Liverpool FC Forum

[Bad Bob]

While Jamie Carragher has proven time and again to be the beating heart of our defence, while Steve Finnan has cemented his place at RB in the face of two challenges for his position and won numerous plaudits for his consistency, and while Sami Hyypia's value to the team has been highlighted at length on this board and elsewhere, John Arne Riise has become somewhat of the forgotten man in our back four.  As such, and following along from St. Michael's thread on Hyypia, I thought it might be interesting to assess another of the team's unsung heroes during the Benitez regime.

IMO, Riise has always been one of our most consistent and committed players.  He brings an incredible work rate to the team as well as a great deal of heart.  He's also proven to be a man for the big occasion, as recent goals against Leverkusen, Chelsea (Carling Cup, FA Cup Semi) and West Ham (crucial penalty in FA Cup final) attest.

Yet, Riise's contribution to the club this season has often been overlooked, given that his defensive duties have limited some of his rampages into opposition territory and kept his name off the scoresheet more this campaign.  Nonetheless, the lad's been an important component of our exceedingly stingy defence this season.  What's easy to forget, though, is that he made LB his own this season in spite of challenges from both Djimi Traore (don't laugh...he was last season's first choice LB!) and Steve Warnock (who earned an England call-up early in the season and looked poised to cement a starting place for his club).  Given the fact that this followed a season where he played primarily as a LM, Riise's ability to make LB his own this season has perhaps been even more unexpected.

Despite these achievements, Riise's place in the team seems to be under threat.  The imminent arrival of Mark Gonzalez will mean more competition for LM and push JAR even further down the pecking order in that position.  More significantly, however, if Aurelio's transfer from Valencia is finalised Riise may find himself as only 2nd-choice LB next season.

Given these developments (and picking up on St. Mike's 5-question format):

1) How many games will Riise start next season?

2) In your opinion, what is Riise's best position?

3) What is(are) Riise's chief contribution(s) to the club?

4) Long term, do you see Riise as a squad player or as a starter?

5) As one of the club's 'bankable assets', should the board look to cash in on Riise now in order to help finance the title challenge or do you feel that Riise will play a vital role in any title challenge?

[RedorDead]

Mate, everything you have written is 100% accurate, his position is under threat and it LOOKS like he may just become back up.....I want to say that I find that really sad. I am a big fan of JAR, he has performed pretty consistantly for us over the last few seasons and for me is an excellent left back. He is quick, a superb attacking player and underrated as a defender. He has blossomed under Rafa and has had one great season as LM and one great season at LB. He also gives rafa morre options. He can start him LM for a defensive approach or bring on Kewell or Gonzalez and drop Riise back to LB for a more attacking option. I want him to stay, I want him to keep his place and I want to see him rip the back of the net with those left foot thunderbolts he comes up with so often.

To answer your question:
1: I hope as many as he is fit for. If Aurellio comes then it may be a lot less.
2: LB
3: Work rate and one of the hardest hitting left boots in the league
4: Starter I hope, these days you need two players for each position and he should certainly be one of our two LB's
5: NO, do not sell, he is a versatile player who is very fit and consistantly performs. Any title challenge will need a strong squad and even if we buy another top LB he will be needed for the long haul to success.

[Lando_Griffin]

While Jamie Carragher has proven time and again to be the beating heart of our defence, while Steve Finnan has cemented his place at RB in the face of two challenges for his position and won numerous plaudits for his consistency, and while Sami Hyypia's value to the team has been highlighted at length on this board and elsewhere, John Arne Riise has become somewhat of the forgotten man in our back four.  As such, and following along from St. Michael's thread on Hyypia, I thought it might be interesting to assess another of the team's unsung heroes during the Benitez regime.

IMO, Riise has always been one of our most consistent and committed players.  He brings an incredible work rate to the team as well as a great deal of heart.  He's also proven to be a man for the big occasion, as recent goals against Leverkusen, Chelsea (Carling Cup, FA Cup Semi) and West Ham (crucial penalty in FA Cup final) attest.

Yet, Riise's contribution to the club this season has often been overlooked, given that his defensive duties have limited some of his rampages into opposition territory and kept his name off the scoresheet more this campaign.  Nonetheless, the lad's been an important component of our exceedingly stingy defence this season.  What's easy to forget, though, is that he made LB his own this season in spite of challenges from both Djimi Traore (don't laugh...he was last season's first choice LB!) and Steve Warnock (who earned an England call-up early in the season and looked poised to cement a starting place for his club).  Given the fact that this followed a season where he played primarily as a LM, Riise's ability to make LB his own this season has perhaps been even more unexpected.

