Carabao Cup 21/22

[Evilo]

The top four teams in Europe buy so much better than the rest. To me that’s the issue. The rest are buying a lot of players they don’t know how to use or players they just aren’t that good.

Juve and Kulusevski is a good example of buying good players they can’t use, and now he’s already gone.

Not always a fan of PSG's spending.

 

[Havre]

All those things go in waves. RM got an amazing team for some years. Then you struggle to replace them. Barcelona not exactly the same, but suddenly you are just taking poor decisions. Liverpool will do the same soon enough.

Liverpool have bought well lately as well, but still living off Salah, Mane, van Dijk and Allison. Guys like Fabinho, Jota etc have been great as well, but they are more human still. To find four special players like that so close to each other for a club like Liverpool happens once i a life time.

RM aren’t bad these days, but still fascinating how poor RM, Barcelona, Juventus, Man Utd etc are as a group right now. They will get back to the top again though.

 

[Havre]

We’ll see if Kulusevski ever ends up being Juventus material. I would say that is 50/50 at best. But I do agree a lot of the historically big clubs have spent in strange ways the last years. Barcelona is hilarious.

 

[JeffreyLFC]

All those things go in waves. RM got an amazing team for some years. Then you struggle to replace them. Barcelona not exactly the same, but suddenly you are just taking poor decisions. Liverpool will do the same soon enough.

Liverpool have bought well lately as well, but still living off Salah, Mane, van Dijk and Allison. Guys like Fabinho, Jota etc have been great as well, but they are more human still. To find four special players like that so close to each other for a club like Liverpool happens once i a life time.

RM aren’t bad these days, but still fascinating how poor RM, Barcelona, Juventus, Man Utd etc are as a group right now. They will get back to the top again though.

We will see. I am very liking the latest addition of Jota, Tsimikas, Konaté and Diaz.

The big guy to replace will be VVD. He is such a unique player but at the sametime it apply for every team.

 

[Havre]

We will see. I am very liking the latest addition of Jota, Tsimikas, Konaté and Diaz.

The big guy to replace will be VVD. He is such a unique player but at the sametime it apply for every team.

So unlikely they will reach the levels of the four mentioned though. VvD and Salah both got a shot at being considered the best player in the world over the last years. Pretty sure VvD would have been without the injury. Two others are pretty special too. Even the clubs with endless money won’t realistically find four players like that within a couple of windows. And even more so not paying 200m for each.

Not suggesting Liverpool will suddenly become poor, but more like Man Utd and Arsenal than what they are now.

 

[Savant]

The Irish kid is not gonna want to be #2 for much longer. Some brass balls on that kid.

I mean if Klopp keeps giving him cup finals it’ll help

easily MOTM today (besides Mendy and Atwell)

 

[Savant]

Liverpools best player today? Mason Mount.

You know, I had a ton of fun watching Luis Diaz today. That’s what it’s all about right? Having fun? My dude needs to put some strength on, but he is a Ronaldinho starter kit (without the dead balls)

 

[Chimaera]

I think it’s a touch simplistic to say the top 4 guys are what made it for Liverpool. That discounts a lot of other really solid moves and developments they’ve made.

Their record in development and recruitment is as close to as good as you can get budget wise for their level. They’ve also been very good at moving players on.

 

[Havre]

You are right. Without VvD Liverpool are nowhere near where they are now.

 

[Live in the Now]

Not always a fan of PSG's spending.

There are guys they probably shouldn't have signed, but they aren't signing Werner's and Lukaku's and selling Abraham type players.

 

[Evilo]

There are guys they probably shouldn't have signed, but they aren't signing Werner's and Lukaku's and selling Abraham type players.

I'd say most of their purchases made sense but they tend to overpay and ignore the french market.
And sometimes, they're played by agents (like Tuchel's in Kehrer's transfer).
Resigning Draxler and Kurzawa though was stupid from the get go. Draxler continues to enjoy his vacations and Kurzawa hasn't played a minute.

