Too many new players: Discuss

7 players already signed and the likelihood that 2 maybe 3 more will still be added (Moreno a striker and a goalkeeper). 1 will be loaned back straight away to the club we bought him from so say 9 players will be new at the club this season.

There's 2 arguments I can see to signing that many players.

1) Its too many and it will take too long to gel (see the numerous times Spurs outcome last season was mentioned)

2) They will be needed to strengthen the squad and will help move us up another level.

Simple options there to pick from on where you stand. No turning it into a talk about who we should have signed who we shouldn't have signed, tactics, formations, Suarez, Reina or anything else 

I pick option 2.

Not easily but we need to understand we are back in the champions league now, whether we came 2nd last season or scraped 4th we'd need to strengthen the squad regardless. That is what we have done, it could be argued our starting 11 has weakened, but to perform strongly in both the cup competitions and the league we needed additions in to add depth and quality to our squad.

Providing we do make the three assumed signings.

Pretty obvious really we needed to strengthen with CL this season.

Well we needed to add a fair few players this summer regardless, our team simply didn't have enough depth to it. There is always a risk when you bring in a lot of new players, look at Spurs last season, although they looked like they were buying for the sake of buying and trying to prove some sort of point. We are buying because we need more players and more strength throughout the team. Personally I feel that the rewards could far outweigh any negatives, with the added depth to the squad we could go on and have an even better season and the chance of success is a risk worth taking rather than just adding a couple of players and still scraping by in terms of numbers in fear of getting in a handful of new players and them not clicking as a team.

3 of the players we've signed have spent the last few years playing together anyway so they will be bringing their chemistry to the team and is an added bonus because it's 3 less players having to get to know each others game.

There is a risk with any signing that they wont gel into the squad, it doesn't matter if it is one signing or 10 new signings because every player adapts differently in a new team. Chances are, a couple of the players we have/will sign will turn out to be bad signings anyway because that's football, it always happens, I am yet to hear of any club that has a 100% success rate with their signings. It's not even always the new players that struggle, players already at the club, players that could have been at the club for a decade could struggle to gel with the new signings.

Confidence is key to a new player(s), get a good start and they will settle a lot quicker.

To be fair, it's only our defence that will see major changes. I reckon the team would set up like this.

                        Mignolet

Flanagan  Lovren  Sakho  Moreno

                 Gerrard  Hendo

Markovich    Coutinho    Sterling 

                        Sturridge 

No major changes to the starting XI. Maybe Manquillo in for Flanagan and if we get a new striker, perhaps swap him with Markovich and switch to the diamond. We don't know exactly what Rodgers will do but I doubt there will be many games this season when we start with more than 4 of the new additions. I don't see any reason it should disrupt the squad in all honesty.

Edit: This of course is assuming we get Moreno, which I reckon is just a matter of time.

I think Lallana will play and Can will get more games then a lot of people originally thought

I think Lallana will play and Can will get more games then a lot of people originally thought

This would make me happy.

We brought in 9 players last season too! Plus with the players that have come in they've either had PL experience of have been bought because they're deemed capable of integrating seamlessly with Brendan's styles of play.

Just need some decent runs in the cup competitions now to give everyone an opportunity and to keep them happy.

I don't really see this as being much of an issue for a few reasons:

1) Brendan is a bright and progressive manager who's established his power within the club already. He's earned the respect of the team, the support of the owners, and the trust of the fans. He can cope with handling new players and the lads coming in are entering a club that's got a solid structure and vision as opposed to entering the club being that vision. That's what Tottenham lacked last year: stability, respected management, and a vision for success that wasn't completely reliant on the new players.

2) We've got ourselves a leader who's been here for years and who lives and breathes the creed of the club and who can get all these new guys in shape and serve as an example for them to what Liverpool FC is. Stevie's better at it than just about any other player in modern football and he's done underrated wonders for players like Raheem and Hendo who he's a bit of a mentor too I feel.

3) The players we're bringing in aren't all starters. The section of our team that's going to be shaken up the most is our defense with Lovren, Manquillo, and hopefully Moreno coming in all of whom we hope can challenge for starting spots immediately. And let's face it, that's not a bad thing considering our defense really can't get too much worse than what it was during some parts of last season. Therefore we're not really trying to gel a whole new starting lineup, instead just work in a few new players and add a little quality to our squad depth.

