Rafa-Dodd wrote:Hi all,
Do you think Liverpool are missing Harry Kewell?
I think we are missing him a heck of a lot!
Before you dismiss this as a knee jerk to the Bolton game, take time to think about it. Harry Kewell payed very well for us last year, our most improved player in my opinion. Considering we brought in Aurelio and Mark Gonzalez to compete with Harry you will instinctively say no, we have 3 players with Harry who can all play there.
A lot of people on here don't like Kewell. He didn't perform for us for the first two years and only last year did we see what we paid for. So there is a genuine reason for some of the resentment towards Harry but I think he is a intergeral part of our team. We all rave about our Momo, Carra and Gerrard but Mr Kewell did a very good job for us last year.
"Speedy" Gonzalez came to the club this year with a great wave of excitement, unjustly in my opinion. I had seem him play but some in here where making him out to be a world beater, maybe he one day will be but so far he has been an average player since I first clapped eyes on him, here and in La Liga. At the end of last year people where making out it was a given he will be No. 1 left mid. He won't. Aurelio was also brought in but is a LWB adapting to be a LB or LM depending on where Rafa wants him.
With Kewell out injured , Rafa started Aurelio and Mark at LM at the start of the season and they have not really impressed if we are being honest, I know Mark has got two goals but aint done much else. The team balance was not right, our defence has been left looking shaky and the midfield is not as strong as it was last year when they have played there.
I think Rafa has noticed this and now we are seeing our best player Steven Gerrard being played on the left, as he can play ok whatever the position, but you are asking a lot playing him there, and he is much more effective on the right. He is a great player Gerrard but putting him on the left is making him a good player.
In short, Kewell being injured is effecting us in a big way, our midfield quartet was the best in the Prem last year. Kewell was very good at tracking back, keeping the ball, excellent passing and we had the balance just right. With Aurelio and Sppedy they are much more attacking, they are faster and more direct than Harry but they are bringing a lot of negatives to the team, and leave big holes in our two sets of four.
Now before you dismiss it out of hand let me hit you with a few stats.
- Last year Harry Kewell was out injured until 05th November 2006. While he was out our league record was:
Out of 9 games played: 3 wins, 4 draws, 2 losses - the 3 wins were all at home ( Sunderland, B'burn, W'Ham).
- Kewell played his 1st game of the season on the 5th Nov against Villa, and played in the team for the next 12 games on the bounce. Our record breaking run has started the game before. His record in the 12 games played was:
10 wins - 1 draw - 1 defeat.
- Harry was injured during the 1 - 0 loss to Utd and then missed the next 2 games a draw, and a loss.
- Harry started 27 times for Liverpool last year during our most consistent season in the Premiership.
- Rafa has always stated he knows how valuable a player like Harry is.
Agree. We do miss Harry. We were strong last season because we have Harry on the and Stevie on the right...we were unstoppable. But this season, something is lacking. There's less threat on the left side, pennant is not as effective as he should be. As far as this season goes, the best we've played was when Stevie played as a right winger..and we didnt attack that much on the left flank. But with Harry on the left.....God knows what kind of damage we could do. Miss Harry? Of course we do....
, so unlucky not to have him vs Italy in the worldcup. Come on aussies 
, more importantly, COMEON Liverpool@!
, Morientes has been absolutely brilliant through out his career. He is a living legend in Spain, ask Sabre and was probably one of the best goalscorers ever to come out of Spain.
by 