Which Liverpool mid do we want?

Post by **sunbather** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:06

Coutinho has been in most of my drafts, but downgrading Lacazette to Chicharito has freed up funds: I've now got Mane in there. Looking at the stats Coutinho is more involved and certainly more chance of assists.

Surprisingly the minutes per goal last season are near identical: 172.3 for Mane and 172.5 for Coutinho.

Prefer Mane as an explosive option though, and I've always been frustrated by Coutinho's long range speculative efforts.

I'm pretty sure I'll have one Liverpool mid in my draft, City look like a rotation nightmare and aside from Sanchez, Arsenal aren't very appealing either. I currently have Willian, Mikh and Zaha in the other slots so a high quality Liverpool mid looks good to me to add some clout and goals.

Post by **First Sub Podcast** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:10

Mane. Pure goal threat.

Post by **Oxford NZ** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:17

Coutinho if he stays because of last season stats. I like Coutinho as a player and as a FFL asset so am biased.
Have not been able to fit him into my squad yet but is in the wish list for WC

Post by **bigcliff2** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:18

I want Mane but I think the extra 0.5 will be handy and so I'm plumping for Salah at the minute

Post by **Joccki_10** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:29

I'd really like to fit in both Mané and Salah but it's just impossible with all the other premium options.

Salah for me.

Post by **S_sutton87** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:46

I know it's only pre season but salah looks impressive

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Post by **waynebo** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:49

All three

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Post by **murf** » 03 Aug 2017, 10:51

waynebo wrote:All three

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What about Firmino and Lallana?

and Henderson and Can and Wijnaldum and....

Post by **jonhoggy** » 03 Aug 2017, 11:54

Mane. Klopp loves him. He can play wide or up front. He's a beast and Liverpool missed him during AFCON.

Post by **RidleyMTB** » 03 Aug 2017, 12:28

None early doors, due to the CL qualifiers and risk of rotation

Post by **TheBigLewandowski** » 03 Aug 2017, 12:30

Coutinho. Tough choosing between them all!

Post by **um09a2k** » 03 Aug 2017, 14:18

Easily Coutinho if he stays. He's almost always going to get at least an assist per game. Salah is my second choice if Coutinho leaves.

Post by **Lucky** » 03 Aug 2017, 14:44

Salah has to convince me first. Mane No 1

But I always get the player from Liverpool wrong. Maybe better to stay clear.

Post by **ZeroRemorse** » 03 Aug 2017, 15:46

Personally, I think Salah and Coutinho are definitely the best choices right now, followed closely behind Mane.

Mane is coming back from an injury and has to adjust to playing on the other wing to what he was so prolific on last season. Too many variables and he is 0.5m more expensive than Coutinho and Salah who are also fresh, fit and inform.

I've gone for Salah but, also have Coutinho in a lot of drafts.

Salah looks very focused and driven, Coutinho has transfer speculation surrounding him, not that it should affect him too much but, Salah looks the best choice for all these reasons and LFC will enjoy playing balls in behind defenses for him and he should get plenty of assists and goals.

Post by **yttod1010** » 03 Aug 2017, 16:57

I want Mane but will have salah

Post by **ZeroRemorse** » 03 Aug 2017, 18:07

Mane will probably be the best pick once he's returned to form from his injury and adjusted to the side he's playing on, definitely going to give him a few GW's and possibly WC him in if he's finding last seasons form.

Post by **murf** » 03 Aug 2017, 18:17

Love the way everyone is convinced Mane will play on the left. So good he takes Coutinho's spot......

Post by **ZeroRemorse** » 03 Aug 2017, 19:27

murf wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 18:17 Love the way everyone is convinced Mane will play on the left. So good he takes Coutinho's spot......

Coutinho is being played in a deeper central play making role. Where he was played towards the end of last season.

Mane recently just said he will play on the left to accommodate Salah too.

http://www.espnfc.com/liverpool/story/3 ... amed-salah

Post by **blahblah** » 03 Aug 2017, 19:31

murf wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 18:17 Love the way everyone is convinced Mane will play on the left. So good he takes Coutinho's spot......

Didn't you start that one?

Post by **Notned** » 03 Aug 2017, 19:50

Mane is my first choice, but I'll have no qualms in switching to Salah if I need the 0.5m somewhere else, which I might.

Post by **Gambit** » 03 Aug 2017, 20:44

Coutinho at the moment, but really like Mane.

A little bit concerned about those two CL qualifiers sandwiched between the early fixtures, and also that my choice Coutinho may be a little deeper if Mane/Firmino/Salah are the front three.

Post by **blahblah** » 03 Aug 2017, 20:44

Is this some sort of Barca Recruitment Agency?

Post by **Terry Henry** » 03 Aug 2017, 20:47

Coutinho is in at the mo but I'm thinking of also getting Salah, or I may just go Firmino instead.

