Liverpool FC Forum

[Leonmc0708]

What the fu.ck ?

He came on for ten minutes against Haifa and played 60 minutes against Sheffield United, played in an XI against Lincoln for an hour and played for the first 50 minutes in the Chrity Sheild.

So thats a total of one and a half games he has played in which where competitive and we are juidging his impact/progress ?

What is it with the modern day football "fan" ?

[taff]

What is it with the modern day football "fan" ?

Dont even throw their hats in the air either

[dawson99]

What the fu.ck ?

He came on for ten minutes against Haifa and played 60 minutes against Sheffield United, played in an XI against Lincoln for an hour and played for the first 50 minutes in the Chrity Sheild.

So thats a total of one and a half games he has played in which where competitive and we are juidging his impact/progress ?

What is it with the modern day football "fan" ?

Leon remembers the good old days, jumpers for goalposts

[Bad Bob]

I simply have not seen enough of the lad yet to judge strongly but I think he's been encouraging.  Put it this way, were it not for the hype that came with the work permit saga and he had just arrived out of nowhere a la Momo last season, I think people would be relatively pleased with him.  He's new, he's bedding in but he's a willing runner and has contributed with an absolutely vital goal (what a way to debut in the red shirt!).  As the team gets used to working with pace and width, he'll become more effective and we'll see what he's truly capable of.  Besides, Sabre likes him so I'm happy!

[taff]

I think he's great unless he plays badly in the next game

[stmichael]

What the fu.ck ?

He came on for ten minutes against Haifa and played 60 minutes against Sheffield United, played in an XI against Lincoln for an hour and played for the first 50 minutes in the Chrity Sheild.

So thats a total of one and a half games he has played in which where competitive and we are juidging his impact/progress ?

What is it with the modern day football "fan" ?

Leon remembers the good old days, jumpers for goalposts

[Alonso14]

I think if he signed when he was supposed to, their wouldn’t of been all this hype. Most of the hype I would think was created by Rafa, so that he could ensure he got he’s work permit, i.e. All the players and coaching staff coming out and saying ‘He’s got pace, and can hurt defenders’ and all the rest of it about a week before he’s appeal was to be granted.

Therefore the fans thinking he was going to be the next Johan Cruyff. When he scored on he’s debut the ‘modern’ fan as Leon put it thought there dreams were answered.

I personally think he’s a good, quick young player who likes to get the ball in early from what I’ve seen so far. I’m hoping he develops into someone who can beat he’s man and also deliver from the by-line. Anyone hoping for anymore from him is just silly.

[Kopite-Jud]

very impressive , and he can score goals as we have already seen , he is very fast and tracks back to help out defending . His pace is what we need down the wing , he will improve over time and gel with the new players at the club . I have to praise his abilities to how quickly he fit into the squad , and how long it took him to score a compettive goal , (2 minuites or something )   very impressive keep up the good hard work speedy

[jkop]

It will take time for mark to settle, but i think he will be a very good investment, so go on mark show us what we have been missing.

[Cool Hand Luke]

The boy has pace and acceleration with out doubt and a high work rate, so it’s a good start. I’ve seen him hit a few shots with his right foot for Real Sociedad which encouraged me in terms of his ability to use his weaker foot. He also seems to have a better touch and basic passing than I first anticipated.

But ultimately he is a hit and run player rather than someone with good tight dribbling, I remember discussing with Sabre that I prefer the latter, were as he prefers the hit and run type. Not many attacking players have impressed in the first couple of games so far so criticism targeted towards Gonzo would be strange.

He will find that the quality of defending in the Premiership is far better than that of Spain, he wont find as much space in behind to exploit and not so many players getting caught out of position. So ultimately he is taking a jump up in a sense, because he is playing in a defensively superior league.

He has talent, but there is much work to be done by both him and the coaching team before he has even a chance to live up to the billing some have given him. But encouraging signs so from the very little I have seen of him so far.

[MaccaLFC]

VERY first impressions are decent, he has pace and a bit of skill to go with it, unlike some french dude called Djib. He seems to be trying a bit too hard IMO to impress, he'll get better in time.

[bigmick]

I think it's reasonable to ask for first impressions despite as Leon pointed out, the fact he has only played less than two games in total. Clearly he is going to develop as a player as he becomes accustomed to the style and speed of the football, and he is still finding his feet in a new country so all observations must come with the rider that a couple of performances could mean all bets are off.

