21 Feb 2022 17:05:27
Have we replaced Gini? The answer is no. But do we need to replace him with the number of promoted youth and Thiago! The answer is yes.
Every team needs a spine and as it stands there is no constant in the middle of the pack. Gini was that constant - the first name on the roaster (at least when it comes to the midfield) .
Apart from ensuring reliability of legs, it also ensure reliability of tactics.
But would I take a Gini for a Louis? Most definitely No!
1.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 18:54:08
I don’t think Gini was ever the 1st name on the team sheet mate nor the 1st in midfield
I think people forget the numerous games a season he was anonymous and contributed nothing in defence or attack . Was a great member of the team that won some big things for us but he was only a small part of that and don’t get this obsession with fans that think he was our best midfielder do you think he would be allowed to leave for free if he was that important
Let’s move on and hope gini all the best in the rest of his career.
2.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 19:18:15
Fabinho 's the first choice midfielder/ constant in the middle of the pack when fit I would say.
3.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 19:19:42
Gini was a hit and miss player for me - went missing in as many games as he turned up.
Will always remember him for the part he played in our cup/ title winning teams but, for me, his greatest ability was his availability.
4.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 19:40:09
Elliot is Gini's 'replacement' for the berth in midfield that he formerly occupied.
Keita seems to be being used by Klopp in the 'keep hold of and/ or quickly recycle the ball' midfield role that Gini used to carry out.
It sounds like Fulham's Carvalho is being groomed to take over from Fabinho's 'number 6' role in the long term.
Going forwards, however, we will need to think about replacing Henderson.
5.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 19:48:18
1st name who was routinely dropped when everyone was fit? First for Ox. Then Shaqiri. Then Keita. Then Thiago. His only advantage over those 4 was he was never injured.
He's the most over rated player of the Klopp era. He had some legendary moments for sure and was a good servant but overall he was a hindrance with his excessive touches which pointlessly invited pressure.
He rarely ever attempted to be creative. We haven't missed him remotely and PSG are only just finding out they've put a dud on huge wages. He profited massively from the class of Mane and Robertson down the left. Otherwise his lack of goals or incisive passing would've been a serious issue.
If he had played with the same drive and passion as Henderson he would've been twice the player because he's technically superb. Just a shame he was mentally weak and could only get up for big games at Anfield.
6.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:08:19
There has never been any poster who has ever said Gini was our most important midfielder.
7.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:25:45
"Routinely dropped"? Didn't he play like 90% of games while he was at LFC?
8.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:32:59
We’ll get a midfielder in summer definitely.
9.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:42:29
We need legs in midfield again for me.
10.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:54:07
" He profited massively from the class of Mane and Robertson down the left. Otherwise his lack of goals or incisive passing would've been a serious issue"
I take it no other midfielders profited massively from the class of TAA and Salah (probably more) down the right? Did they score that many more goals?
11.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:58:11
He was only available all the time because he was always well within himself. We replaced him with more than one player and they're all better than him (Thiago, Elliott, Jonesy) .
12.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:35:15
Some of the views seem a bit harsh… I definitely agree that he could have contributed more going forward but I still think he was quite an important member of the first 11.
He was great at retaining the ball and relieving pressure. At times, this season we’ve missed that, where I feel we’ve been exposed in the middle. Can’t remember any mistakes to goals or being out of position. Pressed well and suited our system really well.
It is frustrating as I think he could have done more attacking wise but it also could have been by design. Klopp wanted the protection for the full backs and wij provided that well.
Not a legend or anything but will always respect him for his contribution in our title and CL.
I still think we need a DM but more so because we really only have Fab there.
13.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 20:37:05
Gini was never our first choice midfielder and he’s well and truly left.
Who cares if he played : 237 times and scored 22 goals with 15 assists.
He does not earn hero status like Origi because he didn’t score 2 against Barcelona to what some people claim won us the CL. Oh hang on wait there.
14.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 21:05:53
Mental how 2 players scored braces against Barcelona that night.
One gets plaudits and the other dogs abuse.
