Alonso.

[tomasjj]

What's that got to do with anything? Have you now changed your mind and are saying that he was poor but it was because he was, in your opinion, shoehorned into a defensive role? Regardless of where he was asked to play, his passing has been nothing like it should be and his tackling has been laughable by his own standards.

Don't try and twist my words. My opinion is not changed. It might do according to what I see on the pitch though. This "credit for sticking to your guns" is a lot of bollocks in my book.

He was not poor the season after either. I was trying point of the fact that maybe Alonso was playing football differently and your expectation should be different as to his contribution to the team. If it interests you, Alonso was great in that role and, if you believe in stats, he was lauded as the one who had most successful tackles in the PL that year. I know what I saw though, and he performed very well in that role too, even if it restricted his talents.

As to his passing...yeah, be good if he has someone to pass to on the flanks...making runs.

He has been poor after his injury this season. Before that injury, he was doing as well as any in our midfield.


Anywya..that was another wasted 5 minutes of my life trying to tell you something about Alonso.

[Taffy]

I really rate Alonso, and he is our best passer of the ball, full stop.

However, with Mascherano looking likely to be signed up and Lucas and Gerrard also getting a starting place ahead of him lately, things don't look good for him. Yes, he can stay and force his way back into the team, but the competition for places is hot in the centre and Alonso will not play regularly on current form.

If we got an offer of 15m+ this summer then I'd be tempted to sell, but I would be more than happy if he remained a Red and forced his form back and his way back into the first team of a regular occurance.

On form Xabi is a must for us but he hasn't produced that of late, mainly due to injury, but given time, I have faith in the lad that he will produce the goods once again for us. Whether he'd want to hang around to find that form again may be another matter!

[Frank Leroux]

I wonder what Alonso would be like without the shadow of Gerrard looming over him...

I think Alonso feels he should be the central midfield controller..a task I suspect Benitez bought him for. The imovable object that is Gerrard (for various reasons) has, I think, stifled Alonso's game somewhat.

[Joe King]

Hes too slow, easy for teams to press as he gives the ball away too quickly, distribution has declined, gives away silly tackles.

He hasn't been good for a long time. Its about time people realised this.

[carheex]

Anywya..that was another wasted 5 minutes of my life trying to tell you something about Alonso.

Exactly. When a blinkered, ill informed fan tries to educate a stubborn ****, little progress can be expected.

[tomasjj]

Exactly. When a blinkered, ill informed fan tries to educate a stubborn ****, little progress can be expected.

[Skillz]

Agreed.

___________________________Reina______________________________

__Finnan___________Carra_____________Agger____________Arbeloa


_________________Mascherano_______Alonso_______________________


__New RW/forward_________Gerrard_______________Babel

___________________________Torres

Gerrard Right, Aguero Central

[dww]

I have my doubts about Babel as a first choice next season. Has all the ingredients to be great except the instinctive understanding of a game. He will have to work hard on making himself more efficient to justify a starting berth in a league challenging side.

I'm not sure about Aguero either. A good player no doubt but I would like to see two proven league winners bought in to influence the way we approach games as well as add much needed guile and inteligence (and goals) to our attacking options.

I think that a fluid three behind one would ultimately be the best way to utilise that sort of formation. In that context where we put Gerrard right or centre would be more or less irrelevant.

Long term I would has been mentioned want to upgrade fullbacks but I do think that Finnan and Arbeloa can do a job (Wes Brown is doing one for United and no one is going to say, for all his improvement this year, that he is a top class defender).

[Ron_Mexico]

People are saying he is crap and we should sell.... when he is off form.
That's my point.

Poor for 18 months? I disagree.

Tell me where he is going to play in our team? Gerrard and Masher are going to be first choice, and Lucas is younger and has more to his game. Xabi has great technical ability but he is not the most effective player- he needs great players around him to pick out with his passing ability and vision. We are lacking in that department, yet we have a glut of talent at CM. To me it makes sense to offload the odd man out, and unfortunately that's Xabi. We can get good money to strengthen other areas and Xabi can go to a league and team where he can get the best out of his abilities

After a great first season Alonso has been found out by the other teams in the league- you pressure him and he's done. You give him time to pick his passes then he will rip you apart, but if you pressure he's not quick enough or good enough of a dribbler to get of trouble. He gets caught in possession far to often, dispossessed far too easily, and doesn't win possession back as often as he should. For a player with such great technique he doesn't score many goals either- he's scored 11 since he's been here- that's not good enough. He's been distinctly average for a long while and I think he could do with a change of scenery

It pains me to say it but his mate across the way Mikel Arteta is a much better player

[marcus50bucks]

I must say, I normally agree with Tommy on most things – except Crouch – but if anything’s sensationalist in this thread then it’s his post.

Alonso is my favourite player yet even I can see he’s been **** for a good while longer than simply “a bad patch”. He’s been poor for 18 months and something is amiss with Xabi, if you ask me. He’s a shadow of the player we know he can be.

I totally agree with you Shaggy, but there are quite a few posters who are writing him off and suggesting he should be sold. The boys class and there's no doubt in my mind we are better when he is in the team than without him.

[Harv]

the only way i would let Xabi go, would be if we were getting a player like Diego/Van Der Vaart to play in the hole.

we desperately need a player in this position. I actually think Xabi could play here. He has quick feet, and an eye for a pass. Its also a position where pace is not an issue. Its your touch that creates space for you to play...Xabi's touch is great, and i could see him linking up well with players around the box ala Riquelme