13 Feb 2018 21:26:54
Ed's, did Liverpool ever try and sign Christian Erikson at any stage in his career?

{Ed002's Note - Dortmund, AC Milan, Liverpool, Roma and Spurs were emain interested in Eriksen in 2013.}

1.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 06:45:58
There was rumours he was holding out for a move to us but we never persued it. Not sure if that’s true or not.

2.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 08:10:45
Ed002 said at the time that his agent was touting him to every top six club here and across Germany, Italy and Spain.

3.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 08:12:41
I believe Danny Agger tried his best to convince him to join us.

4.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 10:34:00
I think he would be class in our team. I think he is suited to our style of play.

Just off the bat, how much do you reckon we would have to pay to get him from spurs?

I'm thinking 60 mil, I know owner likes money. It will be hard for them to turn down 120mil+ for kane. I think it will be psg who sign him, not real. Yeah, how much to nab erikson?

5.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 10:47:31
He would fit in, he could be the signing of the summer for us. Won't happen, he would work for us though.

6.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 11:21:21
I would take Erikson over Kane every day of the week. Quality player, and pissibly the closest to Coutino’s skill set out there. Never going to happen though.

7.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 11:51:31
I don't think he is anything like Coutinho. Coutinho was direct and wanted to work the space for a shot constantly. He was quicker, more skilful and far better at shooting and finishing. He also (pre-sulk) used to buzz around and put in a shift defensively. Eriksen has never lifted a finger to help out defensively which is why Spurs have to play two defensve midfielders.

Eriksen is more creative with his passin than Coutinho though. Some of his passes in behind or over the top are at a De Bruyne level. Coutinho was never that good at playing a pass in behind on a consistent basis. Eriksen is also miles better from set pieces. Corners, indirect free kicks, direct free kicks etc. You name it, he has it in his locker.

I can't see them as similar players at all though. It's a lazy comparison just because they both play creative roles on the left. Similar positions, but not similar players. Coutinho creates with direct running though which draws 3 or 4 players towards him and creates space for others. Eriksen can spot a runner out of the corner of his eye and bend a pass in behind straight to feet without them having to break stride. Totally different styles of creativity.

With Eriksen having a lack of pace and not a defensive bone in his body, i can't see how he suits either our front 3, or our fluid midfield with no dedicated DM. He looks good for Spurs because they have built a system that suits him. Even at his best though, Eriksen still isn't as good as Coutinho was whilst he was sulking!

He's a good player. Maybe a great player. I just don't see him fitting in Klopp's preferred 4-3-3. We need to sign the right players, not players just because they a good individuals. Eriksen will be valued higher than Lemar for a start. Lemar actually puts in a shift defensively to fit into our midfield, and has the pace to cover in our fluid front 3. He's a far better option based on what we need, and i really hope Eriksen is not targeted by us. Not unless Klopp is willing to change his tactics, or it will end in disaster. We'll be totally over run in midfield if he plays there, and Firmino will be limited in terms of passing options if Eriksen plays in Mane's position, as Eriksen has neither the pace nor the movement to make a run in behind a defender.

Players have to suit the system!

8.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 11:57:11
Eriksen is a special player, genuinely talented and works hard, his final pass and shooting ability are amazing and he is able to find time and space on the ball.

9.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 14:28:16
Spot on, MK. Dennis, all that may be true BUT Cou is the much better player as he has way more creativity than Eriksen and possesses all the qualities you say Eriksen has. I asked Ed01 in the summer if hypothetically, he could replace Cou. He said not a chance as he is inferior to him. Ed01 gave several convincing reasons. Maybe Ed01 can help us here.

{Ed001's Note - he is a decent player, very good player, but not on the same level as Coutinho. He goes missing far too often and can be absolutely anonymous against the best teams. When he is playing average, poorly managed teams like Ireland he shines, but he is not quite good enough for my liking. Personally I think Spurs need to upgrade on him if they are ever going to truly challenge for the title.}

10.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 16:40:06
That danish hammering is still hurting ed, just letting you know. Though in truth it didn't hurt nearly as when O'Neil signed to stay on. As for eriksen, I think he's fantastic and would love him at pool over nearly any other player in the league. Followed him since he had an outstanding under 21's tournament a few years back.

