Why FMM Thinks LFC Signed Perfectly

Why FMM Thinks LFC Signed Perfectly

Liverpool went into the summer window on a decent high after reaching the Champions League Final, unfortunately they lost that final in dramatic fashion but the season will be remembered for a long time by fans. Reaching that final had an added benefit however as it helped propel us back to the elite table of European football which the club has taken advantage of by going on one big shopping spree. Historically we've had false dawns before and failed to capitalise on the situation but not this time as we spent the big bucks in an attempt to not only cement our position but actually push on from it. 

You can however sign poorly and waste vast sums of money on the wrong players for your system or ones who simply aren't good enough, like for example Manchester United. They've spent stupid money on defenders yet they have no centre backs, their midfield is unbalanced yet worth the best part of two hundred million and their £500k a week striker looks lost. But why do I feel Liverpool haven't made these same mistakes this time? Our transfer history in recent years isn't the best with big name flops like Benteke, Balotelli and Markovic, however this time I'm certain we've signed as perfectly as we could have. 

Liverpool's squad has holes like most squads and we went into this window determined to not only fill these holes but to fill them with a player perfectly suited to us and in this article I'll be showing why FMM agrees with my opinion. 

Naby Keita

Keita was wanted so much by Klopp that we agreed to sign the African a year in advanced after a summer where we wouldn't give up on our main transfer target. Especially as everyone could tell Coutinho was on his way out of the club but we did manage to hold onto him until January. With Keita's arrival in mind it's clear to see that we wanted a hard working box to box midfielder who was not only balanced but had the ability to drive forward with the ball which are all traits fans have seen from Keita in recent years. So what happens if we search for this type of midfielder on FMM?

The FMM Search

I searched for a balanced defensive midfielder (10) while also looking for a player who was hard working (stamina/teamwork). Finally i included searches for dribbling as I wanted a driving player which also saw movement thrown into the calculations to be similar to Coutinho and the work he did from that position.

The Results

Would you look at that! The search finds Keita and based on the value based results he's the youngest balanced (DMC-AMC) central midfielder to feature. 

Fabinho

Fabinho was signed quickly after the Champions League final defeat and he was a signing that caught everyone off guard as it was just announced out of the blue. Historically Klopp has favoured a deep lying playmaker type anchoring his midfield with Hendo, Gini and Can occupying the role in recent years, however all of those players are suspect defensively. It's easy to assume we were after a physical player to replace Can who left for Juventus and one that was more defensively minded than Henderson, we also needed one that could handle the pressure of being a vital role in our midfield, especially as his job is to not only protect the defence but to start attacks. 

The FMM Search

I entered the search menu looking for a physical presence with defensive and attacking attributes, however this is a Klopp team so I also included teamwork as he'll have to press. Technical and passing attributes were also added as again these are vital stats for the role in Klopp's system as shown by good passers like Henderson and Gini being favoured there previously. 

The Results

It's no surprise the former Real Madrid and Monaco player turns up in these results! Admittedly I had to lower the positioning stat more than I'd have liked but I think the potential benefits of his other high stats counter act this somewhat as a few of his stats are higher than the ones I searched for. 

Xherdan Shaqiri

One area Liverpool were seriously lacking in options last season were in the back up positions for Salah, Bobby and Mane but Shaqiri has added some much needed depth to those position now. It's always difficult to sign a back up option but for the £15 odd million the former Bayern man cost I think the club did really well. Taking one of our wingers out of the side last season took away a lot of pace, power and general attacking threat as we saw in Ukraine after Salah's injury, so in looking for a back up option we needed someone with decent pace, drive and attacking qualities while someone who won't ignoring their defensive responsibilities. 

The FMM Search

A simpler search this time as I focused on looking for an attacking winger with good teamwork to suit our current attack. 

The Results

Unfortunately the first page of results come up empty as it's mainly unattainable players and ones who wouldn't want to be a back up option. So what about page two?

Another bust search for our back up winger but it's interesting to see Thomas Lemar on that list considering we were heavily in for him in January. Looking at this however I think it's clear to see Shaqiri is a solid budget option as from these searches Lemar moved for €70m and Anderson moved to West Ham for €38m so the reported €15m for Shaqiri is a reasonable compromise which left money free for elsewhere.

