Topic: Xherdan Shaqiri - Sponsored by The Cube

[lucid-tentacles]

Get it INXS

[jepovic]

If is able to play as an '8' and put in performances as close to that against better opposition then that will change everything, because when it comes to the difference between challenging for the league and winning it, we need extra creativity in that role. One area where we are lagging behind City with their De Bruyne-Silva combo, but if he can translate that sort of showing when we play genuine opposition then a Keita-Shaqiri combo is going to be something else.

I doubt he has the lungs for starting in midfield. Maybe off the bench if we need a goal.

[Fabulous_aurelio]

Wonderful goal.

He has a great first touch. Great player to have in our squad.

[Pradan]

I doubt he has the lungs for starting in midfield. Maybe off the bench if we need a goal.

Or from the start for 60-70 minutes.

[boots]

He's a Swiss Bull Terrier. How much did we steal him for?

[wah00ey]

I said at the time he was first rumoured, if we'd had him off the bench in the CL final as opposed to Lallana when Salah got done it might still have been a different story.  We relied on Salah / Mane / Firmino with no obvious back up all last season.

Now we have it :-)

[Zaffarious]

he looked very impressive. he made alot of runs in behind and came deep. he had alot of variety to his play and then ofcourse, the worldie goal to top it off.

[PhaseOfPlay]

I doubt he has the lungs for starting in midfield. Maybe off the bench if we need a goal.

Why?

[deFacto please, you bastards]

Why?

Come on POP dont you know the narrative, he can't run for long periods of time,etc.. lazy fecker,etc...

[Smellytrabs]

Shaqiri Shaqiri!!! Oh Shaqiri when you score like that, The Kop starts bouncing and we all go mad. Shaqiri Shaqiri!!!

repeat for ten minutes.

[hide5seek]

I doubt he has the lungs for starting in midfield. Maybe off the bench if we need a goal.

Pretty sure he finished all the games he started with Stoke. That says his fitness levels are fine.

[Chris~]

Pretty sure he finished all the games he started with Stoke. That says his fitness levels are fine.

The fitness levels needed for playing for stoke and midfield for us will be different though.

[daggerdoo]

Don't think his fitness is as bad as some make out. New training regime will make him sharper surely. Can see him playing with real intensity this season like a man with something to prove. Him and Studge could be game changers off the bench, but I think they'll both start some games.

[sms1986]

He's a Swiss Bull Terrier. How much did we steal him for?

13.5m or something like that. Probably be worth four times that by the end of the season!

[jepovic]

Why?

Every game I've seen him, he spends a lot of time walking around. That's fine if you're the primary attacking outlet for stoke or Switzerland. Playing midfield for Klopps Liverpool is something else.
Never seen him actually try to play midfield for a whole game so maybe I'm completely wrong. But I don't think he will start in midfield for us.

[sms1986]

Every game I've seen him, he spends a lot of time walking around. That's fine if you're the primary attacking outlet for stoke or Switzerland. Playing midfield for Klopps Liverpool is something else.
Never seen him actually try to play midfield for a whole game so maybe I'm completely wrong. But I don't think he will start in midfield for us.

Klopp wouldn't have bought him if he thought that he was just going to walk around a lot. Here he doesn't have to be the main man and with Klopp's much better management skills than any of Stoke's latest managers, he'll be much improved.

[PhaseOfPlay]

Every game I've seen him, he spends a lot of time walking around. That's fine if you're the primary attacking outlet for stoke or Switzerland. Playing midfield for Klopps Liverpool is something else.
Never seen him actually try to play midfield for a whole game so maybe I'm completely wrong. But I don't think he will start in midfield for us.

That's really not any basis for saying a player "doesn't have the lungs for midfield" though.

Incidentally, though - 24% of every player's actions in football is.... walking

[thejbs]

What I like about him is that Klopp said he wanted to stay with the squad and forego his holiday after the World Cup. Sounds like a player with a point to prove and last night will have given him confidence.

[PhaseOfPlay]

What I like about him is that Klopp said he wanted to stay with the squad and forego his holiday after the World Cup. Sounds like a player with a point to prove and last night will have given him confidence.

It wouldn't shock me if we start to hear stories about Shaqiri like the ones we heard about Suarez, and his total love of the game and playing it whenever possible. He comes across to me as someone who loves being a professional footballer, not because of money and fame, but because he gets to do football every single day, and get paid for it.

[Dench57]

What I like about him is that Klopp said he wanted to stay with the squad and forego his holiday after the World Cup. Sounds like a player with a point to prove and last night will have given him confidence.

He seems really happy to be here, think he probably realises Stoke was a waste of precious years in a relatively short career and now he wants to prove to everyone that this is the level he's actually at.

