Liverpool FC Forum

[woof woof !]

Mentioned this in the Lucas thread, I should've of course put it here.

Aqualani. Very early days BUT (:D ), someones gotta tell the fella that there are others in the team apart from Gerrard. Seemed to me (I might be wrong) that he constantly looked to feed Gerrard even when Stevie had 2-3 men on him, meanwhile there were others just begging for the easy ball.

Not wanting to knock the fella, it is after all very early days, but if he's going to be our "new creative force"
he's gonna have to look further than playing every ball to his captain.

I noticed that
I agree. But how can you ignore the best midfielder in Europe when he demands the ball constantly.
Someone should teach Albert how to say " off" in English.
I think its "Va fan culo" in Italian...

[Boocity]

Okay, he isn't up to speed yet but our midfield looks a lot better balanced in the last two games, give him time to settle and I believe he will add that extra dimension we are missing.

[teamleader1]

I like the look of him to be honest, ok he is way off the pace at the mo but you can tell the lad has quality in abundance and I think if we give him 2-3 months he could well be a very good signing.

Agree
looks a player, My only concern would be that he looks like he would flourish in a team that's playing in harmony (Barca)
We sadly seem a long way away from harmony   
Lets hope we can move on from last night and put a run together, get the confidence going and ram some of the medias words back down their throats.

Does anyone think he will keep his place when Masch gets back?

[Sir Roger]

I like the look of him to be honest, ok he is way off the pace at the mo but you can tell the lad has quality in abundance and I think if we give him 2-3 months he could well be a very good signing.

Agree
looks a player, My only concern would be that he looks like he would flourish in a team that's playing in harmony (Barca)
We sadly seem a long way away from harmony   
Lets hope we can move on from last night and put a run together, get the confidence going and ram some of the medias words back down their throats.

Does anyone think he will keep his place when Masch gets back?

No
It would make Rafa feel like he wasnt in control if he didnt play his favourite formation

[woof woof !]

Does anyone think he will keep his place when Masch gets back?

Well Rafa's gonna take a lot of flak if he doesn't play a fully fit Aqualani.

May guess is it'll be Aqualani pencilled in with Masherano and Lucas vying for the other midfield spot.

[tubby]

Some of the papers are being a tad harsh with Alberto. Duff Villa performance ect.... for god sake it's only his second start in how long? And he is playing in a new league. Give him at least another month or so until he is at the very least match fit.

[Sir Roger]

Some of the papers are being a tad harsh with Alberto. Duff Villa performance ect.... for god sake it's only his second start in how long? And he is playing in a new league. Give him at least another month or so until he is at the very least match fit.

Ive seen a lot worse performances from tw@ts who have played in the prem for years!!!

[roberto green]

Some of the papers are being a tad harsh with Alberto. Duff Villa performance ect.... for god sake it's only his second start in how long? And he is playing in a new league. Give him at least another month or so until he is at the very least match fit.

I bet it's the same papers which have said nothing about Valencia and the french fella the mancs bought being or Michael Ballache doing F all for Chelsea.

[Sir Roger]

Some of the papers are being a tad harsh with Alberto. Duff Villa performance ect.... for god sake it's only his second start in how long? And he is playing in a new league. Give him at least another month or so until he is at the very least match fit.

I bet it's the same papers which have said nothing about Valencia and the french fella the mancs bought being or Michael Ballache doing F all for Chelsea.

Berbatovs set the prem alight though hasnt he?
How much was he again....?

[bigmick]

LFC's point about Modric is a decent one. I had severe doubts about him and he's managed to fashion himself a niche in the Spurs team now and looks a decent player. He was bought by the baby food bloke though as the central midfield playmaker, the fulcrum of the team and he was never going to be that. They tend these days to play him in wider areas or in the hole, and he's had to significantly adapt. Equally, his stature and make up mean that he has and will continue to be under pressure physically in the Premiership, more prone to injury and more likely to be left out for certain "unsuitable" fixtures. All that said, I've no problem with admitting that he has proved me wrong in that he has made a relative success of himself. It's worth remembering that his fee was identical to Aquilani's, so it might be worth considering whether people would consider a player of equal ability a success for the money or not.

