Rafa: Aquilani Close to First Team Debut!

[Whelan]

That argument strongly gives huge amunition to lose who believe Rafa will never win the PL and is more interested in Control than taking risks to win games which is what Utd do.

 

Yet, Arsenal who also take risk consistently lose points because of their inability to close matches out.

 

United win the league because they are a very very good side, because they had Rooney and Ronaldo who were very really injured and their for contributing consistently over a season, and if he did want to give either of them a rest he brought on numerous 20 million pound players who were cover!

 

I am in both camps here, we have not conceded goals this season by being too open we have conceded them by not defending set peices correctly, and for all the hype (it is) about the shites second half performance, they had one chance and that came from a free kick where Cahill was unmarked.

 

Taking saturday as an example, maybe if we stopped keeping things tight in the first half, we wouldn't be panicking trying to score in the last half an hour and leave ourselves open to the counter attack! I don't think it is that much to say that the reason that Blackburn and Fulham for that matter are getting chances is because we are leaving everything until the second half and end up needing to take risks.

[zigackly]

Why was he on the bench then? that suggests he would have used him to avoid a defeat maybe, but not to chase a win. I think that it is OK to assume that.

 

Precisely.

[Catch22]

Thats the problem with stats like that

 

We scored the majority of our goals on the break when we were winning by two goals or so.

 

The draws stats and the fact we won the most games by a team never to win the league should give you a much better indication of why we lost the title

 

2 of the draws came whilst leaking 6 goals to Arsenal & Hull, which is hardly control.

 

They had 10 clean sheets in a row with many draws, a controlist's wet dream....

[goatboy59]

Don't disagree with that but it's all about balance between attack and defence and at times this season we've looked shakier in defence than I can remember. We've looked like conceding at the slightest threat (Leeds for fuck's sake) and I've been even more worried at every corner than I was during the James Nintendo Days. This needed turning round and it looks like it's starting to happen. I can see why rafa would have been reluctant to chuck Aquilani on in an away game in the current circumstances.

 

Again, if a lot of that anxiety is set piece stuff then shouldn't AA - match fit or not - be learning his role on the training ground.

 

He's 6 2 isn't he? Wouldn't that make a better option than the others who are keeping him out?

 

And again this impression of 'chucking' a 30m rated player in like he was an Academy sprog. Someone who's played for Roma v Lazio can't be that wary, surely?

 

Just the manager then.

[goatboy59]

The ability to close out matches is only really useful if you've managed to get in front in the first place.

[aws]

Again, if a lot of that anxiety is set piece stuff then shouldn't AA - match fit or not - be learning his role on the training ground.

 

He's 6 2 isn't he? Wouldn't that make a better option than the others who are keeping him out?

 

And again this impression of 'chucking' a 30m rated player in like he was an Academy sprog. Someone who's played for Roma v Lazio can't be that wary, surely?

 

Just the manager then.

 

Yes it is just the manager. It's his decision and his alone not to alter the formation in the last few games when we're finally starting to get our defensive act together. Personally I'd have put Aquilani on for the last 30 minutes at blackburn but I don't think it's any big thing.

[Red Nick]

The ability to close out matches is only really useful if you've managed to get in front in the first place.

 

 

[Whelan]

The ability to close out matches is only really useful if you've managed to get in front in the first place.

 

Which is why I used Arsenal as the reference!

[Dirk]

Why was he on the bench then? that suggests he would have used him to avoid a defeat maybe, but not to chase a win. I think that it is OK to assume that.

 

You are talking about why he didn't come on from the subs bench, I was talking about why he didn't start. There can be no way we are privvy to the information as to why he didn't come off the bench. I see it as a pointless discussion anyway. If he starts putting strikers in goal and full backs up front then that's a clear sign of him 'losing the plot' . I'll be clear that I don't include you here but people are just complaining for the sake of it, because as I've mentioned earlier, he doesn't need sub appearances, they'll do little for his strength, his match fitness, he needs starts. Him making sub appearances or not is the absolute least of our worries, as far as I'm concerned. A better, perhaps more reasonable debate is to be had in whether we should have bought him or not but, to me, this sub appearances discussion is a bit of a fruitless one. It presupposes that we are aware of all the information the manager has during any one period and we can't know that.

