Liverpool FC Forum

[bigmick]

I think it would be a bit silly for anyone to assume that he hasn't mixed in with the rest of the team based on 1 shot of him warming down without the other players. I'm sure Stevie and the other lads have made him feel as welcome as they do any player that joins them. What's next, a shot of Torres walking by himself down the tunnel which is interpreted as he want's to leave?

I'm not assuming he hasn't mixed in with the rest of the team Bav, I'm simply making the point that this sort of thing is indicative of our lack of team ethic.

It's funny this site in that if you say Lucas/Masherano doesn't work, people jump up and down and say it does. If you Kuyt is playing poorly, people say he isn't. If you say we are playing sh!t, people say we're not. If you say we lack a team ethic, people say we don't. If you say the manager isn't motivating the players, people say he is.

The question is, if we really are doing all these things properly, why do we keep getting beat every week?

[Zidane]

He's class from what I saw.  Very intelligent player the problem isn't him the entire team was playing like sh!t when he came on and never looked to pick it up.  Torres was too tired by the time he came on, Yossi came off for N'gog which was kinda pointless, Masch was on the bench and Johnson looked nervous after his two mistakes, although the second one you can't really call a mistake just a great shot, wouldn't even hit the target most of the time..  Once we get things going, if we get things going, he will be a very good player for us imo. 

I think Rafa just needs to show some faith in him, play him from the get go in my opinion he can still save our season but he isn't going to coming off the bench for 20 minutes.  If he finally gets his place along side Mascherano for an entire game, with our starting 11 I think we will be a much better team.  He has to start though this sub nonsense isn't good for us nor is it good for him.  He came on with a lot of energy I don't know why people say he was invisible.  Like I said earlier when he came on the problem was the team, not him.  If he doesn't start within the next two games I will be angry as .

[shawnk]

although the second one you can't really call a mistake just a great shot, wouldn't even hit the target most of the time..

I think there was a touch before the ball reaches the two, Arshavin/Johnson, but unfortunately the ball fell to Arshavin and the rest is a great goal.

As for Aquaman, there's too much pressure and expectation on him. There was only one proper run prior to the Arsenal game (when there should've been chances for more, whose fault?) and he was out for so many months. Please set the right expectation on him and give him some time.

[Sabre]

The lad was invisible today when he came on but we'd completely lost our shape and any confidence by that point it seemed. I don't think Rafa has any choice but to start the lad against Wigan midweek and simply play him from here on in. This season (or what's left of it) may well live or die on this signing.

If you analyse his minutes you have to analyse the context aswell, the team was down and with anxiety in his minutes. I would like to have seen him in the first half when we made a lot of chances and not those minutes in which the game was broken and some of our players exhausted.

I'm no fortune teller, and I've seen strange things in players' adaptation and with a foreigner you never know. But if I have to talk about the quality of Aquilani I'd say it's quite evident, despite his anonymous minutes yesterday.

Aquilani can't be the key to sort things out singlehandedly anyway, but I think he will come good for Liverpool if I attend to his football and I forget the adaptation of foreign players.

But in order we see the team improvement we need to have both Gerrard and Torres together in the pitch. Yesterday we were reminded of what can they do together, we made no less than 6 chances in the first half. We saw yesterday how important is to have those player together, but we also saw that their partnership was a bit rusty right now, we could see for instance that in a break that was perfect but for the finnish of Torres, who didn't position well his body in the finnish.

The Mascherano-Lucas partnership has been proved uneffective this season. We need to play with Aquilani no matter we have doubts or not with him, as the current solution is simply not good enough.

We have Mascherano whose quality is proven, we have a Gerrard with a lot of presence and area covered, and we have a technical player to play between lines and with more movement than Alonso. On paper, it should work. And IIRC that's what many people requested, two holding mids were too many and negative, and we needed a more attacking player, not Alonso sitting deep and all that.

But let's see what happens in reality. We need Aquilani getting fit, we need Torres-Gerrard playing together 4 games, and we need a couple of victories to recover the team morale, as in a team, the mentality is crucial. So I don't know what will happen, but I at least I don't doubt about Aquilani's football.

