Mascherano and Gerrard

[Lee]

Well that's just a ****ing farce if true, jesus christ

I agree mate
However, lets see what the situation is in a months time

I mean, you wouldn't take a ****in car for a test drive if you had no interest in buying it

[dww]

We have played with a 5 man midfield in only a handful of games this season.

My problem isn't with Mascher per se. But with the fact that the other players don't get on with attacking when he plays in the way Rafa implies they would/should. Defensively he does his role excellently it is in the link to the rest of the team I find fault. A lot of this may be in the fact that Gerrad unnecesarily drops deep when played with him but at the minute the balance is not creative enough and I really can't see how anyone can seriously argue that it is.

The trouble with your agument about the 5 man midfield is that for large parts of the season the player integral to making it worth doing (alonso has been out). Also we have played 4-3-3 on a couple of occasions which results in effectively the same choices in the centre as the 5 man midfield.

[Alpha]

My problem isn't with Mascher per se. But with the fact that the other players don't get on with attacking when he plays in the way Rafa implies they would/should. Defensively he does his role excellently it is in the link to the rest of the team I find fault. A lot of this may be in the fact that Gerrad unnecesarily drops deep when played with him but at the minute the balance is not creative enough and I really can't see how anyone can seriously argue that it is.

Rafa made these remarks after the Portsmouth victory, not before Mascherano had made any Liverpool appearances.

Of course you are entitled to dispute anything anybody says, including Rafael Benitez, but in this case, I have to take issue because I happen to agree entirely with what he says. For me, it is as clear as day.

The trouble with your agument about the 5 man midfield is that for large parts of the season the player integral to making it worth doing (alonso has been out). Also we have played 4-3-3 on a couple of occasions which results in effectively the same choices in the centre as the 5 man midfield.

The only point I wished to make about the 5 man midfield is the same one you are making - that we tend to use it more when Alonso plays. You could argue that is because he is the one who makes it effective or that he needs the extra man in the centre to buy him the time to perform to his best.

Either way, Alonso is an exceptional talent so it is worth doing but I would stress that it makes him more of a player to build your team around than Mascherano who is a player to integrate into your team. And I'm not saying there isn't a more plausible explanation as to why Benitez suddenly decided to play Gerrard centrally or why the tactical switch from the right coincided with Alonso's unavailablity, so if you have one, I'm all ears.

[dww]

[QUOTE=Alpha;858984]Rafa made these remarks after the Portsmouth victory, not before Mascherano had made any Liverpool appearances.

Of course you are entitled to dispute anything anybody says, including Rafael Benitez, but in this case, I have to take issue because I happen to agree entirely with what he says. For me, it is as clear as day.
[\QUOTE]

On days like when we played Pompey it makes sense - he did well the team functioned well and it proves it can work. For me it doesn't turn out that way more often than not, particularly against the better teams (Man United and City would be two games I would use as an example - dominate possession but don't do enough to make goals).

[dww]

Either way, Alonso is an exceptional talent so it is worth doing but I would stress that it makes him more of a player to build your team around than Mascherano who is a player to integrate into your team. And I'm not saying there isn't a more plausible explanation as to why Benitez suddenly decided to play Gerrard centrally or why the tactical switch from the right coincided with Alonso's unavailablity, so if you have one, I'm all ears.

Gerrard hasn't played much on the right all year Alonso or Mascher in the team. Gerrard doesn't seem to like playing there even if he is very (and I would argue most) effective when he plays there and is motivated. So basically I don't believe there is any switch in tactics to be explained.

And also surely if Alonso isn't there then it simply means Gerrard is competing against 1 less person for a CM position and so is more liekley to play there.

[Alpha]

Rafa made these remarks after the Portsmouth victory, not before Mascherano had made any Liverpool appearances.

Of course you are entitled to dispute anything anybody says, including Rafael Benitez, but in this case, I have to take issue because I happen to agree entirely with what he says. For me, it is as clear as day.
QUOTE]

On days like when we played Pompey it makes sense - he did well the team functioned well and it proves it can work. For me it doesn't turn out that way more often than not, particularly against the better teams (Man United and City would be two games I would use as an example - dominate possession but don't do enough to make goals).

Of course we didn't create enough against Man U but I'm not sure it is fair to hold Masher's selection responsible for the result - he was one of eleven players who failed to break them down. On days when we don't create chances, there are usually several reasons why. Playing with one destructive midfielder instead of a creative one is never usually one of the first to spring to mind.

As for the City game, well I thought Mascherano was our best player (again) but not even he was good enough to finish any of the 17 (was it?) chances that fell to our other players.

Anyway, I'm off to see the New Year in.

Have a good one.

[Alpha]

Gerrard hasn't played much on the right all year Alonso or Mascher in the team. Gerrard doesn't seem to like playing there even if he is very (and I would argue most) effective when he plays there and is motivated. So basically I don't believe there is any switch in tactics to be explained.

And also surely if Alonso isn't there then it simply means Gerrard is competing against 1 less person for a CM position and so is more liekley to play there.

The general consensus is that Gerrard is our best player and that he is most effective in a central position. This is also my view.

Before Mascherano even joined Liverpool, Gerrard found himself playing on the right with Alonso and Sissoko occupying the central positions.

You might argue that Momo was playing well enough to justify this formation or that this was the best fit given the lack of alternatives on the right but I think it is more plausible that everybody's preferred midfield on paper (Alonso and Gerrard), while effective, was limited due, in the simplest possible terms, to an imbalance of creative/destructive qualities.

[Alpha]

Liverpool's Benitez faces frustration over Mascherano
Last updated at 20:23pm on 31st December 2007

Rafa Benitez faces frustration in his bid to seal Javier Mascherano's £17million permanent transfer this month.

The issue was at the heart of Benitez's fallout with Liverpool's American owners last month, and Tom Hicks and George Gillett have decided they cannot grant their manager's wish.

Funds will be released for the on-loan Argentina midfielder's signing during the summer, but Benitez fears Barcelona or River Plate may seize the opportunity to lure him away from Anfield. The Liverpool boss has been given the go-ahead to sign a central defender

link

[AFII]

Well, now we know what our money from the TV deal will go to.