Alisson

The biggest problem for Liverpool since Reina left the club has been the goalkeeper as Mignolet and Karius have failed to reach the standards we'd expect, so you can imagine the excitement when Liverpool broke the bank to sign a top keeper! Liverpool need a commanding keeper who can organise the defence, not be bullied at set pieces all while having the ability on the ball to play out from the back and launch attacks. Let's find out what FMM has in regards to this type of player. 

The FMM Search

A simple high level search as I'm hoping for a top keeper who's able to play out from the back and organise a defensive unit. 

The Results

I may have accidentally had "interested on" in this screen shot as I'm sure Oblak was in the mix but either way Alisson doesn't appear with this search. Irritatingly our former keeper Reina makes an appearance here as does FMH fan favourite Akinfeev. Let's alter the search and see what comes up. 

Some compromises were made but no major changes to the search so let's see what our options look like. 

The Brazilian shot stopper makes an appearance in sixth position with four of those above him being arguably unattainable, Allison also has the added benefit of being the second youngest on the list. Another point I think would influence this is 2018 was Alisson's break out season so it is possible he was underrated by SI which would impact his attributes, I know I'm interested to see what he looks like on 2019 anyway. 

That's it for Livepool's latest additions but I thought it would be interesting to roll back the database and check out Virgil Van Dijk! It was very publicized that for Klopp it was VVD or no one so let's see if FMM gives us any information on this decision. 

Virgil Van Dijk

When Van Dijk joined in January he completely transformed Liverpool's defence to one of the best in the division, it's no coincidence it was with him in the side we conquered most of Europe as the dominate Dutchman brought so much belief to Anfield. The former Celtic player brought leadership, passing ability, aerial presence and pace to our back line and his composure on the ball is second to none, so is there any other players on FMM who can rival our £75m signing?

The FMM Search

I'm not messing about with this search as VVD is an elite level defender so the search focuses on leadership, passing ability and both defensive attributes. 

The Results

The only defender to appear under this search is Sergio Ramos, the captain of a triple Champions League winning side as well as a player who was a key part of his country dominating international football for years. Love him or hate him Ramos is in the conversation for one of the best CB's of the generation. Let's loosen the search and see what develops. 

I dropped two of the lesser required attributes so let's see if Ramos has any rivals. 

Well well well would you look at that! Looking for defenders with these attributes VVD is the second best on the game with the unobtainable Sergio Ramos taking the crown. This is why Klopp was VVD or nothing as the Dutchman is elite level which is sort of shown by how his ridicules price tag isn't even mentioned anymore, he's just worth every penny. 

Conclusion

I decided to do this article as anytime I'd look for a Liverpool type player I'd see our signings over and over so I decided to showcase it. If Klopp or Liverpool scouts used FMM to identify targets it's well within reason their list would include the players highlighted today, as I've shown these lads have exactly what we needed which is why we spent big to secure them, obviously real life football is more than stats but I'm now convinced these signings will all work out. 

As always thank you for viewing and I'd love to read your views and opinions. 

Edited September 1, 2018 by Ashez

[Rob]

I really enjoyed reading that. I would be interested in reading your analyses of a few other clubs and where they may have missed out too. Your lot will be good fun to play as in the next incarnation of the game.

Just don’t write one on my lot cos it won’t be a long article 😂

[PilgrimAsh]

5 hours ago, Rob2017 said:

I really enjoyed reading that. I would be interested in reading your analyses of a few other clubs and where they may have missed out too. Your lot will be good fun to play as in the next incarnation of the game.

Just don’t write one on my lot cos it won’t be a long article 😂

Or an article at all if I recall 😂

@Ashez that was a great read mate and really shows how much work goes into FM and maybe how much scouts use/play FM. I read an article a while back about an ex Plymouth scout that started as a data collector for fm and how they used the info/stats to help them identify targets 

[samhardy]

Good article @Ashez but no mention of Liverpool's most important summer signing?

That throw in coach will make all the difference.

[Ashez]

8 hours ago, Rob2017 said:

I really enjoyed reading that. I would be interested in reading your analyses of a few other clubs and where they may have missed out too. Your lot will be good fun to play as in the next incarnation of the game.

Just don’t write one on my lot cos it won’t be a long article 😂

Thanks, I've been wanting to do it for a while so I finally knocked it out :). Erm possibly but I'd likely struggle with another club I'm not as knowledgeable on but I'll keep it in mind.

