Topic: Liverpool FC's Germans.

[Haemoglobin]

To be fair, Finland apparently isn't officially part of Scandinavia... but that would mean losing both Sami and Jari from that XI, so fuck that for a game of soldiers.

[Crosby Nick]

Good effort, decent side that.

But obviously has to be disqualified outright because it isn't 3-4-3. Get with the program, sheesh!
Oh, well I don't know, let's see now... I can only think of THE BRILLIANT JARI FUCKING LITMANEN 


Sack Poulsen off, get Jari in there, and that's a fine looking team.

Never heard of him...

Oops! I'd try and justify it by saying I never know if Finns are properly Scandanavian or not but seeing as I have Dalla Valle playing in his position that's a moot point. I've had a Helstinker there.

[Haemoglobin]

Shall we try Americanese?
4231, because.. well Rafa!

              Friedel

Aurelio - Coates - Paletta - Insua

     Lucas - Mascherano

  Maxi - Coutinho - Gonzales

              Suarez

Subs: Doni, Cavlieri, Leto, Pellegrino,

That's probably all the American players have ever had played for us!

Another very strong one though, if you ask me. Probably the strongest?

[Crosby Nick]

Another very strong one though, if you ask me. Probably the strongest?

Draft idea here!

Scouse
Rest of England
Scotland
Wales & Scotland
Scandavia
Germany & France
Rest of Europe
Americas
Africa/Asia/Australia

[Nessy76]

Great read.

You should write more articles.

Thanks!

[Abraham]

Great read.

You should write more articles.

+1, great read, thx for posting.

[Nessy76]

To be fair, Finland apparently isn't officially part of Scandinavia... but that would mean losing both Sami and Jari from that XI, so fuck that for a game of soldiers.

Depends who you ask, apparently. Call it a "Nordic 11" and you cover all bases there.

[IndianRed]

Shall we try Americanese?
4231, because.. well Rafa!

              Friedel

Aurelio - Coates - Paletta - Insua

     Lucas - Mascherano

  Maxi - Coutinho - Gonzales

              Suarez

Subs: Doni, Cavlieri, Leto, Pellegrino,

That's probably all the American players have ever had played for us!

This side is boss in almost every area except Central defence.

[robgomm]

Excellent read, Nessy. Babbel was the best but Can will surpass him I think. Riedle was great on Championship Manager but Dundee was even terrible there.

[00jebus]

Draft idea here!

Scouse
Rest of England
Scotland
Wales & Scotland
Scandavia
Germany & France
Rest of Europe
Americas
Africa/Asia/Australia

Scouse:

our current 3-5-2,

CBs: Carra, Smith, Thompson
Mid: Gerrard, McManaman*, Callaghan, McDermott, Case
Fwd: God, Aldo

Subs: Flanagan, Lambert, McAteer... Rossiter.

Roy Evans, Sammy Lee kicking around too... manager + assistant sorted!

No idea about whose in goal, think it's coz no scouse kid ever wants to play in goal so we just don't produce them!.

*my first football memory is him scoring a brilliant solo goal against Celtic I think, too young to remember that! sometime in the early 90's...

[B0151?]

This side is boss in almost every area except Central defence.

A prime Pellegrino starting and it's not too bad

[Crosby Nick]

A prime Pellegrino starting and it's not too bad

Drop Masch in there?! Maxi or Coutinho have to muck in a bit deeper and then add Leto.

Yeah, that's probably weakened it!

[conman]

Sure I may aswell..

Irish:
                                         Elisha Scott

Steve Finnan - Mark Lawrenson - Steve Staunton- Jim Beglin

Steve Heighway - Ronnie Whelan - Kevin Sheedy - Ray Houghton

                           John Aldridge - Robbie Keane

Subs: Jason McAteer, Phil Babb, Mark Kennedy, Michael Robinson, Bill Lacey

Manager: Brendan Rodgers
Assistant Manager: John Mckenna

[Nessy76]

Scouse:

our current 3-5-2,

CBs: Carra, Smith, Thompson
Mid: Gerrard, McManaman*, Callaghan, McDermott, Case
Fwd: God, Aldo

Subs: Flanagan, Lambert, McAteer... Rossiter.

