Mascherano To Miss Liege Tie

[Johnny]

i'm sure xabi would have a 100% pass completion rate if all he did was pass the ball sideways and backwards like plessis did. not getting at the lad el jef but he's nowhere near ready and also is not the player we pass to to get the attacks going

In fairness Plessis is only a kid still learning his trade and 4th/5th choice in his position.We really need Masch and Lucas back NOW though.

[El Jefecito]

dont know. so far this season xabi seems up for a battle. he's been putting in some hefty challenges and trying to stand his ground more.

But as sure as night follows day, you put him under pressure and he coughs it up. If we could afford to assign a bodyguard then we'd be OK. But we can't.

[El Jefecito]

In fairness Plessis is only a kid still learning his trade and 4th/5th choice in his position.We really need Masch and Lucas back NOW though.

Never a truer word spoken

[el matador]

if anderson can play against pompey for united today then mascherano can get his boots on and get on the pitch against liege.

[El Jefecito]

if anderson can play against pompey for united today then mascherano can get his boots on and get on the pitch against liege.

Did Anderson play the full game?

[RedReet]

Xabi was the "difference" in the Boro game too. It could go either way with Xabi. I'm so concerned about what happens to Xabi under pressure that I think I'd prefer Plessis and SG. Plessis gives the ball away less and as long as SG made sure he was available for the simple pass that the balance might be better.

Damn, I'm constructing our CM to limit damage rather than win the game

Fair enough, Xabi got caught out for the goal, but he was one of few players on the day actually looking for the ball and trying to make something happen. Too many players went missing on Saturday, but even after a few mistakes Xabi kept going and was influential in both goals.

If you don’t want the team to constantly hoof the ball blindly, you have to accept that possession will be lost occasionally looking for the better ball.

Too often players get labelled, and regardless of what happens on the pitch, the same criticism is aimed at them.

[el matador]

Did Anderson play the full game?

75 minutes. he looked knackered at the end but at least he still turned up.

[El Jefecito]

Fair enough, Xabi got caught out for the goal, but he was one of few players on the day actually looking for the ball and trying to make something happen. Too many players went missing on Saturday, but even after a few mistakes Xabi kept going and was influential in both goals.
If you don’t want the team to constantly hoof the ball blindly, you have to accept that possession will be lost occasionally looking for the better ball.

Too often players get labelled, and regardless of what happens on the pitch, the same criticism is aimed at them.

True but on the balance of play against SL and on saturday he was a LIABAILITY.

I agree with the labelling issue. But if you go through my posts, you will see I give credit where credit is due. I have said for 12 months now, that if you pressure Xabi he will under perform and be a liability. Since then, every game he has been targeted, he has been a liability. Sorry mate but that is just the way it is.

BTW I don't care if players "look for the ball", "appear up for it", or any other such stuff. Performances are what counts and if the performance sucks, then well it sucks. It sucked, big style.

[the rev leeroy brown]

75 minutes. he looked knackered at the end but at least he still turned up.

i'd say he looked more gutted than knackered. he was enjoying himself out there tonight. and annoyingly he played really well. think he'd have played the full 90 if he could have. surely masher will play some part in the game. if anderson can play then masher can come on to shore things up when were 3 goals to the good.

[El Jefecito]

75 minutes. he looked knackered at the end but at least he still turned up.

I'd lay down my mastercard for 75 mins of El Jefecito against SL.

[the rev leeroy brown]

True but on the balance of play against SL and on saturday he was a LIABAILITY.

I agree with the labelling issue. But if you go through my posts, you will see I give credit where credit is due. I have said for 12 months now, that if you pressure Xabi he will under perform and be a liability. Since then, every game he has been targeted, he has been a liability. Sorry mate but that is just the way it is.

BTW I don't care if players "look for the ball", "appear up for it", or any other such stuff. Performances are what counts and if the performance sucks, then well it sucks. It sucked, big style.

xabi was our best performer saturday forl long periods. defo not a liability. at least not any more than the rest of the team.

[Johnny]

75 minutes. he looked knackered at the end but at least he still turned up.

Fergiescum doesn`t have a back up for Anderson as good as Xabi at the moment.We can afford to rest Masch were Slur Alex had to play Anderson because of their injury list.

[el matador]

I'd lay down my mastercard for 75 mins of El Jefecito against SL.

fekkin hope so cos we will need him.

[Johnny]

fekkin hope so cos we will need him.

We know that.

[RedReet]

True but on the balance of play against SL and on saturday he was a LIABAILITY.

I agree with the labelling issue. But if you go through my posts, you will see I give credit where credit is due. I have said for 12 months now, that if you pressure Xabi he will under perform and be a liability. Since then, every game he has been targeted, he has been a liability. Sorry mate but that is just the way it is.

BTW I don't care if players "look for the ball", "appear up for it", or any other such stuff. Performances are what counts and if the performance sucks, then well it sucks. It sucked, big style.

That’s extremely harsh. If all play has to be orchestrated through Xabi, it’s only natural he’ll lose possession more than most, because he controls the majority of possession. Gerrard was supposed to be playing alongside Xabi, but where was he for 85 minutes? When did you see him take responsibility, come deep, look for the ball and try to make something happen?

Having watched the match first time, I thought Xabi was good in the first half and like you, thought he’d been found out for the second. On second viewing, I noticed that bar Kuyt, not one player was willing to take the ball from the defence and try to pick out the pass. If neither of these two took the ball, we hoofed it aimlessly just for the Boro defence to clean up. Xabi on the other hand kept going, and as I’ve mentioned hit the cross that deflected for Carra’s goal, and hit the cross that was cushioned down for the winner.