Javier Mascherano

[silverlining]

Originally Posted by keysaint for me he is up there with those two. particularly on current form. we're talking about an Argentinian international here who provides the defensive midfield duties to enable us to win games. he won't score a screamer from 30 yards but then i wouldn't bet on that part of his game developing as he's clearly improving game on game. It depends how much he's unleashed.

I would. He couldn't hit a bull's arse with a laser-guided banjo. He's a great holding midfielder. That's all he is. He isn't going to turn into Cesc Fabregas all of a sudden.

[PaulMcC]

He's amazing.

Fabregas can't do the things Mascherano can. And Mascherano isn't as good going forward as Fabregas.

Mascherano is still absolutely world class tho.

[keysaint]

I would have assumed he couldn't take people on but that seems to be developing. seen him waltz past a few people this season (including the inter game).
I can understand assuming that he can't shoot because his distribution is a bit shaky at times but we've not exactly witnessed him attempting shots each week

[silverlining]

Originally Posted by PaulMcC He's amazing. Fabregas can't do the things Mascherano can. And Mascherano isn't as good going forward as Fabregas. Mascherano is still absolutely world class tho.

I know, let's do another poll:

Fabregas or Mascherano?

Hopefully it won't turn out quite as spasticated as the last one we did when laughably comparing different players.
It shouldn't, because Masher is clearly a very good player, and Sissoko is shite.

[keysaint]

Originally Posted by silverlining I know, let's do another poll: Fabregas or Mascherano? Hopefully it won't turn out quite as spasticated as the last one we did when laughably comparing different players. It shouldn't, because Masher is clearly a very good player, and Sissoko is shite.

i wouldn't have a clue who to pick from out of those two. if we put fabregas in the centre of midfield with gerrard for example i'm sure we'd be exposed more but fabregas is better on the ball. bring different things to a team.

[Unrighteous]

Fabregas and Mascherano in the middle with Gerrard on the right? Scary.

[rebel23]

one thing Silverlining doesn't appreciate is the pace and willingness he shows in a game even if he;s just carrying the ball or tackling someone, it lifts the crowd, they chant his name, they love to see such determination, it lifts the team

[silverlining]

Originally Posted by keysaint i wouldn't have a clue who to pick from out of those two. if we put fabregas in the centre of midfield with gerrard for example i'm sure we'd be exposed more but fabregas is better on the ball. bring different things to a team.

Yeah, and being true to the underlying theme of the original fucking Sissoko or Ronaldinho poll, one would have to surmise that Masher-Gerrard is a rather better looking partnership than Fabregas-Gerrard, or rather it seems to compliment each players best attributes.

[silverlining]

Originally Posted by rebel23 one thing Silverlining doesn't appreciate is the pace and willingness he shows in a game even if he;s just carrying the ball or tackling someone, it lifts the crowd, they chant his name, they love to see such determination, it lifts the team

Yeah, tackling and running about probably lifts the team and the crowd more than anything. Even more than, I dunno, goals or whatever.

[rebel23]

Originally Posted by silverlining Yeah, tackling and running about probably lifts the team and the crowd more than anything. Even more than, I dunno, goals or whatever.

you seem to think every game should be 10-0 to us, you're really stubborn as a mule silverlining and don't appreciate what the lad brings, you might ponder why the faithful chant his name during a game, just try and think for once...

[dalglish2rush]

THE BEST HOLDING MIDFIELDER IN THE WORLD - BAR NONE

[TheHitman]

An old article but sums up the man it's about time the Makelele role is renamed the Mascherano role the baton has been passed i was thinking that when watching the Chelsea game when they had their altercation.....

June 29, 2006

Mascherano shining out of limelight
Our correspondent talks to the unsung workhorse in Argentina's talented team
By GABRIELE MARCOTTI
HAD JAVIER MASCHERANO BEEN A member of Queen, he would have been neither Freddie Mercury nor Brian May. Lead vocals and virtuoso guitar riffs are not for him. Rather, he would have been John Deacon, reliably laying down the bass lines and often writing the songs, but most often remaining in the shadows, doing the essential but unsung work.
What else would you expect from a youngster who — in the country of Diego Maradona and Leo Messi, Roberto Ayala and Gabriel Heinze — chooses as his role model not a flashy striker or an inspirational defender but that most unsung of water-carriers, Claude Makelele? The holding midfield player is the metronome who allows the Argentina orchestra to mesmerise the opposition. He is also the defensive bulwark who allows Juan Román Riquelme and the other virtuosos to strut their stuff, knowing that their backs are covered.