[Red Beret]

Can't imagine his fitness being that much of an issue; Klopp would have covered that already.  Fabinho is getting his fitness up so I imagine Shaqiri will be working equally hard.

At the very least he'll make an excellent impact sub and League Cup contributor for the first third of the season or so, and probably play more as Klopp looks to rotate over and beyond Christmas. 

[Dim Glas]

Every game I've seen him, he spends a lot of time walking around. That's fine if you're the primary attacking outlet for stoke or Switzerland. Playing midfield for Klopps Liverpool is something else.
Never seen him actually try to play midfield for a whole game so maybe I'm completely wrong. But I don't think he will start in midfield for us.

If anyone has a really good idea about his stamina and fitness levels even before joining, it'd be liverpool, being as Kornmayer was his trainer for 2 and a half seasons in germany. They'll already have had the detailed reports from him on how good he is in that regard.

Not saying he's going to start there, but I'd be pretty confident he has the stamina for it.

[johnj147]

what a debut . what a goal . get in lad 

[Magix]

It wouldn't shock me if we start to hear stories about Shaqiri like the ones we heard about Suarez, and his total love of the game and playing it whenever possible. He comes across to me as someone who loves being a professional footballer, not because of money and fame, but because he gets to do football every single day, and get paid for it.

I mean this is a chap who practises bicycle kicks!

[Phil M]

[Beninger]

He clicked right away. My favorite part, up until the goal, was how he made the run for the ball over the top and then pushed that manc out of the way and set up Daniel for his goal. Always involved, always looking for the ball. Very positive.

[rocco]

Looks a perfect fit ...

[Mutton Geoff]

That's really not any basis for saying a player "doesn't have the lungs for midfield" though.

Incidentally, though - 24% of every player's actions in football is.... walking

Well i studied him in the WC and yes sometimes he is walking however he is in fact placing himself in a position for the defenders to recycle the ball to, for me what i have seen so far is a very intelligent footballer who makes himself a great outlet for the defenders to find and then he sets up the attacking phase.

[spider-neil]

Shaqiri - His (bicycle) kicks don't lie.

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

[PhaseOfPlay]

Well i studied him in the WC and yes sometimes he is walking however he is in fact placing himself in a position for the defenders to recycle the ball to, for me what i have seen so far is a very intelligent footballer who makes himself a great outlet for the defenders to find and then he sets up the attacking phase.

The difference is that at Stoke he was probably stood there thinking "I hope the ball comes to me", whereas now he'll be thinking "The ball will arrive in 5...4...3...2...Yoink!"

[Funky_Gibbons]

He wasn’t a signing that excited me at first, but even ignoring the amazing goal I was really impressed with his performance. His first touch and control in tight areas and the little passes round the corners when under pressure were superb.

[Crosby Nick]

Looks a perfect fit ...

...for Tetris.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

He wasn’t a signing that excited me at first, but even ignoring the amazing goal I was really impressed with his performance. His first touch and control in tight areas and the little passes round the corners when under pressure were superb.

Those round the corner passes were what impressed me the most. Showed a level of awareness and technical ability that I wasn’t sure he possessed.

[Funky_Gibbons]

Those round the corner passes were what impressed me the most. Showed a level of awareness and technical ability that I wasn’t sure he possessed.

I’m the same, it’s something I never realised he had. But seeing him with his back to goal, controlling the ball in an instant and then playing a cute pass to someone behind him was really encouraging.

[Doc Red]

Haha!
Love the decision to add a more "fitting" style of hair.
#Willy Wonka Jnr

*edit, and how long did you scour for that perfect expression on his face that matched the pic. Haha!

[riismeister]

Pretty sure he finished all the games he started with Stoke. That says his fitness levels are fine.

Over 3 seasons he played on average 81 minutes per PL game he took part in for Stoke.
Last season he played 89% of the maximum possible PL minutes.

[PhaseOfPlay]

The fitness levels needed for playing for stoke and midfield for us will be different though.

Thankfully, that aspect of fitness is very, and easily, trainable.

[lgvkarlos]

He's been getting a bit of negative press from his ex teammates, probably wanted him to save them single handed from relegation (what a bunch of snides trying to distance themselves from resposabilty )

Shaqiri has gone from world at his feet at Bayern to playing with the likes of Charlie Adams at Stoke, pretty much like putting Alonso in a mclaren. ( you can't polish a turd)

He's just at the right age for his next development, over to you herr Klopp.

[Sir Capon of Debaser]

Haha!
Love the decision to add a more "fitting" style of hair.
#Willy Wonka Jnr

*edit, and how long did you scour for that perfect expression on his face that matched the pic. Haha!

haha its the same one from when hes laughing with klopp when he signed