Roy Evans, Sammy Lee kicking around too... manager + assistant sorted!

No idea about whose in goal, think it's coz no scouse kid ever wants to play in goal so we just don't produce them!.

*my first football memory is him scoring a brilliant solo goal against Celtic I think, too young to remember that! sometime in the early 90's...

Tony Warner would probably have to play in goal.

[macca888]

Fuck it, you gang of weirdos. I'm allowing any nationality in my team.


                                Liverpool Politicians 11


                                     Clemence "Attlee"


"Bobby" Kennedy     Lloyd "George"     "Jack" Thompson       Harry Wilson


Jimmy Carter   "JF" Kennedy    "Ian" Paisley    "Jim" Callaghan


                   "David" Owen        "Norman" Fowler

[Durlmints]

Need help with this one lads

Jordan Henderson     
Jordan Rossiter
Jordan Williams   
Jordan Lussey
Jordon Ibe               

[Ken-Obi]

So, how many of the players named in here are actual Germans...

[CRAZY HORSE EMLYN]

Team of Jocks (4-3-3)

---- Tommy Lawrence ----

Gillespie  – Yeats – Hansen – Nicol -

- Mcallister – Souness  – Wark
               
Liddell – St John – Dalglish

––
Manager: Mr.William Shankly

––
Subs

Ross
Wilson
Hutchinson
Stevenson
McQueen

[conman]

Fuck it, Famous wool fans:

                            The Pope (JP2)

Daniel Craig - Liam Neeson - John Lithglow -  Samuel L Jackson

Dr Dre - Robert Carlyle - Nelson Mandella - Mike Myers

              Caroline Wozniaki - Lana Del Rey

Bench: Rosanna Davidson, her da,

[Crosby Nick]

Fuck it, Famous wool fans:

                            The Pope (JP2)

Daniel Craig - Liam Neeson - John Lithglow -  Samuel L Jackson

Dr Dre - Robert Carlyle - Nelson Mandella - Mike Myers

              Caroline Wozniaki - Lana Del Rey

Bench: Rosanna Davidson, her da,

No Michael Howard on the far right wing?!

[redgriffin73]

Just to get back on track to our Germans this is a great article about Emre Can.

http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2015/3/5/8153223/emre-can-brendan-rodgers-jordan-henderson

[ericthered10]

I'm getting a "500 error" with that link?

[Nessy76]

Just to get back on track to our Germans this is a great article about Emre Can.

http://liverpooloffside.sbnation.com/liverpool-fc-news-coverage/2015/3/5/8153223/emre-can-brendan-rodgers-jordan-henderson

Dreamy.

[redgriffin73]

I'm getting a "500 error" with that link?

It probably combusted because of its subject matter.
Here you go...

I Am Emre Can

Liverpool's supporters love a hero but has there ever been a footballer whose unique combination of on-pitch magnificence and physical attractiveness has so immediately seduced so many? Ladies and gents, Emre Can.

When that doyen of the coaching world, the endlessly epigrammatic Vince Lombardi, insisted that "perfection is not attainable but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence," he was echoing the assertion of an obscure High Renaissance painter, sculptor and inventor who shared his name with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Michelangelo, for it was he, modestly demurred in the face of persistent declarations of the genius of his work, insisting bashfully that his creations lacked a certain celestial je ne sais quoi. "The true work of art," he insisted, "is but a shadow of the divine perfection."

Frankly, the benighted pair's lack of ambition is troubling. All Liverpool fans seem to know better than these two supposed visionaries, for they have proclaimed Emre Can's seraphic sublimity across all the media known to man. To be fair to Vinnie and Mick, the effusive nature of the aforementioned fan adulation has, perhaps, been a tad immoderate. The young German's mixture of physical pulchritude and on-pitch poise have had a powerfully beguiling effect on men and women alike. Never, in the four decades this writer has been a Redman, has one player had such an immediate comprehensively hypnotic presence. It's a truly unique phenomenon.

