Liverpool FC Forum

by **bigmick** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:34 pm

Ah the "unseen work" thing, which Aldo has spotted

And the "Rafa was just trying to wind Xabi up" angle, I'm surprised nobody thought of that on here to tell the truth. If I'd have been a pro I would have stuck that theory up. B0ll0cks of course, but it would have been worth debating for a couple of days

As for his price tag, it has shot up along with his form. When people insisted his form hadn't dipped even 1%, rafa tried all Summer but couldn't get anyone to bid 16 million quid for him. Nobody in the World who isn't a Liverpool fan thought he was worth that, and nobody was prepared to pay it. My take is that he was worth then "low teens" (13-14 million) and I think if we'd have put him up for that, we'd probably have sold him.

Now though, it's a different story. Although his form hadn't dipped :;):

he's now playing much much better than he was (I don't think anyone can deny this and keep a straight face can they) and obviously his price tag will have shot up. I actually think that it's only because firstly he plays for us, and secondly because he tends to go under the radar of the media that he's not up for footballer of the year. I don't really see how he can play much better than he is, and in this form he would absolutely definagtely get into every other side in the Premiership, including Man Utd (because he's better than Carrick or Hargreaves, and probably Scholes as well in his deep lying role).

So then it would come down to contract lenght left (I think it's long) and the economic climate (it's obviously bad). Given all of that, I would be very surprised if you could buy today for less than 20 million pounds, and the final fee given we don't need to sell him (hopefully) would be nearer 25 million IMHO.

As for his partnership with Masherano, it obviously works against teams who press. Against teams who don't though, BOTH of the central midfielders need to play 15-20 yards higher. Xabi has largely been doing that this season, coming out of the pocket but that's when he's with Gerrard. When he's with Mash, he simply has to take on the role of an advanced midfielder. Not box to box, but if the ball is headed out of the area Xabi should be looking to pick it up 30 yards from goal. Sometimes we've done this, but other times both he and Mash sit too deep. It probably can work though long term.

by **Sabre** » Thu Mar 12, 2009 11:57 pm

LOL, the Alonso debates are like some derbies, they have their own flavour.

Come on Bigmick. I mean, come on. You're exagerating a lot the Alonso defender's stance in the past. If we are to revisit who said what in the past, let's do it thoroughly, but let's not make stereotypes of what was said.

If you want to be fair you have to admit that things like Xabi's game being learned by oppositions were told. Things about him being too easy to deny were told. The influence of injuries in his more average level were dismissed. So don't paint a past in which the criticism was all spot on and only existed overdefence, because I'd be forced to bring back old discussions, and the best of them, with the best jewels on Alonso are not in this thread . :;):

<--- Wicked wink.

In the benefit of all, especially the Alonso bashers (you were not one of them, just made observations, so no need to defend them corner here

), it's better we focus on the present.

25 Million for Alonso, that's what I consider something to think about. But I still think that if we want to compete for everything, selling players like Alonso or Mascherano for that matter is a measure I'd only consider if the economic reasons make it mandatory. Otherwise, I'd think of selling the likes of Babel and keep building on.

On Aldo's theory on Basque character, I think it's bóllocks aswell... but then again, I also consider bóllocks the notion of Rafa losing the faith totally in him, as otherwise he would have accepted de 14M of Juve. I consider bóllocks any theory that tries to read too much in Rafa's mind without actually knowing him and this is no exception.

Aldo comments about Alonso's positioning, not the "unseen work". Well, if someone thinks his positioning is not good then yes, we could say his positioning is "unseen" probably because the viewer doesn't know where to look at, but yes, I agree Aldo on Xabi's positioning.

And leaving aside the "Alonso bantering" and the usual jokes, the most interesting part for the debate is the partnership part of your good post

As for his partnership with Masherano, it obviously works against teams who press. Against teams who don't though, BOTH of the central midfielders need to play 15-20 yards higher. Xabi has largely been doing that this season, coming out of the pocket but that's when he's with Gerrard. When he's with Mash, he simply has to take on the role of an advanced midfielder. Not box to box, but if the ball is headed out of the area Xabi should be looking to pick it up 30 yards from goal. Sometimes we've done this, but other times both he and Mash sit too deep. It probably can work though long term.