For my part, as I've hinted on other threads I haven't been massively impressed so far. For me though he has undoubtedly shown glimpses of talent and pace, I haven't yet seen enough to convince me that he is or is going to be the answer at left midfield. Before anybody jumps down my throat I'm not saying that he definately won't, but I'm certainly not convinced that he definately will either.

Clearly he has pace though maybe not quite the blistering, pigeon catching turn of foot we may have hoped for. Though this is one of his biggest weapons, he hasn't shown sofar that he knows exactly how to utilize it to his biggest advantage. In fairness to him we have hardly strung a pass together in games in which he has played so he has not always had the opportunity to get himself in a one on one with his opposite numbers.  I would though very much like to see him coming in off the wing, particularly when our left-full back has it. If he does this he opens up his options massively as he can turn infield when he recieves it and run/pass or he can wall pass to the full-back and get on his bike for the return. Too often at he moment he almost marks his marker and unless Alonso can pick him out with an inch-perfect crossfield pass he tends not to touch the ball for ten minutes.

His movement and game-plan should be all about isolating the full back or right midfielder and stretching the play. He has a good shot and as somebody else commented is surprisingly good in the air so he needs to get on and off the line, make himselves angles and ultimately influence the game more often.

I am by no means saying that he can't get the hang of things and become a good player for Liverpool. At the moment though, if Kewell was fit it would be a no brainer as the Australian would comfortably hold his place in my opinion.

[Kev Huyton 2006]

One observation of Mark Gonzalez, and Jermaine Pennant for that matter is the final ball/ lack of control.

Sure they are both quick, but the dribbling has a bit to be desired. But obviously it will take 3/4 months to bed in to the team/ premiership properly.

I would say, see how they are performing come xmas and the new year.

Thing is, when kewell comes back, and if Rafa continues to play Stevie on the right, then they might not get a proper run in the team.

Its like when he bought Alonso and Garcia, they both went straight in the side, took 3 months to see really good form.

If I was Rafa, I would keep putting them in the side for every game, as that will give confidence to build on to them.

[stmichael]

The boy has pace and acceleration with out doubt and a high work rate, so it’s a good start. I’ve seen him hit a few shots with his right foot for Real Sociedad which encouraged me in terms of his ability to use his weaker foot. He also seems to have a better touch and basic passing than I first anticipated.

But ultimately he is a hit and run player rather than someone with good tight dribbling, I remember discussing with Sabre that I prefer the latter, were as he prefers the hit and run type. Not many attacking players have impressed in the first couple of games so far so criticism targeted towards Gonzo would be strange.

He will find that the quality of defending in the Premiership is far better than that of Spain, he wont find as much space in behind to exploit and not so many players getting caught out of position. So ultimately he is taking a jump up in a sense, because he is playing in a defensively superior league.

He has talent, but there is much work to be done by both him and the coaching team before he has even a chance to live up to the billing some have given him. But encouraging signs so from the very little I have seen of him so far.

Good post

As you say, what he offers us first and foremost is pace and penetration inside the box. Try to see how he cuts inside when the ball is on the opposite wing. Penetration of the box is something we've been sorely lacking for a number of years, and I'm really glad we've found a player who understands the importance of this.

[Raj_Xedos]

One observation of Mark Gonzalez, and Jermaine Pennant for that matter is the final ball/ lack of control.

Sure they are both quick, but the dribbling has a bit to be desired. But obviously it will take 3/4 months to bed in to the team/ premiership properly.

I would say, see how they are performing come xmas and the new year.

Thing is, when kewell comes back, and if Rafa continues to play Stevie on the right, then they might not get a proper run in the team.

Its like when he bought Alonso and Garcia, they both went straight in the side, took 3 months to see really good form.

If I was Rafa, I would keep putting them in the side for every game, as that will give confidence to build on to them.

i think the difference in this season and last season is that on the right now, we have a natural winger who will flood the ball with ball upon ball upon ball.......

Birmingham City played nearly everything through Pennant last season which is why he had so many crosses, but sadly he had Heskey to aim at(we all know about him).

This season he has intelligent in the box running of fowler kuyt and bellamy or the ariel height of crouch.

The same goes for Gonzales, i think the reason why he puts in early balls is cus the pace of bellamy can get onto em and cus defences dont expect early balls......

I saw Gonzales play against Crewe, he is extremely fast, confident and loves taking playin on, and he has an immensely powerful shot....

Lets just trust in Rafa, he knows best.......oh and its only pre-season still yet........lets make judgements after 10-12 games.....