A seductive mixture of tonsorial magnificence, brooding intensity and atypical composure on the field of play, Can is universally admired in a way that few who donned the Liverbird have ever been. Even those of us who have found the relentless references to his corporal allure a touch tiresome, have been helplessly seduced by the maturity, deft skill and raw power of his performances in the shirt so recently associated with the legendary Jamie Carragher. Only 21 since January 12, this most striking of footballers has made his starting berth secure since stepping into Brendan Rodgers' hastily convened back three council.

Whereas Mamadou Sakho, a fellow recruit in the restructured defence, is a purer defender, Can has that rarest of abilities -- the capacity to basically run a game from wherever he is positioned on the park. By times, as I watch him maraud forwards, track back, dominate opponents physically and pass unerringly, your scribbler is reminded of the days when one would create the perfect player on FIFA and then proceed to score hat tricks against Real Madrid from right back with said pixelated superstar. He is, by times, that impressive, a fact not lost on his manager. The Antrim man, never one for reticence when expansiveness will do, has the very highest of praise for his wunderkind.

"If you give Emre another couple of years, he could play in any team in world football," Rodgers averred, simultaneously praising Can and terrifying a fan base already skittish at the prospect of losing Raheem Sterling. "That's how highly I rate him. Playing at the back he is strong, aggressive and fast. He moves the ball well and can move into midfield, and whether central or out wide you can see his intelligence. Emre can break through lines with his power and pace and has great composure. You can see from the response of the crowd that they love him. He does the dirty work as well. He doesn't just play and look nice, he presses the ball and is aggressive. I feel he will develop into a world-class player."

What of the man who is the focus of all this unbridled adulation? His demeanour on the pitch suggests a confidence and self-possession that is unusual in one so young. Already, despite the frankly magnificent displays and record of Jordan Henderson as Liverpool captain, there are many advocates of the German international for the role of team leader. His inspirational example is one reason for this clamour but it has been his notably alpha interactions with teammates that have particularly drawn the eye.

Over recent matches, at moments of high tension, we've witnessed the statuesque Can soothing, cajoling, gently rebuking and heartily congratulating his comrades when the occasion has required it. Simply put, he seems to be one of those men one would follow into the gates of hell -- another string to his absurdly impressive bow. Recently, in a conversation with German publication, Sport Bild, the impressive youngster held forth on the topics of his preferred position and the inevitable comparisons with Steven Gerrard.

"I wouldn't really call myself a right-back. It is demanded that I have an attacking approach, and also get involved in the build-up play," clarified the Anfield Adonis. "Indeed, the position was a surprise to me at first. I had never played it before, and feel more at home in midfield. But during my youth I also played at centre-back. Maybe that's why adjusting wasn't that difficult.

"The coach knows that I prefer the role in midfield and that I see myself there in the future. But as great as the comparisons to Steven Gerrard sound, I can never be like him. He has been playing for Liverpool since his childhood and already is a living legend. I am Emre Can and will go my own way. To achieve a career like Gerrard has done would be a dream, but it's far from easy."

Now normally, dear reader, the paragraphs of this column are home to the kind of righteous indignation that one feels when football people behave in a cringeworthy fashion. Your scribbler has oft-lampooned the embarrassing self-obsession and egotism of the Cristiano Ronaldos and the Tim Sherwoods of the football universe and yet, when Liverpool's number 23 speaks of himself in the third person, there is no such outrage in my tattered husk of a soul. This can only be the dark seduction of Emre Can, a player of such promise and character that he has drawn only starry-eyed swooning admiration. Long may his magnetic appeal reign.

[Nessy76]

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/samed-yesil-should-return-liverpool-8813966

Samed Yesil should return to Liverpool FC line-up within a month after two years of injury hell

    17:47, 10 March 2015
    By Andy Kelly

German £1m youth international progressing after cruciate ligament injuries

Samed Yesil should return to Liverpool’s Under 21 side within the next month after fighting back from his double cruciate ligament injury hell.

