Liverpool FC Transfers - Javier Pastore Or Koke?

Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers’ hunt for an attacking midfielder is likely to continue in the winter, with Javier Pastore and Koke being rumored targets. A detailed look at what either would bring to the table for the Reds.

Brendan Rodgers targets Koke and Pastore - a comparison — Rodgers still wants attacking and creative talent

Liverpool FC manager Brendan Rodgers missed out on signing an attacking player in this yearai??i??s summer transfer window, despite being linked to a number of players. The most prominent rumours were around Henrikh Mkhitaryan (who ended up going to Borussia Dortmund), Diego Costa (who decided to stay with Atletico Madrid) and Willian (who was nabbed by Chelsea FC after a brief tug-of-war with Tottenham), before finally completing a loan move for Victor Moses. Whatai??i??s interesting to note is that all four names mentioned above are quite distinct type of players: Costa is more a forward than a midfielder, Willian is a typical Brazilian dribbler who likes to cut inside from a somewhat wider position, Moses is someone who likes to attack down the wings, and Mkhitaryan in an all-round attacking midfielder whoai??i??s good at dribbling, passing and shooting from outside the box. At the time it was unclear why Brendan Rodgers would be gunning for such varied kinds of personnel: surely he would have a clear concept of what kind of player would fit into his favored 4-2-3-1 formation?

There Is No Favored Formation, Only Favored Players

If there is one thing fans and pundits alike should have figured out about Rodgers is that he is not someone to get weighed down by the need to play any one favored formation. On his move from Swansea City to Merseyside he firstly attempted to bring the 4-3-3, which he had used to such great effect at the Welsh club, to Liverpool. However, he soon realised he was unable to fully utilise his squadai??i??s strengths this way, and had switched to a 4-2-3-1. This served its purpose so well that most simply assumed that this would be the formation of choice from this point on. With Daniel Sturridge doing exceedingly well as the lone frontman in Luis Suarezai??i??s absence (his 10-match ban, that is), talks of Suarez being forced to play on the left began to build momentum. That is, until the day of his return, in a League Cup tie against rivals Manchester United, where Rodgers surprised everyone by fielding a 3-4-1-2 formation, with Sturridge and Suarez playing together up front.

Liverpool's Coutinho - Pastore & Koke could give him competition if brought in — Liverpool have been over-reliant on Coutinho for bringing creativity to the side

What has become clear is that it is fairly pointless trying to predict what player Rodgers will target based on his preferred formations; rather he will field a side that will optimise the players he has at his disposal. What is apparent is that Rodgers is surely in need of one more attacking player, one who can contribute with both build-up of play as well as bringing in goals: something all his summer targets had in common. Philippe Coutinhoai??i??s injury this season (and the dip in performances in the subsequent games) has also exposed the need for a Plan B in the Brazilian maestroai??i??s absence.

Rumored Winter Window Targets

Two names that have been named as possible targets for Liverpool FC are Atletico Madridai??i??s Jorge ResurrecciA?n Merodio, better known as Koke, and Paris Saint-Germainai??i??s Javier Pastore. Both fit into the rough profile of practically every attacking player that has been linked with the club over the past year: aged between 20 and 24 years, comfortable on the ball with a good touch, and an accomplished passer of the ball. Ability to score goals, though not necessarily a prolific goal-scorer in the classic sense, is also a plus.

21 year old Koke is a player whose star is on the rise: he has been integral to a Falcao-less Atletico that are currently sitting 2nd in the La Liga, tied on points with toppers FC Barcelona and 5 points clear of 3rd place Real Madrid, their fiercest rivals. Though Koke is a dynamic player who can play on either wing and also behind the striker, he has been used primarily on the left flank by Atleticoai??i??s Diego Simeone. 24 year old Javier Pastoreai??i??s fortunes are on an exactly opposite trajectory: he has fallen out of favor of PSG Manager Laurent Blanc, and has been unable to pin a regular starting spot in the start studded team.

Stats Comparison

Below is a look at the statistics associated with these two players as well as Philippe Coutinho (who is the most similar player in the current Reds side), in order to better understand how they might contribute to Rodgersai??i?? Liverpool side.

The stats are hardly surprising: Koke leads in most categories as he has been having a stellar season with Atletico, while injury-plagued Coutinho and out-of-form Pastore only leading in specific functions.

