SOCCER SPORT !

[tribe125]

Jesus wept - that's terrible.

[Raza]

Good news for Liverpool then. Just need United and City to drop some more points too.

[GaryF]

Wow. Now how long must Wenger wait to announce his new contract and rebuilding plans? Seemingly no leadership at all anywhere in the club, aside from perhaps Koscielny. Sanchez and Ozil don't care anymore.

Isn't this the point in the season where Arsenal usually scrape a win and Wenger goes on about their "mental strengf"?

Spurs are going to really have to go some to "spurs up" this one.

[Raza]

Explosions near the Dortmund team bus. The bus was damaged and Marc Bartra was injured; hospitalized, but not serious. Dortmund-Monaco match postponed.

[Raza]

Bournemouth got their asses beat down by Spurs. The NBC host had to preface the highlights of the match by saying that there were no Bournemouth highlights--it was all Spurs. I think Hugo Lloris set up a hammock in goal.

Also, if Swansea gets relegated this year, Liverpool should get Gylfi Sigurdsson. He'd make a dynamic addition to our midfield and could even play in the front three in a pinch. He's like a slower Adam Lallana who's not quite as technically gifted, but is also great at set pieces (something we desperately need). Milner and Coutinho aren't very good at taking corners; I can't even remember a goal we've scored from a regular corner. Coutinho's dead ball shot on goal is breathtaking at times, but I think Sigurdsson delivers a better cross when the free kick is taken from a spot where a shot is unlikely to bear fruit. Milner does a great cross, with both feet, but his dead ball delivery leaves something to be desired.

[Raza]

Who do you think is the best striker in the Premier League?

I mean, I was a Kane doubter for a long time, but it's not in doubt anymore that he's the real deal. His positioning is impeccable, his finishing is excellent, and his presence elevates his team. He's only the fourth Prem player to score 20 league goals three years in a row. That's pretty amazing.

But then there's Lukaku. Speed, strength, finishing. Sometimes he can look like a blunt instrument, but he'd strengthen basically any team in the league. A couple of years ago, I would have thought that he, Benteke, and Bony were basically interchangeable frontmen, but he's really distanced himself from them as time passed.

And Aguero. Injury prone, sure, but silky smooth. A finesse striker who can make scoring goals look so easy, you have to wonder why people don't do it more often. He ghosts into goal scoring positions and just executes, over and over. But he's also fast, and when he's pushed, you can see him work really hard for the team. For a while, I thought he was a Benzema-like player. A great finisher, sure, but elevated by having excellent players around him doing the hard work, so he can Berbatov in and just get the final touch. But then I saw him in a Barcelona v. City CL match where I watched him work harder than any City player on the pitch (they lost, but still). It was a revelation.

There are notable lesser lights as well. A few years back, Sturridge would have been on this list, but the injuries have taken their toll; his play time means he's not in the conversation anymore, not right now. I rate Giroud, but it would be a flat out lie to say he's on the level of Aguero, Lukaku, or Kane. Benteke is slowly getting his confidence back. Defoe is football's Satchel Paige, an ageless wonder. Zlatan is a legend, but obviously he's a different animal altogether from the three I mentioned. His talent can't be denied, but I wonder how much longer he can keep his candle lit.

I'd have to think long and hard about which one I'd want on my team most. I see Lukaku's strength and speed and I think he's pretty much the perfect striker. But then there's Kane's dead ball shot and scoring record. But he's also surrounded by a much better team than Lukaku is. But would Lukaku suffer the same fate as Benteke, where his influence on matches wane to nigh nonexistence because other players are able to influence the game without him?

[Steppy]

I agree with all that Raza, but man we really don't need another number 10 !!

But, its looking quite likely that Barcelona will be doing a major squad re-build this summer and Coutinho may figure pretty highly in their plans

[Steppy]

Who do you think is the best striker in the Premier League?

I mean, I was a Kane doubter for a long time, but it's not in doubt anymore that he's the real deal. His positioning is impeccable, his finishing is excellent, and his presence elevates his team. He's only the fourth Prem player to score 20 league goals three years in a row. That's pretty amazing.

But then there's Lukaku. Speed, strength, finishing. Sometimes he can look like a blunt instrument, but he'd strengthen basically any team in the league. A couple of years ago, I would have thought that he, Benteke, and Bony were basically interchangeable frontmen, but he's really distanced himself from them as time passed.

And Aguero. Injury prone, sure, but silky smooth. A finesse striker who can make scoring goals look so easy, you have to wonder why people don't do it more often. He ghosts into goal scoring positions and just executes, over and over. But he's also fast, and when he's pushed, you can see him work really hard for the team. For a while, I thought he was a Benzema-like player. A great finisher, sure, but elevated by having excellent players around him doing the hard work, so he can Berbatov in and just get the final touch. But then I saw him in a Barcelona v. City CL match where I watched him work harder than any City player on the pitch (they lost, but still). It was a revelation.

There are notable lesser lights as well. A few years back, Sturridge would have been on this list, but the injuries have taken their toll; his play time means he's not in the conversation anymore, not right now. I rate Giroud, but it would be a flat out lie to say he's on the level of Aguero, Lukaku, or Kane. Benteke is slowly getting his confidence back. Defoe is football's Satchel Paige, an ageless wonder. Zlatan is a legend, but obviously he's a different animal altogether from the three I mentioned. His talent can't be denied, but I wonder how much longer he can keep his candle lit.

I'd have to think long and hard about which one I'd want on my team most. I see Lukaku's strength and speed and I think he's pretty much the perfect striker. But then there's Kane's dead ball shot and scoring record. But he's also surrounded by a much better team than Lukaku is. But would Lukaku suffer the same fate as Benteke, where his influence on matches wane to nigh nonexistence because other players are able to influence the game without him?

Definitely not Lukaku, he's got terrible touch, not great movement, his in game intelligence isn't great - and the biggest one - goes missing in the big games. He can be easily fluffed out of the game by a good defence. Hell even Lucas and Lovren made him look awful just a couple of weeks ago. Like you said, he's a blunt instrument, theres no finesse, but very effective against the lower 15 teams.

Aguero is probably the most talented, but injury after injury.

So that just leaves Kane, i'm not his biggest fan either, i've never been hugely impressed when watching him, but dammit the stats don't lie. I don't think he's very special at anything, he's just very good at everything.

Did you mean to miss out Costa ? I'd probably put him just above Kane, only just. But I can't stand the bloke

[Raza]

I agree with all that Raza, but man we really don't need another number 10 !!

But, its looking quite likely that Barcelona will be doing a major squad re-build this summer and Coutinho may figure pretty highly in their plans

I doubt Coutinho will go anywhere. We've got to hold on to him and he seems very happy at Liverpool.

I think Sigurdsson is more versatile than just a number 10. I think he has the ability to play as an effective holding midfielder as well. I was actually surprised to see him playing so far forward for Swansea, even playing as a false 9 at times.

[tribe125]

Week in, week out - Costa.