Liverpool FC Forum

by **RedorDead** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:30 am

I know it's silly season and rumours are always rife but one which has reared it's head a few times is that we will sign Eto'o or even Torres with Xabi Alonso going the other way as part payment. My immediate reaction to this suggestion is one of horror....Xabi Alonso has been one of our most consistant performers over the last three seasons and easily one of the best signings that we have made in the last decade....but would it really be so bad if he went?

There is no doubting Xabi Alonso's quality, his distribution is superb, his work rate is unquestioned and he even pitches in with the odd spectacular goal but he is for me the cause of one of Rafael benitez's biggest head aches: Who to play in central midfield?

Gerrard is at his best in the middle, we have established that and he can only do what he does best with a Mascherano or Sissoko sat alongside him....but then you can't drop Alonso can you? In the premiership you can't play a 4-5-1 a'la last wednesday night so given we play Gerrard in the middle of a 4-4-2 do we keep Alonso as a European midweek player? One for the league Cup?

Our biggest need this summer and indeed for the last three or four summers has been for a consistant goal scorer, a striker with preadtory instincts such as a Rush, Fowler or Owen....someone who can bag us 25 goals. These players do not come cheap. Alonso's value must be upward of £16 million which would surely halve even the most expensive striker's price....if it was purely a business decision then it would already have happened.

I'd miss Xabi, make no mistake but I think he may have played his last game for us, and while I'd look back fondly on his time at Anfield, his goals from halfway, his thunderous rebound in Istanbul and his sprawling passes I would also be welcoming in a player with the potential to land himself a golden boot and maybe land us the premiership title we so desperately crave.

by **Rafa D** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:32 am

Yes.

Just wait till next season.

by **112-1077774096** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:36 am

i have been saying for 2 months all is not well with alonso but got shouted down, prepare for some abuse matey

but seriously i also think alonso days are numbered, i know rafa has said he wants to keep him but i think the request to leave may come from alonso as opposed to liverpool wanting to get rid of him.

again i will say it could be a blessing in disguise if he wants to leave, if it gives us the chance to play gerrard regularly in his best position (again some people think this is on the right when its quite obvious its in the centre) and may allow us to get the quality uip front that we are lacking.

ok so losing a player of alonsos ability should be to our detriment, this would be true if we didnt have an adequate replacement, we have that with masherano who has forced himself ahead of alonso in the pecking order.

anyway lets just wait and see what happens, i may be very wrong, or may be very right

by **Sabre** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:45 am

I know it's silly season and rumours are always rife but one which has reared it's head a few times is that we will sign Eto'o or even Torres with Xabi Alonso going the other way as part payment. My immediate reaction to this suggestion is one of horror....Xabi Alonso has been one of our most consistant performers over the last three seasons and easily one of the best signings that we have made in the last decade....but would it really be so bad if he went?

The answer to the question is highlighted in your own paragraph.

Yes, there are better players than him for the position. We could bring Gattusso, and let Mascherano carries the ball, we could bring Gago, which could do the job aswell...

But look at Barcelona, they're playing with motta, and that's why they want Alonso. If selling Alonso is good for LFC, then, let it be, but I don't know what people expect we'll bring to be honest. Because if Alonso leaves, you need another one in his position, otherwise LFC squad is not deep enough.

Quite simply I hope that the ones taking footie decissions are more knowledgeable than the press. For the good of LFC.

by **66-1112520797** » Mon May 28, 2007 9:58 am

He would be missed, but not as much as some people make out, I think LFC would move on without him.

by **HacksawJimDuggin** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:05 am

Alonso is the guy in the middle who pulls the strings. Mascherano is a great player and will be a huge asset for LFC going forward but.....he doesn't yet in my opinion have the eye for a pass that Alonso does! I think we need Alonso there for a couple of years until Mascha and this new kid from Gremio settle into life at LFC and become as a good a passer of the ball as Alonso is!

by **Sabre** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:05 am

Bamaga man wrote:He would be missed, but not as much as some people make out, I think LFC would move on without him.

Without him, and without anyone. All the men in LFC come, give their service to the club, and retire or go. It's true that LFC is above any especific player. But if we want a competitive deep squad, we need players like Alonso, Gerrard, Carraguer and Mascherano.

by **66-1112520797** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:18 am

Sabre wrote:
Bamaga man wrote:He would be missed, but not as much as some people make out, I think LFC would move on without him.

Without him, and without anyone. All the men in LFC come, give their service to the club, and retire or go. It's true that LFC is above any especific player. But if we want a competitive deep squad, we need players like Alonso, Gerrard, Carraguer and Mascherano.

I just dont think he'd leave a gaping hole like Owen did or Gerrard would, thats all.

If he can handle being rotated and benched at times then by all means, but I'm not sure he would settle for that.

by **Sabre** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:24 am

I'm sure of the latter. In fact he's been rotated this season, hasn't he. Alonso is a professional player, and even accepted the bench in a smaller club, I'm sure he'd understand there's more competition next year.