Koke could be immense attacking talent for Liverpool FC — Koke – A versatile attacking talent

Right-footed Koke starts on the left flank, and does his best to create chances by either getting into advanced positions on the left wing and crossing to the center, or by cutting inside into more central zones. In either case, he has done well to combine with the La Liga top scorer Diego Costa and the two have developed a great team and link up regularly on the pitch.

He is a fairly direct attacking midfielder, preferring to provide a cross or a through-ball to a colleague rather than trying to dribble past opponents. He will look for the cutting forward pass more often than not, rather than trying to hold on to possession for too long. The only doubts about how he would fare in Rodgersai??i?? Liverpool side would stem from the fact that Atletico play a somewhat more counter attacking style of football than the Reds. On the plus side, Simeoneai??i??s men (Koke included) have been good at holding a narrow defensive shape when needed, something that will be an asset to Rodgers.

PSG's Pastore versus Atletico's Koke - a comparison — A move to Liverpool may get Pastore’s career back on track

Javier Pastore is a classic number 10. He is a player who is exceedingly comfortable with the ball at his feet, and has a knack for playing in his team-mates, often with pin-point lofted balls. He is much more likely to go for goal than either Koke and Coutinho, something that is evident in his substantially higher shots per game in the above stats. Also to his credit, Pastore has the highest average passes per game out of the three, as well as the highest tackles per game: key for a team that expects every player to contribute to defence. It is interesting that a player who is used to playing behind the striker has been played most regularly in the right side of a 3-man central midfield (in PSGai??i??s 4-3-3). It will also worry Rodgers that Pastoreai??i??s somewhat slight physique might be a setback in the Premier League: a problem apparent in the struggling Iago Aspas. However, his potential is undeniable, and who better to work with at this declining stage of his career than Brendan Rodgers, who has brought former ai???unrealised potentialsai??i?? Coutinho and Sturridge back from the dead.

Need Of The Team: Now & In Future

Both players fit into the Rodgers profile of a player, with both being fairly versatile players with great ball control and a good eye for passes. While Koke is clearly the man in form, one also has to keep in mind the much discussed Liverpool transfer policy. Liverpool have refrained from gunning for star players, especially ones who might ignite bidding wars with any European club with deep pockets. With Manchester United and Barcelona also being linked with the Spaniard, coupled with the fact that Atletico will try their best to return the Madrid-born Koke, Liverpool may find it difficult to pull off this capture at anywhere close to the rumoured A?15M ai??i?? Atleti could hold out for nearly twice that sum.

While Pastore might be available at a relative bargain, considering he was signed for over A?35M by PSG, he will not be cheap either. Liverpool will be fortunate to land him for anything below A?20M. There are major question-marks regarding his ability to realise the promise he had once shown, not to mention his ability to cope with the Premier Leagueai??i??s tempo.

Verdict

Will Koke or Pastore stop Suso from getting into Liverpool's first team next season? — Will Suso have a bigger role next season?

While it would be unfair to label one as being clearly superior to the other, Javier Pastore is the player Liverpool FC should be looking to rope in. The limelight shines far too brightly on Koke, and Atletico will not let their prized possession go without milking the buying club for all theyai??i??re worth. Liverpool have avoided such targets in the past, and prefer to go for lesser ai???toutedai??i?? players. Pastore could be just the sort of bargain LFC look for in the market.Ai??In the team, he will some much needed competition to Coutinho, and also offer an important Plan B in case of an injury. If both begin to shine, one can have faith in Rodgers to figure out a way to fit both into the side, much in the way has managed to accommodate both Suarez and Sturridge.

If Rodgers doesnai??i??t manage to land either of these two rumoured targets, it shouldnai??i??t be considered a major failure for the club. The reason for this is JesA?s JoaquAi??n FernA?ndez SA?ez de la Torre, better known as Suso. The Liverpool FC attacking midfielder is currently on loan at Spanish La Liga club Almeria, where in 8 starts he has scored one goal and provided three assists. While he should by no means be brought back from loan this season, as this may hamper his progress, he might be called upon for a more senior role next season should Liverpool not land any of their primary targets.

Fans will simply have to wait for January to see how things finally pan out.

Brendan Rodgers’ Obsession With Attacking Midfielders – Pastore Or Koke in January?

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