I agree. Looking at Fernandinho, he does the job of controlling game tempo and strong enough defensively to cover the marauding Yaya Toure.

You could say Gerrard is more similar to Pirlo. At Juventus both Vidal and Pogba are very strong and capable of doing lots of running and defensive work to help Pirlo out. Both players are not exactly creative players so their play relies on wingers and strikers to create most of their chances. In our case we expect both midfielders ahead of Stevie to both attack and help Gerrard out which is a big big workload and only Hendo is capable of doing both jobs effectively.

Yeah but don't misunderstand me. I'm not being critical of Stevie, in fact I'm loving him in this new role and he has won us more points from this position than losing. My point is if we are to continue using him in this position we need 2 box to box midfielders to help him out. Allen is a good squad player but Lucas from what we have seen this season is very lacking in his offensive game. Yes he was an attacking midfielder but he seem to have lost his attacking instincts. Maybe BR can work some magic with him this off season but we need to bring in another Hendo type player. If we are to stop playing with a defensive specialist type defensive midfielder I don't see a future for Lucas in this squad because I don't think he is capable of doing what Stevie's currently doing for us in that role.

Juventus actually plays a 3-5-2 so there is also another centre back to help cover for Pirlo. Both their wingbacks are predominantly defensive players with lots of stamina to provide width running up and down the flanks. Flanno has a not very good statistic of being dribbled past many times this season but I think that is down to experience and not being a left footer which also affects his offensive game since he is almost always obliged to pass the ball back into midfield instead of swinging in a cross with his less capable left foot. Glen Johnson on the other hand has been horrendous for at least 2 seasons now. He used to be good enough offensively to negate his defensive flaws but he hasn't been able to have much impact down the flanks as we were used to seeing in his prime. Strengthening our full back positions should be a priority this off season. 27m for Luke Shaw might look hugely inflated but I would say he is already 2nd best if not the best LB in England at age 18. Highly unlikely but would be a dream if we managed to hijack Utd's move. Will definitely be more happy with Shaw than Lallana.

Mascherano? Why would we need him when we are doing away with specialized defensive midfielders. He's basically a much more expensive upgrade of Lucas who can barely get any game time and I would say Mascherano's offensive game is even more limited than Lucas' so it is between his tackles or Stevie's passes. Modern day DMs seem to be trending more towards a hybrid of Pirlo and Makelele. Javi Martinez, Fernandinho and Busquets are some examples.

Caulker hasn't impressed me enough so personally not too keen on him. Lovren would be a nice one to have with his ability to play the ball like Agger.

Alberto Moreno looks a good prospect but a fee of 20-30m for someone unproven and on paper looks very lacking on the physical side might struggle to adapt to the league. Shaw will be the dream signing but looks impossible now. Ricardo Rodriguez might be a better alternative than Moreno for his bigger stature and has 2 good feet. Marcos Rojo has also impressed me and he can play both CB and LB which is a plus point. Maybe too soon to call time on Sakho but if we can get a good offer then why not. He has only managed 1 clean sheet in 19 games, a very very worrying statistic.

Barkley? Everton will never!

Shaqiri? Yes please, but only possible if he wants to leave Bayern. Up till now he seems to be contented in his backup role there.

Angel Di Maria is also another dream signing I have in mind. Transformed into a centre midfielder this season by Ancelotti and preferred over Isco for his work rate. If we are targeting Lallana for his versatility and work rate I don't see how Di Maria is inferior to him. Price might not even differ much from Lallana's considering the inflated fee being thrown around by the media now.

Yeah Di Maria is left footed but has shown ability to play on both flanks and down the middle using both feet.

He is also only 3 months older than Lallana. After such a good season there is no way Real Madrid will be selling him except to fund for a bigger name superstar signing. Definitely one of the underrated players in Real Madrid's star studded squad.

This here is a good read highlighting Lallana's strengths and weaknesses.
http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/footb...et-adam-7120485

Lallana would appear to fit into the Coutinho mould, too; tricky but tenacious. After 33 games this season, Lallana had covered over 358,000 metres, or over 222 miles; that, incredibly, was just short of Liverpool's own marathon man Henderson, who covered over 359,000 metres, or over 223 miles, in that time. Lallana had also made more sprints than Henderson, highlighting how well he pressed the opposition from the front.

