Red House

Rafa didn't want to sell Crouch in the first place.

Wouldn't be surprised if he does, imo he will be looking for someone more in the Heskey/Crouch mould, a target man. But that's all it is at the moment, speculation.

Poor first half of football, very slow tempo to the game. Looking like a boring serie A game at the moment. Well, at least we are in front, but still only one goal in it. Xabi and Masch have been disappointing so far, Cana and Cheyrou are giving them a passing lesson. Get Lucas on I say.

Would personally prefer a targetman type of striker rather another one who makes runs in defenders backs. Don't have anyone upfront who can really hold up the ball but that's just me.

Everything that needed to be said is in there. End of thread.

Oh come on, getting ahead of yourself there mate. The same Barry that pretty much outplayed those ahead of Ramsey in the Arsenal's pecking order two weeks back. And even then, surely if he is that good, he would have been head and shoulders above the other Cardiff midfielders and the Cardiff staff surely wouldn't have thought twice about starting him in the FA cup final in what is undoubtedly one of the biggest games in their club's history. And, it's not as if they didn't know he was likely to be leaving them in the summer, so no reason for protection or whatever. So, yes it was a mistake because he's got terrific potential but already better than Barry, come on.

Very good signing. However, I do think he's being asked to do too much defending. He always seems to fade away in the second half, but that's something related to most of our wingers not just Riera. I would much prefer our wingers to be asked to defend from the front i.e closing down rather than constantly tracking back. Too often you just see Riera and Kuyt in our own half when we win back the ball, and it's not as if they have the pace to go on a counter-attacking run on their own.

Instead of whom? Robinho? Doubt it. Wright-Phillips? Doubt it. City's player of the season so far, Ireland? No way. Unless you plan to use his complete lack of physical presence and defensive qualities next to Kompany, I can't see how you can say he should be in City's starting XI.

Don't know, apparently Real wants Rafa...:whistle:

Elano is no genius but won't cost much if it is a player swap and he can give us a different option to Kuyt on the right as well as acting as a back-up second striker for Gerrard. We don't have any link-up player bar Gerrard in the squad, and I think that showed, so wouldn't mind him at all here.

Van der Vaart and Sneijder.

I hope we don't see 4-4-2 again. We are a much more balanced team with having that roaming attacking midfielder linking our midfield and attack i.e Gerrard.

I hate it when we play 4-4-2, just hate it.

The problem is if Gerrard ain't available and we are playing a 4-4-2, you rather have one of your two midfielders supporting the attack, Xabi and Masch don't really do that at leats not a constant basis. Only reason I can think of.

Yossi, Momo, Lucas but no Nunez?

Antonio Lopez is much better than Pernia, ask any Atletico fan. And, I think it showed in the game against us, dive or not he was fucking stupid to back in Gerrard like that. Wouldn't mind Lahm tho, although I do think he's slightly over-rated. As for Bale, i don't rate him at left-back, he's much better as a left winger. Same for Zhirkov, who's a player I like a lot, but is probably one of these you just love watch bombing forward when playing at left-back for another team, but that would frustrate the hell out of you if he was going forward at will for your team.

Well, I guess comparing Torres to Degen and Dossena is a sin in itself, but coop definitely has a point. It must have been his worst performance in liverpool shirt by miles, he somehow even managed to miscontrol more balls that Ngog in the first half, and that's to say something. Torres had absolutely no right to start the Bolton game after his performance against Spurs, no right.

Take a deep breath, laddy. We are all angry, ok but that was a tad OTT, a tad.

Agree with ReddOrDedd.

Lucas El Zhar Babel

What he said. I know Lucas and to some degree El Zhar haven't got that many fans on this forum, and probably understandly so, but hacking them down on this performance as some people are doing is absolutely ridiculous. If anything they've been the only two starters who looked like giving a fcuk, and Lucas pretty much had to hold our midfield on his own, even Gerrard would have struggled alongside the spectator that was Plessis. And yes, Torres' behaviour was absolutely disgraceful, coming back from injury or not is no excuse for me, it wont prevent people from getting Degen's back. That said, he will probably bag his goal against Bolton, you do need these little couple disputes at times.

Can someone tell me what's Dossena good for? He gets outmuscled by players half his size. Must be Rafa's worst signing, get Insua, Mackay-Steven in or call back Threlfall but please no more Dossena in a red shirt. I don't agree when people say Spearing should be ahead of Lucas, who has btw been arguably our best player, but he still should be miles ahead of Plessis. It's as if we are playing with ten men, no, nine in fact, Torres' behaviour has been disgraceful upfront. Added to the fact N'gog and Degen are bags of nerves we would be lucky if we could limit it to five.

Yep, you've got a point but still it all depends on whether it's the Plessis-Lucas partnership of the Emirates that will turn up tonight or the one that failed to impress against Crewe.

Why give game time to a definite goner?

Anyone with the Spurs line-up yet? If Lucas and Plessis can hold their own in midfield (maybe a bit of a long-shot but they didn't get outplayed by Fabregas, Flamini and Gilberto Silva at the Emirates last season), then why not?