Liverpool Football Club Thread

[Adrock]

That was a very strange article, it spends the entire piece describing the injury as incurable but then describes how Carragher suffered the same problem until it ruptured of it's own accord. After the rupture it seems to suggest he will be ok.

Or did I miss something?

[Gabe]

It said the rupture help a bit, but didn't cure it.

[Kelthink]

After Sunday's game, and a few others, I'm thinking Benteke isn't right for the team at all. I keep reading or hearing 'he's not getting the service!' but that isn't the type of game we're playing. His contributions are nullified by our playing style, so he barely has an impression on the game. A good Plan B maybe, but I don't think he's destined for the team for too long.

[Rev]

As I said a bit ago:

EDIT: Also, [balotelli's] revelation of a replacement, Benteke, who enables Liverpool to play a completely different game is literally only half an inch taller than Balotelli. I'm really not convinced Benteke is an improvement at all, albeit one who is incredibly likely to do much better.

The latter bit was probably me being a bit too positive, but I think the fact that you got nothing out of Balotelli really should have been a massive warning sign about Benteke. It's just the same player with less of an attitude player, really.

[dogsout]

I think everyone is forgetting that Rodgers isn't here any more. Klopp has shown he's perfectly capable of getting performances out of similar players to Benteke before. The first thing that has to change is Benteke's work-rate. He's not working hard enough. I think he'll be fine, assuming he can get his head around that.

[Istanbul]

Well, looks like Sturridge might be crocked...again.

[Azrael]

You serious?

FFS

[BeeJay]

As I said a bit ago:

The latter bit was probably me being a bit too positive, but I think the fact that you got nothing out of Balotelli really should have been a massive warning sign about Benteke. It's just the same player with less of an attitude player, really.

I don't why we seem to always have to have one big strong guy up front. It doesn't match our play style. Barca don't feel the need to play a big guy up front.

[Istanbul]

You serious?

FFS

Yep, just been confirmed a few minutes ago. Out until at least new year.

[Opinionated Ham Scarecrow]

[angel]

Yep, just been confirmed a few minutes ago. Out until at least new year.

my reaction was WHAT! until I remembered its almost mid December.

[Oh Danny Boy]

I think a fit Sturridge is one of those rare legends that your parents tell you about as a child for a bed time story, a bit like a fit Darren Anderton.

[angel]

he's parody at this point, i would sell him, as brilliant as he is once every 3 months.

[Tourist]

So apparently (according to The Guardian) Sturridge has a scan that confirmed a hamstring strain. What exactly is a 'strain' and how does it manifest itself on a scan?

(Genuine question by the way.)

[glb]

Depends on the severity of the strain (there are three grades). Grade 1 involves tightness, and a more prominent ache when exercising. A mild strain (2) will involve some partial tears whereas the more severe (3) will involve a complete tear. Think these show up on an MRI, but with tears there may also be some bruising visible where the injured tissue bleeds.

Suspect Mr Sturridge has a grade 1 as he's only forecast to be out for a month. Grade 2 would mean a February return and grade 3 likely mean season over (given his injury history).

[gospvg]

he's parody at this point, i would sell him, as brilliant as he is once every 3 months.

Can't see any club coming in for him to be honest. We are stuck with him but we do need to probably look at getting another striker in January for cover.

[redbloodcell]

Just to be "that guy", Sturridge did say that he didn't feel right, right? Is this him being a crock, or the Liverpool medical staff missing something?

[milko]

it's probably from that time England made him play for them.

[DeNeo]

Can't see any club coming in for him to be honest. We are stuck with him but we do need to probably look at getting another striker in January for cover.

Yeah we could probably do with bringing in someone on loan - unless Benteke starts to be more consistent, we'll struggle with just him and Origi.

[Rev]

I don't why we seem to always have to have one big strong guy up front. It doesn't match our play style. Barca don't feel the need to play a big guy up front.

Yeah. It's useful to have on the bench, Fellaini-style, but finding a way to emulate Sturridge/Suarez pairing seems much more suited. Someone clinical/fast and someone who works hard and can offer a few goals. Admittedly like-for-like replacements aren't exactly easy to find, but players doing aspects of those roles aren't exactly rare.

[dogsout]

We don't play anything like Barcelona. There's no point in trying to find a partnership to emulate what worked under Rodgers. First of all, how many strike partnerships are there at the top level in Europe? I'm not even asking how many of those are successful. Klopp has shown a preference for single striker systems, so in most games we only need one striker on the pitch. People just need to be patient with Benteke. He's shown enough in his very short, injury-plagued and unsettled time here to suggest he will reward the patience with goals. I'm sure if Klopp gets him working hard enough the performances will follow.

