Why? Some people might ask.
Well firstly we have a manager who has won the European Cup in his first season and knows the game tactically inside out.
My second reason is i believe we have a squad that isn't very far away from being complete and has the ability to get results anywhere.
Thrid reason, we're becoming more consistent.
Fourth reason, the manager has more experience now.
Last season i was saying the priorities were a striker and a goalkeeper. More clean sheets + more goals = more points. Football is that simple.
Rafa clearly thought the same with the signing of Crouch and Reina. Reina appears to be what we've been lacking, i said we needed a goalkeeper as good as Cech, while i'm not sure if Reina is that good, i'm quite positive now he is a major improvement on Dudek both in terms of confidence and ability. His distribution is electric and something i always critisized Dudek for and he seems more commanding than Jerzy also, which is something we needed. His confidence, as i said last season has run through into our defence and made them an awful lot stronger. Alot of people where calling for a centre back last year to replace Sami Hyypia. Well i hope those people are eating there words. More on that later. To sum it up though i think we have finally found the goalkeeper that can help us reach that next and important level.
When we signed Crouch i wasn't overly impressed, not because i don't rate the lad, but because i thought he wasnt what we needed. Myself and just about every fan with an ounce of footballing knowledge wanted Michael Owen. A goalscorer who will score 20-30 goals a season and grab important away goals. For whatever reason that didn't happen. Rafa stated he wouldn't pay 16million for a player we sold for 8million and that was enough reasoning for me. Alot of people were quick to critisize Crouch, i however didn't. While he wasn't my choice i can see he's a good player and what he will bring to the side.
I can tell you now he won't score 20 goals every season, he's not a poacher or natural goalscorer and people who are on about crosses, Fowler and Owen would score more from crosses as they attack and read the flight of the ball better.
However Crouch will give us options. He has very good technical ability and his obvious height gives an option in that sense. As a lone front man though the ball has to be moved through midfield for him more than pumped long and i'm sure Rafa knows this. He can hold up the ball well and his link up play and passing is very intelligent. He can win ariel battles and will be a threat from set peices aswell. I'm pleased with his start and i think he has a good future at the club.
Defensively, we've taken massive steps in the right direction. Partially down to Reina and Partially down to the fact there wasn't alot wrong with the personel in the first place with the exception of last seasons regular left back. That issue has hopefully been solved though and the emergance of the tenacious Warnock has hopefully put an end to Traore's woefull career at Liverpool. Mind you, given managers attitudes these days that would rather have athletes over footballers it wouldn't suprise me if that wasn't the case.
Anyway, enough of the Traore bashing. Finnan has looked his usual and consistent self at right back. Nothing spectacular, but solid and going forward well. Carragher has took off this season where he left last, covering every blade of grass and making sure he sweeps up everything Sami misses, which to fair hasnt' been much so far as he's looked back to his best again with some truely commanding displays at the back. Warnocks defended superbly and not left Hyypia exposed (Traore style) and has contributed well going forwards aswell as backwards, he just lacks a bit of stamina, but that will come with games and in goal we've got someone who inspires confidence in the team. Defensively as a unit, we've looked reallly impressive.
The summer also saw the suprise arrival of Everton target Sissoko. Who? The next Patrick Vieira we're told, not this again, i remember the next Zidane
, also, whats the point in signing a central midfielder when we already have Alonso and Gerrard? That left some people stumped, including myself. Anyway, Sissoko plays, a few games and bang. Makes a superb impression. He has potential and is definately a quality acquisision. As to weather he'll be as good as Vieira we don't know, probably not, not many are. But he has the class to become a key squad member at least, a good signing by Rafa. Once he learns to pass a ball with the correct weight, bulks up a little bit and learns its not ALWAYS great to dive in, we'll have a cracking player on our hands, the thing is, all of those attributes will come with experience.We also signed Zenden on a free, won't say much on him, he's a decent player will give us a different option out wide and can do a job, all you can expect of a free transfer i supose so i won't complain. A few good points though, he's not as defensively minded as Riise, works harder than Kewell and also has good movement and decent game intelligence.
