Benitez - the master tactician

[wiw]

i also think you're talking ****.

and the times i saw dossena and arbeloa overlap their crosses where mainly poor. i really don't think making our pitch wider will make any difference whatsoever with the way we play.

Well what exactly did you mean by 'we don't use the width we have' ? Did you mean we don't play with width, or that once in the wide areas we are maybe a bit wasteful?

[Sarb]

Well what exactly did you mean by 'we don't use the width we have' ? Did you mean we don't play with width, or that once in the wide areas we are maybe a bit wasteful?

A bit of both I think

[Guest]

A bit of both I think

Did you wife ever tell you you 'lacked width' ?

[rage]

Well what exactly did you mean by 'we don't use the width we have' ? Did you mean we don't play with width, or that once in the wide areas we are maybe a bit wasteful?

i remember the villa game where at the end they were highlighting how our players come inside where it gets congested whilst there was huge areas of open space near the corner flags. Admittedly this was pre Riera, who hugged the touchline really well against utd but not so well against stoke.

The best use of width i have seen recently under rafa was aurelio and riera overlapping on the left, although i have yet to see riera actually cross a ball. I'm sure he has it in his locker though.

i know that hindsight is a wonderful thing but i really do think that if we had bought a right sided attacker/winger like bentley instead of keane we would not be having the problems that we are now experiencing. against stoke we just did not have a capable front 4 (either through form or ability) in riera, keane, torres and kuyt in breaking down the opposition. imo a front 3 of riera gerrard and bentley with torres up front would create much more than riera keane and kuyt with torres up front.

the 3 attacking players behind torres combined just aren't fast nor dynamic enough.

[BigPapi]

Did you wife ever tell you you 'lacked width' ?

Big Papi has no problem with width.

What do you think makes Big Mamma's eyeballs do that.

[Guest]

Big Papi has no problem with width.

What do you think makes Big Mamma's eyeballs do that.

[rage]

fredo if i had to go home to that every night i'd be gay like you too

[wiw]

i remember the villa game where at the end they were highlighting how our players come inside where it gets congested whilst there was huge areas of open space near the corner flags. Admittedly this was pre Riera, who hugged the touchline really well against utd but not so well against stoke.

The best use of width i have seen recently under rafa was aurelio and riera overlapping on the left, although i have yet to see riera actually cross a ball. I'm sure he has it in his locker though.

i know that hindsight is a wonderful thing but i really do think that if we had bought a right sided attacker/winger like bentley instead of keane we would not be having the problems that we are now experiencing. against stoke we just did not have a capable front 4 (either through form or ability) in riera, keane, torres and kuyt in breaking down the opposition. imo a front 3 of riera gerrard and bentley with torres up front would create much more than riera keane and kuyt with torres up front.

the 3 attacking players behind torres combined just aren't fast nor dynamic enough.

Well we all know about the width problem was evident in the Villa game and prior to that, but we were talking about the Stoke game. In the first half Riera put in some decent crosses - I watched him very closely the whole game and he was always looking for the ball but Alonso didn't always pass to him, but he DID hug the touchline and only moved inside when Dossena got forward, which is one of the main pluses of using the 4-2-3-1.

I agree having a natural wideman like Bentley would possibly be better, but it is quite clear that we are looking for the forwards to tuck in and the fullbacks provide width no matter who is playing there. Riera is good for the left because he can do either - stay wide or go inside - and Kuyt does this also but less effectively due to him not being willing to run with the ball.

Anyway, we did use the width, we did nothing but cross the whole game! Where I think we can improve is how we link the width high up the field more effectively with the players in the middle, rather than cross it..Gerrard did this to a certain extent but he was always a little deeper than the winger..we would be better having Keane drift across but this isn't something he seems willing to do, whether by instruction or not I don't know..i'm guessing so.

Regardless, we are integrating new players into the team and I'm sure we will improve

[Guest]

fredo if i had to go home to that every night i'd be gay like you too

Being gay isn't a choice you know.

[Sarb]

Did you wife ever tell you you 'lacked width' ?

Married two years...never had any complaints

[rage]

Being gay isn't a choice you know.

no but i'd sure as hell use it as an excuse if that *****r came my way.

[Rashid]

Being gay isn't a choice you know.

Is that a fact?

[El Jefecito]

Is that a fact?

Really, this is a conversation someone with your track record should stay well away from.

[Rashid]

Am I not allowed religious beliefs?

[badpiggy]

Am I not allowed religious beliefs?

depends - have they any basis in reality?