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Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8,791
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 8,791 |
Win our head to heads with them this season will be tough. I can see us beating Arsenal but i just cant see BR outwitting Van Gaal.
Sign Reus
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 5,205
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 5,205 |
Win our head to heads with them this season will be tough. I can see us beating Arsenal but i just cant see BR outwitting Van Gaal. I'm not saying I expect us to lose every match, but I honestly think the chances of BR outwitting any PL manager this season is an absolute lottery.
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Joined: May 2012
Posts: 5,205
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 5,205 |
Rodgers needs a good / clever summer transfer window (if he's still here) Next season could be completely different with one or two key signings and top 4 could be a walk in the park. Regardless of what happens tho, as long as Rodgers remains our defense will be no existent.
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Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,381
Under 23 Player
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Under 23 Player
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,381 |
I seriously think Southampton will finish above us this season.
There's always a team every year that "over performs" and has a good run until the big boys reel them in - but given the form of Utd, Arsenal & Liverpool (not to mention Tottenham and the likes) I genuinely believe that Southampton could finish in the top 4 this season.
As far as we're concerned.. I'd say where we will finish will come down in part to what happens this transfer window, but almost entirely on where we are when Sturridge returns, his form and ability to remain fit for the rest of the season.
We might just put a run together with Sturridge back in the team - without him it very much looks as our season will continue in the same form as it started... stuttering and inconsistent.
It is how luke warm top 4 competitors have been that makes our failings in the previous window even more of a travesty. With someone who had half a brain making the signings, we would have added improved quality to first team, and be favourites for 3rd or 4th. The first 70 million year for the Champions league, a huge advantage. Because of our obviously failings and retarded signings the teams who already can spend more than us (or maybe Southampton who knows) will get that financial boost and we will fall further behind as we added pretty much no improvements last summer and we are losing a quality player in Gerrard, we will have even less money to spend due to the lack of the 70 mill and FFP, and we won't have the draw of Champions league football, which we didn't use anyway as all the players we bought would have come regardless of CHampions league except maybe Marko but the PL is such a step up in terms of quality and wages he probably would have too.
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,813
Under 23 Player
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Under 23 Player
Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 2,813 |
Just finished watching the United Southampton game, and I have to say, the race for CL spots looks just as tight as ever. Despite all this talk of United being back and despite their smaller schedule, they are still very vulnerable and not quite the finished article. Van Gaal was outsmarted today, and all those buckets of attacking talent couldn't unlock their defense.
Arsenal and Spurs seem to have woken up in recent weeks, but they've struggled for consistency (as spurs showed with their loss to palace today), just as we have. We've been appalling at times this season, but at only 5 points off 4th, this is a race we're still very much in. If we can get sturridge back on track and sign a new goalkeeper, I think we may salvage this season yet. I don't see how that will help very much if we keep using the same defenders and same way of playing at the back.
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 8,564 |
I actually think the defending has gotten a bit better recently. We surprisingly have kept a couple clean sheets recently, and I think with a competent keeper, they'd improve anymore. I actually rate Sakho. I think he's doing much better, Skyrtel looks much better mopping up in the middle instead of having to be the first pressure, and Can has done really well as a cb. The only issues I've really had with the defense for the past couple games have been makeshift wingbacks (moreno and manquillo should start every week and Markovic and hand should be played in their natural positions) and Mignolet's lack of command in the box.
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Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,595
1st Team Squad
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1st Team Squad
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 8,595 |
There's no real chance of us getting top 4, all this touching distance talk is desperate grasping, UNLESS we sign some actual quality for the first team, not another debacle like we did in the summer with Lallana and co, genuine real top quality that actually definitively improves the first 11. Otherwise it will pointless talk of touching distances all season long while none of the others really consider us a threat. Yeah it’s hard to argue with that, at least that’s what my head says, but my silly heart says: 'hang on a minute - Markovich looks like he might be in the process of coming good, Sterling will be back rested and rearing to go shortly, Sturridge is on his way back and should be fresh as a daisy, and last but not least, our lost cause Rip Van Balotelli is starting to shake himself from his slumber, so perhaps pheonix like (sorry Liverbird!) we’ll rise from the ashes and scorch all about us! I'd never have been so happy to be wrong if that does happen. I do think we will improve with Sturridge back of course, I just dont see us winning 3 games more (/2 games more if they lost those comparative games) than arsenal and Utd for the rest of the season. I think we will at best match their runs which means the 2/3 games worth of points deficit is a lot to catch up unless we add first team quality. Of course the picture does look different if we win our head to heads against them but despite playing well in those games we can't seem to put them away, maybe Sturridge can help enough with that. I know, I know, I should be listening to my head, but theres them as says the hearty thinks better, so who knows, but I won’t be putting my money where my heart is you can bet on that!
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Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,039
Under 23 Player
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Under 23 Player
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 1,039 |
Unfortunately I think our next game will end any hopes of top 4. We have a tough run of league games coming up which we are not equipped to deal with, only hope is signing a striker and Goalie right now, we can't afford to wait until the end of January.
If we don't beat Villa away (which we won't) its all over for top 4
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Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,908
Under 23 Player
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Under 23 Player
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 3,908 |
We WILL beat Villa away. It's only at home that we can't do it.
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Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 821
Under 18 Player
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Under 18 Player
Joined: Jun 2013
Posts: 821 |
Yeah I second that we WILL beat Villa away, Utd are not what they are made out to be on here, if we get a forward who will get us 10 goals and a proper goalkeeper then we have a good chance IMO.
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