deacon

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I can't help but think the same thing about you.

Despite what the press and everyone else seems to think about Anelka, you never hear previous team mates slag him off. Sure, his brother seems like a complete loon and no doubt causes him some problems, but Gerrard said that he was alright in his autobiography, he was a quiet lad who just got on with his own thing. And as for his ability, well he is just pure class. He'd get into any team in the premiership no problem. People say he's hardly setting the league alight with Bolton - have you seen how many goals he's scored in a team near the bottom of the league? Every time I watch him play, he just oozes class. He always seems to make the right decision, rarely gives the ball away. He can score the tap ins, score from a long ball over the top, good in the air, strong, quick, great touch, can beat a man, and he's hit the odd screamer. He has everything. He's spent the past few years at Man City, Fenerbahce and now Bolton. What a waste of his talent. I'd have him without question.

I can't believe all the sh*t i've heard on this thread. If we pick up 6 points from our next two games, we're right back in the mixer. We can still leave this group with 13 points and top the group. Alarm bells can start ringing if we get less than 6 points from the next 2 games. As for the league, we're still right in it. Yes Rafa rotates, but if we have as good a November and December as we had the past 2 seasons, we're right in it by Christmas. Rafa knows what he's doing. Suggestions that Rafa thinks each player is as good as one another and that he's squad rotating to stick 2 fingers up to the press and his detractors are complete rubbish. Of course Rafa knows who the better players are. Get a grip people!

Sorry Lennon, you're talking out of your ar$e, and I wouldn't put is as strongly as that, if you weren't being such a t*** on this thread. We are missing Alonso big time. As good as Mascherano is, he's not in the same league as Alonso when it comes to passing the ball. Lesser sides are going to make it difficult for us to beat them, as Birmingham did last week. Alonso's the player that we have to counter ultra defensive sides through his speed of thought and accuracy. He makes others play well by finding them so easily and so quickly. The Porto game was embarrassing at times, we couldn't string 3 passes together. I remember thinking whilst watching that game that Alonso would make such an improvement to our game. He makes the ability to find space in midfield to receive the ball from the defence, then find a pass, look so easy. But it isn't. Other manangers aren't stupid, they notice our play runs through Xabi and they target him by pressing a couple of players on him. This has undoubtedly made him less effective since his first season, as other managers have wised up, but he's such a clever player he always makes an extra couple of seconds on the ball, whilst creating extra space for others. Anyone who thinks Xabi isn't part of our best XI is an idiot. He missed the Chelsea semi final at home last season because Rafa knew the game would be a war of attrition in which Chelsea would launch a physical and aerial attack Xabi couldn't cope with. I know Mascherano is a fantastic player, but Xabi is superior.

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Anderson may look poor at the moment, but he isn't a poor player. I watched Porto in a Champions League match last season and he looked awesome, he was just so strong on the ball, very direct and very skilful.

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Disagree, Desailly is so arrogant. Like the majority of the BBC team, he talks rubbish too. It's a shame that they bring in the "A Team" for the big games on MOTD2, when the normal gang on MOTD2 are far superior to the main gang.

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The pundits were spot on, we were very poor tonight, that's the most wasteful we've been in possession in a long time. I agree that Finnan looked really shaky, I think that early mistake he made must have rattled him. I didn't think Hyypia had any pace to lose, but my god, it looked like he was running in slow motion when tracking back for the move that created the penalty.

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