Xabi: Barca close to my heart

[Tom R]

Alonso would look miles better if the wide players did something with the ball when he feeds them.

 

Spot on to be fair.

 

 

But £20m?? It's not like we're short of quality in the middle.

[A-G]

Macherano and Momo are amateurs compared to Xabi, he's our best midfielder as far as im concerned. Gerrard is good there but he cant run the show like Xabi can on his day i would be gutted if he left and 20mil is not enough for such a good player at his age.

[mcflynn]

He is such a quality player. I would hate to see him leave. But if a player wants to go, then there is no point keeping him

[Kurt]

You know what, I think we'd be mad to turn down £16m.

 

This season he's been pretty average and last season was pretty similar. Throughout 04-05 I thought we had something really special but I haven't seen it since.

 

Plenty of players can pass the ball sideways and plenty more can try 40 yard passes and succeed in conceding possession.

 

I think a lot depends on what Benitez wants him to do. He's wasted in his current role. Played higher up the pitch and given a bit more freedom and I think he'd be a lot more effective (Actually, you could say the same for most of our players...), but £16m for a holding midfielder who isn't exaclty doing a great deal is a crazy price.

 

I like Alonso, but somewhere along the line people have started to believe the hype rather than the actual performances and what he gives to the team.

 

I pretty much agree with that. He has`nt really managed to live up to the expectations after his first season. Although Brownie also have a good point. But out of the three midfielders Alonso, Gerrard and Sissoko, I believe Xabi would be easier to replace.

 

Don`t get me wrong I love Xabi and want him to stay, but if he has second thoughts on signing a new contract, I believe £16m would be a good deal. Unless Chelsea or Utd or maybe a desperate Juventus trying to rebuild comes in for him, i dont think we will get more than that.

[Kurt]

Macherano and Momo are amateurs compared to Xabi, he's our best midfielder as far as im concerned. Gerrard is good there but he cant run the show like Xabi can on his day i would be gutted if he left and 20mil is not enough for such a good player at his age.

 

Momo is a whole different type of player than Xabi. Xabi is superior on the ball, but the games against Arsenal especially showed what we miss when Momo is out, and Barca away showed what he gives us. Also Xabi`s ability to run the show is often mentioned. Well i dont think he does that very often. Maybe it`s due to tactics...don`t know. But the last time I remeber Xabi really dictating a game, was Everton at Anfield last season.

[fivetimes]

Spot on to be fair.

 

 

But £20m?? It's not like we're short of quality in the middle.

 

We are woefully short of quality in the middle.

[Brownie]

Spot on to be fair.

 

 

But £20m?? It's not like we're short of quality in the middle.

 

Momo can't pass as well as me, never mind Xabi or Gerrard! And Mascherano nobody can know about just yet.

 

I'd be gutted to see Xabi go, he's exactly the type of top-class player we need in the team. In fact we need more of them, not to be selling them.

 

We need to buy top class wingers and get Alonso and Gerrard paired in the middle more consistently. We can roll Momo out for the big games.

[Barrington Womble]

Momo is a whole different type of player than Xabi. Xabi is superior on the ball, but the games against Arsenal especially showed what we miss when Momo is out, and Barca away showed what he gives us. Also Xabi`s ability to run the show is often mentioned. Well i dont think he does that very often. Maybe it`s due to tactics...don`t know. But the last time I remeber Xabi really dictating a game, was Everton at Anfield last season.

 

So how do you account for chelsea and man u away when you say what we miss when momo is not there? he played both of them and yet he was ineffective and we lost both times. those arsenal games were lost because we didn't particulary want to win them, were shit in front of goal and played a keeper who didn't appear in the right frame of mind to perform. we restricted them to 10 chances in 2 matches - you would normally expect any top side to get that number of chances over 2 matches.

 

As for the last time alonso bossed a game - as was pointed out earlier the lack of quality from the players he passes the ball to doesn't help. He's not had a great season, but we've not been quality in the wide areas of the pitch on more than half a dozen occasions in that period.

