Football predictions Liverpool could not afford not to be able to afford Van Dyke
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Liverpool`s board of directors was meeting, and the cost of the potential transfer itself has caused widespread eyebrows and bowing. It was early May 1961 and Bill Shankly had identified a young Scottish talent -;Ian St. John, as the player who will improve the fortunes of the old Second Division club.
The ? 37, 500 price tag was a club record and everyone in the room was hesitant about paying a similar sum, while one of the directors -;Eric Sawyer, did not call for the purse to be released. In response to a dissenting voice in favor of the thesis that this transfer is just too expensive, Sawyer said: We cannot afford to be unable to afford it.
To Shankly`s great joy, the deal was concluded. The rest is history.
Moving forward to the present, in which Virgil van Dyke is in the role of a man whom Liverpool could not afford, he could not afford. The arrival of the central defender a year ago has drawn comparisons to the past, although there are slight differences.
This time not the directors, but the manager had to be convinced of paying a record amount for the defender. Sporting director Michael Edwards and president Mike Gordon of the owners of Fengway Sports Group (FSG) have pressed for spending ? 70m for the Southampton player, confident that he can make a huge difference. Although Jurgen Klop had no doubt about the qualities of the Dutchman, he still did not feel comfortable thinking that any footballer could be worth that much money and wanted to be sure Liverpool would not be at riskyour financial status. Philippe Coutinho`s upcoming sale of 142 million pounds in Barcelona has helped him to be convinced that transfer realities are changing.
The other difference is that, almost immediately after the arrival of St. John at Anfield, the colossus of the colossus comes to the defense;Ron Yates. Together they helped inspire unsuspecting growth.
The arrival of Van Dyke alone feels like a change in the whole picture, not forgetting the excellent inclusion of new goalkeeper Alison and the growing collective maturity of Liverpool, which has led to the rise of Premier League table. When the Dutchman is playing, the team retains more clean net, wins a higher percentage of their games and is allowed on average less than one goal per game by video football goals -;0, 8. Van Dyke wins his duels in the air, makes splits and, as he showed against Wolverhampton and Adam Traore, scores goals and has a brutal speed.
However, statistics do not accurately capture the calmness he radiates in order to inspire his teammates and shake opponents. He should also mention his organizational skills to stabilize a defense that has allowed 17 goals in his first 32 games with him in his heart. For comparison, in the 32nd before his debut in the defeat of the guests of Swansea, the Reds received 34 hits. This double figure speaks volumes about Van Dyke.
Over the 18-month period, Liverpool monitored 34 different central defenders, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses in over 15 games each
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