I already admitted that you were spot on when you asked more presence upper in the pitch, despite I consider him a great holding mid.

I think Mascha and Alonso sitting too deep sometimes may not be their fault entirely, sometimes the team as a whole doing a bad game doesn't allow you to move much. Yes, sometimes it may be their fault, but not always. Sometimes it will be Rafa's fault, and sometimes that the wing men are having a shocker.

But I agree it's a partnership of future...

Just a little question on Mascherano, in his last games I see his form improved (note that I never found him poor nor average, pretty much like Alonso last year), but I've also noticed that he's trying to shoot more... and he's not doing it badly. Is it just me or is he trying aswell more those rangy efforts?

by **NANNY RED** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:31 am

I thought me ears were burning havin a convo about my Xabi behind me back.

Lets just say made up that he plays for us , An no money on earth could make me wanna sell him :no

by **Sabre** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 12:42 am

Nanny.

I wouldn't be too worried. I think only a mad figure, beyond 25 would make Rafa doubt.

BTW, I want to clarify that I didn't take the time to translate that piece of interview to defend my agenda on Alonso, my main priority was to bring a read that some of you (Lando, Nanny) would enjoy.

I'm not interested in I was right discussions. Boring. Let's talk about Alonso, Mascherano, how they can work together, how Alonso and Gerrard has proven to be a good partnership, that is, present and future. Past waters do not move watermills, so let's forget old discussions.

by **JoeTerp** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 1:32 am

who else in the world could bring to our team what Alonso does? Is there even someone? If, not who could bring equal value to helping the team win (very difficult to judge)? how much is that person worth? A lot.

by **JoeTerp** » Fri Mar 13, 2009 4:54 am

Sabre wrote:I translate the part of the quotes, not the introduction which is cheesy and stupid. But before I translate, I'd like match goer like Nanny or Lynds clarify me if it's true that ALonso heard this song I've never heard of with the tune of "let it snow"

"«Oh the man is a midfield maestro, and his pass is so delightful, everybody wants to know, Alonso, Alonso, Alonso"

I hadn't heard of it.

listen around the 38-39 minute part of the Real game.

by **NANNY RED** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 10:45 am

Xabi Alonso chats with Jan Molby

When I asked Xabi Alonso, more as an aside than a date for a future interview, who in football he would most like to sit and have long chat with, he answered immediately. “It has to be Jan Mølby. A No14 like me and someone I have been compared with from my first day at Anfield. We are different though…”

It`s true they have been compared – by fans and fellow players – and there might be some disparities in the way they play, but there is huge common ground, too: in the way they understand their role on the pitch and football culture in general.

Once Xabi had said it, it had to be done. So all three of us met for lunch down at Liverpool`s Albert Dock for an Interview with Champions Magazine, but the No14s were left to do the talking…

Xabi Alonso: I can`t remember much from watching English football on telly years ago, but since I`ve been here, I`ve heard a lot of things about you. I know you were an all‑round midfielder with a great capacity to pick the right pass and make the right decisions, because in midfield you have to play well for yourself and have solutions for the players around you, too. You had a much better ability to score goals than me, that`s for sure!

Jan Mølby: The most difficult thing in football is to score goals; the second-most difficult is to control games; and when you see somebody in football who can control games… well, it`s beautiful. That`s what you can do. It`s been a while since we`ve had the kind of midfield player you represent. Football is about making the right decisions, and the more you make, the better the team play. It`s not just about ability, you need to know the game, you need a certain amount of intelligence to be involved in a game that much…

Alonso: And sometimes you need to know not to try the most spectacular, but the easiest thing, because that`s what most benefits the team.

Mølby: People always assume that players like us, like Hoddle, make ten to fifteen 60-yard passes in a game. We don`t. Most passes are just to keep things moving. I talk to people now and they think all I did was make 60-yard passes! When I started playing, midfielders were all‑rounders.

Now we talk about specific roles for defensive midfielders and playmaking midfielders. In the 1990s, new training methods and tactical awareness were introduced to the English game, and you got your holding midfielder sitting in front of the back four. I started off playing a lot further forward – just behind Kenny and Ian Rush. People who saw me in the 1990s wouldn`t believe that.