 

[Live in the Now]

I'd say most of their purchases made sense but they tend to overpay and ignore the french market.
And sometimes, they're played by agents (like Tuchel's in Kehrer's transfer).
Resigning Draxler and Kurzawa though was stupid from the get go. Draxler continues to enjoy his vacations and Kurzawa hasn't played a minute.

I'm surprised they didn't sell Kurzawa by now. It's not like there's a ton of left backs out there and I'd have thought they'd get a good offer and taken it.



Someone's going to get hurt they keep going on like this.

 

[Evilo]

I'm surprised they didn't sell Kurzawa by now. It's not like there's a ton of left backs out there and I'd have thought they'd get a good offer and taken it.

They got offers and accepted them. Guy doesn't want to leave his parisian holidays.

 

[Blender]

There are guys they probably shouldn't have signed, but they aren't signing Werner's and Lukaku's and selling Abraham type players.

Besides that Werner is not fully fit from being sick and injured before that, he's been great for Chelsea. Everyone focuses on his botched scoring attempts but misses how much he contributes otherwise.

Lukaku has been a huge bust so far.

 

[Power Man]

Kepa Kept Out the ball out of the frame

Kepat?

 

[SJinNewJersey]

Liverpools best player today? Mason Mount.

Does that mean Sadio Mane was Chelsea's best player?

 

[SJinNewJersey]

All those things go in waves. RM got an amazing team for some years. Then you struggle to replace them. Barcelona not exactly the same, but suddenly you are just taking poor decisions. Liverpool will do the same soon enough.

Liverpool have bought well lately as well, but still living off Salah, Mane, van Dijk and Allison. Guys like Fabinho, Jota etc have been great as well, but they are more human still. To find four special players like that so close to each other for a club like Liverpool happens once i a life time.

RM aren’t bad these days, but still fascinating how poor RM, Barcelona, Juventus, Man Utd etc are as a group right now. They will get back to the top again though.

Let's not forget there's been a couple duds in there too, Naby Keita & Oxlade-Chamberlin.

 

[Live in the Now]

Let's not forget there's been a couple duds in there too, Naby Keita & Oxlade-Chamberlin.

Neither have been duds in a conventional sense. Ox got ruined by injuries but Naby has a big impact when he plays. Btw the only players ever with a higher point average in England when they play are Robben and Laporte. They've only lost five games that Keita played in.

 

[SJinNewJersey]

Neither have been duds in a conventional sense. Ox got ruined by injuries but Naby has a big impact when he plays. Btw the only players ever with a higher point average in England when they play are Robben and Laporte. They've only lost five games that Keita played in.

But why isn't Naby playing more than?

 

[Live in the Now]

But why isn't Naby playing more than?

We have Thiago too. The team is spoiled for options. Also might be good that he's not playing more because he hasn't gotten hurt yet this season and that's the first time that happened.

 

[Chimaera]

Ox also has had some big goals and some decent runs when they’ve needed him. Really, considering the English tax, he hasn’t been that bad.


There have been plenty of outright busts in the EPL, but neither Naby or Ox are really busts.

 

[Chimaera]

You can also afford to miss on a few swings if they can consistently get guys for peanuts either through the academy, free agents or cheap signings.

It also doesn’t hurt that some of the attackers they did buy look three or four times what the fee was.

Diaz looks like the goods.

 

[Machinehead]

Diaz looks like another half-priced star forward.

 

[Live in the Now]

Ox also has had some big goals and some decent runs when they’ve needed him. Really, considering the English tax, he hasn’t been that bad.


There have been plenty of outright busts in the EPL, but neither Naby or Ox are really busts.

Ox was our best midfielder the season we went to the CL Final. Yes it didn't work out the way we thought because of his injury but he could have been amazing and showed a lot more that season than he did in his career up to that point.

 

[Savant]

Let's not forget there's been a couple duds in there too, Naby Keita & Oxlade-Chamberlin.

Neither of those players are duds