Liverpool FC Forum

[Rush Job]

He has amazing touch, and he's very very aggressive.

I must have missed that match.

Yeah, that Inter Milan game was a nice match. Shame you missed him dance around Zanetti and Maicon at the same time. Some other time in the match, he elbowed Maicon in the mouth when Maicon attempted to stab in for the ball. That's aggressive in my eyes.

As for touch, if you haven't seen his touch, it's because he moves too quick for you 

Whatever, lad.  He's a good, promising young player but you're way overhyping him.  His touch is decent not spectacular and his aggression--or lack thereof--is one of his biggest liabilities, IMO.  I've seen numerous occasions this season where 50/50 balls were there to be won and he's held back.  That's why I say he's not aggressive enough.  BTW, elbowing a player is not good aggression, it's stupidity.

Well he didn't really elbow him, he shrugged him off when Maicon made physical contact. If you saw him do it, I think you'd be a little proud he's playing for Liverpool.

Say what you will about Babel. I like him, Kenny likes him, Rafa obviously likes him. That's all I need to convince me he's going to be vital.

Mate you`ll have to learn possitivity is frowned on here,
if your not having a go your a happy clapper and people will try to take the p!ss, they dont understand that when you love a club so much you have to see the possitives or what the point, like go and do something else with your time if supporting LFC is so sh!t.
Im not having a go at you Bob, your one of the more possitive posters on here, just an aimless rant  You have undervalued Babbel there though IMHO.

[Bad Bob]

He has amazing touch, and he's very very aggressive.

I must have missed that match.

Yeah, that Inter Milan game was a nice match. Shame you missed him dance around Zanetti and Maicon at the same time. Some other time in the match, he elbowed Maicon in the mouth when Maicon attempted to stab in for the ball. That's aggressive in my eyes.

As for touch, if you haven't seen his touch, it's because he moves too quick for you 

Whatever, lad.  He's a good, promising young player but you're way overhyping him.  His touch is decent not spectacular and his aggression--or lack thereof--is one of his biggest liabilities, IMO.  I've seen numerous occasions this season where 50/50 balls were there to be won and he's held back.  That's why I say he's not aggressive enough.  BTW, elbowing a player is not good aggression, it's stupidity.

Well he didn't really elbow him, he shrugged him off when Maicon made physical contact. If you saw him do it, I think you'd be a little proud he's playing for Liverpool.

Say what you will about Babel. I like him, Kenny likes him, Rafa obviously likes him. That's all I need to convince me he's going to be vital.

Mate you`ll have to learn possitivity is frowned on here,
if your not having a go your a happy clapper and people will try to take the p!ss, they dont understand that when you love a club so much you have to see the possitives or what the point, like go and do something else with your time if supporting LFC is so sh!t.
Im not having a go at you Bob, your one of the more possitive posters on here, just an aimless rant  You have undervalued Babbel there though IMHO.

Undervaluing him, mate?  Possibly, but I've just been watching the first half against Spurs and his touch has let him down on several occasions.  What's frustrating is that he was getting into dangerous areas and then losing control of the ball.  He's shown plenty of that all season and until he can show a bit more composure and a bit more bottle, he's no more than a promising prospect in my eyes.

[Rush Job]

He has amazing touch, and he's very very aggressive.

I must have missed that match.

Yeah, that Inter Milan game was a nice match. Shame you missed him dance around Zanetti and Maicon at the same time. Some other time in the match, he elbowed Maicon in the mouth when Maicon attempted to stab in for the ball. That's aggressive in my eyes.

As for touch, if you haven't seen his touch, it's because he moves too quick for you 

Whatever, lad.  He's a good, promising young player but you're way overhyping him.  His touch is decent not spectacular and his aggression--or lack thereof--is one of his biggest liabilities, IMO.  I've seen numerous occasions this season where 50/50 balls were there to be won and he's held back.  That's why I say he's not aggressive enough.  BTW, elbowing a player is not good aggression, it's stupidity.

Well he didn't really elbow him, he shrugged him off when Maicon made physical contact. If you saw him do it, I think you'd be a little proud he's playing for Liverpool.

Say what you will about Babel. I like him, Kenny likes him, Rafa obviously likes him. That's all I need to convince me he's going to be vital.

