Is Conor Bradley's injury worse than we thought?

0:00This podcast is part of the Sports Social Podcast Network. Let's be honest, we have reports Connor Bradley would be back in September well, that's looking far fetched now from what and don't hear Ayola saying. And also a chunk of the season. He is like, I don't have been in black, he went in the building and pressed a pure and like people have forgotten this. Look at Connor Bradley's injury record in case you were unsure. It's been various reporting on this. That season he missed 35 games with three separate injuries. This is before obviously the knee surgery and you've seen Chris Williams and others suggest how bad that can be. 24-25 he missed 21 games, yeah? 23-24 he missed 29 games. Connor Bradley's injury record is horrendous. That is not me attacking the player, I'm not trying to have a go at it, he's just a factual

1:00statement. He's never played more than 8 league games in a row for Liverpool. Yeah? In fact a huge portion of his career minutes come at Bolton, did really I like the player. I'm not trying to hammer him at all. We all have our opinions, I'm not sure he's good enough long term. Part of it would be he was lacking a bit of sample size but I'm still not convinced that at the same time but the injury record is absolutely horrendous. So I would love someone to answer what chunk is Connor Bradley expected to play it right back. That's for we can get on to Eckert's EK and Leonie, both who are coming back from serious career injuries. It's mad isn't it? And David Lynch did this in his video, I said I still think it's narrowed out everywhere in the squad. Liverpool have taken a huge gamble at right back. Frimpon's drum and last season, this season may be right all of the sort things out but

2:01he hasn't looked great across these two games. Bradley's promising, highly rated the good player. People forget that but he's coming back from a long term injury. He's already quite an injury pro player. Is he going to avoid those muscle injuries you tend to see? It's going to be difficult for him to do that. Goldmeers can hopefully take up a lot of minutes. I'm not massively convinced by Frimpon and Bradley's fitness is a huge question mark. So I'm quite worried about right back. Forgive the pod but it feels like despite having all summer Liverpool are making it clear that they think they can get by. They are just rolling the dice on right back again. They're just saying no come on. Without Bradley, Frimpon, Goldmeers, a round hope, some boss flying a push that can play there. And you can poke holes in all those arguments. Can't you? Whether injuries, bitness, ability, you can shoot them all down a little bit.

3:05It is mad isn't it? And Neil Cuyette, absolutely right there. Irolla has mentioned a round hole as well. Does their play in there? No we've got the numbers. Make it work. Irolla. Again, just another reason people have not been a sort of hammer. Irolla has said I'm going to try combinations. You get the feeling that he's going to have a goal. Was it boss like a right back which I get? I just wanted to be ruthless with it. Yeah. Just do whatever it is. The boss died. Is the right back and the best option. Just do it. Simple as that. Now this tour, played as a gents. Spent the sound of the summer wingers and he was talking about them today. Wasn't he of course because? Well, we already got Barcola when he himself. A tour about one in multiple ones. And as he says, I let my wingers to play both sides. Even badly Barcola, it's very open. I can play both right and left.

4:06I'm happy with the four wingers we have. Now he's not going to say anything different. Is he? But we all know the plan of summer has been to ship off code. You got probably got like being spurs and then what are you going to get even more? From city, but that didn't pan out. Any Raeola clearly wanted someone to play on the right. We can't lie about this. Hence, sir and Minter were bidding for in the last few days of the window. So of course, he's now going to say I'm happy with my wingers, but let's not pretend he didn't want different ones at the same time. And he taught, he of course, he got asked about the balance there. Around the wing and he said we played with Ryo and Cody down on the right. Probably most of the wingers play on the left or the windows play on the left. But I've seen them good on the right. Barcola's open and can play on the left or right. And Leon's son's hand is on the right.

5:06It depends on the matchups, but I'm happy with the wingers we have. And we're going to be able to cope on the right. That's a bit of a, honestly, if you watch it back as well, he starts with happy and ends with, but we're going to be able to cope on the right. Cope isn't happy. It's not the same thing. Is it? Now, who's the best right wing option then? For me, forget Bradley Barcola. You can, yes, and they can alternate. Yes. But Bradley Barcola has been born to play on the left, hasn't he? For his pace to get in behind. Yeah. That's his strongest position. If you're going to spend that money, playing with the strongest position, like you're going to play first, Ted, and Isaac in the middle. So play Barcola left. Yeah. And you, if I'm pronouncing that right, I agree. If you're playing in the wing system, realistically, you need a left foot. I think you wanted one in mint, but he's not got them. For me, from what I've seen, Moonos, that's why I generally don't,

6:07he looks the best option for me. What a goal that was, you know, can get down there, got gap, was an option, but as he stands right now, from what I've seen and things can change quickly, he looks the best option. Is he right? All of a said, he can cope with that. Now, also at the same time, did anyone clock this? He's happy with his wing, but he was asked, he's quite honest in these, isn't he? My relationship with Cody has been very honest from the beginning. He's played very well for us so far. He was always aware of the situation, the market, we were constantly talking. I hope we can keep him at the same level. He's in a good place physically and mentally, and I'm very happy to pick him. So he might start saying he's very happy with his wingers, but again, as he said, he was honest with Gapho from the beginning, that probably was going to get Barcola in and another right winger. And then he could make his move to Spurs or City as it ended up being. But Liverpool pulled the plug last minute.

