America's Anfield
America's Anfield was created by two brothers in the US who are passionate fans of Liverpool Football Club. Follow along for episodes discussing match results, transfer news, and other hot topics in the world of football!
America's Anfield
Can this Squad Compete?
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Liverpool have a lot of talent on paper. If Isak, Wirtz, Van Djik and Alisson all live up to their potential, they can win games. But are there too many holes on the roster to truly compete for a Premier League title? What are the problem areas, and what's the case for a successful season?
Matt and Jonny discuss that and more!
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You're listening to America's Anfield, a Liverpool FC podcast brought to you by American Brothers Matt and Johnny. From the heart of the U.S. to the cop, we're talking all things reds every week. Welcome everyone. This is another episode we're releasing here in prep for the upcoming season in the Premier League. We talked about an overview of Liverpool and ownership and all those things. And now we're going to delve into our actual team, squad, players, ins and outs, all those different things, which will be a fun conversation because of sort of the state of flux that our team seems to be in with this breaking news about well the likelihood of FSG moving on. So uh, and and I think there's lots of questions on what type of team we'll be. We seem to be all of a sudden quite young and then also quite thin, especially in certain areas on the pitch. We also have some pending or uh potential deals coming down to the wire. So uh let's get into it. I think maybe I'll start the conversation this way, Maddie. As we think about Liverpool this season, it seems like we increasingly have a focus still up top with strikers and those sorts of things. With Sparkala being a highly rumored player, it seems like that's almost done, but will happen like the first day of the season or you know, on signing day. Yeah, but he will not be playing for a while. No, as well as Mbaye, apparently now, too. Um I guess the question I'll ask you to start is let as we as we think about the squad going in, how how are you feeling about just what we have on the table right now, regardless of like the ins and outs. We can get into that, obviously.
SPEAKER_03I don't feel very good. I mean, I to me the biggest let let's go back again. I I hate to keep doing this, but I think that this is instructive. Klopp by the end of his regime understood that we needed to use the depth that we had. You know, he was a big advocate for the five subs. He used many subs, you know, frequently. And that's part of why Harvey Elliott, for example, turned into the super sub guy his last season here before you know he was banished. Exactly. Right. Um then you look at Slot, he comes in and he doesn't believe in that at all, you know, because he's smarter than Klopp. And so he um, by the way, the shots at him this year, the strays are gonna be real. Anyway, um believed in a very small squad and froze a lot of guys out. I mean, obviously the biggest one um now plays for Leverkusen and Arsenal wants him, and I can't even bring myself to say it because it kills me inside.
SPEAKER_00But you know, the basketball team with Tuckle.
SPEAKER_03He didn't think Endo was any good, he didn't think Herbie Elliott was any good, you know, and and the list goes on and on. And so the depth piece worries me, but I hope that you know Ariola, this being his first season doing multiple fronts like the Champions League, does at least lean into that and and try to build up the squad players as much as possible, right? But that said, we're thin, man, and like like right back, I am concerned. Okay. Joe Gomez is just not an option. He he is hurt all the time. I love Joe Gomez. I love you, Joe Gomez. I'm sorry. Okay. I might start crying, but I think pretty sure it was the first preseason game, he got hurt in like eight minutes. Um, you know, so who knows when Connor Bradley's gonna be back? That was such a huge injury. I hopefully we don't rush him back. Uh Brimpong is not a right back, and I don't think we should even mess around with playing him there. I just think that's a stupid idea. And then, you know, then you get into stuff like, well, is Dom gonna play there? You know, and the trickle-down effect of that. So that's a huge hole, in my opinion. Um center back. I don't know about you, I feel a little better after the loan signing. Um you know, go ahead, ready? Pronounce his last name. Go now.
SPEAKER_00Arojo.
SPEAKER_03I don't know. I mean, not terrible. I'm looking at a Rojo or Aroyo.
SPEAKER_00A Rojo? Oh, well. I mean, um yeah, it depends on where you're from, you know.
SPEAKER_03I think people people come to this podcast for their pronunciations, you know. So they do. If you guys don't, if you want to butcher it on your own, that's fine. If you if you want us to tell you how to say it, like Scotty just said it.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, nailed it.
SPEAKER_03But honestly, Captain of Barcelona. Um, yeah, I've watched him play a number of times, yeah, plays for Uruguay. He was hurt for the World Cup, unfortunately. But the only thing with him is he's had some health issues. He had a little bit of a mental health thing, you know, this past season where he went away from the team. And I'm not making fun of that. I'm just saying he needs to take a break. If he is locked in, it's a good signing. It is a good signing. Johnny was like building up the center backs to me on the phone earlier today. He was like, Did you see Jacquet score? And I was like, I didn't, I didn't see that, and I don't care. He needs to be able to defend because we were a Civ last season.
SPEAKER_00I'm just saying, you know, no no slouch or no slight to Joe Gomez. I love him, but what was it, 12 seasons, no goals, and then Jacquet like eight minutes goal.
SPEAKER_03That's a great point. You think Gomez died inside when you saw that?
SPEAKER_00He did. He's well, and then he like wrapped his ace bandage even tighter, you know. He did, and then he got hurt. He did.
SPEAKER_03Um now that said, let's let's try to spin this in a positive way. I mean, look, Kanate did not have a good year last year. It's not a high bar to replace him as far as performance levels go. Okay. One of the few things I agree on with Slot, and actually, I think one of the funnier lines he had was that he said Kanate was at the scene of the crime too much last season. I was like, that's that's that's kind of funny.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah. He got a little pushy, you know, a certain spot.