Mascherano, who turned 22 this month, learnt at an early age not only where he wanted to be but who he wanted to be on the pitch. It happened six years ago, when he first saw Makelele directing the Real Madrid midfield.

“I always watched a lot of football and I tried to treat each game as a learning experience, a chance to study the best and pick up things I could then incorporate into my game,” Mascherano said. “I always loved watching Matias Almeyda and I’ve been told my style is similar to his. But, most of all, I love Claude Makelele. He’s the best in the world in that position and in many ways is the player I tried to emulate.”

He does not see his predilection for the unsung Frenchman as unusual. In fact, you get the sense that his vision of football is far more Makelele than Maradona. “OK, so you don’t get the glory and you don’t get into the highlights and maybe some don’t see what you do,” Mascherano said. “But in that role the game always goes through you. You are always in the middle of it and you are always battling, always fighting. It’s like the decathlon, You have to do so many things — pass, tackle, foul if necessary — and, what’s more, you’re always thinking. Your brain never gets a rest.

“That’s what I love. I’ve always liked defending more than attacking anyway. And to know that your team-mates depend on you so much, that you have so much responsibility, well, that spurs you on even more.”

Maturity is not a word often associated with footballers, yet when speaking to Mascherano, it is the first word that comes to mind. He moves with the same precision and self-assuredness on the pitch and off, while exuding a quiet confidence that naturally makes him a point of reference, even to his more heralded team-mates, who call him “El Jefe” (“The Chief”).

“The kid is fantastic,” Riquelme said. “He makes everyone feel so secure. When you lose the ball, you know that he’ll be there, best placed to win it back. And when you have the ball, you know he’s always open to receive it and you know he’ll give it back to you in a better position than you were when you passed it. He’s the engine that runs this team and when I think that he’s so young, I have to say, it’ s incredible.”

José Pekerman, the Argentina coach, understood just what Mascherano could bring to his team. Last season, when the player missed four months because of injury, Pekerman invited him to Argentina matches as a way of making it clear that he is an integral part of the team.

Pekerman’s commitment to him is not unlike the one Mascherano made to football. “At 14 I left home and, from that moment, I was alone,” he said. “That’s when I dedicated my life to football. I give everything I have to the game and I don’t regret it.”

He sounds almost like a fresh-faced priest who has just taken his vows, who knows that he has given up worldly pleasure to a different calling and is comfortable with his decision. Yet he is also under no illusions about what the future may bring. He never imagined, for example, that he would be playing his club football in Brazil, at Corinthians, rather than joining the exodus of young Argentine talent to Europe. But when the British-based consortium Media Sports Investment bought the São Paulo club and opened the coffers to secure Mascherano, Carlos Tévez and others, he went to Brazil.

“Few would have imagined it,” he said of his £10 million move to Corinthians. “But the world has changed. Today there is maybe a little less money in some European leagues and more, new rich people elsewhere.”

It is hard, though, to see Corinthians as anything but a stepping stone, not least because reports in Brazil continue to link MSI and its owner, Kia Joorabchian, with Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns Chelsea, where the midfield is run by Makelele.

[Trucker Paddy]

