Exit Shaqiri?

[Mark79]

Was the hair transplant one of the reasons for the mysterious, prolonged absence? Anyway great to have him back at a crucial period in the season and what a 1st game of the season, to produce that quality in his 1st game since May was something else.

Yeah, Klopp didn't want to risk him while his hair grafts were still taking

No, of course not.
Shaq just took advantage of his time out.

[Scratch]

Dunno...can you head a ball straight after transplants, or is there a time period whereby you have to wait until it takes/heals etc?

[Mark79]

I can't imagine any manager letting a player have time off for cosmetic surgery during a season! Unless they're injured anyway.

[Alex]

Dunno...can you head a ball straight after transplants, or is there a time period whereby you have to wait until it takes/heals etc?

Guy at work had it done. Took about a month for it to scab over and take root properly. But thats someone who doesnt head a football all the time. Its horrific to look at too.

You would 100000000% notice it.

[labourRed]

He had a calf strain and with those calves it was going to take months to heal so he obviously killed two birds with one stone.

Was great last night, and great to have him back for the busy period, as has been said.

[gratziani]

Naughty touches and flicks , i was worried when i saw the team but all 3 played brilliant

[danperkins]

He has 100% got hair implants... fair play to him too looked well. It was the first thing I said when I seen him last night.

https://www.en24.news/news/2019/11/21/did-xherdan-shaqiri-secretly-do-a-hair-transplant.html

[Norbs]

They missed a bit

[Assassin]

They missed a bit

Probably planned. Not enough to harvest. So get the main bulk and the hairline sorted whilst out injured and out of the spotlight. Backfilling can be completed as and when

[baitman]

Probably planned. Not enough to harvest. So get the main bulk and the hairline sorted whilst out injured and out of the spotlight. Backfilling can be completed as and when

Hmm sounds like you're well clued up on this sort of thing... maybe a bit too well

Any pics, baldy

[McDermotX]

[Assassin]

Hmm sounds like you're well clued up on this sort of thing... maybe a bit too well

Any pics, baldy

With regard to the baldy comment, you’re partly right. I have been baring all for yonks, it suits me better than the thatched look. I have been shaving my head down to the wood 3 times a week for nigh on 30 years. Baring all suits me better than the thatched look. Cheap and low maintenance. Plus I dont have get creative with comb overs and wax/gel products like your good self

[baitman]

With regard to the baldy comment, you’re partly right. I have been baring all for yonks, it suits me better than the thatched look. I have been shaving my head down to the wood 3 times a week for nigh on 30 years. Baring all suits me better than the thatched look. Cheap and low maintenance. Plus I dont have get creative with comb overs and wax/gel products like your good self

How i long for a comb over

My hair care is courtesy of a gillette mach 3

[dom9]

From the Athletic


A beaming Xherdan Shaqiri was keen to set the record straight, having heard suggestions he was eyeing a move away from Anfield in January.

“I am very happy here,” he told The Athletic following Wednesday night’s 5-2 demolition of Everton. “I think everyone can see that with how I played. I have a long contract (until June 2023) and I am focused only on Liverpool. It’s been a difficult time for me but I’m excited about the future. Why would I want to leave Liverpool? This is a special team and there’s a lot to achieve here.”

Why indeed. With Liverpool eight points clear at the top of the Premier League and hoping to add the FIFA Club World Cup to the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup before Christmas, these are heady times at Anfield. Who wouldn’t want to be part of it? Walking away would make little sense, regardless of guarantees over game time and riches elsewhere.

On a personal level though, 2019 has been a difficult year for the Switzerland international. He dropped down the pecking order in the second half of last season, was an unused substitute in the Champions League final triumph over Tottenham Hotspur and then tore a calf muscle playing against England in the UEFA Nations League’s third-place play-off.

That injury wrecked his pre-season and he has been playing catch-up ever since. There were three brief substitute appearances against Burnley, Newcastle and Napoli, amounting to a total of 15 minutes of action, before he broke down again in September.

Another two months on the sidelines followed. He returned to his homeland to see a specialist before finally being given the green light to resume full training at Melwood a fortnight ago.

Shaqiri was a surprise name on the team sheet against Everton having not started for Liverpool since the Champions League semi-final second leg against Barcelona in May. It was only his third league start of 2019 and first since January, but he provided a timely reminder of the quality he possesses.

Given an opportunity on the right flank in place of the rested Mohamed Salah, Shaqiri sparkled.