Alonso: That`s like my father, too. He played in the 1980s in your position, as an all-round midfielder, in a 4-4-2. Every season he`d score around ten goals. Now, teams employ 4-1-4-1, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 – its more about keeping in position than getting into the box. I hardly ever get in the box. You have to know your role and accept it, because that`s what is best for the team. I really enjoy it where I am because I want to be involved in every part of the game and in this position you are right in the middle. You`re close to attack, close to the wings, defence; you get more touches than anyone else. Michael Carrick can do that for England. But the football culture is quite different here in England…

Mølby: People in England see young midfielders at an early age as people who are really mobile, physically strong, can get involved in everything. At 13 or 14 years old, players like me or you wouldn`t catch the eye in England. People here don`t appreciate what our kind of midfielder brings to the game, that`s why there aren`t more English players like us. I also think the way you and I play can only happen in good teams. You could end up at a team with not too many good players and it would be very difficult for you to play – you could pass to people and put them in a situation where they don`t want the ball. If they can play, you can play.

Alonso: In England, those qualities of playing it simple, being in the right position, reading the game, knowing the right moment to make things happen around you are not appreciated. Making a tackle, a run into the box, the spectacular things are more appreciated.

Mølby: Tackling is for a certain moment. But if you`re in the right position, you won`t need to make a massive tackle. The other day at Anfield, Gerrard made one on the touchline, and you think that maybe that`s not necessary; but it`s necessary for him, isn`t it?

Alonso: It`s not just for him. Sometimes that kind of last-ditch tackle can get the crowd excited and you get a push from that. It`s important to play with that psychological side of the game, but it depends on the quality of the player. Stevie is great when he makes those kind of tackles, Carra and Mascherano, too. With me it`s different.

To feel Anfield on your back, the noise, it`s such a huge feeling, especially on the big nights. You`re automatically filled with that passionate energy and you always feel much better. It`s something Anfield provides more than any other stadium in the world.

Mølby: I missed that. Liverpool had a lot of big nights in the 1970s and early 1980s, and all of a sudden we couldn`t play in Europe. Then, when it came back, we never found ourselves in the big European competition. So when it returned, the fans made it a special thing. They decided “this is what we missed.”

Alonso: It must have been difficult to leave all that behind, to leave this club…

Mølby: For sure. I eventually left in 1996, but I`d been linked with moves away before that. The most high-profile was Barcelona in 1990. It didn`t happen, but it wasn`t a big thing because I was staying at Liverpool.

Alonso: During the summer I read an article where you talked very positively about me, and I want to thank you for it. When I was going through those moments of uncertainty a lot of fans supported me, saying: “We want you to stay. But at the end of the day, if you don`t, we wish you all the best and we are happy that you have been here.” I am very grateful for that. I am here now, and very happy to be here. There is no other club like Liverpool.

Mølby: I think when you have special players, you should keep them for as long as you can. It`s not often special players come along.

You also wear No14. Why did you choose it? I was there when squad numbers came in and the club asked you what your favourite number was. It was either 10 or 14 for me; I went for 14 because I played for one year with Johan Cruyff and that was the number he made famous.

Alonso: When I was at Real Sociedad I wore No4, my father`s number when he played. When I arrived at Liverpool, I saw Sami Hyypiä had No4 and I had no chance of picking it. It was 10, 14 or 18. I went straight for No14 because it`s a number I`ve always liked. If I had the chance to pick No4 now, I wouldn`t. In fact with Spain I also wear 14, and I can`t change.

Mølby: No14 is significant in football isn`t it, because of Johan Cruyff. At Liverpool No7 is a big number…

Alonso: No10… because it`s what a big player wears – Zidane, Pelé, Maradona. But No14, it was just Cruyff who made that big. No one else. That`s why it`s special.

Mølby: You`re talking about great players, but Liverpool have always been a manager`s club since Shankly.

Alonso: I`m comfortable with the situation, it works very well for me. I have responsibility on the pitch, not off it. Decisions taken on the pitch – that have a direct impact on results – are ours. I`m not really bothered about what happens away from the pitch.

