LIVERPOOL SEASONATHON

I’m going to try to pick Liverpool’s team each week. Although re-reading that sentence worries me because it means I’m going to have to do at least one post every week. In fact, with all the mid-week (hopefully) Champions League games it’ll probably be two posts a week. With the huge squad we’ve now got and Rafa Benitez’s rotation policy it’s going to be quite difficult.

Since Rafa’s been in charge, especially the last 2 years, he’s rotated the starting eleven to differing levels of success. The difference is this season instead of Kromkamp, Nunez, Josemi or Gonzalez as our backup players we’ve got Babel, Voronin, Lucas Leiva and Sami Hyypia. I mention Lucas Leiva, even though all I’ve seen of him is a couple of youtube clips and 45 minutes of a friendly against Shanghai or someone. The guy’s the Brazilian Under 20’s captain and cost £8 million so he’s gotta be good hasn’t he?

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Every time I watch Sky Sports News and at the side of the screen it’s got all our summer transfers, I see Leiva and £8 million next to his name and hope to god he comes through for us. That’s a ridiculous amount for someone who’s our fifth choice centre mid, behind Gerrard, Alonso, Mascherano and Sissoko. Even guys like Benayoun and Babbel could play as attacking centre midfielders. How he’s going to start 10+ league games I don’t know, considering that already this season Mascherano and Sissoko have not even made the sixteen man squad, let alone the starting eleven.

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The other guy it’s going to be interesting to see how he does this season is left midfielder Sebastian Leto. Again, just going from youtube clips and a friendly, he at least looks better than Gonzalez (not sure if he’s even left yet). He looks like a better long term prospect than fellow Argentine Gabriel Paletta. I also think another young Argentinean, Insua could have a good future with us, especially since todays news about Heinze not be able to move to us. Personally I’m not bothered by the Premier leagues ruling, he started off great for United but after a serious injury he just looks like an average left back now, lacking a bit of pace.

I’ve been impressed by Arbeloa’s start to the season at left back but also hope that Insua gets some games early on this season, rather than a few run outs in meaningless games near the end like last season. Hopefully there won’t be any meaningless league games at the end of this season.

Anyway, I’ll wait till after the mid-week internationals before I pick Liverpool’s team for our game away at Sunderland on Saturday. Btw, I spent a while thinking of the title for this post and that was the best I could come up with.