Rafa has been building towards this for a long time. I've heard comparissons with our 87-88 side, forget them, the formation may be similair but the players and the way we go about things are nothing alike though the results could be someday soon.
Sure you could compare the work rate of Kuyt to McMahon, the jinking skill and towards the end important goals of Bennynoon to Beardsley and the goals of Torres to Aldo and so on but there is one thing that side didn't have that we do and it makes a world of difference, a player comparable with no one from that side. In case you weren't sure the player I am refering to is STEVEN GERRARD.
No one played in the hole or got a license to roam from midfield of that Liverpool of 87-88 side, it all came from pacey skillful wing play, the type we simply do not have and have not had since that era to be honest.
The good news is that Rafa is not immitating anyone, he is innovating, the same way Wenger did when he became the only man without a ridiculous amount of money to knock United from the top.
Rafa won't play 4-4-2 consistenly because he doesn't have players who can consistently play it. Sure he may and will go to it when he sees it as a tactically astute move in certain circumstances but that will not be often simply down to the personnel we employ.
Glen Johnson is a fantastic signing for this club for so many reasons, the seemingly tepid response to his signature has me for one scratching my head. As I say we don't have the pacey attacking wing play that allows us to get in behind teams and deliver decent quality crosses, at least we don't have it in the midfield. In GJ that is exactly what we have bought. I hear a lot of hype about Dani Alves and yet every time I see him play what I see is a raw talent who has never moved on from his Sevilla days and who for every great cross he delivers, delivers 9 poor ones.
Johnson has pace, power, a decent amount of skill, can beat a man, crosses a ball well with both feet and defensively is improving by the season as far as I can tell. Rafa will turn him into the finished article, I have no doubt about that. With all the respect in the world to Arbeloa, a man whose contribution can not be overlooked, he was always a stop gap albeit one that excelled. Johnson is the real deal, so much so I would say that on all known form and ability we have signed the second best Right Back in the world. The first? Maicon.
Insua will have to provide the balance on the other side (or dare I say it Dossena.. god I hope not) but again he is much improved and getting better and has real talent, so although he is a risk he would be a sensible one.
These two have to and will provide our width, they will get in behind teams and act as wing backs allowing us to build on our smothering pressing play from last season that saw us dominate sides into submission and score goals for fun (and that was without a fit Torres for most of the season!).
If Mascherano goes then so be it. I don't see the hype about him and 17m in a sensible market would probably be about right. That said why the hell should we be sensible? I don't see anything Mascherano does that a young up and coming strong kid with pace, tackling ability and stamina couldn't do. There is always an Essien out there that can do what he does and a little bit more, I'm not saying they are easy to find but it isn't impossible. Matuidi would be the first one I'd be over to look at.
Alonso on the other hand is much harder to replace as you are looking for a strong, fast, skilfull player with incredible vision a great touch and the ability to playmake from deep. I hope the rumours about Real going off him are true as players like him are very hard to come by.
I'd rather not lose either for the sake of consistency but if we did lose Mascherano I believe that would be easier to replace. I also believe Barca would realise quite quickly they had bought the wrong player and the move would not work out.
Lucas is another that has been written off but I believe will silence many of his critics this season. He needed longer to adapt than many would have thought or were willing to allow him but I believe he is getting there. A very large part of his game that is overlooked is his positional sense. It only really struck me towards the end of the season when he started to work a lot harder. He has like Benny (pre turn around) and Babel shown flashes of ability and also shown a great attitude under a mountain of pressure. I really hope the lad makes it here.
I've heard it said and said it myself that Gerrard and Torres need someone to take the weight of goalscoring off them, the more I think about this comment the more I actually don't understand it. They are goalscorers, that is their primary directive if you will. They don't need players to do their job as well as them, what they need is players that will help them do their job and make it easier for them..... like SILVA.
Johnson I have no doubt was bought after Rafa watched teams park the bus and then realised you can't just batter through them ALL the time with Gerrard and Torres. Most of the time, but not all. The same theory applies to David Silva. While Gerrard and Torres are the best in the world at scoring goals, Silva doesn't take a back seat to many at making them. Not just with his vision or clever passing ability but with being able to take 2-3 players out of the game time and time again over the course of 90 mintues with his trickery. Add to that the vision and passing/crossing ability he has and he is another piece that will improve our home record, the only thing that cost us the title last season.
Rafa has shown he has worked it out away from home and with the players he has is confident of going away anywhere this country or abroad and getting a win scoring goals.
It is for this reason I believe that all the players Rafa is looking at now are either squad players to cover positions (Distin, Falcao...?) or skilful fast players who will commit players and make it harder for them to sit back and absorb pressure.
We are so close, Falcao and Silva in and we are surely all but there?
Last edited by Hyppia 4; 4th July 2009 at 09:58 PM.
Yes agree up to a point. Mascherano is the captain of Argentina, Xabi is just about breaking into the Spain team. I cannot fathom, if Essien is worth 26m a couple of years ago then Mascherano is worth £40m if he is worth anything. It's about scarcity value and Mascherano, there aren't many around like him right now. He has no peers in his position. None.
Xabi is fantastic but easier by a mile to replace, Masch is a much better prospect alongside Gerrard in the centre and he frees Gerrard up, Xabi needs cover because he is not fast as you bizarrly claim. Have a look at the point we pick up with Masch than without I think you'll find it hard to spot a game we have lost with Masch in the team even playing at 50% is more effective than Xabi at 75% of his capability.
]If Mascherano goes then so be it. I don't see the hype about him and 17m in a sensible market would probably be about right. That said why the hell should we be sensible? I don't see anything Mascherano does that a young up and coming strong kid with pace, tackling ability and stamina couldn't do. There is always an Essien out there that can do what he does and a little bit more, I'm not saying they are easy to find but it isn't impossible. Matuidi would be the first one I'd be over to look at.
Alonso on the other hand is much harder to replace as you are looking for a strong, fast, skilfull player with incredible vision a great touch and the ability to playmake from deep. I hope the rumours about Real going off him are true as players like him are very hard to come by.
I'd rather not lose either for the sake of consistency but if we did lose Mascherano I believe that would be easier to replace. I also believe Barca would realise quite quickly they had bought the wrong player and the move would not work out.
While finding a player like alonso would be difficult, the point I and others have been making is that it's not necessary to have someone like him an a midfield two, I believe we'd be ok replacing him with a midfielder who'd get forward more and offer a goal threat.
I also believe that you're underrating Mascherano as much as you overrate Alonso, if DM's like him were so easily nurtured there would be many more out there and yet I only count Essien and him. And I may be wrong but did you just call Alonso fast?