Mølby: It was strange when I first came over, because in mainland Europe you had coaches, you didn`t have this figurehead. In Europe the coach wasn`t necessarily the one to go out and do press conferences, then I came to England and you have one guy in charge of everything, which is great. It saved us having to do a lot of interviews and press. Joe Fagan, who signed me, was a great manager. Then it was Kenny, and once it was him, the only person anybody wanted to talk to was Kenny Dalglish, which was great from a player`s point of view. We just concentrated on playing and when there was any criticism it was of the manager, never the players. But players, like managers, have changed over the years. Well, that`s what most people seem to think. I`m not so sure…

Alonso: Yeah, in terms of quality, it`s quite similar. The players who had quality then, they would have quality now. Adapting to the tempo of the game nowadays is the main change. And 20 years from now it will be much quicker again. Also, the analysis and studies carried out by teams on their players are much more detailed than they were before. In the 1970s, you only had 12 or 13 players in the squad – it has all changed so much. But, I have always said that the players who were good before, they would be good now.

Mølby: You look at it now and think that maybe we weren`t that quick. That is the big change isn`t it? I think it`s to do with the more specific roles that players have on the pitch. In my day it wouldn`t have been unusual for a Liverpool player to run 60 yards back and then 90 yards forward – now there is a smaller part of the pitch to influence. We would finish the season very tired and looking forward to our holidays.

During the summer, do players get unfit these days? Because we were unfit, you know! They used to say to us, “Go and have a nice summer holiday for seven weeks, and when you get back we`ll get you fit.”

Alonso: We don`t get totally unfit. We have around four weeks off and you`re always doing things, playing tennis or whatever. You can`t completely forget about what you are.

Mølby: Why is that? Is it because you would be too far behind everybody else?

Alonso: It wouldn`t feel right not to have that good feeling, not to sweat, so you keep doing stuff – like tennis, a bit of running. That doesn`t mean I`m always thinking about training, but as I say I just think you can`t forget what you are. You can`t think, “I`ll train a lot in pre-season, so I`ll allow myself to get unfit.” But, is it true that you came back one summer weighing 16 stone?

Mølby: Yeah, yeah, 16 stone! And I got fit in the five weeks of pre-season.

Alonso: Did you say you had seven weeks off?

Mølby: The longest we had was nine weeks…

Alonso: I can`t even imagine having nine weeks off. We normally have three-and-a-half. Last summer we had Euro 2008 and this summer we have to play the Confederations Cup. So many games…

Mølby: The price of success…

Alonso: Yeah, yeah, I`m happy to pay the price.

Mølby: If your body is tired, you can recover; but it`s when your head is tired, that`s very difficult isn`t it? Sometimes you can have a hard game and it takes a couple of days to recover, but if your head is tired it can take weeks.

Alonso: Especially at Christmas with so many games. But if you have a fresh mind, you can play and feel great.

Mølby: It`s a key moment of a season.

Alonso: Yeah, and it makes you feel the responsibility you have. People are really anxious for us to have the chance to win the Premiership. And that motivates me even more than I already am.

Mølby: It would be great to win it, and I have a feeling that it would be the biggest day in the club`s history. I know that sounds funny, with all the things that the club have achieved and the trophies they`ve won, but if they could pull it off – it would be tremendous.

Alonso: It would be similar to Spain winning a major tournament. It would take the weight, the burden, off everyone`s shoulders.

by **stmichael** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:24 am

NANNY RED wrote:Xabi Alonso chats with Jan Molby

When I asked Xabi Alonso, more as an aside than a date for a future interview, who in football he would most like to sit and have long chat with, he answered immediately. “It has to be Jan Mølby. A No14 like me and someone I have been compared with from my first day at Anfield. We are different though…”

It`s true they have been compared – by fans and fellow players – and there might be some disparities in the way they play, but there is huge common ground, too: in the way they understand their role on the pitch and football culture in general.

Once Xabi had said it, it had to be done. So all three of us met for lunch down at Liverpool`s Albert Dock for an Interview with Champions Magazine, but the No14s were left to do the talking…

Xabi Alonso: I can`t remember much from watching English football on telly years ago, but since I`ve been here, I`ve heard a lot of things about you. I know you were an all‑round midfielder with a great capacity to pick the right pass and make the right decisions, because in midfield you have to play well for yourself and have solutions for the players around you, too. You had a much better ability to score goals than me, that`s for sure!