7:08And we even had the reports, didn't we? Of the owners and folks who in, okay? Cody does feel like, I would say a model professional, but a guy that will just get his head down, deal with it. You know, Virgil will be happy to stay in as well. So we'll see about that. And he did talk about Rio Wungamoa, who's not at the best start to the season. He was honest about this. He can play on the left and show his qualities, and he's to develop on the right. So he gives him more options to play. He's young because he wasn't incredible in the first game on the right. We can't say we'll never play on the right anymore. Victor's played more games on the left in his career, but there's maybe even been better on the right. Correct. Some tell it's a matter of the connections they make around them. We trust the wingers we have. They will all get minutes. Rio looks already like a player in the Premier League, because he's very good. The fact is now we've got Barcola, Gaphol, Stil,

8:08Victor Miros, we can be careful with Rio Wungamoa somewhat, can't we? Yeah. He's going to take a bit of patience and time, because you only get 17 or now 18, sorry, your old kid, isn't he? So you've got to give him a chance to get up to speed. Learn his trade. We can't forget that despite all his talent. Well, yeah, Barcin' A to D, what they do with the wingers on Friday night, and then of course, Athletic Unwarded Red come in Wednesday. So we taught wingers. He heard. He also talked about this. Midfield and the midfield debt. And people have written about this at the same time over the last few days. Now, you have Paul Joyce writing and saying, lack of midfield debt has become a bugbearer of supporters, but it's not the case that the before failed to both of that compartment due to bad planning. Quite the opposite. Strengthening a cent to half an attack was the priority, and because there was not a close to a player's to trade out, that is where the focus ended.

9:10Again, in time, that will be proved either right or wrong. I'm right, it'll be proved right or wrong. I know which way most of us are leaning, even though I am desperate to be wrong there. He's a bugbear for obvious reasons, the imbalance in midfield. It's either we've got to play with football IQ and no physicality or physicality and no football IQ. That's not trying to be harsh. I think it's an honest assessment of what you've got with Sir Bodley and Gravenberg who rely on their physical attributes. As they have done for most of their career, they are carriers, runners. Yeah, that's what it's about. Football IQ and that double pivot is missing. Then you've got Alexis McAllister, who? And I'm struggling to see any visual episodes that you can run, press, do the things that I was asking. I think he's got a football break. And just as Mickey said to Rocky once,

10:12you've got the snow, but not the tooth. That's where it stands with Alexis McAllister right now. Yeah. When I said, oh, it's not due to bad planet, well, seals, the execution of business, I think that has been pretty poor as well. And I loved this quote. I like the tuxedo quote from Joyce, like a snazzy tuxedo with no shoes to describe Liverpool. I like this one from Louis Steele as well. You could have the best artillery on weapons in the world. Well, you won't win the war if your troops cannot defend that position. The need for a deep limey build it is not a new thing, nor is it an overreaction to two league fixtures. It's not a new thing. How many pods have you seen me and Trevdund and talk about? Get me a prison sit. Get me a progressive, like water, camara, buwadi, all the players they've looked at all summer.

11:13Yeah. They've made this call. I don't think it is. We think it's going to be wrong. Your hopes sometimes they're, you know, I'd rather be wrong. The Liverpool be good and they're validated what was struggling to do it right now. And you've seen all these stories over the last few days, ladies and gents as the athletic port Liverpool weren't looking to move, Alexis McAllister, but it'd be hard for a move and a suitable lover had been forthcoming. And the main camara would have been the favoured replacement. Interested him could be revived in 2047, but there are no guarantees and another midfielder had beached on Liverpool's shortlist. They had decided to strengthen that area with Mattias Fernandez. Me and Trev told you that all summer, they looked at him. Remarrow had said it as well. It was just the price. They looked at camara. They looked at Fernandez. They were in for buwadi, but it moved across it. Let's not rewrite history. Liverpool liked the look of a midfielder.