The 20-year-old German youth international ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament for the second time in a year in January 2014 while training at the Academy.

He had only returned to training the previous October after eight months out after damaging his cruciate ligament on international duty with Germany.

Yesil has made two first team appearances for the Reds – featuring in the League Cup win over West Brom in September 2012 and the defeat to Swansea the following month in the same competition.

Liverpool U21s manager Michael Beale told the ECHO: “Samed’s obviously had two terrible injuries and he’s come back, and it’s just the little niggles that go around it now, getting his body right.

“It’s very much the same with Marc Pelosi. I’d be really disappointed if we don’t see him on the pitch in the next month playing and that again.

“Samed, over the Christmas period, was looking really, really good and then unfortunately football sometimes just kicks you when you’re already down, sometimes football can be really cruel.

“So let’s just hope for the best, his finishing in training has been right up there with the best, he hasn’t lost his touch.

“So I assure the fans that when he does get back you’ll see him scoring goals.”

Yesil cost the Reds £1million from Bayer Leverkusen in August 2012 where he had earned the nickname “Gerd” among his colleagues in the youth ranks because his finishing prowess was likened to German legend Gerd Muller.

A series of impressive performances at the U17 World Cup in 2011 had brought the Dusseldorf-born player to wider attention.

[Mr Merlot]

To be fair, Finland apparently isn't officially part of Scandinavia... but that would mean losing both Sami and Jari from that XI, so fuck that for a game of soldiers.

Actually Finland is part of Scandinavia. The northern tip, the bit that meets Norway protrudes into both the Scandinavian mountains and the peninsula that takes it name.

[Pie Eyed]

The Germans. Liverpool FC's German players.

Karl-Heinz Riedle

He was on the bench for the 1990 World Cup final, which Germany won against Argentina.

Bloody spoilers.

I was going to sit down and watch that match tomorrow night, but you've ruined it for me now.

You bastard.   

[Nessy76]

Actually Finland is part of Scandinavia. The northern tip, the bit that meets Norway protrudes into both the Scandinavian mountains and the peninsula that takes it name.

Inhabitants of Sweden and Norway use the phrase Scandinavia to mean only the countries of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. (The mountain range is named after the region, not the other way around.)

Bloody spoilers.

I was going to sit down and watch that match tomorrow night, but you've ruined it for me now.

You bastard.   

My original draft actually got that result wrong!

[LiverBirdKop]

Never heard of him...

Neither has Gerard Houllier. 

[Crosby Nick]

Neither has Gerard Houllier. 

On that note does Houllier get a bit of unfair stick for not playing Litmanen enough? From memory we signed him at the end of January 2001 and he featured a lot until March when he picked up some injury (possibly for Finland v England at Anfield?) that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

I was in Australia for a lot of the next season so don't remember too clearly now but he still got his fair share of games when fit didn't he? I remember him scoring against Spurs and Kiev in the Autumn, at Villa on Boxing Day and Fulham and Leverkeusen in the Spring so he was consistently involved.

Have I got that wrong? Should we have kept him for another season? Maybe this is more one for the 'warped views' thread as it's all a bit blurry for me!

[Xabi Gerrard]

On that note does Houllier get a bit of unfair stick for not playing Litmanen enough? From memory we signed him at the end of January 2001 and he featured a lot until March when he picked up some injury (possibly for Finland v England at Anfield?) that ruled him out for the rest of the season.

I was in Australia for a lot of the next season so don't remember too clearly now but he still got his fair share of games when fit didn't he? I remember him scoring against Spurs and Kiev in the Autumn, at Villa on Boxing Day and Fulham and Leverkeusen in the Spring so he was consistently involved.

Have I got that wrong? Should we have kept him for another season? Maybe this is more one for the 'warped views' thread as it's all a bit blurry for me!