I know Southampton is probably the best pressing team in the league last season but wow never thought Lallana does as much running as Hendo. No doubt he can fit into our style and the concern for most of us here is obviously the touted 25m price. If it was 15m instead I think we will be very happy with this link.

Oh and by the way I don't really mind throwing in a few extra million (if we have money to spare) if it means getting on Southampton's good books. Their academy is pretty amazing - Walcott, Ox, Bale, Shaw...who's next? I want him!

This post has been edited by Cloud0890: May 15 2014, 09:36 AM

Lol no? Where are you getting that amount from? Most news reports I've read are saying 25m and maybe one or two quoting 30m but 37? Definitely not heard of that yet.

Lallana has been linked heavily with a £20m move to Anfield, although the Saints are said to be holding out for £25m.

There's not much logic in that to be honest when 18 year old Shaw is touted for 27m.

Yeah. For me 15 is fair 20 is acceptable. But can't really think of any alternatives at the moment though. If we can't get him then might as well give Suso a chance and reinvest the money in replacing Glen Johnson.

There you go. It's the exchange rate my friend. Regardless though, it is still overpriced. If what you have there is true then our 25m euro bid equates to 20m pounds which is acceptable to me.

Alberto Moreno is apparently our target for 15m pounds but Sevilla is said to be holding out for in excess of 25-30m with Real Madrid possibly joining in the bidding war. I'm not too keen on Spanish defenders to be honest in terms of their defensive and physical capabilities.

Our number of televised games stand at 28 games which is the most in the league this season.

Di Maria is apparently targeted by City and Arsenal not sure if true. His touted price is also in excess of 30m pounds.

Many people are saying Griezmann but not sure how many have actually watched him play. Personally he plays more like a striker to me. People are pointing at his number of goals from "midfield" but his position is supposed to be winger and if you watch his goals most of them come from central positions staying on the shoulders of defenders aka Sturridge's position. He is quick but he is not the flair close control player you need to unlock tightly packed defenses. Griezmann actually needs space to run into as he is much better off the ball than on hence his number of goals coming from playing effectively as a striker.

Shaqiri is a player I like but Bayern CEO just came out saying none of their players are looking to leave. Hmm...

United finished at 7th but only 6m less from PL earnings. Whoever is in charge of our commercial revenue needs to make sure we capitalize on this resurgence like United did during the 90s. We won a lot in the 80s but failed to capitalize commercially.

For those who have not watched it yet.

Jack Dunn's finishing is amazing.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/footb...ck-dunn-7116105

I would say Moreno is more of a attacking wingback. Very quick but not very strong, typical Spanish, which is why I'm not too convinced. Arbeloa's strength is also his ability to play on both flanks. Moreno is only comfortable with his left foot from what I've seen.

If we need a winger we might as well give Ibe a chance. He seems to be the next most ready to step up from our reserves/academy.

Brendan Rodgers believes teenager Jordon Ibe has the potential to become an “outstanding” young player for Liverpool FC.

He said: “He's such a talent. He's 18 years of age, still only a second year scholar.

“It was interesting, I asked him to do something different here. I played him on the side in the first half, but we switched to a diamond in the second half. I wanted to see him.

“It was similar to what I have done with Raheem (Sterling). I wanted to improve his football intelligence, play him in a different position. He played at the top of the diamond and he was excellent.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/footb...tential-7122254

Isn't that supposed to be Hendo's job though? Which is why we need Hendo's stamina and Coutinho's creativity. Also exactly why BR had Lucas slotted further forward instead of sitting back there with Stevie. Who do you suggest we take out if we were to go with another defensive midfielder? I think Coutinho's best position is in the middle as he seems to go missing sometimes on the flanks.

Yeah I agree we need someone of a similar mould to step in in Hendo's absence but can't see us playing TWO Hendos stifling our creativity upfront. Unless of course that player is a Yaya Toure who can do everything.

He nutmegs like a baws

What a final!

Grats to Xabi Alonso!

Di Maria is by far the best player tonight outshining both Ronaldo and Bale combined.