We seem to have this problem at Liverpool, where people stress out about having too many options. Why on earth would we sell Sturridge? The only reason would be his wages. We can clearly afford them, so what's the point in even considering selling him? It's crazy talk. It's like Lallana... people say he's shit and isn't worth £25m (let's not bother to factor in the relatively light wage he's on, either), so they want him sold. Then we moan about the lack of depth in the squad. Lallana could be a valuable squad player for us. He covers 3 positions, works hard and has some quality. But it's like if he's not good enough to force his way into the first team for every game, then he's not good enough to be at the club at all. It's madness.

It's going to be interesting to see what Klopp does with the midfield. It's clear from the fact he's been flitting between 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 each week that he's still trying to work out what to do himself. I feel like the way we're stacked with AMs really suits a 4-2-3-1 but the options we have at CM are much more suited to a 4-3-3. For me, we need a proper technical, pacey winger, and a deep-lying playmaker for CM. If we sort that out we'll be on the right track. Striker isn't a problem, IMO. It's just a matter of work-rate and expectancy.

[angel]

i say sell him because while hes there hes like a shadow over the 1st team..always talk about well we've still got sturridge to come back, and he obviously does take up resources and time to deal with and try to get out on the pitch. i dont dislike him, and hes brilliant, but hes taking up a space. but yeah, i dont know who'd take him.

[dogsout]

Nobody because he's on a wedge. But that's beside the point. He's worth his place in the squad. We have Benteke, Origi and Ings. That should be enough for a single striker system, even without Sturridge. I trust Klopp to manage the 'problem' his spectre presents.

[Chewylegs]

It's like Lallana... people say he's shit and isn't worth £25m (let's not bother to factor in the relatively light wage he's on, either), so they want him sold. Then we moan about the lack of depth in the squad. Lallana could be a valuable squad player for us. He covers 3 positions, works hard and has some quality. But it's like if he's not good enough to force his way into the first team for every game, then he's not good enough to be at the club at all. It's madness.

For me, Lallana should be playing as much as possible at the moment, as he looks bloody great in the system we play under Klopp!

[dogsout]

Well, yeah. I was talking about what people were saying before, and no doubt will be again if we strengthen the wing in the future.

[Adrock]

A technical pacey winger you say, someone like a certain Lazar Markovic? He could certainly be interesting to watch develop under Klopp.

[dogsout]

Yep. I can't wait to see him back at the club.

[Istanbul]

Yeah we could probably do with bringing in someone on loan - unless Benteke starts to be more consistent, we'll struggle with just him and Origi.

Klopp said he sees Firmino as a 'striker that sometimes plays in midfield' rather than the other way round. So far, he's certainly done better in that role than in Midfield.

[ryodi]

I've moaned about Sturridge a lot in here and was happy to look stupid when he came back and banged in those two against Southampton, but now that's our lot again for another month? There's something wrong with him. I really do dislike him which is silly as I don't know the guy but there's only so many injuries before he starts to look like a malingering prick. Yeah, that's outrageous and stupid, whatever, I'm just sick of him and his bullshit. He's treated by many like the star of the club who'll solve everything if only he were fit and I think it's time to get past that. He has the odd great game but he's nowhere near as good as people say and he must be one of the highest paid players in the world if you work it out on a wage per appearance ratio.

On Monday's Football Weekly Rafael Honigstein was saying how the German league thinks it's crazy that injured players in the Premier League still get their full wage whereas in Germany after 8 or 9 weeks it drops down to whatever the German minimum is. I not saying Sturridge is like that and he wouldn't be the first Liverpool striker made of glass but I wonder if that affects the mentality of players here.

[dogsout]

I've moaned about Sturridge a lot in here and was happy to look stupid when he came back and banged in those two against Southampton, but now that's our lot again for another month? There's something wrong with him. I really do dislike him which is silly as I don't know the guy but there's only so many injuries before he starts to look like a malingering prick. Yeah, that's outrageous and stupid, whatever, I'm just sick of him and his bullshit. He's treated by many like the star of the club who'll solve everything if only he were fit and I think it's time to get past that. He has the odd great game but he's nowhere near as good as people say and he must be one of the highest paid players in the world if you work it out on a wage per appearance ratio.

I understand the frustration but surely you can see this isn't his fault. He said he didn't feel right and then most people, the manager included, told him it was in his head and to toughen up and get on with it. He played and now he has a strain. This isn't some imaginary strain that he's invented with his own hypochondriac brain - this is a strain that has shown up on an actual scan. Again.