Liverpool FC Forum

bigmick wrote:I'm not convinced it's genuine, but even if it is I think people are adding two and two together and not getting the right answer. You need four central midfielders who are credible, just like you need four centre halves and four strikers. Now if Alonso goes we have Mash who is a no argument, Lucas who still has something to prove, Plessis who isn't good enough, and Gerrard if you don't mind being a striker short. We almost certainly needed a central midfielder even if Alonso stayed, and we will probably need two if he goes.

see if he goes, we are presumeably going to bring in a very good player from abroad who's never played in the Premiership (Cambiasso or somebody like that). He's got to settle which can take time, and if he doesn't we have Lucas who many remain deeply unconvinced about. As an insurance policy, you need a good quality, experienced, no nonsense midfielder who you can absolutely rely on to come in and do a good job when needed.

Rafa has already said we need to be almost perfect next season, and we do. We all remember the "I don't fecking believe this place" comments each time we drew with relegation fodder at home and someone said it wan't a great result, but the reality was and is that those results cost us the title. We can't afford three months while some Carlos Kickaball finds his feet in central midfield. You'll get away with it at left midfield, but not central mid. Far better to get your overseas schemer in and let him settle gradually, someone like Parker could dove-tail with a new fella perfectly. Blackburn Away, Everton Away in the first three months of the season, lovely jubbly for Parker. Let the new bloke play against Burnley at Home and the like to get his bearings.

I think if Rafa sees Parker as a permanent and like for like replacement for Alonso it says two things to us. Firstly it says that Rafa doesn't or didn't consider Xabi's "unseen" work and tempo setting abilites as being overly important, and secondly that he intends playing with two defensive midfielders despite the evidence last season that a more attacking approach is called for. I don't think either of those is the case, Parker is going to be an "option" and a "possibility" if he comes. I'd be all for it myself under those circumstances.