From memory the frustration most of us fans felt came in the 2001/02 season during games in which we couldn't unlock stubborn defences. We were crying out for a creative presence up front and had on the bench, in Litmanen, one of the most creative forwards in world football. But Houllier persisted with Owen and Heskey. By this time Heskey had fallen a long way from the monster forward he was early in the 2000/01 campaign and was, more often than not, playing like the "couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo" player that he became.

To be fair to Houllier, we came second (although we never really threatened to win in the same way we did in 08/09 and 13/14) and maybe part of that was due to Heskey's hard running up front making space for Owen, Murphy, etc. But it was still quite annoying when we were desperate for a key to unlock a parked bus and we weren't using our master locksmith on the bench [too many metaphors in one sentence??]

[Nessy76]

http://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/mar/20/liverpool-emre-can-brendan-rodgers-manchester-united-rolls-royce

‘Rolls-Royce’ player Emre Can is driving Liverpool’s top-four ambitions
Liverpool’s critics once pointed to Can as an example of the club’s misfiring transfer policy but the Germany Under-21 international has put the Reds back on the road to Champions League qualification

Andy Hunter

Friday 20 March 2015 22.30 GMT Last modified on Saturday 21 March 2015 00.07 GMT

“People want instant results and players get criticised immediately but we always knew it would take time.” Brendan Rodgers’s barbed comment was aimed at the media for prematurely writing off Liverpool’s summer signings but impatience applies to all facets of the game. It is why, for example, Emre Can represents Exhibit A in the Liverpool manager’s theory and not a threat to his Champions League ambitions on Sunday.

Can is the standout success of Liverpool’s £117m transfer spree last year or, to use Rodgers’s words, the “Rolls-Royce” of a player picked up for £9.8m from Bayer Leverkusen. The 21-year-old was also on David Moyes’s list of potential young recruits for Manchester United until the Scot’s departure after 10 ill-fated months closed the route to Old Trafford.

The Germany Under-21 international had not helped his prospects with two inauspicious Champions League performances against United while Moyes was still in charge, the second coming when Ryan Giggs orchestrated a 5-0 home defeat for Sami Hyypia’s Leverkusen two days shy of his 40th birthday.

“I played very badly against them,” says Can, left-back that night at the BayArena and keen to avoid a repeat at Anfield. The admission comes with a smile. He, and Liverpool, know too much can be read into auditions.

Can did not complete a game for Rodgers’s team until 29 December as he adjusted to the demands of midfield in the Premier League. An ankle injury suffered on international duty also affected his start and, despite opening the scoring against Chelsea in November, he was back on the bench for the next 10 matches as the manager sought a solution to Liverpool’s weak form. When criticism of the club’s “transfer committee” followed, Can’s name was invariably mentioned.

“My attitude was not to moan or make a big fuss about it but to keep calm and work hard so that when I got the chance at half-time against Burnley I could break into the side and stay there,” he reflects. “I feel very good at the moment, in good shape, and I feel I have the trust of the manager. I believe I am doing a good job and that is why I am playing, so I am happy.”

Can has been a permanent resident in the team since that 1-0 win at Turf Moor on Boxing Day, aiding Liverpool’s dramatic transformation into the in-form Premier League team of 2015 and vindicating the single-minded approach that saw him turn his back on Bayern Munich at the age of 19.

“I left Bayern because I needed the game time,” the versatile midfielder explains. “It was not an easy step and some people might not have seen it as a step forward because I was going to a smaller club [Leverkusen] but for me it was the right step to do that. If I keep doing what I have been doing for two or three months I am sure they might regret me leaving one day but I want to make clear that I have nothing at all against Bayern. They gave me lot of good things, a good education and it was my decision to leave. I wanted more game time, so there was no bad blood with Bayern and I thank them for all they did for me.

“In the long term I think my decision will increase my chances of playing international football. Without being disrespectful to Leverkusen, playing for Liverpool helps me more because I am playing for one of the biggest clubs in the world and I have no regrets making this step. It is very similar here to Bayern. The level was very high under Jupp Heynckes with a lot of passing exercises and training specific to the position you play. It’s like that here.”

