Thoughts on Babel last night?

[einar]

Great post mate.
I feel really sorry for Babel, Yossi and to a lesser extent Voronin. how as new players are they supposed to bed in when they play 2 or 3 games in 5. Not only that when they do play, its often with different players than their last outing.

Babel looks promising and as Hollands top rated young player, must be more than decent but we won't see the best of him for at least another 2 seasons.

3 in 5 is still about a game a week, no?

[andyinswinton]

He is talented without doubt but I don't know if we are expecting too much from him at the moment. We spent big on him but shouldn't expect so much too soon.

I'd have loved to have seen him down the middle at some point last night with him being told just to run at defenders. He would have caused more trouble last night that Kuyt and Voronin put together.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

I have two questions for you.

How many games do players have to play together every week to gel together?

Why would a player loose confidence if he is told he is only dropped to keep him fit for the whole season?

I am not having a go at you or anything, just wondering what your opinion on this is.

How many game shas Babel played this season, starts I mean, maybe half a dozen? And every time he plays the players around him change, that with him not playing every other game. I mean does he look settled and confident in this team to you mate?

I don't know, but when it comes to team selection I'm old skool. If you play well you're in, and you stay in until you get tired, injured or suspended. Why is Rafa resting players now for games which might not mean anything in April, or that we might not even have?

[bigfooty]

I think Babel showed some flashes of good stuff yesterday, but no more than that.

It wasn't as if he was a constant threat yet he did have one amazing dart + cross that should have resulted in a goal. Unfortunately apart from that he always came inside to an already packed middle of the pitch. Normally it ended up with a shot blocked or just too many people converging on him, but it was nice to see him glide past a few people.

He's definitely got talent, just we need more than potential right now.

[einar]

How many game shas Babel played this season, starts I mean, maybe half a dozen? And every time he plays the players around him change, that with him not playing every other game. I mean does he look settled and confident in this team to you mate?

I don't know, but when it comes to team selection I'm old skool. If you play well you're in, and you stay in until you get tired, injured or suspended. Why is Rafa resting players now for games which might not mean anything in April, or that we might not even have?

For me he has looked more settled then many of the older players. He is always asking for the ball and never seem to lack confidence. I think he suffers cos the whole team is playing badly but that can be said about anyone.

As for rotation, you disagree with Rafa and that is fine. I think we can be sure that he is not gonna change his mind, ever. For me it is also the best argument for rotation that we have in all of Rafas years with us been the best team from december and sometimes longer. I guess that is tanks to and the fault of rotation. It is true we have needed a better start and now we have got it. IMO if we can keep within 10 points of the top until the new year we have a great chance to win it.

I would like to see us support Rafa in this because like he says him self, he has a plan. And if certain things work out we will have a better chance of winning then if we did it old school.
I´m sure many Man U fans would have liked a bit more rotation before those games against Milan.

[chrispy]

I thought he played well last night but it's painfully obvious he wants to play up front instead of out on the wing. In an interview I saw of him he said Rafa has promised to play him up front at some stage, let's hope it's sooner rather than later. Even Van Basten says what a brilliant prospect he is and our own King Kenny has said he's the most exciting player he's seen in a long time.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

For me he has looked more settled then many of the older players. He is always asking for the ball and never seem to lack confidence. I think he suffers cos the whole team is playing badly but that can be said about anyone.

As for rotation, you disagree with Rafa and that is fine. I think we can be sure that he is not gonna change his mind, ever. For me it is also the best argument for rotation that we have in all of Rafas years with us been the best team from december and sometimes longer. I guess that is tanks to and the fault of rotation. It is true we have needed a better start and now we have got it. IMO if we can keep within 10 points of the top until the new year we have a great chance to win it.

I would like to see us support Rafa in this because like he says him self, he has a plan. And if certain things work out we will have a better chance of winning then if we did it old school.
I´m sure many Man U fans would have liked a bit more rotation before those games against Milan.

You really think Babel's playing with confidence? I think it's the complete opposite. Sure he's still trying to make things happen, but he just doesn't look comfortable in this team at the minute.