SPEAKER_03The concern there though is Van Dyke, and not because he can't play, it's because like we never, ever, ever give him games off. The guy is fried mentally, it's not physical, it's mental, right? It's emotional, you know, like he he's just playing soccer high level every two days for like five years.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, and and for Liverpool, he's gonna be playing, you know, it's like a merry-go-round of different players, and uh that's gotta be frustrating.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, yeah. He's playing with a six who is in no way, shape, or form a six. Yeah, just wants to go. Right. He's playing with the left back who honestly, and I I say this not to make fun of him, I think had stage fright his first few months, like big club, like just kind of, and I think he grew into it, but like he had to you know incorporate him, you know. Canate is you know, literally committing crimes, like over on his side of the field, you know, and then and then you have no right back.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, revolving door, yeah. Just who's it gonna be?
SPEAKER_03You know? So I'm concerned there. There's upside. Leone's a good player. I think Jacques Kate's gonna be a good player. You know, like I said, I like I like the loan signing.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Midfield.
SPEAKER_00Well, hold on.
SPEAKER_03Go back left back, settled.
SPEAKER_00We're good. And our boy Sid Mikasa's back. We were texting, you know, nice captain. Because we're yeah, we're friends with yeah, that's right. Uh yeah, that's right. I I was texting him, you know, because we're friends, you know. We met him in Liverpool, and he's he's excited to bring yet another man bun back to the team. So that's that's good news.
SPEAKER_03He will he do an exclusive on our podcast, do you think? Um I'll I'll I'll ask.
SPEAKER_00Like he's a good guy. Yeah, we'll see.
SPEAKER_03Sounds good. Um yeah, so then let's go midfield, okay? So, you know, yes, Mac. I didn't love the buzz, but it turns out Johnny, by the way, if you're a new listener, who called it? We need to do like hair segments on the podcast more. I actually think we need to lean into it because you're right so often. So again, go listen if you haven't, you'll love it. Johnny about a year ago said, Hey, listen, Cole Palmer is in fact bald.
SPEAKER_00100%.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00Yep.
SPEAKER_03He's covering up for baldness.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Receding hairline in the front.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Woof.
SPEAKER_03This summer we're texting during the World Cup, and I'm like, is Mac just leaning into the buzz cut?
SPEAKER_00Well, it was pre-World Cup. It wasn't at the end of the season.
SPEAKER_03Well, no, but I'm saying, but then you would get it rebuzzed. And I'm like, oh, you know, this isn't a buzz and let it grow back out. It's another buzz. Okay. And then you texted me what?
SPEAKER_00I said no. He's prepping for plugs. It's happening this summer. Sure enough, shows up. Training camp.
SPEAKER_03I agree. Is that the modern way of holding out? Like, how can you head the ball when you have hair plugs?
SPEAKER_00That is, I mean, truly a question because but I'm saying, but do you do that knowing you can't?
SPEAKER_03And you're like, hey, sorry, man. Sorry, coach.
SPEAKER_00Wish I could.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Well, he's actually kind of good at heading it too. Scores on corner kicks kind of frequently.
SPEAKER_00He had a sick one in the World Cup, like on a flick to the back. Um, I I really don't think you can. I mean, like, again, what little I know about the procedure is it's it's so you get so much swelling. They put this tight band around your head, and it sort of makes the top of your head mushroom. Because and and you cut it off because if you don't, the swelling goes down to like your eyes and your throat, it could be dangerous. But you like don't wash your head for a while, et cetera, et cetera.
SPEAKER_03So it's a keep off the grass situation. It is truly right. Like, if you hit your tee shot, you know, and they're repairing the fairway, they don't say, Yeah, sure, man. Go ahead and hit out of there. They're like, No, don't go in there.
SPEAKER_00Right. Now, now, I mean, it would be frustrating. Could he do it again? Yeah, he's flush with cash, but right. Yeah, I don't know, yeah.
SPEAKER_03Right, but I don't think you like something's weird. You don't start that when he did. And I get there's not a good time. Like, he's not gonna show up for the World Cup and be like, hey guys, I just got plugs. Plug that up, yeah. Anyway, the midfield. You don't know what's going on with Mac. There's been some rumors. There could be a merry-go-round now. There really could be, right? Yep. So Rodri's gone. And there was a tug of war between Real Madrid and Barcelona, and Barcelona won. Does Real Madrid say, okay, well, who's plan B? I don't know if it's Mac or not, but it could be.
SPEAKER_00Yep. You know, they they've he's already stated he would like to go there one day. His dad's made mention of it. Uh they've they've not stated interest, but like you've heard rumor of it. Yeah, yeah. And again, he's weird in the sense of he and others, Gakbo kind of being the same, at the end of the season would have been like, well, kind of lost their value, but then they had a good World Cup. So like their value is probably the highest it's gonna be like right now.
SPEAKER_03I agree. I I and honestly, yeah, he rescued, not rescued, maybe that's too strong, but he boosted his reputation. Yeah, he recovered it. Thank you. This is what this is why I don't do this by myself. That's right. What would I be doing? Um, but the midfield to me, look, Grav had an incredible season in year one under slot, and then and he's not the only one, but not good last season. Not good. No Zucky. Yep. Big extension. He's not going anywhere.
SPEAKER_01Yep.
SPEAKER_03Endo. Yeah, he's still on the team.
SPEAKER_00Um back from injury.
