The Alberto Aquilani Show

[MrMichael]

Oh my.

Aquilani was very good last night...... against easily the worst team in the league. Encouraging it certainly was, but balancing that one game against every other time he's played so far says to me there's no way he should start against ManU ahead of Lucas. They couldn't be 2 more different games.

Same goes for Kuyt, he's been very effective against ManU in our last few games against them, and we'll need someone putting in the sort of shift he does. Plus lets not forget he's actually our second top scorer this season.

Against most of the opposition we've got left to face in the league this year I'll be more than happy to see Rafa putting out lineups like he did last night. However the scum are a different matter entirely, hell, of late they've been the one team Rafa's organisational approach has actually worked well against. If we try to go toe to toe with them in attacking terms we'll get beaten, no doubt about it in my mind.

Both Lucas and Kuyt should start.

[MrMichael]

I'm not sure it's even open for debate tbh. The Lille team will be the same with Benny replacing Maxi (imo) and the Utd team will be Lucas for Aquilani, Maxi on the left instead of Babel, Kuyt on the right and for what it's worth I think that is the right decision.

Evra bombs on so Kuyt needs to track him leaving amssive space for Torres to tear Vidic yet another arsehole.
Wonder what the odds are on Vidic being sent off 3 games in a row.

[S-RED]

Oh my.

Aquilani was very good last night...... against easily the worst team in the league. Encouraging it certainly was, but balancing that one game against every other time he's played so far says to me there's no way he should start against ManU ahead of Lucas. They couldn't be 2 more different games.

Same goes for Kuyt, he's been very effective against ManU in our last few games against them, and we'll need someone putting in the sort of shift he does. Plus lets not forget he's actually our second top scorer this season.

Against most of the opposition we've got left to face in the league this year I'll be more than happy to see Rafa putting out lineups like he did last night. However the scum are a different matter entirely, hell, of late they've been the one team Rafa's organisational approach has actually worked well against. If we try to go toe to toe with them in attacking terms we'll get beaten, no doubt about it in my mind.

Both Lucas and Kuyt should start.

[squaddie]

Oh my.

Aquilani was very good last night...... against easily the worst team in the league. Encouraging it certainly was, but balancing that one game against every other time he's played so far says to me there's no way he should start against ManU ahead of Lucas. They couldn't be 2 more different games.

Same goes for Kuyt, he's been very effective against ManU in our last few games against them, and we'll need someone putting in the sort of shift he does. Plus lets not forget he's actually our second top scorer this season.

Against most of the opposition we've got left to face in the league this year I'll be more than happy to see Rafa putting out lineups like he did last night. However the scum are a different matter entirely, hell, of late they've been the one team Rafa's organisational approach has actually worked well against. If we try to go toe to toe with them in attacking terms we'll get beaten, no doubt about it in my mind.

Both Lucas and Kuyt should start.

On the money.

[destinydude]

http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000714887702&ref=nf

Add this guy on Facebook if anyone is interested. He shares lot's of Liverpool stuff (U-18 highlights,Reserves highlights, post match interviews, and pretty much all the compilations that LFC TV makes and the highlights of the games too)

Has a lot of highlights,compilations and interviews from yesterday's game.

PS: Inform me if anything of this sort is prohibited.

[Pablo]

I think a lot of you are under estimating the affect tiredness has had on Kuyt's form of late, to me he's finally shown signs of being overplayed. I think rest him on Thursday and he'll be revitalised and well up for the Mancs.

[-V-]

I think a lot of you are under estimating the affect tiredness has had on Kuyt's form of late, to me he's finally shown signs of being overplayed. I think rest him on Thursday and he'll be revitalised and well up for the Mancs.

I agree, he's been alot slower than usual and probably due to playing too much. Babel looks fresh so we shouldn't take him out but with maxi inelegible its either Yossi or Kuyt on thursday.

[DannyMan2006]

Aquilani last night proved why Rafa Benitez brought him in. He was a class act. His display was what I was hoping for come the end of November, not mid March and it is one of many reasons we are well below par this year. Anyone who actually listened to Rafa in the summer will know it was never his long term vision to have Lucas and Masch in the same team week after week.

