Tiago Ilori

[G]

Of course you can judge positioning and reading a game

Its ****ing nonsense to say you couldnt

For instance if your right fullback is in X position then you should be in Y position - which he was

Or if your leftback was in X position and your centrehalf partner was in Y position then you should be in Z position - which he was

Defending and positional play is often subtle, but its still something not every player can do (Lovren / Skrtel)

Ilori kept the distances between him and Enrique short, he was ideally positioned for counters when the fullbacks bombed on

Its not rocket science to pick this up you know, football isnt all about what goes on when the ball is within 5 yards of a player

Second half Ilori covered a number of times for Enrique and got blocks in

Sometimes I really dont know what people expect

Thought he had a good game myself, was always in the right place at the right time, superb reader of the game. Still has it all to prove but it's two good games, opponents limitations accepted.
When it comes to the nuances of defending though it's probably best to avoid arguments with folk who think Skrtel is great.

[danperkins]

Of course you can judge positioning and reading a game

Its ****ing nonsense to say you couldnt

For instance if your right fullback is in X position then you should be in Y position - which he was

Or if your leftback was in X position and your centrehalf partner was in Y position then you should be in Z position - which he was

Defending and positional play is often subtle, but its still something not every player can do (Lovren / Skrtel)

Ilori kept the distances between him and Enrique short, he was ideally positioned for counters when the fullbacks bombed on

Its not rocket science to pick this up you know, football isnt all about what goes on when the ball is within 5 yards of a player

Second half Ilori covered a number of times for Enrique and got blocks in

Sometimes I really dont know what people expect

That's a load of my ****ing cock!! Only joking was just returning the unnecessary rudeness

Anyways, I disagree and will wait for a game that tests him more, as that game last night was a walk in the park. Him and Enrique did ok and we're comfortable throughout.

[Vermilion]

impossible to judge, any of us on here could have comfortably been playing CB for LFC last night and had a easy ride.

Not me.

[danperkins]

Not me.

actually probably not me either

[Assassin]

Liverpool’s forgotten centre-back Tiago Ilori is determined to learn from the mistakes he has made but has already put his wasted loan spell at Aston Villa behind him.

The Portugal Under-21 international made his Anfield debut – just his second appearance in almost two and a half years – in the comfortable 3-0 FA Cup third-round replay win over League Two Exeter.

Due to a series of loans his first game in a red shirt came just over a week ago in the original encounter after he was recalled from Villa – where he failed to get a first-team match in three months.

Chances may be limited at Liverpool from now until the end of the season, especially as they face Premier League opposition in West Ham in the next round and also because manager Jurgen Klopp has brought in Steven Caulker, a player with proven top flight experience, on loan.

However, it appears the German will reset the youth system in the summer and Ilori, 23 next month, still believes he has a chance to prove himself after being farmed out to Granada and Bordeaux in successive seasons.

“You always have to look at the positives but even the negatives you can learn from and that is something I try to work hard on every day and not make the same mistake twice; mistakes maybe like, at times, not working as hard as I needed to, just mistakes in general,” he told Press Association Sport.

“It is not easy [adjusting to loans] but that is part of being a footballer. We have to adapt and do our best.

“I came here a couple of years ago (September 2013) and I wasn’t here more than four months before going on loan.

“I never really got comfortable enough and that is definitely something I needed. Working with the same people every day is important.

“I am not trying to think too far ahead. I am just working hard every day, getting as many minutes as I can and be ready when I am needed to play as there are great players in my position.”

Ilori signed on loan for Villa this season but got nowhere near the team and manager Tim Sherwood’s sacking made things more bleak.

With a centre-back injury crisis biting in possibly the busiest month of the season Klopp called for reinforcements and came to a deal with Villa to allow Ilori to leave despite being contracted for the season.

“When I went there I wasn’t injured. I didn’t do pre-season but I’d had a tournament with the national team in the summer,” he said.

“I was, in my opinion, fit. I trained, played a few friendlies to try to get match fit again and waited for my opportunity.

“It has not been an easy season for Vllla and things are complicated but I went there to play so it is not easy for me to be happy if I am not playing but at the end of the day the coach has to make a decision and he made the decision he thought was best so I can’t really criticise. I just tried to work hard.”

Ilori’s Anfield debut came 869 days after he signed from Sporting Lisbon for £7million, a not inconsiderate sum for a then 20-year-old centre-back.

He was flagged as one for the future but it appeared he had none after being sent out on loan three times, the first four months after he had arrived in the country.

“I am confident in my own ability. All you can do is work hard and try to show your strengths. I would loved to have had a chance earlier but that is just the way it goes,” he said.

“It is obviously mainly my fault because if I don’t show myself in training I won’t get that chance. I can’t wait for injuries, I need to show I am ready.

“There are a lot of arguments but there is no book to say how it should be done. Different players develop in different ways and there is no guarantee in anything.

“I just need to work hard and whether [the future] is here or wherever I’m happy to be back and that’s the most important thing.”