Despite these achievements, Riise's place in the team seems to be under threat.  The imminent arrival of Mark Gonzalez will mean more competition for LM and push JAR even further down the pecking order in that position.  More significantly, however, if Aurelio's transfer from Valencia is finalised Riise may find himself as only 2nd-choice LB next season.

Given these developments (and picking up on St. Mike's 5-question format):

1) How many games will Riise start next season?

2) In your opinion, what is Riise's best position?

3) What is(are) Riise's chief contribution(s) to the club?

4) Long term, do you see Riise as a squad player or as a starter?

5) As one of the club's 'bankable assets', should the board look to cash in on Riise now in order to help finance the title challenge or do you feel that Riise will play a vital role in any title challenge?

Riise has played a part for us this season, and has certainly evolved into a decent LB.

However, he isn't up to the standards that the other 3 main-stays of the defence are, and that is why we must strengthen this area, IMO.

In answer to your questions:

1. Less than half the amount he played this term, assuming Aurelio is consistant.

2. Left Wing-Back. Sadly for JAR, this is also Aurelio's best position, according to a piece I read some time ago.

3. Commitment, strength, determination, pace and a f*cking thunderous shot.

4. Squad player. He'd be a first-choice for almost every other team in the Premiership, but for none of the "big 4" (Us, Sh*ts, Scum, Arsebandits).

5. No. If he's happy to fight for his place, it can only be good for the club. In light of Warnock's demise from the first-team scene, if we sold Riise, we'd need to buy another quality LB to cover Aurelio.

(Bear in mind that this is all on the assumption that we sign Aurelio, as stated by Bad Bob - before anyone starts bitching at me!!!!! .)

[Raoul]

There is no way a player who has shown such heart, consistency and ability can be let go without first being sure that his replacement is actually:

a) any good
b) able to make the shift to the Premiership/life in England/the new team environment

I don't think anyone questions Aurelio or Gonzalez' abilities, but given all that JAR offers, there is no way he can be let go until both Aurelio & Gonzalez are here and consistently performing, and there are adequate backups for them (which I think we've got at LM, but not so much at LB).  Even then, if he wanted to stay we would be crazy not to keep him, given the job he is able to do at LB, LM and even CB at a pinch.

[RedorDead]

There is no way a player who has shown such heart, consistency and ability can be let go without first being sure that his replacement is actually:

a) any good
b) able to make the shift to the Premiership/life in England/the new team environment

I don't think anyone questions Aurelio or Gonzalez' abilities, but given all that JAR offers, there is no way he can be let go until both Aurelio & Gonzalez are here and consistently performing, and there are adequate backups for them (which I think we've got at LM, but not so much at LB).  Even then, if he wanted to stay we would be crazy not to keep him, given the job he is able to do at LB, LM and even CB at a pinch.

Steady....I said I was a big Riise fan but if I saw the team sheet and Riise was at centre back I'd be more than a little nervous!!!!

[azriahmad]

I am a Riise fan and I think he is presently the best leftback we have.

[bigmick]

I actually think Riise is a much better player than he is given credit for. My own feeling is that any new arrival is most unlikely to spell the end of his Liverpool days. Rafa seems deadset on getting two players genuinely able to compete for the shirt in each and every position and probably Aurelio will provide genuine competition where the somewhat more limited Warnock has singularly failed to do.
There can be little doubt that Finnan's form has been an absolute revelation these last couple of seasons but I'm going to go out on a little bit of a limb here and say that in my opinion Riise is a stronger option in his position than Finnan is in his. While being tidy and unfussy the ex-Fulham man provides little going forward, and the feeling lingers that purely from a pace point of view he is not quite the defender he was eighteen months ago. That practically nobody managed to make inroads against him all season is in my view as much to do with the astonishing form and pace of Gerrard playing down the right all season. By contrast Riise has had to defend behind the somewhat more flimsy shield which Kewell provides and has on occasions been exposed but not to any great extent.
All in all the Norwegian is a player who is running into his prime from an age point of view. He offers a gauranteed goal threat which causes teams to defend differently against us than they would do normally and in my opinion Aurelio will have to be both a very good player and capable of instantly adapting to English football to displace him.