 

 

I think there are enough reasons for people to question him, I just don't see this as being a fair one. The thing that rankles me about this entire Rafa debate is, not so much that people want him gone, but the way they are going about it in such a savage fashion. We could at least leave the man with his dignity in tact instead of insinuating that he's losing his marbles, that he has personality flaws, that he makes haphazard, random decisions that have no basis in reason, logic or science. I can't stomach that nonsense. It's not for me.

Edited December 8, 2009 by Dirk

[WhiskeyJar]

Yes it is just the manager. It's his decision and his alone not to alter the formation in the last few games when we're finally starting to get our defensive act together. Personally I'd have put Aquilani on for the last 30 minutes at blackburn but I don't think it's any big thing.

 

I dont get why people are making a big deal out of him not playing. So far we have kept a few clean sheets and we are finally looking like a powerhouse defensive unit, with a few hicups.

 

It was Rafa decision not to play him reasons unknown to us, fit or not fit.

[zigackly]

You are talking about why he didn't come on from the subs bench, I was talking about why he didn't start.

 

You were the only person that was though Dirk and I didn't realise that's what you were talking about, which is maybe why we were so at odds. It would have been madness to start him against Blackburn, I agree completely. I'm not even convinced about starting him against Fiorentina. I think he needs 30 minutes before he gets an hour. This is why I'm so staggered he hasn't been given ANY game time in the five weeks since he was fit enough to play for 15 minutes against Arsenal, and that now the talk is of him starting a match. That's a bigger risk than fifteen minutes here and there against tired teams.

[Red Nick]

There must be a lot of you on this site taking your Bar exams to see what it would be like to defend the indefensible.

 

I have to say so far your teacher would be quite impressed at the way you have defended a manager who has so clearly lost the plot.

 

On that happy note have a great afternoon.

[WhiskeyJar]

There must be a lot of you on this site taking your Bar exams to see what it would be like to defend the indefensible.

 

I have to say so far your teacher would be quite impressed at the way you have defended a manager who has so clearly lost the plot.

 

On that happy note have a great afternoon.

 

Indeed, you impress with your low I.Q of 2.

 

Sadly it takes 3 to be a grunt.

[RedinSweden]

There must be a lot of you on this site taking your Bar exams to see what it would be like to defend the indefensible.

 

I have to say so far your teacher would be quite impressed at the way you have defended a manager who has so clearly lost the plot.

 

On that happy note have a great afternoon.

 

When Red Nick speaks about losing the plot, the forum should listen.

[goatboy59]

I dont get why people are making a big deal out of him not playing. So far we have kept a few clean sheets and we are finally looking like a powerhouse defensive unit.

We really aren't.

[WaltonRed]

"a powerhouse defensive unit"

 

Ha ha

[WhiskeyJar]

We really aren't.

 

Its not as bad now. We are getting there.

 

But I do like the fact that some people assumed that Rafa wants to steady the ship first before allowing for a more attacking intent.

[Code]

Its all understandable for me now, there was no way the Ialian short arse Aquilani on 1,86m would cope in the game against Blackburn beeing up against all those horrible, nasty dirty tackling English players in that team.

 

Robinson - England - 1,93m

 

Chimbonda - Guadeloupe - 1.82m

Samba - France - 1,93m

Nelson - New Zealand - 1,83m

Givet - France - 1,80m

 

Emerton - Australia - 1,85m

Grella - Australia - 1,83m

Nzonzi - France - 1,91m

Diouf - Senegal - 1,80m

(Hoilett 72) - England - 1,72m

 

McCarthy - South Africa - 1,83m

(Kalinic 77) - Croatia - 1,87m

Di Santo - Argentina - 1,93m

(Andrews 85) - Ireland - 1,83m

 

How about actually bringing on Aquilani in this game instead of

 

El Zhar - 1,71m

Mascherano - 1,72m

Lucas - 1,73m

[JohnnyH]

There must be a lot of you on this site taking your Bar exams to see what it would be like to defend the indefensible.

 

I have to say so far your teacher would be quite impressed at the way you have defended a manager who has so clearly lost the plot.

 

On that happy note have a great afternoon.

 

Do you really need to be-little everyone that doesn't agree with you?

 

As you are so 100% sure you are right and others are wrong, then why debate? If you have nothing constructive to say why don't you just keep quiet?

 

There's an old saying Nick. "Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt"

[Thants]

Height stuff

What the fuck has height got to do with dirty players? Crouch is the tallest and couldnt harm a fly. Your calculations aren't factoring in the parameter that is height complex. Bremner, Savage, Scholes, Stamp.

