Liverpool FC Forum

by **Emerald Red** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:08 pm

Owzat wrote:
stmichael wrote:I'll be absolutely staggered if he doesn't start at the weekend. It's an ideal game for him. We don't need two defensive midfielders at home to Sunderland.

Do we ever need two DMs at home? Yet it is Rafa's preference, I could just about understand it against top sides away, although even then why set out simply to defend, but at home?!!??!

You'd think under the circumstances with him "guaranteeing" fourth that defence would take a back seat to attack, but nah

Know what the ironic thing about this post is? It's not our home form that's bad this season.

by **Emerald Red** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:11 pm

dawson99 wrote:He'll be gone soon after Rafa keeps benching him and playing him out of position anyways...

Where's he playing him out of position? Roma's set-up was different to ours, but at his time there he was a central roving midfielder that sat more or less where he's been playing for us when he's played. You wouldn't put a Xavi or Iniesta behind the striker, would you? Same with Aquilani. Similar kind of player. Though no doubt they could play there if instructed to.

by **Emerald Red** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:18 pm

Anyway, I agree with everyone who say he should start. Benitez has no excuses not to.

by **Sir Roger** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 6:31 pm

Emerald Red wrote:Anyway, I agree with everyone who say he should start. Benitez has no excuses not to.

Im sure he'll think of one

by **Kakloola** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 7:30 pm

dawson99 wrote:
Fauxy wrote:
7_Kewell wrote:
Kakloola wrote:
7_Kewell wrote:
dawson99 wrote:He'll be gone soon after Rafa keeps benching him and playing him out of position anyways...

its depressing tho Daws...a 20 million poud player should be helping us challenge for the title! not fecking warming the bench and making cameo appearances.

rafa bought him when he was injured and when someone is injured it takes them a long time to make a come back

look at gerrard, hes not at his best now and he's coming back from an injury

when ur injured your out of form and against portsmith, aquilini was in form and you can tell how much damage he did

he got a virus 2 days before his match against Man U and couldnt play

Now against Sunderland, you will see Aquilini play a lot

i hope so, i would love nothing more than to see him play 90 mins from now until the end of the season and show what a great player he can be.

However, my head tells me he will make 4 or 5 more starts this season and be sold for a huge loss in the summer.

What makes you think that?

He has looked class in the games he's featured in

yeah he has, yet he is still warming the bench

rafa just cant get over his obsession for lucas
he doesnt understand that Lucas is not going to be another Xabo Alonso or Luis Garcia, Lucas wont make a huge improvement and help the team, he has already peeked

by **Emerald Red** » Sat Mar 27, 2010 8:00 pm

Kakloola wrote:
dawson99 wrote:
Fauxy wrote:
7_Kewell wrote:
Kakloola wrote:
7_Kewell wrote:
dawson99 wrote:He'll be gone soon after Rafa keeps benching him and playing him out of position anyways...

its depressing tho Daws...a 20 million poud player should be helping us challenge for the title! not fecking warming the bench and making cameo appearances.

rafa bought him when he was injured and when someone is injured it takes them a long time to make a come back

look at gerrard, hes not at his best now and he's coming back from an injury

when ur injured your out of form and against portsmith, aquilini was in form and you can tell how much damage he did

he got a virus 2 days before his match against Man U and couldnt play

Now against Sunderland, you will see Aquilini play a lot

i hope so, i would love nothing more than to see him play 90 mins from now until the end of the season and show what a great player he can be.

However, my head tells me he will make 4 or 5 more starts this season and be sold for a huge loss in the summer.

What makes you think that?

He has looked class in the games he's featured in

yeah he has, yet he is still warming the bench

rafa just cant get over his obsession for lucas
he doesnt understand that Lucas is not going to be another Xabo Alonso or Luis Garcia, Lucas wont make a huge improvement and help the team, he has already peeked

A Xabi Alonso or Luise Garcia? Do you even know the difference between the two players FFS? To use both as an example is once again an utterly clueless comparison.

by **Fauxy** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 1:40 pm

Made another good performance yesterday.. he looked as though he was a bit more confident going into challenges as well. I think he will justify his price tag, its just a question of weather he can keep fit.

by **Sir Roger** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:35 pm

Fauxy wrote:Made another good performance yesterday.. he looked as though he was a bit more confident going into challenges as well. I think he will justify his price tag, its just a question of weather he can keep fit.

Thought he was just ok yesterday
I would have liked him to start but the scoreline justifies the decision for him not to.
No Lucas.
3-0
Theres a clue there somewhere...

by **bunglemark2** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:42 pm

Sir Roger wrote:
Fauxy wrote:Made another good performance yesterday.. he looked as though he was a bit more confident going into challenges as well. I think he will justify his price tag, its just a question of weather he can keep fit.