Post by **Gambit** » 03 Aug 2017, 21:19

Terry Henry wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 20:47 Coutinho is in at the mo but I'm thinking of also getting Salah, or I may just go Firmino instead.

yes, I've also considered Firmino as a way of avoiding the midfield decision, don't like that he is the one dropping deep to make the space for Mane (and now Salah), but that gives him the assist potential too.

and a big bonus is that one of the players who could play instead of him is made of balsa wood!

Post by **Terry Henry** » 03 Aug 2017, 21:27

Gambit wrote:
Terry Henry wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 20:47 Coutinho is in at the mo but I'm thinking of also getting Salah, or I may just go Firmino instead.
yes, I've also considered Firmino as a way of avoiding the midfield decision, don't like that he is the one dropping deep to make the space for Mane (and now Salah), but that gives him the assist potential too.

and a big bonus is that one of the players who could play instead of him is made of balsa wood!

Yeah. I'm coming around to having Coutinho and Firmino. F gives me that extra Liverpool player, fills the third Striker spot and is 0.5/1.0 cheaper than Salah/Mane

Post by **Zimmerman** » 03 Aug 2017, 21:33

ZeroRemorse wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 19:27
murf wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 18:17 Love the way everyone is convinced Mane will play on the left. So good he takes Coutinho's spot......
Coutinho is being played in a deeper central play making role. Where he was played towards the end of last season.

Mane recently just said he will play on the left to accommodate Salah too.

http://www.espnfc.com/liverpool/story/3 ... amed-salah

This is another FISO fuelled misnomer.
He basically played the last two games of the season as a more central midfielder rather than on the left of the 'front three'

However, if you check out his heat maps they are pretty much replicas of the games before, when he was supposedly playing on the left of the front three.

Post by **Gambit** » 03 Aug 2017, 21:57

Terry Henry wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 21:27
Gambit wrote:
Terry Henry wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 20:47 Coutinho is in at the mo but I'm thinking of also getting Salah, or I may just go Firmino instead.
yes, I've also considered Firmino as a way of avoiding the midfield decision, don't like that he is the one dropping deep to make the space for Mane (and now Salah), but that gives him the assist potential too.

and a big bonus is that one of the players who could play instead of him is made of balsa wood!
Yeah. I'm coming around to having Coutinho and Firmino. F gives me that extra Liverpool player, fills the third Striker spot and is 0.5/1.0 cheaper than Salah/Mane

I'm not quite the same as if I go with Firmino it will be instead of the midfielder, at least until those CL qualifier games are out of the way. I don't trust Klopp, especially as his captain is fit and then players like Lallana, Can, Wijnaldum to fit in at some point.

Post by **murf** » 03 Aug 2017, 22:00

blahblah wrote:
murf wrote: ↑03 Aug 2017, 18:17 Love the way everyone is convinced Mane will play on the left. So good he takes Coutinho's spot......
Didn't you start that one?

This will all only happen when Lallana is not playing. Trust me

Post by **PleasedToMichu** » 03 Aug 2017, 22:15

Zimmerman wrote: This is another FISO fuelled misnomer.
He basically played the last two games of the season as a more central midfielder rather than on the left of the 'front three'

However, if you check out his heat maps they are pretty much replicas of the games before, when he was supposedly playing on the left of the front three.

FISO misnomer? Don't agree. It's qualified speculations with quotes from Klopp backing up an interesting potential change of his role.

After their 4-0 win against West-Ham last season he said;

“Phil can play this [role]” said Klopp. “[But] if he starts on the wing, he’s very often in this position – he was never a winger, he was always a playmaker.

“He needs to be in the decisive area in the middle of the park, in shooting situation.

“Obviously, felt really well in this position and it was a good game [for him].”

Can we work on different things with Phil? Yes of course.

“He plays at the moment kind of wing “10” but he can also play as a No 8. That is possible and maybe he will have more influence and we can involve another player on the wing.

‘”That would make us stronger for sure, having his creativity in the middle of the park. He would have to adapt to that. He is young, full of talent and I’m pretty sure he thinks he is in the right place.

After their friendly against Bayern, where they really looked impressive, he commented on Coutinho's role again;

“We looked at the players we had available and decided [Coutinho] could play there. He can play both roles.”

Now, I'm not saying that's certain or anything, but Salah/Mane clearly is more natural wingers, and Coutinho can find those runs better than anyone. At least it's safe to say they have more strings to play on this year. And it's worthy a discussion of his role(s) without calling it a misnomer.

Post by **Zimmerman** » 03 Aug 2017, 22:22

Saying he played deeper at the end of last season is though.

a) it was just two games
b) he was still occupying the same sort of positions in those two games as he did when he was supposedly a wide attacker.

There probably won't be the reliance on him to go out wide (as you say with more natural wide players/speed merchants available). What is perhaps more accurate to say is that Coutinho wasn't much of a wide forward?

Regardless, I don't think it will be detrimental to Coutinho's points return... might even improve it.

FISO