Interesting poll...mmm... (Xabi vs Masch)

[Tee]

....well I think so anyway.

Right, we are able to raise 25m by selling one of our star midefielders, Xabi Alonso or Javier Mascherano, the question is which one? Or, perhaps more pertinently, which one is more important to the team.

So, if we had to sacrifice one of these players, which should it be and why? It will be assumed that both have the samemarket value so please do not use the price as a reason.

Personally I would sell Mascher. Would be gutted but I think it could enforce a slightly different approach to the way we play. Rather than having another dedicated holding player alongside Xabi we could have a young dynamic player like Martinez.

[-V-]

Mascherano. But for a big big fee

[wiw]

Hmm. I'd sell Mascherano too. We would miss him a lot in certain types of games, but we would miss Alonso more over the course of a season

Do we have to replace them with another central midfielder? Please be clear

[Robbie-9-Fowler]

hard because i think it may be harder to replace mascherano.. although alonso is the better player, mascher is younger and plays in a more specialised position
hmm wouldn't accept £25m for alonso either.. tough one

[Lee]

I'd rather we sell (if we had to) Mascherano.

Granted he's one of the best in the world at what he does, but I just think Alonso offers more to the team with his all-round game. I think Mascherano is great and needed when we play the likes of Milan, Utd and Chelsea etc... but over the course of the season I think Alonso is more pivotal as to how we play and gives us another dimension going forward whilst being a good holding mildfielder (though not as tenacious as Mascherano).

Plus Mascherano is younger so perhaps we're likely to get a higher fee?

Either way, I would be more upset with losing Alonso than Mascherano - and that's not taking anything away from Mascher - it's more high praise for Xabi.

Ideally we'd keep them both though

[Gingawaria]

I don't really want to sell either of them, but if I had to pick one it'd probably be Masch.

Considering we paid close to £20million for him in the first place though, I wouldn't accept a penny less than £30million.

[Vermilion]

Yes, interesting, if i had a beard i'd stroke it right about now...

Everyone going for Mascher as far a i can see, if we are to play a different style of play without him once sold then fair enough, but if we are to have a player instead of Mascher, one that carries out the duties Mascher used to, and he is maybe the best in the world at what he does, well then it depends.

I thought, maybe it would be easier to find a player with the talents and attributes Xabi has instead, just a thought, players like Masch are few and far between i think, ones that good anyway, and although finding a replacement for Xabi wouldn't be easy, it may just be easier than finding one for Masch.

Obviously if the plan is to never play with a Mascher type player when deciding who you'd sell it doesn't matter.

Hope they both stay, and this is a horrible thing to have to decide, could be Rafa is the one that will have to do it for real one day.....far far away from now.

[The Glove]

Id sell Alonso in a heartbeat if it was a choice between the two.

[Vermilion]

Id sell Alonso in a heartbeat if it was a choice between the two.

As i said i think he might be easier to replace, Mascher is what he is, he does his job almost to perfection, it may have a simple job description compared to a creative mid or striker, but so many players in Maschers position tend to do too little, or worse too much, over complicating, they just can't help it, it's their need to show they can play a bit.

Others don't have the engine, or maybe the will or work rate, it's not an exciting position and has a simple brief, but imo it's important, and if you have one of the best in that position, maybe even the best, i'd think about keeping him.

[RedReet]

It’s no secret that Mascherano struggled after the Olympics this year, but I think too many people are foolishly underestimating his ability/worth because of this. If this poll had of been 12 months ago, I’m confident that the vote would have been more or less unanimous in Mascherano’s favour, as many had written off Alonso after an injury plagued season. 12 months from now I’m convinced that people will be eating their words about Mascherano as well (providing he has a full pre-season and remains relatively injury free).

I’m too tired now to actually make the points I had planned, but for those of you who think his ‘limitations’ are a hindrance to us or that he’s only really required for the top teams, take a wee look at our results when he hit form towards the end of last season.

Spurs (H) 3-1 Played
W Brom (A) 2-0 Played
W Ham (A) 3-0 Played
N’Castle (H) 3-0 Played
Hull (A) 3-1 Played
Arsenal (H) 4-4 Played
Chelsea (A) 4-4 Played
Blackburn (H) 4-0 Played
Chelsea (H) 1-3 Absent
Fulham (H) 1-0 Absent
Villa (H) 5-0 Played
United (A) 4-1 Played
Madrid(H) 4-0 Played

Possibly a coincidence that we averaged over 3.5 goals in the 11 games he played compared to the 1.0 average in the two he didn’t, but either way we’re hardly a team struggling for goals when he plays.

I understand this hypothetical poll and the posts I’m referring I probably read in the Mascherano Barca thread, but I do think people need to be careful what they wish for.

I’ll be devastated if we lose either of them.

[Guest]

Yeah Alonso off for me. Mascher's role is more specific and there aren't players like him around much, they don't grow on trees. Alonso can be replaced, by Lucas for a start.

[EwarWoo]

Selling either of them is unthinkable so I refuse to answer the poll

[g.red]

Alonso!

[Darth Marty]

Id sell Alonso in a heartbeat if it was a choice between the two.

[kev776]

None, Id rather cut my foot off.