But who's to say we'll go on run like that again this season. It's working to an assumption that you're right, or rather Rafa is. Looking at the way we've been performing I'm not confident it'll change just like that.

[einar]

You really think Babel's playing with confidence? I think it's the complete opposite. Sure he's still trying to make things happen, but he just doesn't look comfortable in this team at the minute.

But who's to say we'll go on run like that again this season. It's working to an assumption that you're right, or rather Rafa is. Looking at the way we've been performing I'm not confident it'll change just like that.

[Sir Bob]

For me he has looked more settled then many of the older players. He is always asking for the ball and never seem to lack confidence. I think he suffers cos the whole team is playing badly but that can be said about anyone.

As for rotation, you disagree with Rafa and that is fine. I think we can be sure that he is not gonna change his mind, ever. For me it is also the best argument for rotation that we have in all of Rafas years with us been the best team from december and sometimes longer. I guess that is tanks to and the fault of rotation. It is true we have needed a better start and now we have got it. IMO if we can keep within 10 points of the top until the new year we have a great chance to win it.

I would like to see us support Rafa in this because like he says him self, he has a plan. And if certain things work out we will have a better chance of winning then if we did it old school.
I´m sure many Man U fans would have liked a bit more rotation before those games against Milan.

The problem I have with Rafa's rotation policy is that he over does it. I'm not saying players can play every game but do we really have to change 4, 5 or even 6 players for every game we play. football is a team game, players need to play together to build up partnerships, to instinctively know where team mates are and what they are thinking. Rafa's over rotation makes this nearly impossible.

Also if rotating players is so important, why do defenders hardly ever get rested. Carra nevers misses a game, ditto Finnan and Agger. Do they not get as tired as forwards, do they need less rest? I think its because defenders need to play together regularly to master their offside trap etc, to build up partnerships. I don't see how this is any different to forwards.

As for the Utd point, I think their fans wouldn't have liked more rotation of players so that they were fresher for Milan, if it meant that instead of winning the league, rotation meant they finished 2nd

[einar]

The problem I have with Rafa's rotation policy is that he over does it. I'm not saying players can play every game but do we really have to change 4, 5 or even 6 players for every game we play. football is a team game, players need to play together to build up partnerships, to instinctively know where team mates are and what they are thinking. Rafa's over rotation makes this nearly impossible.

Also if rotating players is so important, why do defenders hardly ever get rested. Carra nevers misses a game, ditto Finnan and Agger. Do they not get as tired as forwards, do they need less rest? I think its because defenders need to play together regularly to master their offside trap etc, to build up partnerships. I don't see how this is any different to forwards.

As for the Utd point, I think their fans wouldn't have liked more rotation of players so that they were fresher for Milan, if it meant that instead of winning the league, rotation meant they finished 2nd

I think they have scientific ways of measuring their fitness and that is what they use.

As for playing together I just dont buy it. If you know the game and are any good at it, one game a week or there about is IMHO more then enough.

As for defenders and attackers, I think fatigue plays a lesser role in the case of the defender.

[tomasjj]

I think they have scientific ways of measuring their fitness and that is what they use.

As for playing together I just dont buy it. If you know the game and are any good at it, one game a week or there about is IMHO more then enough.

As for defenders and attackers, I think fatigue plays a lesser role in the case of the defender.

Physical, yes. Mental, less so.
There is an awful lot of concentration needed.

[Icon]

I thought he was bloody frustrating.

Thought LG was back!

[dom9]

Babel is a cross between John Barnes and Dwaine Dibley.

Looks great one minute, **** the next. No end product either so far, and far too wasteful (goal against Derby excepted).

[rushscored4]

Babel is a cross between John Barnes and Dwaine Dibley.

Who's John Barnes? Is he that fella off the dancing programme with Bruce Forsyth?

[KarenB]

playing together?

Anybody would think that the liverpool squad are a bunch of players who only ever play together on a match day. For god's sake, they train together day in and day out. They switch positions, they switch partners, they learn each others strengths and weaknesses.