[Lecter]

I actually think Ilori is quite a rare breed

That doesn't in anyway mean he's the 2nd coming or he's gonna be brilliant or anything but he has qualities that you rarely see together

Normally players with pace aren't great at reading a game and positional play. Why? Because pace is their get out of jail card, if you aren't in the right place then pace will dig me out of the hole

Equally players who are good positionally and have an ability to read a game tend to lack pace. They need to develop their brains to avoid being done for pace

Ilori looks like he has pace, positional nous and an ability to read a game. That's quite rare in fact I am struggling to remember anyone since Hansen who had that

Before anyone starts I am not saying he's the next Hansen or anything

Will he develop? Well I would keep him and see what happens over the next 12 months because there's a chance he might turn out to be a decent player

The thing is we have let this lad go out on loan for 3 seasons and to me it looks another massive **** up by Brendan. Not only in terms of us as a club but he could quite possibly have stymied the development of someone who had real promise

[Assassin]

I actually think Ilori is quite a rare breed

That doesn't in anyway mean he's the 2nd coming or he's gonna be brilliant or anything but he has qualities that you rarely see together

Normally players with pace aren't great at reading a game and positional play. Why? Because pace is their get out of jail card, if you aren't in the right place then pace will dig me out of the hole

Equally players who are good positionally and have an ability to read a game tend to lack pace. They need to develop their brains to avoid being done for pace

Ilori looks like he has pace, positional nous and an ability to read a game. That's quite rare in fact I am struggling to remember anyone since Hansen who had that

Before anyone starts I am not saying he's the next Hansen or anything

Will he develop? Well I would keep him and see what happens over the next 12 months because there's a chance he might turn out to be a decent player

The thing is we have let this lad go out on loan for 3 seasons and to me it looks another massive **** up by Brendan. Not only in terms of us as a club but he could quite possibly have stymied the development of someone who had real promise

Great post Lecter. I almost fully agree. Hansen and pace was stretching it a little

I have to say the more I look back at rodgers tenure, the more **** ups I see. This seems to be a glaring one.

I got nibbled at, after the first Exeter game because I mentioned Ilori's game reading and Sami in the same post. But I stand by that. This guy has a lot of potential. rodgers couldnt see it, but I am sure that Klopp see's it

[kubrickscube]

It's exactly those attributes - positioning, reading of the game, pace - a rare combination-that have led to him being spotted and signed up - but they're obviously in need of serious polishing to survive and thrive in the 100mph hustle and bustle of our league.
Better he polish them here, under Jurgen's nose.

[Lecter]

Great post Lecter. I almost fully agree. Hansen and pace was stretching it a little

I have to say the more I look back at rodgers tenure, the more **** ups I see. This seems to be a glaring one.

I got nibbled at, after the first Exeter game because I mentioned Ilori's game reading and Sami in the same post. But I stand by that. This guy has a lot of potential. rodgers couldnt see it, but I am sure that Klopp see's it

According to Barnes, Hansen was the quickest player at the club over 50 yards during the late 80s

[Assassin]

According to Barnes, Hansen was the quickest player at the club over 50 yards during the late 80s

Really?......he never looked that quick. You learn something new everyday

[Buzzo]

The other more recent player whose style Ilori could mimic is Agger. I thought he looked quite composed, ok, it was League 2 blah blah. But he looked as confident you'd want him to, he didn't look scared of the ball like some of his CB colleagues have at times over the last few seasons. If he can stay in or around the squad then he could try and put some pressure on whichever starting pairing we have. Similar to Agger when he first joined Ilori looks like he needs to build a bit of upper body strength.

I'm encouraged.

[Fosterbloke]

I'm whelmed.

[redmike65]

Tiago Ilori cheaper than we thought (and backing up what Rodgers said about the fee)

Football Leaks who revealed the Bale transfer contract have done the same for Ilori, the whole this is below

https://mega.nz/#!JUBkBYbI!Svn84YkUJt_rSCsACgc2TcCnmf73FxPpNTxRclSzHrM

Here are the main details

€1,880,000 upon Ilori’s registration to play Liverpool

€3,000,000 by July 2014 (note: we signed Ilori in August 2013)

Total transfer fee = €4.88m

Performance bonus:

15 Liverpool apps = €500,000

30 Liverpool apps = €500,000

45 Liverpool apps = €500,000

Total performance bonus = €1.5m

Appearances are defined as starting or playing at least 45 minutes of all competitive matches in Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Champions League and Europa League

Future transfer:

Sporting receive 25% of any profit made on a future transfer

Liverpool will notify sporting of any accepted transfer bids to allow Sporting a chance to match the transfer bid

Clauses:

Liverpool shall not permanently transfer Ilori to Benfica, Porta or Braga st anytimes between now and Sept 2018 unless the transfer fee is a minimum guaranteed sum of €60,000,000 receive an offer of €60m. If this should happen, Sporting would receive 50% of the transfer fee.

[Fivex]

They might as well have gone for a higher figure.

[Buzzo]

So approx £3.6m with £1.2m possible in appearance fees.