SPEAKER_03Back from injury. Johnny and I are pro endo until further notice. Okay. Go watch City at Liverpool in Klopp's last season. Watch Endo's performance. Thank you. Like, I don't need to have the you don't know ball. Just go watch the game. Um, Curtis Jones, does he even want to be here anymore?
SPEAKER_00I I can't tell if it's a sales situation or uh a pouting situation or both. I'm I I'm I I lean both a little bit um for for multiple reasons. I think there's aspects where he's not fitting the vibe for Ariola uh because he's slow. Uh, but then also there's aspects of of wanting to call some kids up into those realms, neoni being one of them. And so it's kind of, you know, do you want the new, you know, the new guy kind of stepping into the role? He can't can't clog it up. Um, but then it seems like Jones is kind of throwing a little tantrum. We saw one of his tantrums on the pitch during uh the American tour, which is a weird thing to do.
SPEAKER_03Well, can I can I interject real quick? Please, please. So so we know that Jurgen Klopp listens to our podcast. We know. That's true.
SPEAKER_00He does.
SPEAKER_03We think Ernie Slott did too. We're not sure.
SPEAKER_00Is it awkward now? I don't know.
SPEAKER_03It's a little awkward. We're we're not sure. That said, I would imagine that somebody at some point will say, Hey, you should check this out to Ariola. And he'll, hey, yeah. Let me give you some free advice.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Do not give a young player who you think might leave the vice captaincy because he's gonna turn around and leave on a free. Just don't do it.
SPEAKER_00Well, unless you want him to leave on a free.
SPEAKER_03Unless you want, unless you are playing 4D chess, that's actually fair. Right. Okay. And and you will fit in. I will say this. If you want to like fit into the culture, you will fit in better if you actually do that and let him leave on a free, because that's what we love to do. We don't like to sell players, we like for them to leave for nothing.
SPEAKER_00The difference being, no, that's not true. I guess they've they've even with with uh we just don't like money.
SPEAKER_03Uh no, we what we want to do is we want to apparently we want to buy players for asinine prices, and then we want them to leave for zero dollars.
SPEAKER_00And sometimes it's, you know, in the case of Mo Salah, we had a chance to get some dollars and we're like, we don't even want the dollars.
SPEAKER_03Exactly.
SPEAKER_00And then other times we've brought players in for either not that much money, you know, moderate amounts, or even like all through the ranks of the youth program, like Trent. And then we get to the echelon, the premiere of their career, and we said, you know what? Free monies. Free money. Um cannot say the trend. Yeah, it's sad.
SPEAKER_03So Curtis, who knows? Now, let's introduce some new names or some new word names. Basatic, where's he at?
SPEAKER_00I I've heard multiple things. Now, granted, I did not watch any of the I didn't watch any of the American tour games, not because I didn't want to, but because ESPN is greedy and it's created a new category of ESPN. So is that conventional? I know. Yeah, just I mean, come on, guys, we're better than that. Uh so I thought I could, and then also I have YouTube TV. I thought I had ESPN Deportes. I do not, so I couldn't. I was gonna stream it in Spanish. Foiled again. So all that to say, I read that he wanted to give him a chance. He he's been healthy. Um, but then I just read most recently that there's a rumor, I think it was Valencia that reached out about him. So permanent or loan? You know, I didn't say it didn't say free, free count. We're like, yeah, yeah, good. You can have him. So I would I would be interested uh for depth and for especially you know the central defensive midfielder kind of role, considering Grav last season. The first season, I think he was like a good player or like a ready and willing to just get on the field. And then this season he's like, you know what? I don't like defense. Uh so I'd be interested in somebody else who can cover that. It's not Mac. I know that because when Mac got it, he got a yellow card every game. So I don't know who it is, and it's not Jones because he's gone because he's a baby.
SPEAKER_03And then you and then you mentioned uh Neone. Yeah, oh yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well will he have a role this season? I think so. I think he is quite liked by our coaching staff. I think that we like him more than Curtis. I think Curtis will be gone and Neone will get his minutes. That's my hot take.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I think that one of the positives of bringing in Ariola is that he is a player developer. I just don't think that was slot. I think slot wanted the finished product, he didn't want to deal with, you know, kind of especially um the younger player. And I'm saying this in a vacuum, I'm not saying there was no exceptions, but like, you know, I don't want to deal with the hiccups. I just want you to go get me X player, right? And I don't I don't think that's the case um with Ariola. So, you know, here's hoping he can mold Neone, for example, who's shown some flashes. Now, can his you know body hold up over 38 games? I mean, that guy is a little frail, you know.
SPEAKER_00Agreed. I agreed. He's um he's not very tall either. He's what like 5'10, like 160 pounds. Yeah, you wonder about that. I mean, even that was even slot, it was like he needs to like grow more.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, no, and I mean he's not wrong. And then and then Harvey Elliott is back, and we don't know what's gonna happen with him. And honestly, it's been a really sad story, honestly. I mean, looking good. Klopp, you go back to before he like dislocated his ankle, I mean, he was starting in big games, you know, against like big six clubs under Klopp and Smash. Seemed to be huge goal against PSG, as you referenced. Then goes and and wins the Europa League, but plays no part in it, and and gets in you know, involved in this whole back and forth with Aston Villa, who all of a sudden don't want to spend any money on him. Um where does he land? The biggest thing for me is he just hasn't like look, I'm sure he's practiced and trained, but he hasn't played in forever.
