Liverpool FC Forum

[Kharhaz]

No mate I'm not talking about youngsters as in young players, if you get my drift No, the other bloke was on about sticking Lindfield up front (aplologies to the young lad if that's not how you spell it) and that for me is just silly talk. By "youngsters" I mean kids who are not established first team players. There's a time for giving lads like Hobbs a go but it's not in the League, not now anyway.

They dont become established until there given a chance.

[bigmick]

I'm sure I annoy many people on here by being in the middle when it comes to rotation but I think Rafa has to pick his 1st choice partner for Torres and stick with him for the Christmas period, regardless of his early form.

That's "in the middle" enough for me mate. I'll get your bunk bed ready on the good ship and chalk up your name on the pool table and table tennis so you ahven't got to wait hours for a game when you move in    After being a bit quiet, with only me Peewee and Bamaga rattling around, since the Reading selection and result it's got a wee bit busier.

[The_Rock]

With Crouchie out 3 games, I would think Babel will get his chance to partner with Torres in a strong side coming up

Don't bet on it.....it will be Kuyt all the way... 

Rafa's one stubborn son of a gun.....

[The_Rock]

Babel is the new john barnes, and will be in 2 years time.

he has pace, is sharp, doesn't play with fear, and is 5 times better than Harry Kewell, who is ,IMO a "one trick pony".

left wing or just off the front two, would suit him best.

a star in the making. x

Give me a break....

Kewell (present) vs Babel (present)....Kewell will eat up babel.

Babel is at best a very raw and unpolished diamond (VERY RAW is the keyword)...In a few years he might be better than kewell but at moment, kewell is a he11 lot better than babel.

I still stand by the opinion that when babel starts matches (esp at the left wing)...he does a "sissoko" (loses the ball, breaks up whatever momentum our team had till then...etc).

On the other hand, when he comes on in the 2nd half when the opposition players are tiring, he does well.

Maybe rafa can help out babel by not playing him on the wing...and starting him upfront.

[whylongball?]

As LM yeah Kewell is the best choice. But for striker role i think Babel is better, Rock. More direct, more of a goal threat. Different roles require different attributes.
I hate to see Babel as LW cos he does what you say a "sissoko" to a certain extent

[The_Rock]

As LM yeah Kewell is the best choice. But for striker role i think Babel is better, Rock. More direct, more of a goal threat. Different roles require different attributes.
I hate to see Babel as LW cos he does what you say a "sissoko" to a certain extent

Yes, i am comparing kewell and babel on how they perform in the LW role.

And yes, i admit....babel is more of a goal threat if rafa plays him upfront....in fact he is our 4th most goal threat player in whole our squad after torres, gerrard and crouch.

But the thing is rafa persists in playing him at LW....even though he does a sissoko there everytime he starts......

[stmichael]

The answer to any problems which anybody thinks we might have (and in truth we haven't got any major ones) is not to start sticking youngsters in, that's just more silly talk.

As for the "who could we buy to replace Kuyt" question, I really must say that when he is at his most innefective (like against man Utd for instance) you could make quite a long list. It's probably just me, but I quite like Gabriel Agbonlahor from Villa. He'd cost money but he's a good player I think. Owen is obviously a much better player yet injury prone, while any of Spurs's four strikers would be an improvement. Kenwyn Jones from sunderland would score more goals and offer more threat, while I quiite like Cameron Jerome at Birmingham. Bellamy was and is a better bet than Kuyt, while Benjani at Pompey, Annelka from Bolton, Benni McCarthy from Blackburn and somewhat more bizarrely Marlon King from Watford would be options. You probably kind of get my point that for me anyway, the time is up for Kuyt.

no rob earnshaw?

[stmichael]

i don't see what we've got to lose by playing him upfront with torres against derby. their defence is sh#t and those two upfront with their pace and dribbling ability would rip them to shreds.

i'm going to the game so that's what i'm hoping for anyway.

[ruskiy playmaker]

stmichael- I agree with you in playing Babel up front against Derby but maybe Torres should sit this one out.  We've got lot of games coming up and I think that we can beat them quite easily without him.

[bigmick]

no rob earnshaw?

Touche Saint, Touche  Having said that, I'm fairly confident he would have offered more goal threat for us than Dirk has. although thinking about it, maybe not 

When I did tip him though, he got a load of goals for West Brom in the prem that season so it wasn't all bad.

[maguskwt]

I don't know about babel... I was quite excited when we got him... but so far his game is about direct running... he doesn't have the change of pace or trickiness of torres... His dribbling skill on the ball is abit lacking especially for a dutch player... his passes are not very dangerous... his direct running game can be easily mitigated. that's why he's the most effective only when the opponents are tiring. I just hope that he develops his game more in other aspects...

Imagine if he only had the turning ability and trickiness of benayoun... he'd be an awesome striker... i know i'm fantasizing 

[stmichael]

so far his game is about direct running... he doesn't have the change of pace or trickiness of torres

what player are you watching mate? he's probably the quickest player in the entire squad in terms of explosive pace, torres included.

[kazza]

I too like Babel and agree it would be nice to see him upfront againt Derby. I think he is a real talent that will only get better. He seems to have pace, strength and technical skills. If he progresses as he should (I also read he had a good attitude)and as his confidence increases, by 26-27 he would be world class. Kuyt on the other hand, although I appreciate how he works for the team does not really excite me.

Babel, One for the future.

[tubby]

Hes also not shy of scoring either. Hes popped up on many times and scored. I like his goal against Derby best.

[bigmick]

so far his game is about direct running... he doesn't have the change of pace or trickiness of torres

what player are you watching mate? he's probably the quickest player in the entire squad in terms of explosive pace, torres included.

I think you're kind of both right here. I'm sure over fifty yards Babel would beat anybody in the squad witrhout any bother at all. He may not quite be Thierry Henri, but he's definately no Mark Gonzales either.

Similarly, this "change of pace" is something often misunderstood as it is a bit of an optical illusion. Players seeming to have another gear which they can switch into. porshe-like is often not what it seems. Usually, as is certainly the case with Torres, it is the almost impercetable shift of body-wieght which causes the defender to set his feet, before the movement to get a shot away which leaves the defender for dead. A perfect example was when he left Ben Haim floundering against Chelsea, but didn't manage it against Ferdinand, as the man Utd man is a better defender and probably quicker as well.

Babel is more the sprinter, ears back and make it happen. He can play a bit too though, and I think he is definately worth a shot up top as I think he offers more than Kuyt, although having said that etc etc.