Jan Mølby: The most difficult thing in football is to score goals; the second-most difficult is to control games; and when you see somebody in football who can control games… well, it`s beautiful. That`s what you can do. It`s been a while since we`ve had the kind of midfield player you represent. Football is about making the right decisions, and the more you make, the better the team play. It`s not just about ability, you need to know the game, you need a certain amount of intelligence to be involved in a game that much…

Alonso: And sometimes you need to know not to try the most spectacular, but the easiest thing, because that`s what most benefits the team.

Mølby: People always assume that players like us, like Hoddle, make ten to fifteen 60-yard passes in a game. We don`t. Most passes are just to keep things moving. I talk to people now and they think all I did was make 60-yard passes! When I started playing, midfielders were all‑rounders.

Now we talk about specific roles for defensive midfielders and playmaking midfielders. In the 1990s, new training methods and tactical awareness were introduced to the English game, and you got your holding midfielder sitting in front of the back four. I started off playing a lot further forward – just behind Kenny and Ian Rush. People who saw me in the 1990s wouldn`t believe that.

Alonso: That`s like my father, too. He played in the 1980s in your position, as an all-round midfielder, in a 4-4-2. Every season he`d score around ten goals. Now, teams employ 4-1-4-1, 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1 – its more about keeping in position than getting into the box. I hardly ever get in the box. You have to know your role and accept it, because that`s what is best for the team. I really enjoy it where I am because I want to be involved in every part of the game and in this position you are right in the middle. You`re close to attack, close to the wings, defence; you get more touches than anyone else. Michael Carrick can do that for England. But the football culture is quite different here in England…

Mølby: People in England see young midfielders at an early age as people who are really mobile, physically strong, can get involved in everything. At 13 or 14 years old, players like me or you wouldn`t catch the eye in England. People here don`t appreciate what our kind of midfielder brings to the game, that`s why there aren`t more English players like us. I also think the way you and I play can only happen in good teams. You could end up at a team with not too many good players and it would be very difficult for you to play – you could pass to people and put them in a situation where they don`t want the ball. If they can play, you can play.

Alonso: In England, those qualities of playing it simple, being in the right position, reading the game, knowing the right moment to make things happen around you are not appreciated. Making a tackle, a run into the box, the spectacular things are more appreciated.

Mølby: Tackling is for a certain moment. But if you`re in the right position, you won`t need to make a massive tackle. The other day at Anfield, Gerrard made one on the touchline, and you think that maybe that`s not necessary; but it`s necessary for him, isn`t it?

Alonso: It`s not just for him. Sometimes that kind of last-ditch tackle can get the crowd excited and you get a push from that. It`s important to play with that psychological side of the game, but it depends on the quality of the player. Stevie is great when he makes those kind of tackles, Carra and Mascherano, too. With me it`s different.

To feel Anfield on your back, the noise, it`s such a huge feeling, especially on the big nights. You`re automatically filled with that passionate energy and you always feel much better. It`s something Anfield provides more than any other stadium in the world.

Mølby: I missed that. Liverpool had a lot of big nights in the 1970s and early 1980s, and all of a sudden we couldn`t play in Europe. Then, when it came back, we never found ourselves in the big European competition. So when it returned, the fans made it a special thing. They decided “this is what we missed.”

Alonso: It must have been difficult to leave all that behind, to leave this club…

Mølby: For sure. I eventually left in 1996, but I`d been linked with moves away before that. The most high-profile was Barcelona in 1990. It didn`t happen, but it wasn`t a big thing because I was staying at Liverpool.

Alonso: During the summer I read an article where you talked very positively about me, and I want to thank you for it. When I was going through those moments of uncertainty a lot of fans supported me, saying: “We want you to stay. But at the end of the day, if you don`t, we wish you all the best and we are happy that you have been here.” I am very grateful for that. I am here now, and very happy to be here. There is no other club like Liverpool.

Mølby: I think when you have special players, you should keep them for as long as you can. It`s not often special players come along.

You also wear No14. Why did you choose it? I was there when squad numbers came in and the club asked you what your favourite number was. It was either 10 or 14 for me; I went for 14 because I played for one year with Johan Cruyff and that was the number he made famous.

Alonso: When I was at Real Sociedad I wore No4, my father`s number when he played. When I arrived at Liverpool, I saw Sami Hyypiä had No4 and I had no chance of picking it. It was 10, 14 or 18. I went straight for No14 because it`s a number I`ve always liked. If I had the chance to pick No4 now, I wouldn`t. In fact with Spain I also wear 14, and I can`t change.

