Page 8 of 9
Posted:
Thu Feb 28, 2008 12:53 pmby JBG
Just resurrecting this (rather than starting a new Lucas thread) as Lucas has been given an extended run in the side lately (he has started the last 5 games).
What do people think of his current progress? Personally I think he has done quite well. He was solid (if not flamboyant) against Inter and he is growing in importance within the squad. I think he had surpassed Sissoko in Rafa's plans before Momo left and currently he has kept an out of form Xabi out of the team.
I have also recently heard that he has made a big effort in learning English and is now confident enough to give interviews in English (sets him apart form Carra already 
).
I hope he continues his progress as he can become an important player to Liverpool, particularly given that he's handy on the ball.
Posted:
Thu Feb 28, 2008 1:01 pmby andy_g
i'm delighted to see him getting an extended run in the team as, like many, i'm a big fan already and excited by his potential. having said that though, i think his extended run has coincided with a slight dip in form. he seems to be getting shrugged or muscled off the ball a little too often and his passing hasn't been as crisp and accurate as we know it can be. maybe its that seeing him over 90 minutes we see the peaks and troughs that almost every player has during a game and not the great little cameos he provided before. as far as i'm concerned though he should be in the starting 11 pretty much every time.
Posted:
Thu Feb 28, 2008 2:07 pmby Judge
Igor Zidane wrote:Heimdall ,you are a first class bellend mate.
coming from someone who had bells palsy 
funny comment tho igor
Posted:
Fri Feb 29, 2008 10:45 amby Big Niall
Babel is a sh!te left winger, if we spend a lot of money on a guy that plays centre forward, then play him there FFS 
Kuyt MUST be sold, Crouch maybe, then give Babel a chance up front for ten games in a row with Torres, play SG on right, Alonso/mash/Lucas compete for two centre places and new top class left winger (out of money got on sale of Kuyt and Penant, money saved on the w*nker Kewell's salary)
We are solid at the back for the moment, My team (same as original post) would be a real challenge for the title, and none of that stupid Rafa rotation bo!!ox
Posted:
Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:27 amby JC_81
I think Babel looks like he could become a really good player. He has all the attributes, but he drifts in and out of games and his decision making/final ball need a bit of work. Maybe he would be better as a central striker, but even as a winger I think he has good potential. I think by the end of next season we'll have a better idea of whether Babel is going to do the business for us or not.
Lucas I'm slightly less confident about. Again he shows good potential, but at the moment he's a bit of a Fletcher or a Flamini for me. By that I mean he's a good all-round midfielder, but doesn't have any outstanding attributes to push him into the top class bracket. That's not to say that we won't see a bit more from him once he fully adapts to the league. Well worth keeping a hold of to see how he develops.
Posted:
Fri Feb 29, 2008 11:52 amby metalhead
john craig wrote:I think Babel looks like he could become a really good player. He has all the attributes, but he drifts in and out of games and his decision making/final ball need a bit of work. Maybe he would be better as a central striker, but even as a winger I think he has good potential. I think by the end of next season we'll have a better idea of whether Babel is going to do the business for us or not.
Lucas I'm slightly less confident about. Again he shows good potential, but at the moment he's a bit of a Fletcher or a Flamini for me. By that I mean he's a good all-round midfielder, but doesn't have any outstanding attributes to push him into the top class bracket. That's not to say that we won't see a bit more from him once he fully adapts to the league. Well worth keeping a hold of to see how he develops.
I won't put him in a flamini or fletcher bracket, I think he is better than them. He has loads of intelligence, i.e how he can pick up his teammate quite easily on the pitch. He is very comfortable on the ball (technically gifted), However I see him more of a defencive midfielder than a box to box, because he does position himself well in the pitch.
He is a very good player.
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:14 amby LFC1982
Think Ryan Babel at the weekend was fantastic, looked the most confident I've seen him for us, seemed to go past players with ease and had some end product, unlucky not to get a hatrick, hopefully we'll start to see what van Basten was on about, needs to work on his first touch but think we could have a top player for next season.
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 11:40 amby crazyhorse
Not sure about Lucas, looks technically gifted but for me he gives the ball away a lot. Alsonso and Masch are far more compact and efficient and they would be my preferred option in the middle, with SG given a floating right sided role, similar to the one Macca had a few years ago.