Unfortunately a Newcastle one wouldn't be possible as there isn't a search filter for "traded for a bag of crisps" 😛

2 hours ago, PilgrimAsh said:

Or an article at all if I recall 😂

@Ashez that was a great read mate and really shows how much work goes into FM and maybe how much scouts use/play FM. I read an article a while back about an ex Plymouth scout that started as a data collector for fm and how they used the info/stats to help them identify targets 

I believe a fair few clubs use FM for various research, I seem to remember Everton doing something with the game but I could be wrong. 

1 hour ago, samhardy said:

Good article @Ashez but no mention of Liverpool's most important summer signing?

That throw in coach will make all the difference.

I wasn't aware myself until the commentary mentioned it! 

[FuddledFox]

1 hour ago, Ashez said:

I believe a fair few clubs use FM for various research, I seem to remember Everton doing something with the game but I could be wrong. 

This article has some more info on that.

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-real-life-teams-are-using-football-manager-to-target-their-next-star-player/

Great article and a nice marriage of FMM and real life stuff. How come Fabinho can't get a game at the moment?

[Ashez]

2 hours ago, Foxy said:

This article has some more info on that.

https://www.pcgamer.com/how-real-life-teams-are-using-football-manager-to-target-their-next-star-player/

Great article and a nice marriage of FMM and real life stuff. How come Fabinho can't get a game at the moment?

I'll be sure to give that a read at some point. 

Thanks, I've always enjoyed twisting real life stuff into FMM content :). 

He's apparently not up to our style as yet but is making progress, if you remember Klopp did the same thing with Robertson and Oxlade. Both hardly featured in the first half of last season with Moreno being first team but when they came in they were ready and had excellent seasons. 

[FuddledFox]

4 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Oxlade

I remember actually many criticising him after he signed and then suddenly bang! He was a key player and doing well.

[Ashez]

9 minutes ago, Foxy said:

I remember actually many criticising him after he signed and then suddenly bang! He was a key player and doing well.

Yeah, he was taken out the team to get up to speed then he was immense. His injury was a massive blow as he'd have been a better option than Lallana after Salah's injury in the final and I think England missed him at the WC. I wasn't convinced by his signing tbh but he soon sold me on himself. 

[PilgrimAsh]

7 hours ago, Foxy said:

I remember actually many criticising him after he signed and then suddenly bang! He was a key player and doing well.

Klopp seems to get the best out of players and I think a lot of work goes on off the pitch to get the players to work in the style he wants them to, he’s made some average players really stand out when they have played in the first team. I suspect this is the same with Fabinho too.

[Ashez]

4 hours ago, PilgrimAsh said:

Klopp seems to get the best out of players and I think a lot of work goes on off the pitch to get the players to work in the style he wants them to, he’s made some average players really stand out when they have played in the first team. I suspect this is the same with Fabinho too.

Yeah he's a top motivator for sure! 

[PilgrimAsh]

34 minutes ago, Ashez said:

Yeah he's a top motivator for sure! 

He sure is, I’ve been pretty impressed by the start of this season, we’ve not looked to be on our A game but still got the job done, where as in the last couple of seasons we would have lost games like these, but only time will tell I guess 

[Jack]

Should add a Comedy topic tag for the part about United 😂

Liverpool have bought incredibly well but it'll be interesting to see how they deal with the pressure of expectation. No hiding behind the underdogs tag anymore!

Nice article Ashez, would like to see you write similar about other clubs 👍

[Ashez]

3 hours ago, PilgrimAsh said:

He sure is, I’ve been pretty impressed by the start of this season, we’ve not looked to be on our A game but still got the job done, where as in the last couple of seasons we would have lost games like these, but only time will tell I guess 

Agreed, we drop points yesterday and against Brighton last season. 

3 hours ago, Jack said:

Should add a Comedy topic tag for the part about United 😂

Liverpool have bought incredibly well but it'll be interesting to see how they deal with the pressure of expectation. No hiding behind the underdogs tag anymore!

Nice article Ashez, would like to see you write similar about other clubs 👍

Thanks, I'll see what I can come up with but it'll be tough to do it for anyone else. 

