Alberto Aquilani

[Red Nick]

So the full-back's struggling and getting exposed, with a dead-on-his-feet player in front of him offering limited protection. You'd bring on a central attacking midfielder who's hardly played since march on the left, who would undoubtedly cut inside leaving the full back even more exposed, rather than the left back/left midfielder who while providing protection for the full back has an excellent footballing brain and set piece delivery? Really?

 

If I wanted to try and win the game obviously I would pick a player more likely to make a goal scoring chance for the team.

 

This is pointless rolling out the excuses, the reality is 20 points from 13 games putting us on target for 59 points from 86 points last season and were over a third into the season. One win in ten etc etc

 

I really dont give a shit about the past games its how Rafa who has obviously lost the plot gets things back and starts to stop making poor decisions and starts making good ones.

[Red Nick]

Mad, extremely mad.

 

Why didnt you just say

 

Na na na na

[Owen]

If I wanted to try and win the game obviously I would pick a player more likely to make a goal scoring chance for the team.

 

This is pointless rolling out the excuses, the reality is 20 points from 13 games putting us on target for 59 points from 86 points last season and were over a third into the season. One win in ten etc etc

 

I really dont give a shit about the past games its how Rafa who has obviously lost the plot gets things back and starts to stop making poor decisions and starts making good ones.

 

But you're having a go at him for making a poor decision, where I'm trying to explain to you why it wasn't.

 

Aquilani vs Aureilio, no caveats, then you'd obviously go Aquilani.

 

Aquilani vs Aureilio , left side of midfield, Aquilani not played since March, left back struggling with most of City's attacks coming down that side - Aureilio.

[Red Nick]

The player being disappointed at not coming on, and being the right substitution to make at the time are two completely different things.

 

Are you really advocating not being cautious with a big name signing returning from long term injury?

 

Thats the manager's call and I think its wrong, however the manager will be judged on this either at the end of the season or when he gets sacked. However he could well be in a position by the time he starts Aquilliani we are so far behind 4th position we wont get it back and that he is sacked before he gets a chance to see what a difference Aquilliani could do for the team.

 

I stand by my original point that Aquilliani will be a great player for us if he is allowed to get on the pitch

[Owen]

Thats the manager's call and I think its wrong,

 

wafflyness

 

I stand by my original point that Aquilliani will be a great player for us if he is allowed to get on the pitch

 

You think he doesn't want to play him?

 

I don't see the logic here, Nick. Even for you it's a bit 'out there.'

[Torvald Utne]

I'm sure Aquilliliiiani will be used when the medical team say he can be, on a side note I noticed Riera has not flown to Hungary because of his hamstring and he was on the bench too.

[Red Nick]

But you're having a go at him for making a poor decision, where I'm trying to explain to you why it wasn't.

 

Aquilani vs Aureilio, no caveats, then you'd obviously go Aquilani.

 

Aquilani vs Aureilio , left side of midfield, Aquilani not played since March, left back struggling with most of City's attacks coming down that side - Aureilio.

 

 

 

Going round in circles could have moved Kuyt to the left along with many other options. he could have left Benayou on and taken Lucas off and put Gerrard right etc and put Benayoun upfront, lots of variances on that point

 

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

It wasn't Alonso slowing down the deal, it was us, rightly, playing hardball with Real Madrid.

 

EDIT:And, according to UEM, our deal with Aquilani was done months ago.

 

 

Where did I say that

 

Oh, look

 

I didn't

 

Unless of course you are referring to this

 

Because Eduardo Macia is really good at his job and we had the deal agreed and ready to go months before the actual transaction?

 

In which I am clearly taking the piss, hence the Macia comment

 

And even if it was agreed, is that not good planning, or would you rather have only started looking for replacements after Xabi had signed for Madrid, knowing that he'd been talking to them for the best part of the year and it was unlikely that he would change his mind about leaving?

Edited November 23, 2009 by Ulysses Everett McGill

[Owen]

Going round in circles could have moved Kuyt to the left along with many other options. he could have left Benayou on and taken Lucas off and put Gerrard right etc and put Benayoun upfront, lots of variances on that point

 

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

Wunderbar.

[Torvald Utne]

Going round in circles could have moved Kuyt to the left along with many other options. he could have left Benayou on and taken Lucas off and put Gerrard right etc and put Benayoun upfront, lots of variances on that point

 

I think we will have to agree to disagree on this one.

 

Benayoun who had played 75 minutes when he was only supposed to be there for a limited sub appearance while still recovering from injury?

[Red Nick]

You think he doesn't want to play him?

 

I don't see the logic here, Nick. Even for you it's a bit 'out there.'

 

I am not saying that I am a much more positive person than that, what I am saying is play him and see what he does but if you dont play him and it doesnt work out your gonna get flack

 

When he does play you will all see he is a very good player

[Red Nick]

I'm sure Aquilliliiiani will be used when the medical team say he can be, on a side note I noticed Riera has not flown to Hungary because of his hamstring and he was on the bench too.

 

Thats another issue of having supposedly 4 players on the bench who arent fit.

