The OFFICIAL Liverpool FC thread - #DankeJürgen

[Geoff Tipps]

Jones get serious playing time in preseason for a man who will be on the bench 95% of the season!

Mingolet has just rejoined the squad I think and Rodgers won't acknowledge Reina's presence so
he's bound to get get game time at the moment.

[J70]

I'm at the match - Mignolet is indeed doing a serious warm up at half time.

[J70]

He's a trooper - just got soaked when the sprinklers started but ploughed on regardless!

[Carmen Stateside]

Just back from it. Great night. First half i thought Coates was brilliant along with Henderson. Second half Sterling and Can made a big difference. Badly disappointed in Enrique and Allen. Great to see New York is a Liverpool town.

[cadhlancian]

We are poor in the FB positions for the most part. Johnson, Enrique and Jack Robinson all pure dung.

[heganboy]

Of course its a Liverpool town, sure it has a Liverpool bar...

Thought City schooled Liverpool first half, Dzeko is some player.

Gerrard looked a tired shadow of himself, a good rest would do him the power of good. Both youngsters looked a ways off the pace, Kelly looked naive but Robinson in particular was burned for pace a few times. Coates and Toure I thought were solid if unspectacular, and I have a soft spot for Sakho. Agree with Carmen (!!!) about Enrique, but Allen in particular was awol. Lambert looked punctured after 20 minutes, but linked in well with play from midfield, if not quite yet with Sturridge (who has had better days) Pitch wasn't in great shape, but City could have been a couple up at the half.

I liked the cut of Can's jib (nice penalty btw), Sterling was great, and I think Coutinho's performance with those two playing was significantly better than without, or maybe it was when Gerrard exited- tough to tell. Man of the match for me was Henderson, covered some ground, drove forward well and covered well, not to mention a goal that he started and finished very smartly.

Was very impressed with a number of the City players coming over to offer their condolences to Kolo Toure. And the 17 year old Nigerian kid on trial with city chipping Mignolet with his penalty was pretty impressive. Happy to volunteer him for Liverpool if  it doesn't work out with city.. And Yaya Toure is something else

Wonder what Reina's going to do after this American jolly...

[laoislad]

Looks like this shaping up to be a Liverpool v Man United final.

[Archie Mitchell]

Sterling made some difference to the team when was brought on. Took his goal well and was some finish for the offside goal at the end too. Hard to beat the pace. Navas had a field day all game. Him and Sterling were hard to stop in full flow. If Dzeko could finish a third of the chances he gets he would get some goals.

Kelechi Iheanacho is a real prospect. Due to sign a professional contract with City when turns 18 but not sure if they will get a work permit for him or not. Think they have another team mate of his from last years U17 World Cup winning team signed up as well.

[brokencrossbar1]

I see BR is close to signing Reus


https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Bt27eg0IQAA8XXI.jpg:large

[Geoff Tipps]

Liverpool hopeful of tying up Moreno and Manquillo deals  - Times, Telegraph, Echo.

[gawa316]

Liverpool hopeful of tying up Moreno and Manquillo deals  - Times, Telegraph, Echo.

Can't say I ever seen both of them play but full back is definitely is an area we can improve. Moreno obviously did well with Sevilla last year and is involved with the Spanish set up but know nothing about Manquillo other that he has played a handful of games for A. Madrid.

[redhandloo]

Have we any chance at all of acquiring Reus? Despite a lot of money being spent already we still haven't purchased proven world class to fill a gap left by LS.

[GalwayBayBoy]

Sterling made some difference to the team when was brought on.

Aye he's definitely the real thing as far as I'm concerned. Pace, control but a football brain as well. In a year or two his value will be 40M to 50M. Without a doubt in my mind.

[Rossie11]

Seen a good bit of Moreno last season. He is a lot like Jordi Alba and can mix the good with the bad.
Had a poor Europa Cup final and was cut from the Spanish squad but he still has plenty of time to improve enough to get in.
Here is a good scout report on him I found online

Style, Strengths, and Weaknesses

What stands out from Moreno's diminutive 5ft 7inch build is his remarkable energy that allows him to constantly charge forward on the left flank. His natural style of play is more like an auxiliary winger, liking to join attacks whenever he can in order to offer support to his winger, most often on the overlap. His electric pace and sharp movement is a huge asset here as he commits defenders, creating space on the wing for him and his teammates to charge into.

Once in the final third Moreno likes to cross, shown by 48 attempted crosses in La Liga this season as well as the 24 he attempted in the Europa League. However, having completed just 16 of those 48 in the league and seeing an even poorer success rate in European competition with just 4 out of 24 crosses completed, as well as a failure to make more than just 1 assist in 39 appearances suggests he needs to work on his final ball.

His 19 chances created from left-back indicates his effectiveness when providing for others however while a sweet left foot also compliments an eye for goal. Despite a shot on target percentage of just 29% this term, Moreno is not averse to letting fly when in dangerous areas and his season tally of 3 goals has included strikes against Valladolid and Barcelona that demonstrate a powerful, opportunistic eye for goal that will only improve as he matures as a player.

His ability to score goals is a talent honed in Sevilla's reserve team where he managed to strike 6 goals in 49 appearances for Sevilla B between 2011 and his promotion to the first team in 2013.

From these traits form a portrayal of a full-back harnessing a potential that is perhaps still raw and sometimes subject to poor decision making. He is a perfect embodiment of a modern full-back however, one willing to continuously get forward and carry the ball to link-up with his midfielders in advanced areas.

He is both a huge asset to a team operating on the counter-attack, making use of his speed to cover ground quickly, while also to one who prioritises ball retention, appearing comfortable on the ball and providing width if any of his central players require an "out-ball" to play themselves out of tightly-marked zones.

As well as being very adept at going forward, Moreno can also defend, though he favours to avoid diving into the tackle and instead prefers to use his positioning in order to cut out play and make interceptions, which account for 48%, a total of 73, of his defensive actions over the course of last season.

The left-back can also tackle but having won just 38 out of 96 attempted last year implies it is not his favoured way of winning the ball back. He does have to work on his discipline however, having committed 30 fouls last term, from which he received 9 yellow cards and a red card for a late challenge on Gabi in the match with Atletico Madrid.

Another weakness of Moreno's is his aerial disadvantage which teams have been known to target with his small frame struggling when it comes to challenging for the ball in the air. His determination does attempt to make up for it however, with 24/50 aerial duels won in La Liga last season, a higher number than would be predicted when considering he stands at just 5 ft 7.

[laoislad]

Liverpool in the final regardless of result tonight v AC Milan after Olympiakos beat Man City.