At the moment Liverpool have four first team players who can play as a striker for the club, and these players are Luis Suarez, Craig Bellamy, Andy Carroll and newly signed Fabio Borini. This is how I see they are best situated on the pitch:
Luis Suarez - LWF or SS
Craig Bellamy - LWF
Andy Carroll - CF
Fabio Borini - ST
Luis Suarez and Craig Bellamy are in my opinion more of a support striker, they both play deeper roles than a traditional forward, and create as many as they score. These two players are both very much link up players, and tend to be more involved.
Andy Carroll is very much a traditional British centre forward. He is the player found highest up the field, and feeds mainly off direct football. This need for direct balls into the box is something that many people have explained as the reason why Rodgers might not want Andy in his plans of a more fluid and progessive attacking style.
Newly signed Fabio Borini, like Carroll is a traditional striker, but reminds me of the traditional Italian poacher. Inzaghi, Di Natale and Rossi are the kinds of players that Borini has obviously admired. He is situated on the last man, and mainly looks for through balls (something I think Aquilani could provide him with.) However like Suarez and Bellamy has a very high workrate, which is something Brendan will utilize in his high pressure game.
I still believe the club needs another forward. Bellamy and Suarez are much more modern supporting attackers, while Borini is still young and inexperienced to have all the pressure of scoring near 20 a season. If Carroll likely leaves for a fee of around £15m - £20m, then a more experenced player needs to be brought in. Clint Dempsey might be that player, and for £6m he would be useful to fit into Brendan's attacking three.
-----Dempsey--------------------------------------Suarez
--------------------------------Borini
What do you guys think?
Striker Situation
posted on 17/7/12
Gudjohnsen was a striker and played quite often upfront.
You need at least 3 in a squad
posted on 17/7/12
I still think that there are going to be 3 or 4 more signings to come and Atleast 1 will be a striker, maybe even 2 if AC goes.
Why is someone concerned about Susrez missing any games? He's had his holidays, so there is no need for one after the games finish on the 11 of August and the training and games he will get in the Olyimpic's will be more than enough of a pre-season for him!
posted on 17/7/12
This need for direct balls into the box is something that many people have explained as the reason why Rodgers might not want Andy in his plans of a more fluid and progessive attacking style.
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I disagree with this. If you look at all of Carroll's goals so far for Liverpool(granted there aren't that many) 11 in total, only 3 were from headers, against Man City season before last, and against Blackburn and Everton last season. The rest of his goals haven't.
I think it's becoming a fallacy perpetuated by the media and some of our own fans that he can't play football and be involved in pass and move. Technically he's no Zlatan but he's no Kevin Davies either. He can play football. he can hold the ball up and link up with players.
Our team isn't going to turn into Barcelona over the summer, far from it. It will takes time for BR's philosophy to become second nature to some of our players. Some players will pick it up straight away, Gerrard, Suarez, Aquilani, Henderson, Cole because they ate good technical footballers. Others will need to learn and have it drilled into them. There's no reason why Carroll can't learn a role in this philosophy. Plus he gives us a plan B of hoofball.
posted on 17/7/12
Gudjohnsen was a striker and played quite often upfront.
You need at least 3 in a squad
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Not in that season he didn't, because that is not how Mourinho played.
Drogba was up front, and Gudjohnsen competed with the rest for the other spots (and often played in midfield too).
Gudjohnsen was a striker plenty of times in his career, but was not used as a striker much under Mourinho.
posted on 17/7/12
^^they didn't eat good technical footballers
posted on 17/7/12
Plus he gives us a plan B of hoofball.
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I don't understand fans obsession with having a plan B.
Good football teams don't need a plan B, they just have to have an excellent plan A and players capable of carrying that out.
How many successful teams over the years have played a certain style, and then suddenly changed style when another player comes on as sub? I can't think of any.
You can have different types of player who provide a different threat, but the style of play remains the same.
Rodgers (seemingly) feels that Carroll is not capable of playing in that style (or at least not as well as other players that he can sign with the money from selling Carroll).
You don't keep a player on big money just because they might be handy to launch the ball up to in the last 5 minutes. Rodgers is obviously not intending to use Carroll much, so it is best for the club, and for his career, that he goes to a club that is going to use him.
I know some people still think this is all media rubbish, but I just can't see it when the story has gone on this long and every media outlet is running it and Alan Pardew has gone on record of saying he is trying to get Carroll back.
posted on 17/7/12
Righteous1 I was actually joking because people only think we can play hoofball with Carroll in the team.
posted on 17/7/12
I should have added a wink
posted on 17/7/12
Fair enough Fat Jan.
posted on 17/7/12
comment by righteous1 (U7048)
posted 15 minutes ago
Gudjohnsen was a striker and played quite often upfront.
You need at least 3 in a squad
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Not in that season he didn't, because that is not how Mourinho played.
Drogba was up front, and Gudjohnsen competed with the rest for the other spots (and often played in midfield too).
Gudjohnsen was a striker plenty of times in his career, but was not used as a striker much under Mourinho.
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The first time Gudjohnsen played in midfield was in the cc final (against pool in mid-marchish-towards the end of the season)
He was our 2nd/3rd choice striker.
When we started the season we had drogba, gudjohnsen, mutu (he was sacked after a month or so) and kezman.
Forsell was on loan most of that season and I can only remember him playing a couple of times once the title was wrapped up