Mølby: No14 is significant in football isn`t it, because of Johan Cruyff. At Liverpool No7 is a big number…

Alonso: No10… because it`s what a big player wears – Zidane, Pelé, Maradona. But No14, it was just Cruyff who made that big. No one else. That`s why it`s special.

Mølby: You`re talking about great players, but Liverpool have always been a manager`s club since Shankly.

Alonso: I`m comfortable with the situation, it works very well for me. I have responsibility on the pitch, not off it. Decisions taken on the pitch – that have a direct impact on results – are ours. I`m not really bothered about what happens away from the pitch.

Mølby: It was strange when I first came over, because in mainland Europe you had coaches, you didn`t have this figurehead. In Europe the coach wasn`t necessarily the one to go out and do press conferences, then I came to England and you have one guy in charge of everything, which is great. It saved us having to do a lot of interviews and press. Joe Fagan, who signed me, was a great manager. Then it was Kenny, and once it was him, the only person anybody wanted to talk to was Kenny Dalglish, which was great from a player`s point of view. We just concentrated on playing and when there was any criticism it was of the manager, never the players. But players, like managers, have changed over the years. Well, that`s what most people seem to think. I`m not so sure…

Alonso: Yeah, in terms of quality, it`s quite similar. The players who had quality then, they would have quality now. Adapting to the tempo of the game nowadays is the main change. And 20 years from now it will be much quicker again. Also, the analysis and studies carried out by teams on their players are much more detailed than they were before. In the 1970s, you only had 12 or 13 players in the squad – it has all changed so much. But, I have always said that the players who were good before, they would be good now.

Mølby: You look at it now and think that maybe we weren`t that quick. That is the big change isn`t it? I think it`s to do with the more specific roles that players have on the pitch. In my day it wouldn`t have been unusual for a Liverpool player to run 60 yards back and then 90 yards forward – now there is a smaller part of the pitch to influence. We would finish the season very tired and looking forward to our holidays.

During the summer, do players get unfit these days? Because we were unfit, you know! They used to say to us, “Go and have a nice summer holiday for seven weeks, and when you get back we`ll get you fit.”

Alonso: We don`t get totally unfit. We have around four weeks off and you`re always doing things, playing tennis or whatever. You can`t completely forget about what you are.

Mølby: Why is that? Is it because you would be too far behind everybody else?

Alonso: It wouldn`t feel right not to have that good feeling, not to sweat, so you keep doing stuff – like tennis, a bit of running. That doesn`t mean I`m always thinking about training, but as I say I just think you can`t forget what you are. You can`t think, “I`ll train a lot in pre-season, so I`ll allow myself to get unfit.” But, is it true that you came back one summer weighing 16 stone?

Mølby: Yeah, yeah, 16 stone! And I got fit in the five weeks of pre-season.

Alonso: Did you say you had seven weeks off?

Mølby: The longest we had was nine weeks…

Alonso: I can`t even imagine having nine weeks off. We normally have three-and-a-half. Last summer we had Euro 2008 and this summer we have to play the Confederations Cup. So many games…

Mølby: The price of success…

Alonso: Yeah, yeah, I`m happy to pay the price.

Mølby: If your body is tired, you can recover; but it`s when your head is tired, that`s very difficult isn`t it? Sometimes you can have a hard game and it takes a couple of days to recover, but if your head is tired it can take weeks.

Alonso: Especially at Christmas with so many games. But if you have a fresh mind, you can play and feel great.

Mølby: It`s a key moment of a season.

Alonso: Yeah, and it makes you feel the responsibility you have. People are really anxious for us to have the chance to win the Premiership. And that motivates me even more than I already am.

Mølby: It would be great to win it, and I have a feeling that it would be the biggest day in the club`s history. I know that sounds funny, with all the things that the club have achieved and the trophies they`ve won, but if they could pull it off – it would be tremendous.

Alonso: It would be similar to Spain winning a major tournament. It would take the weight, the burden, off everyone`s shoulders.

I love that man.

by **Sabre** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 11:54 am

Cracking read that Nanny.