[Brownie]

So how do you account for chelsea and man u away when you say what we miss when momo is not there? he played both of them and yet he was ineffective and we lost both times. those arsenal games were lost because we didn't particulary want to win them, were shit in front of goal and played a keeper who didn't appear in the right frame of mind to perform. we restricted them to 10 chances in 2 matches - you would normally expect any top side to get that number of chances over 2 matches.

 

As for the last time alonso bossed a game - as was pointed out earlier the lack of quality from the players he passes the ball to doesn't help. He's not had a great season, but we've not been quality in the wide areas of the pitch on more than half a dozen occasions in that period.

 

I can see what you're saying there but I think Momo is important in those games for the work he does off the ball. I'd say the main problem we had against Utd/Arsenal away was not scoring when we were on top/in control of the game.

 

Against 'lesser' sides, we don't need Momo much because the threat is much less.

[Mr.SB]

I thought yesterday's game showed how much Alonso is needed in the center. Our passing out of midfield (from momo and mascherano) was abysmal before Alonso came on. Everytime momo got the ball I was just waiting for us to lose it.

[madstock]

I don't usually resort to posting lists of statistics, as they can of course be manipulated any which way you want, however this seasons' Opta stats indicate that:

 

1. With 1,626 passes (at 81.7% completion rate), Xabi is the best passer at the club.

 

2. With 109 tackles, Xabi has made more tackles than anyone at the club (30 more than Gerrard in 2nd place)

 

3. With 36 fouls won, Xabi has been doing the "Didi trick" of drawing fouls more than any other player at the club.

 

4. 5 yellows puts him top of the booking table - 1 ahead of Momo, although he has played 14 more matches than Momo; he has also commited more fouls than any other player apart from Dirk, again essential to his job as hatchet-man who breaks up the play.

 

I am ordering the chains and cattle prods now, just in case anyone tries to take Xabi away without offering Eto'o, Iniesta and Xavi in exchange, plus eleventy-six-trillion Euros.

[Barrington Womble]

I can see what you're saying there but I think Momo is important in those games for the work he does off the ball. I'd say the main problem we had against Utd/Arsenal away was not scoring when we were on top/in control of the game.

 

Against 'lesser' sides, we don't need Momo much because the threat is much less.

 

my opinion is we don't need momo at all. i just don't think the quality of his football is of a high enough standard against the best teams - matches that are won by pieces of quality, not just the number of yards covered in a game. he'd be ok as a squad player, but he's had some great press while he was out injured stangely and there seems to be interest from a number of clubs abroad. people talk about snapping hands off for 20m and let alonso go - i'll tell you something in the current climate we could get 10m for momo and I'd take that in a flash and keep alonso (providing he wants to stay of course). We've played our best football this season without momo. We've been pretty poor with him in the side all season, certainly domestically. We need someone from the centre of the park who has the quality to get into the box, hurt teams and score goals (as scholes does for the mancs, lampard for chelsea)- until we have that we'll continue to trail the top clubs by 20 points or more a season.

[Brownie]

my opinion is we don't need momo at all. i just don't think the quality of his football is of a high enough standard against the best teams - matches that are won by pieces of quality, not just the number of yards covered in a game. he'd be ok as a squad player, but he's had some great press while he was out injured stangely and there seems to be interest from a number of clubs abroad. people talk about snapping hands off for 20m and let alonso go - i'll tell you something in the current climate we could get 10m for momo and I'd take that in a flash and keep alonso (providing he wants to stay of course). We've played our best football this season without momo. We've been pretty poor with him in the side all season, certainly domestically. We need someone from the centre of the park who has the quality to get into the box, hurt teams and score goals (as scholes does for the mancs, lampard for chelsea)- until we have that we'll continue to trail the top clubs by 20 points or more a season.

 

I don't hold as a radical feeling as that towards Momo, although I do agree to an extent.

 

For me, Gerrard has to play in the middle. He's our best player and should therefore play in his best position. Yes he can be awesome out wide, but that's just because he's such a good player.

 

We should be building the team around him, and in my opinion that would mean an axis of Alonso/Gerrard for the majority of games.

 

That's not to say that Momo isn't a great player, because he is. It's just that he's not as good as Gerrard or Alonso which is no great crime!

