Darwinning formula: Liverpool FC 2023/24

[Steel Icarus]

Here we are again. Time to shelve what was quite a disappointing season apart from a late, unsuccessful charge up the table, and look ahead to what I think will be much better. The players will have had a proper break, we've made a couple of exciting signings and in young Jones and Elliot we gave two freshly crowned European Champions.

In Alexis "Gary" Mac Allister we have a proper midfield 'buzzer'; energy, talent and the experience of handling the very biggest matches. And Dominik Szoboszlai is the young captain of a talented Hungary side; dare I say he reminds me of Cristiano's younger self in that he's got a trick or two and a hell of a strike on him.

Darwin has a season under his belt and will get better. Diaz is back. Gakpo looks like he belongs at this level. And Trent might be kept away from defending in order to become the playmaker he undoubtedly has the ability to.

I still think we need a centre half good enough to play alongside Virgil as well as make him raise his game. We need a right back if Trent's going to turn into Pirlo (the Pavard rumours seem to have gone quiet, unfortunately). And we need to abandon any idea of being a tippy tappy play-through-Thiago side. Back to heavy metal football, swarm teams, outrun them, get 3-0 up and only then bring on Thiago to play his classy but polite passes.

I'm quite optimistic. And that away shirt, brilliant. Underworld's Everything Everything, Patrick Berger, Minecraft.

 

[friedaweed]

Feeling a bit more at ease than I was. Shite shirt though.

 

[steveo87]

Fuck it.
We're going to win the league.

 

[Humberto]

Goals from midfield. Nunez. Elite youngsters. Filth.

 

[Joe Chi Min]

Fuck it.
We're going to win the league.

City can’t win em all, Woolwich FC are bottlers, Poch is a glorious failure, and I am desperate for United to buy Onnana and see them struggle in the transition from hoofing it, to little triangles between the GK, Wan-Bissaka, and McTominay

we need to abandon any idea of being a tippy tappy play-through-Thiago side. Back to heavy metal football, swarm teams, outrun them, get 3-0 up and only then bring on Thiago to play his classy but polite passes.

Well that’s you completely undervaluing him then

 

[Steel Icarus]

Well that’s you completely undervaluing him then

Tbf for us not-actual-sportsmen it's a game of opinions. And mine is that he's a brilliant footballer who's injured too much and doesn't run enough for the system Klopp prefers. Love to watch him play. Don't think he's right for us.

 

[Joe Chi Min]

Tbf for us not-actual-sportsmen it's a game of opinions. And mine is that he's a brilliant footballer who's injured too much and doesn't run enough for the system Klopp prefers. Love to watch him play. Don't think he's right for us.

Fabhino and Henderson kinda fell of a cliff last season. He needs hard working midfielders around him. Players like Thiago and Gundogan don’t need to be box-to-box. There’s always a way to get them to shine.

 

[friedaweed]

Fabhino and Henderson kinda fell of a cliff last season. He needs hard working midfielders around him. Players like Thiago and Gundogan don’t need to be box-to-box. There’s always a way to get them to shine.

To be fair Shankley would have made him shine everyone's boots for a week for some of the lacklustre performances he made. You're right though, uts the feed.

 

[steveo87]

Fabhino and Henderson kinda fell of a cliff last season. He needs hard working midfielders around him. Players like Thiago and Gundogan don’t need to be box-to-box. There’s always a way to get them to shine.

Henderson has come back for preseason fucking HENCH, though:

If Liverpoo are as 'analylitical' as they're made out to be, I can't help but think that the drop off was expected.
What I doubt was expected was the injuries, and the lack of decisiveness in the transfer market.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Jordan Hencherson

 

[Steel Icarus]

Not that it means all that much but I'm pleased to see Trent's cut his hair, he looks like he means business. New start.

 

[Flavour]

That away shirt is atrocious

 

[steveo87]

What's everyone's thoughts on Henderson going to Saudi Arabia (possibly)?
Personally, I'd gutted, not because hes still useful for the team, but because of all the support he's given to the LGBTQI+ community in recent years.

 

[Steel Icarus]

What's everyone's thoughts on Henderson going to Saudi Arabia (possibly)?
Personally, I'd gutted, not because hes still useful for the team, but because of all the support he's given to the LGBTQI+ community in recent years.

I'd hate to see him leave. He's a brilliant captain off the pitch even if he's not always first choice on it. I'd be surprised if he went to Saudi given he seems quite socially aware.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Some people are so stupid. If Henderson will only be able to 'secure his family's future' by taking a reported 700k A WEEK in Saudi then he needs a new accountant.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

View attachment 383042

Some people are so stupid. If Henderson will only be able to 'secure his family's future' by taking a reported 700k A WEEK in Saudi then he needs a new accountant.

The last 12 years of 100-200k per week were probably quite tough in terms of putting a retirement pot together.

The Saudi money in football is really pissing me off. I know that money talks, but it's being talked about as if players would be daft to turn it down and fans are falling for it right, left and centre - it is anything but "hardship or take the Saudi dollar", it's the difference between a life of fabulous wealth or a life of even more fabulous wealth. Ronaldo and Co are people who can afford to have whatever principles they choose but are instead choosing greed.

Fingers crossed for Henderson, I have him down as one of the "good eggs" in football so I hope he sticks to that.

 

[tommers]

That's exactly what every other country has been saying about the PL for the past ten years.

 

[Zapp Brannigan]

That's exactly what every other country has been saying about the PL for the past ten years.

Never been easy to argue against it from a human rights and propping up repressive regimes point of view, and it's getting harder.

The only semi-valid arguments are that sport in the UK isn't as much of a propagandist arm of the state, and there's some sporting merit & prestige.

 

[steveo87]

Liverpool offered £40m for Fabinho by Al-Ittihad

Fabinho is left out of Liverpool's squad for a training camp for Germany following a £40m bid for the midfielder from a Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad.

www.bbc.co.uk

Fab's off.
The good news is it looks like Hendo will stay.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Bye then

Wait, who does that leave as def. mid?

 

[stavros]

Bye then

Wait, who does that leave as def. mid?

Isn't TAA now a mutant hybrid of Souness, Pirlo and Iniesta?

 

[Steel Icarus]

Isn't TAA now a mutant hybrid of Souness, Pirlo and Iniesta?

Basically Stevie Nicol, yeah

 

[steveo87]

Al-Ettifaq agree £12m deal for Liverpool's Henderson

Liverpool agree a deal in principle worth £12m plus add-ons to sell Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ettifaq.

www.bbc.co.uk

Bastard

 

[Steel Icarus]

I'm very disappointed. Thought he had more about him than that. He's done some great things on and off the pitch for us but this puts a nasty stain all over them imo.

https://archive.li/J2vHk

 

[planetgeli]

It's almost like you can't trust rich people to have principles.

£700k a week ffs.

 

[sleaterkinney]

Stat attack!

 

[sleaterkinney]

Hendo has pissed me off, not because of him going for the money because he's coming to the end of his career but because of how he's tossed his support for LGBTQI+ aside.

 

[liquidindian]

Growing up in central Scotland in the eighties was enough to put me off football, but in the last few years my wife has become more of a fan, starting with the last Euros and following her dad's team (Liverpool, obv) last season to the extent that we now have some sports channels and she was off to Karlsruhe last week for the friendly. I've been following it a bit and while I know you don't have to go far to find problematic players and fans and money, there's a much nicer "vibe" to the whole thing than I remember. I even find it difficult to dislike the England team these days.

The Saudi move feels like a bit of a corrective, maybe I was wrong to think this.

 

[liquidindian]

 

[Steel Icarus]

Disgusting.