RhesusReus

yep. too many "top teams" these days. No one wants their stars to leave while they want others to sell them their stars. Money is no longer relevant.

He played for Real Madrid. How many times did Real Madrid have less than 40% possession? Madrid pretty much bossed most La Liga teams. And Oscar is no slouch offensively. Isco had 4g/9a; while Oscar had 6g/8a. Oscar created 36 chances, Isco 53. And that is with Oscar playing 800 less minutes. People under-rate Oscar to a stupid extent now. He has dips in form, but he's top class. Our problem is that we have no suitable back-up to Oscar. Cesc and Willian can't do it, and so Jose basically plays Oscar until there he wears out. I mean, what the hell is the point of playing Oscar against Bolton and Shrewsbury in the cups? Why not rest him? Meanwhile, Isco had James Rodriquez to alternate with, and a far easier league and system in terms of physical intensity. I have faith in Oscar, and I really believe he will come good. He holds up with the best of them statistically and on merit of top performances. Jose has done a terrible job managing him.

I'd rather keep Oscar. Playing for RM and in a open free flowing style is different when playing for Mourinho. Oscar has to work like a dog for the team. Not sure Isco is that much of an improvement when you factor in the defensive work load he's going to be demanded. Let's face it, as long as Mourinho is here, we are going to be a grind it out team for a large chunk of the season. No point in bringing in flair players. We've already see what Jose does to flair players like Oscar and Willian. Dogs.

wut? RLC is technically gifted? More so than like half our starting 11? Since when?

Because he's 20 and still has to develop. He needs to consider Liverpool like a loan. It's probably one of the best teams to be loaned out to. They will start him every game, have a shot a Europe, and they will tolerate all his mistakes. He won't have that luxury at Chelsea, City, Arsenal or United. Those teams have far, far better players than Liverpool and he'll be under threat of getting dropped if his form dips, which will happen since he's so young. He'll get his move, no doubt. But as a developing player, it's far too early for him. Suarez was 26 when he wanted out of Liverpool, and a top 3 striker in the world.

He's 20 years old. He doesn't need to do anything but focus on improving his game. He can actually grow at Liverpool. They will tolerate his dips in form and mistakes. At clubs like ours? Nope. You dip in form, a hungry Willian is right there to snatch your spot (as Schurrle found out). The best thing for him is to stay at Liverpool. But of course, he's an idiot and will move. Liverpool will stand by him and help him through all the rough patches, they have no choice, they aren't attracting anyone better than him. City will drop him like a hat if he goes off the boil, as will Jose.

God. Such a magnificent player. So, so lucky to have him. Well done, Jose. Well done. Definitely one of the best bit of business he's ever done, right up there with Selling Ibrahimovic for 60m and using that money to buy Snjieder, Eto'o, Milto, and Thiago Motta. Matic is as good as all those signings combined. Remember when we had a Lampard-Ramires midfield for all those years? nightmare.

Well, he's run out of Calderon players. The only one left is Ronaldo (only non-Perez player aside from Ronaldo is Pepe, and I'm not sure many top teams are salivating at the prospect of signing Pepe). Perez never liked Ronaldo, never wanted him, and wouldn't hesitate to move him on. The problem is that the fee must be large enough to quell any blacklash from the fans. Perez will have to start selling "his" players.

So, you know more than Jose Mourinho about what a #10 looks like in HIS system?

Sterling is acting like a little shit. Not showing up for training when you are under contract with a team for two more years? Imagine Hazard pulled that shit off because he wanted out? We'd never want to hear his name mentioned again, even thou he helped us win a league. Feel sorry for Liverpool fans. Sterling is not helping their case at all in transfer negotiation leverages. Bale acted a slight dick by making his intention to leave clear, but he showed up and did his part. Sterling is a professional. Start acting like one.

