re: Liverpool FC 2012/13 Season Long Thread

looking forward to seeing them, too... (oh yeah, and brees has finally signed)!

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Ecstatic about Borini. Really just excited we finally made a signing.

Hope wm72 comes in to shed a little more light because I don't know much about him. His off the ball movement is excellent and he's a clinical finisher - something we desperately need. Can't wait to see him partner with Luis.

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Borini should be a really good signing for Liverpool. He should certainly be a fan favorite along the lines of Kuyt when he was at at his best.

His positives are that he has a fantastic "blue-collar" attitude and works like crazy both in making runs, following up everything and, above all, seems to take as a much pride in pressing as attacking. Extremely unselfish and very smart for such a young player. That's why he became a huge fan favorite and why most Roma fans are melting down that he's being moved. (well, that the fear that Milan/Juve/Inter will now outbid us on every player we want instead of Borini).

His downside is simply that he's not on the level of a Suarez or, in looking at Roma, a Lamela or Osvaldo or Bojan, in terms of technical skill: opening space for himself off the dribble, silky first touch etc. . . The criticism is that he scores most of his goals off of pure grinta (grit or desire) and that may not always translate into continuing the form he had for half the season at Roma and Swansea.
For Roma, he finished very well but the majority of his goals came from excellent through balls from Totti or follow ups/ loose balls. He should be very valuable for Liverpool in that Suarez can provide those breakdowns in the defense for him and it seems that a problem last year was no one pouncing on those chances.

However, he's 21 and may well improve in creating for himself.



I really wish that Roma could have kept him.

It seems that he's being sold because Zeman saw the team now too filled with attacking players he wants to play wider (Borini, Lamela, Bojan, Nicolas Lopez, even Totti looks to be used as support rather than centro avanti and it's also a position where Roma has some real prodigies just about ready for Serie A).

That leaves only Osvaldo as the true center forward and Osvaldo can play wider as well. Roma is expceted to use the money to make a move for making a truer center forward: Mattia Destro (or maybe John Guidetti etc with the Guiseppi Rossi for cheap as insurance if Bojan leaves next year also possible, though unlikely).

Unfortunately, Borini was the only moveable one of these wider attacking players since I assume bigger chunks of the €30 or so million transfer budget will go to the back line.

Honestly, that sounds exactly like what LFC needs. Maxi was really the only player to make intelligent runs, IMO. Nobody cleaned up any of the scraps last season. All of our shots went to waste. Between Aquilani, Suarez and Gerrard, Borini shouldn't have to create much for himself.

How much left does Totti have? How old is he?

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Honestly, that sounds exactly like what LFC needs. Maxi was really the only player to make intelligent runs, IMO. Nobody cleaned up any of the scraps last season. All of our shots went to waste. Between Aquilani, Suarez and Gerrard, Borini shouldn't have to create much for himself.

How much left does Totti have? How old is he?

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Yeah, I totally agree that he's a good signing for Liverpool and it's safe to say that Rodgers also knows what he's getting.

Totti is 35. He seems to be in excellent shape and, as long as he stays injury free, probably has a couple of more of seasons of being as effective as he is now. I think though that this year he'll probably start to get a bit more rest mainly due to Zeman's tactics (which are more fast paced that Bielsa's).

The thing with Totti is that he's just so versatile and, while he's lost a step, pace or athleticism was never his forte to being with. It seems that whenever people say he's finished and whatever different thing he's asked to do, he's still better than whoever' seems poised to take his place. Luis Enrique moved him very deep, at times close to where Xavi plays for Barca and all Totti did was finish in the top 5 or so in Europe in successful through balls.

So is this a fill for Carroll going on loan?

Not necessarily although some people do think so. He can play on the right.

@thisisanfield Reportedly, Liverpool will pay only £7.9m (€10m). Bargain. 21 year old. Italian international. Happy days for LFC

Borini interview

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So is this a fill for Carroll going on loan?

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No, that would be Deuce assuming Pool has the cahones.