Mate you`ll have to learn possitivity is frowned on here,
if your not having a go your a happy clapper and people will try to take the p!ss, they dont understand that when you love a club so much you have to see the possitives or what the point, like go and do something else with your time if supporting LFC is so sh!t.
Im not having a go at you Bob, your one of the more possitive posters on here, just an aimless rant  You have undervalued Babbel there though IMHO.

Undervaluing him, mate?  Possibly, but I've just been watching the first half against Spurs and his touch has let him down on several occasions.  What's frustrating is that he was getting into dangerous areas and then losing control of the ball.  He's shown plenty of that all season and until he can show a bit more composure and a bit more bottle, he's no more than a promising prospect in my eyes.

He`s a young lad its his first year and everygame he has got has been out of possition playing as a right footed left winger because we have no one else, i think he`s done well, hasnt sulked and got on with the job, scored some great goals and turned the game against Arsenal, came on against Chelsea and scored a few minutes later, no one can say " yer but he doesnt score agaist the big sides".
I think there is plenty there to suggest when he gets a chance in his prefered possition he`ll be able to do his job, he`s all about power his touch does need to improve but im sure his time out on the left wing will serve him well.

[Toffeehater]

He has amazing touch, and he's very very aggressive.

I must have missed that match.

Yeah, that Inter Milan game was a nice match. Shame you missed him dance around Zanetti and Maicon at the same time. Some other time in the match, he elbowed Maicon in the mouth when Maicon attempted to stab in for the ball. That's aggressive in my eyes.

As for touch, if you haven't seen his touch, it's because he moves too quick for you 

Whatever, lad.  He's a good, promising young player but you're way overhyping him.  His touch is decent not spectacular and his aggression--or lack thereof--is one of his biggest liabilities, IMO.  I've seen numerous occasions this season where 50/50 balls were there to be won and he's held back.  That's why I say he's not aggressive enough.  BTW, elbowing a player is not good aggression, it's stupidity.

Well he didn't really elbow him, he shrugged him off when Maicon made physical contact. If you saw him do it, I think you'd be a little proud he's playing for Liverpool.

Say what you will about Babel. I like him, Kenny likes him, Rafa obviously likes him. That's all I need to convince me he's going to be vital.

Mate you`ll have to learn possitivity is frowned on here,
if your not having a go your a happy clapper and people will try to take the p!ss, they dont understand that when you love a club so much you have to see the possitives or what the point, like go and do something else with your time if supporting LFC is so sh!t.
Im not having a go at you Bob, your one of the more possitive posters on here, just an aimless rant  You have undervalued Babbel there though IMHO.

Undervaluing him, mate?  Possibly, but I've just been watching the first half against Spurs and his touch has let him down on several occasions.  What's frustrating is that he was getting into dangerous areas and then losing control of the ball.  He's shown plenty of that all season and until he can show a bit more composure and a bit more bottle, he's no more than a promising prospect in my eyes.

Did u see him make hutton dance on a couple of occassions? Yes his touch as poor during that match and also , whenever he had the ball notice that , both hutton , malbranque and even woodgate at times would come together at close him down , there would always be 2 defenders on him

[SundanceKid]

His preferred position is as Left Forward, so you can't expect him to play like a midfielder. You may not like the way he plays wing, but you'll love him when he's finally assigned the striker position that he's been begging Rafa for.

[Effes]

Problem is: If Babel goes up front, it means 4-4-2, which for me means that
SG must go on the right as Pennant is not good enough.

I know he scored loads from RM 2 years ago - but Im sure he hates playing in that position.

[SundanceKid]

Problem is: If Babel goes up front, it means 4-4-2, which for me means that
SG must go on the right as Pennant is not good enough.

I know he scored loads from RM 2 years ago - but Im sure he hates playing in that position.

He's deadly at RM, but he's a well rounded player so he obviously needs to be placed in the center of the field. David Moreno or Walter Erviti could fill in that spot easily. Both would be hard to take away from their current clubs though.

[stmichael]

Couldn't expect anything more from him (and Lucas) in their first seasons. On several occassions, they've showed their class. Need time and patience that's all.

