Whet the appetite

[Chris]

Ronaldinho speaks. Good that he knows about Anfield

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/sport/football.html?in_article_id=436495&in_page_id=1779

He said: "It would be a mistake not to consider Liverpool as one of the favourites to win this season’s Champions League. Not only have they already won it, they have a team capable of doing it again. The hour of truth has arrived.

"Liverpool’s win two seasons ago was amazing. We have to learn from what happened to Milan in that incredible final.

"But we are a force in this competition and we have an obligation to show Liverpool our quality, too. Certainly, we know all about Liverpool. Gerrard is a brilliant midfield player with a lot of force, and Alonso complements him perfectly.

"They are two players with a good passing range, and we have to be very careful that they don’t release their strikers too often.

"The likes of Dirk Kuyt and Peter Crouch are dangerous. The core of Liverpool’s side is of a very high standard. They can hurt us on the break, so we must not neglect that.

"The second leg will be crucial, because Anfield has such a reputation. But at least we are used to playing in difficult environments. I’ve never been to Anfield, but I have played in Madrid, Milan and Chelsea and coped OK. But we must make home advantage count, because we will suffer at Anfield if we are not in front."

[Craig_H]

"The second leg will be crucial, because Anfield has such a reputation. But at least we are used to playing in difficult environments. I’ve never been to Anfield, but I have played in Madrid, Milan and Chelsea and coped OK. But we must make home advantage count, because we will suffer at Anfield if we are not in front."

Hehe...he's in for a surprise.

[Fiddy]

Goals this season :

Gerrard - 7
Ronaldinho - 17.

The flicks and tricks obviously aren't working.

17 goals with a significant chunk of the season left, for someone who isn't an out-and-out striker...I'd say that's an end product. The Pony is having a similar season in those terms and people are wanking all over him. Anyone know how many assists he's got too?

[Craig_H]

When i made the comment about end product fiddy, what i was referring to was the tricks, flicks and what-not. They in themselves, while being pretty, rarely lead to anything. That's actually what i meant.

[Chrono]

Who edited my title?

[keniget]

When i made the comment about end product fiddy, what i was referring to was the tricks, flicks and what-not. They in themselves, while being pretty, rarely lead to anything. That's actually what i meant.

That's not true though.

[Craig_H]

That's not true though.

So he often does some keepy uppy and bounces the ball on his head from the halfway line, into the opposition area, before smashing it home then?

[Maestro]

Never say never.

Never - d'oh!

[keniget]

So he often does some keepy uppy and bounces the ball on his head from the halfway line, into the opposition area, before smashing it home then?

That's what's flair and skill with end product surmounts to then? Don't be ridiculous.

How about his goals against Madrid at the Bernebau last season as two high profile examples?

[Craig_H]

That's what's flair and skill with end product surmounts to then? Don't be ridiculous.

How about his goals against Madrid at the Bernebau last season as two high profile examples?

Ken, i said the flicks and tricks rarely lead to much - unless you're suggesting most of his goes come from the flicks & tricks, i dont think there was much wrong with what i said.

[dww]

I think people often get the wrong impression about players who use flashy tricks. The fact is that a trick is almost always a risky option, however if applied intelligently it allows you to unlock defences which are hard to penetrate otherwise. While it largely depends on the players ability to judge the risks, I think it is unfair to use the fact that the tricks are a low percentage option against them when a player is so obviously productive in terms of goals and assists.

[keniget]

Ken, i said the flicks and tricks rarely lead to much - unless you're suggesting most of his goes come from the flicks & tricks, i dont think there was much wrong with what i said.

Dunno. Maybe there is a bit of confusion as to what "flicks & tricks" consist of. In your initial post, you seemed to imply that Gerrards style of play leads to more goals, which is wrong. Ronahldinio can have his off days and in recent times he's had more than a few, but he's a brilliant player and has shown on a pretty consistent basis that he does have (a lot of) end product to his game. I don't think it's fair to say that his 'flashiness' rarely leads to anything meaningful.

[Craig_H]

I think you're confusing 'skill and flair' with unproductive flicks and tricks.

No matter.

[dww]

I think you're confusing 'skill and flair' with unproductive flicks and tricks.

No matter.

I think you are pre-supposing that flicks and tricks are necissarily unproductive.

It is how/when you use them. For example when he first came to the PL the tricks and flicks of Christiano Ronaldo were bugger all use because he used them all the time and even when they bought him space he usually made a crap pass. Since he has learnt when to use the step over and how to maintain his concentrion once he had done it they became a useful tool.