Alberto Aquilani

[PaulMcC]

He'll score if he starts, you heard it here 1st

 

Get a fiver on it now.

 

Not many things worse than telling everyone something will happen without backing it.

[Red Nick]

I think the reality is if we didnt buy Aquiliani we probably wouldnt have bought another player unless you could find another club to agree to Roma's terms

[JohnnyH]

I think the reality is if we didnt buy Aquiliani we probably wouldnt have bought another player unless you could find another club to agree to Roma's terms

 

I would say the direct opposite. I would say we would have signed another player, just not one as good.

 

He may have been fit though. But when he turned out to be an average player and people then heard that Rafa had been interested in Aqalani they would have said "what the fuck is Rafa doing signing some shite player when he could have bought Aqualani. You sign players for 5 years not 5 weeks for fucks sake. Typical fucking Rafa spending money on a shite player in the hope of saving his arse in the short term with no sense of looking at the clubs future...etc"

 

In an ideal world Aqualani would have been playing for a few weeks now and already has his match fitness. However, his recovery was dragged on a few extra weeks and then when chances have come for him to get match fit, events like Saturday with the early injuries have put paid to it.

[coop]

The signing of Aquilani has been a disaster so far but hindsight is a wonderful thing and i very much doubt Rafa would have signed him had he any idea that the team would be ravaged through injury.

 

Like i posted earlier i think Rafa intended in changing between Gerrard and Lucas in the centre of midfield with Yossi behind Torres and Riera or Babel on the left.

 

I firmly believe had this been the case then the pressure to get Aquilani fit would not have been as great and whilst i don't think we would have been top of the league we would have certainly been a lot closer then we currently are.

 

This would then have allowed us to bring Aquilani in gradually and kick on from there.

 

The problem with that is injuries have decimated any plans Rafa had and this has made the need for a player like Aquilani even more.

[Guest LFD]

The signing of Aquilani has been a disaster so far but hindsight is a wonderful thing and i very much doubt Rafa would have signed him had he any idea that the team would be ravaged through injury.

 

Like i posted earlier i think Rafa intended in changing between Gerrard and Lucas in the centre of midfield with Yossi behind Torres and Riera or Babel on the left.

 

I firmly believe had this been the case then the pressure to get Aquilani fit would not have been as great and whilst i don't think we would have been top of the league we would have certainly been a lot closer then we currently are.

 

This would then have allowed us to bring Aquilani in gradually and kick on from there.

 

The problem with that is injuries have decimated any plans Rafa had and this has made the need for a player like Aquilani even more.

 

I agree with that.

[Unrighteous]

I would say the direct opposite. I would say we would have signed another player, just not one as good.

 

He may have been fit though. But when he turned out to be an average player and people then heard that Rafa had been interested in Aqalani they would have said "what the fuck is Rafa doing signing some shite player when he could have bought Aqualani. You sign players for 5 years not 5 weeks for fucks sake. Typical fucking Rafa spending money on a shite player in the hope of saving his arse in the short term with no sense of looking at the clubs future...etc"

 

In an ideal world Aqualani would have been playing for a few weeks now and already has his match fitness. However, his recovery was dragged on a few extra weeks and then when chances have come for him to get match fit, events like Saturday with the early injuries have put paid to it.

 

I disagree 100%. No one would even bring up Aquilani, because he still wouldn't be fucking playing for Roma. Infact, people would post 'recovery updates' and say, "Bullet well and truly dodged."

 

There isn't like four good players on the planet in his position. Rafa would have found a suitable, healthy, replacement... and I say that with confidence even with my feelings for Rafa.

 

Could the 'other' signing have got injured? Sure, he could have. Could that 'other' signing have failed? Of course, but guess what? Aquilani could fail as well. We haven't seen him play a fucking full game yet!

[WaltonRed]

My mate reckons he's a dud and Rafa's shitting himself about giving him a run because everyone will get on to it.

[Catch22]

My mate reckons he's a dud and Rafa's shitting himself about giving him a run because everyone will get on to it.

 

 

That is definetely a possibility.

 

I think we over-estimated our own medical abilities.

[Guest LFD]

I have no problem with Rafa signing a player with the view he can help us for five years, not five months.