When Sadio Mane expertly picked out his intelligent run in the 17th minute, the 28-year-old coolly ended a goal drought which stretched back to the Boxing Day visit of Newcastle United.

Shaqiri remained a thorn in Everton’s side throughout and completed 90 minutes in the Premier League for the first time since the 5-1 rout of Arsenal last December.

“I enjoyed it so much,” he said. “It had been a long time and I really wanted to contribute. The coach gave confidence to some players like me who haven’t played a lot and I think we gave it back to him with a good performance.

“It’s tough being out, but this is football. Injuries are part of it and you just need to stay positive and do everything you can to get back as quickly as possible.

“With the calf, it’s very dangerous in terms of re-injury. You have to be careful not to rush things. I had a re-injury and that set me back but now I’m feeling fit and fresh.

“I worked so hard with the physios to get back to this level. We train with a lot of intensity and then try to bring that intensity into the match situations. But it’s not always the coach saying, ‘You have to go there and then you go there’. Sometimes it’s instinctive football and we’re able to express ourselves.”


One accusation levelled at Shaqiri during a rollercoaster career, which has led him from Basel to Liverpool via Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Stoke City, is that his talent hasn’t been supplemented by sufficient hard graft. Former Liverpool striker Peter Crouch, a team-mate prior to Stoke’s relegation from the top-flight, has described him as “one of the most naturally gifted footballers I played with” but with the caveat “there was a lot of tactical ill-discipline”.

In his autobiography I Robot, Crouch wrote: “There is a fine line between being mercurial and just doing what you want. People will point out, rightly, that Shaqiri scored eight goals and had seven assists during the 2017-18 season in a team relegated. But for 85 minutes each weekend he would be making everyone else’s job slightly harder. Resentment grew in the squad, resentment grew with management.”

There has been no such friction in the dressing room at Anfield. Klopp doesn’t tolerate any indiscipline or anyone coasting — just ask Mamadou Sakho.

Shaqiri is a popular member of the squad and against Everton he was one of only three Liverpool players who covered more than 10 kilometres (6.2 miles). James Milner led the way followed by Georginio Wijnaldum. There was perspiration from the man nicknamed The Powercube, coupled with inspiration.

His biggest challenge at Liverpool has been trying to force his way into Klopp’s favoured 4-3-3 system, especially with Salah almost ever-present out on the right. Klopp experimented last season with Shaqiri as part of a central midfield trio but felt it left his team too open when they lost possession.

Shaqiri’s recall was accompanied by a change to 4-2-3-1 and he always looks much more at home in that formation. He had convinced Klopp to throw him in from the start with the attitude and desire he had shown on the training ground.

Having him fit and firing gives Liverpool another dimension heading into a pivotal stage of the campaign. At times they have struggled to unlock stubborn defences this season but Shaqiri provides a real injection of guile and creativity.

“I think the coach is very happy to have me back during such a busy period and I am ready for when he needs me,” he added. “Of course I want to play regularly but he decides who is playing and I always have to respect that.

“The derby was amazing and it was very important for us and for the fans that we kept Liverpool red. We’re in good shape. There is a lot to go for with the Premier League, the Champions League and the Club World Cup. This is a top team with top players and we need to continue like this.”

Shaqiri has only started 16 games in all competition for Liverpool since his £13.75 million move from Stoke in the summer of 2018 (with a further 19 appearances off the bench) but boasts seven goals and five assists. Klopp described triggering his release clause as “a no-brainer” and he’s arguably already repaid that fee with a match-winning double against Manchester United last December followed by his exquisite delivery for Wijnaldum to score the third in the stunning fightback against Barcelona which led Liverpool to the showpiece final in Madrid.

Shaqiri was bought as high-quality back-up at a time when Liverpool decided it made greater financial sense to sign him than to maintain their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic, who ended up joining Chelsea for £58 million.

The challenge for Shaqiri now is to kick on and produce the consistency required – both on and off the ball – for Klopp to regard him as more than just a useful stand-in when one of the established front three need a breather.

The shackles are off. His injury woes are finally behind him. Having been stuck on the outside looking in for so long, Shaqiri has got his swagger back and that’s a huge bonus for Klopp’s trophy-chasing side.

[danperkins]

He has genuine quality and could be a key squad player especially with the fixture pile up and Mo not playing his best. He has had a very stop start LFC career so far with injuries and time on the bench but he is a lovely footballer. He can pick passes out that not many of our current crop can and has a nice long range strike like Ox.
Both of these attributes can be key against opposition that sit deep.

Hopefully he can keep injury free and keep getting some minutes.