fred milne

Sissoko's game is about winning the ball all over the pitch, not sitting in front of the back four and controlling possession.

The onus would be on Gerrard to sit, which doesn't really suit his game.

I imagine that for most games the centre-mid pairing will be Alonso and Sissoko. Perhaps against some of the weaker sides at Anfield we'll see Alonso and Gerrard, but otherwise I expect to see Gerrard playing RM or behind the main striker. If Hamann sticks around (and I hope he does), he'll probably be used as cover for Alonso.

On safe ground there I think.

He's played LM, LB and as a forward too. CB and in goal are the only positions I've not seen him play.

I don't think his ability on the ball can begin to be compared with Bergkampf's.

Agree with that. It frustrates me that someone who has had his best ever season playing at RIGHT MIDFIELD has to be continually compared to players such as Keane and Souness who played their best football sitting in front of the centre-halves.

He's never been outstanding. He's just had periods when the gaffes have been kept to an acceptable level. We can do (much) better.

He's still right, though.

He does seem to reserve some of his best displays for our benefit. One of the finest games I've seen him play was at Anfield in 2002-3 season. Beating Carra and Steph for pace after giving them a head-start and the inside track..... He invariably gets the better of Carra at Highbury too.

I don't know about that - it must have been about 12 months ago now that Xabi and Xavi took Lampard & Co to the cleaners in the game over in the Bernabeu.

Gerrard was playing RM so he was never going to be involved in the game as much as Sissoko but he scored two fantastic goals, made Cisse's goal as well as the (wrongly) disallowed goal from Crouch. I'm as hard on Gerrard as anyone but he was clearly the best player on the park. I didn't think Sissoko's passing was up to the standards he has set for himself in recent weeks, although his competitivenes and stamina were invaluable in extra-time.

I don't think Saturday was Sissoko's best game by any stretch, although he was important for us during extra-time along with Didi. Gerrard was clearly the best player on the pitch.

That doesn't make sense.

I do think RVN is the type of player that would suit Rafa's system but I share your reservations over his age.

Probably right but I just can't see it happening. I do think there's a good chance his departure will weaken Utd significantly - just as the previous sales of Stam and Beckham did.

Their record over the last 5 years may be better than anything we have done in the league in the last 16 years but that doesn't mean they are not in decline compared with where they were during the proceeding 10 years.

Barwick's memory sounds a bit suspect... "I saw [Luiz] Felipe Scolari on three occasions. Once in London, once in Oxfordshire, definitely in Lisbon." http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,1767700,00.html

I like to think of 2002-3 as an anomaly. For me, their powers have clearly waned since 2001. (So I guess that makes it 4 going on 5 years!)

I'm not saying Souness didn't do a poor job but even the best manager would have found it a tricky assignment. You can see how much Ferguson (a much better manager than Souness) has struggled to get Utd back on track these last 4 years after allowing his own team to grow old together.

A strong character is needed to reign in all those Team England egos. I can't see a born No.2 like McLaren doing it and he's hardly set the Premiership alight since he's been at Boro despite having a respectable budget at his disposal. Now that IS true.

That's great news for Beckham at any rate.

Its worth remembering though that Hansen retired about the same time that Kenny resigned and that Barnes and McMahon, two key players in Kenny's team, were never the same again after the injuries they picked up in 1991. With the likes of Grobelaar, Nicol, Gillespie, Whelan, Molby, Beardsley and Rush all around the 30 yrs mark or older, Souness definitely did have his work cut out.

I think he was thinking of Gullit rather than Rijkaard, although I agree its not a particularly good comparison. The one with Nedved is better.

I can't read his stuff.