Topic: LFC sign Mamadou Sakho

[gazzathered]

Was immense,with Skrtel is our best partnership

[Mingle]

I feel genuinely confident with him at the back

[Scarlet`]

You know a player has balls when he tries a cheeky backheel to his teammate on the edge of his own box. 

I thought Traore for a sec there

[Carlito Roberto]

He's absolute quality isn't he..

Good positional sense, good in the air, good tackler and has really good distribution. What's not to like?

He also has a good touch for a big lad.

[Bruce88]

He's a monster, glad he's finally getting a decent run of games.

[RichardM]

I feel genuinely confident with him at the back

This. I just relax when I see him on the teamsheet.

[G1 Jockey 4(betfair)]

He was fantastic, those nervy moments when he got caught on the ball a couple of times had me panicking but was faultless after that. How was he kept out the team?

because he liked to wander out of the line.

didnt do it yesterday
he didnt almost but i swear i saw him thinking what hed just done and got back in.

[MrLil8]

Colossus. He'll be the mainstay for years!

Front font defender, absolutely perfect for the system we want.

Tremendous passer, big, quick, strong, powerful, good in both boxes, not afraid to put himself on the lines to block.

Rodgers, and his team (transfer team, whoever they are) are really on the same page.

Some astute signings since they came in.

Cant wait for Jan.

[Redman0151]

Beast.

His distribution goes un-noticed by most too, he's very confident on the ball and isn't worried to play a ball 20-30 yards forward across the floor

[rickardinho1]

There was a moment in the 2nd half where lennon was tearing down the left hand side, looked up, saw Sakho waiting for him about 10 metres ahead, and immediately passed it back to our midfield

Does anyone have a video/gif of this?

[Red_Isle_Chap]

Has to be a consistent starter for us now, we've got to stop fucking about with the back 4 and let it settle. Once it does, we'll see far, far better performances from them I think.

Sakho was superb yesterday I thought but then, so were all the lads.

[rickardinho1]

Gotta respect a CB that backheels it under pressure in his own penalty box.

unless he backheels it to an opponent or into his own goal...

[rickardinho1]

Might be jumping ahead of myself, but is there any team in the league that has a collection of CB's as good as ours?

Man City: Kompany, Nastasic, Demichelis, Lescott
Man United: Jones, Evans, Vidic, Ferdinand, Smalling
Spurs: Dawson, Vertonghen, Kaboul, Chiriches
Everton: Distin, Jagielka
Chelsea: Cahill, Terry, Ivanovic, Luiz
Arsenal: Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen

Skrtel, Toure, Agger, and Sakho for me is the best group of 4 from that lot, particularly as Sakho is starting to show why we paid 18m for him!

[PhaseOfPlay]

unless he backheels it to an opponent or into his own goal...

You still have to respect the attempt.

[EmotionalCitrus]

He's quite clearly our best defender, an absolute beast. Honestly think he is as good as Agger on the ball.

[long.]

often times last night his one touch pass directly to the feet of a midfielder astounded me, at first i thought he got lucky but then it was repeated several times. he definitely has superb technique and great vision to do this! impressed more and more! looking forward to seeing how he performs against chelsea and city

[MolbyLovesGravlax]

Might be jumping ahead of myself, but is there any team in the league that has a collection of CB's as good as ours?

Man City: Kompany, Nastasic, Demichelis, Lescott
Man United: Jones, Evans, Vidic, Ferdinand, Smalling
Spurs: Dawson, Vertonghen, Kaboul, Chiriches
Everton: Distin, Jagielka
Chelsea: Cahill, Terry, Ivanovic, Luiz
Arsenal: Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen

Skrtel, Toure, Agger, and Sakho for me is the best group of 4 from that lot, particularly as Sakho is starting to show why we paid 18m for him!

Agger is on very high wages for a defender and is at the point where his value starts to drop. If he isn't a guaranteed starter then the argument behind closed doors will get pretty strong on how his transfer fee plus wages could be used more effectively.
It would be a hard decision, not a very popular one, but it strikes me as the sort Shankly and Paisley used to make.
That said there is time for Agger to change the story...

[rickardinho1]

You still have to respect the attempt.

Of course I respect the attempt, and have full faith that Sakho would always get it right.

I was speaking of backheels from defenders in general... not everyone is as awesome as our Mama!

[Messiah]

He's quite clearly our best defender, an absolute beast. Honestly think he is as good as Agger on the ball.

Oh yes, he also dribbles as good as Messi and has better finishing than Ronaldo. Excessive fanboyism is unhealthy mate.

[rickardinho1]

Agger is on very high wages for a defender and is at the point where his value starts to drop. If he isn't a guaranteed starter then the argument behind closed doors will get pretty strong on how his transfer fee plus wages could be used more effectively.
It would be a hard decision, not a very popular one, but it strikes me as the sort Shankly and Paisley used to make.
That said there is time for Agger to change the story...