[Moop123]

To be fair to him - People are slating his 1st touch but I remember watching Owen with a mate who is a coach with his Uefa badges and he said his 1st touch was useless!  It was only then watching him without the emotion you could see it - it was only his speed that got him by!  Admittedly it has definately got him by since then though    So you never know he might just turn out to be something pretty good!!!

[GRAHAM01]

don't shoot me down for this but what about him playing on the right??

i like many on here would like to see him given a go up front with torres but if that does not happen where does he go, with barry maybe coming in or even a new winger he could be needing a spot

i had a think and come up with this: he does run at players and because he is so right footed he almost always cut in to the middle ( how often did he stick to the left touch line and get to the bye line and get a good cross in ), being out on the right would let him use is better foot and run at defenders and get to the bye line with his pace then on his better leg we might see some better crosses from him, he has got to be better than penn and kuyt imo

just a thought, what do you guys think

[Bad Bob]

don't shoot me down for this but what about him playing on the right??

i like many on here would like to see him given a go up front with torres but if that does not happen where does he go, with barry maybe coming in or even a new winger he could be needing a spot

i had a think and come up with this: he does run at players and because he is so right footed he almost always cut in to the middle ( how often did he stick to the left touch line and get to the bye line and get a good cross in ), being out on the right would let him use is better foot and run at defenders and get to the bye line with his pace then on his better leg we might see some better crosses from him, he has got to be better than penn and kuyt imo

just a thought, what do you guys think

It's a good shout, mate.  I think he's been played on the left, in part to accommodate Kuyt, but also to give him license to cut inside on his strong foot and ping shots on goal from the edge of the box.  He does quite well to work space for the shot when coming in on his stronger foot and he's come close on occasion but I'm not sure how many of those he's actually scored (I can, on the other hand, remember plenty whistling wide or ballooning into the stand).  On the right flank he'd have less opportunity for that perhaps but I think there are things that would compensate.  For one, as you say, he'd have more ability to go past the fullback on the touchline and get in a cross.  He'd also pose more of a goal threat, I think, arriving in the box to meet crosses from the opposite flank.  I think he'd also be more comfortable getting in behind defenders for through balls and working 1-2s with the fullback.  Finally, when he does cut inside on his left foot, I think he'd have more options: his pace will unsettle defenders, opening up space for teammates and he could also use a stutter-step change of pace (like Torres does) or a quick change of direction (like his goal against Derby) to stand defenders up before bursting past.  In short, he won't always just arrow to the edge of the area and unleash the shot, like he does when he cuts in from the left--a predictability that makes him easier to defend against at the moment.

[7_Kewell]

I dont think he's that good to be honest.

Maybe if we'd seen "flashes" of brilliance I'd have higher hopes.

But I haven't, so i haven't.

-Babel won the penalty that defeated Arsenal in the Champions League Quarterfinals. He also finished them off with that run, despite the fact the goalkeeper came out and that he was being tugged down by Fabregas.

-Goal against Besiktas, the little behind-the-back flick with his ankle that Benny gave him as Babel was running away from the goal. How could you possibly forget that?

-Goal against Marseille. He wrapped around the keeper for an empty net. How many times have you seen Rafael Benitez respond to a goal that way?

-Goal against Derby. Do I honestly need to explain that one? Made two defenders slide tackle into each other, then he even fooled the keeper.

-King Kenny says, "He will terrify players in the Premier League now, I hope. He's quick, strong and you can't guess what he's going to do next because he's a bag of tricks"

None of this memorable to you? You did not see any future with this guy when you saw these goals?

Why haven’t we challenged for a league title in years?

The answer- inconsistency!  And Babel is as inconsistent as they come. Yeah, he’s had some nice moments, but they have been outweighed by awful ones. I remember him missing from 3 yards out. I also remember him passing the ball out of play, or miss controlling the ball so it bobbles out for a throw in. He also can’t cross the ball or dribble with the ball.

I’m willing to give him some slack, seeing it is his first season.  But for 11 million he’s been disappointing.

