The Official 'Cat amongst the pigeons thread'

[Sir Bob]

Our best central midfield combo for me is SG & Momo.
SG is our best attacking midfielder & Momo are best defensive. Alonso is a very good player but 3 into 2 doesn't go. SG's a different player in the middle to out wide and apart from the odd game he should play in the middle.
The trouble with Momo & alonso in the middle is they offer virtually no goal threat. Momo never looks like scoring and isn't particularly creative either. alonso can create but the odd 30 yard screamer apart doesn't score. SG is our best player by a mile & must play in the centre.

Anyone who argues he that he never does it in big games is deluding themselves. In the biggest club game in the world (the CL final) he dragged us almost single handedly back into that final. For me he's the best central midfielder around & to play him elsewhere is a waste.

[El Jefecito]

Sorry all. The best balanced TEAM has Xabi & Momo in the middle with Sir Stevie on the right. It's just Rafa's way.

[FatTony]

I'd drop Alonso and have a midfield of SG and MoSo also.

Alonso is a bit off form this season, and as already said, with MoSo and Alonso in the middle, we're short of an attacking goal threat through the middle.

[badpiggy]

Our best central midfield combo for me is SG & Momo.
SG is our best attacking midfielder & Momo are best defensive. Alonso is a very good player but 3 into 2 doesn't go. SG's a different player in the middle to out wide and apart from the odd game he should play in the middle.
The trouble with Momo & alonso in the middle is they offer virtually no goal threat. Momo never looks like scoring and isn't particularly creative either. alonso can create but the odd 30 yard screamer apart doesn't score. SG is our best player by a mile & must play in the centre.

Anyone who argues he that he never does it in big games is deluding themselves. In the biggest club game in the world (the CL final) he dragged us almost single handedly back into that final. For me he's the best central midfielder around & to play him elsewhere is a waste.

while stevie played brilliantly for the 2nd half in istanbul, i don't think this particular game of football is useful in an overall sense in analysing sg - what happened in istanbul was one of those incredible sporting phenomena that bears little relation to normal logic let alone football logic. personally i think the liverpool fans half-time singing played a far bigger part than anything rafa said - he wasn't even gong to make the changes he did until he found out finnan was injured.
it could equally be said that part of the reason for us being 3-0 down at ht was sgs deficiencies as a central midfielder. he needs a momo/didi to release him but i can't see any reason why he can't be just as effective in a right sided position. or left really when you think about it.

[tomasjj]

Sorry all. The best balanced TEAM has Xabi & Momo in the middle with Sir Stevie on the right. It's just Rafa's way.

Yep.

[Craig_H]

I'm happy-ish with Gerrard on the right, as long as Momo or Alonso learns that there's life beyond your own half...

My main concern is that Gerrard might spit the dummy.

[El Jefecito]

My main concern is that Gerrard might spit the dummy.

Rafa has already broke him.

[SouthAfricaRed]

My main concern is that Gerrard might spit the dummy.

I miss the days of Shankly

[fatistuta]

--------------------------Reina-------------------------------------

----------Hyypia---------Carra----------Agger----------------------

----Finnan-------------------------------------------Aurelio--------

-----------------Momo-----------Alonso----------------------------

-----------------------Gerrard--------------------------------------

----------------Kuyt-------------Bellamy---------------------------

[Sir Bob]

while stevie played brilliantly for the 2nd half in istanbul, i don't think this particular game of football is useful in an overall sense in analysing sg - what happened in istanbul was one of those incredible sporting phenomena that bears little relation to normal logic let alone football logic. personally i think the liverpool fans half-time singing played a far bigger part than anything rafa said - he wasn't even gong to make the changes he did until he found out finnan was injured.
it could equally be said that part of the reason for us being 3-0 down at ht was sgs deficiencies as a central midfielder. he needs a momo/didi to release him but i can't see any reason why he can't be just as effective in a right sided position. or left really when you think about it.

you can't blame SG for us being 3-0 down at half time.

I really don't see why SG should be pushed to the right wing so that Alonso & Momo can play in the middle. Both Momo & alonso are fine players but they aren't in gerrards class. Gerrard is far & away our best player. Half the time he's our only decent attacking threat & needs to play in a central position to maximise his ability. If that means dropping alonso so that Momo can protect the back 4, allowing SG to play higher up the pitch, then thats fine by me.

I think people get carried away with how good momo really is. He's a good player with bags of potential but no more than that. Going forward he's very limited. Alonso is a very good player and is a brilliant passer of the ball but for all that cannot hurt the opposition in the way SG can. In a perfect world I'd play a 3 -5 -2 formation allowing all 3 to play but in a 4 - 4 - 2 its SG in the middle every time.

[Harv]

I agree, Stevie is devistating in the middle

Momo is devistating, Stevie is inspiring. But he hasn't been that impressive in the middle for me. Besides one or two good games he has generally looked subdued IMO. I like him better on the right...where he is a part of every attack.

Stevie is more devistating on the wing IMO....no left backs can handle him at full tilt, and i agree with Rafa that he has played some of his best football on the right. He still has freedom (which is often overlooked) to roam into the centre

[Harv]

--------------------------Reina-------------------------------------

----------Hyypia---------Carra----------Agger----------------------

----Finnan-------------------------------------------Aurelio--------

-----------------Momo-----------Alonso----------------------------

-----------------------Gerrard--------------------------------------

----------------Kuyt-------------Bellamy---------------------------

i actually think that is our best lineup. Width can come from Bellers , Finnan and Fabio....while Gerrard and Kuyt can storm into the box.

There'd be goals galore in that formation.

As good a job as Finnan has done over the past few years....he really does slow us down when attacking. If someone like Alves could come into that RWB position we would be deadly.

[captainfog]

until we have a quality right winger Stevie has to play on the right when Momo is back.

Our best 3 midfielders are xabi, momo and stevie. dropping xabi of momo to play stevie in the centre basically means you are dropping them for pennant.

Pennant has played a bit better recently, but he is def not as good as the three i have mentioned. We need to play our best players against the likes of chelsea if we are to beat them and challenge for the league.

[captainfog]

As good a job as Finnan has done over the past few years....he really does slow us down when attacking. If someone like Alves could come into that RWB position we would be deadly.

Exactly why stevie has to play on the right until we sign someone else.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Momo is devistating

At what exactly?

Good player don't get me wrong, but going forward he's a non factor.

Yes I realise his strengths, and in certain games he's effective, and there are times when playing Gerrard on the right with Sissoko in the side is tactically correct, Barcelona away being one example. But against the majority of the Premiership, which is mediocre, he's not needed.

And people who think that Gerrard's more effective on the right than in the middle are just clueless.