Joe's point on Deco is interesting too. Once again his quality is obvious, it's just whether or not he's allowed to play. I was probably hasty in writing him off as well, although I was probably equally hasty earlier this season in taking it all back. Last season he looked good early doors, only to disappear as the niggles increased and the mud deepened. It looks very much to e like the same may happen this season, but we'll see.

The key with aquilani is can he develop his game? He fairly obviously can't play in the manner to which he is accustomed, simply because the pace of the game means it passes him by. To be a success, he is either going to have to become more destructively creative, more defensively aware or increase his workload by 50% at least. To be a really top player, he's probably going to have to do all three simultaneously. Can he do it? we'll see.

[Sir Roger]

LFC's point about Modric is a decent one. I had severe doubts about him and he's managed to fashion himself a niche in the Spurs team now and looks a decent player. He was bought by the baby food bloke though as the central midfield playmaker, the fulcrum of the team and he was never going to be that. They tend these days to play him in wider areas or in the hole, and he's had to significantly adapt. Equally, his stature and make up mean that he has and will continue to be under pressure physically in the Premiership, more prone to injury and more likely to be left out for certain "unsuitable" fixtures. All that said, I've no problem with admitting that he has proved me wrong in that he has made a relative success of himself. It's worth remembering that his fee was identical to Aquilani's, so it might be worth considering whether people would consider a player of equal ability a success for the money or not.

Joe's point on Deco is interesting too. Once again his quality is obvious, it's just whether or not he's allowed to play. I was probably hasty in writing him off as well, although I was probably equally hasty earlier this season in taking it all back. Last season he looked good early doors, only to disappear as the niggles increased and the mud deepened. It looks very much to e like the same may happen this season, but we'll see.

The key with aquilani is can he develop his game? He fairly obviously can't play in the manner to which he is accustomed, simply because the pace of the game means it passes him by. To be a success, he is either going to have to become more destructively creative, more defensively aware or increase his workload by 50% at least. To be a really top player, he's probably going to have to do all three simultaneously. Can he do it? we'll see.

Fu*king hell
Youre not asking much are you?


When did the game pass him by?

While weve still got Kuyt and Lucas I suggest we be careful of expecting too much of young Aquilani and put our energies into supporting him so he can have the chance to become a top player.

[bigmick]

Fu*king hell
Youre not asking much are you?


When did the game pass him by?

While weve still got Kuyt and Lucas I suggest we be careful of expecting too much of young Aquilani and put our energies into supporting him so he can have the chance to become a top player.

Rog what I'm "asking" is neither here nor there. If we want to become a top team, we need to have top players. In the central midfield area most teams who are at or near the top of the league have a sitter who shuts doors and distributes, and a creative force who both attacks and defends. That creative force both scores and makes goals as well as getting himself box to box.

I'm merely talking about what IMHO Aquilani needs to do in order to become a really top player in the Premiership. Your point about Kuyt and Lucas is absolutely fair, in that it's EVEN MORE IMPORTANT that he does these things, because we are carrying those two. What I'm asking him to do sounds like a lot, for the simple reason that I think he is a long long way off at the moment.

And I did think the game passed him by. He barely made a meaningful contribution in 75 minutes, and contributed nothing defensively. Like Jan Molby without the shooting, passing or tackling. Not saying he can't do it, just asking whether he will or not and also taking the revolutionary step of actually explaining what I mean  .

[teamleader1]

Does anyone think he will keep his place when Masch gets back?

Well Rafa's gonna take a lot of flak if he doesn't play a fully fit Aqualani.

May guess is it'll be Aqualani pencilled in with Masherano and Lucas vying for the other midfield spot.