4) None of them are superstars. They all seem like level-headed players coming from humble, respected clubs where they all played important roles working for the team as a whole but all of which I'm sure are eager to prove to the management and the fans that they deserve to be in the starting XI - which is great. Competition is an integral part of any successful club and players who want to walk into a starting place without earning it don't deserve to be at our club anyway. All of our additions thus far seem like they're ready to fight for their place rather than to just expect it.

I think we're going to be just fine with our players coming in. I'm excited to see what these lads can do for us and am not concerned in the slightest about having a season like the spuds had last year.

Option 2. Boss said the squad was too thin and he's mostly corrected that. If we could add a decent striker and a new LB I think we're good.

jeez it's nothing like what spurs went through. we have a good core team we're adding to and Brendan Rodgers will ease the new signings into the side like a professional. it's not really hard to see if you follow Liverpool Football Club. I guess if you follow the media you could be scared into thinking we've "signed too many players" or something, but I can see it's all under control. we're finally going to be able to field a good XI and a good bench every game. isn't that beautiful? no more Aspas Moses Cissokho <youth teamer> on the bench! actual options!

We had a cracking first team last season, with a serious lack of quality on the bench,  all were doing this summer is addressing that problem.
2 players for every position is essential if we are to challenge on all fronts this season,  we look to be getting there, just a striker or 2 and a goalkeeper to add.

I don't think anyone can say we are bringing in to many new players,  it needed to be done.

2) they have spent ages playing together at Southampton anyway.

The squad needed to be strengthened but have a feeling we've gone for quantity over quality, hope I'm wrong though, a lot of young players which Brendan seems to be more comfortable with.

I'm going with neither option.

First and foremost you address the weak areas of the starting XI. That is CB, LB (yet to be addressed), RB (yet to be addressed), and ST (yet to be addressed). I can understand that Rodgers went into the market with an intent to A - addresses these problems areas and b - add depth to the squad.

Can, Lallana, Markovic, Lambert and Origi were not essential purchases in my opinion. They will add depth, sure, but it is highly questionable as to whether they will address our leaky problem in defence and whether they fill a void left by Luis Suarez.

CB - Lovren in my opinion is an important signing and therefore a good signing (I hope). He has leader qualities if which we have been missing since the retirement of Carragher. He should walk straight in and improve us.

RB - this young Athleti defender we signed is a gamble. He is on loan, yes, but his experience is not that great. I would have to favour Flanno over him for now, which is not ideal as Flanno can be improved on.

LB - expect this to be Moreno. Am confident we will finally agree something with Seville.

ST - have no a clue. Big problem area.


How I see the current team:

               Mignolet
??.??  Lovren  Sakho ??.??
               Gerrard
       Coutinho   Hendo
??.??     Sturridge     Sterling

Three key areas still needing to be addressed. This should have been the priority in my opinion.

So while we have added depth to our squad - Manquillo, Can, Lallana, Markovic, and Lambert.., we have still done little to address holes we have in our team.

We haven't had strength in depth for years, at times we had nobody on the bench who could change a game. It'll be refreshing to be watching a match and be able to think at 60 minutes 'right Brendan get X and X on the pitch and switch the play to 3-4-3 etc and we'll batter these fuckers.

Gets me a tad giddy at the thought.

I'm going with more No. 2 than No. 1. I think the new additions will really only impact the backline. I've always felt attackers, especially strikers, needed the least amount of time to get acclimated to new teammates since they're the focal point and it's pretty obvious what their job is. It's the backline that requires more learning of habits, such as knowing when the guy next to you prefers to step up and intercept or sit back and contain the play.

Markovic and Lallana won't need any huge amount of time at all I reckon. And I think Can generally reads the game well, so he won't have any difficultly coming into midfield to play whatever role is needed of him.

We've always got to look at the long term and seeing how bad we were in depth last season it was vital that we did our best to rectify that this. People talk about gelling and the such and use Tottenham as an example but the fact is those players just weren't any good at adapting to the PL. The great thing in signing three players from Soton is that they do have PL experience and can fit right in. Markovic and Manquillo will get up to speed I'm sure.

7 players already signed and the likelihood that 2 maybe 3 more will still be added (Moreno a striker and a goalkeeper). 1 will be loaned back straight away to the club we bought him from so say 9 players will be new at the club this season.

