Winter Window || Jan 2014

Agyemang-Badu wrote:"I have not heard anything from my agent - at the moment it is all speculation."

"We will have to see what happens in the next two weeks because it has always been my dream to play in England.

"We played against Liverpool in the Europa League last year so I know all about them. They are a really good team who have been performing well this season and I would be very happy to join them.

"I’m settled in Italy but the chance to play for such a big club is something I couldn’t pass up."

Spanish clubs tussle for Tiago Ilori loan signing
By Phil Kirkbride Comments
15 Jan 2014 07:31
Valencia and Granada thought to be after season-long deal for defender


Tiago Ilori is the subject of a race between two Spanish clubs who want to take him on loan for the rest of the season.

The Liverpool defender has not made a first-team appearance since joining in the summer from Sporting Lisbon and so will be allowed to spend the final four months of the campaign away from Anfield.

La Liga side Granada have opened talks with the Reds about taking the 20-year-old on loan but they face stiff competition from a Spanish rival.

It has been reported that Valencia are the other side in the hunt for the Portuguese centre-half who Liverpool signed for £7m in the summer.

Granada are seen as in the hot seat to land Ilori but the ECHO understands that they face fierce competition from their domestic rival.

The loan deal does in no way cast doubts over Ilori’s future at Liverpool.

Luke Shaw wrote:
Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have already registered an interest in signing Shaw this month following Nicola Cortese’s decision to quit as executive chairman.
...
Chelsea and City are willing to pay more than £20 million for Shaw, this month or at the end of the season.
United, Liverpool and Spurs have also asked to be kept informed about the situation.
Shaw and his representatives want to meet Southampton chiefs to find out what the exact situation is, but the club have so far failed to tell them who they need to speak to.
It leaves a huge question mark over the future of the 18-year-old left-back, who is destined to leave Southampton either this month or in the summer.

Jay Rodriguez wrote:
Rodriguez has been left in limbo over a clause in his contract that states he will be due a new deal once he has made 45 starts for the Saints.
The forward, who made his England debut in November, has reached 42 and negotiations with his representatives were progressing well with Cortese last week.
But Rodriguez and his camp now fear they will be back at square one and could even face a big delay in trying to find out whether he will be offered a significant pay rise.
Rodriguez has two years remaining on his contract, which is worth around £25,000 a week, but his impressive performances have attracted admiring glances from Liverpool and Arsenal.

Red Alert wrote:M'Vila looks like he's going to Napoli...

S wrote:

Di Marzio wrote:Napoli’s pursuit of Jorginho is intensifying. There is an ongoing meeting between Bigon, Sogliano (the sporting directors for Napoli and Verona) and Jorginho’s agents that has been going on for the last few hours. Today the parties met multiple times, they are working on the formula of the transfer and the figures of the operation. Progress is being made, they are working towards reaching the conclusion of the negotiation. This evening Jorginho’s agents will return to Verona to talk to the player, they will evaluate Napoli’s offer. Napoli is pushing to seal the deal for Jorginho.

RedOranje wrote:If Holtby were available for a few million I'd take him.  At the very least he'd add some very good and very much needed depth to our midfield.  He's versatile enough to cover several players (Henderson, Allen, maybe Coutinho) for at least short periods and I do think he has the potential to develop into a CL quality CM/CAM.  That said, he doesn't directly address any of the specific needs we currently have in midfield: i.e. a goal threat, another reliable creative outlet, or a defensive shield for the defense and I'm not sure he'd actually be a starter currently... a fit and in-form Allen (which has been a rare, but not nonexistent sight) is still superior and Henderson has established his importance to our side this season.  Gerrard is captain and is Gerrard while Lucas would still be our only real DM/recycler.

So yes, I'd take Holtby for the right price.  Unfortunately, I can't see Spurs (Levy) accepting that price to sell to a direct rival (and there is really no doubt that Spurs will see us as just that).  Anywhere from 5 to 8m and I'd definitely be ok with the signing.  Anywhere below that and we'd be dumb NOT to make a bid.  Anywhere above and I think that money could be more wisely used elsewhere on addressing more specific concerns and/or on currently superior players.

