Topic: Sebastian Leto - Thoughts?

[RF]

Grrr! Who dis?

[ouestlereferee]

I think there's also a tendency for a young player either at reserves level or on rare first team opportunities to try to do too much, to get noticed. One could say the same for Babel, but he clearly is more advanced in his development and probably a rather better 'prospect' in any case. From what little I have seen of Leto, he does appear to have the awareness to pick a good ball at least part of the time. He does appear willing to work and track back, even if he isn't necessarily brilliant at it - but much of the time, a body in the right place is all that's required, he doesn't have to tackle like Mascherano.

As I've said on other threads recently, I think (for a number of reasons) we have 4 or 5 too many players in the 'established veteran squad player' bracket. Apart from using up resources and stopping us buying better quality on occasion, they block the progress of those youngsters with a realistic chance of making it. Leto is one of those (also Insua, Spearing, Guthrie, at least) who seems to have enough ability and potential to warrant being on the fringes of the squad and getting the odd substitute appearance or occasional start in an emergency. Sometimes to see whether a young player has what it takes you need to just try him and see; drifting along in the reserves or on loan at some crappy Championship club doesn't really prove anything.

good point about positioning, the intelligence and mobility to get there is sometimes most important.  the only thing i would say about babel & leto is that although players develop at different rates - wing & striker are generally positions players develop at an earlier age - and leto is both older and behind babel.

the second paragraph is precisely why i wrote this thread - wondering where leto is in his development, what level do we think he will get to, how he will get there & what should be done with him....  i'm not sure if rafa saw him as a player for the team, or whether he's simply trading in the transfer market to get a few million here and there - i'm starting to think a loan to a PL team might be best for him, then if they like him they can buy him for £4-£5m....  which would represent a 200% profit!

[PaislyShankley]

Ah, a fellow scumbag. 

[todda]

Thoughts?   Not good enough................ yet

[PaislyShankley]

I think that Partrdige bird fancies me.

[ouestlereferee]

I think that Partrdige bird fancies me.

i'm lost....

[ouestlereferee]

Thoughts?   Not good enough................ yet

right.  how good do you think he can be?  what's the best course of action for him etc?

[RF]

I think that Partrdige bird fancies me.

It may be calling you now, but you know what they say about true love.

[swaz]

not overly keen yet, he's looked good for the reserves but maybe to early to say. 

[simplyred84]

Very very very very very promising player...but until he improves his final ball, he will go nowhere.

Its actually quite amzing how good he is and how bad his final ball is in contrast to the rest of his game.

If he was just an average crosser of the ball or just made the right final decision, he'd be dangerous.


His ceiling is sky high.

True. I remember watching Robert Pires for Metz in a Uefa cup tie against Newcastle when he was 23 and his final ball was horrendous. Constantly beating his man, getting in to good positions and then when he really needs to deliver he gets a nose bleed. Every other aspect of his game was good and look at the player he turned out to be.

Im not making comparisons but simply saying that if you give someone time they may well develop into a competent of not, top footballer

[bigbear]

fair point.

you don't think his close control in tight situations mitigates this?  if not, is he capable of playing in any other position in your opinion?

in any case is he the type of player we can get £4-£5m for, or will we struggle to get the £1.5 back?

He could play tight in a midfield 3 possibly but I don't think he will. He does have good feet but not good enough for me to make it big.

As for sell on value. I'm not sure he'll get the exposure of games to increase his value but it depends what Benitez sees. Rafa clearly rates him otherwise he wouldn't have played him v Marseilles but personally i don't really see it.

[John C]

another dud

He hasn't come with the expectation we had with Gonzalez, this guy is young and may just need some time yet.

[Cannon_Fodder42]

I've liked the look of him in the reserves.  He's generally looked the most likely player to make something happen.  His decision making isn't the greatest, but that should improve with experience - he dwells on the ball too long sometimes and tends to attempt to be the fulcrum of all the play, but I think he could well make a few appearances this season.

[sattapaal]

the lad needs a beating to understand drive and passion.

the only thing wrong with him is his directness and passion. maybe that will come with confidence i dont know. but to be honest, i havent seen enough of him. he's a star in the reserves.

