Comments on: Liverpool vs. Villa: All my rowdy friends are here on Monday…day

By: Matthew N

Matthew N — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:12:41 +0000

I think you hit the nail on the head. Lucas has never shown what it is that Rafa sees in him. Drop Gerrard back and take him from an attacking midfield role to a more pass-oriented midfielder (he can make the long passes that Lucas can’t– well let me rephrase, he makes the passes that Lucas might not see). I was very impressed with Riera in the preseason and I am still very bummed that he has not seen a minute yet. I am a big Benayoun fan, but I don’t know if the left side is right for him. After all, he is right footed and tends to cut inside rather than stretch the field. Riera is naturally left footed and seems much better suited (although Insua/Johnson have been very aggressive on both sides of the field this year so I wonder if we even need to worry about our midfielder’s ability to stretch the width of the field). A lot of people hate on Voronin, but I like the guy. He has a naturally ability to be in the right place at the right time even if he isn’t skilled enough to always make that ambitious pass or strong finish. I would love to see a second striker, at least until Aqualani is ready to play. Ngog looked great in preseason as well. I like Torres, but he has a questionable first touch some times (and then at other times he will just blow your mind at how amazing he can be!). I think dropping Stevie G deeper and playing two dedicated strikers will do wonders for us until Aqualani is ready. I would also like to see Mascherano get more involved in the offence. If anyone has the ability to replace Alonso, I really think it might be Mascherano, not Gerrard. I’ve never seen him play as well as he has the last year or so.

I dunno… I’m rambling. Everything is going to be fine though

By: Jarrod

Jarrod — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:59:07 +0000

Check out the Aquilani post on my website Matthew. I wouldn’t bet on Aquilani being in the lineup every game even after he gets over this current injury.

By: sfshwebb

sfshwebb — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:44:29 +0000

Matthew – The SPL match is not for American folk? I assumed it was…DAMN.

Jarrod – I too am surprised that Leiva is starting. I’m assuming its because 1. Benitez see’s something that we don’t and 2. Benitez is very stubborn.

I remember when Carragher first came on the scene. He was midfielder but more of a defensive one and then got switched to right back and eventually settled at left back. He was good but also was prone to lots of mistakes. I think he had 3-4 in his first two years and the fans though loved him for being local, got on his case a lot in a similar way that Lucus is. Now look at him. I believe that he is one of the top 2 center backs in the league (Matthew – i meant earlier that Agger will eventually replace Jamie, as he is still superb but getting on a bit and has a lost a step. I feel he has two great years left in him).

Benitez is also very stubborn (his devotion to Kewell being a prime example). I think the best solution till Aqualani comes on, is to do what they did at the end of the game yesterday with Gerrard dropping back and give Voronin or Nemeth or Ngog a decent run as a second striker. Even put Benayoun behind Torres (if you don’t have faith in Voronin) and have Reira take Yossi’s current position. Benayoun plays best behind the striker anyways and Reira is a better winger. When Aqualani comes back, then you have a bit of a selection nightmare but that’s not a bad thing.

What do you guys think?

By: Jarrod

Jarrod — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:00:25 +0000

I am really surprised that Leiva is still starting. I know it is en vogue to bash him right now but seriously, is he really EPL material? Besides being undersized by EPL standards, he just doesn’t seem to have the intestinal fortitude or the skills necessary to contribute much in the midfield. Just my opinion. Also, I am really surprised that Rafa would buy a player already injured to replace Alonso when Leiva was his only cover at this position. I am seriously questioning Rafa’s judgement at this point. What do you think Matthew?

By: Matthew N

Matthew N — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 11:29:03 +0000

Did anyone else notice that ESPN advertised the Chelsea/Burnley Saturday game at noon (e.g. we were watching the same thing those in the UK were watching)? They also showed another overlay advertising a Celtic/Hibernian SPL match on Sunday… I was really excited until I realized that wasn’t for us poor American folk… Damn you ESPN for getting my hopes up. Oh well, now I will know not to trust the advertisements during the broadcasts.