Liverpool FC Forum

by **bigmick** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:38 am

JohnBull wrote:Don't build your hopes up too high.
The poor bugger has been tagged as the secong coming and far too much is being expected of him.
Our problems go a bit deeper than one midfield wonderboy.

I'm not expecting too much of him John. I'm merely expecting him to play, and to be a better fit as a pairing with Masherano than Lucas is. In other words he needs to be fit and a decent player. At the moment whether or not he was actually worth 20 million quid is by the by, the team is absolutely crying out for some balance and he wouldn't need to be that great to improve it.

Think Danny Murphy sort of standard and that's about how good he'd need to be to have an impact. Steven Ireland would completely make us look like a new team, as would Gareth Barry, Michael Carrick etc. So would Jimmy Bullard come to that, so Aquilani doesn't have to be Jan Molby or Xabi Alonso, just needs to be better than Lucas.

by **JohnBull** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 10:44 am

Without Torres we do not have a player who can hold the ball up when it gets into the last third.
You can stick as many bullets as you like into the breach but if the barrel is bent you're never going to hit the target.
Those long balls yesterday were a joke and we just kept throwing them in FFS.

by **5StarRed71** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 11:59 am

parchpea wrote:5star, I have been following Liverpool for over 30 years and I tell you the managers finished. With respect I hope the loyalists are bang on with Rafa but I fear blind faith is damaging progression now.

Parchpea i'm not quite at that mark yet but i'm getting there. You talk of blind faith but at the moment that's all we've got. We can say Rafa's finished and get rid of him - for £20m - but then who else do we bring in? Bear in mind that it has got to be someone who is happy to work with the yanks with little money and a small wage bill. Now there are some managers who will love that, but then again they aren't the kind who are gonna take us forward.

I'm hoping that this is just a blip, and that next year and beyond we will have a bit more luck, a bit more money, and our future will be rosy. If the same thing happens next year I would agree that maybe a change is due. All I'm saying is the first time the guy needs our support people want to feed him to the wolves. Bear in mind he could have left us before now and chose not to. Don't we owe him some loyalty?

by **red_guy** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 12:08 pm

5StarRed71 wrote:
parchpea wrote:5star, I have been following Liverpool for over 30 years and I tell you the managers finished. With respect I hope the loyalists are bang on with Rafa but I fear blind faith is damaging progression now.

Parchpea i'm not quite at that mark yet but i'm getting there. You talk of blind faith but at the moment that's all we've got. We can say Rafa's finished and get rid of him - for £20m - but then who else do we bring in? Bear in mind that it has got to be someone who is happy to work with the yanks with little money and a small wage bill. Now there are some managers who will love that, but then again they aren't the kind who are gonna take us forward.

I'm hoping that this is just a blip, and that next year and beyond we will have a bit more luck, a bit more money, and our future will be rosy. If the same thing happens next year I would agree that maybe a change is due. All I'm saying is the first time the guy needs our support people want to feed him to the wolves. Bear in mind he could have left us before now and chose not to. Don't we owe him some loyalty?

IMHO, the 'blind faith' references are more towards the pro-rafa team who will defend him no matter what and refuse to criticize the gaffer . As for me, i'm not the one asking for his head but i do criticize his judgment ,just like other posters.

by **dawson99** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 12:13 pm

Lets sign a player in the summer when we have no money, but not play him til the january transfer window opens

genius move by whoever signed him

by **5StarRed71** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 12:23 pm

red_guy wrote:IMHO, the 'blind faith' references are more towards the pro-rafa team who will defend him no matter what and refuse to criticize the gaffer . As for me, i'm not the one asking for his head but i do criticize his judgment ,just like other posters.

Red_guy, everyone's entitled to their opinion. I don't agree with everyone Rafa does, or even understand half of it. I think that's the main problem with a lot of fans around. We all know Rafa's unpredictable- is that a good or a bad thing?

What i don't like are people spouting off for spoutings sake, without offering up solutions to our problem or thinking of the consequences.

by **red_guy** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 12:48 pm

5StarRed71 wrote:
red_guy wrote:IMHO, the 'blind faith' references are more towards the pro-rafa team who will defend him no matter what and refuse to criticize the gaffer . As for me, i'm not the one asking for his head but i do criticize his judgment ,just like other posters.

Red_guy, everyone's entitled to their opinion. I don't agree with everyone Rafa does, or even understand half of it. I think that's the main problem with a lot of fans around. We all know Rafa's unpredictable- is that a good or a bad thing?