[GRAHAM01]

don't shoot me down for this but what about him playing on the right??

i like many on here would like to see him given a go up front with torres but if that does not happen where does he go, with barry maybe coming in or even a new winger he could be needing a spot

i had a think and come up with this: he does run at players and because he is so right footed he almost always cut in to the middle ( how often did he stick to the left touch line and get to the bye line and get a good cross in ), being out on the right would let him use is better foot and run at defenders and get to the bye line with his pace then on his better leg we might see some better crosses from him, he has got to be better than penn and kuyt imo

just a thought, what do you guys think

It's a good shout, mate.  I think he's been played on the left, in part to accommodate Kuyt, but also to give him license to cut inside on his strong foot and ping shots on goal from the edge of the box.  He does quite well to work space for the shot when coming in on his stronger foot and he's come close on occasion but I'm not sure how many of those he's actually scored (I can, on the other hand, remember plenty whistling wide or ballooning into the stand).  On the right flank he'd have less opportunity for that perhaps but I think there are things that would compensate.  For one, as you say, he'd have more ability to go past the fullback on the touchline and get in a cross.  He'd also pose more of a goal threat, I think, arriving in the box to meet crosses from the opposite flank.  I think he'd also be more comfortable getting in behind defenders for through balls and working 1-2s with the fullback.  Finally, when he does cut inside on his left foot, I think he'd have more options: his pace will unsettle defenders, opening up space for teammates and he could also use a stutter-step change of pace (like Torres does) or a quick change of direction (like his goal against Derby) to stand defenders up before bursting past.  In short, he won't always just arrow to the edge of the area and unleash the shot, like he does when he cuts in from the left--a predictability that makes him easier to defend against at the moment.

think you could be right with the kuyt part rafa seems to like his work rate ( which you can't argue with ) but will kuyt be one of the ones that leaves?? or does he keep him, if he does were is HE going to be used?

good point about him still being able to cut back in from the right. if he cuts back in field i think there would be more room to use his weaker foot and like you said there would be more options for him.

i can't remember him doing much with his head this year but if he was on the right and we do get a left winger who could whip the ball in then he could be a good shout for a few goals running in on them?

[SundanceKid]

I dont think he's that good to be honest.

Maybe if we'd seen "flashes" of brilliance I'd have higher hopes.

But I haven't, so i haven't.

-Babel won the penalty that defeated Arsenal in the Champions League Quarterfinals. He also finished them off with that run, despite the fact the goalkeeper came out and that he was being tugged down by Fabregas.

-Goal against Besiktas, the little behind-the-back flick with his ankle that Benny gave him as Babel was running away from the goal. How could you possibly forget that?

-Goal against Marseille. He wrapped around the keeper for an empty net. How many times have you seen Rafael Benitez respond to a goal that way?

-Goal against Derby. Do I honestly need to explain that one? Made two defenders slide tackle into each other, then he even fooled the keeper.

-King Kenny says, "He will terrify players in the Premier League now, I hope. He's quick, strong and you can't guess what he's going to do next because he's a bag of tricks"

None of this memorable to you? You did not see any future with this guy when you saw these goals?

Why haven’t we challenged for a league title in years?

The answer- inconsistency!  And Babel is as inconsistent as they come. Yeah, he’s had some nice moments, but they have been outweighed by awful ones. I remember him missing from 3 yards out. I also remember him passing the ball out of play, or miss controlling the ball so it bobbles out for a throw in. He also can’t cross the ball or dribble with the ball.

I’m willing to give him some slack, seeing it is his first season.  But for 11 million he’s been disappointing.

I know it's a simple thing to say, but he will evolve. He won't be a star of the team, but he's going to be involved with a lot of goals.

[Thingy]

Him and torres upfront would work wonders imo. People might say cos there both quick, run at defenders etc that they would clash but I think they would work well. Im dissapointed Rafa didnt try it out at all last year. Ive stated recently he will be a world beater or basically a wasted talent, or a unfufilled one. Hes got all the attributes, pace, skillful, thunderous shot, good finisher, a powerful lad, although he does get shoved off the ball easilly. He isnt a winger by any stretch of the imagination. Yes he dosent do too badly out there but he isnt a winger. The closest to a winger he will be is on the left hand side of a 433 formation. What remains to be seen is if he gets a chance up top next year. If we play 442, he more than likely will, but if Rafa goes 4231 then it would be hard for him, unless he filled in for Nando when he wasnt playing due to injury or resting. All in all I hold out alot of hope for the lad. He lacks confidence too, maybe we should get a song going for him.