[Owzat]

I have come up with a possible answer as to why Aquilani isn't being used from the off and more on the bench. This one makes a lot more sense than other previous rumours and is quite simple and plausible.

Basically I suggest that perhaps the medical staff and physio have now had a chance to properly assess Aquilani in training, once he had fully recovered from his injury, and have told Rafa they think his injury is still bothering him and that if he starts him he runs the risk of him breaking down ie they fear he can't play 90 mins. That might explain why his only start was a dead rubber and why he's been on the bench and made limited appearances so far despite having supposedly recovered from injury. Other than that I can't think why Rafa would make such a big fuss over the "season starts here" with a near full squad to choose from and leave out one of his £20m buys.

[Ciggy]

Whats worrying me even tho we have only seen him play 3 times is he is nothing like Alonso he reminds me of Gerrard and maybe he was bought to replace Gerrard rather than Alonso.

Rafa will not play him with Masch or Lucas we seen yesterday how much we lost our shape when Masch departed the midfield and the way we set up is with two defensive midfielders and Aquilani likes to get forward to much like Gerrard.

I suppose my question is where does he fit in?

[Owzat]

I thought he was brought in to provide much needed creativity, not necessarily as a direct replacement for Alonso. I think Rafa is too scared of losing which is ironic right now, he bought a more attacking player but can't let go of the two holding/controlling midfielders approach. Maybe he sensed Mascherano would go the same way as Alonso and is preparing for his departure, although that may be a bit far fetched as I doubt Rafa can see and act accordingly 20 seconds into the past let alone well into the future. What he expects subs to do in 20-25 minutes I guess only he knows, a midfielder often needs a lot longer than that to be effective and make a difference.

[Kerry07]

We badly need Aquilani to produce, as post Alonso, we dont have a possession player in midfield who controls the central area, who has the ability to dictate play and for whom the ball STICKS, that composure we had is gone ... hence we are loose.

With the link man and midfield pivot gone... our play is sloppy, loose. Our defence is under greater pressure as result giving the opposition more of the ball = more chances, and our attack has suffered as they dont get clean supply. Lucas has filled in, the lad would be a decent purchase for Blackburn or Fulham.

Alonso was the man who "made the assist for the assist".. as he pinged it to Gerrard infront, or a wide player.. who in turn would then make an assist to the striker OR score themselves.

That chain is broken... as Gerrard, Torres, Benayoun aint getting the ball (we didnt have a SINGLE shot in the 2nd half at Anfield vs Arsenal)...they are starved, as there is nothing from deep, no supplier.

We ARE a top team IF we had that ONE link player, but we have yet to find him post Alonso.. and must hope Aquilani is the man. People were too blinded by Carras last ditch tackles, Gerrards 25 yard screamers, Torres banging in all types of goals.... but it was the quiet man of the team Alonso, the modest, intelligent, unassuming playmaker slap bang in the center whose role as the pivot meant he didnt get the headlines... but was the most crucial player on the team.

We need that one player to function, Aquilani... without it both defence and attack suffers.

As regards team spirit and players looking isolated... its well documented Rafa is a terrible man manager, he doesnt motivate players, there is no arm around the shoulder or understanding (disgracefully shunned and alienated Xabi who wanted to see the birth of his kid, hence Xabi stating "we had a working relationship")... you are a chess piece to Rafa, to fit in his plan. So theres a lack of team bonding with a cold man at the helm. Its a quiet dressing room bar a few shouts from Carra, players look lost. Rafa is no Shanks or Bob Paisley (Bob once said.. "One of the things I keep reminding players is that when you're lost in a fog, you must stick together. Then you don't get lost. If there's a secret about Liverpool, that's it.")... we dont have that unity right now under Rafa.

[akumaface]

We surely had missed Xabi this season. Aqua might be a good player but obviously not Xabi like. With Aqua, i wonder if he is the right player for the current system or do we need other players or change the format. What puzzled me was why continue to leave Lucas on while Mascherano was bossing the midfield last night....We somehow lack someone with killer instinct as no one wanted to take charge....

