by aCe' » Mon Aug 22, 2011 12:39 am
Lets get this straight, no one wants him to fail and no one is going to criticize him when he has a bad game simply because they have some sort of agenda ..
Its quite simple, our priority at this point is to get into the top4 and win as many games as we can to do so. Starting Henderson ahead of Meireles jeopardizes our chances of achieving both goals simply because hes not ready for the big stage quite yet. I'd even take that a step further and say that we are doing him no favors starting him regularly now with all the pressure of a big club, a big fee, and having to adapt; he looks overwhelmed by the whole thing to me. He'll have his chances in the side this season... He'll have even more chances next season as he develops and improves as a player, but starting him in the big games (and most league games are big games) ahead of one of our best players imo isnt the smartest move.
Hes been poor in both games (since when have we started considering 'doing little wrong' as good enough ? ).
When played down the middle, hes playing in a key position that requires a little more than the short passes he seems to favor. He needs to carry the ball forward and get counter attacks started (since Lucas and Adam both struggle with that), and more importantly he needs to offer good off the ball movement to offer options to the other attacking players in the side. Given his qualities and experience, he's not fit for the role in this system imo
When played down the flank, hes rubbish. Simple as, and if you cant see it then theres no point even attempting to convince you.
Unless he improves drastically in the next few games, or Kenny finds a new role for him through which his 'hidden' qualities shine bright, he should be dropped for the much better Meireles.
Again, bigger picture.. Its not about Henderson, its about whats best for the side and atm we're better off taking it slow with Henderson and going with the tried and proven Meireles (him and Suarez play well together and offer that bit of fluidity we lack).