[harry_smiles]

I have only ever seen Riise play one bag game for us when playing at LB, and that was in the FA Cup Final, but the whole defence seemed out of shape that day. He is IMO one of the best LB's in the world, there are very few i can think of that i would prefer in my team, he is solid in his defencive duties, and really can provide a good attacking option going forward. Saying that Aurelio is also right up there, he has been one of the unsung players at Valencia, he can defend well, and he is IMO better going forward than Riise. If we had both of them i would be hard pressed to know who to pick, I think it would have to be Riise at first as Aurelio is unproven, but i would love to see both of them with us. I really don't think that you can sell Riise, he is too good a player, i would sell wornock though. He would not really be needed if we had Riise, Aurelio, Speedy, Kewell and Zenden for the left side.

[Ace Ventura]

I think he will still play in the majority of games next season, he is a quality all round player, he has pace is comfortable carrying the ball forward is good in the air  will run all day long and scores goals.
What more do you want ?
He is slightly suspect when someone is one on one with him but as bigmick said, he doesnt get much protection from Kewell. We have hardly conceded a goal when we have started our first choice back four together and Riise has improved defensively so much since rafa arrived.
If Aurellio comes in and is even better than that then i would still hope that Rafa sees Riise as a very valuable squad player, but that is a big if as a)we havent signed him yet b) he might not adapt to the physical demands of the premiership.
My guess is that JAR will play a big part in the next few seasons for us.

[coolsobs]

I think that people foolishly say he is weak defensively, as he is the only one of our defenders who really goes forward to help the offense and so is often left trailing behing but his offensive runs help the  team a lot.

[Redman in wales]

I actually think Riise is a much better player than he is given credit for. My own feeling is that any new arrival is most unlikely to spell the end of his Liverpool days. Rafa seems deadset on getting two players genuinely able to compete for the shirt in each and every position and probably Aurelio will provide genuine competition where the somewhat more limited Warnock has singularly failed to do.
There can be little doubt that Finnan's form has been an absolute revelation these last couple of seasons but I'm going to go out on a little bit of a limb here and say that in my opinion Riise is a stronger option in his position than Finnan is in his. While being tidy and unfussy the ex-Fulham man provides little going forward, and the feeling lingers that purely from a pace point of view he is not quite the defender he was eighteen months ago. That practically nobody managed to make inroads against him all season is in my view as much to do with the astonishing form and pace of Gerrard playing down the right all season. By contrast Riise has had to defend behind the somewhat more flimsy shield which Kewell provides and has on occasions been exposed but not to any great extent.
All in all the Norwegian is a player who is running into his prime from an age point of view. He offers a gauranteed goal threat which causes teams to defend differently against us than they would do normally and in my opinion Aurelio will have to be both a very good player and capable of instantly adapting to English football to displace him.

I think big mick has raised a very good point there. Finnan has been superb all season, but has had stevie G infront of him for most of the season, while risse has had a slowly-getting-back-to-his-best kewell.

I have to say i am biased cause i do love JAR on the left side. I thik he is awesome, both defensively and going foward... and he has one HELLofa Shot on him.

Also Raoul mentioned settling in. I think Riise still has to be 1st choice next season, and we definately should not get rid of him, as for all Aurelio's  class - what if he doesnt settle in the prem... look at Moro, Cisse, Diouf - some players are awesome in europe, but cant cut it in the prem - only time will tell if Aurelio is real cometition to our little ginger LB....

[Good Bob]

Quality player.

I like the lad alot. When he first signed his ability to get forward and score goals was excellent and i thought along with Babbel, Hyypia and Henchoz we had a defense that was better than anything in the league. Then Babbel picked up a horrible illness.

In his second season he was a disaster. Like most of the team. He learnt under Houllier how to defend and has become fairly solid. Its only been the last two seasons though he's learnt to attack and defend in one match. I always thought he was either to attack minded or to defensive minded. He's starting to get the right balance finally.

Riise does lack the ability to influence a game though which is something that i don't like. You see Ashley Cole practically starting moves for Arsenal and being heavily involved in alot of moves, Riise has alot of great attributes but i feel he doesn't always use them as well as he could. I can't see a reason why he can't be as good as Cole alround.

1. Impossible to say.
2. Left back without question. Although more than capable at left mid.
3. For me its his work rate, versitillity and constant goal threat. I've often said against the better sides i struggle to see where a goal will come from barring Gerrard or Riise.
4. Hard one to call, my heart says starter, head says squad player.
5. No way should we sell a player of this standard without having better players in the positions he occupies.