SPEAKER_00Well, and you think about, I think the ways in which somewhat people think about players is you kind of have your starting 11 in an ideal situation, uh, and then you have like your backups, or sort of like, you know, uh either for depth or like if you're playing sort of a horses for courses game where you want a different look, or it's you know, a different tournament, what have you. In an ideal world, he could sort of be the Vert's backup, right? Um, but then we've only seen him at like right wing. And so there's there's a part, and look to your point, it's it's been like limited, awkward number or times and amounts of minutes. So I'm I I think the problem is though, like I don't remember his contract, but like what nobody wants him either.
SPEAKER_03Like well, yeah, to me, the play with him is either alone, and again, I don't know where that would be. Yeah. But I've I've read a little bit of this and I I would push back. I I think people are like, he needs a loan, he needs to go develop, blah, blah, blah. I mean, look, he's getting to the age now where he's he's probably close to the finished product. Like, I don't I don't know what kind of leaps he's gonna make, you know, in development over the next couple of seasons, right? Um, to me, given the fact that he hasn't played very much, I actually think going back to his old role, the super sub slash like rotational guy, give him some time in the league cup, give him some time in the FA Cup, bring him in at 70-75, you know, that is a good step to next season versus just he's not gonna play 90 every game.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, you know. I agree. May I be up to the other.
SPEAKER_03I think he's shown he's that he's has value there, and he's you know, it'd be like riding a bike. He's used to it. He's done that, he's come in in high pressure situations before.
SPEAKER_00Right. If I can circle back really quick to two hot take questions uh defensively. Number one, do we know when Leone is going to be healthy? We don't know that yet.
SPEAKER_03I don't know, but I mean, like, look, I've had, you know, a couple ACL surgeries myself, right? I know I know that the obviously the care he's getting is infinitely better than anything that uh you know I got, a non-player. Um, but it is it a little weird that he's not ready now.
SPEAKER_00It happened really early last year, but it also depends on the type of tear. Like I think he maybe tore maybe more than his ACL. Right, right.
SPEAKER_03I don't know. But it it's a little concerning to me that he's not ready now. Um that would tell you that maybe there was a setback, or maybe, like you said, it was a more complicated injury. Um but um I mean I'm excited, like from the little we saw of him. I'm excited to have him play more, you know?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, agreed.
SPEAKER_03Um, but to to close the book on the midfield, though, what I wanted to say is this look, the other worry I have is not just the positional flexibility and like everything else, right? Like we know what Dom can do. We've got verts there that I don't know where he's gonna play, you know. Like, is he gonna play the 10? Are we gonna play this sort of this like 4-4-2 with two strikers with them in Esock? I don't know. Um the worry is more comparative. So to me, Arsenal's midfield got a lot better this summer bringing Bruno in. Um, I don't think our midfield stacks up well against their midfield at all.
SPEAKER_00Do you? No, I mean I think I think it's more like skill versus size. I could see a world where depending on how we you know play or function in transition, etc., I could see a world where we'd do okay on a given uh match, but I think I world worry more about the physicality. It seems like teams are starting to not even just because a set pieces, but teams are starting to say, hey, we're gonna dominate possession in midfield by like physical force. And I, you know, I struggle to see how we you know, if our if our three well, if if we're running out Mac, who's not huge, Grav, who's tall but kind of lanky, Dom, who can you know, he can actually hold it. But then like Verts and Neoney, the those sorts, you kind of worry what that would look like.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that's why I think so too. It's the player profile.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, so I worry about that. You know, I think if you look at the other teams, like I don't think our midfield is at a disadvantage on paper against like Man United. I don't think they're at a disadvantage, especially with Rodri gone on paper against Man City. Like, I think that Chelsea's midfield is wildly overrated. Um, so but against Arsenals, I I do I do worry, you know, and and honestly, formerly against Newcastles, but their whole team imploded over the summer. So gone.
SPEAKER_00Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Sad story. Um anything else you wanted to add to the midfield? Did you want to talk Bertz there? Is he gonna play there?
SPEAKER_00Well, I think that's that's part of the question. Is uh my concern is like, is he a massive flop? Is Ariel able to get out of him what we we have seen at Leverkusen and what we've seen in Germany? Uh is he gonna be able to match up? I you know, you wonder sometimes, is it just an emphasis in the in what how we play in space? Uh, because it seemed like I mean he and Isak never got a chance to gel. He and Ekadike did gel, but then Ekadike is gone. Then we're gonna bring in Barkala, you know, probably, and he'll have to figure that out. But yeah, I I I hope that he can sort of feels weird saying this because he's but like regain form and and build into that, but I don't know what that'll look like.