[Barrington Womble]

I don't hold as a radical feeling as that towards Momo, although I do agree to an extent.

 

For me, Gerrard has to play in the middle. He's our best player and should therefore play in his best position. Yes he can be awesome out wide, but that's just because he's such a good player.

 

We should be building the team around him, and in my opinion that would mean an axis of Alonso/Gerrard for the majority of games.

 

That's not to say that Momo isn't a great player, because he is. It's just that he's not as good as Gerrard or Alonso which is no great crime!

 

I can see why rafa plays gerrard at right midfield - he's the best right mifilder at the club. the decision rafa is making imo, is momo v pennant. does he want the workrate of momo or the attacking instincts of pennant. to me it's more a reflection of pennants lack of impact that gerrard is still being used out wide. I actually enjoyed for the 1st time in a long time the way gerrard played against sheff utd (yes I know it's only sheff u!!). Playing with macherano appeared to give him (and perhaps this is a mental thing as much as anything) more freedom than I have seen in quite some time. It could have been it was because it was just sheff utd, but I certainly saw enough to say I'd like to see those two play together more often. However, I think we need to sort right mid before that will happen - or before rafa will be prepared to do it. I'd be happy for next season to see us recruit a young box to box midfielder (who can play a bit and tackle a bit) and let momo go and use that money to strengthen another area of the team. I have no idea who that would be - but then I don't have loads of scouts at my disposal!

[robslappa]

I don't hold as a radical feeling as that towards Momo, although I do agree to an extent.

 

For me, Gerrard has to play in the middle. He's our best player and should therefore play in his best position. Yes he can be awesome out wide, but that's just because he's such a good player.

 

We should be building the team around him, and in my opinion that would mean an axis of Alonso/Gerrard for the majority of games.

 

That's not to say that Momo isn't a great player, because he is. It's just that he's not as good as Gerrard or Alonso which is no great crime!

 

I used to hold the opinion that Gerrard is better out wide because he can play more of a free role, but to be honest I've changed my mind and I agree he should be in the middle. Him and Alonso played well together and our best form this season was when Sissoko was out injured. If Gerrard doesn't play in the middle we lack urgency because it's not coming from the wide players.

[Best Believe It]

Does anyone remember this:

 

http://sport.independent.co.uk/football/premiership/article2214799.ece

 

I'll insert the relevant part (shutyerface):

 

Then Mascherano received a knock on the door of his apartment in London's Docklands. It was Rafael Benitez. The Liverpool manager turned up unannounced and wanted to know why Mascherano had chosen the Stadio Delle Alpi ahead of Anfield. Over the next four hours Benitez talked to Mascherano as no coach had talked to him before, and the 22-year-old was utterly mesmerised. He also changed his mind. He would now try to join Liverpool.

 

During the conversation Benitez had sat leaning over the coffee table and enthusiastically using the decorative stones placed on it to represent Liverpool players, just as a father might improvise with salt and pepper pots to explain the game to his son. Benitez told Mascherano exactly where he fitted into the Liverpool team - apparently alongside Xabi Alonso, holding in the centre of midfield, with Steven Gerrard on the right.

 

Now this was earlier in the season, and Xabi may want to leave and so in that case there's not much we can do, but if this is anywhere near true, Rafa still has Xabi as a crucial part of the team and El Jefe isn't supposed to be a replacement/insurance policy at all.

[coop]

I personally think there is room to try Alonso and Mascherano in the same midfield with Gerrard playing as an attacking midfielder behind a pacey striker.

 

I thought you could see against Villa that Mascerano was getting better and better as the game went on. He did a couple of good tackles and his passing was getting better.

 

You have to remember Mascherano has played hardly any games this season and i personally dont think its until next season when we will see the best of him.

 

Sissoko is a destroyer of attacks. His ability to get his foot in there is brilliant but i do think he should be 4th choice midfielder at the club. He gives the ball way too much at the moment and against the top sides they will punish you eventually.

 

Im not a believer in a player out of position to accomodate another player. Either they play in their preferred position or they dont play at all.