[ouestlereferee]

the lad needs a beating to understand drive and passion.

the only thing wrong with him is his directness and passion. maybe that will come with confidence i dont know. but to be honest, i havent seen enough of him. he's a star in the reserves.

are we gonna see him play over christmas whilst the ressies have a 3 week break?  does anyone know if any of the ressies have been let go for the holidays??

[SteveZissou]

Still young so he will need time.  His potential is evident.  Encouraging to see him able to beat players and get into shooting positions.  But desperately needs experience and time to adapt to the style of this league.

Played well in the few pre-season games and for the reserves.  Needs to build on his confidence.  I personally felt he should have been loaned out this season as we have Benayoun, Aurelio and Babel who are able to cover this position when Kewell is unavailable.  Even though Leto hasn't developed as yet, I'd rather play him on the left wing than Riise. 

I also don't agree with playing either Kuyt or Voronin in wide positions.  They are okay, but from this list we have too many players needing to adapt.  Most of them are adapting to different positions.  Kewell and Leto are probably the only out and out left wingers.  Leto is learning and we are hanging on with Kewell's fitness levels, hoping he doesn't get injured again.  We definitely need a genuine left winger to come in.

[ouestlereferee]

Still young so he will need time.  His potential is evident.  Encouraging to see him able to beat players and get into shooting positions.  But desperately needs experience and time to adapt to the style of this league.

Played well in the few pre-season games and for the reserves.  Needs to build on his confidence.  I personally felt he should have been loaned out this season as we have Benayoun, Aurelio and Babel who are able to cover this position when Kewell is unavailable.  Even though Leto hasn't developed as yet, I'd rather play him on the left wing than Riise. 

I also don't agree with playing either Kuyt or Voronin in wide positions.  They are okay, but from this list we have too many players needing to adapt.  Most of them are adapting to different positions.  Kewell and Leto are probably the only out and out left wingers.  Leto is learning and we are hanging on with Kewell's fitness levels, hoping he doesn't get injured again.  We definitely need a genuine left winger to come in.

how good do you think he can be?

[SteveZissou]

how good do you think he can be?

Have not seen enough of him to know.  Not sure.  But I can say we must not write him because of just one performance against Marseille when he was probably not ready for the occasion.

[ouestlereferee]

Have not seen enough of him to know.  Not sure.  But I can say we must not write him because of just one performance against Marseille when he was probably not ready for the occasion.

definitely.  would you say he can be as good as pennant?

[SteveZissou]

definitely.  would you say he can be as good as pennant?

I wouldn't like to make a direct comparison like that.  But, Pennant had the advantage of being English, without needing time to settle into the country and still found the pressure overwhelming to break through, leading to all kinds of problems off the field.  Hopefully Leto will settle in with Insua, Mascherano and hopefully another Argentinian of international pedigree to make him feel welcome.  Otherwise on the field his raw talent is evident.  You can't compare him to Gonzalez due to the price.  There's a low risk factor on players like Leto.  If he succeeds then great, if not then we move him on without a significant loss.

[Mark Walters]

I'm in the camp that says he's gash and won't make it. I've only seen 1 reserve game this season - the mini derby - and he was shite.  Dribbled into blind alleys, didn't know when to release the ball and often gave it away when he did, and was lightweight.  If he's a star in the reserves he was certainly outshone that night by El Zhar on the other flank.

Of course I'm willing to give him time but he needs to improve by miles to make it in the 1st team.

[UglyCasanova]

Babel at RW, Leto at LW for a 5 or 6 games
Watch how much he'll improve

[ouestlereferee]

I'm in the camp that says he's gash and won't make it. I've only seen 1 reserve game this season - the mini derby - and he was shite.  Dribbled into blind alleys, didn't know when to release the ball and often gave it away when he did, and was lightweight.  If he's a star in the reserves he was certainly outshone that night by El Zhar on the other flank.

Of course I'm willing to give him time but he needs to improve by miles to make it in the 1st team.

thanks for your answer.  what do you think is the best course of action with him?

[ouestlereferee]

Babel at RW, Leto at LW for a 5 or 6 games
Watch how much he'll improve

interesting.

i would've thought there might be more for him to learn playing with kewell, torres etc....   babel hasn't exactly mastered RW imho.

[ouestlereferee]

how likely do y'all think it is that he will feature over christmas?

[Pr0n]

how likely do y'all think it is that he will feature over christmas?

Not particularly likely.. maybe, maybe at Derby or vs Wigan, as a sub.