SPEAKER_03I don't either. You know, and I think the way we use him and where is is a key, key question to this season, personally. You know? Yeah. So, you know, now if you move to the forward line and the wing line, you kind of tease this, but like here's where I feel like we're really feeling the organizational uncertainty that we kind of referenced, you know, in in yesterday's pod, right? Richard Hughes, you've known about Mo Salo potentially leaving since you like signed your contract. Okay. This has this isn't a secret that he was we either needed to re-sign him, and even if we did, it was going to be short term, and we needed to start looking for a successor like yesterday, like two years ago. And here we are now, and like what's the plan? You know what I mean? Like, like that to me is the biggest um indicator that we just have not been run very well from a personnel standpoint. We just haven't from a squad planning standpoint. We have not. Um, so you know, yeah, we have Isak there, and he's a proven player in the Premier League who had a really bad season last season, and some of that was injury related, but like also he's injury prone. Um, so can he stay healthy? I think is probably the biggest question, you know. And what makes it harder is that if Akiteque is healthy, you can rotate him and not put too many minutes on him. Like, what do you do now? I don't know, you know.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, it it seems like the move that we've sort of landed on, at least for the that I can ascertain from what we've done and what we're looking to do is we're going to attack people and just outpace them to death. Because we get Munoz who plays on the left, and boy, is he fast. He is so he's so fast. Right, I agree. I I would even say, like, I didn't think his ball skills were that great, and he would just blow by people. Uh, then you have Rio also so fast. Uh, we want to get Barkala super fast. Uh, I don't think Ekitike, you know, we'll see if he can bounce back from a tricky injury. Had quite a bit of pace. Um, and then Isak, it's not not slow. We'll see again uh if he can round into form. And then I don't know anything about this Mbaye kid from PSG, but also young, 18. I think the thing, here's the thing, going even back to like you know, uh former ownerships and and players. I wonder. I remember remember when there was some some bad blood and writings between Hughes and Slot over um slot's refusal to use young players.
SPEAKER_03I do.
SPEAKER_00There was some beef about that. I wonder if there, you know, he squared off with Mo, which I think was actually good and fine, uh, because he was having sort of a butt cheese year. But I wonder so far I've seen so many different people use Rio on the right. I and I'm I'm wondering if that's a bit of the plan this year.
SPEAKER_03I'm all look, I'm all for it if you can. Like I'm you know, I don't I don't have any issue with it if you can do that. Um but but yeah, I I think that's an open question. The other thing that you just said that I wonder about is is the league trending towards all of these playing behind guys? Because I mean, like 80%, 75% of the league is low blocks.
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03Who are you getting behind?
SPEAKER_01Right.
SPEAKER_03You know what I mean? Like we're if we're gonna not saying we will, but if we're gonna dominate possession again, these teams are gonna be, you know, bunkered in nine guys in the penalty area. You're not getting behind anybody.
SPEAKER_00Right. Well, yes, I agree with that. I wonder, I've also wondered this is I wonder if this is sort of a counter to the other shift we've seen in the last couple of seasons of the emphasis on a corner kick or the emphasis on a set piece is going back to like the glory days of like 17, 18, 19 clopp era where when we give up a yeah, when we get a corner kick, we'd have one, two passes and we're to goal with no defenders because we could just counter that well. So I wonder if that's some of the play is like, and you could I could see a world where that would be really fun to watch with some of those guys, but yeah, no, I I it comes with its issues as well.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, so I again is as long as there's a coherent tactical plan to these guys. Um, because and I say that, and again, I'm not trying to throw yet another stray at slot. I didn't see a plan with Verts last season. I have no idea what we were trying to do.
SPEAKER_01You know.
SPEAKER_03Um goalkeeper, we we kind of completely glossed over that. Allison will be out a minimum of how many games a season?
SPEAKER_00Ooh. In a what is it, 38 game season? I will say 12.
SPEAKER_03I think that's I think the over-under is like 12-13. I agree.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, I think so.
SPEAKER_03Is Mammer Dashville, in your opinion, a good enough backup for the to play a third of the season as a starter?
SPEAKER_00Uh I think there's that's a mixed bag with a question. I think if you if you put a weapon to my head, uh, I would say no. Um, however, having said that, I feel for the guy because I think you've his like time to shine has been arguably our worst defensive stretch in God knows how long.
SPEAKER_03Totally agree.
SPEAKER_00Uh but also having said that, in watching the matches, I think it's it's fairly obvious to me sometimes he struggles sometimes he'll make a great save and then and then really struggle with positioning and let something else in. So it seems like he it's almost like he's one of those keepers that can make the really hard save and then can't make the easy one. Um and so all I think the the frustrating thing for me is I I wish that our boy Kelliher would have just hung on for a couple more seasons.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and and and this one isn't I'm not necessarily blaming the club here because Kelleher wanted out. I think it's hard to get out.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_03And so, okay. But um, yeah, I just wonder, I mean, he's gonna have to play so much. Is he gonna be good enough?
SPEAKER_00You know? Yeah. And Keller was I I think Kelleher was. I know people bashed him for various games like that Newcastle game and what have you, but I think by and large he also had this skill set, was honestly better in certain aspects than Al. I don't I don't think anybody could be better than Allison on like a breakaway. He's by far and away the best keeper in the world. No, I agree. Yeah. But I think Kelleher was better with penalty kicks, I think he was arguably better with set pieces.
SPEAKER_03So that's the squad. You know, the other thing I'm really interested in is where are these guys mentally? Because they were we know Johto's a part of it, they were not there mentally last season. Um you could call it a you know, title hangover, a lot of football they're playing, like whatever. But I mean, I think that bore itself out in a number of ways. Like, number one, how many times, and this was a clap era thing too, were we not ready to play in like the first 10, 20 minutes? Yeah. So I'm really curious, is Ariola working on improving the mentality in that regard, for example, right?
SPEAKER_00Yeah. I hope so. He seems to be a fiery type of leader, but yeah.
SPEAKER_03I mean, the number of times we would go down early. I mean, it just every game felt like we've got to come from behind it. It's just exhausting, right?
SPEAKER_00Well, and and now I know that these games don't matter, but in these preseason games, we would crap the bed at the end.
SPEAKER_03It's the least problem. Yeah, yeah. Um, let's just hope that's fitness. But yeah, um, and then the second one, which I think we we sort of corrected towards the end of last season, but still is is I mean, we were horrific at set pieces.
