Welcome Takumi Minamino

[Shaggy]

The biggest frustration with Minamino is the amount of 50-50s he loses. Pretty much all of them or he gives away a foul. Really lightweight from what I've seen so far for PL and easily knocked off the ball.

Expected better in the CL at least but he's not getting close to delivering although unlucky with VAR last night.

Needs big improvement in 2nd half of the season if he's got a future here. Elliott looks much better and he's only 17!

As things stand I think there's a decent chance Elliott could come into the squad for next season with perhaps Minamino going on loan to try and find a bit of confidence.

[Irishnev]

As things stand I think there's a decent chance Elliott could come into the squad for next season with perhaps Minamino going on loan to try and find a bit of confidence.

Nah - we ain’t loaning Taki........

[Shaggy]

Sell him then

If Elliott comes back into the squad and maybe a signing or two, he ain't gonna be making the bench unless he improves dramatically between now and the summer.

[Irishnev]

Sell him then

If Elliott comes back into the squad and maybe a signing or two, he ain't gonna be making the bench unless he improves dramatically between now and the summer.

He has been a disappointment for sure but I bet he’d tear it up for Blackburn also. We keep him for another year and see - would love to see him play a run of games with the first team to judge him

[danperkins]

Elliot is 17, Minamino is 26 in January. At this stage I honestly don't think there is much difference between the two. Taki has some serious work to do if he wants to stay at LFC imo. He has looked slow, scared and a little bit lost in a LFC shirt and short of massive injuries in the midfield or forward line, I just don't see him getting a run of games nor do I want him to given what he has produced in a LFC shirt

[Pablo]

Sell him then

If Elliott comes back into the squad and maybe a signing or two, he ain't gonna be making the bench unless he improves dramatically between now and the summer.

Yeah I mean it's ok to have a bit of a flop. Not every single signing is going to be a big success.

Still not completely given up on him yet. He's decent IMO, just maybe not capable of stepping up the few levels we need him to.

We'll probably still make a profit if we sell him in the Summer.

[Pablo]

Yeah I mean it's ok to have a bit of a flop. Not every single signing is going to be a big success.

Still not completely given up on him yet. He's decent IMO, just maybe not capable of stepping up the few levels we need him to.

We'll probably still make a profit if we sell him in the Summer.

Also: That's what she said

[Roboklopp]

Shame- thought he might be the new Yossi who was the new Luis Garcia.

[Exiled_red]

I think he needs games with 2 of Salah/Mane/Jota, and the rest of the first team, alot of his minutes have tended to come in games with weakened teams - often playing in a front three with Origi and someone else and there has been no coherence or understanding between them. Obviously the problem for Minamino is that the other guys are on much better form. My suspicion at the start of the season was that Mane, Salah and Firmino would have been the main front three and that Jota and Minamino would largely have shared any minutes that those three weren't on the pitch, obviously Jota's form was exceptional and he initially dominated those available minutes and established himself as an alternative to Mane, Salah and Firmino. Minamino has seriously lost out in that regard, because the form of the others it is difficult to see where he gets those minutes in a strong 11, so it feels like the chicken and the egg situation.

[Chiccada]

I quite rate Taki, however I do agree he has some work to do if he wants to play a bigger part. I think 90% of his issues are in his head. I get the feeling he finds the club and the fact we're challenging for major honours a bit intimidating. You can see he's trying to conquer this with the chasing/pressing and trying to force things to happen on the pitch. A goal or two and a few performances he can be proud of and I think he'll become an important member of the squad.

[Buzzo]

I like him.

Having a player off his potential fighting to get in the bench when we’ve loads out injured shows how good we are.

It’s not like we are relying on him so his indifferent performances are ok. Must have been weird Moving to UK and Liverpool and then the entire country shutting down weeks later. He’s a young single guy.

I reckon he’ll come good and if not we’ll make some £’s on him in the future.

[Rich]

I don't think he'll really click with us like we hoped he might. He's a decent enough squaddie for this season but I agree with Shaggy that Elliott takes his position next season and its sayonara Taki.

[frank the tank]

When we won the league, Jurgen talked about having to change the way we play to evolve - because teams would find better ways to play against us. That statement resonated with me. He was already planning for the next couple of years. Obviously top quality managers would always do that but you'd expect it with thinking about specific players who need to be replaced in the next couple of years as opposed to changing tactically. Especially considering the fact that we just won the league, the team has another 4 or so seasons before it needs to be broken up, and we were really cooking on gas. Perhaps the best PL team ever.

I think Minamino plays into that long term plan. Or at least did. He was to have 6 months to get into his groove, integrate with LFC and be a useful squad player then. I can see us playing 4-2-3-1 more often - which would be an extra slot for Taki. And Jota.

I think what people above have said is true - if he gets more and more minutes with the first team players, then he will integrate more and more. He has been here less than 12 months. With lockdown, no pre-season etc that is nothing.

Elliot will be a huge addition when he comes back from loan as well. But Elliot will still only be 20/21 when the likes of Salah / Mane are likely to be leaving the club.

So for me, Jota / Minamino / Elliot are the perfect age to be in place to replace our current front 3 in a couple of seasons time. Obviously with Mbappe there too, we will seamlessly maintain our attacking dominance!!!

[RedReet]

I guess we'll soon find out if Taki is gonna make the grade or not and how much playing with better players will help him.

[SB]

He needs to start scoring a few to grow in confidence if he’s any chance of saving his career with us imo. He’s like a deer in headlights at present & nothing seems to be going his way.