 

Anyway we have a game tomorrow which we must win

[Red Nick]

The fundamental question still stand is how is Rafa going to get it back because were are in a Houllier style rut and unlike those days we have intense competition for 4th place.

[Tom R]

Where did I say that

 

Oh, look

 

I didn't

 

Unless of course you are referring to this

 

 

 

In which I am clearly taking the piss, hence the Macia comment

 

And even if it was agreed, is that not good planning, or would you rather have only started looking for replacements after Xabi had signed for Madrid, knowing that he'd been talking to them for the best part of the year and it was unlikely that he would change his mind about leaving?

 

haha. I actually thought you were serious with that Macia comment!!!

 

I'm no fan of smilies, but that was a case for their defence!

[Owen]

I am not saying that I am a much more positive person than that, what I am saying is play him and see what he does but if you dont play him and it doesnt work out your gonna get flack

 

When he does play you will all see he is a very good player

 

You don't play anyone just for the sake of playing them though. It seems like he might be on of the fitter players in the squad for tomorrow so we might see him, but saying that, centre midfield is the one positons we don't seem to be having an injury crisis.

[Ted]

Where did I say that

 

Oh, look

 

I didn't

 

Unless of course you are referring to this

 

 

 

In which I am clearly taking the piss, hence the Macia comment

 

And even if it was agreed, is that not good planning, or would you rather have only started looking for replacements after Xabi had signed for Madrid, knowing that he'd been talking to them for the best part of the year and it was unlikely that he would change his mind about leaving?

 

 

Er, how was I to know you were taking the piss?

 

And I didn't say that it wasn't poor planning.

 

Also, if it's quite an open secret that Alonso was talking to them for about a year and was intent on leaving, Rafa surely had more time to make a better decision on a replacement?

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

haha. I actually thought you were serious with that Macia comment!!!

 

I'm no fan of smilies, but that was a case for their defence!

 

I hate smilies almost as much as I hate referee's not awarding a freekick for obtruction when centre halves "shield" the ball out of play for a goal kick.

[dirty_sanchez]

So 82 pages and 4 months in and no one has been able to answer the OP's question of whether anyone has seen him play.

 

I've seen him play two sub appearences if that helps.

[Guest Ulysses Everett McGill]

Er, how was I to know you were taking the piss?

 

And I didn't say that it wasn't poor planning.

 

Also, if it's quite an open secret that Alonso was talking to them for about a year and was intent on leaving, Rafa surely had more time to make a better decision on a replacement?

 

Aquilani will prove to be a fantastic replacement

 

I thought the tounge in cheek comment about Macia would be clear, I have no idea about his ability at his job, what it entails exactly and what his competency is, as I have no idea what conditions he has to work under, so I couldn't possibly be in a position to have a definitive opinion on him and how good or not he is at it.

 

And given the lack of Premier League Scouts on here (anyone?), nor would anyone else, but it doesn't stop them, which was kind of my reference point

[Ted]

Aquilani will prove to be a fantastic replacement

I thought the tounge in cheek comment about Macia would be clear, I have no idea about his ability at his job, what it entails exactly and what his competency is, as I have no idea what conditions he has to work under, so I couldn't possibly be in a position to have a definitive opinion on him and how good or not he is at it.

 

Kind of like everyone else on here, but it doesn't stop them, which was kind of my reference point

 

I'm not so sure.

[Carra_is_legend]

Er, how was I to know you were taking the piss?

 

I thought UEM was serious too. Hence my reply "So, Rafa saying he wanted Alonso to stay is clearly bollocks, eh?".

 

To which UEM never replied.

[piscinin]

A fair number of posters don't take any notice of reasonable posts like this one, but well said.

 

Yes, it was spot-on.

 

The fact of the matter is that both Riera and Aurelio could have taken care of the defensive side of things so the real question was what was more likely to win the game? A dribble/long shot (Riera) or a set piece/deep cross (Aurelio)?

 

Given that was the real question, Rafa's answer doesn't seem quite as insane as some would have you think.

[Code]

Would have left us totally fucked this season.

 

We have a reseve squad of around 50 players, why not give Pacheco a chance on the bench, is it because he actually could have contributed with somehing positive going forward and not lost the ball everytime he got it like Kuyt and N`Gog just to mention two or just play backwards and sidewards passes like Lucas and Mascherano (our best player by far on the day) by the way.

[Code]

Haha the irony!

 

"Aquilani fit would be £20-30 million. We checked with doctors and they said he would be out one, maybe two months. We have lost some time, but I signed the player for five years, not five weeks. We needed to take the risk." Rafa Benitez, 17th November 2009.

 

 

So when Rafa said he would be out for 4-8 weeks and then goes on to say he would cost £30M if injury free does it not make people wonder if the possible fee could be jus as wrong, maybe we have paid £17 + 3M for an injured player who in reality is a 12M player.

 

Its just as realistic as this £30M tag being thrown around, thats certain, probably even more considering how accurate his injury report was.

 

Its not even funny anymore, I guess most people thought the exact same as me after 17 minutes, no Aquilini in this game then.

[JohnnyH]

I'm not so sure.

 

Why do you say that?

 

Are you just been cautious, or is it based on anything?