by bigmick » Tue Jan 31, 2006 2:34 pm
I'm actually in something of a minority in that I think Riise is a really good player. He's a classic example of a player who because he's in most weeks, fans don't aprreciate. He's got a great shot on him, goes up and down all day and defends well in the main. He has got a tendency to dive in on occasions but other than that, I can't fault him really. With the exception of Ashley Cole obviously, he's as good as anything else in the Premiership in my opinion. Mourhinho paid 8 million for Del Horno who seems to me to be a poor mans Riise, so in my opinion we can put Riise down as being one og the few Houllier signings who is well worth the money.
As for Traore, I think we've done that one to death. I've a hunch that one day he may make a centre-half but that day isn't going to arrive soon enough to save his Liverpool career in all probability. I've stood up for him in the past but I was wrong. He isn't good enough.
Warnock puzzles me a bit. He is a player who is definately in posession of ability, and has a lovely sweet left-foot. His passing range is excellent for a full-back and he clearly has all the passion for the club in the World. Though I'd love him to succeed at Anfield he troubles me a bit positionally when he calls the "when to tuck in and when to push wide" dilemma wrong on too many occasions.
Full-back is a hard spot to play well and it demands maximum concentration at all times. Even when the ball is on the opposite wing, a good full back needs to positionally keep in contact with his adjacent centre-half and watch the opposition wide-man. Tuck in too much and the ball is crossed deep over his head and he's slated for "not marking" the winger who scores, (Crystal Palaces 2nd goal in the League Cup being a classic example). Don't tuck in enough and a breaking midfielder comes straight through the gap between centre-half and full-back and scores unopposed. Cue Andy Gray with his silly "Last Word" programme saying you should have tucked in more. It's a hard one to call consistently right, particularly as you can't see the ball and the bloke you are supposed to be watching at the same time. Tge very best in the World at it (Ashley Cole IMHO) does it by defending on the narrow side (near the centre half) nine times out of ten and relying on his pace to attone if the ball goes over him. It's a tightrope though and no full-back can afford to switch off and drift. Unfortunately, I think Warnocks tendancy to do this will ultimately prevent him from making it at the pinnacle of his profession.
"se e in una bottigla ed e bianco, e latte".