One of the few obstacles the Frankfurt-born player has encountered since moving to Merseyside is the language barrier. He was bemused to find himself described as “like a Rolls‑Royce at the back” for Liverpool when reading coverage of the Merseyside derby in February, for instance, but given the quote came from Rodgers he put two and two together and made vier.

“When I first heard about it I wondered what it could mean,” he admits. “We wouldn’t use that expression in Germany. We wouldn’t say something like that. But obviously I know a Rolls-Royce is a big luxurious car so I thought it must be positive, even though I didn’t know exactly what it meant. I hadn’t heard the comparison before but I thought that in football terms there must be a positive association and it can’t be a bad thing if the manager is saying something like that. I understand what it means now.”

Rolls-Royce claims its vision is to provide “better power for a changing world” and in that context the simile suits a player who has flourished since being introduced to Liverpool’s rejigged defence on Boxing Day. Potentially world class and able to “play in any team in world football” in a couple of years are also among the Liverpool manager’s tributes to Can, although there appears little danger of the flattery causing complacency. He responds: “I am proud a manager of the status of Brendan Rodgers spoke about me in this way but I know there is a long way to go and I need to keep on doing my best to get there one day. I need to keep on working.”

He is less enamoured by comparisons to Michael Ballack and Bastian Schweinsteiger, however, two compatriots whose impact for club and country Can has been tipped to emulate. “I am a completely different player to Ballack and Schweinsteiger,” he says. “I admire the careers they have had and hope I will have a career like them but I want to go my own way and build a career for myself and to be known as Emre Can rather than another Ballack or Schweinsteiger.”It is a measure of Can’s impact, his composure on the ball and willingness, as Rodgers said, “to do the dirty work as well” that he has been mentioned as a possible future captain of Liverpool after only 24 starts. That may have to wait depending on Jordan Henderson’s contract situation or who is recruited when Steven Gerrard leaves this summer, but Can already resembles one of the leaders that Rodgers craved for the team. His popularity at Anfield will rise further on Sunday should Liverpool overtake United in the scramble for Champions League qualification.

Can was an unused substitute when Louis van Gaal’s team inflicted Liverpool’s last defeat in the Premier League in December but is integral to their prospects now. “Van Gaal does a good job wherever he is,” says Can of the former Bayern coach. “But I would definitely back Liverpool to beat them to a top-four finish.”

Beyond this season, Can’s aim is to secure a place in Liverpool’s midfield. He explains: “It’s fine for me in defence. The most important thing first of all was to break into the team, regardless of the position. Over the long term it is definitely my ambition to play in the midfield. I always have a drive to take me forward offensively wherever I am playing. The fact I am playing in the back three at the moment means there is no player behind me and I have the whole game ahead of me. There is space for me to bring the ball forward and I have the drive to go forward. I am enjoying it. We are a young team that needs to keep improving, because then there will be good years ahead.”

[PhaseOfPlay]

From memory the frustration most of us fans felt came in the 2001/02 season during games in which we couldn't unlock stubborn defences. We were crying out for a creative presence up front and had on the bench, in Litmanen, one of the most creative forwards in world football. But Houllier persisted with Owen and Heskey. By this time Heskey had fallen a long way from the monster forward he was early in the 2000/01 campaign and was, more often than not, playing like the "couldn't hit a cows arse with a banjo" player that he became.

To be fair to Houllier, we came second (although we never really threatened to win in the same way we did in 08/09 and 13/14) and maybe part of that was due to Heskey's hard running up front making space for Owen, Murphy, etc. But it was still quite annoying when we were desperate for a key to unlock a parked bus and we weren't using our master locksmith on the bench [too many metaphors in one sentence??]

