Liverpool and Klopp - it's all downhill from here

Hi there,

@iftikhar @Nishankly @Art Morte  @Zagadka @Arquitecto @Don't call me James @Helmer @Unique @Jonah25 @Red Alert @Curtinho @donttreadonred @Duronto-Roddur @mr-r34 @ExtremistEnigma

many congrats on winning the Premier League, for the first time in its existence. It's been what, 30 years?

Klopp, what a guy eh. I told you it would work out. It was an amazing season by you guys, even if not quite as good as Pep's City in the last couple of years.

Anyway, just wanted to make sure you're aware that it's all downhill from here.

I would agree, but the rest of the EPL is pretty shit.

I guess it depends on if City can get back to form. Need better than an old Aguero/an average player like Jesus for it to happen.

Why would it all be downhill from here? With or without Klopp, they have a young team with great talent and scarcely any weak points compared to other, top teams in Europe. I would assume they have a relatively good amount of transfer funds at this point, as well. Things aren't pointing downwards.

i don't think they're just going to fall apart soon, but yea they have peaked.

Hapless_Hans wrote:Hi there,

@iftikhar @Nishankly @Art Morte  @Zagadka @Arquitecto @Don't call me James @Helmer @Unique @Jonah25 @Red Alert @Curtinho @donttreadonred @Duronto-Roddur @mr-r34 @ExtremistEnigma

many congrats on winning the Premier League, for the first time in its existence. It's been what, 30 years?

Klopp, what a guy eh. I told you it would work out. It was an amazing season by you guys, even if not quite as good as Pep's City in the last couple of years.

Anyway, just wanted to make sure you're aware that it's all downhill from here.

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SmoggyDamagedFinch-size_restricted.gif

Simply wtf is wrong with you Hans. Why would you do that. We have not even celebrated properly till now and some of us are still waiting/dreaming if we can go to Liverpool for bus parade if it ever happens. I have not shouted enough or drunk enough or went to the local Irish bar here and celebrated with my local fans-mates of the club in the city. I mean who is supposed to write in such a kind of a thread the next day after having the trophy celebrations just last evening.

Couldn't even wait 24 hours before putting us down

Hapless_Hans wrote:many congrats on winning the Premier League

Thanks

Hapless_Hans wrote:just wanted to make sure you're aware that it's all downhill from here.

WTF

Also, who the fuck is Jonah25!!!

Unique's other account

but he got banned too so he needs to make another one, and not post about racism

Thanks feck Hans for this reverse jinx attempt.

Honestly tho I reiterate the 2nd best team in the league Man City are nowhere near them in overall quality even if Livpool decline next season. So, I do see them winning yet again. But it could well be much closer than this. Their main players are all at peak except Arnold and Joe Gomez. Will be interesting to see who all they get in the 'summer'.

I don't think Hans is wrong per se.

I don't think we'll be as consistently good as 18/19 and 19/20 next season. It's very hard to be 97-99 pts level good.

Not without some proper additions. From everything we've heard so far about being short on funds, having missed out on Werner, and Thiago signing looking unlikely, this seems like it's going to be a quiet window for us once again.

We really need a 4th attacker that can challenge Bobby-Salah-Mane. The drop off when one of them doesn't play is huge. Origi is a great impact player for 5-10 minute stretches but he's not good enough to play more minutes than that. Minamino looks like he was only bought so we can sell him for a profit in a year. He's looked terribly average. And I don't even know if Shaqiri is still alive. He just disappeared form the face of the earth this season.

Salah has been regressing every season. He was worse this season than he was in 18/19, and he was worse in 18/19 than he was in 17/18. And he's lost majority of his scintillating pace. I can only imagine he will be even worse next season. Firmino was better than last season until the Covid break, but he was awful after the restart. Mane's been the only consistently world class all season among the 3.