Thought he was just ok yesterday
I would have liked him to start but the scoreline justifies the decision for him not to.
No Lucas.
3-0
Theres a clue there somewhere...

It might also be because Sunderland were shyte, so don't blame Lucas for all of it

by **andy_g** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 2:49 pm

not sure about the confidence going into challenges myself. there was one moment towards the end where some sunderland player or other had picked up the ball in his own half and was merrily trotting up the pitch with it. aquilani was running in towards him at right angles and could have made a fairly easy tackle or at least bothered him a bit. however, as soon as aquilani got within 2 or 3 yards of the player he just stopped and kind of jiggled around a bit looking awkward. i have absolutely no idea why he didn't at least try and make some kind of physical contact. if he isn't fit enough to tackle he shouldn't be on the field, and if he isn't up for making a tackle he needs to learn sharpish or his career is going to crash and burn over here.

by **Sir Roger** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 3:10 pm

bunglemark2 wrote:
Sir Roger wrote:
Fauxy wrote:Made another good performance yesterday.. he looked as though he was a bit more confident going into challenges as well. I think he will justify his price tag, its just a question of weather he can keep fit.

Thought he was just ok yesterday
I would have liked him to start but the scoreline justifies the decision for him not to.
No Lucas.
3-0
Theres a clue there somewhere...

It might also be because Sunderland were shyte, so don't blame Lucas for all of it

Im not blaming Lucas for all of it.
Im blaming Rafa as well.
The point I am making is, for me, the type of football we played yesterday was exciting, attacking, creative and high scoring. It should have bee six.
Yes Sunderland are sh'ite but without the plodding, negative, "controlling" way we play with Lucas, it was like a breath of fresh air.

by **Fauxy** » Mon Mar 29, 2010 11:15 pm

andy_g wrote:not sure about the confidence going into challenges myself. there was one moment towards the end where some sunderland player or other had picked up the ball in his own half and was merrily trotting up the pitch with it. aquilani was running in towards him at right angles and could have made a fairly easy tackle or at least bothered him a bit. however, as soon as aquilani got within 2 or 3 yards of the player he just stopped and kind of jiggled around a bit looking awkward. i have absolutely no idea why he didn't at least try and make some kind of physical contact. if he isn't fit enough to tackle he shouldn't be on the field, and if he isn't up for making a tackle he needs to learn sharpish or his career is going to crash and burn over here.

Disagree with that mate...

First off, he probably wasnt going into tackles like that against sunderland because there was no point... we were cruising the game completely and there was no point taking the risk.

Secondly, saying that if he isnt up for making a tackle his career here will crash and burn is b*llocks... attacking midfielders are there to create chances for others and score goals. Fabregas never goes flying into challenges yet he is maybe the best attacking mid in the premiership.

by **andy_g** » Tue Mar 30, 2010 9:32 am

you don't necessarily have to go flying into tackles, but you have to be prepared to get your foot in. fabregas makes plenty of tackles and isn't afraid of the physical nature of the 'english' game. any player that consistently shies out of making a tackle, or is afraid of physical contact for whatever reason will not be a success over here.

in the same situation as i was describing, even being 3-0 up at home, one of the best attacking midfielders of recent times (steven gerrard) would certainly have gone for the tackle, i have absolutely no doubt about it. it wasn't even a risky tackle, you run towards the guy and you put him off, if you can take the ball even better. at no point in any game should you be allowing an opposition player a free and unmolested run into your own half with the ball.

to be fair, i have noticed that aquilani has been at least making an effort in this respect but i am far from convinced. his body language yells out that he's really not happy or comfortable getting stuck in. i know he's had an injury but so have many others who i don't see pulling out.

i like the player, i really do. i just really hope that he can make that important adaptation to actually succeed with us. at the very least, if rafa remains manager he's not going to get too many games if he's not prepared to muck in physically. so either aquilani learns to tackle properly or we are stuck with the midfield set up which has been costing us style and games for most of the season.

by **maximus** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:54 pm

From BBC Sport:

Midfielder Alberto Aquilani will miss Liverpool's Europa League quarter-final first leg clash with Benfica after suffering an ankle injury in training.

It is the same ankle the £17m signing injured when he joined last summer.

by **stmichael** » Wed Mar 31, 2010 1:55 pm

maximus wrote:From BBC Sport:

Midfielder Alberto Aquilani will miss Liverpool's Europa League quarter-final first leg clash with Benfica after suffering an ankle injury in training.

It is the same ankle the £17m signing injured when he joined last summer.

well i'm shocked :lookaround

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