Riera to become a world beater

[torrific]

a god squad player but he is as furstraitng as fuck we need better for the left i would have yossi ahesd of him all the time

 

god squad. hahaha sorry mate made me chuckle!

[torrific]

He had a great debut season and had to get used to playing for a massive club, new country and all that goes with it plus he wouldn't have been used to playing at xmas. He got tired easily but he offered us width and was very good in the important games.

 

In a few years i think he will be a key member of our team but for now he is a good player who i have high expectations for. Players need a few years to settle properly and i think he will be top class and i don't really like dismissing players after a year.

 

I still think we need an alternative to him though and silva seems like the one rafa wants.

 

in a few years he'll be retiring!.

[Dundalis]

Having fantastic technical ability and little pace is ok if you play in the hole behind the striker where the distance to goal is short and the player has the option to create off both sides of his body in two directions, which takes predictability away.

 

Out wide it is fairly useless. You have one direction in which you can create (complete predictability), and you are furthest from goal of all bar the defenders/goalkeeper. You NEED to create good separation from the defenders. A winger with great pace but lesser technical skill will often be more effective than a winger with great technical skill and no pace. Riera is continually putting balls into the box under a lot of pressure. If he could adapt to the position, I think he could be very good in Gerrard's position, but as a winger he is average.

[SpeedyG]

Having fantastic technical ability and little pace is ok if you play in the hole behind the striker where the distance to goal is short and the player has the option to create off both sides of his body in two directions, which takes predictability away.

 

Out wide it is fairly useless. You have one direction in which you can create (complete predictability) and you are furthest from goal of all bar the defenders/goalkeeper. You NEED to create good separation from the defenders. A winger with great pace but lesser technical skill will often be more effective than a winger with great technical skill and no pace. Riera is continually putting balls into the box under a lot of pressure. If he could adapt to the position, I think he could be very good in Gerrard's position, but as a winger he is average.

 

Riera is not a winger he's an inside forward, your geometry only works if he heads straight for the byline. He doesn't he heads for goal from wide, he has options inside and outside just like a hole player.

[Brownie]

Riera is not a winger he's an inside forward, your geometry only works if he heads straight for the byline. He doesn't he heads for goal from wide, he has options inside and outside just like a hole player.

 

He's definitely a winger.

[Glen C]

Riera is not a winger he's an inside forward, your geometry only works if he heads straight for the byline. He doesn't he heads for goal from wide, he has options inside and outside just like a hole player.

 

He's definitely a winger in every sense of the word, just not a very good one.

[Red Nick]

He's definitely a winger.

 

Of course he is and thats why he was so effective for us when he was actually playing well.

 

I thought he was going to be a world beater the way he started, he's still a very good footballer but now the opposition have worked out how to nulify him, just mark him very tight because he has no pace to get away from you.

[Brownie]

Of course he is and thats why he was so effective for us when he was actually playing well.

 

I thought he was going to be a world beater the way he started, he's still a very good footballer but now the opposition have worked out how to nulify him, just mark him very tight because he has no pace to get away from you.

 

The first couple of months of the season, everyone was delighted with him (and rightly so) on here because we had finally secured a really good winger after so long. His form dipped but overall he was decent last season.

 

We can definitely do better though.

 

As for SpeedyG trying to tell everyone that he isn't a winger; I can't say i'm surprised!

[SpeedyG]

He's definitely a winger.

 

He's definitely a winger in every sense of the word, just not a very good one.

 

I bow to your inferior knowledge.

[Brownie]

I bow to your inferior knowledge.

 

Good decision.

[SpeedyG]

Good decision.

 

I know, I have you sussed now. When you say 442 you mean 4231, so when you say winger I know you really mean inside forward.

[Brownie]

I know, I have you sussed now. When you say 442 you mean 4231, so when you say winger I know you really mean inside forward.

 

Haha not at all.

 

1) Torres playing up front with another striker just behind (and Gerrard in central midfield) is 442. Gerrard behind Torres, with two holding central players is 4231.

 

2) Albert Riera is a winger.

 

:thumbup:

[SpeedyG]

Haha not at all.

 

1) Torres playing up front with another striker just behind (and Gerrard in central midfield) is 442. Gerrard behind Torres, with two holding central players is 4231.

 

2) Albert Riera is a winger.

 

:thumbup:

 

It's not about the names, it's about the instructions!

[Brownie]

It's not about the names, it's about the instructions!

 

The instructions change when the names change.

[SpeedyG]

The instructions change when the names change.

 

hehe

[MLB]

He'll never be a world beater, but he's a good player who could do with being a bit more consistent.

[WhiskeyJar]

It's not about the names, it's about the instructions!

 

The instructions change when the names change.