I would love a player like Thiago to bolster the midfield because he's completely different to what we have but even if it doesn't happen, we're still strong in this area. Keita's number is finally up next season. He needs to finally become the 50m player we bought him to be. He's been edging the fan base with short bursts here and there but his injury problems have meant he's been an absolute non factor these last 2 seasons. We finally need him to become a starter. Milner is done as a midfielder at this level. He's only useful as a leader in the dressing room and back up at LB for now. I can't see him staying past 2021. Curtis Jones is one to watch, he'll definitely be a nice little upgrade on Lallana's minutes.

I don't think a lot of stock can be put on our form since the restart since we didn't have much to play for. Even the title was already practically won before the break. But the jury will still be out on whether we can stay hungry after winning CL and PL with this group now.

I think we'll still challenge for both the league and CL next season even if we don't sign anyone else. This group still has mostly all of its important pieces in their primes. Whether we'll actually win will depend on injuries and how good the opposition will be. Will Bayern be untouchable next season in Europe? I doubt it but who knows? Will City spend ridiculous amounts this summer to catch up and get back to their ridiculous 98-100 pts level? Will Van Dijk, our fullbacks, and front 3 all be fit for the whole season again? Who knows?

I would have objected and said it's absolutely not all downhill from here, had we really taken advantage of our position in world football and bolstered the starting XI while we are on top by signing world class talents like Sancho to mitigate the decline of our current players but with each passing day it's looking highly unlikely. Whether that's COVID that messed up our finances or whether we just wanted to ride out these current players until they declined and rebuild, who knows. The latter seems like terrible planning from our board. The former is terribly unfortunate.

Liverpool’s chief executive officer, Peter Moore, is to leave the club next month and will be replaced by current managing director and chief commercial officer Billy Hogan.

Moore’s three-year contract as Liverpool CEO expires this summer and he is returning with his wife to the United States, where he worked for 36 years for Sega, Reebok, Microsoft and EA before joining his hometown club in 2017. He will oversee a transitional period until the end of August when Hogan, who has worked for owners Fenway Sports Group since 2004, starts as CEO on 1 September.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2020/jul/31/peter-moore-to-leave-role-as-liverpool-ceo-with-billy-hogan-replacing-him

You have your own Ed Woodward running your club now.
Or do you really think you will be successful with THIS guy?!

They will win the title next season too but yeah, they have peaked IMO

next season will be closer contested, for sure

Peter Moore was very experienced figure at the club. Most important thing is, he had a local element and knew Liverpool as a city really well. From the articles that I have read in last couple of seasons, he was really good at handling matchday activities specially concerned with politicians, interest groups or legends of the club, local residents, the connection between club and people in general. So not sure whether it was because the contract had expired or simply FSG are doing it because of financial reasons.

During Moore's time we did have the trademark issue and furlough issue during covid. In my opinion he was not alone in that, all people involved from US to UK, were somehow committed to those decisions.

Coming to Hogan, he was involved in lots of deals throughout the history of FSG; from all small partnerships like Nivea to big deals like Standard Chartered, Warrior and also the jump to Nike. On commercial side, he did contribute a lot to the club's success and has been very impressive so far. But he will be FSG's main guy for them, having already worked for them in US, also being American.

I think Woodward comparison is wrong. Reading the news from outside, it seems like ManUtd and Liverpool are completely differently structured. We still have Michael Edwards as the sporting director so I highly doubt that Woodward like situation will arise at Liverpool. Also, processes and responsibilities in terms on on-pitch decisions are well distributed, structured and balanced so Hogan will not have any direct influence on on-pitch decisions imo.

It's not exactly up and down. There's plateau.

Hapless_Hans wrote:Hi there,

@iftikhar @Nishankly @Art Morte  @Zagadka @Arquitecto @Don't call me James @Helmer @Unique @Jonah25 @Red Alert @Curtinho @donttreadonred @Duronto-Roddur @mr-r34 @ExtremistEnigma

many congrats on winning the Premier League, for the first time in its existence. It's been what, 30 years?

Klopp, what a guy eh. I told you it would work out. It was an amazing season by you guys, even if not quite as good as Pep's City in the last couple of years.

Anyway, just wanted to make sure you're aware that it's all downhill from here.

