re: tOfficial Liverpool 2018/2019 Thread: CHAMPIONS OF EUROPE!

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Fabinho - didn't expect him to become the undroppable player he has become. if he keeps playing like he has been he'll soon be considered one of, if not the best CDM in world football.

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I don’t remember if I said it here but I definitely had reservations of him being an Emre Can type player

No hate on Emre, but as a DM there were way too many times where he’d get dribbled past too easily and leave our backline out to dry

That said, I still think Fabinho looks at his best when he’s got proper shutters to both sides to help cover ground because he’s just not blazing fast, but damn he just knows when to put in a tackle and how to clean things up to keep pressure on another team in their half. I think having two of him, h
Hendo or Gini is pretty much a necessity at this point and then throwing in Ox or Keita is a pretty damn good midfield to pair with our front 3

It’s not the same as City’s ball dominant midfield and attack, but ours has shown that they’ll likely still get the job done very effectively

I expect Naby to dominate next season. He looked like Leipzig Naby late in the season. Rakitic is still having nightmares

If we add Brandt and Werner we'd be very well set up front, and if somehow we can get De Ligt at the back we'd have a hell of a squad

Honestly I'm expecting very little activity from us outside of outgoings. If some of the right players are available though, we might make a move like we did with Alisson and Fabinho, but it sounds like we're really happy with the squad we have right now (hope it doesn't mean we fall behind while City tries to get even better)

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Front line (7 total): Salah, Mane, Firmino, Divock, Brewster, (new guy and Harry Wilson?)

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I'd throw Shaqiri up here and also keep in mind Ox could play on a wing if needed. I know it's not ideal, but we've also seen Milner, Gini, and Keita play on a sing also so I wouldn't be surprised if Klopp feels like that's enough options (they might not be great options, but they are options)

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MF (8 total): Fabinho, Henderson, Gini, Ox, Keita, Shaqiri, Milner, Grujic

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That's plenty of bodies for basically 6 spots, but I wouldn't count Shaq and I wouldn't be surprised to see Grujic leave or go back out on loan. Still, 6 bodies for 3 spots will probably be considered plenty by Klopp

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Defense (8 total): Virgil, Matip, Lovren, Joe, Robbo, TAA, (2 additions, but its hard to say as Milner, Fabinho and Gini can all fill in if necessary)

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Backup LB might be a need, but technically Gomez, Milner or Fabinho could cover. Again, I wouldn't be terribly surprised if this is left alone

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Keepers (2 total): Alisson and Karius (I'd like to see him back)

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Backup keeper might be one area we legit do need to address but we also have 2 youngsters that could compete for that role considering it would basically only include cup competitions

Not saying I agree with all of that and don't think we should try to strengthen, but Klopp has always been a "let me stick with the guys I have and get them better" as opposed to always just going out and throwing money at problems

If we did ride with the guys we have, I have no doubt they could still compete for the league and make a run in CL, but I'd like to see us try and capitalize on all of this positive momentum and really try to strengthen our bench with a couple of big signings.

LINK
Apparently the color scheme of our 3rd kit has been leaked... The article doesn't have a pic, but someone did a mock up. Maybe the best 3rd kit we've had this decade:

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I won’t lie, every time I have seen Grujic play next to any noticeable talent, his game is nearly elite. I would like to see him with the big squad.

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I just don’t know if he’s tactically disciplined enough for defensive duties. He definitely brings something that our midfield lacks, but if you’re not gonna defend, you’re not gonna play (see Shaq, Keita early on)

Yeah I’ll be on those like ugly on an ape.

Mane to Madrid?!?! What the frick?!

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Yea he’ll be there in about 2 weeks

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quick thinking

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I won’t lie, every time I have seen Grujic play next to any noticeable talent, his game is nearly elite. I would like to see him with the big squad.

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I completely agree. I think him training with Fabinho week in and week out, filling in when needed, etc., could pay huge dividends in his development. They're built the same and are both hard bastards, hell, he and Fab in the MF in games we're trying to kill off would be fun to watch.