Xabi Alonso - the enigma

[paulcooper4]

hes ****in boss. just takes him a while to get into his groove. He was out for ages. He`s always the slowest to get going at the start of seasons also.

One thing with him though, even when hes off form, he is the player we miss more than any other when hes out.

A bit like ronnie whelan in the sense that he rarely gets the adulation of the fans but the players understand his true value.

Theres nothing flash about xabi, maybe this is the reason people have gone off him?, but even when playing **** he will play at least 2 or 3 killer passes.

Not his fault if the dickhead on the end of the pass makes a balls up of it

[Nic83]

Xabi is the definition of a footballer. That is all.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

I've made my views on Alonso clear in other threads and I don't want to go over old ground.

All I will say is that I no longer see him as a key player for us.

It might be that Xabi suffers from a lack of movement ahead of him, or that his form will return when he is match-fit, or that he needs more intelligent players around him.

But solving all those problems won't necessarily make him more mobile, more difficult to deny time and space or more suited to any brand other than possession football.

I'm sorry to say, I think we have seen the best of Alonso in a Liverpool shirt because he has been well and truly found out. It doesn't take a tactical genius to instruct his players to deny Xabi Alonso time on the ball and it doesn't take footballers of outstanding quality to carry out those instructions. At any level of premiership football, that sort of thing is meat and drink.

I'm past making excuses for him and finding compromises. I still see Xabi playing a role for us, probably in Europe and I certainly don't want to sell him. But for me, he is now our third choice central midfielder and if that means he has to spend more time sitting on the bench, so be it.

100% spot on.

I just don't understand the clamouring for Alonso to automatically return to the side when Gerrard and Masch have been dovetailing well in midfield in his absence.

And Xabi's form since he's returned has been poor, he was shocking when he came on yesterday.

I still think he's a good player, but a key player? No, and to be honest I never considered him to be.

[cobain]

one of my biggest annoyances with alonso at the moment and i've noticed it at least a dozen times since he returned from injury, when he picks up the ball with his back to the oppo, he stands there as if he's in a world of his own deliberating with the ball, only for someone to come up behind him and take it off him.

He did it again today and I knew he was going to do it as soon as he received the ball, pissed me off big time, his passing is off but I expect that to come back with more match time.

He been out for a while, had two breaks in his foot, so i'm happy to give him time and see what happens. Although it does concern me a bit that he looked a bit shaky before the inury, however many credited him as a possible mom candidate in his brief appearance in the arsenal match, so lets see what happens.

[tomasjj]

100% spot on.

I just don't understand the clamouring for Alonso to automatically return to the side when Gerrard and Masch have been dovetailing well in midfield in his absence.

And Xabi's form since he's returned has been poor, he was shocking when he came on yesterday.

I still think he's a good player, but a key player? No, and to be honest I never considered him to be.

Wow.
I completely disagree with everything above.

I am sure it won't bother you though.

[redblood]

**** it. Everybody on here almost going down on Masher these days but the results with him in the middle rather than Xabi have been very poor.

So shall we get rid of him as well?

Agree mate
Xabi started the season very well with a few good goals and top performances then he gets injured comes back for a couple of games and gets injured again.
He's a top quality MF player and we badly miss him in the side when he's not playing.
I like Masher and I want him to stay but for me Xabi is the better all round MF player by far.
I would personally play Masher Alonso with Stevie in front of them.

[tomasjj]

Agree mate
Xabi started the season very well with a few good goals and top performances then he gets injured comes back for a couple of games and gets injured again.
He's a top quality MF player and we badly miss him in the side when he's not playing.
I like Masher and I want him to stay but for me Xabi is the better all round MF player by far.
I would personally play Masher Alonso with Stevie in front of them.

So would I.

[CharlieMansonsSquint]

Wow.
I completely disagree with everything above.

I am sure it won't bother you though.

His form hasn't been poor then?

And yes, I'm not bothered.

[JohnDoe]

Gerrard and Mascherano haven't done well as a unit at all. They are a poor midfield duo in terms of possession and distribution.

[redblood]

hes ****in boss. just takes him a while to get into his groove. He was out for ages. He`s always the slowest to get going at the start of seasons also.

One thing with him though, even when hes off form, he is the player we miss more than any other when hes out.

A bit like ronnie whelan in the sense that he rarely gets the adulation of the fans but the players understand his true value.
Theres nothing flash about xabi, maybe this is the reason people have gone off him?, but even when playing **** he will play at least 2 or 3 killer passes.

Not his fault if the dickhead on the end of the pass makes a balls up of it

Completely agree with that mate I think to many of us have gotten used to what Xabi does on the pitch ala Ronnie and then wonder why when he's not playing that we lack cohesion.
Aldo reckoned Ronnie Whelan was one of the most underated players at LFC and I think Xabi has taken on the same mantle.

[paulcooper4]

So would I.

sort of similar for me, except id have stevie on the right. He has always played better there in my opinion. He is a fantastic crosser of the ball and he likes to take players on.

He has no idea how to grab a midfield by the scruff of the neck and boss it. In the middle, even in games where he scores a spectacular goal, or does a few outrageously brilliant things he goes missing for long periods and you just cant do this in the centre of midfield.

His game has always been perfect for right midfield, or even right back but obviously i wouldnt waste his talents at right back

Alonso and Mascherano is our best pairing in central midfield for me

[redblood]

So would I.

That's enough people to decide it so mate, tell Rafa implement it next week with Babel/Kewell Torres and Kuyt/Benni up top.
Thank you first place here we come.

[Nic83]

I think this is our best lineup in the attacking sense:




---------------Crouch-----------------
-------Torres--------------babel----------

---------------Gerrard------------------

---------Alonso--------Masher------

Arbeloa------Agger----Carra-----Finnan

-----------------Reina-------------------

Oh yes oh yes oh yes oh yes oh yes

[bigfooty]

Like a few other players in the team - Crouch being one - Xabi suffers because of our lack of width. The option to boom the ball to a winger just isn't on for him enough and with teams defending so deep against us (for the most part) his options are extremely limited.

There was some speculation that he might go to Barca at some point last year and I said then that he'd probably develop into a World Class player, a true International star, if he got the chance to play in a team of that style. I just don't see it happening for him though if Rafa continues to persist in playing narrow, restricted football.

[redblood]

sort of similar for me, except id have stevie on the right. He has always played better there in my opinion. He is a fantastic crosser of the ball and he likes to take players on.

He has no idea how to grab a midfield by the scruff of the neck and boss it. In the middle, even in games where he scores a spectuclar goal, or does a few outrageously brilliant things he goes missing for long periods and you just cant do this in the centre of midfield.

His game has always been perfect for right midfield, or even right back but obviously i wouldnt waste his talents at right back

Alonso and Mascherano is our best pairing in central midfield for me

Agree with that comment mate it's not his strength and Rafa knows this but his influence as an attacking force is incredible hence the reason for playing him in front of Alonso and Masher.
Yeah that to mate but I think he tends to drift inside anyway when he plays right, so if we gave him the free role and were set up to deal with that he'd create a **** load and score a **** load for us.