Liverpool FC Forum

[woof woof !]

I haven't any doubts about Gonzalez's adaptation and success,

Good to hear Sabre , We have a number of players who (when fit) can cover the LM/LW position but they're pretty avarage , hopefully Gonzales will prove to be more than that.   

[Sabre]

I think it is an universal phenomena that there are players that take the full form before than others, and that doesn't depend on how much they work on the preseason, it's simply that are slower to tune up. Gonzalez did score in one of his first appeareances in RS, but we didn't actually saw his game after 1 month training with the team.

I know the league is about to start, and perhaps Bigmick's right about Mark not being 100% for the first game, but don't worry mates, it's a safe buy this one.

[redpark81]

gonzalez to me is ten times better then kewell..... dont get me wrong, kewell on his day is great but it seems to me as though it takes so long for him to find his day....

speedy will be another one along with paletta who will be amazing in the next few years.... you make my words...

YNWA

[thegreenred]

Riise no pace, zenden not seen enough of him, kewell one good game in five, gonzalez untried in english football, but i have faith in rafa, he seems to find the answers when it matters . all four will get there chance at some point in the season.

[stmichael]

there's still a lot of talk about kewell possibly being sold. the latest rumour is that man city are in for him.

to me, kewell and gonzalez are the only naturally left sided wingers. to me we've got too many left backs. zenden is also not an outside left.

[JC_81]

This might sound like a ridiculous topic at first glance but hear me out...

Much of the talk is of how we are overloaded with left sided players at the moment and how we will be spoilt for choice there with everyone fit.  As the season progresses I agree that will probably be the case.

However I am also aware that our start in the premiership and the early CL qualifier means we will need to be out of the blocks early this season, unlike last year. Benitez has seemingly strengthened all our areas that needed strengthening, with the exception of perhaps another forward.  But as I see it, with the players unavailable, the left side could actually be a problem for us in the early weeks of the season.

At the moment Warnock and Kewell are out fairly long term, Traore is about to leave, Aurelio has picked up a nasty enough calf injury that will really disrupt his pre-season and Garcia who has often filled in on the left has also picked up a knock.  Zenden no longer has the pace he once had and isn't a realistic consideration for left mid anymore imo.  This leaves us with Riise and Gonzalez as the likely starters at left back and left mid respectively when the season starts.  However Gonzalez looks shockingly short of fitness at the minute from what I've seen and I am not expecting him to adapt straight away to the premiership.

A few of these injuries will probably have cleared up before the season starts, but it would be ironic if we were actually stronger down the right side (with Gerrard or Pennant able to start there and either Finnan or Kromkamp behind them) than the left when the season starts, after all the moaning we've done about not having a right sided midfielder over the last year.

I am not sure where you got that bit of information from like, but by this time last year we had already played two Champions League Qualifiers, as we came in at the 2nd qualifying stage. Last season started mid July for us mate.

Riise, Warnock and Aurelio will fight it out for left back, and Gonzalez, Kewell and Zenden will be aiming for the left wing berth, with Riise and Aurelio possible left midfielders also. If you consider that we have added and out and out left winger and a left back/wing back to the mould, as well as having a now fit again Zenden, I really do not see this as a problem area.

I think you are crazy in fact John Craig (on this topic only, no offence).

I suppose the sentence you highlighted does sound crazy in hindsight, although it's purely down to bad English that I wasn't very clear. 

I realise we had played more CL games by this time last year, but I was meaning that we need to start well in the premiership this year, unlike last year.  And also we are straight into a tricky CL qualifier rather than having played a couple of semi pro teams to warm up for it.

AB - I'm not so sure that Aurelio's injury is just a knock.  He pulled up pretty sharpish after coming on and Rafa said it was a nastier injury than Garcia's.  Missing a couple of weeks of pre-season now could be costly for him, he's already missed a few days to a week with another injury earlier in pre-season.  If players don't get properly fit now, their form in the early weeks of the season will suffer.

Sabre - I'm glad you think Gonzalez will have no problems adapting right away, I'm not convinced.

[JC_81]

there's still a lot of talk about kewell possibly being sold. the latest rumour is that man city are in for him.

to me, kewell and gonzalez are the only naturally left sided wingers. to me we've got too many left backs. zenden is also not an outside left.

Whether some of us think Kewell is worth keeping or not, and whether Benitez wants to keep him or not (I actually believe he does have faith in Kewell still), I can't see him going anywhere.

No other club is going to pay him the 60k per week he's on here.  I reckon he's here until the end of his current contract.

He's still a player I'd like to keep in the squad because when fit he's excellent, but whether we could do with getting a player off the wage bill who's on 60k and gets long term injuries every season is another matter.

[AwiLas]

It must be headache for Rafa dude.. It's either Carragher or Stevie moves.. As in Carragher to LB or Stevie to LM.. Both are professionals and they are willing to give their best, IMO.. Cheers..

[Red]

you've forgotten kewell's performance against chelsea in the fa cup semi already? It wasn't that many games ago.

Kewell's main problems were confidence and having to nurse his groin. I think we are pretty safe on the confidence side now, he will just have to nurse his groin for much of this season having hammered it in the FA cup semi, final and the world cup.

The way I see it gonzalez will be used as backup for kewell and vice versa. Kewell can also play on the right if they are both fit and firing and causing rafa selection headaches.

[ivor_the_injun]

Where's this talk of Kewell being on £60k come from? My understanding was that he was on something like £40-£45k. I believe other clubs were offering £60k a week salaries at the time that we signed him, but he went with us anyway.

[aCe']

i sure hope gonzales is brilliant for us in that left flank next season....because if he aint.... too many people around here will be bitterly dissapointed they wanted kewell out so bad ! FFS ! i dont like kewell but it just doesnt sound right wanting him out of the SQUAD now that super speedy is in it !  again... hope he has a great season for us next season !

[JoeTerp]

From the BBC 3 years ago "The 24-year-old Australian forward is thought to have signed a five-year contract understood to be worth around £60,000-a-week."