Should Xabi Be Dropped?

[lfc4ever]

Are we carrying him at the moment? Seems woefully out of form for club & country.

Or do we (or should I say let Rafa) play him back into form?

Does he need a longer rest period since the WC?

A spell in the reserves maybe?

Will we miss his passing ability whilst playing away in our next 3 matches, can we afford to just let him be for 2 weeks at Melwood?

Now we have some depth in the squad, providing Momo & SG are fully fit, we can play with wingers and leave SG & Momo to boss the midfield?

Personally, drop him, 3 tough away games, and he really isn't pulling his weight at the moment, and no point in dragging him along, give him 2 weeks at Melwood with club & family and let him recover a bit, then take it from there.

[stevenage_kop]

seems like a good idea. otherwise i feel pennant will miss out and hes playing wel

[Resu]

As you say we have three difficult, but very important away games the next week. So we need every CM we have. SG, Momo and Xabi are perhaps the most important players for those matches, and someone has the sit out at least one of them.
A lot depends on how Xabi reacts to the NI loss. If he comes back eager to set the record straight he should start vs the Bitters.
If he`s feeling tired, and fed up, rest him now and let him start vs PSV. I expect that to be more of an Xabi type of game.

[Rich]

I can't see dropping Xabi as helping the situation - he needs more games to get back into top gear. I would be tempted to have him on the bench for Everton (if Momo is fit enough) but I'd have him playing against PSV.

[lfc4ever]

If he's whacked, physically and/or mentally, then it's not games that he needs, and since the WC we've carried him, and I can only call it from how I see it.

I would prob need to have a man-to-man management type discussion with Rafa & Xabi to see what is best, and as I'm not privy to such meeting (and I damned well should be!) then I suggest a fully fit & raring to go 16 is better than 15 + Xabi, at the moment. There is just something not quite right, however, if Xabi feels he prefers to play it off can we afford to let him even, maybe PSV away, but that is still just so damned important I'd be swayed to go with those in form.

[KK07]

He hasn't looked himself since returning from the WC and he was woeful last night.
Some players do appear to suffer from worse WC hangovers then others,Xabi seems to be suffering at the minute.

I'm sure Rafa will know how to get the best out of him.
I wouldn't object about droppin him if thats what it took but is Momo 100% for this weekend?

[Parm]

He hasn't looked himself since returning from the WC and he was woeful last night.
Some players do appear to suffer from worse WC hangovers then others,Xabi seems to be suffering at the minute.

I'm sure Rafa will know how to get the best out of him.
I wouldn't object about droppin him if thats what it took but is Momo 100% for this weekend?

I'd agree with your comments, a bit rest time is what Xabi needs.

[baronvonskidmark]

Something appears to not be quite right with Xabi. Personally I feel that his first year was his peak in terms of passing, last season his passing was not quite as good, and he seems to be having a very rough time of it lately. I have no idea why this is, but we should remember that he set himself VERY high standards in his first season, and also he has added things to his game since then, like being more physical and getting more tackles in (wasn't he the player who put the most tackles in for us last season or something?).

However, I think that he only needs one really good performance to get him back on track, and when better than the derby? I'm all for using the squad, but in this case he'd know he was being dropped rather than rested, and I don't think staying at Melwood practising passes is really the right thing for him at the moment. I guess dropping him might make him hungrier and more keen to prove a point to everyone, but I just get the feeling that he is a very focused and determined character anyway. And I don't think he is THAT bad at the moment to be considered a passenger. His mistake might have led to a goal last night - I didn't see the match - but Gerrard let Henry in at Highbury last season, and he went on to great things didn't he?

IMO, we should all stand behind him and let him play his way out of this bad patch. If he plays anything like he can, then his ball retention at Goodison might be vital.

As they say 'form is temporary, class is permanent'. Come on Xabi!

[Jayesh87]

I get the feeling that Bolo may start in centre mid against Everton alongside Momo and with Stevie playing as a second striker.

[Shaggy]

I get the feeling that Bolo may start in centre mid against Everton alongside Momo and with Stevie playing as a second striker.

God help us if you're right.

[Jayesh87]

God help us if you're right.

Robbie will probably bag a hat trick mate

[red g]

God help us if you're right.

i dont even think the big man could help if this happens

[FowlerLeftFoot]

put him in the reserves games is a good idea

[WILF]

I think that it is easy to forget how young Xabi is, he seems so mature and his 1st couple of seasons showed so much class.All players go through dips in form and need a bit of rest to recover,plus trust/confidence/support from the manager and team mates.

Maybe he is tired, mentally as much as physically, maybe he is missing his home/family etc or maybe he is just playing crap(it happens) but we all know that he is class and that Rafa will look after him perfectly, they have a close bond.
Personally I would drop him for a couple of games(barring injuries) and let Momo and Stevie play centre mid

[bazza76]

All depends on his fitness levels i think. If he is not 100% fit, then i'd drop him for a game or two. Let his condition improve and then play him again, if he is 100% fit or close, then we should play him, class is permanent and he will find his confidence again with games.