It will be important though to renew all the key players, failing to do so, is the kind of thing that players like Alonso don't accept. Big players must not be afraid of competition in the squad, if you have to protect a big player from competition so that he plays, then he's not a big player. So the more quality players we have in the squad, the better.

The hole that would leave Gerrard is yet to be seen, the hole that left Owen has been seen though, he left to seek glory, and LFC reached 2 CL finals in 3 years. Right?

by **mungi** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:30 am

alonso is a key memeber of the LFc squad and thi sis shown in rafa telling the press that he is one of the players he is trying to tie down in new contract negotiatiions. by selling xabi we r not gonna win the prem becasue you need depth to win the prem. 4-5-1 can be successful in the prem, man utd are an example of this to an extent. 4-3-3 as used by chelsea will also allow gerrard in the centre. there are many ways to get the best of gerrard while keeping alonso

by **redtrader74** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:36 am

Ofcourse we would miss him, just as we'd miss selling any of our best players. He has been a consistent and top performer the whole time he has been here, including this season, i think too much has been made of Xabi having a poor season, imo his performance has been no worse than the team or his colleagues.

If we intend on winning the league or chances will diminish if we sell our better players, additionally signing top players will magnify the qaulity of Xabi's passing.

Those who believe we have a replacement in Mascherano think again, we only actually have him for certain for another year.

We don't know what system Rafa may employ next season. There are a lot of rumours flying around, one of the most repetitive being Milito and Alves, this could mean wing backs and three or four central midfielders. I don't know much of Rafas time in Spain, maybe Sabre could shed some light on whether he has played that way.

by **mungi** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:42 am

correct me if im wrong but want the primary system used by rafa in spain 4-2-3-1?

by **66-1112520797** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:42 am

The hole that would leave Gerrard is yet to be seen, the hole that left Owen has been seen though, he left to seek glory, and LFC reached 2 CL finals in 3 years. Right?

But it doesnt mean we're better off without Owen, I'm saying we havent filled the void Owen left. And will struggle to do so, unless we look for a World class striker . And I wouldnt want to tempt fate into seeing the possible hole Gerrard would leave. Right ?

I'm sure of the latter. In fact he's been rotated this season, hasn't he. Alonso is a professional player, and even accepted the bench in a smaller club, I'm sure he'd understand there's more competition next year.

I dont know what Xabi thinks as I dont know him, but looking at his body language which is the only way I can get any kind of incline of how happy or disgruntled a player his. And looking at his body language towards the end of the campaign he looked a player out of sorts and pretty unhappy looking. I may well be wrong but thats my opinon. And it didnt look any better when Mascha was picked ahead of him, in the game at home to Charlton where he came on scored and hardly celebrated. It looks as though he has had his nose put out of joint by the arrival of the Argentine. Again I could be wrong.

But at the end of the day the topic starter asked " Would we really miss Alonso ?'

and like I said before: He would be missed, but not as much as some people make out, I think LFC would move on without him.

by **mungi** » Mon May 28, 2007 10:55 am

i think alonso is mentally buggered considering he played games where other first team regualrs got a break. he didint celebrate against charlton becasue there was nothing to celebrate! nothing was on offer and he was preparing for the final agisnt milan

by **Rupi** » Mon May 28, 2007 11:07 am

Xabi Alonso has been one of our most consistant performers over the last three seasons and easily one of the best signings that we have made in the last decade

I agree with RedorDead on Xabi regular great performances on midfield. To summary all that was said in this topic and to give my opinion, I would set 4 main issues:

1. With the squad we have now (especially with Mascher), do you think Xabi should play as often he used to in the last seasons?

My opinion is that the strongest side we can put is with Stevie on central midfield, and letting him do what he does the best. The better partnership in CM that will let him free to do that is IMO with Mascherano. I can't imagine the team playing regularly 4-5-1 for our 3 central midfielders could be playing together. This leads to the second issue.

2. Will Xabi accept to be rotated and play only half of the games?

I don't think so, and I can easily imagine that if he will put regularly on bench, he'll want to leave. He has the class to play every single game, but not in the system of play I'd like to see. With many other teams he'd never be let on the bench... so it depends on him.

3. If he leaves, is our CM deep enough?

IMO clearly not! Momo can play Mascher's position, with differents qualities, but the same position however. But the arrival of Lucas Leiva as a 4th CM seems to allow us loosing one.

4. Do we need to bring a class striker more than loosing Alonso?

IMO yes, of course! It's maybe weird to ask the question this way, but Alonso is worth 16M£, and several spanish clubs want him. On Rafa's shopping list are precisely many "La Liga" strikers. But if Gillett and Hicks have the wallet deep enough to buy such strikers without selling Xabi (and he accepts to be rotated), I'll be the happiest man on earth !

Well, I think I'm done! I expect I haven't been too much boring and I know you'll forgive me, as I am a newbie

Sorry for my english mates, I'm from Switzerland and my mothertongue is french

Hope I'm understandable!

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Would we really miss alonso? - Xabi swap deal

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