Well many of us have complained about our football chats being of low level of quality, but from time to time (rarely we have to admit), we had our good chats

Alonso: In England, those qualities of playing it simple, being in the right position, reading the game, knowing the right moment to make things happen around you are not appreciated. Making a tackle, a run into the box, the spectacular things are more appreciated.

Mølby: Tackling is for a certain moment. But if you`re in the right position, you won`t need to make a massive tackle. The other day at Anfield, Gerrard made one on the touchline, and you think that maybe that`s not necessary; but it`s necessary for him, isn`t it?

Alonso: It`s not just for him. Sometimes that kind of last-ditch tackle can get the crowd excited and you get a push from that. It`s important to play with that psychological side of the game, but it depends on the quality of the player. Stevie is great when he makes those kind of tackles, Carra and Mascherano, too. With me it`s different.

For instance this discussion about Alonso's approach to tackling has been well covered in this forum from every angle. A few like Mick already had acknowledged that perhaps Alonso's tackling ability was underrated because he's not able to do that kind of spectacular tackling a la Mascherano Carra or Gerrard. I love his humillity to admit he's not able of doing that kind of tackle.

Alonso has always based his good tackling on a very good positioning.

Also it has been interesting to know that Alonso doesn't want number 4. I've said a few times the reason why he picked 14, but I always thought he'd get the 4 as soon as Hyypia left the club.

Good to hear Alonso's warm words on Liverpool Football Club now he's one of the main target of Real Madrid. Perhaps we basques are a bit cold in showing passion, but when we fall in love, we fall in love. And Alonso loves this club.

by **ConnO'var** » Wed Apr 01, 2009 2:49 pm

I still think he's the most cultured central midfielder we have in England let alone LFC.
But as much as I admire the man, he does have limitations.

In a central midfield make-up of 3 men.... be it a classical 4-3-3, 4-5-1, 5-3-2, 4-2-3-1 or even a 4-4-1-1, he is absolutely essential. In a 4-4-2, he is not the best option to use out of the 5 midfielders we have. I don't think he's got the physical attributes to play in this particular formation in the Premiership.

However, this is not a problem as Rafa almost never/seldom uses the 4-4-2. We need him but he could be better if we provide him with good quality wide attackers.

Extremely hard to replace but........ I disagree that it's impossible. There are better out there but would cost an arm and a leg. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that we sell him... far from it. Wonderful player and we're lucky to have him. All I'm saying that if you choose any formation and you had to choose 4-6 players to make up a "world's" midfield 2 or 3 with backup, he wouldn't be in my top 4 but would probably just make the top 6.

by **Dundalk** » Tue Apr 07, 2009 11:23 pm

Xabi Alonso has paid tribute to the Liverpool fans, who he credits for him staying at the club and being able to produce some of his best form in a red shirt this season.

The Spanish midfielder is set to be named in The Reds’ midfield for Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Chelsea, but his Liverpool career looked over in the summer with Rafa Benitez courting Gareth Barry.

But after that particular deal fell through Alonso was back in the side.

Since then he has gone on to play a key role in Liverpool’s quest for a first domestic title since 1990, and the chance to repeat his 2005 success in the Champions League, but Alonso claims it was the Anfield faithful who kept him on Merseyside.

He said: “When I was going through those moments of uncertainty a lot of fans supported me. They would say ‘we want you to stay, but at the end of the day, if you don’t, we wish you all the best and we are happy that you have been here.'

“I am very grateful for that. I am here now and very happy to be here. There is no other club like Liverpool. To feel Anfield on your back, the noise, it’s such a huge feeling, especially on the big nights.

“You’re automatically filled with that passionate energy and you always feel much better. It’s something Anfield provides more than any other stadium in the world.”

Link

by **stmichael** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:48 am

Absolutely love the man. Thought he was absolutely immense last night and ran the show for long periods.

He always seems to up his game an extra level when Gerrard is out aswell.

by **dawson99** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 11:50 am

..and he looks like Ben Kenobe :buttrock

by **Sabre** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:40 pm

dawson99 wrote:..and he looks like Ben Kenobe

by **heimdall** » Wed Apr 15, 2009 12:42 pm

dawson99 wrote:..and he looks like Ben Kenobe

He looks nothing like Alec Guiness, what the hell you talking about?

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