Lucas Leiva- Midfield General

Recent reports have been linking midfielder Lucas Leiva with a move away from Anfield, ant there is a lot of fans who support the idea. I honestly believe if we let Lucas go, we would be making a huge mistake. I will admit that I was no fan of his during his first few seasons, constantly criticizing his every move. Over the last season however, he has matured tremendously into the lynch pin of our midfield, and although he does make the occasional mistake, he is still young and is improving rapidly. Yes, we would love a midfield of playmakers, artists with the football, but lets not forget, even the best team in the world, Barcelona, has the holding midfielder. This player allows the likes of Gerrard and Meirelles, Xavi and Iniesta, to work their magic, without worrying about their defensive duties.

Lucas was brought to Liverpool as an attacking midfielder, possibly Gerrard's successor, but Rafa, in his infinite wisdom, decided he was more suited to being a holding player. After Alonso left, and Aquilani failed to make an impact, Lucas was our only remaining option, and had to learn on his feet. He has done terrifically, and has even become a starter for Brazil. So, give the lad a break. He stayed when Alonso and Mascherano left. He has never once made trouble and is a passionate player. Our other options? Poulson is not worthy to lace Lucas' boots, and Spearing isn't ready yet.

The Raul Revolution

Raul Meireles, by far the best signing by Roy, and has recently become our key man. When Meireles arrived in the summer, it was somewhat a shock signing. Arriving after the departure of Mascherano, the captain of Argentina, there were big boots to fill. Meireles had recently stared at the World Cup for Portugal, and his move from FC Porto was largely unexpected. Meireles immediately came out and claimed that he was not a replacement, but was his own player.

His early form was uninspiring, as he was utilised on the right flank, where he performed reasonably well. He showed glimpses of brilliance during the Hodgson era, especially in the absence of Steven Gerrard, when the central midfield berth was vacated. It is no coincidence, that since the departure of Roy and the return of the King. Kenny has given the team a license to thrill, and he is not afraid to play more than one footballing midfielder. Under Hodgson, the team was very restricted, and I do not mean any disrespect to Roy, as his tactics have been very successful with other clubs.

Under the King, our style of play has changed radically, and Meireles has benefitted greatly. In a more attacking role, Raul has discovered the golden touch! Goals, Goals, Goals! His technique is there for all to see, especially in his strikes against Wigan and Wolves. Meireles is fast becoming a key player for LFC, with his penetrating runs from midfield making him a nightmare for defence. Kenny seems to see his midfield as being Gerrard, Meireles and Lucas, which should strike fear into the hearts of many a defence. With their wide range of passing, attacking prowess and their undoubted determination, our midfield looks set to dominate the possession in most matches, providing opportunities for our new look strike force.

So, to summarise, Meireles is undoubtedly our player of the month, possibly our player of the year, and in my opinion, Roy’s biggest contribution to our great football club.

You’ll Never Walk Alone

Cheerio 'Nando

Firstly, I would like to apologise for my absence this last week, as i have needed time to gather my thoughts. What a deadline day! Torres out, Thomas, Suarez and Carroll in.

I'll start with Torres. I would like to thank Fernando for his time at the club, and for some of the memories his goals have created. I do have a big problem with his departure from the club though, for a number of reasons. To start, Fernando said at the beginning of January that he was happy at the club and wanted to help get us out of our current predicament. Now this moves clearly proves that he was not being honest, which is something Liverpool should never stand for. He has also previously said that we were his only English club, which has also now been proved false. I would also like to point out that, had he requested a move to United or Arsenal, who are title contenders, we would have detested but understood. Instead, he has moved to Chelsea, whose players are past their best and have won their titles. This Chelsea move stinks of money, and that is what annoyed me most. He also never said goodbye to the fans, like nearly all of our ex players have!

£50m is a lot of money though, and overall i think we have spent wisely. Yes, £35m is a lot of money for Carroll, who has only made a handful of premier league appearances, but there is no doubting his quality. Standing at 6ft 3, he is a powerhouse, and can lead our line in a different way to Torres. Suarez will prove to be a good signing in my opinion, and will provide the flair in our new look forward line. Altogether, i think the two will more then replace Torres.

I would finally like to give my congratulations to Liverpool on their fantastic win over Chelsea today. Fernando's debut was destroyed by the Red machine, with our player of the month, Raul Meirelles, getting the goal. 4 wins out of 4, without any goals conceded, a champions league spot his not impossible!

Have Faith!

You'll Never Walk Alone!

Adam In, One Out!

6 days of the transfer window remain. No activity yet. LFC have been publicly linked with Luis Suarez and Charlie Adam. Other links have been Stephen Warnock and Charles N'Zogbia, both proven Premier League players.

