So Cal Red

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/arti...in_page_id=1779 if he leaves, we should use the money for a quality left winger or an attacking player/ball-carrier. Lucas looks ready to fight for a spot in the first team.

along w/ the rest of our players on int'l duty.

our new super attack: --------------Torres----------- Ronaldinho--Kaka------Messi

highly doubt it! i think either one of Alonso or Mascherano would be perfect for them.

i don't think Pennant is "one of the worst wingers in the world" - but thats a whole other topic! generally though, i have to agree w/ you. Gerrard on the right w/ two solid central midfielders who can dictate play & tempo. its not like Gerrard can't play on the right/roaming/advanced role. after all, he did score 20+ goals last season from that position.

that article is spot-on! i sure hope to see more of that w/ the return of Alonso. don't think Rafa's had much of a choice though, w/ Alonso being injured, Rafa's HAD TO play Gerrard in the middle. & insert Benayoun so we've got a creative spark ala Bergkamp! oh no, not CARNAGE again?!

how dare you! how dare he!!

fantastic player - when healthy. trouble is, he's hardly ever healthy! still one of my favorite players b/c he possesses skill & talent. just hoping he doesn't break down, err, again.

awesome performance put in by him today. hope he keeps it up!

Benayoun, if played as second striker, can be our Bergkamp.

yeah, thats what i thought too... The Anfield manager said: "We've been working on buying new players since the beginning of September. We do not have problems in the financial area because we have sold a lot of players. We have around 35m euros (£20.7m)." VdV?!

based off of the recent reports, i think our chances of snatching Giovani are very slim... he doesn't want to leave Barca & Barca don't want him to go. Menez & Nasri is much more realistic as i can see them moving up the ladder to bigger clubs soon... we seem to be following the pair as well. Babel can play in the advanced role on the left as Fletcher said above.

more so than a striker, i think we'll be in pursuit of a quality winger since Babel can play upfront in place of Crouch (if he leaves that is).

interesting, yes... but where does Quaresma fit into all of this?!

looks quite impressive (based off of the youtube videos) a quality attacking ball-carrier who plays wide & gets defenders backpedaling is one of the things we are lacking at the moment. Monaco Star Menez Has Major Admirers

i think he had a point there... sometimes its better to just KEEP IT SIMPLE... at least the players will know whats going on! but i can see Rafa saying something like: "look the bigger picture... the players will be fresher at the end of the season", etc. whats worrying is that Rafa seems to be treating the players like an army of pawns - there at his disposal... chopping up the line-up without regard to form or confidence. agreed... like for like AND no more than 2-3 changes per game.

spot on Leo.

fair point... i think thats definitely one of the major disadvantage's of Rafa's rotation ssytem. ahhh! too many possibilities! how are we going to accommodate Alonso, Gerrard, Mascherano, AND Xavi? tough decisions ahead... totally agree w/ you there dude. exactly... the burden of responsibility mostly belongs to Rafa... its his job to prepare the players physically & mentally before & after the match... but its also his job to make the necessary changes during the match. ...& the incentive for playing well!

fully agree w/ you... its Pavlov's dog all over again. no consistent reward/cost pattern for what we've seen this season in Rafa's rotation. the uncertainty of who will & won't get the nod for the next game must be mentally draining for the players.

i agree that Momo was one of our worst performers tonight... but to say that there has been "absolutely no signs of improvement" since he first joined us? i think thats a bit of an exaggeration. believe it or not, Momo's passing has improved drastically this season... he's also been good bombing forward... however, tonight was the exception & he seemed to relapse into all the bad habits that i hoped were left in the past. the Momo & Gerrard partnership was one that i thought i'd never see... Momo should play only if Gerrard isn't playing... the two cannot play together b/c it forces Gerrard to sit & Momo to play a more advanced role... just wouldn't prove as effective (as demonstrated tonight)... Xabi & Masch in central midfield w/ Gerrard on the right/drifting or Xabi/Masch & Gerrard would be the ideal central midfield line-up for me... i can also see Lucas coming more into the fold this season.

ahh, the voice of reason has spoken...

the season started off really well (& people got carried away) but we've obviously been disappointing lately. its still early season though & i think we'll be mounting strong challenges on all fronts... yes, even in the domestic league. Rafa just has to better prep & ready the players for our next match now.

:dynamite:

i think part of our current problem is similar to prior seasons... we're still not creating enough chances! our last 3 games have highlighted this deficiency. we're giving away possession too cheaply, lacking a cutting edge in the final third, & not applying enough pressure on the opposition. imo, Rafa's rotation policy is not cause, but rather, its the discipline & the mindset of the players out on the pitch that needs to be addressed first & foremost.

Rafa tells Sam to piss off