The #LUFC Breakfast Debate (Monday 27th September)

Y

eah when you only have 18 first team players and 9 are out injured or suspended you have big trouble Bielsa then resorts to put square pegs in round holes because he dare not trust his U23s until he has no choice so Struijk did it season before last and Cresswell this season but why oh why we never bought that midfielder we needed? And why we carry on with Roberts when we have better options in Gelhardt or Greenwood. At least either of these will make something happen and not afraid of getting shots off and both average a goal a game unlike Roberts who averages a goal per season

 

Just a thought, maybe we can not afford to buy quality 1 st teamers and pay them to sit on the bemch or play for 15 mins.

 

When you look at the information on the site Doc referred to, it seems that Llorente has missed a total of 49 games over 8 seasons, or an average of 6.125 games per season. Cooper, unfortunately only shows stats since the 18/19 season, but has missed 21 games over 3 complete seasons, so an average of 7 per season due to injury.

Over the same period as Cooper, then Llorente has missed 42 games due to injury, so 14 games per season. Prior to joining us, Llorente had missed 30 games in 6 seasons, so 5 games per season due to injury.

Looking at it another way, since Cooper signed for us (2014/15), he has started 201 games in 8 seasons, an average of 25.125 games per season. He had one season where he only started 8 games, although that was due to manager selection, so if we discount that season, his average starts are 27.5 games per season

Robin Koch had started 99 games prior to joining us over 4 seasons, so an average of 24.75 games started. Since joining us (and not counting this season), his average has fallen to 18.6 games

Prior to joining us Llorente had started 129 games in 5 season, so 25.8 games per season. With last season in which he played one game for Villareal and started 14 games for ourselves, he has started on average 24 games per season.

So on average with our senior central defenders, Cooper is likely to miss 11 games per season (based on 38 premier league games), Llorente 14 games and Koch 20 games.

Now Llorente has missed 11 games that are not related to strains or pulls, the majority of his injuries both prior to joining us and since joining us, has been related muscular type injuries. Now 2 of those games were when he wasn't getting into the Real Madrid team, so if we discount those, and say if not for broken bones, then Llorente would have played 153 games over 6 season, so on average starting 25.5 games per season

So depending upon how you want to interpret those stats, you can say that either the 3 additional games that Llorente misses is a significant difference, or you can say that they are fairly comparable to each other.

The main point to me is on those figures, then potentially our two most senior experienced central defenders, may only partner each other in the starting 11, 13 games per season

 

Thought there was more chance of bumping into you that way

 

Soz wakey.

TBF think marcos has gone low profile since he ate all the pies and morphed into a chesh look-alike

 

I know that happened before when a player headed the ball out of the keepers hand and then scored. But why oh why he didn't look back first and why didn't any outfield player not warn him. ****ing shocking.

 

We can't afford it Este. Maybe we should go down the Ridsdale route again when we had six strikers at one time.

 

Did wonder that about his team mate too, why the f didn't he warn him, it was obvious what was going on.