopefully going to be him.

Obviously both can't play off Torres. But, clearly Gerrard playing off Torres works, and it's something that Gerrard himself has admitted to preferring. Also, I don't believe that Keane is at his best playing wide - something that Martin Jol tried many, many times. IMHO, A genuine wide player of acknowledged quality (arguably something we've been lacking since Digger) would solve this problem, rather than shoe-horning an (admittedly quality) striker into that position. That's all I'm saying.

Happy for Rafa to prove me wrong on that one, though...