WTF? He can't send out Azpi in attack because strikers and wingers will rape Terry in broad daylight. Azpi must tuck to form a back three, all to protect Terry. Cahill is the one who is shafted in the team. He is basically covering for Terry's lack of pace, and also getting exposed because Ivanovic has to provide width that Willian and Hazard can't. It's not that difficult to see where our problem lies. But we have to make due. It's why managers get huge wages and all the publicity. They have to look at a team and find a way to make it work. Jose has done that. We just won the league from the first time in 5 years ffs. This team isn't set for the next 5 years. It's only next season. Terry will have to leave after this year, or accept being 3rd choice. No two ways about it. It's only for so long that you can sacrifice three players to protect one. Sooner or later, you have to reassess the team and move forward.

If Sterling had any sense, he'd listen to all the things Steven Gerrard has been saying about his one big regret of not playing for Jose Mourinho. Sterling would get pronto to his agent to do anything possible to make it happen. But seeing as he is in actuality a "money-grabber", he'll sit quietly and go to the highest bidder. Which is great in my books as I think he's not what we need at all.

Our problems stem from John Terry. He's a double edged sword. Azpi basically plays as a 3rd CB. We have a back three most of the game when attacking. All because JT has no legs. The games where we remotely had JT by himself, he was exposed for the liability he is outside the box: Southampton and Hull City. As long as JT is the starting CB, Jose will play Azpi beside him. He has to. JT is seriously a weakness when we are spread out in an attacking formation. But he's also a great asset when we are defending our box. There is a reason JT was basically 4th choice CB before Jose arrived. all the managers before did not want to alter the entire team to protect him. they felt it would be easier to just drop him and move on. But Jose clearly understands that Terry can be important to the team, both off and on the pitch, and has decided to sacrifice a large chunk of our offensive game to accommodate him. The day JT is gone, and we have two CBs that have legs, we will see Azpi move. If it were up to me, I'd play Azpi-Ivanovic-Cahill-Luis in games were we are attacking, or have 60%+ possession, as JT offers nothing in those games, except set-pieces. And in games where we are going to be playing counter, JT starts.

So, is Jose really going to give youth a go? RLC and Traore could be seen as the reinforcement we need at RW and CM. That may be the only explanation of why we didn't even make contact with Arda Turan according his agent, and why we are not even making inquires on Schniderlin, according to Koemen. Schinderlin looks to be United bound. Kondogbya and Imbula have moved on. Pogba is either Barca or City bound. So, by all likelyhood, Jose is going to rely on RLC and Traore it seems. Unless we are secretly planning a night raid for Reus and Koke.

No, thank you. He's slow, physically weak, and reluctant to put in a shift. His technical quality is good, but he's not EPL suited. He makes Oscar look like Matic. Bayern aren't really dependent on him and Bernat looks to be taking Goetze's spot, so they are probably ready to cash in on him. He had a terrible year, including the world cup, which was slightly shoved under the carpet because of THAT goal. I'd be surprised if Jose bought him after he sold Mata, surprised and angry.

You mean facts and objectivity, rather than subjectivity and eye tests. Well, in that case, when in an argument one side gets tired of objectivity, it's time to end it.

Completely different player to Sterling. Schurrle got 8 goals in 1500 minutes in 13/14, about half the time Sterling took to get 7. He was a different sort of player to Willian and Cuadrado, and as a squad player, he was a great tool to have in the box. His misfortune was an illness that dragged and then Willian playing really well, to the point where Schurrle really couldn't win his starting role back. He was 23, and I understand his decision to want to leave for starting role.

but that just makes him look even worse. Even with his superior dribbling to Mata and Oscar and Eriksen, he still can't score more goals.

