https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/jurgen-klopp-explains-liverpool-not-18856012 Jurgen talking sense as usual. "People think that players from other clubs, other countries, are better than the players we have here but without really having the proof, because those players haven't played here, or whatever else. It's just that what is new is seen as more exciting. It's like with a new car. Your old car is completely reliable, but you want a new one and two weeks later it breaks down. It looks better, but obviously it's not that good."
Klopp on Keita: “He looks completely different to a year ago. He is really settled in the team now. Completely different body language now.” This is as exciting as a new signing for me. I'm so ready for Naby to have a huge season. He can take us to another level and be better than all the players that United, Spurs, and Arsenal are being linked to.
Well here is your chance Liverpool players do you have a rare situation where the manager is putting full faith in you to continue forth with minimal changes in the roster
Liverpool got 97 points and won the European Cup in a season where they got very little out of Keita, Ox, Shaqiri, and Joe Gomez. There is also Brewster who is an emerging talent and Origi’s confidence is at an all time high. All of our key contributors from last season are at a prime age and hungry for more trophies. I would have liked to see us make a signing, but there are plenty of reasons to believe that we can be improved without any new arrivals.
One for next season, then. Also, Dybala looks as if he is staying put at Juventus. It will be interesting to watch both this season. I hear tell we actually made about £37 million net profit in player sales this window
In his first season at Manchester City, Bernardo Silva hardly played and made very little impact. In his second season he was one of the very best players in Europe. We have Keita (and maybe Shaqiri) who could do a similar thing now that they are completely settled at the club. It also took Fabinho half of a season before he started playing regularly. He can now continue to get better this season.
Not to mention Pogba! Who technically could still be prised away considering the European window isn't closed, right? Seems it would have to be an astronomical figure for United to allow that being unable to buy a replacement.
I agree totally about Keita emerging in that manner and am 50-50 about Shaq and hold an about 75-25 opinion on AOC as being a likely major injection of newness to playmaking from deeper..... But the likelihood is dependent on how much they need to play. Our system, as it pans out for Klopp, doesn't need the same level of brilliance in midfield when the front three are on form. Mane, Firmino and Salah are lethally in tune at high speed. That's not really the same for Sane/Aguero/Sterling or Sterling/Aguero/Bernaro.... And as for B. Silva - he has played a lot more this past year as David Silva was either rested more or dropped to play the really deeper playmaker when KDB was unavailable. The year before, well he wasn't going to get in as much with Sterling being Pep's favourite in that position, and no matter how good he was he wasn't going to oust either D. Silva or De Bruyne back then.... The rather hidden point that I am getting at is that B. Silva (arguably City's best player last year) might not have been playing if D. Silva was 2 years younger and KDB was fit. So, for us it depends on how much Klopp wants his midfield to create. Frankly, for me, either of these two midfields is hard to pick the better one from for big games. Henderson, Fabinho, Keita Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Henderson Wijnaldum, Fabinho, Keita
Gini, Fab, Naby is the best. Assuming Naby gets going in the way that we all think he should. Hendo in for Gini is a close 2nd.
Certainly it's more attacking. I'd rather have Hendo there than Ox. But I seem to be lower on Ox than most of the board. However, if he could come consistently close to replicating his first 8 months for the club, I'd think that's probably the best CM. That said Gini/Ox/Hendo/Milner in that 3rd CM spot is all pretty good, gonna likely be based on form and fitness more than anything. Tactics come into it at some point obviously.
I would have said no chance as well given Gomez, Matip, AND Lovren's injury history - but the CB pairing seems to be a spot where it's hard to dislodge a pairing that is working. We might simply not see enough games in the future for Lovren, we may not want to lose the fee (a la Alderweireld) and Klopp and Co. might really really be impressed with Van Den Berg and Hoever thinking that they can do the job as the 4th CB. Risky to me.
That's how I see it, too. As you said, it's quite risky but Lovren's availability has been quite dodgy over his Liverpool career.