 

In Lucas, Mascherano and Gerrard we should have had enough options to cope, but we have struggled.

[Unrighteous]

My mate reckons he's a dud and Rafa's shitting himself about giving him a run because everyone will get on to it.

 

I honestly think that Rafa is scared to play him. Our injury crisis and our form are causing all sorts of unhappiness in the support.

 

If Aquilani goes out there and gets injured or plays poorly, then Rafa is hooped, as Aquilani is a point of hope in the season that's been pissed down the drain.

[Carra_is_legend]

I would say the direct opposite. I would say we would have signed another player, just not one as good.

 

He may have been fit though. But when he turned out to be an average player and people then heard that Rafa had been interested in Aqalani they would have said "what the fuck is Rafa doing signing some shite player when he could have bought Aqualani. You sign players for 5 years not 5 weeks for fucks sake. Typical fucking Rafa spending money on a shite player in the hope of saving his arse in the short term with no sense of looking at the clubs future...etc"

 

In an ideal world Aqualani would have been playing for a few weeks now and already has his match fitness. However, his recovery was dragged on a few extra weeks and then when chances have come for him to get match fit, events like Saturday with the early injuries have put paid to it.

 

I generally like and read your posts mate, but what you have written above is quite simply pathetic.

 

Are you saying any other £20m fit midfielder would have just turned out "average"? Why is that then?

[WaltonRed]

Didnt someone say they (rafa, players) all knew they bought a dud in Dossena after a couple of weeks?

 

Could be the same thing.

[Tom R]

If he isn't fit, and Benitez isn't going to play him at all, then WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING ON THE BENCH IN THE FIRST PLACE?

[Tom R]

Didnt someone say they (rafa, players) all knew they bought a dud in Dossena after a couple of weeks?

 

Could be the same thing.

 

That would be me.

[Tom R]

I don't think that's the case with Aquilani though....

[Whelan]

If he isn't fit, and Benitez isn't going to play him at all, then WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOING ON THE BENCH IN THE FIRST PLACE?

 

He was fit, and had it all gone okay would probably have come on, but Benny had only just returned from Injury and (only taking the word of the bloke next to me) had indicated that he needed to come off, so Aurelio came on.

[Guest LFD]

He's not a dud.

[JohnnyH]

I generally like and read your posts mate, but what you have written above is quite simply pathetic.

 

Are you saying any other £20m fit midfielder would have just turned out "average"? Why is that then?

 

It's more a "damned if he does, damned if he doesn't" post.

 

I think there is very little chance of Aqualani ending up a dud because he's just too damn good. Of course there is a chance, but I don't think a big chance. My post was more looking to the future with Aqualani fit and playing very well for whoever he went to, and us stuck with a lesser player who we went with because he was fit. What I mean by other £20m midfielders is that, for me, a fit Aqualani is a £30m+ player. Rafa has taken a risk, but if he stays fit, we will have a real gem on our hands.

[Carra_is_legend]

It's more a "damned if he does, damned if he doesn't" post.

 

I think there is very little chance of Aqualani ending up a dud because he's just too damn good. Of course there is a chance, but I don't think a big chance. My post was more looking to the future with Aqualani fit and playing very well for whoever he went to, and us stuck with a lesser player who we went with because he was fit. What I mean by other £20m midfielders is that, for me, a fit Aqualani is a £30m+ player. Rafa has taken a risk, but if he stays fit, we will have a real gem on our hands.

 

I don't really understand the "damned if he doesn't" concept. Are you saying Rafa would have got criticised for not signing a player who was injured? Really?

 

I hope he is not a dud, I hope he turns out ace but to say any other £20m midfielder would have turned out "average" compared to him doesn't wash.

[aws]

We had our best period of the game in the last 15-20 minutes in my opinion. Saying that we didn't try to win it because of Aurelio coming in instead of Aquilani is a strange opinion. Aurelio might have a LB behind his name in FM, but that's not the same as he's unable to do a job on left midfield in the real world. It's kind of an automatic truth that when we put on someone who everyone wants to be a defender then we are settling for a point instead of trying for 3. If you look at what was going on in the game then, as I said, we had our best period at the end of the game. We tried to get 3 points, we didn't settle for one. LB behind Aurelio's name or not.

