Showing posts with label Wisdom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Wisdom. Show all posts

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Should Andre Wisdom be loaned to West Brom?

Andre Wisdom, like Suso, is a well-liked player that I think all Liverpool fans want to pan out, play the next 10 or so years in a LFC shirt, and retire a legend.  He's a beast and even though he may not have the best judgement behind the wheel, on the pitch he's already a coveted commodity.  His versatility, athletic ability, and skill make the sky the limit for the 21-year-old Leeds native. His loan to Derby last season did nothing but prove how promising a prospect he is, here are his stats from that time:
npgp90gcp90ccp90ap90ccv
00.090.640.0914.3
pass%bp%sacc%shot%TTI90
82.936.523.1010.4
gap90gsp90gop90tgopgopd
1.041.980.940.70.24
tp90tack%intp90clrp90
1.5654.50.733.35
dribpp90bsp90adwp90adw%
0.340.521.0460.7

The most impressive stat is in the 34 matches since he joined Derby, they garnered 73 points, and the 12 previous they only managed 12.  Without Wisdom, I highly doubt they would have even made the Championship playoff.

I honestly think we should keep Wisdom and make him the starter.  I understand Rodgers' thinking here, but I don't think hanging on to Johnson for another season when he still has sell value is a good plan.  Johnson will be 30 come August and I doubt he has but a few years left in competitive top flight football.  Wisdom and even Martin Kelly deserve their shot and bringing in another right back is just a waste of money.

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

The transfer terrorists and their sneaky, little dirty bombs

If you are like me, you are already tired of all the speculations and half-fabrications pertaining to potential transfers involving our beloved club.  The silly season is upon us and since my two pence is worth at least one-fiftieth quid, I figure I'll have a go at deciphering through this radioactive mess.  I don't claim to have an advantage of who we may bring in, but I can at least give my thoughts on who is 'surplus to the cause'.

Lucas Leiva
I'm really on the fence about Lucas.  As much as I think we should keep him, part of me thinks the Lucas of three seasons ago is gone and he shan't return.  His injuries have become too frequent and though his passing and ball-handling skills have improved, he appears slower than ever and that's saying a lot considering pace was never one of his strengths.  At least now, with the addition of Can, we won't have to rely on him as much.

Daniel Agger
Absolutely not, losing Agger would be a greater loss than losing Suarez.  He was our best centre back last year and unless Sakho proves his worth early on next season, Agger should be around for a few more years.

Iago Aspas
Here's an interesting stat concerning Aspas... oh wait, there are no interesting stats concerning him.  Give'em a ticket and say bon voyage.

Fabio Borini
Even without the addition of Rickie Lambert, Borini should be shipped out.  In 2692 Premiership minutes, playing for Sunderland, Liverpool, and Chelsea, he has scored 8 goals, 3 of which are penalties, and assisted on 3 more.  For a comparison, he scored 9 goals in 1680 minutes for Roma in Serie A.  He doesn't have the pace nor the technical ability to make up for the lack of pace to make it in the Prem.  I say sell him to Sunderland or use him as bait to get a versatile defender like Federico Fazio.

Ousama Assaidi
Assaidi had a decent spell at Stoke last season, but not enough to really consider keeping him.  His ccp90 of 1.53, shooting accuracy of 45%, shot % of 20%, and a TTI90 of 8.6 are all respectable numbers, but he'll be 26 in August.  If he was 23, I'd say keep him around for another season, but it's time to cut ties and try to get back at least some of what we paid for him.

Jack Robinson
Robinson's loan spell at Blackpool probably did more for his character development than it did for his skills. Blackpool started the season in decent form, sitting on 31 points 17 matches into the season, than the ship ran aground.  They lost 20 of their remaining 29 matches, even bringing in Barry Ferguson as the manager did little to help their slide.  Was Robinson integral to their fall? Not really.  Despite picking up 3 red cards, 2 of which were in their first 17 matches, Robinson's output was respectable:

npgp900pass%71.7gap901.44intp902.27
gcp900.1bp%37.3gsp900.83clrp905.3
ccp900.77sacc%8.3gop90-0.61bsp900.35
ap900.1shot%0tgop90-0.61adwp901.4
ccv12.5TTI9011.7tp901.95adwon%57.1
tack %51.3

Ferguson even deployed Robinson at left mid for 4 matches with mixed results.  Being only 20, I expect him to be loaned out again and hopefully show more promise than last season.

As for Suso, Wisdom, Kelly, Coady, Yesil, and Ibe, unless they vehemently demand to leave, we should hold on to them.  The first three can contribute now, while the latter three probably need seasoning at a Championship side to improve their game.

Saturday, July 5, 2014

DeAndre Yedlin? You must be Yanking my chain.

There are reports that Rodgers may be interested in 20-year-old American International and Seattle Sounders right back, DeAndre Yedlin.  The only interesting thing about Yedlin is that he is of 'Native American, African American, and Latvian descent' (thanks Wikipedia). Look, he plays for the Sounders in the MLS and he's far from setting the place ablaze.  If that were the case, I'd say bring him over.  Here are his stats from the previous and current MLS seasons:

20132014
age1920
app(subs)32(1)11
mins2712959
goals20
assist20
chances2012
npgp900.070
gcp900.130
ccp900.661.1
ap900.070
ccv10.60
pass%74.680.3
bp%32.928.8
sacc%35.70
shot%14.30
tp902.52.5
tack %65.753.3
intp903.62.7
clrp903.23.3
dribpp900.830.9
bsp900.430.6
adwp901.70.7
adwon%57.570
TTI9012.110.7

At first glance, these stats look impressive, but they aren't.  If he posted these numbers in the Prem, Man U would buy him for £30m, but in the MLS, he doesn't even break the top 20 in any category.  Seattle has also allowed 23 goals so far this season, that's tied for 9th, so he isn't contributing to a stifling defense.  

The only positive that I can see is his progression, his passing has improved from last season, all the while lowering his back pass rate, and he is turning over the ball less.  Still no reason to get excited and put in a bid.

What about his World Cup showing?  What about it? He made 3 good passes, but was mediocre at best in his 115 minutes of pitch time.  Here's what Squawka thought about his performance in Brazil:










What about his potential? He'll turn 21 in four days and yes, his development is coming around nicely, but he's not 16 and has shown zero desire to leave the safe haven of MLS.  In fact, he was born and raised in Seattle.

Rodgers can not be serious about signing Yedlin. Andre Wisdom and Martin Kelly would both run circles around this kid. Going for players that are products of the World Cup hype machine rarely pan out, Yedlin would be lucky to just to train with our first team.

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