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PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 10:57 am
by Bam
JoeTerp wrote:Rather play Gerrard at right back against Bolton.  We should keep the Carra Agger partnership going, plus if Gerrard is surrounded by Kuyt, Mascherano and Carra, he should be free to give a lesson to Arbeloa on how to bomb forward.



                                       Reina
Gerrard             Carra                     Agger           Aurelio
Kuyt                  Mascherano             Alonso           Riera
                         Keane                    Torres

Subs: Cavalieri, Degen, Hyypia, Lucas, Babel, Bennayoun, El Zhar







There hasn't been a single game this season where we have started with ALL of : Keane, Torres, Gerrard, Mascherano, and Alonso.  As soon as we signed Keane, I was wondering how Rafa would put them all in one side, and so far he hasn't. But to be fair, there have been precious few times when all were fit and not at the Olympics.  If this team was to turn into a well oiled machine that cranked out 3 points as its job, could it be possible to build that machine with one of those 5 parts on the subs bench? or with Kuyt on the subs bench?  One would think not, but somebody has to sit in order for someone to come on. Sadly, (or oddly) the possible Argentine captain might be the one to make way

OMG !

We're play him in goal when Reinas injured.

:no

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:10 am
by bigmick
Well one of the reasons I personally wasn't so fussed about the Tottenham result was that now we're out of the competition, it takes away the necessity to make wholesale changes from game to game. I think it works if you do it "Wenger style" and just play the complete reserve team, but when you make wholesale changes but include first teamers it can have a detrimental effect on the next "proper" match if you're not careful.

It's my feeling that we have gone off the boil a bit, although when I suggested as much in the rotation thread an unholy row broke out. True we had a fairly run of the mill win against WBA, but the Pompey performance, Spurs results (twice) and an extremely fortuitous draw against Athletico leads me to believe that we are probably in the middle of one of our bliiiips. Fortunately because of the wins against Pompey and WBA, it hasn't massively damaged our chances of launching a title challenge yet, but we really don't want to be dropping too many points at grounds like the Reebok.

I never saw the game at Spurs last night, but by all accounts there will be few of the blokes who came in who will be kicking the door in if they don't stay in the team at the weekend. If Dossena was half as bad as everyone says he was, then I guess Aurelio should be brought back in provided he isn't injured and probably left there for the forseeable, or at least until he does get injured again. I'm almost certain that Sami will be the only "newbie" to keep his place, and that Carragher will play right back.

Kuyt will obviously come back in (rightly) and I should think Riera will as well. Just about the only selection dilemma from there is whether we go with the 4-5-1 and then mull over the choice between Keane and Torres, or we go with the 4-4-2 and chop either Alonso or Masherano. For no other reason than I think neither deserves to be dropped, I'd keep Alonso and Masherano in the team and go 4-5-1. Assuming that scoring two goals and being left out was a fate which befell Keane simply and only because it was the Carling Cup in the next match, he must play. Given all that, I'd start with Torres on the bench.

We really are into that period of the season now where the big four are going to be looking to win every week. If you blink first, you'll regret it later and this really is one of those games that if it's 1-1 with twenty minutes left, you've got to absolutely go all out for the win. Doing so does mean that sometimes you risk losing, but I don't think that'll happen. I take us to get up in a tight and ugly match by the odd goal.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:24 am
by DanAn
dame wrote:I would start Pennant instead of Riera. Riera plays quite a number of games lately. So the midfield for me will be SG, Xabi, Mash and Pennant. Upfront is Kuyt and Keane. Torres and Riera as sub when necessary.

Keane          Torres
Riera   Alonso/Mash    Gerrard      Kuyt
Aurelio     Agger          Cara         Degen
                          Reina

I really can't see any other formations being chosen. This is our teams best formation with our best team (minus Aurelio). I just can't see the value in rotating the whole team to fill right back.

- Gerrard does his best work when he is pulling the strings in the middle.
- Carra is our best Central Defender

I just don't see the point in screwing with everything just so we don't play Degen. We signed him, we owe him a shot at the RB position.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 11:28 am
by GYBS
Think degen will play right back if not maybe see darby there but cant see carra being moved out of the centre.

-------------------------Pepe---------------------

Degen---------Carra--------------Agger------Aurelio

Kuyt----------Gerrard--------Masher/Xabi------Reira

--------------Keane----------Torres---------------

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 12:25 pm
by lakes10
ok so back to real football.

well we will win this one easy 10-0 to us....by half time, 50-0 by full time.

who says i am never posative lol

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 12:28 pm
by Bam
lakes10 wrote:ok so back to real football.

well we will win this one easy 10-0 to us....by half time, 50-0 by full time.

who says i am never posative lol

I never realised people thought you were negative, just an idiot.  :D

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 12:53 pm
by metalhead
bigmick wrote:Well one of the reasons I personally wasn't so fussed about the Tottenham result was that now we're out of the competition, it takes away the necessity to make wholesale changes from game to game. I think it works if you do it "Wenger style" and just play the complete reserve team, but when you make wholesale changes but include first teamers it can have a detrimental effect on the next "proper" match if you're not careful.