The midfield has looked good and controlling aswell so far. Against Boro if Gerrard had his shooting boots on he could have had at least a hatrick, thats not mentioning his heading hat
we dominated the game against Sunderland as you would expect again it was down to poor finishing and against Spurs again i would say we had the territorial advantage but were just unable to create enough oppurtunities to put the ball away. We all know Gerrard and Alonso are class. Sissoko has immense promise, its just the wide area's that are of a slight concern.In attack we've stuggled. Both as a unit and individually infront of goal. We don't have Robbie Fowler, so the chances we are creating aren't going to get us alot of goals. For me Cisse isn't cutting it and isn't the player we were led to believe we were signing. He isn't upto it, while he has a bit of potential he'll never be a great player. All this talk of him coming back from a broken leg give him time is tedious aswell. Warnocks broke his leg three times, its not an excuse for being a lazy a waster. To be fair, Cisse isn't as bad as i'm making out, but the gloryfying of a decent (no more) player makes me want him out the door coupled with his stinking on pitch attitude. Back the type of chances we're creating, this is why i wanted Owen. However, i believe there is a major way round this with the signing of the right match winning "wide players" (not "wingers who cross all the time").
Chelsea play differently to us, they prefere two support strikers and a centre forward and three centre mids, one that holds. Away from home, thats what Rafa seems to prefere, but at home though i believe he preferes two centre mids and three support strikers behind crouch. For me, Sinama-Pongolle and Luis Garcia are good enough to play at home as the central support striker depending on the game. However its wide right and left i believe we struggle.
The two players i want are simply Robben and Joaquin. Robben is totally unrealistic, i'd settle for Duff
but Joaquin on the other hand, while he may be expensive, maybe in exccess of 20-25million, i believe is a realistic target. I believe that Riise and Sinama and Luis Garcia are probably all good squad players and against most teams can do a job in the support roles, with a great player alongside them it would take the pressure off them aswell, but for the top teams you need something extra and i know for certain Joaquin would give us that. He would provide the correct width, pace and strength aswell as the ability to create something from nothing. For me he's very similar to Robben. We also have Kewell, if Harry does ever get back to his best, then that could be formidable as he's the sort of left sided player we lack, however, i'm not counting on it.Ok, signing Joaquin is the stuff dreams are made of but i honestly believe he's the missing link. Imagine the performance against Man Utd the other day with Sinama-Pongolle in the centre and able to link up with Joaquin and Crouch as apose to Luis Garcia who is miserabley out of form giving the ball away left right and centre. We'd then have more pace in the middle with more direct player. We've seen Crouch and Pongolle link superbly against Betis and we also saw the damage Joaquin can do with his pace, strength, skill and intelligence. With him i don't think we'd have only scored one goal, in contrast i don't think he'd weaken the defensive side of things either.
Would i blow the entire budget on one player? That particular player. Damn right i would. We are in my eyes, 2 years away from the league. We need to replace Sami Hyypia (LONG TERM) with a someone who can be a better player. However the priority MUST be Joaquin and no-one else. I believe providing the tactics don't change we'll be really hard to beat now and into the forseeable future. The same tactics with a player like that in there would make all the difference. If we got lucky with Kewell aswell, we could soon be seeing fantasy stuff. Solid at the back full of ideas, pace, power and variation going forward.
Rafa, if you're reading please, please, please make Joaquin the priority. Don't make the same mistake Houllier did with Duff (IE not paying the inflating price). This is where Houllier slipped up, PLEASE don't make the same mistake. You know he's that good, i know he is, anyone who's seen him knows he is, he's said he'd come so do it and i'm sure he'll be worth his wait in gold/goals.
Think about the team that played against United...
- Code: Select all
For the home games...
Crouch
Riise Sinama-Pongolle Joaquin
Alonso Gerrard
Warnock Hyypia Carragher Finnan
Reina
For away games... Theres room for variation, but to give ideas. :)
Crouch
Luis Garcia Joaquin
Gerrard Alonso
Sissoko
Warnock Hyypia Carragher Finnan
Reina
You know it makes sense... walk on!
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