I think it's a bit harsh on Houllier, though, to say he didn't know how to use Litmanen. Apart from the fact that Houllier wasn't present for much of the 2001-02 season for obvious reasons, we also only lost 2 matches between the 1st of January and the end of it, in the league, including a 7-game winning run that should have put us into real title contention, if it wasn't for the fact that Arsenal that year only lost 3 games the entire season. It was a formidable Arsenal team, of course, that was two years away from being the Invincibles. But even still, Houllier did bring in Anelka to add more to the attack, so it wasn't really the case that he didn't look for solutions to packed defences. Litmanen might have fallen out of favour, for whatever reasons, but the biggest period he was absent was during Thompson's stint in charge. On top of that, he wasn't getting his game for Barca before he signed for Liverpool, so it wasn't am uncommon thread in his career at that point. It's a weird situation, because he was a brilliant player, but I think the narrative of the time and after, that Houllier "didn't know how to use him" might not be as clear cut as it seemed. It could be that he just didn't fit in with how Houllier wanted to play the game, in much the same way that Balotelli doesn't fit in with how Rodgers wants the game played, even though it's obvious he has talent. Sometimes players just don't work out in that way, and managers see it quickly enough. It wasn't packed defences that hindered Liverpool's title charge that season, so much as it was an inability to defend against the mid-table Spurs, Villa and Southampton at the time (although being hammered by Chelsea didn't help either!)

[dogeibbor]

To be fair, Finland apparently isn't officially part of Scandinavia... but that would mean losing both Sami and Jari from that XI, so fuck that for a game of soldiers.

Make that the nordic countries and you got the finns in there :-)

[MerseyParadise]

I think it's a bit harsh on Houllier, though, to say he didn't know how to use Litmanen. Apart from the fact that Houllier wasn't present for much of the 2001-02 season for obvious reasons, we also only lost 2 matches between the 1st of January and the end of it, in the league, including a 7-game winning run that should have put us into real title contention, if it wasn't for the fact that Arsenal that year only lost 3 games the entire season. It was a formidable Arsenal team, of course, that was two years away from being the Invincibles. But even still, Houllier did bring in Anelka to add more to the attack, so it wasn't really the case that he didn't look for solutions to packed defences. Litmanen might have fallen out of favour, for whatever reasons, but the biggest period he was absent was during Thompson's stint in charge. On top of that, he wasn't getting his game for Barca before he signed for Liverpool, so it wasn't am uncommon thread in his career at that point. It's a weird situation, because he was a brilliant player, but I think the narrative of the time and after, that Houllier "didn't know how to use him" might not be as clear cut as it seemed. It could be that he just didn't fit in with how Houllier wanted to play the game, in much the same way that Balotelli doesn't fit in with how Rodgers wants the game played, even though it's obvious he has talent. Sometimes players just don't work out in that way, and managers see it quickly enough. It wasn't packed defences that hindered Liverpool's title charge that season, so much as it was an inability to defend against the mid-table Spurs, Villa and Southampton at the time (although being hammered by Chelsea didn't help either!)

Morientes is another example, class operator. scored in the biggest of games.... just didn't fit . Litmanen had all the touches and in a couple of games (west ham at home springs to mind) he showed what he was capable. Some times it just passed him by though cause he didn't have the legs

[Nessy76]

Getting way ahead of myself, but I do wonder if we might potentially see a few more German lads coming in over the coming years.

[Kopite B205]

Getting way ahead of myself, but I do wonder if we might potentially see a few more German lads coming in over the coming years.

Does Ancelotti like German players??

[Nessy76]

Does Ancelotti like German players??

No, but I bet Big Sam does.

[Magix]

No, but I bet Big Sam does.

That's not even pretending to be an innuendo.

[Hij]

This gobshite lived in my road in Crocky Park, after buying our first home when we first got married. I threatened to batter the shite out of him for driving his yellow Porsche down the road, where kids were playing, like a fucking lunatic. He also had a kickabout on the green with some kids. You know when you're a parent and you pretend to be shit at the playstation, even though you really are, so that the kids think you've let them win, just so you don't shatter their illusions of you as their idol? Well that was what he was like playing with the kids; "pretending" he was shite, when in actual fact, he really was.