SPEAKER_02Oh yeah.
SPEAKER_03Uh, especially defending them. Now, some of that could be regression to the mean this season. Maybe, maybe some of that's just bad luck and we don't do that. But, you know, I uh as as I've mentioned before, you know, I work in numbers. And so, I mean, to me, like it's always about the low-hanging fruit. You know, like what are the easy wins that we can check off that will lead to meaningful improvement this season? And those are the two. Knock it off, stop going behind early, and then stop giving up so many set piece goals.
SPEAKER_00Well, and two two slots credit, the season we won, we tightened that up quite a bit. It was really nice uh to be able to have clean sheets, not give up stupid goals, not go behind and have to dig yourself out of a hole. So yeah, I can uh I can see that. Uh yeah.
SPEAKER_03What do you think of the schedule? You know, you talk like first five games or so.
SPEAKER_00I don't hate it. Um I think we've historically our first match has been against a team that just came up, which I always hated.
SPEAKER_03Which is all yeah, promoted on the road.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, and they're like, yeah, promoted on the road, and they're like, you know, they haven't been either heartbroken or their, you know, their mentality dashed by realizing they stink. Uh so and they, you know, it was 3-2, 4-3, these weird games. But I think it's funny to play Newcastle. I think it's less I thought that was gonna be a tenuous game. I think it's less so now that they've been gutted and managers gone. Uh definitely not an easy game. Just cause is it it's a way.
SPEAKER_03It's a way, but you you don't have Anthony Gordon just running around trying to bleed people.
SPEAKER_00There's no Gordon, there's no Tonale, there's no Gamarez. So they're just like all defenders um that are like 97 feet tall. Um, so you know, not to say that we can't, you know, fall asleep or whatever, but that one's not as concerning to me, I think as a whole.
SPEAKER_03I agree. I mean, and so just for those listening, the first five are at Newcastle, home to Forest, at Ipswich, home to Fulham, at Bournemouth. Um I kind of thought they'd have Bournemouth first. That would have been that would have been spicy. That would be spicy.
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um, you know, but it doesn't seem on the face of it that difficult, right? Now you do have three road games out of your first five. But because you and I have no idea like what to expect this season, I mean, we were not good in so many situations last year. I don't know. I'm not gonna sit here and say, oh yeah, we'll we'll go 15 points out of 15. I mean, this team is gonna have to re-prove it on a lot of levels. Um, I don't think there's any games necessarily that you can take and say, we're just gonna chalk that into the win column.
SPEAKER_00Oh yeah, not at all. I mean, if anything, it could be repeat from last season where we we win all five of those games, but like by the skin of our teeth in the last seconds.
SPEAKER_03So you look at some of the measuring stick games, you know. So right after that, game six on the 10th of October, home to City. We'll see how good City is this season. Uncle Enzo and and and potentially Uncle Enzo and Chelsea Enzo.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, other Uncle Enzo.
SPEAKER_03Right. Yeah. We'll see. Uh we're we host Arsenal on the 31st.
SPEAKER_00Okay.
SPEAKER_03Uh first game against Man United is also at home on the 21st of November.
SPEAKER_00That kind of sucks because you know all those road games are coming later.
SPEAKER_03Yeah. Like I said, I don't think they've layered in Champions League in any of this yet. No, not at all.
SPEAKER_00No.
SPEAKER_03The the winter window is always crazy. So if you look at it now, I'm gonna go through just the month of December here through the second of January. We've got home Sunderland at Chelsea, home leads, home Spurs at Hull at Villa, home Coventry in that stretch. Um and I don't, you know, again, some of this, and we'll talk about this next pod for those to tease that. We will go through uh our predictions in the league, but you know, I don't know what to think about. Everton had a pretty good year last year, to be honest. You know, all things. What are they this season? I don't know. You know, to me, Moyes is not a coach that like is gonna, he's not a he's a stabilizer, but he's got a ceiling. He's got a ceiling. He's not vaulting them into a Europe position, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_01You know, I agree.
SPEAKER_03Chelsea's a big unknown, I think. How will Jopy Alonso do there? Probably bad. They think that Morgan Rogers is uh, you know, a British record signing type player. I don't I I would disagree with that.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, he he gets to play with his bestie, uh, balding Cole Palmer. So it's good for him.
SPEAKER_03And then I think the other part to look at the schedule is let's just let's just let's get crazy. Let's assume we're in contention here. Okay, let's be optimistic. Okay. What's the last month of the season or so look like? So at sorry, at Leeds, home Chelsea, at City, home Brentford, at Brighton, home Burnman. Home Burnmouth.
SPEAKER_00What if we need that game? That's gonna be awkward turtle, you know?
SPEAKER_03There's a great chance we're gonna need a result from that game for something. Yeah, whether that's like whether that's right, Champions League spots or something. I I feel like there's a very good chance we're gonna need a result out of that game.
SPEAKER_00Could get weird. It could get really weird really fast. Yeah, that's that'll be tough little stretch there. Tough little stretch.
SPEAKER_03Um here's another one to circle, and I'll shut up about the schedule. Three game stretch in January into February at United, home Everton at Arsenal. Barf.
