Priority signing for the summer?

[MrMichael]

Left back? Really people?

Do we definitely think the one thing that's been wrong with the team above all others this season has been.... left back? And another one, probably bought on the cheap, will improve us any?

I dunno, I suspect ins may be more than dependent on outs, who knows who we're going to end up selling. I'd just love to see us sign someone else with some real creativity, and we are far too reliant on 2 players for almost all our goals.

[red g]

If we could only buy 1 realistic player this summer it would be turan.

[Shaggy]

Left back? Really people?

Do we definitely think the one thing that's been wrong with the team above all others this season has been.... left back?

Yep. About level with attacking problems I'd say but we've conceded so many goals down the left hand side. Every single team targets us there because they all know it's our weak link. I feel sorry for Insua because he comes under a disproportionate amount of pressure because of this perceived weak link - he's tested much more than our right back but he's often wilted. I like him and there's potential, but we desperately need a top class left-back who can be relied upon to stay fit. Once we stop leaking so many (bad) goals we will start to look solid again and give us a base from which to work. Scoring goals and being attacking is all well and good but if you don't concede goals you've always got a chance. The rate at which we've conceded this season has meant we've always been up against it.

[dww]

Left back? Really people?

Do we definitely think the one thing that's been wrong with the team above all others this season has been.... left back? And another one, probably bought on the cheap, will improve us any?

I dunno, I suspect ins may be more than dependent on outs, who knows who we're going to end up selling. I'd just love to see us sign someone else with some real creativity, and we are far too reliant on 2 players for almost all our goals.

I do think the defense as a whole has been a large part of our problems. I think you could list any number of positions where this season we have looked to need improvement but I think it is more of a collective thing and where the priorities lie depends a lot on how some players in the squad progress. Right now I think we need:

A defensive leftback, a defensive rightback and/or a utility defender
A more controlling CM
A player to give the option of width in midfield - a more or less direct Riera replacement
An extra option in attack

That said the balance of priorities could be altered by improvements from Kelly, Insua, Johnson, Aquilani, Lucas, Pacheco, Ngog or Babel.

The only signing that isn't really catered for within those possibilities is the player to add width. So I guess I would say that should be the one area we look at before the others.

[Exiled_red]

Left back? Really people?

Do we definitely think the one thing that's been wrong with the team above all others this season has been.... left back? And another one, probably bought on the cheap, will improve us any?

I dunno, I suspect ins may be more than dependent on outs, who knows who we're going to end up selling. I'd just love to see us sign someone else with some real creativity, and we are far too reliant on 2 players for almost all our goals.

It seems Aurelio is leaving, and there are times when Insua could do with taking out of the firing line, so we need a left back but I would priorotise a winger and a striker.

[The Birdman]

Personally I would sell Kyriakos (sp?), Babel, Spearing, Plessis, Degan, Ecclestone (won't be good enough) El Zhar and Riera (if we haven't got rid already)
Hopefully that should raise £25 million and I'd spend it on a left back and a left sided attacker presuming this Jocovich has signed and he is Torres back up.

[red g]

Be lucky to raise 20m for that lot.

[Shaggy]

I wouldn't sell Kyrgiakos either, he's been very reliable and is perfect for certain games.

[Exiled_red]

Personally I would sell Kyriakos (sp?), Babel, Spearing, Plessis, Degan, Ecclestone (won't be good enough) El Zhar and Riera (if we haven't got rid already)
Hopefully that should raise £25 million and I'd spend it on a left back and a left sided attacker presuming this Jocovich has signed and he is Torres back up.

With the number of injuries to Skrtel and Agger I don't think we can afford to sell Kyriakos.

[the rev leeroy brown]

we should sell:

degen
plessis
riera
maxi
ngog
possibly skittles


we babdly need :

a new left back
an out and out winger
a world class striker
and a new central defender

insua is not the answer.....far from it. new blood is needed to give some defensive stability and a threat going forward....insua gives neither.

a winger to hit the bye line and cross. all great teams have at least one......we have none.

ngog cant cut it so when torres out we're ****ed. we need a villa or aguero to come in.

carra and zorba getting on and skittles a liability. agger is class but a kjaer type would be great.

[red g]

we should sell:

degen
plessis
riera
maxi
ngog
possibly skittles


we babdly need :

a new left back
an out and out winger
a world class striker
and a new central defender

insua is not the answer.....far from it. new blood is needed to give some defensive stability and a threat going forward....insua gives neither.

a winger to hit the bye line and cross. all great teams have at least one......we have none.

ngog cant cut it so when torres out we're ****ed. we need a villa or aguero to come in.
carra and zorba getting on and skittles a liability. agger is class but a kjaer type would be great.

Why dont we just get both?

[red g]

I wouldn't sell Kyrgiakos either, he's been very reliable and is perfect for certain games.

With the number of injuries to Skrtel and Agger I don't think we can afford to sell Kyriakos.

Aye he certainly hs done a decent job when asked. Seems happy to be back up as well.

[anfieldanfield]

Pretty much what everyone else has said, left back and a striker.

In an ideal world an attacking, pacey wide midfielder as well. But we all say that every ****ing summer! Will probably have to make do wit Babel, Kuyt, Yossi and Maxi next season out wide. Elsewhere, at least on paper, we're very strong with Reina, Agger, Masher, Gerrard and Torres through the spine on the team.

[greystoneslfc]

And whatever else you want to level at Jovanovic, an out-and-out striker he ain't. He's more of a 'sit behind a striker' attacker to be fair to him. Si if Ngog isn't the answer as backup to Torres, Jovanovic won't be either.

[dww]

Yep. About level with attacking problems I'd say but we've conceded so many goals down the left hand side. Every single team targets us there because they all know it's our weak link. I feel sorry for Insua because he comes under a disproportionate amount of pressure because of this perceived weak link - he's tested much more than our right back but he's often wilted. I like him and there's potential, but we desperately need a top class left-back who can be relied upon to stay fit. Once we stop leaking so many (bad) goals we will start to look solid again and give us a base from which to work. Scoring goals and being attacking is all well and good but if you don't concede goals you've always got a chance. The rate at which we've conceded this season has meant we've always been up against it.

I think Insua shows a lot of promise. Finnan was targetted loads with similar results in his last season or two and everyone loved him. I agree that Insua isn't quite ready to be our only option yet but I think we have seen at times this season that he can stand up even to being targetted (the Villa game being the most obvious example I can think of). He needs to become a bit more intelligent with where he passes when under pressure but other than that he makes mistakes you would expect from someone learning his trade.

I think you hit on an important point though - that building from a solid base is the key and maybe the way to look at this is that we need to get the squad to the point where we have a number of ways of sending out the back 6 (+Reina hobviously) such that we are both defensively sound and can consistently move the ball from defense into attack.