Andy Carroll vs Clint Dempsey; LeToux to Bolton? Beckham MLS Ambassador?
Posted on January 25, 2012 5:44 am
The guys discuss whether (if you were Liverpool) whether you would rather have bought Clint Dempsey or Andy Carroll, at this point; LeToux’s trial at Bolton; and Beckham’s claims that he has “unfinished” business as an ambassador of Major League Soccer. On The Straight Red Card.
well if i’m liverpool i’d rather have bought dempsey as he’s more versatile. he’s good with his feet and his head. But i don’t rate andy carroll. And if i was liverpool i’d be looking quite a bit higher as a striker then either. Dempsey isn’t really a striker and he’s not the sort that will lead a top team in the champions league as a prolific scorer.
I’d have been looking at players like Eto, if Van Persie is out at Arsenal then him all the way, but Negreda, Higuain, I’d have bought Adebayour on the cheap last year. Maybe Mario Gomez, or even Podolski. I like Dempsey but i’d be hesitant to pay much at all for Dempsey because Liverpool need something else. They need a striker and a real 10. They need a Van Persie and a Wesley Sniejdar. But if they could get Dempsey cheap and he is out of contract in 18 months i’d pay 10 Mill for him. problem is he’s unlikely to start.
Fulham and Liverpool are two totally different pressure environments. Fulham just seem more content with staying up and their fans aren’t quite as demanding. Liverpool on the other hand is like playing for the Boston Red Sox. Crazy pressure, crazy fans, crazy expectations, and a significantly much bigger club than Fulham. With that said, can Dempsey thrive in a pressure cooker environment like Liverpool?
Dempsey came to Fulham and had to work his way back into the starting XI a couple of times (which seemed odd given his prior year(s) of productivity).
He is that player who wants the ball, wants the game to come down to him, wants, wants, wants. Would he thrive under pressure? History shows us he would, but it is a different level of pressure compared to before.
Andy Carroll is 23, learning and growing. Just because he is in a slump it is a question. When he was pounding them in for Newcastle it was no question. As soon as he pops a couple he will be fine, again.
That’s fine. He probably will bounce back, but on the other hand, what really makes Carroll a better player than Dempsey? Dempsey is better with the ball at his feet, a better shooter, and better in the air, and even a better passer. So the question is/was, should Liverpool fans lament missing out on Dempsey (who they could have had at a bargain price compared to what they paid for Carroll)? And wouldn’t have duece scored more goals by now than Carroll had they decided to play him as a striker?
No question Dempsey has a lot of qualities that make him very good, but Carroll plays in a different position than Clint. He (Carroll) is a classic number 9, while Dempsey is better suited carrying the ball, as a second striker, playing off of a main striker who pulls in defenders, leaving space for Dempsey to score.
If anything I think if dempsey were to play for liverpool, he’d be competing with kuyt, bellamy, maxi, and maybe Suaerez (depending on formation) rather than with Carroll
I think Dempsey is better as a CAM or a withdrawn striker, or even out on the wing as well. At Fulham however, he has been asked over the years (often) to play the striker role and even the target ST role as well because of injuries and other players being out of form. The current formation that Liverpool typically uses these days would require Dempsey to play out wide or play the target role, granted, but I think he would excel in Carrol’s position because of his heading and poaching skills. IE, I think Dempsey COULD play Carroll’s position better than Carroll is playing it now. But that’s just one dogs opinion.
He could be a left central front if Fulham had a 4-3-3 formation with one striker and two SS.
Caroll, in his two stints with NUFC while they were in the Premier League (sandwiched around a year in the Championship were Caroll scored a lot but at a lower level), played a combined for 14 goals in 33 games. Pretending for a moment that those 33 games came in one season, that would be a better scoring record than Dempsey has ever posted (though he may best it this year), and we’re talking about a guy who was 20 and 22 at the time.
That doesn’t make Caroll better, necessarily, just that you could see why they invested in a young guy with that talent. We’re cherry picking, a little bit, to compare Dempsey to a guy who’s already made the leap we’re talking about with Clint and struggled with it.
i just don’t think Carroll is very good. He’s slow, immobile, he has a poor touch and he’s not a good passer. he’s just big and can head and at a club that wants to win titles and be champions of Europe you need a whole lot more.
Big Tex is definitely the better player at this point. But from a persective of the team, I would hang onto Carroll. He is younger and his ceiling is unlimited and of course he is English. Besides, Liverpool is more than 1 player away from contending in my opinion. Frankly, Tottenham would be a better fit in the here and now. But Clint needs to stay at Fulham, where he is loved and finally respected for the superior talent that he is.
Clint is the right pick for a few reasons: 1-I think Clint could play much better with Luis Suarez then Carroll does. Its one reason that Carroll is not on the field much, the Pool like to keep it on the ground with Suarez and Carroll is of no use in that style.
2-Clint would have came for about 20million fewer. That is money that could have been used to add depth to the squad or even pay down some of the debt.
I’d agree with both your points.
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