Xabi Alonso-The Liverpool Maestro

[stringvest]

Which part?

 

 

Both.  Can you imagine Alonso putting in the sort of midfield performances we've seen from Henderson and Can this year?  He would find it impossible to play that badly.  And Benitez had already decided he didn't want him the previous season.  Any subsequent noises were just hogwash to placate the simpletons.

[aRdja]

Both. Can you imagine Alonso putting in the sort of midfield performances we've seen from Henderson and Can this year? He would find it impossible to play that badly. And Benitez had already decided he didn't want him the previous season. Any subsequent noises were just hogwash to placate the simpletons.

Of course not. Under Benitez we aimed to win the league of the CL though. Different standards to now. Rafa didn't want him to leave after 08/09. I'm pretty sure you can find quotes from Xabi himself on that. He also said he didn't leave Liverpool because of Rafa. He wanted to join Real.

[stringvest]

Of course not. Under Benitez we aimed to win the league of the CL though. Different standards to now. Rafa didn't want him to leave after 08/09. I'm pretty sure you can find quotes from Xabi himself on that. He also said he didn't leave Liverpool because of Rafa. He wanted to join Real.

 

 

The gift that doesn't stop giving. 

[aRdja]

The gift that doesn't stop giving.

"Yes, I can admit that my relationship with Rafa wasn’t as good as it had been in the first year,” he says. “But I didn’t ask to leave because of that. I had been five years at Liverpool. I had the feeling it was the right thing to do."

 

"Moving from Liverpool to Madrid was the most difficult step to make in terms of the decision. But I felt that I had new things to learn, new challenges to take."

 

From https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/sep/02/xabi-alonso-i-want-to-win-everything-there-is-to-win-with-bayern-munich-liverpool

[stringvest]

"Yes, I can admit that my relationship with Rafa wasn’t as good as it had been in the first year,” he says. “But I didn’t ask to leave because of that. I had been five years at Liverpool. I had the feeling it was the right thing to do."

 

"Moving from Liverpool to Madrid was the most difficult step to make in terms of the decision. But I felt that I had new things to learn, new challenges to take."

 

From https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/sep/02/xabi-alonso-i-want-to-win-everything-there-is-to-win-with-bayern-munich-liverpool

 

 

So the fact that Benitez had tried to ship him out the year before, and he wasn't getting on with his manager had no bearing on his decision.   Course not. 

[aRdja]

So the fact that Benitez had tried to ship him out the year before, and he wasn't getting on with his manager had no bearing on his decision. Course not.

What else could he have said that would make you believe him?

[Biscao]

Rafa's biggest mistake while at Liverpool was shipping him out.

 

Best of luck to him in his future endeavours.

[stringvest]

What else could he have said that would make you believe him?

 

 

Alonso is a professional.  I do believe he wanted to go.  He went, and what followed was a car crash with everyone fighting to get out of the door.  

[aRdja]

Alonso is a professional. I do believe he wanted to go. He went, and what followed was a car crash with everyone fighting to get out of the door.

I agree with most of that. Rafa was one of a few within the club who stood up and took the fight to the owners publically, and unfortunately it cost him his job.

[stringvest]

I agree with most of that. Rafa was one of a few within the club who stood up and took the fight to the owners publically, and unfortunately it cost him his job.

 

 

Rafa left because he wanted to.  I'm not entertaining this shizzle any more Ardja.  

[aRdja]

Rafa left because he wanted to. I'm not entertaining this shizzle any more Ardja.

Okay okay. x

[Lario]

They're both gone, get over it.

[Soleilrouge]

Rafa tried to shift him after a moderate season and the outcome was his best season ever in a red shirt and then he left for many of the same reasons rafa ended up leaving and torres ultimately ended up leaving as the clubs owners did not match their ambitions and were operating on the cheap

[RedKnight]

Here we go with the 'Alonso was poor for two seasons' narrative. Simply isn't true and is up there with the whole 'see the logic' of trying to sell him for Gareth Barry line that people were trying to spin that summer. It was one of Benitez's biggest mistakes trying to, and subsequently managing to, sell him.

[Stickman]

Gareth Barry was not in Alonso's class, but I wouldn't mind a young Gareth Barry now.

 

Loved Alonso as a player , can't post clips on the FF for some reason but love that goal against Luton in the cup when Gerrard is screaming for a pass as Alonso shoots from the half way line...

You can see Stevie is going to give him grief then starts to applaud as he sees it's going in

[Paco]

Here we go with the 'Alonso was poor for two seasons' narrative. Simply isn't true and is up there with the whole 'see the logic' of trying to sell him for Gareth Barry line that people were trying to spin that summer. It was one of Benitez's biggest mistakes trying to, and subsequently managing to, sell him.

Wouldn't go as far as saying he was poor for 2 seasons but definitely in 07 season there were some people questioning his role. After the CL in 05 and the cup in 06 everyone thought 07 was gonna be the league and we must've got off to a bad start and that fucked us and maybe xabi bore a bit of that. As a sidenote, I remember watching the 06 cup final and we were all getting carried away saying we'd win the league and one of my mates saying 'you can't even beat West ham'

[stringvest]

That 06 FA Cup Final win was fantastic - not just because of the way we won it, but I have a lot of hammers mates, and it was a great evening in the pub laughing while they wept.  I'm a terrible person. 

[Lee909]

And beating that prick Pardew is always a good thing

 

Everyone remembers the Gerrard goal of course but this was as important in the end

 

4 mins 9 seconds

 

 

 

Oh too have somebody that level now

[Bjornebye]

That 06 FA Cup Final win was fantastic - not just because of the way we won it, but I have a lot of hammers mates, and it was a great evening in the pub laughing while they wept.  I'm a terrible person. 

 

 

Watched it in the fleet and firkin in Pompey. About 6/7 people supporting Liverpool and the rest of the place including my mates were rooting for west ham. There was a table of west ham fans sat in front of the big screen and I was getting stick from all corners all game especially after Konchesky scored. When Gerrard hit that screamer I jumped on the table in-front of the big screen cheering my fucking head off. How I didn't get a hiding is beyond me but to be fair I was with about 8 fellas myself at the time.

 

It was a happy atmosphere even when they lost and most of them were congratulating me and shit until about 20 minutes after we lifted the cup a few of the hammers fans filled in a lad in the garden out the back. Poor lad was a student , only about 18 and had gone for a smoke with his liverpool top on. Fucking shithouses. Didn't have any idea it had happened till a riot van pulled up outside. 

[stringvest]

I was in a pub on Goldsworth Park, so fuck knows how I didn't get my head stoved in.  I was living la vida loca that night and no mistake

[Stickman]

That Reina save at the end was the Dudek moment in that Final, you just knew we'd win the pens after that.

 

Sad though that this is our last final to reminisce about with any affection .

[Caramac]

[Dr Nowt]

My first born was named after him

Bet him and little Cunt-Gerrard have shot up in the meanwhile.

[Trumo]

Bayern are losing some real tactical know-how from their squad this summer with the retirements of both Lahm and Xabi. Either one of them still has more of that than anybody in our squad.

[Red74]

has he played his last game? I don't understand all the fuss now if he hasn't. Thought we all knew this season was his last