[Rob]

Shame there isn’t a goalkeeping filter for Cruyff turns.😭

[Scratch]

Great article @Ashez - I really appreciate this sort of article which differs from most. It's a unique angle on things! The only thing I don't like is your comment about Newcastle and no search filter for "traded for a bag of crisps"! But well, that's actually a pretty good analysis of our situation at the moment... 😢

[PilgrimAsh]

13 hours ago, Rob2017 said:

Shame there isn’t a goalkeeping filter for Cruyff turns.😭

Hopefully the last time he does that 

[Ashez]

18 hours ago, Rob2017 said:

Shame there isn’t a goalkeeping filter for Cruyff turns.😭

Lallana needs to take him under his wing as that's all Lallana can do!

9 hours ago, scratch99 said:

Great article @Ashez - I really appreciate this sort of article which differs from most. It's a unique angle on things! The only thing I don't like is your comment about Newcastle and no search filter for "traded for a bag of crisps"! But well, that's actually a pretty good analysis of our situation at the moment... 😢

Appreciated, I do try and post unique stuff when inspiration hits me :). 

I might look at a Newcastle one as I know Rafa and his type of players but I think I'd have to force it a lot. It would likely be more based on how Rafa could get you playing like we used to under him on a budget but that would likely require loads of work lol. Something like taking Liverpool's best XI under him then building a similar budget side with a strong Spanish connection. I'll consider it but I wouldn't get your hopes up, if anyone else wanted to do it though I'd be willing to discuss it. I have another massive article in the works currently anyway 😛

[Rob]

Would love you to do one for my boys Spurs and what we should have done in the window.

[Ashez]

8 minutes ago, Rob2017 said:

Would love you to do one for my boys Spurs and what we should have done in the window.

Write it and it will be read ;).

[Scratch]

13 hours ago, Ashez said:

Appreciated, I do try and post unique stuff when inspiration hits me :). 

I might look at a Newcastle one as I know Rafa and his type of players but I think I'd have to force it a lot. It would likely be more based on how Rafa could get you playing like we used to under him on a budget but that would likely require loads of work lol. Something like taking Liverpool's best XI under him then building a similar budget side with a strong Spanish connection. I'll consider it but I wouldn't get your hopes up, if anyone else wanted to do it though I'd be willing to discuss it. I have another massive article in the works currently anyway 😛

Actually, that would be really interesting! But yeah, would be a lot of work. My hand is staying firmly down at the moment. 😄

[Ashez]

10 hours ago, scratch99 said:

Actually, that would be really interesting! But yeah, would be a lot of work. My hand is staying firmly down at the moment. 😄

Tbh I'd say you can see signs of our old teams in yours at times, like with us he favoured defensively solid FBs, Shelvey isn't as good but he's in the Alonso mold, Perez is the hard working creative winger similar to Garcia/Benayoun, Richie is Kuyt-ish and now you have a big forward like Crouch and a pacey one like Torres. So you can see signs of it with little investment but with money I'd dare to say he likes certain types of players. 

Like at Madrid one of his key issues was he instructed Modric (I think) to play safer passes and stop the outside of the boot ones which ticked people off, the same goes with Mitrovic as he didn't trust him so he got the boot. 

FB CB BPD FB - Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Aurelio

BWM - Mascherano

BBM DLP - Gerrard Alonso

From that I'd say you have signs of building something similar but you lack a BWM of quality. But Diame and Shelvey could be seen as a shit version of our two :p. You have a brute of a CB and a more ball playing one as well. 

WNG ISF

ADF/TM

We had Kuyt and Garcia form the right but Gerrard played there a lot to, unfortunately Rafa's one weakness with us is he never had quality wingers, he signed dross like Riera, Pennant and Babel who are one dimensional cheap quick options and wow you have Atsu :p. But you could say Perez/Richie are the hard working one then you have Kennedy as the attacking threat. 

Rondon is your TM with even Joselu reminding me of Kuyt, tbf I like Joselu as he's in the right spot so often it's just his finishing is iffy but his movement is really good. Then Muto is your quicker Torres type striker. 

Admittedly I've not watched Rafa's Liverpool in years and I can't say I've watched much of Newcastle but from my take on the players are so see some similarities. Even down to the club size and the way the supporters are screams a Liverpool mark 2 to me, that's why I thought Rafa would really push you on as seriously how different are we? Like if Rafa had money to spend like a West Ham I think he'd make you a force! As this is rambling I will tag you 😛 @scratch99, screw it lets bring @Woodyin to!  