[Sabre]

We surely had missed Xabi this season. Aqua might be a good player but obviously not Xabi like. With Aqua, i wonder if he is the right player for the current system or do we need other players or change the format. What puzzled me was why continue to leave Lucas on while Mascherano was bossing the midfield last night....We somehow lack someone with killer instinct as no one wanted to take charge....

I think that alongside Lando, Bob or Nanny among others I've been in the past one of the biggest fans of ALonso around here, but Alonso didn't get Liverpool singlehandedly to a title challenge yesteryear:

* We had the Riera impact

* We had the Torres-Gerrard partnership

* We had a more secure CB  line.

* We had the Alonso-Mascherano axis, which some found negative.


My point being that it hasn't been Alonso the only thing we've missed this year.

That's why I think that if we recover some of the things mentioned, we'll improve a lot.

Yesterday we conceded two goals, but I liked Carra and Agger. The OG was more a mistake than unfortunate but it wasn't a matter of CB, and Arshavin's action was sheer quality, simply.

I think we have to recover the Riera contribution, we have to give continuity to the Carra-Agger CB, we have to enjoy Aurelio back without injuries, and we must cross fingers so that Gerrard and Torres play together regularly the next two months.

[bunglemark2]

We surely had missed Xabi this season. Aqua might be a good player but obviously not Xabi like. With Aqua, i wonder if he is the right player for the current system or do we need other players or change the format. What puzzled me was why continue to leave Lucas on while Mascherano was bossing the midfield last night....We somehow lack someone with killer instinct as no one wanted to take charge....

I think that alongside Lando, Bob or Nanny among others I've been in the past one of the biggest fans of ALonso around here, but Alonso didn't get Liverpool singlehandedly to a title challenge yesteryear:

* We had the Riera impact

* We had the Torres-Gerrard partnership

* We had a more secure CB  line.

* We had the Alonso-Mascherano axis, which some found negative.


My point being that it hasn't been Alonso the only thing we've missed this year.

That's why I think that if we recover some of the things mentioned, we'll improve a lot.

Yesterday we conceded two goals, but I liked Carra and Agger. The OG was more a mistake than unfortunate but it wasn't a matter of CB, and Arshavin's action was sheer quality, simply.

I think we have to recover the Riera contribution, we have to give continuity to the Carra-Agger CB, we have to enjoy Aurelio back without injuries, and we must cross fingers so that Gerrard and Torres play together regularly the next two months.

Sabre
Rieira to me looks like he has gone off the boil completely. I'm really not a huge fan of his at all. He seems to take the wrong option every time, a bit like a Babel shooting from his own corner flag 'cos he can even "see" the opposition goal from where he is, even if it isn't the best option in the world...
Despite the pure and unadulterated hatred I have for Babel, I'd be inclined to give him a run again when he's fit and ready, with the threat of a night of passion with Dirk "X- Files" Kuyt, if he doesn't get it right on the pitch 

[akumaface]

I also noticed that Riera's body language just doesn't seems right. Maybe he is the kind of player that only plays well when the team is going well. It just seems we were never able to put anything together. When we thought things might start rolling, something falter. Even in Gerrard, something's not right. Obviously no one is happy right now but it wasn't right when thing started at the beginning of the season. But I agree with sabre that Carra and Agger are by far our best CB combo. But even with Carra, we are missing some one inspiring like a General. Other than Torres, Johnson(except for last night games) and Reina, everyone performed below par compare to last season. No wonder we are in this deep hole.

[YNWA-rafa]

Acccchhhhhhweeeeeelaaannneeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

[Waldo]

Far too early to expect great things and a match winning performance from Aquillani. He has looked no more than OK in what I have seen so far. Looks an accomplished MF player who can pass, move and tackle. It will be weeks before we see what he can really do!!

[bigmick]

With news filtering through that Aquilaini is now headed for the horse placenta witch doctor, am I alone in having very grave concerns indeed that we are going to come a cropper on this one? His performaces have shown that the fella can play a bit, but they've also demonstrated that he isn't exactly overblessed from a defensive point of view. Tenacity wouldn't be his middle name that's for sure, and I'm struggling to see where we will play him.

All that is by the by of course if he's never fit, and his injury record throughout his career is very much of the remix, extended version variety. I hope I'm wrong, but this fella is going to be a mistake I think.