 

This debate has been rangin on from a couple of threads now, but I can see what both of you are saying.

 

On one hand the traditional 442 can be played with only two strikers, anything else and the formation changes, which in turn leads to different instructions.

 

When you have someone like Torres and Villa, its a 2-man striker formation and even having someone like Babel teaming up with Torres its still a 2-man attack. However having someone as skillfull, versatile and dynamic as Gerrard playing as a forward the system changes. You cant play Gerrard up front as part of a main strike force as that takes away his link up game and tracking back.

 

The name of the player makes the difference but also the attributes of the player playing in that role. For example you would not give a "free roaming" instruction to Torres, Masch, Caragher as they are part of a solid spine that form the natural flow of the formation. Gerrard, Kuyt, Yossi can however roam about the pitch as they have different attributes which are needed for the team to attack and defend.

 

A 442 or 4231 is not only defined by the positioning of the player but by also the way the players are set up, the type of the players playing in what postions and who is playing in those said positions.

 

So with Gerrard and Torres playing its Gerrard behind Torres in a 4231 formation with 2 holding center midfilders and two other forwards that help the fullbacks and who can aid in attack.

 

In a 442 Gerrard would drop back and have another added striker up there but also have attacking wingers or attacking fullbacks.

[Brownie]

This debate has been rangin on from a couple of threads now, but I can see what both of you are saying.

 

On one hand the traditional 442 can be played with only two strikers, anything else and the formation changes, which in turn leads to different instructions.

 

When you have someone like Torres and Villa, its a 2-man striker formation and even having someone like Babel teaming up with Torres its still a 2-man attack. However having someone as skillfull, versatile and dynamic as Gerrard playing as a forward the system changes. You cant play Gerrard up front as part of a main strike force as that takes away his link up game and tracking back.

 

The name of the player makes the difference but also the attributes of the player playing in that role. For example you would not give a "free roaming" instruction to Torres, Masch, Caragher as they are part of a solid spine that form the natural flow of the formation. Gerrard, Kuyt, Yossi can however roam about the pitch as they have different attributes which are needed for the team to attack and defend.

 

A 442 or 4231 is not only defined by the positioning of the player but by also the way the players are set up, the type of the players playing in what postions and who is playing in those said positions.

 

So with Gerrard and Torres playing its Gerrard behind Torres in a 4231 formation with 2 holding center midfilders and two other forwards that help the fullbacks and who can aid in attack.

 

In a 442 Gerrard would drop back and have another added striker up there but also have attacking wingers or attacking fullbacks.

 

Spot on. When Keane was here and playing with Torres, that was a 442. Don't bother trying to tell him though, he won't listen.

 

It's 4231 and nothing else!

[Dundalis]

Riera is not a winger he's an inside forward, your geometry only works if he heads straight for the byline. He doesn't he heads for goal from wide, he has options inside and outside just like a hole player.

If that is the case, then he is an even worse player than people are mentioning, because as that style of player he should be scoring far more goals.

 

I think he likes to cut inside, like a lot of current day wingers, but he is still a winger. He still puts in a lot of crosses, and doesn't particularly have many shots on goal (he does have an excellent shot from distance).

 

He is basically a bigger, stronger, far less injury prone and more energetic version of Harry Kewell. But the crocked Liverpool version of Harry Kewell unfortunately.

[Megadrive Man]

Does anyone think that due to his lack of pace, and the possibility of Xabi leaving, Riera maybe could play more central next season and we could use the money on a world class wide player?

[Brownie]

Does anyone think that due to his lack of pace, and the possibility of Xabi leaving, Riera maybe could play more central next season and we could use the money on a world class wide player?

 

In a word, no.

[ToxtethTerror]

Does anyone think that due to his lack of pace, and the possibility of Xabi leaving, Riera maybe could play more central next season and we could use the money on a world class wide player?

 

Yeah, I can just see Riera battling it out with Michael Essien.

[SNJ07]

He's just spent a half of season with us, he played more for us in 2nd half. And now he's a key player in Spain squad I think he will be much better and improve in the next season 2009/10, IMO.

[Guest Dog Chaser]

Does anyone think that due to his lack of pace, and the possibility of Xabi leaving, Riera maybe could play more central next season and we could use the money on a world class wide player?

 

Don't be silly, Because of his inability to score goals, Torres is going to drop into the middle if Xabi goes, then we will buy a world class striker.

[Lucky Pierre]

Don't be silly, Because of his inability to score goals, Torres is going to drop into the middle if Xabi goes, then we will buy a world class striker.

You fucking being serious, smart arse?

 

Pepe's played CM before. If Xabi goes, Pepe's going in the middle, and we're buying Casillas. After all, Real don't care about defensive players...

 

Torres! Like that's going to happen!