Hazard - 4.8 dribbles/game ; 2.7 key passes/game Messi - 4.6 dribbles/game ; 2.5 key passes/game . . . . Oxlade Ch - 3.6 dribbles/game ; 1.5 key passes/game Sanchez - 3.3 dribbles/game ; 2.3 key passes/game Vic Moses - 3.3 dribbles/game ; 1.7 key passes/game Coutino - 3.1 dribbles/game ; 1.7 key passes/game (**)Sterling - 2.9 dribbles/game ; 2.1 key passes/game Mesut Ozil - 2.4 dribbles/game ; 2.3 key passes/game Willian - 1.8 dribbles/game ; 1.4 key passes/game That's the gulf in class between world class and Sterling. He isn't Hazard 2.0 on the opposite wing. He's a good player, but he's not what we need, nor does his dribbling push him ahead of pack that he's running in. Middle of the pack player, not worth the price.

So, going by stats: Oscar : 6 goals ; 8 assists = 14 --- 2038 minutes Raheem S: 7 goals ; 7 assists = 14 --- 3053 minutes Juan Mata: 9 goals ; 4 assists = 13 --- 2309 minutes Ch Eriksen: 10 goals; 2 assists = 12--- 3141 minutes Mesut Ozil: 4 goals ; 5 assists = 9 ----- 1860 minutes On current form, is Sterling really better than these players? Mata is far more productive, even when he's in and out of the team and played everywhere on the pitch except his preferred position, which when he did for us, he was a stats machine. And Sterling's productivity is on par with Eriksen, who no one would pay 50m for, even thou he's only 23. And Ozil shows his class. And just for those who brought up "the cult of Oscar" (Polo7), feast your eyes on those stats. 6 goals and 8 assists! That's like, wow! That's like Raheem Sterling numbers! In like 1000 less minutes! So like, wow! 50m!!!!!

Ozil missed half the season. Mata was in and out of the team. Meanwhile, Sterling was the focal point of everything Liverpool tried to do. He played as a winger and as a striker, so comparing his goal scoring to Cesc is reaching, and also not Cesc's strong suit. No, Ozil didn't win it on his own, but he was a big part of that team. Stop trying to belittle one player's achievement to make your preferred player look better. Ozil is an incredible player, and if he had a proper manager unlike Wenger, he wouldn't be playing on the wings like he has been.

Fennerbache is in Turkey.

Having composure, good decision making, and accuracy = "fucking freak of nature"? Sergio Aguero is deadly. Diego Costa is deadly. Remy is deadly. None of them are freaks of nature. It's a skill, that either comes naturally, or can be honed over the years. And if you don't believe it can, then WTF are we arguing about? Why would we sign Sterling if he can never learn composure, good decision making, and accuary? why are we signing a shoddy player that is doomed to never finish consistently? As for players who we can sign, Reus is the dream, the only winger I'd spend 40-50m on. He could get 20 goals. But if we aren't going to spend that much, then I'd rather settle for a winger that can help retain possession and see out games more comfortablly, ala Turan.

But Sterling is not judged on current ability. It's all potential. All his flaws are forgiven because he's 20. Only his strong suits are highlighted and the weaknesses? well, he'll have that sorted when he's 25. On current form, as is, Ozil, a World Cup winner and a La Liga Champion at Real Madrid, is light years ahead of Sterling. And Juan Mata is in another league technically. But we are not talking in those terms. We are bringing in Sterling's potential into the equation, in a dream scenario where he's ironed out all his flaws and is ready to go. Because if we were talking about current form, he's not even the best Liverpool player.

what does that have to do with converting chances? Does Hazard 1v1 vs a keeper and failing to convert mean that's because he's not a "fucking freak of nature"? No. Finishing has nothing to do with being a freak of nature. It's simply a skill. Arjen Robben scored 17 goals in 21 games. On average he plays about 22 games a season at Bayern. But his goals to game ratio is pretty high, much higher than Hazard. Defenses don't pay attention to players when the park the bus. It's simply that, parking the bus, taking away space. It sounds really cool in your head to have two tricky players out wide, but that's only fun for a game or two, but soon the actually football starts, where creating clear cut chances and converting them is all that matters.