I can see what our plans are. Buy proven premier league players, and then try with an imported 'Marquee' signing. A new striker is a must, Luis Suarez, a new winger is important, Charles N'Zogbia, a new left back would also be useful, Stephen Warnock. The only transfer that intrigues me is that of Charlie Adam. He has performed heroically for Blackpool this season, inspiring them. Adam has undoubted ability, spraying passes around the pitch all season, something we have been missing since Alonso left. The interesting part though, is that we already have numerous center midfielders. Gerrard, Lucas, Meirelles, Spearing, Cole, Poulson and Shelvey. Dalglish has already played all of these, bar Joe Cole. In a previous post, i explained my thoughts on Joe Cole, and his failure to perform. Poulson has featured regularly under Kenny, which i disagree with, as i feel he is too old and without the quality for our team.

With the acquisition of Adam, i feel we will have too many in that position. Solutions? Well either Adam is brought in and one player is frozen out, likely to be Cole or Spearing. A more positive solution is that Poulson or Spearing would be loaned out, possibly in the deal for Adam. Either way, there will be a casualty with us buying Adam, and an expensive casualty at that. The deal can be profitable though, if he performs well, he is worth the money, and if he fails, he can be sold to a low premier league club. I vote we sign him though, and sell Poulson!

You'll Never Walk Alone!

Bye Bye Babel?

Last nights breaking news that Ryan Babel would be sold to 1899 Hoffenhiem was met with enthusiasm from most reds. LFC's official website stated that they had agreed a fee, rumoured to be around £7 million, and that Babel was left to agree personal terms.

When Babel arrived from Ajax in the summer of 2007, for a fee believed to be around £11.5 million, he was being heralded as the next big dutch star. During his time at Liverpool, he has failed to live up to his reputation. Moments of glory were contrasted with moments of shame. I would, though, like to thank Ryan for his time at Anfield.

In my opinion, his departure must mean that we will bring in a new striker. Kenny has played Babel as an attacker in his appearances under his tenure, and with the departure of Nathan Eccleston on loan to Charlton, we are very light up front. We have been linked with a move for Ajax hitman Luis Suarez, who has scored goals wherever he has been, and would command a fee of about £17 million.

Babel has, today, thrown a spanner in the works. His agent has claimed that he would prefer a move back to Ajax. Hoffenhiem is still an option, he said, but only if Ajax do not want him. A swap deal has been touted, with Babel and cash going to Ajax in exchange for Luis Suarez. Ajax have confirmed they are in talks with Babel, but say no deal has been reached. There is a chance this deal will go through, although swap deals often throw up issues. I hope a deal can be reached for Suarez, as his record speaks for itself, but whether Babel will be included in this deal is unknown. Tom Werner, our chairman, gave a very interesting interview today, and i strongly suggest you read it, http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/latest-news/the-tom-werner-interview

Have Faith

You'll Never Walk Alone!

Kenny At Wigan?

Anybody watching Wigan vs Fulham on Saturday may have noticed Mr. Kenny Dalglish in the stands. This in itself in not strange, as many managers watch other matches when they are not playing. What is interesting though, is that Damien Comolli, our Director Of Football Strategy was also at the DW Stadium for a Wigan match a few weeks ago. This cannot be a coincidence, because Wigan are not known for their entertaining football. I believe they were there to watch either Charles N'Zogbia, an energetic winger, or Maynor Figueroa, a veteran left back. N'Zogbia would be a fantastic signing, but Figueroa could only ever be a short term solution

Have Faith

You'll Never Walk Alone

Blackpool and Transfers! What Next?

Keep the faith! Yes, we may have lost to Blackpool, for the second time this year. Yes, we did not perform to a standard worthy of our great club. Mr. Dalglish told journalists that he feels our problems can be fixed on the training ground, unlike comments from Roy Hodgson, who declared he did not inherit a top four squad. Whether Kenny is telling the truth or not, we cannot know, but he has gained the respect of the players, whereas Hodgson lost this after a series of statements about the quality and form of star players.

The problem with Roy is that he never really fit in, but Kenny is a living legend, and the impersonation of Liverpool Football Club. The players already hold great respect for the man, and comments like these can only improve on that. Yes, some of our players are substandard, but I believe youth and some astute signings can combat this, and will not cost the world.

 Players like Charlie Adam of Blackpool, who would be a great signing. He is comfortable on the ball, is versatile, cheap and would also fit into any new managers plans. I do not think we will sign any world class players this month, with the owners intentions to replace Kenny in the summer, that would just not make sense. Any new manager may not like these players, and it may prove to be a waste of money. That said, if an extraordinary opportunity arises, there is a good chance we will take advantage. The main positions i think we need to strengthen are:
                       -A goalscorer
                       - A versatile winger ( possibly Charles N'Zogbia of Wigan)
                  
With these reinforcements, I think our squad will challenge for a Europa League place this season. Torres is not on form and we need goals. A winger will offer us an outlet on counter-attacks, as Kuyt tends to defend and not get forward.

Have faith in the King!
We will rise again!

You'll Never Walk Alone