What i don't like are people spouting off for spoutings sake, without offering up solutions to our problem or thinking of the consequences.

yup, agreed. But in this forum nowadays, there's less discussing, more of name calling, insulting etc. what can we say...just ignore it , i guess.

by **dawson99** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:34 pm

JohnBull wrote:Without Torres we do not have a player who can hold the ball up when it gets into the last third.
You can stick as many bullets as you like into the breach but if the barrel is bent you're never going to hit the target.
Those long balls yesterday were a joke and we just kept throwing them in FFS.

nail on head

by **roberto green** » Sun Dec 06, 2009 3:24 pm

bigmick wrote:so Aquilani doesn't have to be Jan Molby or Xabi Alonso, just needs to be better than Lucas.

I bet Jan Molby (all 20st of him) would show more on the feild than lucas now.

by **Rush Job** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:42 am

red_guy wrote:
Rush Job wrote:a)So what he`s never going to play him?

b) I`m also thinking rafa is now a little unsure where to play him and rafa being rafa I`m willing to bet if we were 3 nil up with half an hour to go he would of got on today but at nil nil to scared to lose.
It`ll be interesting on wed to see howwe line up and how it goes.

a) Who knows, people have been waiting for ages to see aqua. rafa's a weirdo.

b) if he's unsure where to play aqua, that makes it even worse. why would you buy a player you didn't even how or where to use for 20 million? Dont wanna risk playing Aqua? why sign him then? Rafa totally lost the plot.

Mate I`m not trying to claim its exceptable.
I`m just willing to bet if we were 3 nill up with half an hour to go he would have got on which says to me rafa is/has been unwilling to change to a more attacking system also on close inspection rafa could well be undersided on his best possition,but again thats no reason to not play him, then it is rafa we are talking about so who knows.

by **Sabre** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 10:49 am

Bad Bob wrote:
LFC2007 wrote:I honestly expected him to have at least 20-30 min's today

Me too. In fact, the feed I was watching suggested that Rafa was preparing to bring him on just after the hour mark and so at every stoppage I expected to see him. Imagine my surprise when NEZ finally came on instead. Seriously, Rafa, WTF?

I share the disbelief.

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:44 pm

Perhaps if Lucas were a bit more accommodating....like, uh, not turning up on match day ??

Leiva keen for Aquilani to be handed Liverpool debut

08.12.09 | tribalfootball.com
READ MORE NEWS ON: Liverpool, Real Madrid, EPL, Rafa Benitez
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Lucas Leiva is keen to see Alberto Aquilani make his full Liverpool debut this weekend against Champions League opponents Fiorentina.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez revealed on Saturday the Italian would play against the Viola.

"It is exciting that Alberto is going to get his first chance and we are all looking forward to it - we will give him all the support and respect he needs," the Brazilian international told the Reds' official website.

"Hopefully he will do a really good job for us. When you have been out for a long time injured, it takes a while for you to get your rhythm back.

"But it is easy to see in training that he has got quality on the ball and we hope he is going to help us.

"People will make comparisons but he is a different player to Xabi [Alonso, who left Liverpool in he summer for Real Madrid]; he is more attacking and we can all see that he is going to play in a more advanced role.

"Obviously he came to replace Xabi but he is going to need some time to settle and we will do everything to make that happen quickly."

by **Owzat** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 2:55 pm

Maybe Rafa thinks Fiorentina at home will be a stroll in the park game, no effort or pace so a perfect run out for Aquilani (and Torres) I seriously question the point myself, it exposes them to an injury in a dead rubber game, no matter if competitive or not. And if it is easy paced then will it benefit them any match fitness more than a practice match or training/10 mile run?

The problem is, the longer he delays in playing Aquilani the worse the situation could be when he starts playing any significant part. If he doesn't risk him against Arsenal then that could be a home draw or defeat and more ground lost, putting pressure on the side to win, win and win more and we've never quite been like the mancs in the sense of winning games comfortably without hitting top gear or without needing stars to play the bulk of the game.

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:01 pm

Whatever about the Fiorentina game (and maybe Rafa is thinking this will be played at an Italian pace), I am dreading the Arsenal game. I can see that being an absolute slaughter.

by **Sabre** » Mon Dec 07, 2009 3:38 pm

"People will make comparisons but he is a different player to Xabi [Alonso, who left Liverpool in he summer for Real Madrid]; he is more attacking and we can all see that he is going to play in a more advanced role.

Yes, we can all see that I think, but even if you want an answer with a different role, you need that answer anyway.

"Obviously he came to replace Xabi but he is going to need some time to settle and we will do everything to make that happen quickly."

And we need it soon.

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