Liverpool FC Forum

by **Sabre** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:22 pm

In fact, when you come from 10 victories and I dunno how many clean sheets , the whole defence could be let alone without a closer look. If any, we needed an alternative for Finnan as Josemi wasn't good enough, and we've brought Kronkamp. Which is nice.

We've signed Agger, perhaps he's more future than present, cross fingers to have available Carra and Hyppia the rest of the season... in the LB we have many options, so I'd leave it alone.

About Traore I don't think he's that cráp but I do think his form has been not good enough (1), and being a LFC regular is not easy.

Sabre

(1) The most annoying thing I've seen in Traore is that he tried difficult passes sometimes when he didn't have to.

by **Proudy** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:40 pm

I've always prefered Riise in LM position. He gets alot of goals from this position, just look at his 1st season, hes also a good crosser of the ball, however with Kewell back he wont really get alook in.

by **stoney** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 4:58 pm

MudFace wrote:Riise aint the long term solution to the left back situation,Traore IS!

You are not a Liverpool fan.

by **Sabre** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:33 pm

I've always prefered Riise in LM position. He gets alot of goals from this position, just look at his 1st season, hes also a good crosser of the ball, however with Kewell back he wont really get alook in.

Precisely because his stamina, you can get most of Riise's best in attack because he does continous runs to attack. And while we get a good part of his attacking part, with Kewell you get what Riise lacks.

If we had to play a pure RW though (not the case) with Gerrard in the middle, Riise is a good option for the LM to make a balanced midfield.

by **HacksawJimDuggin** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:41 pm

I agree with Stu the Red on this subject. A better LB (out with A.Cole) there is not. Ok he maybe doesn't get forward as much as he would like with Kewell playing but I see no issue with Riise remaining out #1 at LB for years to come. Warnock is very able cover.

Although I am not the biggest fan of Traore I do believe strongly that we would not have the CL had he not been in the right place at the right time when he cleared from under the cross bar!!

by **JC_81** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 6:21 pm

stmichael wrote:
john craig wrote:3. Riise. The classic wing back, a decent left midfielder and a decent left back, but would ideally be suited to playing wing back. Defensively he's been dodgy in the past but he's improved that this season to be fair. Seems like he's established as the number 1 left back this season and I don't see that changing. Left back is not a problem position imo with Riise and Warnock on the books.

this is the point i was getting at john. he's definitely the best we have at the moment but like you say i think he's ideally suited to a wing back role. there have been a few times this season when he has got pulled all over the place defensively. also, i think he's too one dimensional to play left side of midfield on a regular basis.

I hear what you're saying. And a year ago I'd have agreed 100% with that. But when you analyse Riise's form this season his defensive play has been a lot better.

I remember one example in particular against Newcastle where he made an excellent clearing header which had beaten our centre halves and was heading straight for Shearer to nod in the net. Riise read the danger and tucked in to cover. The Riise of a year ago would not have read that situation, it was top class full back play. His attacking threat from full back is a bonus also. A run in the side at left back has done wonders for his defensive play.

Basically I think ideally he's a wing-back, but he's also very good at left back. And like others have said you'd have to spend serious money on someone like Ashley Cole to actually find an improvement on Riise such has been his form. Not a priority at all for us.

by **akumaface** » Tue Jan 31, 2006 6:50 pm

I think Riise is not the spectacular type (except when he shoots)

. But he is a very practical type player who works really hard and does thing quietly. He is not as finesse but he's got that sense of positioning. I think there are not a lot of LB in EPL who is better than what we have (except ashley cole). He is also very suitable for us as his stamina and hustle really allow Kewell to attack more. Warnock and Traore are both capable back up. So, I don't see there is any situation in the LB position.

by **66-1137139704** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:32 am

MudFace wrote:I want to give ya all a chance to convince me that Traore is such a bad player.

1.Give me three games this season or last he has played really badly.This should be easy coz he has made major blunders right?wrong!

2.When you guys say he has awful positioning,give me example of games he was found wanting.

I've tried to see as many liverpool games as i could this season.
So c'mon test me!

Traore is an awful player IMO

,right?

I asked two questions to help me get the picture that all ya have of traore and prove me and rafa wrong.

I got two short answers.

The bolton game:
If that meant the diouf goal then it is a bad example.
Coz in the bolton game,our central defenders had been pulled by a bolton player on the right wing and when the through ball was played to diouf to the center,traore tried his best coming from the left to put pressure on diouf.
I watched the game with a group of local footballers and they all said that that goal wasnt traore's fault.

The Chelsea game at anfield where we lost 1-4:
The tackle by traore on drogba was unfortunate,i agree.
But for the rest of the game Traore played really well and it was in fact sami hyppia who was blamed for the defeat that day(he later admitted he was sick).
Anyway,Drogba had a field day with all our defenders that day you pin pointing Traore for just one mistake in a game is unfair.

Now i have given an example of a recent game,against spurs,in which riise found Jennas quite a handful.We were lucky they did not score due to the mistakes Riise did that day.But looking at the big picture i think Riise has done a good job so far but he aint perfect.
Traore too aint perfect but he's reliable.
With these two players we have the left back situation covered.
And with traore,24,we have along term solution in that department.

For those who say traore is the worst player to pull a red shirt,please share your knowledge by answering these questions:

1.Give me three games this season or last he has played really badly.This should be easy coz he has made major blunders right?wrong!

2.When you guys say he has awful positioning,give me two examples of games he was found wanting.