First of all why wasn't I congratulated. And second of all why wasn't I made aware that it's all downhill from here. I am also as big a Liverpool supporter as any of the above mentioned glory hunters imo.

From now on I only answer when addressed as "Mr Hans"

Hapless_Hans wrote:From now on I only answer when addressed as "Mr Hans"

And I like to get spanked by a mature woman, we need to keep our fetishes out of this serious discussion imo.

Hapless_Hans wrote:From now on I only answer when addressed as "Mr Hans"

Hmm, that did cheer me up a bit.

With all of Keita, Mané and Salah going to the AFCON in January and February, there's no doubt Liverpool will need backups and reinforcements, particularly in attack and midfield.

It's equally clear that the club owners are in it for the profits and don't want to spend a cent on the squad that happens to be overperforming their expectations as it is.

So here's a whole list of great targets from Bundesliga, players whose contracts have run out and that are actually available on a free.

1. Mario Götze, only 28 years old, basically in his prime, a rekndling of the Götze and Kloppo love story?! Come on!

2. Nuri Sahin, 31 years old, great age for a midfield general, was integral in Klopp's first successes at BVB. Knows Liverpool well too.

3. Raffael, 35 years, Lucien Favre's favourite talisman, following him around for most of his career, the reliable and prolific playmaker/second striker is now stranded without his daddy and ready to be taken under Kloppos wing. Surely still better than Minamino or Shaqiri.

4. Vedad Ibisevic, 36 years, 100+ goals in Bundesliga,
Averaging 9 goals per season over 14 (!) seasons, he's clearly a better goal scorer than Firmino with his 7.6 goals on average over five seasons. Ibisevic's 18 league goals in 08/09 also clearly top Roberto Firmino's best scoring record of 16 in 13/14 (the only season Firmino eveer scored in the double figures in BuLi)

5. Felix Kroos, 29 year old attacking midfielder and always considered the Kroos brother with the bigger potential - enough said

6. Stephan Lichtsteiner - you need a RB backup don't you


And voila, a whole bench of top quality strength in depth for a whole whopping 0 Eurocents, or even pennies.

Michael Edwards aka @curtinho pls pm me so I can give you my paypal for the consulting fee

Maybe you'll have a 2-3 million € left to make Bremen an offer they can't refuse for attacking prodigy Johannes Eggestein

Fuckin AFCON. Is this competition every 4 months?

Götze I adore but he is finished and just does not look like the same player we all remember but that is attributed to what kept him out for a whole season. Though Klopp can reinvigorate him.


Sahin sucked for us and ever since he left Dortmund and I wish that was not the case such a good player he was at his best.

Ibisevic is a Bundesliga legend but too old.

As for F. Kross so was Thorgan Hazard between Eden and him and speaking of I'd love Thorgan at LFC.


Oh, and Lichsteiner is retired Hans.

Like, just retired today.

Of all the suggestions I'd want Götze above all. Just the name alone at Anfield would satisfy me.

AFCON has been moved just like the Euros. Won't happen during 20/21 season. They're gonna move it to Summer '21 like the Euros or Winter of 21/22.

So we don't have that imminent problem, another reason we're not so gung ho about spending this summer it seems.

And Hans our backup fullbacks are set.

How are some Liverpool fans fine with FSG? How do they expect to stay at the top when they are refusing to sign one of the best midfielders in the world for only 35M???

The competition is going to spend hundreds of millions each season to compete. Klopp deserves better.

Somehow Liverpool have to make sure that they get Upamecano before someone else signs him
Just pay 1m to Leipzig right now so that Liverpool has first right before someone else bids for him.

You know, you bringing him up has me thinking how amazing they would be together.

What a pairing Van Dijk and Upamecano would be. Van Dijk will cover and head the ball. Upamecano will be the stopper and tackler. Once you realize the dynamics work then you realize both are comfortable ball players who can pass and carry, as well as being extremely athletic in the sense that they're fast and strong.

If one of them was left footed that would make them the perfect CB combo, no joke.