It's my feeling that we have gone off the boil a bit, although when I suggested as much in the rotation thread an unholy row broke out. True we had a fairly run of the mill win against WBA, but the Pompey performance, Spurs results (twice) and an extremely fortuitous draw against Athletico leads me to believe that we are probably in the middle of one of our bliiiips. Fortunately because of the wins against Pompey and WBA, it hasn't massively damaged our chances of launching a title challenge yet, but we really don't want to be dropping too many points at grounds like the Reebok.

I never saw the game at Spurs last night, but by all accounts there will be few of the blokes who came in who will be kicking the door in if they don't stay in the team at the weekend. If Dossena was half as bad as everyone says he was, then I guess Aurelio should be brought back in provided he isn't injured and probably left there for the forseeable, or at least until he does get injured again. I'm almost certain that Sami will be the only "newbie" to keep his place, and that Carragher will play right back.

Kuyt will obviously come back in (rightly) and I should think Riera will as well. Just about the only selection dilemma from there is whether we go with the 4-5-1 and then mull over the choice between Keane and Torres, or we go with the 4-4-2 and chop either Alonso or Masherano. For no other reason than I think neither deserves to be dropped, I'd keep Alonso and Masherano in the team and go 4-5-1. Assuming that scoring two goals and being left out was a fate which befell Keane simply and only because it was the Carling Cup in the next match, he must play. Given all that, I'd start with Torres on the bench.

We really are into that period of the season now where the big four are going to be looking to win every week. If you blink first, you'll regret it later and this really is one of those games that if it's 1-1 with twenty minutes left, you've got to absolutely go all out for the win. Doing so does mean that sometimes you risk losing, but I don't think that'll happen. I take us to get up in a tight and ugly match by the odd goal.

Good post BM

Though, the last part is a real dilemma for Rafa Benitez. However, I do think we need to stick with a 4-4-2 formation, I would chop mascherano for this one because we need a bit of creativity against a side like Bolton.  I would definetly play the same formation we played against Everton a while back.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:08 pm
by heimdall
I'd go along with 4-4-2 dropping mascha and playing Stevie with Xabi. If Torres has another stinker I would replace him with Babel, definitely not N'Gog, who is another spectacularly bad signing. I have to say that last summer Rafa made good signings but something went horribly wrong this summer with N'Gog, Degan and Dossena and to a certain extent the over priced Keane.  :no

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 1:08 pm
by NANNY RED
Id have this dog a stand by for a full back he does more chasing than any of our two did last night :laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On1Tfq5age8

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 2:23 pm
by ruskiy playmaker
NANNY RED wrote:Id have this dog a stand by for a full back he does more chasing than any of our two did last night :laugh:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On1Tfq5age8

Looks like a good defender, he'd certainly scary the :censored: out of the opposition players.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:33 pm
by JoeTerp
heimdall wrote:I'd go along with 4-4-2 dropping mascha and playing Stevie with Xabi. If Torres has another stinker I would replace him with Babel, definitely not N'Gog, who is another spectacularly bad signing. I have to say that last summer Rafa made good signings but something went horribly wrong this summer with N'Gog, Degan and Dossena and to a certain extent the over priced Keane.  :no

but Riera is the saving grace of the window, and Keane might be turning it around.

Degen was free, N'Gog was dirt cheap.

Dossena does seem like a waste, but he is still playing for Italy (don't know how) so he should still have some value if we sell him back there next summer.

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 3:50 pm
by The Good Yank
Just to be a little different.

                Riena
El Zhar  Carra   Agger  Aurellio

         Alonso  Gerrard
Kuyt                        Riera

                  Keane
        Torres

Subs:Cavalieri, Masher,Ngog,Babel,Hypia,Degan,Lucas

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 4:09 pm
by JoeTerp
The Good Yank wrote:Just to be a little different.

                Riena
El Zhar  Carra   Agger  Aurellio

         Alonso  Gerrard
Kuyt                        Riera

                  Keane
        Torres

Subs:Cavalieri, Masher,Ngog,Babel,Hypia,Degan,Lucas

would look better if you switched El Zhar and Kuyt

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:12 pm
by GYBS
El Zhar at right back ?!?!?! thats as bad as someone putting gerrard at right back ?!?!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 13, 2008 5:27 pm
by tubby
Positions aside I like El Zhar. Hes a good dribbler.