Bubba wrote:Hey everybody. If it was Sissoko and Gerrard in the centre that would give Gerrard more freedom to rampage like we know he can whilst not having to worry about defending because Sissoko would be behind him.
Gotta agree though Sissoko gives the ball away far too often and isnt the greatest passer. I'd keep em both but if I had to choose i'd keep Sissoko.
Bubba wrote:Both players can still offer a lot to Liverpool but the competition for places, particularly in centre mid, is going to be fierce so they both need to work their socks off to earn their place in the team.
Nando wrote:I had this discussion yesterday with my friend. We have at our disposal 4 world class midfielders, a luxury we have never had before. Each midfielder offers something different to the team. I think Mascherano has done enough since January to prove that he will be the holding midfielder for the majority of the next season and I think Rafa is going to deploy Gerrard in a more attacking central role.
So where does that leave Xabi Alonso and Momo Sissoko. Alonso is the more elegant of the two. His touch, vision and ability to pull off the passes surpasses Sissoko. But Momo's workrate and effort is on another level and he is purely there as an enforcer. His passing is really bad but with the right coaching all we need him to do is to be able to play simple 5 or 10 yard passes like makelele. We have shifted Gerrard onto the right wing to accomodate Alonso and it hasnt worked. Gerrards drive and ability to quicken the pace of the game is second to none. Sissoko has more potential than Alonso. We have seen the best of Xabi and know he isnt very mobile or dynamic so that cant be changed. Sissoko can learn to pass and I dread selling him to another European giant because I think there he could realise his potential and go on to become one of the best midfielders in Europe. We would lose out a lot more with Sissoko than we would Alonso.
Lando_Griffin wrote:Sissoko cannot "learn" to pass - it's a skill you either have naturally, or aquire at a very early age. Seeing as our Momo is now 22 and has the passing nous of a Cocker Spaniel, he's long past help in that respect. He will never be able to pass well consistently - you mark my words.
Besides that, his actual reading of the game is atrocious, he has the footballing brain of a Walnut Whip, and his vision (in footballing terms, of course) was sh*te before the boot to his eye, and seems to be even worse now.
karl84 wrote:I dont think alonso's heart is in it look at the season he's had not good enough .
I think we should cash in alonso ' he's a good lad and all but you could do an awful lot with that dough.
dublin is forever red
Sabre wrote:Lando_Griffin wrote:Sissoko cannot "learn" to pass - it's a skill you either have naturally, or aquire at a very early age. Seeing as our Momo is now 22 and has the passing nous of a Cocker Spaniel, he's long past help in that respect. He will never be able to pass well consistently - you mark my words.
Besides that, his actual reading of the game is atrocious, he has the footballing brain of a Walnut Whip, and his vision (in footballing terms, of course) was sh*te before the boot to his eye, and seems to be even worse now.
I agree with some of that, and in the other hand I think you're a bit harsh with him.
It's true that if you don't have the passing and certain things you'll hardly get those after you're 22.
I think he has been important in Liverpool, but if the overall quality is being upgraded (signings like Mascherano) I can't see him playing much.
Because Rafa said the only holding mid we have until Mascha arrives was ALonso, that Sissoko liked to go upper more. And he says this because Sissoko doesn't know reading well games, and doesn't position well himself when he hasn't the ball, and his choice of when to tackle and when to hold the player is not good enough to play the role of Alonso and Mascherano.
Should he had this, and a decent, just decent distribution, he'd be a holding midfielder of choice and might be a great player in the future. He's not great at those aerial balls coming from the keeper, and that kind of challenges are also important. But I think he'll just be a good-better than good player for a mid-big team, not a top team. He just lacks too many things to be a key player. He's a ball winner no doubt, but at this level I wouldn't have a player just because he's great at one thing, name it, set pieces, or ball winning.
He won't have a place because there will be the likes of Leiva, Gerrard, Mascherano and Gerrard in the middle. Rafa doesn't rate him as a hlding mid, and as a CM, he has atrocious competition.
Anyhow, Lando the fact that he's not good enough to have regular football in a reinforced Liverpool, doesn't mean I agree your adjectives to him, I do think he'll become a very good player. Some of the things you need for being a holding mid, can be learnt. Some are natural. That position is a position that when you see a good player in it, you think "what he's doing it's easy". But to spot everytime the correct decission is not easy. Great players makes the difficult things look easy, though.
MASTER wrote:This is fairly simple right Xabi want's out
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