My feeling is that he will keep Masch and Lucas together and play Aquilani on the left 

I would like to see him play off Torres with SG dropping back to feed them both from MF

[7_Kewell]

its going to take Aquilani at least 10 games to get his match sharpness back. Only then can people start to judge how he's fitting into the system.

[Scottbot]

Not for me once again I'm afraid. To play the game as a floater which he appears to want to, you have to make telling contributions on the ball. If the team is to carry him (and he contributes nothing defensively whatsoever) then there must be a pay off. So far, not only isn't there any but aside from a pass to Benayoun in the previous game, there hasn't looked like being any. I appreciate people are saying "give him time and he'll settle/get fit" etc and he'll obviously improve I'm not doubting it, i'm just a little concerned that I can't see 20 million quids worth of footballer waiting to get out. So far he doesn't defend as well as Alonso, doesn't pass it as well as Alonso, and doesn't influence the game as much as Alonso.

It may be "too early", but is anyone absolutely confident he's going to turn out to be a good buy?

I totally agreed with your view. We had been watching football long enough to know if someone is special or not. Aqua is not one of them I'm afraid.

I disagree, I really like Aquilani, but I agree so far he hasn't provided enough football, let alone the injuries to say it was a well spent money.

But when I look at his football, at certain details, I trust his quality. He's real quality, not "good player" as in Robbie Keane, but real quality.

A different matter though is to answer bigmick's question about being "absolutely confident". You can't never be absolutely confident.

I don't know if the player will be happy here or he'll miss the fetuccini of the sua mamma, or I don't know if he'll too feel like Keane, who was the best player of his town and felt the right to be baffled and question the manager's methods. You never know on first glance whether the player will fight or not, or he'll be a loser like Keane.

But if you ask me about the football quality, I think he is especial yes. But it's nice to disagree.

P.S. I also disagree in the direct comparison with Alonso, totally different players. But Aquilani does more this that Alonso didn't and he was asked so desperately to do: moving through out the pitch and receive the ball in different positions, not being in the safety pocket. You asked for it, and you got it. And I think that with Mascherano, and without injuries, and with the right attitude (a lot of ifs I know), he'll be very good for Liverpool.

There is something there Sabes, I'm not about to dispute that Aquilani is a footballer. we're not talking Lucas here, he recieves and gives it not just to somplete a pass, he actually plays it to the side of the reciever, at an angle in relation to the defender and at a pace which gives the fella a chance.

A pass from a good player is a gift, like a waiter presenting a Michelin starred entre it arrives with a flourish, and the reciever is able to do with it what he wills. A pass from a Lucas (who once again i thought was bitterly disappointing against villa, I know I disagree with many) or a Kuyt is more akin to a Macdonalds happy meal which has been lobbed at you accross the road, with the drink still in the bag. It arrives at the wrong side, knocks you out of stride, causes you to check, to concentrate on the control too much as it arrives at the wrong speed.

No, Aquilani can play that much is obvious. Can he play in England though, can he fight for the right to embellish the game? Is he difficult enough to counter? I have grave doubts.

Good posts. The game certainly passed him by last night although we did dominate possession for long patches of the game so he must have played his part to some degree. Must admit I though he played too deep yesterday (maybe a bit worried about treading on Stevie's toes?) and from what we have heard, that isn't his spot on the pitch. Still, the run out will have done his fitness some good and it's a nice taste of life in the Premiership. I believe we will see the best of Aquilani in home matches, particularly if we can find some genuine form and play with better movement and a much quicker tempo. I am a bit worried about his contribution away from home in this type of match and I'd like to see the lad make a tackle of two back there.

As a footnote Mick, I can't see how you can be bitterly dissapointed with Lucas yesterday? I'm a bit baffled, the lad was one of our best players. We dominated the midfield for much of the game and I'm wondering how you think we did that with the game passing Aquilani by, and Lucas having a such a bad game?