SPEAKER_01Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh especially because at least, yeah, you know, the two are away. I mean, maybe but maybe Manual will like be really bad. They'll be dead inside by then, and Carrick will get fired. And you know, well, with our luck, they'll fire him before that game, and then we'll have the delivery manager bounce.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, another yet another Dutch bald manager. Perfect. They they they wouldn't. They don't like Dutch bald managers. Um okay, I want to play the lightning round with you. Ins and outs. Are you ready? Yeah. This is gonna be fun. And I need your complete honesty here, or else this game will not be fun. Okay, great. I'm glad we could do that. Uh, I essentially want you to say, uh, is this person going to be here or not this season? And then we're gonna get to some other layers of that.
SPEAKER_03So like as of transfer devil and death. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Correct. Um we'll start off with some softballs. Luke Chambers. Okay. Uh Calvin Ramsey.
SPEAKER_01Yes. Oh, okay. So he's gonna be he's gonna be backup. Maybe starter. Temporary starter.
SPEAKER_03So you're juggling, I don't want to get into too many like long-winded answers. You're juggling development versus an immediate need, you know.
SPEAKER_00Knowing the guys are coming back too. Right, exactly.
SPEAKER_03So so you have to balance both of those. I think if you're just doing long term, you're like, look, he's not gonna play that much. If, and this is the thing, this is where this is fun, like if Bradley comes back healthy. Right. Okay.
SPEAKER_00Nasty injury. Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I don't think that you can assume that. And I don't think that um Arroyo is an actual right back. I think he's a center back. So I say keep.
SPEAKER_00Okay. That's arousio. I wish you'd get it right. Um just get it right. Um, oh, by the way, we didn't cover him. I'm actually dead inside that we can't keep, we have to loan him out in Dukeway. He actually looks quite quite nice for the future. I agree. But it's good, you know, good to have. Yeah. Not fully baked, but um let's see, let's keep going. Uh Jones, Curtis Jones, in or out. He's gonna be gone. He's toast. Okay. Uh Harvey Elliott.
SPEAKER_03I think we probably would be okay with moving on. I don't know that he has a market, so I think stay.
SPEAKER_01Okay. Uh Bassetich. Lone. Okay. James McConnell. I think I think we keep McConnell. Okay, okay. 21. Uh Kieran Morrison. No. Um uh Lewis Coomas. Oh man.
SPEAKER_00I think I think what really comes down to it for him is if we get Mbaya. Because then we just have it's too it's too many people up there.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I mean, because you don't write. You don't want to be in a position where you're like, hey man, we kinda have to play you, but we'd rather not. You know what I mean? Like that's that's another that's another slot to Ariola thing. Empower these guys, give them confidence.
SPEAKER_01Right, agreed. Um Chiesa. Absolutely not. He's gone. Uh Gakpo.
unknownOkay.
SPEAKER_00Uh now this is the honesty part.
SPEAKER_03The rare player that leaves for money, I will say.
SPEAKER_00Right. Well, well, don't say until it happens. Um, do you know? I I want you to say just yes or no. Do you know who this player is? Here we go. Should be good. And then I'm gonna ask you uh some some version of a question to to figure out if you actually do. Lucas Pitt.
SPEAKER_03Uh no idea who that is.
SPEAKER_00Okay, what position do you think he plays?
SPEAKER_03Lewis Pitt.
SPEAKER_00Lucas Pitt. See, I don't even know his name. Lucas. Uh Lucas Pitt.
SPEAKER_03Um, I'm gonna go. He sounds like a midfielder.
SPEAKER_00I'm sorry. The answer we're looking for is defender. So sorry. Wish yeah.
SPEAKER_03Do you think do you think that's that's a family that's not gonna listen to the pod anymore?
SPEAKER_00Okay. Yeah, I mean, we lost one listener of our million. Uh let's keep going here. Do you know who this person is? Joshua Abe.
SPEAKER_03Why are you doing this? This is for fun. For fun. Okay, okay. No, I don't. Yeah.
SPEAKER_00Uh what position do you think he plays?
SPEAKER_03I'm gonna say midfielder again.
SPEAKER_01No, I'm sorry, we're looking for forward.
SPEAKER_00Uh, what about Will Wright?
SPEAKER_01No. Okay.
SPEAKER_00What position? Yes. Let's go. And then and then so one for one for three. Uh our last one, D and who Joshua Lamby. Lamby? Lammy? Lamby? You say Lammy? It's spelled L-A-M-B-I-E. How would you say that?
SPEAKER_03I want to know what website are you on right now?
SPEAKER_00I'm on the athletic.
SPEAKER_03LiverpoolFrenchplayers.com.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, I mean, listen, this is our squad right now. Gotta trim it down.
SPEAKER_03William Lammy is a backup goalkeeper. Joshua Lammy. William needs my Lammy. Joshua Lamy is a backup goalkeeper.
SPEAKER_00No, he's also a forward. I'm sorry. Um our goalkeeping. No, here's the ones we have. These are great names. We have Woodman, obviously, Marmadosh, William Becker, but then we have Vitislav Yarros, who actually I love him.
SPEAKER_03I like Yarros, yeah. And then Harvey Davies. Harvey Davies.
SPEAKER_00Right. That sounds like a cocktail you got out at brunch. I'll have one Harvey Davies and you know.
SPEAKER_03Um okay, so just to be prepared for this, I was trying to pull up like put mob in the background, right? And it just I died inside a little bit because right next to Joe Gomez's face is the like medical, you know, like red cross. I'm like, he's hurt.
SPEAKER_00Okay. He is hurt. Do we know what's wrong with him?
SPEAKER_03Knob twist type injury.