RedOranje wrote:Rodgers confirmed in his press conference that the club are actively looking to loan Ilori out for experience in the second half of the season and suggest that Ibe may follow suit.

“We’ve been playing with a single pivot and two in front since the game at Tottenham,” Rodgers said.

“I prefer it with two attacking players in the midfield three. I don’t like two defensive players, I’d rather have one defensive and two attacking.

“For the two pushed on, it’s about getting up, pressing and suffocating the game when we don’t the ball.

“When we have it, it’s about being positive and getting in the corridor in the box.

“It’s my preferred system when we have the players available but obviously certain games dictate certain tactics. At times we may need to spin it around and play the other way.”

...

“What’s important for me in the two advanced roles is that they have to be able to really go and press the ball high up the field. That’s how the system works.

“Jordan and Joe Allen did that exceptionally well in the games when Steven was out and Lucas was controlling in behind.

“If you flip it around and put Steven there, look at the range of passing he gives you and his agility with the ball. That leaves the other two boys in midfield to go and join in higher up the pitch like they did at Stoke."

donttreadonred wrote:If Gerrard and Rodgers dedicate themselves to playing him in a regista role, then I think Gerrard has a lot of the qualities necessary to be a top-class regista. The only problem is that I’m not sure we have the set-up to play with a regista. Moreover, the system Brendan describes as his preferred system in his interview is similar to Barcelona’s (Guardiola’s) magic 4-3-3. That system doesn’t really use a regista.

Look at Barcelona’s set-up for a minute. The role Gerrard would be occupying is manned by Busquets. Busquets is far from a regista. In truth, he is closer to a very technical CB that begins higher up the pitch, dropping into the backline when in possession and stepping forward between the lines when out of possession. He’s a pressure release valve and shield, not the controller that Gerrard is being asked to be. Busquets’ role is more suited to a hybrid CB/DM such as Javi Martinez, Capoue, M’Vila, De Rossi, etc. The closest we have to that type of player is Lucas. However, as we’ve seen in recent seasons, his combination of pace and positional discipline have let him down.

A far more apt comparison to what Gerrard is being asked to do is Andrea Pirlo. (Under Ancelotti, Pirlo actually made the very same move from AM to regista, but he did it far earlier in his career.) Pirlo is no defensive midfielder, and you can see this by the way the midfields have been structured around him. At Milan, he was often employed at the base of a midfield diamond or a midfield 5 (Christmas tree), with 2 shuttlers on either side of him. At least one of these players was usually a combative midfielder/destroyer-type, ala Gattuso.

More recently, Pirlo has been employed at the base of a 1-2 triangle in Juventus’ midfield. However, this midfield is very different in composition and quality to ours. When they first employed this tactic, Juve used Marchisio and Vidal in front of him. Marchisio is more of an all-around CM, but Vidal certainly was an out-and-out DM. Both players are competent at pressing and tackling, and are also very willing runners, often doing Pirlo’s running for him. Now, Juve often use Pogba and Vidal in front of him. Pogba is far more Viera than Makalele, but he’s no slouch in the tackle, and at 19 he has the legs to cover the entire field of play. Moreover, their midfield three is supported by an extra central defender playing directly behind Pirlo. Therefore, Pirlo is never asked to drop between the CB and act as the 3rd CB while in possession. He’s allowed to sit closer to the midfield and continue to direct play.

Gerrard does have one advantage in that he has always been a more physical player than Pirlo. However, he’s beginning to lose his legs, and he’s certainly not accustomed to the positioning of a shielding player, nor the discipline to hold that position in order to uphold his defensive responsibilities. That sounds far more pessimistic than intended, but it’s not wholly untrue. I do think this set-up can work against certain opposition. My concern is if this is our long-term strategy for all matches. If we’re going to use Gerrard in this role, we will require either a change in formation, more combative/mobile CMs, or possibly both.

In short, while I applaud the innovation of the tactics, I’m concerned about their viability in the long-term and their effect on our transfer policy.