Originally Posted by TheHitman An old article but sums up the man it's about time the Makelele role is renamed the Mascherano role the baton has been passed i was thinking that when watching the Chelsea game when they had their altercation..... June 29, 2006 Mascherano shining out of limelight Our correspondent talks to the unsung workhorse in Argentina's talented team By GABRIELE MARCOTTI HAD JAVIER MASCHERANO BEEN A member of Queen, he would have been neither Freddie Mercury nor Brian May. Lead vocals and virtuoso guitar riffs are not for him. Rather, he would have been John Deacon, reliably laying down the bass lines and often writing the songs, but most often remaining in the shadows, doing the essential but unsung work. What else would you expect from a youngster who — in the country of Diego Maradona and Leo Messi, Roberto Ayala and Gabriel Heinze — chooses as his role model not a flashy striker or an inspirational defender but that most unsung of water-carriers, Claude Makelele? The holding midfield player is the metronome who allows the Argentina orchestra to mesmerise the opposition. He is also the defensive bulwark who allows Juan Román Riquelme and the other virtuosos to strut their stuff, knowing that their backs are covered. Mascherano, who turned 22 this month, learnt at an early age not only where he wanted to be but who he wanted to be on the pitch. It happened six years ago, when he first saw Makelele directing the Real Madrid midfield. “I always watched a lot of football and I tried to treat each game as a learning experience, a chance to study the best and pick up things I could then incorporate into my game,” Mascherano said. “I always loved watching Matias Almeyda and I’ve been told my style is similar to his. But, most of all, I love Claude Makelele. He’s the best in the world in that position and in many ways is the player I tried to emulate.” He does not see his predilection for the unsung Frenchman as unusual. In fact, you get the sense that his vision of football is far more Makelele than Maradona. “OK, so you don’t get the glory and you don’t get into the highlights and maybe some don’t see what you do,” Mascherano said. “But in that role the game always goes through you. You are always in the middle of it and you are always battling, always fighting. It’s like the decathlon, You have to do so many things — pass, tackle, foul if necessary — and, what’s more, you’re always thinking. Your brain never gets a rest. “That’s what I love. I’ve always liked defending more than attacking anyway. And to know that your team-mates depend on you so much, that you have so much responsibility, well, that spurs you on even more.” Maturity is not a word often associated with footballers, yet when speaking to Mascherano, it is the first word that comes to mind. He moves with the same precision and self-assuredness on the pitch and off, while exuding a quiet confidence that naturally makes him a point of reference, even to his more heralded team-mates, who call him “El Jefe” (“The Chief”). “The kid is fantastic,” Riquelme said. “He makes everyone feel so secure. When you lose the ball, you know that he’ll be there, best placed to win it back. And when you have the ball, you know he’s always open to receive it and you know he’ll give it back to you in a better position than you were when you passed it. He’s the engine that runs this team and when I think that he’s so young, I have to say, it’ s incredible.” José Pekerman, the Argentina coach, understood just what Mascherano could bring to his team. Last season, when the player missed four months because of injury, Pekerman invited him to Argentina matches as a way of making it clear that he is an integral part of the team. Pekerman’s commitment to him is not unlike the one Mascherano made to football. “At 14 I left home and, from that moment, I was alone,” he said. “That’s when I dedicated my life to football. I give everything I have to the game and I don’t regret it.” He sounds almost like a fresh-faced priest who has just taken his vows, who knows that he has given up worldly pleasure to a different calling and is comfortable with his decision. Yet he is also under no illusions about what the future may bring. He never imagined, for example, that he would be playing his club football in Brazil, at Corinthians, rather than joining the exodus of young Argentine talent to Europe. But when the British-based consortium Media Sports Investment bought the São Paulo club and opened the coffers to secure Mascherano, Carlos Tévez and others, he went to Brazil. “Few would have imagined it,” he said of his £10 million move to Corinthians. “But the world has changed. Today there is maybe a little less money in some European leagues and more, new rich people elsewhere.” It is hard, though, to see Corinthians as anything but a stepping stone, not least because reports in Brazil continue to link MSI and its owner, Kia Joorabchian, with Roman Abramovich, the Russian billionaire who owns Chelsea, where the midfield is run by Makelele.

Good article, but i still dont think he'll be with us next year to much fuckin around(as usual with us), we'll end up regreting this 1 big time like the anelka fuck up(thanks Gerard), and spend the next 5 years trying to replace him.

[millomred]

[quote=Mr Moustache;1010388]

Originally Posted by Red_Jim83 I totally agree with these sentiments...I think our current captain could take a leaf out of Mascherano's book...less talking to the papers and writting crap autobiographies and do more of his talking on the pitch! Stop thinking he's the best midfielder in the world, and just BE the best midfielder in the world![/QUOTE That'll be the Captain who pulls us out of the shit time after time. That'll be the Captain whose goals got us to Istanbul and won us the FA Cup. That'll be the Captain who EVERY other club side in the world would love to have in their 1st XI. That'll be the Captain who has just scored another vital European Goal for us.

[Stu Monty]

Originally Posted by silverlining I know, let's do another poll: Fabregas or Mascherano? Hopefully it won't turn out quite as spasticated as the last one we did when laughably comparing different players. It shouldn't, because Masher is clearly a very good player, and Sissoko is shite.

Not that Sissoko was being compared with anyone, as that wasn't the subject of the thread you're alluding to. Don't let missing the point completely stop your little rant though.

You might want to wipe that dribble away.