On Paper But in Reality

[tomasjj]

i would agree and we have no equivalent to either player (cf the controversial lfc thread with its excellent discussion of how to classify CM players)

this is a good blend the arse have got going: flamini is limited but is positionally disciplined, a good tackler and an excellent long range passer (attributes hamman had before his legs went). mascherano's passing aint as good, xabi's is but his tackling aint and momo's positional discipline is well short. fabregas is the best playmaker in the league - TOTALLY different to SG and exactly the type of player the current lfc squad (not just team) doesnt have.

benayoun is a good pro but the fella on here saying he can do that role....boys when he compares to a fabregas, kaka or riquelme say...wed look silly

Hamann a good long range passer? Not in my book.

I think Xabi can fill the Flamini role, if you are looking for direct comparisons. His tackling is underrated.

My point though is:

Our midfield is different, and I don't see the point in using Arse as the blueprint for everything even if they are doing well.

[enema of the state]

Hamann a good long range passer? Not in my book..

do you watch us much?????

[zimbo]

From the ESPN Game Log

Gerrard.........6 goals.....5 Assists
Mascherano...2 goals.....1 Assist
Xabi.............2 goals.....0 Assists
Lucas...........0 goals......1 Assist
Momo...........1 goals......0 Assists

That is light years ahead of for example Manure. That is the REALITY

Have I missed something?

[Imy]

Have I missed something?

Copa America?

[tomasjj]

do you watch us much?????

Sure, I could be dead wrong, but I don't recall him whipping out long range passes from defensive midfield. I watch a lot of football, mate.

This was not my main point of my reply.
You care to comment on that one?

[Woobus]

Bit hard to judge at the minute if you ask me. Its been a long time since we have been able to put out our best midfield due to injuries and then the players playing below par while coming back.
Steve is only back to playing anywhere near his best while Alonso has been out for so long. We managed Arsenals midfield at Anfield until an unfit Alonso had to go off, up until then I hear they only had one shot on target. Mascher as well has had a poor start to the season due to his summer commitments.

[enema of the state]

My point though is:

Our midfield is different, and I don't see the point in using Arse as the blueprint for everything even if they are doing well.

ok ill comment.

as long as we play 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, our midfieldconsists of the same positions/roles to fill. the arse is an example of having all the boxes ticked. its a very reasonable blueprint to look at. i dont think we can currently do the same with any combination of our current squad. your point re alonse is the key: if we could rely on him defensively then wed be sorted. you think we can, rafa doesnt.

[tomasjj]

ok ill comment.

as long as we play 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, our midfieldconsists of the same positions/roles to fill. the arse is an example of having all the boxes ticked. its a very reasonable blueprint to look at. i dont think we can currently do the same with any combination of our current squad. your point re alonse is the key: if we could rely on him defensively then wed be sorted. you think we can, rafa doesnt.

Well, you see, I don't agree that playing a similar formation means we need players playing the same roles. It all depends on the tactics we wish to apply.

We might use players with different strengths in said positions, namely because of the way Rafa wants us to play or dependent on the opposition.

For instance, if the opposition has lots of runs from central midfield he might play someone in the centre mid who can pick up those runs. Or if he expects us to dominate possession, he will want someone who can pass it about around the opposition box..etc...

We don't have the same combo, sure, certainly not a Fabregas kind of player.
So why use them as a blueprint then?

As for your comment on Xabi (I did not say he is key, that was your assumption) and if Alonso trusts him, that is speculation imo.
It might just as well be the case that he doesn't trust him AND the player next to him to help each other out sufficiently. It is more about how the players abilities fit together as a unit in midfield than the individual.

[IanTatt]

You don't need your central midfielders to score that many. Look at utd, they could play 2 out of carrick, scholes (doesn't get forward as much these days) and Hargreaves and they would not score that many. They have ronanldo, rooney and Tevez to score the vast majority, out of our top two and two wide midfielders only Torres would score on a regular basis, that's our problem, still two or three forward players short of becoming
a top team all the other components are there..

[kemm1]

IMHO the bet midfield in the world is in Barcelona.

[fred_plasticine]

i would agree and we have no equivalent to either player (cf the controversial lfc thread with its excellent discussion of how to classify CM players)

this is a good blend the arse have got going: flamini is limited but is positionally disciplined, a good tackler and an excellent long range passer (attributes hamman had before his legs went). mascherano's passing aint as good, xabi's is but his tackling aint and momo's positional discipline is well short. fabregas is the best playmaker in the league - TOTALLY different to SG and exactly the type of player the current lfc squad (not just team) doesnt have.
benayoun is a good pro but the fella on here saying he can do that role....boys when he compares to a fabregas, kaka or riquelme say...wed look silly

falmini's nowhere near either mascherano or alonso. though i have to admit he's been in the form of his life so far this season.
xabi's one of the best tacklers in the league, a fact that often goes unnoticed; his positional sense, his tactical awareness and usually his passing are second none.
mascher's passing is certainly as good flamini's but while our key players have all suffered a loss in form arsenal's have been playing out of their skin.

i do agree with you about fabregas though, we have nobody who actually plays that role. sg is not a playermaker in my eyes and alonso is not given the freedom to express himself while sg plays alongside him.

[Woobus]

i do agree with you about fabregas though, we have nobody who actually plays that role. sg is not a playermaker in my eyes and alonso is not given the freedom to express himself while sg plays alongside him.

Hopefully when Alonso gets back he might play further up the pitch with Mascherano covering him.

[fred_plasticine]

Hopefully when Alonso gets back he might play further up the pitch with Mascherano covering him.

[enema of the state]

Hamann a good long range passer? Not in my book.

mate did you watch match of the day yesterday/this am????

did you see the 50 metre ball hamman pinged in for man city to put geovanni clean through???

even in his mid 30's didi's long range passing is top class

what were you on while he was at lfc????

[tomasjj]

mate did you watch match of the day yesterday/this am????

did you see the 50 metre ball hamman pinged in for man city to put geovanni clean through???

even in his mid 30's didi's long range passing is top class

what were you on while he was at lfc????

Why are you digging this one up again?
We made several posts since the one you quote.
I said I could be wrong on this.
Was that not enough for you?

No, I didn't see that game.
The last couple of years, which are the ones I naturally remember best, Hamann won the ball and gave it to Alonso/Gerrard. So he didn't play that role of the long range passer.
Maybe I have a short memory then.