El Zhar

[Rich]

El Zhar doesn't appear to lose his head like Pennant often does and I don't mean by seeing the red mist, I mean forgetting what he should be doing on the pitch and just basic game intelligence.

El Zhar may never be a long term solution or a world beater but at the moment he's a shining (small) light in the teams quest for balance and width.

[Shaggy]

I don't think he'll ever be a long-term option for us but that was another eye-catching little cameo last night.

[Cormack74]

RAFA.

Yes, clearly the position and movement of Nabil was good for the team.
We needed to play wide and keep the ball .

Just wish Rafa would heed his own advice a bit more often.

[anfieldanfield]

It is so refreshing to see a player willing to take on defenders with a little bit of confidence and skill.

I like him.

[Tee]

Personally I don't think he will make it here as a first team regular long term, but as has been said it is good to see a young player get the chance, and no doubt he has done well when called upon.

[saj]

Personally I don't think he will make it here as a first team regular long term, but as has been said it is good to see a young player get the chance, and no doubt he has done well when called upon.

I ask why not? Remember this: he finished second only to a certain Lionel Messi as the best player in the Under 20 World Cup a few years ago. And look at Messi now?

This doesn't mean el Zhar is gonna become world class (as we found out with LE GEMS). But he truly does have the potential. He's supremely skillful, is very quick, he's very strong, can go down either wing, works hard, is double double footed and he has a very good cross on him. Oh he can score goals too.

I can't understand why people are knocking him and saying he probably wont make it. We need a player that has some of the traits mentioned above. In my opinion, he really is at the wrong club. If he was at Arsenal, he would probably would have been a first team regular by now.

[Paul12]

Last night was the best of his three appearences this season. It would be fun to see a Liverpool side with him tearing down one wing to cross, Riera doing the smae on the other....




....and Morientes and Crouch putting away the headers. Oh.

[Pablo]

He will be one of the ones that benefits most from the new 7 subs rule.

[carheex]

He's 22yrs old isn't he? All this talk of being a young player and seeing how he develops is a few years too late - that's the kind of thing said about 17 or 18 year olds. If he was any good we should have seen more of him by now.

[Tee]

I ask why not? Remember this: he finished second only to a certain Lionel Messi as the best player in the Under 20 World Cup a few years ago. And look at Messi now?

This doesn't mean el Zhar is gonna become world class (as we found out with LE GEMS). But he truly does have the potential. He's supremely skillful, is very quick, he's very strong, can go down either wing, works hard, is double double footed and he has a very good cross on him. Oh he can score goals too.

I can't understand why people are knocking him and saying he probably wont make it. We need a player that has some of the traits mentioned above. In my opinion, he really is at the wrong club. If he was at Arsenal, he would probably would have been a first team regular by now.

IMO he is just too much 'head down' and lacks genuine awareness of his team-mates, i.e. he tends to want to do it all on his own. A good player but I just have some reservations - however I really hope he can prove the doubters wrong!!!

[Reece]

He's 22yrs old isn't he? All this talk of being a young player and seeing how he develops is a few years too late - that's the kind of thing said about 17 or 18 year olds. If he was any good we should have seen more of him by now.

Good point.

Sell him.

[Scratch]

Good point.

Sell him.

Aye, there's no such thing as a late developer. Get rid i say. Shoulda got rid of Carragher too, cos he showed little promise of the great CB he was to become when he was 22.

****ing flaming fickle fairweather fans. Not you oh baldy one, i meant Carheex.

[Parr_Zee]

El Zhar looked very good when he came on - the fact that he was enthusiastic and determined was refershing to see!!

He deserves a chance to start against Stoke I think...

[MindGuerrillas]

He's 22yrs old isn't he? All this talk of being a young player and seeing how he develops is a few years too late - that's the kind of thing said about 17 or 18 year olds. If he was any good we should have seen more of him by now.

Players come through at different ages though. Sometimes you strike it lucky and get a player that is good enough from a very young age such as Fowler or Owen other times it takes a bit longer. Back in 95/96 season when United started playing their 'kids' in the first team they weren't young teenage players either. They were all over 20 and the likes of Scholes was around 21. They turned out alright though didn't they?

[saj]

IMO he is just too much 'head down' and lacks genuine awareness of his team-mates, i.e. he tends to want to do it all on his own. A good player but I just have some reservations - however I really hope he can prove the doubters wrong!!!

Completely disagree. The whole point of a winger is to get his head down and beat his man - at the same time he has to be effective and have an end product. What do you want a winger to do when he picks the ball up at the half way line? Pass it sidewards? Look up and play it long? Or do you want him to run at his man and get to the by-line and whip it in?

Did McManaman run with his head down too? If so, he was the most successful player in terms of assists ever in English football who ran with his head down!

The biggest culprit of running with his head down was Milan Baros. He would pick the ball up on the wing and just run down it even if nobody was in the box rather than hold it up. We saw el Zhar hold the ball up yesterday and on the weekend. Remember how on Saturday he could easily have run down the wing but instead he layed it off to Alonso and this eventually led to Stevie G scoring.

If you have seen el Zhar play for the reserves you will know that he has a great end product. His main strength is getting to the by line and this was evident before he even signed for us.