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Martin skrtel at right back... - Inspiration or insanity?
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:41 pmby bigmick
To me it's selections like this one which are the problems I have with "styling" perfectly illustrated. Obviously Arbeloa is injured, and no doubt Deggan is as well, so we play Carra there right, since he's played there many times for us before?
Er, no actually. We decide to move Skyrtel out there for his debut in the right back slot in a Liverpool shirt. I'm guessing the reason was because Skyrtel has more pace than carra, and would be better suited to playing against Downing? Now I haven't seen the game, but by all accounts it didn't really work. I must confess here as well that as I never said it before the match, I am speaking after the event here. I would though ask people to take it on trust, that had I been here before the match and someone told me that Skyrtel was going to be playing right back, I would have said it was ridiculous.
Too clever by half for me. Needless, silly tinkering. It's not FIFA foorball manager 07/08, it's real life. Benayoun and Riera don't need to rest because they played on Wednesday, and Stuart Downing isn't good enough to warrant completely changing your set up. When will we ever learn, or more to the point, will we ever learn?
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:42 pmby Effes
Im off for a few wines.
Will enjoy reading this in work tomorrow.
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:44 pmby Sabre
No inspiration, no insanity, but a big mistake.
We have seen about a dozen of times situations in which it was more than obvious he didn't know to play the position.
We've seen Carra despairing when he had the ball and Skrtel approached instead of running and give him space.
It's been a mess, and it's been a mistake because it failed blatantly.
Unlike the Aurelio at CM experiment that did work, and thus, was not a big mistake, this has been a mistake. A mistake of Rafa.
No discussion on that front from me.
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:46 pmby Alex G.
I saw Skrtel better on the right than Carragher.
The problem of today was not the Rafa´s eleven, the problem is that there are many players not good enough.
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:48 pmby account deleted by request
bigmick wrote:To me it's selections like this one which are the problems I have with "styling" perfectly illustrated. Obviously Arbeloa is injured, and no doubt Deggan is as well, so we play Carra there right, since he's played there many times for us before?
Er, no actually. We decide to move Skyrtel out there for his debut in the right back slot in a Liverpool shirt. I'm guessing the reason was because Skyrtel has more pace than carra, and would be better suited to playing against Downing? Now I haven't seen the game, but by all accounts it didn't really work. I must confess here as well that as I never said it before the match, I am speaking after the event here. I would though ask people to take it on trust, that had I been here before the match and someone told me that Skyrtel was going to be playing right back, I would have said it was ridiculous.
Too clever by half for me. Needless, silly tinkering. It's not FIFA foorball manager 07/08, it's real life. Benayoun and Riera don't need to rest because they played on Wednesday, and Stuart Downing isn't good enough to warrant completely changing your set up. When will we ever learn, or more to the point, will we ever learn?
One other question that might be asked mate. It was obvious from early on that it wasn't working. Why wait till we are 2-0 down and the famous 60 minute mark has passed before doing something about it? Surely it would have been much simpler to pass a message to Carra and Skrtel to swop places.
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:48 pmby Sabre
Better than Carra? 
How mate?
Skrtl effort there in my view was abissmal and I'd swear Boro made us harm from that wing.
What did you like of Skrtel today?
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:49 pmby NANNY RED
Effes wrote:
Im off for a few wines.
Will enjoy reading this in work tomorrow.
Get yeh self down to yeatsys an have a few aussie whites numbs the pain 
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:50 pmby lakes10
I think it was just a mistake by Rafa, he tried it and it did not work, in trurh its not what cost us the win. What cost us the win was not having a striker as we did not buy one when we had the chance.
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:50 pmby Bad Bob
Well, I saw the game and I'm here to tell you it was a very poor decision. Skrtel looked very much like a deer in the headlights at times at both ends of the pitch and, on top of it all, Carragher didn't have a spectacular game at CB either...perhaps because he had to worry how Skrtel was doing beside him.
If we broaden this out the other selection question marks, El Zhar was very poor at RM--running into traffic all the time, choosing the wrong option, bolloxing up a short corner with an offside and, the pick of the bunch, missing an absolute sitter when we were down 1-0 and needed a way back into the match. Terrible performance, made all the worse by the fact that we had an in form Benayoun sitting on the bench as a result of his selection. Over on the other side of the pitch we added another chapter to "Flattering to Deceive: The Ryan Babel Story." Like El Zhar, he spent more time turning into trouble and selecting the wrong option than he did keeping possession and giving Boro something to think about. Three very poor selections that contributed to a very, very poor performance--the worst I've seen from us in the league in a couple of seasons.
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:52 pmby Effes
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:52 pmby Dundalk
I say the game as well and what he was thinking putting Skrtel there up against Downing who was there best player I will never know. Downing had a field day against him and ended up man of the match
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:57 pmby tubby
It isnt the first time Rafa has played someone out of position and im sure it wont be the last. (or will it? 
)
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 8:57 pmby Bad Bob
Dundalk wrote:I say the game as well and what he was thinking putting Skrtel there up against Downing who was there best player I will never know. Downing had a field day against him and ended up man of the match
The Setanta announcers were talking about Skrtel playing RB before the match, when they posted up the lineups and, in truth, I thought they'd lost the plot. Surely Carra was going to be over on the flank? The match starts and, sure enough, they're right--it's Skrtel. They speculated that it had to do with Carra not being able to keep pace with Downing. Now, I know Downing's probably a bit quicker than many give him credit for but he's no pace merchant and (surely someone can back me up on this) Carra must have gone up against pacier wingers when Arbeloa was hurt last month? Besides, I've only ever seen Carra skinned for pace once--by Henry. The lad's just too good at reading the game and positioning himself accordingly. Utterly daft decision. 
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:05 pmby account deleted by request
Posted:
Sat Feb 28, 2009 9:10 pmby teamleader1
Alex G. wrote:I saw Skrtel better on the right than Carragher.
The problem of today was not the Rafa´s eleven, the problem is that there are many players not good enough.
And who recruited these not to good players?
Lets not kid ourselves;
Rafa would fk up if we had the best squad in the prem 
I for one dont want another 4 years of this 
!