There's 2 arguments I can see to signing that many players.

1) Its too many and it will take too long to gel (see the numerous times Spurs outcome last season was mentioned)

2) They will be needed to strengthen the squad and will help move us up another level.

Simple options there to pick from on where you stand. No turning it into a talk about who we should have signed who we shouldn't have signed, tactics, formations, Suarez, Reina or anything else 

I think people are making too much of the Spurs comparison.
We've lost a vital player, possibly the best player in the world.
That in itself will be an impossible task.

I don't think we've signed too many players.
As it stands right now, we've signed less than last season.

14/15 - 6 players into the first team squad
Adam Lallana   
Dejan Lovren   
Lazar Markovic   
                   Divock Origi   (Gone back out on loan)
Emre Can   
Rickie Lambert   
Javier Manquillo

13/14 - 7 players into the first team squad
Mamadou Sakho   
Simon Mignolet   
Iago Aspas   
                 Tiago Ilori  (Sent on loan)
Luis Alberto   
Victor Moses   
Aly Cissokho   
Kolo Touré

So we may sign a striker, left back and keeper.
At most then we'll have signed only two players more than last season.
Considering we had the smallest squad in the league last season I see it as a positive.

There's 2 arguments I can see to signing that many players.

1) Its too many and it will take too long to gel (see the numerous times Spurs outcome last season was mentioned)

2) They will be needed to strengthen the squad and will help move us up another level.

Gut instinct is we have made exactly the same mistake Spurs did last year.

I desperately hope I'm wrong but we may only play we only end up playing 3 or 4 more games than last season.  We needed to bring in players significantly better than the ones we had in certain positions and I'm really not sure we've done that.

Gut instinct is we have made exactly the same mistake Spurs did last year.

I desperately hope I'm wrong but we may only play we only end up playing 3 or 4 more games than last season.  We needed to bring in players significantly better than the ones we had in certain positions and I'm really not sure we've done that.

I agree mate, stronger squad , but not necessarily a stronger team is how I see it at the moment.

It will be a minor miracle if we hit the ground running.

It will be a minor miracle if we hit the ground running.

Especially with all the demolition going on around Anfield  stuey. Back on topic, when the squad is good enough then will be the time just to tweek the team by bringing in one or 2 players.

Could be wrong, but most (including the media) think we have signed 7 new players when actually it is 8? 

they're not counting Rickie Lambert as a player.

Could be wrong, but most (including the media) think we have signed 7 new players when actually it is 8? 

Youth signing

We've brought a lot of players so far but not many of the quality that'll turn those tight 0-0 games into 1-0 games like Suarez could.

Think a lot of season will depend on our next signing, that striker with top quality who can replace those goals.

I think Lovren, Lallana and Can will be our most impressive signings this season.

Gut instinct is we have made exactly the same mistake Spurs did last year.

I desperately hope I'm wrong but we may only play we only end up playing 3 or 4 more games than last season.  We needed to bring in players significantly better than the ones we had in certain positions and I'm really not sure we've done that.

Personally I think we have avoided the mistakes that Spurs made but only time will tell.

The root cause of Spur's problems were the maniac chairman who was completely unable to focus on what he wanted from the manager.

Let's not forget he sacked Redknapp for AVB swopping a tactically limited manager who nevertheless based his game on pace and penetration and motivation for AVB, a deep tactical thinker with the personality of a 1950’s prison warden who set up his team in a pressing, possession-based defensive format. Then, despite Spur’s progress in the league, Levy decided he was more concerned about their attacking style and forced AVB to try and play a more expansive and penetrative game. After that failed, he then sacked the manager and replaced him with Sherwood – a tactical idiot who completely abandoned AVB’s approach and just as quickly got found out after his honeymoon period.

I would argue that it would be virtually impossible for a squad to do well in those circumstances, let alone a bunch of new arrivals. In the most crucial aspect therefore we have got a settled plan in place and have given some thought about how the arrivals are going to fit into the squad.

Option 2. Boss said the squad was too thin and he's mostly corrected that. If we could add a decent striker and a new LB I think we're good.

Bang on the money.

It will be a minor miracle if we hit the ground running.

I've just seen a minor miracle!!

