Liverpool Discussion

[Storts]

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think it’s bollocks - he’s just working on keeping himself linked with clubs all around Europe for his next contract extension.

I doubt it’s bollocks. Every big club would have been foolish not to at least have a conversation with Mbappe when they could. You’d be frustrated if they didn’t even engage, never hurts to know what the situation is 

[Dr. Gonzo]

7 minutes ago, Storts said:

I doubt it’s bollocks. Every big club would have been foolish not to at least have a conversation with Mbappe when they could. You’d be frustrated if they didn’t even engage, never hurts to know what the situation is 

Yeah but the conversation with him would’ve been about 5 minutes long 

Even the low end of his potential wages would have Michael Edwards slamming the phone down.

He’s extended his contract with PSG and started talking about his dream to go to Real Madrid again and now talking about other big clubs he could have moved to… he’s definitely trying to keep transfer sagas alive.

I don’t blame him, he’s at PSG after all and already has taken advantage of their desperation.

[Rick]

On 23/05/2022 at 12:38, LFCMike said:

Thiago Alcântara faces a battle to prove his fitness for Liverpool’s Champions League final with Real Madrid after undergoing a scan on an Achilles problem.

The Spain midfielder, 31, sustained the injury during the first half of Liverpool’s 3-1 Premier League win over Wolverhampton Wanderers on Sunday. The problem is not serious but he will need to respond to treatment quickly this week, given the tight turnaround to Saturday’s showpiece in Paris.

It’s not good obviously, but he would have had zero chance with a hamstring issue. So it’s something to cling to, he still won’t start but if he is on the bench that would be great. 

[Inverted]

If it's 5 subs in regular time you may as well take a punt on fitness if at all possible. I remember in 2014 Atleti started Costa and he had to come off almost straight away which was a bit of a punch in the gut.

[Dr. Gonzo]

9 minutes ago, Inverted said:

If it's 5 subs in regular time you may as well take a punt on fitness if at all possible. I remember in 2014 Atleti started Costa and he had to come off almost straight away which was a bit of a punch in the gut.

I think it's risky to rush a player into a final based on fitness, even with 5 subs.

If he has to come off straight away, that can fuck up any momentum that can be built before he has to come off (which is I guess only a bad thing if we've got the positive momentum, which you could argue if Thiago's not playing well because he's not fit we probably wouldn't have). If he has a bad half because he's carrying the injury still - like Kewell v AC Milan - it could ultimately lead to Madrid having a massive advantage while he's on the pitch; and while it might be solvable with a substitution... we don't have Stevie G anymore so I'm not sure it's worth the risk potentially having Madrid being able to outrun our midfield if he's not fit enough.

Because I think that's really one of the bigger advantages we have in the match against Real Madrid. They've got loads of class players with probably the best and most experience in the tournament and can play poorly and still manage to score great goals. We've got loads of class players but I think we need everyone ready to put in the shift of all shifts against Madrid in a final - so a player carrying a knock might be too risky.

I'm a bit nervous with Thiago and Fabinho both potentially being rushed back to fitness and both of them hoping to start in the final for that reason tbh.

[LFCMike]

If Thiago is able to be involved at all, I think it'll be from the bench.

[LFCMadLad]

38 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

I think it's risky to rush a player into a final based on fitness, even with 5 subs.

If he has to come off straight away, that can fuck up any momentum that can be built before he has to come off (which is I guess only a bad thing if we've got the positive momentum, which you could argue if Thiago's not playing well because he's not fit we probably wouldn't have). If he has a bad half because he's carrying the injury still - like Kewell v AC Milan - it could ultimately lead to Madrid having a massive advantage while he's on the pitch; and while it might be solvable with a substitution... we don't have Stevie G anymore so I'm not sure it's worth the risk potentially having Madrid being able to outrun our midfield if he's not fit enough.

Because I think that's really one of the bigger advantages we have in the match against Real Madrid. They've got loads of class players with probably the best and most experience in the tournament and can play poorly and still manage to score great goals. We've got loads of class players but I think we need everyone ready to put in the shift of all shifts against Madrid in a final - so a player carrying a knock might be too risky.

I'm a bit nervous with Thiago and Fabinho both potentially being rushed back to fitness and both of them hoping to start in the final for that reason tbh.