12:16They just couldn't ship out Alexis McAllister, could they? Whether offers, price, whatever it is, that was a me or business. You had the whole window and you've not done it, but I'm not gonna accept the revisionism, but okay. This was all just a plan. No, they just couldn't get the business done that they wanted. And I thought this was a good line from Louis Steele as well. Did you see this one? There's need to be realistic and we know there's no more trea at Liverpool, but not a sign in the midfielder again and another full back leaves Liverpool incredibly short. This turns out to be an unsuccessful season. Fanair may not turn to new bossy Raiola, but the board. Damn right. Yeah, no one's played it, said. No one's gonna go at Raiola for this. And there might not be a magic money tree quote unquote.

13:19But Liverpool had the highest net spend in the Premier League. Everyone said that. What was it? 230 million give or take? And I'm not getting to the boss. It was gonna tell me it's 250 that blah blah blah. But Liverpool have the highest net spend, okay. And there's other things, yeah. And Keith, if I'm pronouncing that right, I'm not saying Garry at 39 million was right there. That does feel something that we may look at. K-Mac even suggested Carbohal, Alibur, Bisuma, Ronaldo, Sanchez, even Dages, San Joe. Look at that. Three agents who know one wants six hundred and 93 million. And that's what we're talking about. Oh, we're the last two windows. Is there any free agents that could improve us? And I tell you what, the reports from Spain, by the way, and that Carbohal's legs have just gone. People are expecting him to go to MLS, but it says everything. The Liverpool fans are still going, well, then he Carbohal, is he better than Jeremy Frippong?

14:22Yeah. This is the one thing of all the reports. I don't buy it or I believe, sorry, I don't buy it. So as James Pearsport, sources of close to Richard Hughes and senior Liverpool sources of all emphatically dismissed suggestions, he was dividing his time between Liverpool and his new role. All processes, there was no conflict of interest. He will leave on good terms. Although shit internally, I think he's got it right, even though we don't. Also, let's be honest, the new, of my Norroti owners right now, I mean, that's already being involved in the barcola. You all get a feel, a sense for where this is going, don't you? Yeah. I'm fully of the belief that I use the phrase you want here. People say I first do you've taken their eyes off the ball? They're stepped out. Taggle tell them I could be wrong on this, but my as belief is this is the start of the end game.

15:24Well, unbelievable. We'll have full owners, full new owners in 12 months die. You know, like when a business gets bought out and the transition happens, you know, it feels like that a little bit, doesn't it? Which means you've no idea what the transfer strategy will be. People have suggested they'll want to make a splash. I mean, that's a, if you might want to make a big splash as well. So you're quite p-archean and to engage with fans, doesn't it? Which could be a good or a bad thing. It's all about the results, isn't it? But yeah, I don't believe Richard Hughes was doing two jobs. I just think he was a poor, sporting director at the end. For all we talked about as well, ladies and gents, don't forget there's this, right? And I, it was which a routine in terms of zero, I always said if they won their first game at home, even though the day the first up, they were the better team until United got two on and the game went open. We have to be ready. Give our best.

16:25Maybe if you could just mention the changing room, focus on keeping it tight. Let's, we want to be adventurous, but don't do stupid goals away. Try not to make brain dead decisions. Yeah. Think about that. Even people stay in there, Steven Tutit, Gravon, Soberman, would better if Grav was told to sit back. We don't need both going forward and Gravon's show, he can do the D.A. Brawl. I'm not sure I agree with that. Steven personally, but the midfield needs to be on it, I would say, in this one. Now it's hard not putting any pressure on him, I all the way down saying this, please be clear. But we need to win this one. That's honestly all I'm bothered about. It's the first of a three game week. No, weird way, it's 12 versus 13th in the table. But we look like we can score goals, but we can't just keep giving away. You can't give up two shit goals again

17:25and then expect to win. That's the target, I know. Like it has to be a focus. I'm not saying we're going to be clean sheet city, but that's what you're looking for for this one. In simple terms against tips, which I'm Friday night, win no injuries. Is that simple? Yeah, whatever that takes. Because in case, as I said, it is the start of a three game week coming up. You have got EPSWitch tomorrow, then two at Antfield haven't yet. I'd like to go Madrid and Champions League and full at home. Yeah, well, this one, if it wins, it takes, don't say it takes the pressure off, but things calm down a little bit. If it's not a win, but the fan base will, yeah, it just does that potential, doesn't it?

18:25Yeah, Liverpool wants to be like 18. Now, at the last 17, at the last 44, I think it is. Does he win the league? Just win tomorrow night. Listen, for all insults about the squad, it is what it is. I'll be clear. I don't want to see Jeremy Frimpong arrive back on Friday. You manage Bradley Barcola. You pick your midfield carefully. You just focus on win. What I would like to see is Richard Hughes depart soon. We'll see if anything else comes out. There's been plenty said. There's been plenty written. Now, let's see how the action goes on Friday night. Thank you to all that joined us ever. Thank you for all your comments as ever. Thursday, the 3rd of September, that will be in embargo later, it's important to mention. Well, that was a news round.

19:26The Anfield Index.