SPEAKER_00That sounds right. That sounds right. Uh I mean, thank you for playing the lightning round. Um, here here, I'll I'll close with this. I I the only big question mark I have, I'm a little confused. You know, it seems like obviously we have a lot of irons in the fire uh up top. You know, we're trying to get Barclay, we're trying to get Mbaye, we got Uñoz already, got Rio, you know, moving and shaking there a little bit. I'm not saying I love all the moves, but you know, stuff's happening. We got Arroyo, or however you say his name. We got Jacques, we have Leone coming back, uh, got some other, you know, some movement there. Again, not a ton. Don't love it, especially on the right backs and you know, side of things, unless we keep your boy Calvin. Um it's weird to me that I've heard, like, I feel you correct me, literally nothing uh in the midfield. I haven't heard any rumor of anything. Like other than other than outs.
SPEAKER_03Right. And and like, look, again, I I think we're not necessarily, I think we were in the minority maybe a year ago with this opinion that Grav's not a six. I think people are like, oh, did you just not watch you know, 24-25? Yeah, we did. Um, he's not a six. We don't have a six. We have we have like six eights. You know, we have a lot of box-to-box guys, right? Fabinho left guys forever ago now. What why are we not trying to replace him?
SPEAKER_00And we keep stuffing around peg in a square hole.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, we gave that Hail Mary on Caya Sito a few seasons ago. It didn't work out. We brought in Endo. Um, who, I mean, like again, look, as much as I love him, like he shouldn't be your starting six. Never never while it was supposed to be. No. But yeah, like we're not, again, we're not we're all hung up on wingers and forwards. And you know, this is off off like on a tangent again, but like our spine is either rapidly aging, right? Andor just kind of misfits. I mean, like, look, you know, think about our spine. Allison, great, but injured. Van Dyke, mentally fried, you know, getting older. Um, Grav, wrong position, Verts.
SPEAKER_01We'll see.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, uh, Isak injured. I mean, like, that's our spine.
SPEAKER_00Right. I could injured. Yeah. Yep. And then honestly, Dom, probably the best pro player we have, might run him into the ground.
SPEAKER_03So yeah. Yeah, that's something to watch for. Yeah, concern.
SPEAKER_01Anyway, yeah, all right.
SPEAKER_03This is good. This is good. For all those out there that missed us from June till now, you got plenty of things to listen to. And then we are gonna do a third episode that'll be dropping later this week where we talk through again. I I've been thinking about this, I still don't know what to do. But we are going to predict the Premier League. Here's some thoughts. How much don't say anything, obviously, but how much are you gonna boost Spurs? Spending some money, new manager, the deserve effect over a full season. Because we all know it's gonna crash. Like, like he'll he'll leave and and just you know, right, burn a bunch of bridges. But the season, next season might be good, you know.
SPEAKER_00Will he will he make it a season?
SPEAKER_03I don't know. You know, like then you've got the the interim permanent manager Michael Carrick. Is that a good idea? We don't know. Yeah, right?
SPEAKER_00True.
SPEAKER_03Um, you know, Arteta had in theory has a stronger squad on paper, but will they score fewer goals? We don't know.
SPEAKER_00Will Kai Havertz stay healthy? Will Yakerez go to Barcelona?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, heard that. City. No pep point deduction, maybe. But they're still spending money like crazy.
SPEAKER_01Like it's going out of style.
SPEAKER_03No Rodri. No Rodri. Is Phil Foden still good? We don't know.
SPEAKER_00You know? We these yeah, we these are the things we don't. Is they only have like two players left in their treble season, I think, right?
SPEAKER_03When is the Holland transfer request coming in, do we think?
SPEAKER_01End of this season? Where will we go? I don't know. Yeah, I think that's my biggest question, is because like he's not gonna go to Real Madrid.
SPEAKER_00Maybe, maybe. I just don't know.
SPEAKER_03Like, they just you think it's a lock? We see we gotta we gotta stop because this is this is probably another episode. But you think it's a lock that they don't throw Mbappe overboard for Holland?
SPEAKER_00Uh I mean, no, it's just like one of those things with like the old PSG where they bought Neymar for 200 and some million and they bought Messi. Yeah, but they literally like they didn't get any money for any of those guys. So I just don't see somebody doing that necessarily because like, yeah, you could throw Mbappe over the bus. I'd I I fully believe they would do that to anybody, but then to whom? Like, I don't know where that guy goes. If City are in their crapper, Arsenal doesn't spend that kind of money, we don't spend that well. We historically haven't spent that kind of money.
SPEAKER_03Never forget who is the manager of Madrid now. He's going to have a falling out with multiple players.
SPEAKER_00It's true. Yeah, it's true.
SPEAKER_03Now he might get fired, or he might win and they might they might leave. We'll see.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, it's true. I guess he could he could go to Germany. I could see how well would Holland ever go back to Germany and go play for uh Bayern?
SPEAKER_03Harry Kane's not gonna be young forever, guys. I could see that.
SPEAKER_00Although he'd be hated because he was a dormant, but he doesn't care.
SPEAKER_03I think they'll they'll forgive him once he's scoring you know 50 goals. All right. Good stuff for uh for Johnny and Matt. Leave us a comment, follow us on social media, and then stay tuned. We got another episode dropping later this week. All right. Thanks for listening.
SPEAKER_00Thanks for tuning in to America's Anfield. If you enjoyed the show, make sure to like, subscribe, and follow us on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcast. You can also find us on YouTube, Twitter, Threads, and Instagram at America's Anfield. Got questions or topics you want us to cover? Send them our way. We'd love to include them in a future episode. Until next time, up the red.