I've just seen a minor miracle!!

lets wait and see next week. I hate preseason games its so hard to work out how well we are doing. But 4 goals and a clean sheet is a very nice way to finish it. Nice headache for Brendan now as the side will be very difficult to get into .

lets wait and see next week. I hate preseason games its so hard to work out how well we are doing. But 4 goals and a clean sheet is a very nice way to finish it. Nice headache for Brendan now as the side will be very difficult to get into .

Know what you're saying mate and warm up games can be misleading.
Having said that Dortmund are no slouches and will give any side a testing time, what impressed tho' was the crisp one touch movement with the confidence needed to make it work.
The way they were closed down was also refreshing to see and again the confidence was so obvious, light years away from the defensive debacle we were subject to in the last term.
Cautiously optimistic will do for me.

Current injuries to some of our new recruits may be a blessing in disguise.

I was worried that throwing in too new many players in to a team that has been together unchanged, for more than a year, would cost us. However, the slow introduction of signings in to the first team, may benefit us in the long run.

I said Southampton would be our weakest XI all season. Next up City.

Option 2 all day for me,
We won't make the mistakes spuds made we're far better than that shower of sh*t, thats  Levy trying to muscle his way into being a top 4 contender, HB is right, had they stuck with Hairy Kneecap, it might have panned out better,  he would have stuck with his core players and introduced the new ones gradually
But who gives a F**k about them Kunt's,

Brendan will do likewise, he's a clever man is our BR,  he recognised our weakest point's and has addressed those very well indeed, especially at the back, Lovren, Manquillo & now Moreno, that trio alone have immediately made us look stronger, more solid,  in no way will we concede as many as we did last term,
Same in midfield, again we look stronger with added creativity,
And now with the imminent arrival of Mario the mad we look very potent too,

Brendan is building a very very good side in front our very eyes,  only the weak and disbelievers will argue as such, we will all see soon enough the fruits of his labour,  and the players he's bringing in will merge into the team like cars merging onto a motorway,

I was excited before this week's events now Ive got a permanent stiffy.

YNWA

There's 2 arguments I can see to signing that many players.

1) Its too many and it will take too long to gel (see the numerous times Spurs outcome last season was mentioned)

2) They will be needed to strengthen the squad and will help move us up another level.

I'll go for an amended option #2 Bri.

The new signings appear to have strengthened and added a bit more depth in some areas (depending on who, if anyone, eventually leaves of course): certainly enough to cement our place in the top four.

To be honest tho'; that [maintain top four] 'target' isn't exactly too daunting anyhow, in my opinion. Put another way: I don't see, at this early stage, much competition or threat from any team which finished outside it last season.

It's the "move us up another level" part I'm just not sure about mate. "Another level", for me, means Champions and that is less about numbers than quality.

So, to be clear: the number of players should see us "strengthen the squad" enough to remain top four but... "move us up another level"? I don't know. 

We have a lot of options

http://talksport.com/football/liverpools-amazing-ps100m-attacking-options-revealed-how-balotelli-could-fit-140822109168

this is a great examples of how many attacking options we have. We need a bigger squad based on all the games we might end up playing in a post world cup season.

For the first time in about a decade it seems to me that we actually have a proper squad.
Back in the day Rafa always said that we needed to first team players and a youth player for each position.
Last season we couldn't even fill the bench without using youth players, while City had enough first team players for two 11s.

I love what we've done in the summer. So much so I've put money on us winning the league.
I'm not arsed about finding negatives in what we've done or worrying about who will leave.
I'm excited to see how this season unfolds. It will be one hell of a ride and a bit madder now that Mario has arrived, but we kind of need that too.

So much so I've put money on us winning the league.

Me too racer... 12/1 [£30 e.w.] in a four horse race was too good to overlook. 

I think the new players will be introduced slowly. Both the M&M fullbacks won't play tonight in the starting 11. I am guessing Moreno and Johnson to start. Markovic as sub. Can is probably a couple of weeks away. Lallana as well but he is used to the PL. Balotelli may well play against spurs as their defence is their weakspot. Essentially even by games 3 or 4 you're talking about 8-9 of the starting 11 being established LFC players..

Me too racer... 12/1 [£30 e.w.] in a four horse race was too good to overlook. 

Yeah, I went for e.w. too. At 12/1 why F***ing not.