[liverpool8348]

this lad if he adapts to the style and pace of the premiership is gonna be a proper player.  yes, he is nowhere near ready yet as he is completely overawed with the pace and passion of first team football but in the reserves where the pace is slower his ability is their for all to see in most games.

the lad is blessed with natural talent, he drifts past players like they are not their, can go either way past defenders (not a one trick pony) and when he combines it with confidence, the odd goal and a good cross he will become a first team regular.

People who criticise the lad have not seen him play reserves where he is pretty consistantly the best attacking player on the pitch, he just needs to step it up to first team standards.

dont forget this is his first season in england, give him time to adapt for fucks sake.

[kopconnor]

dont think he will make it in2 the 1st team.

[Spanish Fan]

I like him much more than Mark Gonzalez. Don't understand why he has played far less, considering that Kewell has been out for most part of the season. He has lacked in confidence in the few outings he's had with the first team, though.

[cj]

I like him much more than Mark Gonzalez. Don't understand why he has played far less, considering that Kewell has been out for most part of the season. He has lacked in confidence in the few outings he's had with the first team, though.

I've seen him in a few Lanus games and a few reserve games. Probably not enough to form a proper opinion but yeah, in my mind there's no doubt he has both the pace and the skill to be a good winger (well he already is in most aspects to be fair). If he can adapt to the physical style of play in england and become somewhat more consistant with his crosses/passes into the box area then I do think he could easily give Harry a run for his money in terms of best left winger at the club.

[dane]

Tim Vickery had this to say:

"I couldn't understand why Liverpool went with Sebastian Leto rather than [Damian] Escudero if they were looking for a left sided midfielder from Argentina, because I see Escudero adapting better - on the field at least. He's only 20, so time is on his side, but he is a player who is surely bound for Europe."

[its cold in the stands]

i think he`ll be a cracking player, he doesnt just rely on pace to beat a man he has loads of tricks up his sleeve.
for the reserves, he`s the man that makes things happen and he has formed a good partnership with insua (who looks like a decent player himself, not afraid to run at the full back either).
i agree with the earlier poster who said we should be playing him at LM at least instead of riise, and if kewell keeps up his form from last weekend him too.
it takes a while to get up to speed in the prem, even gerrard just looked like an honest grafter type for the first few months.

[Mark Walters]

thanks for your answer.  what do you think is the best course of action with him?

That's not for me to say.  It's the job of the coaching staff to get the best out of him and improve what raw ability he has.  Whether they will be able to is another matter and, given how quickly Gonzalez was bombed out, he won't have long.

[Mighty_Red]

He has only been here a few months, he is still young and he is still settling into a new life and a new style of football, give the boy a chance, why does he need the pressure of "oh he's shite, not good enough, blah blah blah"

Let him develop, without everyone criticising his every mistake, only Rafa and the coaching staff can do that and hopefully he will blossom in time

[ouestlereferee]

i think he`ll be a cracking player, he doesnt just rely on pace to beat a man he has loads of tricks up his sleeve.
for the reserves, he`s the man that makes things happen and he has formed a good partnership with insua (who looks like a decent player himself, not afraid to run at the full back either).
i agree with the earlier poster who said we should be playing him at LM at least instead of riise, and if kewell keeps up his form from last weekend him too.
it takes a while to get up to speed in the prem, even gerrard just looked like an honest grafter type for the first few months.

appreciate your positivity.  i wonder if rafa will introduce himsef and insua at the same time as we'll see the most from their relationship....

[ouestlereferee]

That's not for me to say.  It's the job of the coaching staff to get the best out of him and improve what raw ability he has.  Whether they will be able to is another matter and, given how quickly Gonzalez was bombed out, he won't have long.

sure - but i'm curious what (if you have it) your opinion would be?

[chipbuttie]

Anyone else notice Leto's former club Lanus won the Argentinian league title for the first time in its history recently.

Don't know quite how he feels about his move to us but I bet he's gutted he wasn't involved!

[svennis]

Not gonna make it in Liverpool. Just my guess.

[Giono]

I'd hate to rush Leto out of desperation....either into the team or out the door.

Thankfully, I don't think that is Rafa's way.

[betyar]

Exactly what it was in the summer.. waste of money. You must not sign a south-american guy who doesn't have a video on youtube that makes him look genius.