[Reinas No.1 Fan]

[quote="Bad Bob"][/quote]
1) How many games will Riise start next season?

not to sure, he has bags of talent and seemingly endless stamina and work rate. He will start as often as anyone else

2) In your opinion, what is Riise's best position?

Left midfield maybe wingback, but he has proved he can play at left back, and will probably be an adequete deputy to anyone rafa signs for left back.

3) What is(are) Riise's chief contribution(s) to the club?

he bring fantastic enegry and work rate to our squad, he's the one who will always keep going, he also brings danger from long shots and free kicks

4) Long term, do you see Riise as a squad player or as a starter?

if we sign a quality left back I see him as a squad player a player that can come on when others are tired or injured.

5) As one of the club's 'bankable assets', should the board look to cash in on Riise now in order to help finance the title challenge or do you feel that Riise will play a vital role in any title challenge?[/b]

Why get rid of someone that can do a good job for us. for the amount we could sell riise for, we wouldnt be able to buy any one better.

[48-1119859832]

I've heard rumours that Rafa wanst to use wingbacks. If this is the case then both Riise and Finnan are already good enough to do that job. However with Traore going and the Valencia left back coming in, as well as Mark Gonzalez we could well find Riise leaving the club. He's far too great of a player and entertainer to be left on the bench week in week out.

He's been a great player for this club since he arrived and has surpassed his fee of £4million that's for sure. I just hope that he isn't frozen out of the Anfield set up next season. He's a decent defender and a decent midfielder but I've drawn up the conclusion he'd be at his very best in a wing back formation.

[stmichael]

While Jamie Carragher has proven time and again to be the beating heart of our defence, while Steve Finnan has cemented his place at RB in the face of two challenges for his position and won numerous plaudits for his consistency, and while Sami Hyypia's value to the team has been highlighted at length on this board and elsewhere, John Arne Riise has become somewhat of the forgotten man in our back four.  As such, and following along from St. Michael's thread on Hyypia, I thought it might be interesting to assess another of the team's unsung heroes during the Benitez regime.

IMO, Riise has always been one of our most consistent and committed players.  He brings an incredible work rate to the team as well as a great deal of heart.  He's also proven to be a man for the big occasion, as recent goals against Leverkusen, Chelsea (Carling Cup, FA Cup Semi) and West Ham (crucial penalty in FA Cup final) attest.

Yet, Riise's contribution to the club this season has often been overlooked, given that his defensive duties have limited some of his rampages into opposition territory and kept his name off the scoresheet more this campaign.  Nonetheless, the lad's been an important component of our exceedingly stingy defence this season.  What's easy to forget, though, is that he made LB his own this season in spite of challenges from both Djimi Traore (don't laugh...he was last season's first choice LB!) and Steve Warnock (who earned an England call-up early in the season and looked poised to cement a starting place for his club).  Given the fact that this followed a season where he played primarily as a LM, Riise's ability to make LB his own this season has perhaps been even more unexpected.

Despite these achievements, Riise's place in the team seems to be under threat.  The imminent arrival of Mark Gonzalez will mean more competition for LM and push JAR even further down the pecking order in that position.  More significantly, however, if Aurelio's transfer from Valencia is finalised Riise may find himself as only 2nd-choice LB next season.

Given these developments (and picking up on St. Mike's 5-question format):

1) How many games will Riise start next season?

2) In your opinion, what is Riise's best position?

3) What is(are) Riise's chief contribution(s) to the club?

4) Long term, do you see Riise as a squad player or as a starter?

5) As one of the club's 'bankable assets', should the board look to cash in on Riise now in order to help finance the title challenge or do you feel that Riise will play a vital role in any title challenge?

funnily enough, about 3 months ago i started a thread about "the left back situation" as i saw it at the time. the reply from many members was "what situation?".

the point i was trying to make at the time was that i still felt we needed a top class left back to complete what was already a mean defence. don't get me wrong, i'm a fan of riise but whatever anyone says, his positioning still leaves a lot to be desired at times. lets hope for all concerned that fabio aurellio gets signed up sooner rather than later. i also still have my reservations about warnock and as for traore, the less said the better.

in answer to the questions:

1. if aurellio signs then probably about 20.

2. he's a natural wingback imo. that gives him license to both defend and attack without leaving others exposed. i don't think he's got the pace or trickery to play left midfield on a consistent basis.

3. unbelievable energy and workrate, plus the best left foot in the premiership bar none.

4. squad player.

5. keep at all costs. excellent player to have in and around the squad.