 

Is the right answer. Aurelio comes on and for the first time in the game we had a period of sustained dominance. He may be regarded as a defender but he's better going forward than he is defending and he's usually our best set-piece taker.

 

Assuming Yossi had to come off or risk damaging him futher then we either brought Aurelio on (rather him than a half-fit Riera) or brought Aquilani on and shuffled Gerrard to the left (imaging the squeals on here if that had been done and we hadn't scored).

[JohnnyH]

I don't really understand the "damned if he doesn't" concept. Are you saying Rafa would have got criticised for not signing a player who was injured? Really?

.

 

Yes. Yes I am.

 

I think in the current very polarised views on Rafa, it is my view that if we signed someone who was good and played ok from the start of the season, but then a fully fit Aqualani in, say, December who was playing very well (as I think he is very capable of doing) with whatever club he moved to, I think Rafa would have been slaughtered for not thinking long term and buying a much better player (as I say, I think Aqualani is a minimum £30m player that we have taken a risk on due to injury) but instead spent £20m on a lesser player who could play immediately. I think rafa would get absolutely murdered for it.

 

I hope he is not a dud, I hope he turns out ace but to say any other £20m midfielder would have turned out "average" compared to him doesn't wash.

 

I of course can't predict that a £20m midfielder would turn out average. But what I am saying is we have paid £20m for a player who, if fit, would in my opinion fetch well over £30m. Rafa couldn't have predicted the injury crisis we have and had we even 7 or 8 more points now then we do, and with Aqualani to come in to the team, I think it would be seen as very clever business.

[RedinSweden]

It was a shame the freekick for Aurelio came before he had got a proper touch of the ball, as he is normally dangerous from there. i think Aurelio is good going forwards and wasn't bothered that he came on instead of Aquilani.

[goatboy59]

I think in the current very polarised views on Rafa, it is my view that if we signed someone who was good and played ok from the start of the season, but then a fully fit Aqualani in, say, December who was playing very well (as I think he is very capable of doing) with whatever club he moved to, I think Rafa would have been slaughtered for not thinking long term and buying a much better player (as I say, I think Aqualani is a minimum £30m player that we have taken a risk on due to injury) but instead spent £20m on a lesser player who could play immediately. I think rafa would get absolutely murdered for it.

So

 

IF Rafa had bought someone else and

 

IF that player didn't turn out to be so hot and

 

IF someone else had taken a punt on Aquilani and

 

IF he turned out to be very good in the following months and

 

IF we continued to be shit

 

 

 

then Liverpool fans would "absolutely murder" Rafa?

 

That's taken protective fabrication to previously unplumbed depths.

 

You've got one hell of a nerve talking about drama queens!

[JohnnyH]

Yep. That's pretty much it.

[Carra_is_legend]

Yes. Yes I am.

 

I think in the current very polarised views on Rafa, it is my view that if we signed someone who was good and played ok from the start of the season, but then a fully fit Aqualani in, say, December who was playing very well (as I think he is very capable of doing) with whatever club he moved to, I think Rafa would have been slaughtered for not thinking long term and buying a much better player (as I say, I think Aqualani is a minimum £30m player that we have taken a risk on due to injury) but instead spent £20m on a lesser player who could play immediately. I think rafa would get absolutely murdered for it.

 

As far as I can remember, Arsenal were quoted around £12m for him in the summer of 2008 but they went for Nasri instead. This £30m figure was something our manager plucked out from thin air. If he was that highly rated, why no other big club from Europe competed for his signature? Because clubs don't spunk £20m on injured players, especially when money is tight.

 

As I said, he might well turn out ace and Rafa will rightly deserve credit for that but to say he bought Aquilani to avoid the anger from supporters is totally naive.

 

I of course can't predict that a £20m midfielder would turn out average. But what I am saying is we have paid £20m for a player who, if fit, would in my opinion fetch well over £30m. Rafa couldn't have predicted the injury crisis we have and had we even 7 or 8 more points now then we do, and with Aqualani to come in to the team, I think it would be seen as very clever business.

 

As I said, the £30m figure was plucked out from thin air.