But when scratching beneath the surface one of them contributed far more than the other.
15.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 21:27:10
I didn't know Gini went hiding in games until I was informed by an Ed, now everyone says it 🤔.
16.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 22:10:00
Same here Rover mate had no idea abt that until ED said 😂😂.
17.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 22:34:32
There's not a chance in hell that "Fulhams Carvalho is being lined up as a successor to Fabinho in the No.6 role". Not a chance.
18.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 23:38:05
Gini was not flash and didn’t make Hollywood passes but he gave us reliable legs and cover when our press was broken. He never gave the ball away even when surrounded by many opposition players at times (ala Barnes in his latter days) and was good at defending (ground and air) in the box when needed.
He also had a knack of making lung bursting ball carries in the final 5 mins of games to take the pressure off the team.
As far as I’m concerned he executed Klopp’s left sided 8 role as instructed. He wasnt asked to break the lines and score a load of goals nor was he asked to play 30-50 yard passes.
Yes he could have been a bit more dynamic and aggressive going forward at times but you’re then talking about the perfect mid.
We’ve moved on. He’s moved on. He’s an LFC legend. No debate for me.
19.) 21 Feb 2022
21 Feb 2022 23:39:08
Pretty sure Carvalho is a left forward/ attacking midfielder in the Coutinho mould who loves to get in the box, so i don’t think so.
20.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 06:05:31
For god sake move on, I still miss Steve McManaman but you don’t see me banging on about him every week.
21.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 06:38:13
Gini was good for us reliable and kept the ball well. But we do not need a replacement, we have promoted youth in Jones and Elliot who although different players have a higher ceiling and plus we have already replaced him with Thiago, who is pure class. Just wish he was available more frequently.
22.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 07:03:13
To we fair MK, I think Gini's lack of creativity maybe down to Klopp's use of him because he is an entirely different beast internationally and did so sporadically for Newcastle and us when the roles were changed but again, what do I know?
23.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 07:14:02
@Thunderbird 2 : Absolutely spot on mate. For me, I don’t think we ever replaced Alan Hansen, but hey ho life goes on.
A more interesting question is, if Gini was re-signed by the club for the 2022/ 23 season and Fabs, Thiago, Hendo, Billy, Curtis to name but five, we’re all fully fit and on top of their respective games would Gini be a walk-up starter? Personally, I think not.
24.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 07:34:20
I find the "we need to replace" x-player convo a bit simple and mind-numbing tbh. The reality is that the team evolves as players come and go. It was a nice narrative for haters to criticize FSG while it lasted I suppose.
25.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 08:59:45
WDW, I think we have now replaced Hansen (finally! ) - his name is Virgil!
I was quite young during the 80s but I still remember Hansen in his 30s strolling forward with the ball looking like a Rolls Royce going through the gears.
There was a bit of the ‘Hansen’ about Agger but the closest we have got to him is Virgil.
I expect Virgil to also take over his MOTD seat in a few years time!
26.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 09:25:04
Ugbes, that would hold weight if Thiago had come in and played the same reserved approach. But he doesn't. He'll pick out a diagonal or split the lines with direct passing. Even Keita will carry the ball forward and make creative passes. Gini didn't do that enough which is probably why Klopp tried to replace him every summer he was here with the guys i listed before; Ox, Shaqiri, Keita and Thiago.
As i said above, Gini's best attribute was that he was never injured. That coupled with the fact he could do a job across the midfield 3 is why he played so many games. It'd be harsh to say he was lucky that others were getting injured, because it's testament to how well he looks after himself that he was always available and versatile enough to plug holes in our midfield. Make no mistake about it though, he played so many games because as we well know, the better options were all injury prone. People will pull up his 2 goals against Barcelona and fair enough because that night alone assures him a place in our history. Maybe even cult hero status? But let's not forget he started that game on the bench because he wasn't playing well, or that it once again highlighted how good he could be when he had a bit of fire in his belly for a big game at Anfield. Which is why it was even more frustrating that he rarely showed up away from home or against lesser opposition.