Babel-yes I like him although he does vanish at times. Unlike some here however I do rate him as a winger, IMHO his finishing is not consistant enough to rate playing up top full time yet.
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 12:42 pmby stmichael
Babel's potential is frightening imo. People need to remember that the kid's only 20 years old.
As we saw yesterday, his pace and dribbling ability are better used away from home where he can break and have more space. His passing is poor at times though and his tendency to run straight into his opponent when he doesn't have space is another weakness. However the ability is there, it's the football brain that's missing at the moment. That will come though.
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 4:51 pmby LFC1982
Ryan Babel's pledge on form
Mar 3 2008 EXCLUSIVE by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo
RYAN BABEL today pledged to follow up his best performance yet for Liverpool with even more "beautiful" displays in a red shirt.
As well as scoring Liverpool’s second goal in a resounding 3-1 win at Bolton yesterday, the Dutch star terrorised Gary Megson’s side throughout.
And despite being satisfied with his own performance, Babel insists there is more to come from both himself and the team.
He said: “I think that was one of my better games for Liverpool and I felt more confident as the game went on.
“I still think I will improve some more though because I am still getting used to football in this country.
“The game is a lot more physically demanding here than I was used to in Holland but I feel I am much stronger now compared to the beginning of the season.
“I am not where I want to be just yet but hopefully soon I will find my level and I can play beautiful football for Liverpool.
“But the most important thing was the performance of the team.
“We trained really well in the week leading up to the Bolton game and we took the confidence from that into this match.”
Babel was delighted with his goal which took the game away from Bolton and he followed it up with a somersault celebration every bit as spectacular as his strike.
But the 21-year-old insists he won’t be following up every goal he scores with similar displays of gymnastic artistry.
“I’m very happy with the goal because it was important that we scored the second to kill the game, so I am grateful for that,” he said.
“We kept pushing forward for the second and I always felt it would come, even though Jaaskelainen made some fantastic saves.
“So when I scored my goal I was really happy and that was why I celebrated like I did.
“But I won’t be doing it all the time. I will save it for the special moments.”
Just thought I'd stick this on for people who haven't read it yet!!!
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:09 pmby Redman in wales
Did anyone see MoTD on sunday? - not that i care about what them lot on there think - but they did highlight the fact that babel only ever uses his right foot and never his left. All his shots on goal and a majority of his play all comes from his right - even when it would be better to use his left. he seems purely one footed. obviously they only highlight the bits that back-up their arguement, but it might be something to watch out for.
I do think he's got phenominal potential though.
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:12 pmby god_bless_john_houlding
Redman in wales wrote:Did anyone see MoTD on sunday? - not that i care about what them lot on there think - but they did highlight the fact that babel only ever uses his right foot and never his left. All his shots on goal and a majority of his play all comes from his right - even when it would be better to use his left. he seems purely one footed. obviously they only highlight the bits that back-up their arguement, but it might be something to watch out for.
I do think he's got phenominal potential though.
Tell me when you've seen Beckham use his left foot?
It's because it's a Liverpool player that they think it's a huge problem. It isn't. Babel is a lad with bags of talent, and given a good run in the side we'll see the best of him, like we are now.
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 5:27 pmby redmikey
if babel can put that high energy kind of performance in week in week out next season and towards the end of this one he could be a massive part in us making 4th and push on in the champs league
i thought alot of his good point though were having gerrard unleashed to pick up good passing position and not have to be chasing back all the time, and let babel run on to the good passes the sg can provide when he is not trying to hit hollywood balls all the time
alot of good performances yesterday against a tough team to play away, only worry is that we look likely to concede against set plays all the time
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:40 pmby RedBlood
lucas and babel are two massive talents with bags of potential people are forgetting they are still only 20years old, personally i am very happy they are with us and more young players of their type will help us challenge for major titles in years to come
Posted:
Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:45 pmby King Carra
Redman in wales wrote:Did anyone see MoTD on sunday? - not that i care about what them lot on there think - but they did highlight the fact that babel only ever uses his right foot and never his left. All his shots on goal and a majority of his play all comes from his right - even when it would be better to use his left. he seems purely one footed. obviously they only highlight the bits that back-up their arguement, but it might be something to watch out for.
I do think he's got phenominal potential though.
Hence why Benitez is playing him on the left in an effort to get him better used to his left foot.
Can anyone else a remember a great Liverpool player from the past decade who only used one foot? Patrick Burger anyone...