Liverpool FC Forum

Sabre wrote:

The Spain striker believes the Reds need "small players with quality"

Fernando, we're going to need you convince Bigmick about the "small players" part .

Fair enough, although some tinies do make it. They do say it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog and to some extent that's true. To make it in England as an offensive player, you have much to cope with and only the strongest survive.

Yes sometimes you can survive by sheer force of will if you keep dragging yourself up off the deck, but a better way is to adapt the way you play. The way you shield it in Spain won't work in the Premiership, because as the defender leans into your back and you flop over the ball feeling contact, in England it's play on and he simply takes the ball away from you. The better method is to get your trailing arm back, fight the fella off physically.

Even better if you're a Silva or a Zola, is to avoid the situation. Don't stand still on the football, shimmy, swerve, move, feint and offload. Show, don't show. Come in, go short, spin off and back in agin. Get it, move, move, move, move and pass. If they do catch up with you, take the contact, hit the deck and bounce. Don't writhe around like you've been shot, don't scream 'AAArrghhhhhh!" on your way down. Relish the challenge, puff out your chest and look em in the eye. Most of all, bottle the aggression you feel and channel it into a desire to hurt them where it hurts the most, by making a matchwinning contribution.

Follow in the footsteps of the Cantona's, the Ginola's, the Henri's, the Zola's and the Torres's. People with the strength of character, masses of ability and a desire which simply cannot be supressed by opposition aggression. Leave the well trodden paths of the Morientes's, the Gonzales's, the Riera's etc well alone. For them the involvement is fitful, the desire to succeed less pronounced as they fleetingly show in short bursts, dancing between the raindrops of physicality. For them the desire to adapt isn't or wasn't strong enough, the determination to overcome the hostility not ingrained enough.

Small players can do it too, but they must be able to carry a bucket of desire which exceeds their body wieght comfortably, and they must learn to dodge the bullets. Not easy by any means, but just about possible. For every Gianfranco Zola though, there are twenty Emre Bozogliou's.

bigmick wrote:

Sabre wrote:

The Spain striker believes the Reds need "small players with quality"

Fernando, we're going to need you convince Bigmick about the "small players" part .

Fair enough, although some tinies do make it. They do say it's not the size of the dog in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the dog and to some extent that's true. To make it in England as an offensive player, you have much to cope with and only the strongest survive.

Yes sometimes you can survive by sheer force of will if you keep dragging yourself up off the deck, but a better way is to adapt the way you play. The way you shield it in Spain won't work in the Premiership, because as the defender leans into your back and you flop over the ball feeling contact, in England it's play on and he simply takes the ball away from you. The better method is to get your trailing arm back, fight the fella off physically.

Even better if you're a Silva or a Zola, is to avoid the situation. Don't stand still on the football, shimmy, swerve, move, feint and offload. Show, don't show. Come in, go short, spin off and back in agin. Get it, move, move, move, move and pass. If they do catch up with you, take the contact, hit the deck and bounce. Don't writhe around like you've been shot, don't scream 'AAArrghhhhhh!" on your way down. Relish the challenge, puff out your chest and look em in the eye. Most of all, bottle the aggression you feel and channel it into a desire to hurt them where it hurts the most, by making a matchwinning contribution.

Follow in the footsteps of the Cantona's, the Ginola's, the Henri's, the Zola's and the Torres's. People with the strength of character, masses of ability and a desire which simply cannot be supressed by opposition aggression. Leave the well trodden paths of the Morientes's, the Gonzales's, the Riera's etc well alone. For them the involvement is fitful, the desire to succeed less pronounced as they fleetingly show in short bursts, dancing between the raindrops of physicality. For them the desire to adapt isn't or wasn't strong enough, the determination to overcome the hostility not ingrained enough.

Small players can do it too, but they must be able to carry a bucket of desire which exceeds their body wieght comfortably, and they must learn to dodge the bullets. Not easy by any means, but just about possible. For every Gianfranco Zola though, there are twenty Emre Bozogliou's.

Sabre wrote:That was a good post Mick and I had missed the answer, I can't argue about the need to have lots of desire to adapt, although I have to say that it's difficult to know how someone will adapt to the English game without watching him play in England.

For instance if you saw Torres in Spain, you would have never imagined he'd answer to the physicallity the way he has. Lots of sitting down in the pitch complaining, lots of lack of contact with the toughest CB. Yet, he came, and he adapted to the physicallity in a way not only me, but everyone around here didn't expect.

My point is that I can't disagree what you say, but don't rush to say how Silva would do here until you see him 4 or 5 games here.

maybe we should ask Valencia if we can take him for a test drive 

stmichael wrote:The ideal would be to get someone who can play from the left the majority of the time and is comfortable through the middle ala Henry.

I really struggle to see how Babel is going to get a run out unless he seriously ups his game.

aCe' wrote:

stmichael wrote:The ideal would be to get someone who can play from the left the majority of the time and is comfortable through the middle ala Henry.

I really struggle to see how Babel is going to get a run out unless he seriously ups his game.

Juan Mata... also, Mutu and Cassano spring to mind but doubt Rafa would be interested in any of the latter two despite them doing brilliantly with their clubs in recent times... Mata is a realistic target though and we've been linked to him in the past few days... would be a good signing and provides goals for the side...
Its a shame we missed out on Robinho last season... would have been perfect for us...

We would have never been able to afford robinho and his wages are pretty steep , he went to city as they were offering him the highest also i think he's a , there are some games where he strolling and walking around the pitch as if he wasn't interested , we don't need players like him at LFC.

Toffeehater wrote:

aCe' wrote:

stmichael wrote:The ideal would be to get someone who can play from the left the majority of the time and is comfortable through the middle ala Henry.

I really struggle to see how Babel is going to get a run out unless he seriously ups his game.

Juan Mata... also, Mutu and Cassano spring to mind but doubt Rafa would be interested in any of the latter two despite them doing brilliantly with their clubs in recent times... Mata is a realistic target though and we've been linked to him in the past few days... would be a good signing and provides goals for the side...
Its a shame we missed out on Robinho last season... would have been perfect for us...

We would have never been able to afford robinho and his wages are pretty steep , he went to city as they were offering him the highest also i think he's a , there are some games where he strolling and walking around the pitch as if he wasn't interested , we don't need players like him at LFC.

yea.. fck all the brilliant yet arrogant money grabbing players in the world.. the ronaldos, Kakas (sould his soul to Madrid  ), Robinhos, Ibrahimovics, Tevezs, Barrys and Etoos.... we'll go for players who really live to wear the red shirt like Mascherano (oh wait...), Alonso (mmmm...), Kevin nolan and David Wheater....
fck winning the league if it means we sign good players to do that !