Xabi Alonso - A premiership central midfielder?

[dww]

Difficult, does not tackle, does not break play up, does not get stuck in when the going gets tough, does not go on marauding runs and score goals, is a fantastic playmaker for Euro Leagues without doubt, and can quite often make that killer pass, but to what end result actually?

When we are winning, and winning well, he is to the forefront, when we are on a bad streak and need tough players, he is not the man for the job.

We are talking about the player who according to the opta stats for last season made the most tackles of anyone in the PL and had a top 5% success rate with those tackles. So I'm slightly suspicious of the claim he can't tackle. He doesn't do crunching tackles, but he is a very good ball winner.

He seemed plenty tough enough to me in last years game against Everton when Gerrard got sent off.

He has been in poor form this season but he has improved a lot recently. Unfortunately we haven't had the movement infront of him to make the most of it.

[lfc4ever]

Made more tackles in the league for us than any other player last season.

He's just ineffective when people don't move well around him IMO.

Might have made "more tackles", but making tackles and winning the ball and bringing it forward to score a goal or make a threat are entirely different things alltogether.

Like Pennant making more crosses than anyone else last year, the end result is what? Stats for prozone/opta does not a winner make. It's the goals for that matter in the end.

[lfc4ever]

We are talking about the player who according to the opta stats for last season made the most tackles of anyone in the PL and had a top 5% success rate with those tackles. So I'm slightly suspicious of the claim he can't tackle. He doesn't do crunching tackles, but he is a very good ball winner.

He seemed plenty tough enough to me in last years game against Everton when Gerrard got sent off.

He has been in poor form this season but he has improved a lot recently. Unfortunately we haven't had the movement infront of him to make the most of it.

Game in/game out are what matter, not the one off games we can all reel off on one hand.

[Redlife]

a very good player

Had a couple of good seasons. Isnt having a good season this year.

Next!

Agreed, that's about it. He's not playing that well like half the team, but saying we should flog him like that other over-rated waste of space Stevie G is madness.


Not to belittle the situation we're in at the moment, but a run of bad form and suddenly everyone's just ****e? Come on.

[lfc4ever]

Agreed, that's about it. He's not playing that well like half the team, but saying we should flog him like that other over-rated waste of space Stevie G is madness.

Not to belittle the situation we're in at the moment, but a run of bad form and suddenly everyone's just ****e? Come on.

But it is more than a run of bad form, our away record is consistent in that it is crap compared to other top 4 sides over the last 2 or 3 years.

That has to be addressed before we are taken seriously.

[dww]

Our away record was only bad last season in the fact that we lost to the other teams in the top 4. Against Man Utd we were totally dominant and unlucky to loose.

[kopdan]

This may sound weird so bare with me.

Can the sigining of Sissoko and more importantly the rise of Sissoko be an issue for Alonso and Gerrard.

Both players have seen their role change since he came in.

[Red_Polo]

Might have made "more tackles", but making tackles and winning the ball and bringing it forward to score a goal or make a threat are entirely different things alltogether.

Like Pennant making more crosses than anyone else last year, the end result is what? Stats for prozone/opta does not a winner make. It's the goals for that matter in the end.

You said 'does not tackle'. Whether the stats tell the full story or not, they certainly indicate that 'does not tackle' is patently rubbish. Xabi is a great tackler, he wins the ball a lot for us, he just doesn't often do it in an eye-catching way that's all. How you can deny that stat which was quoted to counter a specific point, and then imply goals scored is a good stat by which to judge his all round worth, I do not know. Also, you can build a great number of crosses and they can be of poor quality, but there is no such thing as a bad winning tackle.

When Xabi has players moving well around him, making positive runs etc, then we see the best of his understated excellence. We aren't doing that at the moment, so we're not getting the best out of him. For me the only significant problem with Xabi specific to our league is that he's not mobile enough.

[glynner]

dont see why it is weird.

the signing of Momo has meant SG playing on the right more, and Alonso having a different partner in CM, so in effect, it has already changed the way they both play to an extent.

On paper SG and XA are a great partnership, but their respective talents just don't seem to gel well when they play together - yesterday was another example. It's a bit of a conundrum.

[kopdan]

yeah sorry

I re-wrote it a way that didnt sound weird in the end.

[glynner]

like it or not, I thought we got the best out of all three last season, with SG out on the right.

I don't see how we can accomodate all three players any other way.

[Red Chilli]

3-5-2 glynn

[glynner]

I'm usually a strict 4-4-2 bloke but..I think, with the players we have on our books at the mo, that 3-5-2 might not be a bad shout.

[lfc4ever]

problem with Xabi specific to our league is that he's not mobile enough.

And not good enough when the going gets tough, whatever way we dress fact versus fact etc, our middle to front play is woeful, and Alonso is part of that, as is our winger play as well now, we are easily run through the middle when on the defensive, a soft belly, and not good enough when on the offensive, jesus, we have a NEGATIVE goal difference ffs.

We have been "found out" in that the opposition know how to defend against us and get round our stout defence we had last year.

I currently don't see Alonso as part of the solution at the moment, imo he is part of the problem, but we have no quality in depth for that position to change things round.

[red g]

Made more tackles in the league for us than any other player last season.

He's just ineffective when people don't move well around him IMO.

probably the best point on the whole thread. If you have player whose best ability is to find a player and pass to space and none of those players are doing this .....how the **** can he play well??