Agree with that. Johnson, Enrique, and Agger are probably in the same boat with being older members of the squad and on high wages, so they could be the next ones to be shifted out. Rodgers already proved he has the balls to make unpopular decisions for the good of the club when he loaned Reina out last summer, so I wouldnt be surprised to see him do it again. That said Im a big fan of Agger and his loyalty and passion for the club is invaluable so he's probably the least likely of those 3 to be replaced anytime soon.

[MolbyLovesGravlax]

Agree with that. Johnson, Enrique, and Agger are probably in the same boat with being older members of the squad and on high wages, so they could be the next ones to be shifted out. Rodgers already proved he has the balls to make unpopular decisions for the good of the club when he loaned Reina out last summer, so I wouldnt be surprised to see him do it again. That said Im a big fan of Agger and his loyalty and passion for the club is invaluable so he's probably the least likely of those 3 to be replaced anytime soon.

I have a feeling both Agger and Johnson will be gone at the start of next season. Always thought Johnson fancies a go at playing abroad (he learned Spanish after all) and this would be a good time when he can command one last big contract and after a World Cup where he can remind people how good he can be (although very tough in this England team).
Ultimately just need to trust in Rodgers and his committee and hope we can find ways to exploit weird situations and get players of Sakho's quality to further build a Rodgers Liverpool...

[EmotionalCitrus]

Oh yes, he also dribbles as good as Messi and has better finishing than Ronaldo. Excessive fanboyism is unhealthy mate.

[Kopenhagen]

Oh yes, he also dribbles as good as Messi and has better finishing than Ronaldo. Excessive fanboyism is unhealthy mate.

  ok mate.

[MolbyLovesGravlax]

ok mate.

I think we got an example of reverse fanboyism, with the idea that comparing a defender's ability on the ball to Agger is akin to comparing to Messi or Ronaldo.
Agger is a fantastic player, with some unfortunate flaws, but a great player nonetheless, but he is in no way to be compared skill wise with the true greats, that is insane. It is pretty early in Sakho's career with us to be drawing comparisons with Agger, but it is hardly a crazy idea...

[Kopenhagen]

I think we got an example of reverse fanboyism, with the idea that comparing a defender's ability on the ball to Agger is akin to comparing to Messi or Ronaldo.
Agger is a fantastic player, with some unfortunate flaws, but a great player nonetheless, but he is in no way to be compared skill wise with the true greats, that is insane. It is pretty early in Sakho's career with us to be drawing comparisons with Agger, but it is hardly a crazy idea...

Comparing his ability on the ball to Agger is completely fair. Both are very good on the ball for defenders.

[Solomon Grundy]

Oh yes, he also dribbles as good as Messi and has better finishing than Ronaldo. Excessive fanboyism is unhealthy mate.

 

What are you going on about?

Sakho is quite clearly comfortable on the ball like Agger himself. The lad is just making a comparison about them both. Whether Sakho is AS comfortable on the ball remains to be seen but, his post isn't anywhere near as outlandish as your trying to make it out to be.

[jfc]

He's braver on the ball than agger that's for sure, they definitely can be compared when it comes to being on the ball, Sakho is excellent with his passing.

[houkura]

Watching on the telly...he often hits long passes that appear to be going nowhere and then the camera pans and it's right into another player's feet. So many accurate long passes on the floor is astonishing. His passing looks really clunky-looks so unnecessarily deliberate but it's so very effective. Very impressed with this young man so far.

[mrantarctica]

He's the man we should build our defence around. He seems to bring out the best in Skrtel too which is great. He's strong and decisive, dominant in the air and a threat from set pieces. I'd like to see him in a few more big games but thus far he's been a good signing.

We have an abundance of CBs so I'm pretty sure we'll see some departures for next season. Agger and Toure hold a few question marks. While Toure was great in some of those initial games, he looks unneeded at present. He'd probably be the first to be moved on. Out of the remainder, there's Agger, Kelly, Wisdom and Illori. You do need a good 4 CBs if you're to challenge in the league and in cups, so Agger will probably stay and I fancy Wisdom being the number 4 perhaps with Illori going on loan. Not sure what will happen to Kelly. Injuries have really spoilt his obvious talent. He needs a run of injury free games to show that he's still up to it. With Flano playing well and a Wisdom having deputised ok enough at RB, Kelly might find himself struggling to stake a claim unless he stays fit.

[El Denzel Pepito]

I think people may need to thank Rodgers for coaching him well, too.

Against Swansea, you could see that Sakho had a lot of talent, but it looked raw and he was overly eager to impress, diving in left, right and center to get the ball, leaving his position vacant and we looked vulnerable at times. He was shaky, despite the fact he impressed on a few occasions. The next game, you could see a change in him straight away, with another week of Rodgers training affecting him. He hasn't played much until recently but yet again he looks like he's been moulded to suit this system and credit must go to Rodgers.

Just wish he was right-footed, him and Agger seem like a very good partnership, and that's no slight on Skrtel or Toure.

[Tony19:6]

I felt that was his most composed performance in a red shirt. Looked raw when he first came in but seems to have settled down and looks like he belongs in the first XI.