[Woody]

Bang on mate....like you said if Rafa had money to spend i think we could get in and around the European places(not champ league).

That dream is way off and Rafa wont be there to see it through as i think this wl be his last year but the similarities are defo there. I actually think Merino was going ti be his Alonso, he just didnt have the legs for the EPL unfortunately.

[Scratch]

@Ashez Thanks mate, that is a great write up and makes me feel a little better about some of the signings (only a little better mind you). I was struggling to see how they would improve the team. They are still pretty underwhelming to me, given they are the poor man's version, but at least I can now see how they relate to Rafa's thinking. 

If only: a) Mike Ashley had backed him with money for better quality signings and b) Rafa was going to stay longer than just this season... I think Benetiz could do wonders with Newcastle if only he had a little backing...

[samhardy]

9 hours ago, scratch99 said:

@Ashez Thanks mate, that is a great write up and makes me feel a little better about some of the signings (only a little better mind you). I was struggling to see how they would improve the team. They are still pretty underwhelming to me, given they are the poor man's version, but at least I can now see how they relate to Rafa's thinking. 

If only: a) Mike Ashley had backed him with money for better quality signings and b) Rafa was going to stay longer than just this season... I think Benetiz could do wonders with Newcastle if only he had a little backing...

He won't even stay till the end of this season

[Ashez]

22 hours ago, Woody said:

Bang on mate....like you said if Rafa had money to spend i think we could get in and around the European places(not champ league).

That dream is way off and Rafa wont be there to see it through as i think this wl be his last year but the similarities are defo there. I actually think Merino was going ti be his Alonso, he just didnt have the legs for the EPL unfortunately.

With ease, like with us he used his Spanish connection to bring in hidden talent like Reina, Alonso, Arbeloa and Torres and if he had cash to spend i'm sure he'd do that again, like Merino is a solid example of him trying to do it cheaply. 

12 hours ago, scratch99 said:

@Ashez Thanks mate, that is a great write up and makes me feel a little better about some of the signings (only a little better mind you). I was struggling to see how they would improve the team. They are still pretty underwhelming to me, given they are the poor man's version, but at least I can now see how they relate to Rafa's thinking. 

If only: a) Mike Ashley had backed him with money for better quality signings and b) Rafa was going to stay longer than just this season... I think Benetiz could do wonders with Newcastle if only he had a little backing...

Rafa can waste money and he does sign dross but he can build an eleven, even with us he had to sell to buy. He agreed to sign David Silva and Villa but the owners pulled the plug, imagine them in with our midfield and Torres! If he had money he'd have won us the league, I 100% believe that. The issue was everything fell apart when we had to sell stars to reinvest, especially Mascherano and Alonso's departures who arguably have only just been replaced. 

[Woody]

1 hour ago, Ashez said:

With ease, like with us he used his Spanish connection to bring in hidden talent like Reina, Alonso, Arbeloa and Torres and if he had cash to spend i'm sure he'd do that again, like Merino is a solid example of him trying to do it cheaply. 

Rafa can waste money and he does sign dross but he can build an eleven, even with us he had to sell to buy. He agreed to sign David Silva and Villa but the owners pulled the plug, imagine them in with our midfield and Torres! If he had money he'd have won us the league, I 100% believe that. The issue was everything fell apart when we had to sell stars to reinvest, especially Mascherano and Alonso's departures who arguably have only just been replaced. 

He seems to get a bum deal everywhere he goes, he could of achieved so much more with the right backing.

I would some one to come in to Toon as go 'Rafa, without going nuts you can have as much money as you need to builda squad good enough to challenge'. Thats all Geordies want really and then the trophies and rewards will come.

I look at Klopp now, its taken him a few seasons but you can clearly see improvement and where the club is heading. I think Klopp is brilliant and he can run up n down that touchline as much as he wants for me.

[samhardy]

Can we rename this thread to the let's lick Rafa and Newcastle's arses as much as possible thread?

[Ashez]

18 minutes ago, samhardy said:

Can we rename this thread to the let's lick Rafa and Newcastle's arses as much as possible thread?

The Rafalution is a way of life! 

[Woody]

2 hours ago, samhardy said:

Can we rename this thread to the let's lick Rafa and Newcastle's arses as much as possible thread?

😂 just cus your in league one