He has only played 8 games this season coming from a season he was outstanding,even helping us win the CL.

by **Puddy Heskey** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:39 am

Riise is alround more solid than than most left back.unquestionably good goin forward and a solid defender.Hes no nesta but i who cares he scores crackers every so often and has a huge assit record.Why would anyone question him i dont know.

by **66-1137139704** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 10:48 am

Puddy Heskey wrote:Riise is alround more solid than than most left back.unquestionably good goin forward and a solid defender.Hes no nesta but i who cares he scores crackers every so often and has a huge assit record.Why would anyone question him i dont know.

When did he score when playing as a left back?
He plays better on the wing but am not questioning his ability to play LB.
Am saying,with riise and traore,we have no worries on the LB situation.
And i went further to say that traore is,in my opinion,the one for the future.

by **Puddy Heskey** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 11:03 am

Riise has scored 24 goals since hes been at liverpool im sure someof them were from LB.And traore one for the future.Mudface have you ever watched a liverpool game in your life.do you even have a tv.Do even know which one is the LB and which one is Djimi bloody useless Traore.Gud god.Do you know what a defender does for a living.gud god almighty.Im shocked to the core that there is actually a person out there other than djimi that things he has any part of the current team never mind the future.OUT OUT OUT.

by **66-1137139704** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:06 pm

Puddy Heskey wrote:Riise has scored 24 goals since hes been at liverpool im sure someof them were from LB.And traore one for the future.Mudface have you ever watched a liverpool game in your life.do you even have a tv.Do even know which one is the LB and which one is Djimi bloody useless Traore.Gud god.Do you know what a defender does for a living.gud god almighty.Im shocked to the core that there is actually a person out there other than djimi that things he has any part of the current team never mind the future.OUT OUT OUT.

As i asked in the previous post(please read it),can you actually point out Djimi's failings?
Give examples from past games.Am waiting........

by **oakton** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:20 pm

mate, you said you saw the bolton game, remember the off-side trap Traore missed?? How could you not see that? even the Commentary made a reference to how bad Traore was!

by **jonnymac1979** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 12:38 pm

In the many years Traore has been here, he has cost Liverpool more goals due to his positioning and giving the ball away than people care to remember. Never mind the famous Burnley goal, you always felt he was capable of pulling a catastrophe off like that at least once, and he has done now.

As European Champions and with a manager like Benitez who can attract the top players in the world, we shouldn’t have to put up with this. Admittedly last season, Traore played well in a few games and was not as much as a liability as he had been in the past due to his excellent recovery tackling skills. The Deportivo game in Spain stands out in particular. He was a rock at left back. This has probably got more to do with the faith Benitez showed in him, giving the player more confidence in half a season than Gerard Houllier probably had done in five years previously. You have to look at the injuries last season as well and wonder if that is why Traore played in so many games. He was a day away from joining Everton remember, before Benitez decided to keep him as cover.

The reason people aren’t answering your question Mudface and giving you their opinions on Djimi’s failings is because like it or not, the majority of our fans have already made their minds up on Traore. They know deep down, good game here or good game there, he is not Liverpool class and never will be. Like someone else has already said, he could make it as a centre half at another club and probably do a good job. It’s just that he doesn’t instill confidence in our fans, obviously I’m guessing here but it’s more than likely the players don’t trust him 100% – how many times have you seen Gerrard in the last couple of years tracking back from midfield areas to embarrassingly take the ball away from him in defence because he didn’t trust him not to pass it to the opposition?

People aren’t trying to argue with you, they really feel Traore is a liability and they prefer Riise and justifiably so. You can’t challenge people when the point you are making is one people just don’t agree with. Stop demanding explanations. By not replying, people are making their points. You’re asking for explanations based on this season when Traore has played in only 14 of 35+ games, another reason why your argument has no weight.

My personal opinion though? Has good pace but woeful distribution. A good recovery tackle, but awful positioning.

The day I had enough and gave up on Traore was the day he gave the penalty away against Chelsea. It was the final straw. Why? Because I could see it coming a good two seconds before it happened and was therefore not surprised when it did happen. Simply not good enough for Liverpool with the type of quality and cover we have in every other position in the squad. He should have known not to go diving in with his long legs in the penalty area against Chelsea of all teams, the way he did in that game. Whatever happened to jockeying the player towards the line to make it harder to get the cross in? The worst would have been we conceded a corner but no, not Djimi, he has to give stupid penalties away.

I would not wish him bad luck when he eventually leaves as he is a European Champion and deservedly so for the way we came back to win that game in Istanbul. But I will not be sorry to see him leave at the same time. We can do better than Traore.

by **66-1137139704** » Wed Feb 01, 2006 1:02 pm

jonnymac1979, Djimi has only played eight games this season.
Last season you agree that he gave account of himself,enuff for even Rafa to give him a new contract.
So how did this resentment build up?
Did it start it before the CL final or after?
If it was b4,then you contract yourself

Even before that chelsea game you qouted,he had just come off an injury and had just played one game for the reserves(25 minutes if i remember correctly).
Now chelsea is a big game and its players are some of the best,so for traore coming off an injury to make that rash tackle on drogba....you can understand...its human.
I have pointed out that even when carra started to play as center back,he made some awful mistakes including the two own goals against the scums.

In my own opinion,Traore is one of the best left backs in the prem.Thats why we couldnt let the bitters hame im.

Riise is currently playing well in that position just as Djimi did last season,but he cant play all games as we are currently involved in three fronts.

In case you missed my question:So how did this resentment build up?

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The left back situation - Is riise really the long term solution?

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