{Ed001's Note - O'Neill is abysmal, no idea why they kept him. Eriksen is good against weaker teams who give him time and space, as soon as he is not allowed any he vanishes. He has not got pace to create space for himself and he doesn't have trickery to do it. He has got an excellent range of passing, but he can be shut out of games far too easily for my liking. If O'Neill wasn't tactically inept he would not have been able to do what he did. At Spurs he is lucky to have Kane's quality, Alli's movement and Dembele's brilliance to drag players away from him.}

11.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 17:20:48
Because the fai is run by one man and he's more money than sense. It's no surprise he went with O'Neil again. As for pool, imagine eriksen doing his thing against the smaller teams for us ed. We struggle when we have the ball. Title right there.

12.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 23:18:57
I agree with all of that to an extent, except him working hard, Mr Dennis. I've never even seen him make a tackle, let alone press, or track back. He reminds me of Fabregas in terms of style, but with the added bonus of being a set piece specialist, and creating from the left instead of a central position.

I've never seen him work hard, but i do agree he is very talented on the ball. His ability to find space and his vision means he can play the game at a walking pace. Does that sound like a "heavy metal" footballer to anyone though?

His creativity from deep relies on Harry Kane and Dele Alli making runs into the box in central areas. Firmino won't do that on a regular basis though as it is not his natural game, and we don't have any midfielders with the ability to break into the box like Alli does. Spurs Basically play a 4-2-3-1 with Kane as the focal point, and Son and Alli making runs beyond him. Eriksen rarely ever goes beyond Kane. He receives the ball to feet and dictates the attack with his superb vision from deeper positions. Coutinho was always looking to run at the opposition, and he would exploit the space created by the panic his runs made, with his weighted passes and delicate flicks.

Take out the focal point, and Eriksen's vision is wasted. Firmino is a false 9, not a target man like Kane. Take out the holding midfield pair, and Eriksen wouldn't find it as easy to stand in space all game as he'd have to get stuck in and contribute. He isn't physically up to that though.

I'm not disputing him being a good player, i just cannot see where he fits into our team. We are lightening quick on the break, and he looks good at Spurs because they slow the game right down so Eriksen has time, and the opposition centre backs are stood still like a rabbit in headlights. Then usually Alli or Kane make a clever run in behind which he finds with a great pass. We'd have to Sign a dedicated destroyer to play the Wanyama/ Dier role so Eriksen could get away with being a passenger out of posession, we'd shackle Henderson/ Keita into a genuine holding role, and put Salah through the middle as the focal point with a player like Wijnaldum behind him who won't get in Eriksen's way creatively and will purely focus on breaking into the box fir a pass. Firmino looks for the ball to feet more often than not, rather than making a run into the box. I don't see where Firmino and Eriksen fit into the same team. They play best in polar opposite styles of football. Would Salah cope with being a focal point marked by two big centre backs, instead of being able to peel off the shoulder of a smaller full back like he does currently? Would Mane cope with being a target further up the pitch, instead of receiving the ball deeper and driving at the opposition? Could Firmino ditch his natural game and play as an attacking midfielder looking to get in behind at every opportunity? Maybe they all could. Maybe it would work wonders.

Why try and change what isn't broken though? Eriksen is not a heavy metal footballer, he is an orchestra. Equally as entertaining but it goes against what we are building. So for me, his abilities are a redundant point. If somebody can actually present a case of how he fits in to a high intensity, interchanging front 6 who all have to contribute equally from a defensive perspective, I'm all ears. Currently all I'm seeing are people pointing out his strengths though instead of explaining where he fits in. For me, I'd rather build a team around the strengths of Salah and Firmino, than throw the blue print in the bin to get a walking pace playmaker into the team. Just my opinion though. The sum total is more important than individual parts. I'd rather have Lallana for another season than Eriksen because he fits the way Klopp wants to play, even though individually he is not as good as Eriksen.

13.) 14 Feb 2018
14 Feb 2018 23:07:57
Pretty much nailed it with your assessment MK, except giving credit to the man who makes both Erriksen and Alli tick every week. Dembele is the catalyst and why Errisken and Alli has the luxury to not track back. I have always said we should buy a central playmaker rather than a wide Juan Mata! Someone like Kovacic / Nainngolan / Thiago in the middle.

14.) 15 Feb 2018
15 Feb 2018 03:11:13
Spot on baby, dembele is spurs best player, makes them tick much like gerrard did for us.