You wished that we never signed Thiago, didn't he @LFCMike 

Edited May 24, 2022 by LFCMadLad

[Dr. Gonzo]

21 minutes ago, LFCMadLad said:

You wished that we never signed Thiago, didn't he @LFCMike 

 at least I can admit when I was wrong.

He looks a completely different player this season tbf. Was probably tough for him looking great, getting that injury from that dirty blueshite twat, and then coming back into a Liverpool team ravaged by injury and trying to pick up form. Especially in that period where Henderson and Fabinho were both at CB (or injured).

Night and day compared to this season where he's just looked excellent the whole way through.

[LFCMadLad]

20 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

 at least I can admit when I was wrong.

He looks a completely different player this season tbf. Was probably tough for him looking great, getting that injury from that dirty blueshite twat, and then coming back into a Liverpool team ravaged by injury and trying to pick up form. Especially in that period where Henderson and Fabinho were both at CB (or injured).

Night and day compared to this season where he's just looked excellent the whole way through.

Well we did try to tell you all that at the time 

[Dr. Gonzo]

1 minute ago, LFCMadLad said:

Well we did try to tell you all that at the time 

Tbf I haven't seen a player go from that bad to this good in one season before like that. I've seen players take a while to settle, but nothing quite so extreme as looking nothing like the player I thought we were signing... to getting the Thiago I thought we'd be getting last year.

I wonder how it would have been after his really bright start had Richarlison not decided to try to remove his shins from his body, because I don't think he'd have looked as bad as he did when he came back from injury into that totally disjoint side.

[LFCMadLad]

1 minute ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Tbf I haven't seen a player go from that bad to this good in one season before like that. I've seen players take a while to settle, but nothing quite so extreme as looking nothing like the player I thought we were signing... to getting the Thiago I thought we'd be getting last year.

I wonder how it would have been after his really bright start had Richarlison not decided to try to remove his shins from his body, because I don't think he'd have looked as bad as he did when he came back from injury into that totally disjoint side.

Tbh honest I could see his class from the start. It was just as you said.. he came into a totally injury ravaged, disjointed team with CM's playing at CB, add to that the injury... it was only a matter of time before his quality shone through.. 

[LFCMike]

 

[LFCMike]

 

[Lucas]

58 minutes ago, LFCMike said:

 

That must be a massive relief, I did think he might bow out if you won the Champions League.

All on Mane now then seeing as these Bayern rumours aren't going away.

[LFCMike]

14 minutes ago, Lucas said:

That must be a massive relief, I did think he might bow out if you won the Champions League.

All on Mane now then seeing as these Bayern rumours aren't going away.

Apparently Mane has said something about deciding after the final.

In other news, Klopp is hopeful Thiago will be fit for the final

[Stan]

Is Firmino set to stay beyond this season?

[LFCMike]

41 minutes ago, Stan said:

Is Firmino set to stay beyond this season?

Contract is up end of next season, same as Salah and Mane 

[LFCMadLad]

3 hours ago, LFCMike said:

 

So he can leave on a free the next summer. 

[Rick]

11 minutes ago, LFCMadLad said:

So he can leave on a free the next summer. 

Suppose the only positive of that situation is that he will be 31. If that’s how things end up and we have ready replacements in the same sort of profile as Diaz then I can just about live with letting him go and get his last massive contract at a PSG or Madrid.
 

But, hopefully we find some sort of agreement because he’s amazing and there’s plenty left in his tank. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

12 minutes ago, LFCMadLad said:

So he can leave on a free the next summer. 

I think he wants to stay but I can't blame him for wanting to get the most money possible - he'll be 32 when his contract is up, one last big payday for him seems reasonable. He's already solidified himself as a LFC legend (and a league legend being top scorer 3 times - only Henry's done it more with 4) - I hope he ends his career with us and maybe now that PSG are keeping Mbappe for at least 3 more years, I don't think there's another club that can offer him quite what we can in a footballing sense.

[Danny]

I think Mane and Salah would be mad to leave, playing under Klopp is a generational success.

[Dr. Gonzo]

Fabinho back in training and Thiago expected to train with the first team tomorrow!

[Rick]

24 minutes ago, Dr. Gonzo said:

Fabinho back in training and Thiago expected to train with the first team tomorrow!

Brilliant news. 

[Dr. Gonzo]

[LFCMike]