 

Once again its another big summer in the transfer market but for fucks sake can we finally sign a top right and left winger so we can have Gerrard in the centre and he stays there.

[Barrington Womble]

I personally think there is room to try Alonso and Mascherano in the same midfield with Gerrard playing as an attacking midfielder behind a pacey striker.

 

I thought you could see against Villa that Mascerano was getting better and better as the game went on. He did a couple of good tackles and his passing was getting better.

 

You have to remember Mascherano has played hardly any games this season and i personally dont think its until next season when we will see the best of him.

 

Sissoko is a destroyer of attacks. His ability to get his foot in there is brilliant but i do think he should be 4th choice midfielder at the club. He gives the ball way too much at the moment and against the top sides they will punish you eventually.

 

Im not a believer in a player out of position to accomodate another player. Either they play in their preferred position or they dont play at all.

 

Once again its another big summer in the transfer market but for fucks sake can we finally sign a top right and left winger so we can have Gerrard in the centre and he stays there.

 

Gerrard is almost always shit when played in that position.

[coop]

Well you could play him as part of a 3 man midfield. Gerrard know he has the freedom to roam forward due to Alonso and Mascherano behind him, in fact Alonso could venture further forward as well.

 

This formation with 2 attacking full backs with 2 up front would cause many a team problems.

[Brownie]

Well you could play him as part of a 3 man midfield. Gerrard know he has the freedom to roam forward due to Alonso and Mascherano behind him, in fact Alonso could venture further forward as well.

 

This formation with 2 attacking full backs with 2 up front would cause many a team problems.

 

You're falling into the trap of trying to accomodate all of the players there mate.

 

Gerrard should play in the middle and have the team built around him, i'm convinced of that fact now.

[Barrington Womble]

Well you could play him as part of a 3 man midfield. Gerrard know he has the freedom to roam forward due to Alonso and Mascherano behind him, in fact Alonso could venture further forward as well.

 

This formation with 2 attacking full backs with 2 up front would cause many a team problems.

 

Gerrard is a fine player when facing the goal. The trouble is all too often when he plays as a 2nd striker and most attacking of a central 3 (which amounts to the same thing in my opinion) is he spends far too much of the game with his back to goal imo. He's not so good at this, but more importantly it negates his ability to use his energy and speed to burst past people as he is normally facing the wrong way and less "on the move".

[aws]

Gerrard is a fine player when facing the goal. The trouble is all too often when he plays as a 2nd striker and most attacking of a central 3 (which amounts to the same thing in my opinion) is he spends far too much of the game with his back to goal imo. He's not so good at this, but more importantly it negates his ability to use his energy and speed to burst past people as he is normally facing the wrong way and less "on the move".

 

 

This is why I still think his best position is on the right when he gets more opportunities and more space to run onto the ball at speed. The trouble is he doesn't see it that way and except for the "big games" tends to sulk when he's on the right.

[Best Believe It]

This is why I still think his best position is on the right when he gets more opportunities and more space to run onto the ball at speed. The trouble is he doesn't see it that way and except for the "big games" tends to sulk when he's on the right.

 

Does anyone else think Rafa still wants, in an ideal world, his 4-2-3-1 formation?

 

The defence aside, it'd be Xabi and Masch holding, with Gerrad, Kuyt and AN other on the left. Then Villa/Eto'o/striker of a similar ilk up front? We played that formation when we beat arsenal 2-1 thanks to Mellortime, and I'm sure I've read Rafa say it's how he wants to play.

[aws]

Does anyone else think Rafa still wants, in an ideal world, his 4-2-3-1 formation?

 

The defence aside, it'd be Xabi and Masch holding, with Gerrad, Kuyt and AN other on the left. Then Villa/Eto'o/striker of a similar ilk up front? We played that formation when we beat arsenal 2-1 thanks to Mellortime, and I'm sure I've read Rafa say it's how he wants to play.

 

 

Yes I think he does. With flexibility to switch it to 3-5-2 for certain games.

[Best Believe It]

Yes I think he does. With flexibility to switch it to 3-5-2 for certain games.

 

The good thing about that formation is it is very flexible - it can go to 4-5-1 and 4-4-2 very easily as well.