I like Gini, i just don't subscribe to the myth that he was a key player for us or that he was world class. For me Gini and Gomez were always the two weakest links in our success between 2018-2020 and many people have said it all along so to accuse people of just hijacking the Eds opinions is petty at best. I would add though that Gomez and Gini being the weakest links, says more about the quality of the other 9 players than it says about their lack of quality. Both were good players for us in that period and they did their jobs well enough. Not every player needs to be world class.
To go back to the original point of this thread though we've not missed Gini at all this season. If anyone has any evidence of a time we missed him, please give me an example. It's late February and all 4 trophies are technically still in our hands. We're in a cup final on Sunday. 2-0 up going into a home leg in the Champions league Last 16. Lost 2 games in all competitions this season. Going strong in the FA Cup. Giving youth like Morton, Jones and Elliott game time. Fabinho is having the best season of his career. We're unbeaten with Thiago and Fabinho in midfield together. Henderson and Milner are imperious leaders of the group as ever. Even Keita and Ox are fit and playing! So i'll stand by my opinion and disagree with the OP. We do not miss Gini. I do hope he sorts himself out at PSG though because i don't like seeing an ex-red fail.
27.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 09:48:36
MK - half agree. Where I may disagree is that Brighton, Brentford, Chelsea (a) and Spurs leads may not have been so easily given up with Gini being an option at the time (Thiago was not available btw) .
I do agree that Thiago is an upgrade - when available.
28.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 10:22:07
Perfectly fair opinion PelicanFly.
Klopp said this season though that it is the strongest squad we've ever had. If we don't win the league then unfortunately you just have to tip your hat to Man City in my opinion, rather than bemoan a handful of games we let a lead slip.
I'd actually be more inclined to say that those leads we let slip early in the season were a result of ring rust from Van Dijk. He now looks back to his best and we've been solid since no matter who was in front of him. I read it's 3 goals conceded in our last 9 games or something mad like that.
29.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 12:03:00
I’ve always wondered what motivates fans to come onto a fans opinion site and tell them what they can and can’t talk about.
Would probably be quicker to just scroll past the topics you don’t want to enter discussion in or even quicker not to visit such sites in the first place.
Hey ho though 🤷ðŸ»â€â™‚ï¸.
30.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 12:52:50
Gini was over rated, good player not top class, we needed more many a time and he was just very negative, he obviously had agents in his ear wanting more money, not what was best for him and now he's ended up struggling to get in a poor midfield at PSG, careful who you listen too should be every ones advice in football.
31.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 15:30:53
I think it’s a cast iron fact today we would have more points if Gini was still in the squad. The problems started against Brighton we ran out of legs in midfield. The Spurs game the midfield was very lightweight. We would definitely have a few more points now.
32.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 15:35:01
Up until Klopp arrived there were still people moaning that we hadn’t ever replaced Alonso. There’s still people moaning that we haven’t replaced Coutinho even today, four years on. That’s just not how football works and even if it was, both were way better than Gini who was never that good, he was just always available. There’s a strong argument to suggest we need another box to box midfielder (i am a proponent of said argument), but keeping The Crab on past 30 years of age was never the answer to that problem. Just look at how he’s doing at PSG. If he was half the player people believed him to be he’d be starting every game for them. The obsession with Wijnaldum is bordering on cult-like.
33.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 16:26:08
You have a tendency to go way over the top AW.
{Ed0666's Note - AW has clearly been taking lessons from my wife!
34.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 16:54:47
I’ve seen the OP originally mention Wiji. Some fans have slagged him off and some have given him appreciation.
That will possibly go down as the worst Cult to ever exist.
35.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 17:21:01
In the 19/ 20 League winning team we had Milner, Ox, Fabinho, Henderson, Keita, Shaqiri and Gini. I would suggest to the "experts" to have a wee look at how often those players were injured in that season. Not as much as they would tell you. Guess who contributed in all but one game? You've guessed it Gini!
36.) 22 Feb 2022
22 Feb 2022 18:12:45
Really? We’re doing this whole Gini thing again after all this time? Must because slow day at the office for the OP, me thinks.