We're talking about an Alladyce team here, don't start suggesting they're anything less.

[Red Phoenix]

Its all understandable for me now, there was no way the Ialian short arse Aquilani on 1,86m would cope in the game against Blackburn beeing up against all those horrible, nasty dirty tackling English players in that team.

 

Robinson - England - 1,93m

 

Chimbonda - Guadeloupe - 1.82m

Samba - France - 1,93m

Nelson - New Zealand - 1,83m

Givet - France - 1,80m

 

Emerton - Australia - 1,85m

Grella - Australia - 1,83m

Nzonzi - France - 1,91m

Diouf - Senegal - 1,80m

(Hoilett 72) - England - 1,72m

 

McCarthy - South Africa - 1,83m

(Kalinic 77) - Croatia - 1,87m

Di Santo - Argentina - 1,93m

(Andrews 85) - Ireland - 1,83m

 

How about actually bringing on Aquilani in this game instead of

 

El Zhar - 1,71m

Mascherano - 1,72m

Lucas - 1,73m

 

 

It wasn't about height, it was probably about strength and sharpness. If Aquilani wasn't sharp any type of bad tackle might've nicked in there just before he had the time to pull away from it, etc. And Fiorentina are a team he knows about so it's probably the best time to get him on the pitch.

 

I still think Rafa's gone about it wrong and should've had him in earlier if he was playing against Arse so long back, but it wasn't about height.

 

And if someone now quotes Rafa mentioning height I give up and he's a big loon.

[WhiskeyJar]

Its all understandable for me now, there was no way the Ialian short arse Aquilani on 1,86m would cope in the game against Blackburn beeing up against all those horrible, nasty dirty tackling English players in that team.

 

Robinson - England - 1,93m

 

Chimbonda - Guadeloupe - 1.82m

Samba - France - 1,93m

Nelson - New Zealand - 1,83m

Givet - France - 1,80m

 

Emerton - Australia - 1,85m

Grella - Australia - 1,83m

Nzonzi - France - 1,91m

Diouf - Senegal - 1,80m

(Hoilett 72) - England - 1,72m

 

McCarthy - South Africa - 1,83m

(Kalinic 77) - Croatia - 1,87m

Di Santo - Argentina - 1,93m

(Andrews 85) - Ireland - 1,83m

 

How about actually bringing on Aquilani in this game instead of

 

El Zhar - 1,71m

Mascherano - 1,72m

Lucas - 1,73m

 

I dont get why it means so much to you that Aquilani didnt get 10-20-30 minutes of playing time.

 

He will start tonight and be evaluate accordingly.

 

This is just pure and utter waste of a spreadsheet, and I dont like waste.

[Red Phoenix]

He will start tonight and be evaluate accordingly.

 

This is just pure and utter waste of a spreadsheet, and I dont like waste.

 

I'll bet you 100 quid he doesn't. Ah and Code has many spare spreadsheets.

[goatboy59]

Its not as bad now. We are getting there.

Comparing what, Ewood to Goodison?

 

If ever anyone was technically correct!

 

This all sounds very Houllier, when he opened up a bit, had two 2-2 home draws and then reverted to type. It can't work.

 

We spent what transfer money there was on players chosen to embellish our attacking qualities - Johnson and Aquilani. Every time Glen goes forward he creates havoc, but how often does he do it?

 

Aquilani can't be risked because we might squander a one goal lead against Debrecen.

 

If people want to hide behind Fitness Concerns - for either player - then that's their right.

 

If you're expecting it to get any better further down the line, good luck with that one.

[Code]

I dont get why it means so much to you that Aquilani didnt get 10-20-30 minutes of playing time.

 

He will start tonight and be evaluate accordingly.

 

This is just pure and utter waste of a spreadsheet, and I dont like waste.

 

I said it would be an sackable offense to start Aquilani against Fiorentina and not give him a single minute in the game against Blackburn where our team was crying out for some creativity, a few forward passes, a CM making an intelligent forward run etc to win us that game.

 

It would confirm to me that it has got nothing to do with fitness, but all to do with the fact our manager actually is happy with the performance from ou CM which in reality is the most lacklustre CM in the league and that he has spent half of our transfer budget on a player he does not know where and how to use.

 

Sounds familiar?

 

It certainly does and whatever faith I had left in the manager is now well and truly gone, he has come out and confirmed my concerns as well, he has well and truly lost it.