re: Let's Talk about Liverpool

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At least they don't have John Terry or Ashley Cole.

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I'm trying to figure out if you're being serious.

You can't be serious can you?

Liverpool is approaching the Leeds Conundrum. If you spend all out to make Champions League, you can afford those salaries if, and only if, you qualify. If you fall short, then you have two not very appealling options: sell everyone off and pray you don't get relegated next year or make one more stab at it on borrowed cash. Leeds is just now recovering from selecting option B.

I think it's far better to sell off a few stars and stay in the EPL, and recoup a season or two later. But that means missing out on a lot of Champions League cash, something Liverpool ain't used to.

No one can deny that Liverpool always seems to have a squad that is built for Europe. And it is most definitely poor money management that has led Liverpool to be in this position.

If one looks at two of the more fiscally stable clubs, Manchester United and Arsenal, both have quite a bit of debt yet still remain viable both in Europe and in the EPL. Please point out to me the difference between the these two clubs and Liverpool. I find the difference is simply that Liverpool has a poor academy in comparison. An academy can offset some costs by either producing world-class players or selling off marginal players. What player has Pool produced since Gerrard? I honestly don't know. Manchester United used a great academy class as the springboard to EPL titles. Arsenal completely restructured its academy in 1996, and has made upwards of 50 million dollars selling off players. And these two academies are fairly average in comparison to some of the better academies in England.

You always build a football club from the ground up. Until Liverpool overhauls its academy structure, any spending will be a temporary resolution.

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if real wants to spend enough, just about anybody would go there

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Spending isn't the issue. A simple drive through the respective areas of Madrid would suffice. If he does need to be sold, I am sure Chelsea would be willing to part with whatever number Liverpool comes up with. And Bayern can afford anyone as well. Italy would definitely be an option. Juventus has an aging strike-force with Iaquinta, Amauri, Trezegut, and Del Piero all in their late 20s/early 30s. They could afford him, as well as Inter Milan. AC Milan could be an option, but I don't know how solvent their financial situation is. If worse comes to worse, I could see Atletico selling off Aguero and Forlan to have El Nino return.

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And it is most definitely poor money management that has led Liverpool to be in this position.

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yea good luck with them getting a new stadium

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And these two academies are fairly average in comparison to some of the better academies in England.

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thats how west ham has survived for so long

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It just seems like such a shame for such a talent to be handcuffed to a sinking ship in the prime of his career. I'd love to have him at Stamford Bridge.

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While financially they are in a bad position, Torres can still succeed. 11 goals in 14 PL appearances isn't a bad number. And it is my belief that it is a tactical problem with Pool. Last year with Alonso, they were able to play the "dump and chase" style of long ball, utilizing the work ethic of their wingers to stretch the field, thereby opening holes in the opposition defense.

This year, they have played with two predominantly holding midfielders, neither of whom have the passing range to play that style. Thus the field is much smaller, and the pace is usually dictated by the opposition. Aquilani might be the answer, but Beneitz's reluctance to play him in that position is odd, perhaps indicative that he believes the physical strength of opposition midfielders might adversely affect Aquilani. I doubt this, as Aquilani played in Serie A, which, although a much slower league, is as physical as the EPL. All it might take is a tactical switch to result in a change of fortune, but I do not know if it will happen.

I doubt Torres would agree to a move to Germany.

Btw how did finals go? Any more classes on dinosaurs?

they went fine, no more dinosaur classes unfortunately.

It's not a great time to be a Liverpool fan right now, that's for sure. Which is weird, because a few months ago everything looked great. Then Alonso got sold...

Actually, I think that's a big problem with their current form but not by any means the end all- be all. Right now I think Benitez has too much control. He has completely taken over the youth system that while has some promise right now, has been miserable for a few years now (or 10+).

His signings have been a complete mixed bag but on the whole, there's a lot of wasted money. He obviously struck gold in Torres, but that does you frick-all if he has to be sold to field a competitive team.

Lastly is Benitez as a coach. He can go from a genius to a complete moron within the span of two weeks. For seemingly no reason other than stubbornness. Constantly fielding overly defensive sides (his insistence on two holding mids when we can't generate enough offense and are still giving up buckets of goals is in-fricking-furiating), and making strange team decisions are hurting this team currently imo.

Dirk Kuyt has a guaranteed spot in the team every single week and there's no reason for it. Solid player? Sure. But his form can dip in an instant, and Benitez never reacts to it, and we're left with a plodding and poor technical player on our right wing (he sure does hustle his arse off though).

He spent 20 mil on Aquilani as our piece to replace Alonso, and then sits him outside of 5 minute cameos in extra time. There's no explanation for this. At all. With a team as financially crippled as Pool is right now, you can't have a twenty million dollar attacking mid sitting on the bench every week.

Benitez doesn't adjust well and it has the potential to cost this team a top 4 spot this year, which in the current financial climate they face, could be catastrophic. My hope is that Mascherano being banned/injured for the next month will encourage Rafa into being more daring with his team selections and hopefully seeing some better results.

I could keep this going for hours but there's no point. There's a lot of problems and right now, not a whole lot of bright spots.

Lastly, he played Andrea Dossena on the wing this weekend, after he hadn't featured in a PL game in 4 months. Just sayin