Should have buried the header tho 

[brownbear11]

Might be jumping ahead of myself, but is there any team in the league that has a collection of CB's as good as ours?

Man City: Kompany, Nastasic, Demichelis, Lescott
Man United: Jones, Evans, Vidic, Ferdinand, Smalling
Spurs: Dawson, Vertonghen, Kaboul, Chiriches
Everton: Distin, Jagielka
Chelsea: Cahill, Terry, Ivanovic, Luiz
Arsenal: Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vermaelen

Skrtel, Toure, Agger, and Sakho for me is the best group of 4 from that lot, particularly as Sakho is starting to show why we paid 18m for him!

As a collection, I think we have the best. Individually though, Vertonghen and Kompany are better centrebacks. Oh the Belgians...

[Juan Loco]

I think people may need to thank Rodgers for coaching him well, too.

Against Swansea, you could see that Sakho had a lot of talent, but it looked raw and he was overly eager to impress, diving in left, right and center to get the ball, leaving his position vacant and we looked vulnerable at times. He was shaky, despite the fact he impressed on a few occasions. The next game, you could see a change in him straight away, with another week of Rodgers training affecting him. He hasn't played much until recently but yet again he looks like he's been moulded to suit this system and credit must go to Rodgers.

Just wish he was right-footed, him and Agger seem like a very good partnership, and that's no slight on Skrtel or Toure.

I wouldn't put a lot of that on Rodgers shoulders to be fair. Those Swansea games happen. Vidic had a few of them when he first arrived. I think the most notable was probably the City game. They get caught out by the pace when trying to play their normal game. That's all that happened with Sakho.


Genuinely think this lad is in the Kompany, Vidic, Carvalho, Stam bracket of absolute world beater defenders who come over and just dominate it. Like Vidic it'll probably take him a while to recognised for it, because it takes defenders fucking ages to live down slow starts in the eyes of football fans in general (the general attitude outside of United fans was that Vidic looked really shaky and a possible liability going into 06-07). I think he'll end up proving to be in that class though. He couldn't have been designed better for this league. Maybe a bit of extra pace on the turn, but we haven't had to see that yet. He's going to be some presence when he's really confident with his English, 'cos he's a proper leader as well.

[El Denzel Pepito]

I wouldn't put a lot of that on Rodgers shoulders to be fair. Those Swansea games happen. Vidic had a few of them when he first arrived. I think the most notable was probably the City game. They get caught out by the pace when trying to play their normal game. That's all that happened with Sakho.


Genuinely think this lad is in the Kompany, Vidic, Carvalho, Stam bracket of absolute world beater defenders who come over and just dominate it. Like Vidic it'll probably take him a while to recognised for it, because it takes defenders fucking ages to live down slow starts in the eyes of football fans in general (the general attitude outside of United fans was that Vidic looked really shaky and a possible liability going into 06-07). I think he'll end up proving to be in that class though. He couldn't have been designed better for this league. Maybe a bit of extra pace on the turn, but we haven't had to see that yet. He's going to be some presence when he's really confident with his English, 'cos he's a proper leader as well.

It does happen, but it takes a good coach to get him out of the 'firing line' in a way, and get him used to the system and what his role in the system requires of him. Agree with the rest of the post, though. He'll be regarded as one of the better defenders of his generation I feel.

[Twelfth Man]

A Mostar compilation of his at WHL would make great viewing one pass aside.

[RichardM]

As a collection, I think we have the best. Individually though, Vertonghen and Kompany are better centrebacks. Oh the Belgians...

Mertesacker and Koscielny are better than both of those. Sakho is comfortably better than Vertonghen and I'd say is better than Kompany too.

For me Koscielny is the best defender in the league, so it's a good job he's out injured now!

[robgomm]

A couple of minor hitches, a lot of very good stuff. Guy in the Mirror gave him a 6 and said "his distribution was poor", which is one of the more stupid opinions I've read lately.

[ThePeetmix]

A couple of minor hitches, a lot of very good stuff. Guy in the Mirror gave him a 6 and said "his distribution was poor", which is one of the more stupid opinions I've read lately.

Shows that these professional journalists don't pay attention or are just completely lacking in knowledge of football.

[ThePeetmix]

Mertesacker and Koscielny are better than both of those. Sakho is comfortably better than Vertonghen and I'd say is better than Kompany too.

For me Koscielny is the best defender in the league, so it's a good job he's out injured now!

Kompany is the best defender in the league. He carries the Man City defence on his own. Mertesacker, Koscielny, Vertonghen and Sakho are all on the level slightly below.

[U13]

Oh yes, he also dribbles as good as Messi and has better finishing than Ronaldo. Excessive fanboyism is unhealthy mate.

I'd go a step further than him and say that I think Sakho is better on the ball than Agger on the strength of his distribution, the number of times he slides passes 20-30 yards into feet in tight areas is ridiculous.

I thought he'd misplaced a few yesterday only for the camera to catch up and see it land right at the feet of one of our players and put us on the front foot, he makes the transition from just having possession to being on the attack look very easy.