That said, it wasn't just Aquilani that looked much improved last night. The reason he looked good was because there was good movement in the side. Aquilani only struggles when people get in his face because he hardly ever has a free player to pass too. A side lacking in movement will never make the most of Alberto Aquilani.

I think next season will see Aqua flourish and this will in turn no doubt see an upturn in Liverpools performances. The bad thing for Rafa, is that most people will put it down to the new man in charge if he does head out. And he will never get the chance to play out his vision of a more attacking and free flowing Liverpool.

[Kenneth]

Aquilani last night proved why Rafa Benitez brought him in. He was a class act. His display was what I was hoping for come the end of November, not mid March and it is one of many reasons we are well below par this year. Anyone who actually listened to Rafa in the summer will know it was never his long term vision to have Lucas and Masch in the same team week after week.

That said, it wasn't just Aquilani that looked much improved last night. The reason he looked good was because there was good movement in the side. Aquilani only struggles when people get in his face because he hardly ever has a free player to pass too. A side lacking in movement will never make the most of Alberto Aquilani.

I think next season will see Aqua flourish and this will in turn no doubt see an upturn in Liverpools performances. The bad thing for Rafa, is that most people will put it down to the new man in charge if he does head out. And he will never get the chance to play out his vision of a more attacking and free flowing Liverpool.

My worry is that we only really had good movement and found him space was because we were attacking a **** side facing near certain relegation. Defensively solid and well organised teams, like most in the PL, have snubbed us out repeatedly this season.

[DannyMan2006]

My worry is that we only really had good movement and found him space was because we were attacking a **** side facing near certain relegation. Defensively solid and well organised teams, like most in the PL, have snubbed us out repeatedly this season.

Liverpools main enemy this season has been themself. Pompey play like most teams who play Liverpool week in, week out. They sit deep and press in and around their own 18 yard box, occasionly pushing out and pressing further up the pitch. They look to break on the counter and get men over to make Liverpool struggle.

Last night the movement of Liverpool caused them huge problems. I guarantee if Liverpool played the same way every game we would be challenging for the title. But we've not had the personnel to play that way all season long in reality.

But ti reiterate, Liverpool played well because they showed aggresion and movement in the final third, not because Pompey are a poor side. Pompey are a better team than Reading at defending, but we showed nothing against them.

[Kenneth]

Well we got our first goal through comedy goal keeping and cut through them like a knife through butter for much of the 1st half. A combination of us being super determined and them being laughably ****e in defense. I think we'd really struggle to take the same appraoch against a team with some fight.

[anfieldanfield]

Last night he looked like a player that had been dominating the premier division for the past 5 years

****ing hell!

[DannyMan2006]

Well we got our first goal through comedy goal keeping and cut through them like a knife through butter for much of the 1st half. A combination of us being super determined and them being laughably ****e in defense. I think we'd really struggle to take the same appraoch against a team with some fight.

I don't think Pompey showed a lack of fight. The movement of Liverpool was just too good for them. Watching Liverpool recently has been depressing because it seems how they play all comes down to the first goal. A goal conceded seems to be like a knife to the chest and kills of all believe in the players, and the fans for that matter.

If Pompey had scored the first goal last night we'd be talking of a very different display today, not because Pompey played better, but because Liverpool would have played worse.

There are not many teams in the Premier League who can play that style, or defend against it with concistant success. I think Liverpool deserve more credit for last nights performance than they are getting.

It was a much improved display as opposed to same old, same old against a poorer side.

[DannyMan2006]

****ing hell!

Indeed. Most players in the premier league are capable of having similar good days. The difference is that most players in the premier league can't perform to that level on a regular basis. Those that can, cost £20m.

Aquilani will only justify his price tag when he plays like that on a regular basis. We could argue all day and night about why he hasn't done that just yet. The only thing we do know for sure is that he hasn't proved himself just yet to be £20m well spent.

Hopefully in time he will.

[Baracus]

This thread reminds of a player called Tony 'Le' T

Who was gonna rule Anfield like he was Zidane

One great pre-season game and all over the place.