Tom: We’re finally back. Work and lack of football has caught up with us, as well as a rogue garbage bin attacking Luke. True story.
Luke: Welcome back mate. Yeah, I had a nightmare with that. There’s not been a lot going on, bar friendlies, which I despise anyway. But here we are, back, a week before our season gets under way at Stoke City.
Tom: Now, down to business, let’s get into the TLTL season preview edition. So, Champions League or nah? Starting off strong. Power moves only.
Luke: I’m going with yeah, Champions League. I think it’s entirely possible, because we don’t play our top four rivals every week. Yeah, it will be tough, but our squad is good. There’s a couple of risks, Firmino and Benteke being them, but both players have quality, so they should improve our squad. What do you think? I’ve made bold predictions before, but there’s no reason not to have confidence. Go ahead, Champions League, yay or nay?
Tom: Yes. I like Liverpool for Champions League this season. I’m generally under a hopeful and optimistic perspective, but I think the tools are there. I’m like a child that continually gets disappointed, but keeps coming back. That’s my working relationship with Liverpool because I’m childish and my continual blind faith. That’s sport for you. But are we favourites? No, if I’m being realistic it must be Chelsea, Arsenal, City, United then Liverpool. In that order.
Luke: Yeah, that’s probably true. Chelsea haven’t done much and United don’t have any strikers, bar Rooney of course. Arsenal will be strong and it’s actually Manchester City I am most unsure about. I’m not sure they’ve done enough this off-season. Sterling will be good for them, but he is inconsistent. I have no doubt he will eventually seem like a snip at £49m but right now, he’s not what they needed. Yaya is getting older and both Kompany and Mangala look like they have a mistake in them. I can see them dropping out of the top four. But I do agree, to the outsider, and looking at the names of the teams involved, Liverpool with be the bookies fifth-favourite this year.
Tom: Kompany and Mangala do seem to have a Lovren streak in them.
Luke: That they do. Which, I must say, is a beautiful segway into the next point – Lovren, our defence in general, where do you stand?
Tom: I mean, Clyne is going to help a lot. Having a top full-back will be a very welcomed addition. Meanwhile, Lovren cannot possibly be as bad as he was last season. And with Europa this term, we’ll need the multiple centre-halves that we have.
Amid reports that Lovren starts against Stoke, I’m not too concerned nor bothered. What I am concerned and bothered by, though, is the direct effect that has of putting Sakho on the bench. He’s CLEARLY our best defender. I’ve been saying that since he signed two years ago. I don’t know what more he needs to do to prove that.
Luke: That I agree with. There’s something a bit stinky about this whole lack of trust in Sakho. He is our best defender, and with that, probably one of our better players. So what’s the script? I’ve heard somewhere that he may want to leave, I’m not sure if that’s just people talking rhubarb, or if there’s something in it, but it would explain a few things. Rodgers is clearly trying to play Lovren into form, let him get to know Skrtel and how he plays, it’s just a massive risk because of the way last season went. The risk is the timing and the opponent.
Tom: I don’t hate Lovren and I have no problem with putting him in. He finds himself in the unwanted end of analogies for me but I deploy equal opportunity sarcasm: if you suck, you’re getting made fun of. Simple as. But I do think he’ll be a good player this year. Maybe it’s more hope, but it’s there. He’s actually a good ball winner. His decision making of when to and not to challenge have been absolutely piss poor. Also evident in his Instagram life: his decision making of when to and not to post are off. But that’s part of confidence, which he was naturally bereft of after playing poorly last year. So hopefully a summer off and away from football will do him good. Maybe he’ll remember how to play football and use Instagram again.
Luke: Yeah, absolutely. I have an opinion on our defence, and how I think it will be much better this year, if you would care to hear about it?
Tom: *grabs drink and leans forward* Yes, Luke, I’d love to.
Luke: Well then, Tom, lend me your ear! I think with the purchase of Clyne and buying stability at right-back will make a huge, huge difference to our whole team. Clyne, no matter how good he is at attacking, is a defender. He knows how to defend. He knows where to be, and when he needs to be there.
The problem with Skrtel and our defence last year was that it was always mistakes made from people trying to cover others. Glen Johnson and Emre Can can’t defend that well. Can, because he’s a midfielder, Johnson because he’s s**te. Having a proper right-sided defender next to him, Skrtel can concentrate on his own position, and will spend more time in the centre of defence than next to a right-back.
This gives the left-sided centre-back less space to cover himself, and then in turn means our left-back in on the left side of the park. Clyne’s signature shifts everyone left slightly, means everyone can concentrate fully on their position as it is supposed to be. And that’s before I start on our newly-mobile central midfield.
Tom: Great point, that. #Analysis. Only disagreement for me is that Emre Can is capable at defending. just not at right-back. The poor guy looked like Raheem Sterling at a donation centre: lost. It was positional awareness, decision making and slight lack of pace at that hindered him. I don’t think it was lack of ability, as he displayed in the middle of defense. But I totally agree, man. Skrtel and Lovren will have a lightened load thanks to more competent players surrounding them. Hopefully Moreno improves on a largely poor season last year.
Luke: Yeah, absolutely. I think we’ll see a lot of Gomez at left-back. Which isn’t me getting carried away, I just think pre-season has proved that could be the case. It’s also looking like our squad in front of the defence will be much harder working than it has been before.
Henderson and Milner have engines, they’re absolute tanks. Lallana will play a big part and his closing down was a bright spark in his game last year. Coutinho has began to harness his inner terrier over the last few years and has learnt how to close down and win the ball early.
Firmino is apparently big on movement and hard work, all of which takes massive, massive pressure off our defence. We’re looking to snuff out any threat before it arrives with Lovren. And all of this should give our defense a few extra seconds to adjust themselves to any developing attacks.
Now, this is all my amateur analysis, but I do feel this is one way that the coaching staff are looking at things with Lovren and Sktrel. But still, if Sakho is fit, Sakho should play.
Tom: Meh, too much talk of defence for us. Onto what really matters: Christian Benteke. How many goals will he score?
Luke: I think he will get over 20 goals in all competitions. I would love to say 20 goals in the Prem, but I’m not too sure. I think Ings will get 6-8 goals, with Origi not dissimilar. I think Sturridge will come back injury-free once he is eventually back and if he gets 35 games this year fully-fit he’s get 20+ goals, most coming in the Premier League.
Tom: Alright, if you won’t say it, I will: Christian Benteke to have 20 in the Prem. Write it down! When we sell him for free next summer after he has 30 apps and no goals, don’t let me forget about it. This is why I’m not too concerned about defending. They worried about it last year too much and forgot how to score goals. F**k it mate. I want the days of 5-3 wins to return. Sturridge and Benteke will score. Ings and Origi are terrific complementary options.
Luke: Haha, look how confident we are! Right, well, it’s 4pm, and Liverpool are about to play Swindon in a friendly, so I’m going to go and find a (completely legal and in no means immoral) stream to watch it.
Tom: Good call. Well, we’ll run this back next week after Liverpool draw Stoke 0-0 seriously hurting all hope after just 90 minutes into a new season. Will be fun. Can’t wait to be disappointed.
