Athletico Madrid to bid for Xabi?

[lfcruleus]

How do you judge it? How they perform, surely? They're performing. Reputations mean nothing mate. They produce on the field.



When Momo plays, Alonso still doesnt get into the box much.



That's part of the problem.



Maybe he would. With Alonso and Sissoko in CM, we're putting ourselves at a disadvantage from an attacking point of view. Because they offer very little going forward between them.

I agree but Xabi should play ahead of Momo IMHO as he can pass the ball offensively and shoot which Momo can do neither. I still feel Xabi is restricted by the role he is asked to play. SG has way more pace to get him forward quickly in that same system when Momo does not play.

[Craig_H]

But then, if we drop Momo, we DO miss his huge impact. He's a massive player for us, he bosses the midfield and scare opponents.

He retains possession for us more than anyone else, IMO.

[lfcruleus]

I actually dont think we have particularly missed him, defensively we have let in 1 goal in the league since his injury. We haven't played any "bigger" teams yet though. The balance has been better even without effective wingers.

[Craig_H]

It's not JUST defensively though, when he retains the ball quickly, it helps us build attacks too. Plus, when a game gets physical and teams try to bully us in midfield, he's the most equipped player we have for such battles.

It's difficult, because all 3 of them are excellent players, yet the system would only allow 2 to play. Unless 5-3-2 becomes more of a regular choice.

[lfcruleus]

It's not JUST defensively though, when he retains the ball quickly, it helps us build attacks too. Plus, when a game gets physical and teams try to bully us in midfield, he's the most equipped player we have for such battles.

It's difficult, because all 3 of them are excellent players, yet the system would only allow 2 to play. Unless 5-3-2 becomes more of a regular choice.

I cant see Rafa changing systems permanently but maybe for certain games. I am glad its his problem not mine.

[Doc_Piptorious]

We have TWO midfielders who do the donkey work and both our CMs combined wont get 10 goals a season...

Add that to our wingers probably not even making 5 between them. That's a total of about 15.

Not quite sure whether you mean specific players in your post, but you have said that our wingers will probably not make 5 goals between them, so I will have to take that as all of them. So far this season Stevie has 5 goals, Garcia has 6, Xabi has 3 and Gonzalez also has 3, giving them a total of 17 between them so far in all comps.

If I take it as you meaning only goals scored in the EPL, then they stack up as Stevie with 3, Garcia with 3, Xabi with 3, and Gonzo with 2, giving them a total of 11 so far, with just over half the season gone.

[Craig_H]

We can only play 2 wingers per game mate. I didnt mean ALL of them combined.

[Craig_H]

If I take it as you meaning only goals scored in the EPL, then they stack up as Stevie with 3, Garcia with 3, Xabi with 3, and Gonzo with 2, giving them a total of 11 so far, with just over half the season gone.

And in any case...you've taken 4 players there, who between them, have scored less than Ronaldo...great!

And when did Alonso count as a winger?

[Doc_Piptorious]

And in any case...you've taken 4 players there, who between them, have scored less than Ronaldo...great!

And when did Alonso count as a winger?

You said our cm's would not score more than ten between them, and all our wingers would prob not score more than five. Giving a total of 15 for the season.

Would have thought it obvious that Stevie and Xabi were the cm's and that Garcia and Gonzo were the wide players.


So those four have scored 17 between them with nearly half a season to go. Don't really care how many Ronaldo scores as he does not play for us, I would much prefer to see our team get their house in order rather than focusing on who does what elsewhere.

[Craig_H]

The point is though, that the standard is being set by the league leaders and the likes of Ronaldo. And we're not able to come close to it.

You see how it's linked to us?

[Doc_Piptorious]

The point is though, that the standard is being set by the league leaders and the likes of Ronaldo. And we're not able to come close to it.

You see how it's linked to us?

This is going to become a pointless exchange. You said that our centre midfielders and wingers would probably score no more than 15 goals this season, I pointed out that they have scored 17 goals so far, meaning they will score well over that 15 mark by the time the season ends.

As to how far behind, we as a team are of the standard required to win a title goes?

It is very obvious to pretty much anyone who follows LFC what the standard is, and how far we are behind it, but thank you for pointing it out as I would never have figured it out without you.

[Craig_H]

You didnt seem to realise it, judging by the "it's all ok" tone of your post.

As for the players and the goals, you're using virtually every midfielder we have.

But you're right about pointless exchange, i dont agree with you and you dont agree with me. Let's leave it there.

[Fiddy]

Forget Ronaldo anyway, he's having a freak of a season and having him on fire is compensating for how ****e/old the rest of their midfield is. They're a different team without him, hence why even when the Tramp wants to rest him he still ends up coming on to score a couple

[Doc_Piptorious]

You didnt seem to realise it, judging by the "it's all ok" tone of your post.

As for the players and the goals, you're using virtually every midfielder we have.

But you're right about pointless exchange, i dont agree with you and you dont agree with me. Let's leave it there.

Yeah I don't agree that those players will score 15 goals in a season when they have already scored 17. I used four players, not "virtually every midfielder we have"


As for LFC needing to raise it's standards player wise in some positions, before it can genuinely compete for the title? I think that we can actually agree on. It's the way you state things sometimes like it is fact, in this case the goals that will be scored, and when anyone calls you on it or disagrees, the conversation gets a body swerve and goes off in a different direction.

God know where there was an "it's all ok" tone in my original post, when all I was commenting on was the amount of goals you predicted against the amount that have actually been scored so far.

If we were debating whether or not I think that we need more of a goal threat to threaten the teams above us, then I would have said that I think we fall down badly in that department in comparison to the teams at the top, but then again, that was not why I replied to you in the first place.

[Red_Polo]

i dont agree with you and you dont agree with me. Let's leave it there.

The thing is, the number of goals scored by our wide players and CMs is a matter of fact not opinion. I think you should just admit you are wrong on this one Syd. I do agree though we could do with a genuine class winger to up the stakes for us. We can't rely on Pennant, I think that's clear by now. Garcia can be relied on to chip in with vital goals and assists but isn't your orthodox winger. Hopefully Gonzalez will step up a gear in time, but we need to add some more class, I think everyone would recognise that.