KopTalk.com Forums Football Liverpool FC Forum SkySports: Liverpool spedning set to continue

I was trying to avoid the Reina is crap argument. The GK doesn't really change the squad much, if a good keeper is swapped with another.

Regarding Toure, he will likely be an improvement, but in essence he is an experienced head replacing one that left, and he wont be around for many years. Hence I said that the squad improvement is zero on these two.

Brendan Rodgers has already made it clear, in previous interviews in which he was quizzed about squad depth, that he expects to have a minimum of 18/19 players that can all start, supplemented by youth.

If you take the strength of our first XI, you're looking at an under-performing Skrtel, an under-whelming Lucas, and Henderson as your weak points. If Mkhitaryan comes in, and Lucas and Skrtel both improve, I don't think the quality of that first XI is incomparable to the teams challenging for fourth, so long as they recapture form.

If you take the strength of our challengers, then an under-performing Shelvey has been replaced by an in-form youngster from Spain. A non-compliant Carroll has been replaced by an in-form Spaniard whose been very good for 2 seasons. We have bolstered keeping option No. 2 with arguably, one of the best keepers outside of the top 6 teams. And Carra has been replaced by a natural leader in Toure, who still has a couple of years left in him. You take the hit and miss Borini and Allen into account, given they're likely to have settled now, then we're a season in with a squad beginning to look comparable to the one we had before Dalglish and Hodgson wasted money.

I agree with Prolific, you can't mention improvement without quality because it is a form of improvement. Quality in depth wins you titles.

I hope they keep going. Get Mkhitaryan and Illori done. Get Wanyama and Aly Ciisokho too.

Plus sakho and the above 4 players

Top finish is highly likely

Fair post that J, glad to see not everyone on here is all doom and gloom.

Carroll can't be said to be replaced anyway as we never really had him.. he was always injured and then we farmed him out.

True Crown, but he was technically to be our 4th choice striker had he returned. I am just in the process of doing some design stuff ahead of the new season. Interestingly we haven't been linked with a left-back for a while... Is Robinson good enough to compete now? I honestly don't know who else could cover there? I know Johnson has in the past, but I think losing Enrique to injury would put us in a predicament. Someone just mentioned Cissoko? I know Ilori can play left-back but he can't be ready to compete after less than 20 games surely?! And while I think Downing could do a job there, I don't think he is staying.

I expect Mkhitaryan to come in as I said before. I do expect another centre-half too. I hope we bring in a left back. I think its a key area right now. Not because Enrique is not very good, just that he has no competition / we have no Plan B there.

Hopefully the centre half we get is Papadopalous (I think that is the right spelling). He is a very commanding figure in the games I seen him.

What is happening with the Mkhitaryan.

Yes you can, as that is what I did, hence you can.
You can state whatever you like and avoid things to make a point stronger this is how the world works.

I used the two players as zero improvement as they are a mute point. Only need one keeper, so in theory avoiding injuries having two does nothing.
A player who is mentioned to need to "keep the weight off" by several people might offer no improvement, but as a leader with a voice is essential the same as we had. Hence my statement.

Stop fixating on a larger point, completely missing the context. It was mentioned to avoid the Reina is crap, anyone would be better brigade.

First, I think the Mkhitaryan deal is still very much on. I think the problems lie in more interest coming in for the player but I don't think money is the key here. He wants to play on a bigger platform in a bigger league. With us, he knows he'll get game-time. At Spurs, with Paulinho moving, he might not get it so regularly. Ultimately, it is a waiting game with the fee believed to have been agreed, they are holding out in the hope for more.

As for Scainer...

If you're purely talking about improving the options in the squad, irrespective of quality... Then Aspas is an improvement. Yesil/Morgan were our 4th choice options last season and weren't in the first team squad. He is an extra head.

Gulacsi hardly made an appearance. More for the reserves again. Not talking about quality, but he was not an involved first-team squad member, whereas Mignolet is. That improves options.

On that basis, Toure is no improvement, but as of now, we haven't lost a midfielder (even if Shelvey looks set to leave) so Alberto is an extra option.

Even if you're making the point disregarding quality, you mistaking facts that we have the equivalent of 3 new heads in the squad, and one replacement.

Having two players in every position maintains competitiveness, it pushes both players to compete week on week, it drives fear for losing places, AND covers for injuries. Disregard what you wish, but personally, I'd much rather have competition than just XI players.

I understand wanting to avoid the Reina battering. He did improve, and wasn't bad 100% of the time. I think Mignolet was an act now or pay later kind of deal to be honest. Another good season, and he might have cost £15M+.

Robinson isn't the answer, no matter what the question is. If Enrique gets injured is pushed up to left wing, then we've got Johnson to step in - he seems better at LB than RB.