Bad Bob wrote:s@int wrote:Bad Bob wrote:Back to the subject of finding and maintaining the team's rhythm for a moment, it strikes me that if this is something that is threatened by chopping and changing the team from (midweek) cup matches to (weekend) league matches, then it surely is something that is also threatened by these international breaks. Yet, one of my big frustrations surrounding the reaction to the Portsmouth match was the number of people downplaying the fact that that game came right on the heels of an international break. In point of fact, Rafa took a lot of heat for not playing certain players, regardless of the strong probability that said players were some way short of peak fitness and match preparedness (two factors that would have hindered the team's ability to re-establish the rhythm it had enjoyed against Derby).
Given that we are coming to the end of a second international break I hope that some people won't be as quick to dismiss the toll this past fortnight has taken on our lads in the event of another lacklustre performance on Saturday lunchtime. It bears remembering that, once again, our best players have been scattered to the four winds (Mascherano was playing in Maracaibo, Venezuela yesterday, FFS!) and, in many cases, have been pulling out all of the stops to try and help their countries qualify. Exactly how much will be left in the tank when they take to the pitch on Saturday? More pointedly, exactly how much scorn will be heaped on them and Rafa if they somehow aren't able to rise to the occasion and get a result?
I understand what you are trying to say Bob but don't other teams have players away on international duty as well? The mancs have just as many internationals as we do (give or take) yet they manage to put out a strong team, or are our players more delicate flowers that need careful tending?
On a side note Van Persie is out for four weeks and will miss our clash with Arsenal.
Saint, here's the Mancs' lineup against Everton the day we played Portsmouth:
(G) Edwin Van der Sar
(D) Wes Brown
(D) Patrice Evra
(D) Rio Ferdinand
(D) Mikael Silvestre
(D) Nemanja Vidic
(M) Michael Carrick
(M) Ryan Giggs
(M) Cristiano Ronaldo
(M) Paul Scholes
(S) Carlos Tevez
Now, I can't verify this at the moment (I'm out the door in a minute) but a quick look tells me that there are not nearly as many active internationals on that list as you might think. Scholes and Giggs have retired. Tevez didn't travel to Australia, I don't think. Neither Carrick nor Brown played for England, nor did Silvestre or Evra for France. That leaves Van Der Sar, Ferdinand, Vidic (who, if memory serves, only played one of two international matches for Serbia that break) and Ronaldo as the only players who had both traveled and played in the preceeding international matches.
Nonetheless, they too played like rubbish that day until Vidic headed one in late on. I think I've still got a point here.
*Add on.
Here's Chelsea's team on the same day (Sept. 15th), which only managed a 0-0 draw against Blackburn at Stamford Bridge. Note the likes of Sidwell, Kalou, Essien, Alex and Belletti in that line-up...players who had no international obligations. Would some of them have gotten a game otherwise?
1 Petr Cech (G) (G)
33 Alex (D)
35 Juliano Belletti (D)
3 Ashley Cole (D)
26 John Terry (D)
10 Joe Cole (M) (M)
5 Michael Essien (M) (M)
9 Steve Sidwell (M) (M)
24 Shaun Wright-Phillips (M)
21 Salomon Kalou (S)
7 Andriy Shevchenko (S)
And here's Arsenal from the same day (they won 3-1 over Spurs). Note that only Fabregas, Hleb and RVP would have had international commitments:
G) Manuel Almunia 24
(D) Gael Clichy 22
(D) Bacary Sagna 3
(D) Kolo Toure 5
(M) Gilberto Silva 19
(M) Vassiriki Diaby 2
(M) Francesc Fabregas 4
(M) Mathieu Flamini 16
(M) Alexander Hleb 13
(S) Emmanuel Adebayor 25
(S) Robin Van Persie
So basically what your saying is we need more African nationalities in the squad
Reina ,Finnan ,Carragher ,Agger ,Arbeloa ,Pennant ,Sissoko ,Alonso ,Benayoun ,Voronin ,Crouch
Our team against Portsmouth
Reina - didn't play in the internationals
Carra - retired from internationals
Arbeloa-didn't play in the internationals
Pennant -didn't play in the internationals
Sissoko - didn't play in the internationals
Alonso - was sent off so hardly played in the internationals
Crouch - didn't play in the internationals
Voronin - no idea
Benayoun - no idea
So that leaves Finnan and Agger ?
Hardly a side overworked by international duty ?
