Crouch

[HK]

Played extremely well on Saturday.

Played an important part today. Won the header that led to Torres goal.

Kept the ball well.

A fantastic player to have in the squad.

Hope he stays.

[billybunter]

really helped our play today, has a great calm presence up front. Always willing to link up

[Coyler]

s***. Completely forgot about him in MOM. Did really well.

[HK]

s***. Completely forgot about him in MOM. Did really well.

 

Credit to Rafa for changing a winning formula. That's what managers are paid to do; to make difficult decisions.

[San Diego Red]

He's a bloody good defender as well

[Paul]

Deserves a lot of credit.

Hasn't been playing much lately but has put in two good performances in the last week, fair play to the lad.

[CaptainXabi]

Deserves a lot of credit.

Hasn't been playing much lately but has put in two good performances in the last week, fair play to the lad.

I agree. He was great. However, I felt that his inclusion, and the subsequent change in formation, messed up our mojo a bit in midfield. Not his fault though as he played well and carried the Tog for the first 60.

[Swipe]

Bet he won't start in any of our remaining CL games though.

 

Stick to the formation that's served us well i say.

 

great flick on for Torres goal, though. Didn't seem to get any credit for it.

[alias75]

Its a tough one because in the big games i think Babels more suited to coming off the bench, but then your losing Gerrard a little bit from the middle. If we stick the the 4-3-3 formation the only place he can play is in the Torres position so hes not going to get a game unless we're chasing the game.

 

But Babel has disappointed when hes started against the better teams so the question is are we a better team against the big teams with Crouch up front and Gerrard on the left or with Babel on the left and Gerrard supporting?

 

I guess you could also argue that Gerrard has struggled to impose himself against the big teams in that 4-3-3 formation too.

[RedNik]

Its a tough one because in the big games i think Babels more suited to coming off the bench, but then your losing Gerrard a little bit from the middle. If we stick the the 4-3-3 formation the only place he can play is in the Torres position so hes not going to get a game unless we're chasing the game.

 

But Babel has disappointed when hes started against the better teams so the question is are we a better team against the big teams with Crouch up front and Gerrard on the left or with Babel on the left and Gerrard supporting?

 

I guess you could also argue that Gerrard has struggled to impose himself against the big teams in that 4-3-3 formation too.

 

What if Kuyt were to go over to the left, and Gerrard play on the right, where he is much more comfortable, and able to influence the game?

 

Kuyt has played there for Holland some times, but less so for us.

 

Didn't see this happen at all tonight - so there must be some reason as to why not, but im just not sure what it is.

 

At any rate, I wouldn't be surprised if Riise played on the wing against Chelsea.

[Guest Anders Honoré]

Crouch did well, but it patently messed up the shape of the team, which is a shame. On that form, he deserves to start.

 

OTOH, if he got more than cameos once in a while, that would be alright too.

[Hassony]

Crouch did well, but it patently messed up the shape of the team, which is a shame. On that form, he deserves to start.

 

OTOH, if he got more than cameos once in a while, that would be alright too.

 

A lot of the players looked lost in the first 20 minutes because of the new formation, should have stuck to the same formation and probably played torres in Babel's position

[Earl Hafler]

A lot of the players looked lost in the first 20 minutes because of the new formation, should have stuck to the same formation and probably played torres in Babel's position

 

I think the change in formation, added to Arsenal's desire to get an early goal, led to the difficult opening 20-25 minutes.

 

Arsenal probably wanted an early goal and then play counter attacking football but our early reply and the injury to Flamini meant that didn't happen

 

I was impressed with our fighting spirit - i still think the players try harder and look more focused in European fixtures than they do in the Premiership. Whether that stems from the manager, i'm not sure.

 

I was worried when Walcott came on but the penalty from Gerrard seem to ' kill them off '. Easily the best penalty Gerrard has taken and probably the most crucial. He'd had a poor game but stepped up when it mattered.

 

Very proud this morning

Edited April 9, 2008 by Big Stuff

[Hassony]

I think the change in formation, added to Arsenal's desire to get an early goal, led to the difficult opening 20-25 minutes.

 

Arsenal probably wanted an early goal and then play counter attacking football but our early reply and the injury to Flamini meant that didn't happen

 

I was impressed with our fighting spirit - i still think the players try harder and look more focused in European fixtures than they do in the Premiership. Whether that stems from the manager, i'm not sure.

 

I was worried when Walcott came on but the penalty from Gerrard seem to ' kill them off '. Easily the best penalty Gerrard has taken and probably the most crucial. He'd had a poor game but stepped up when it mattered.

 

Very proud this morning

 

The same thing can probably be said about the fans!

[Guest Raisbeck]

Dont want to see that formation we started with anytime soon, it totally nullified all the good things that have developed over the past 7 games or so.

 

I honestly dont see a future for Crouch long term.

[Rimbeux]

Dont want to see that formation we started with anytime soon, it totally nullified all the good things that have developed over the past 7 games or so.

 

I honestly dont see a future for Crouch long term.

 

It was a fair shout against Arsenal as they are vulnerable in the air, but they are also vulnerable in all other aspects of defending as anyone who watched Boro and Villa regularly get in behind them would testify. I'd go back to one up front starting the rest of the season.

[beejay]

It's a shame for Crouch because he played well enough and deserved his place after Saturday's performance, but we have to stick with the formation that works for us and it was no coincidence that we started off the game misfiring all over the pitch with Gerrard on the left, Torres having to move out wide and no Babel as an out ball.

 

Crouch should be asking a few questions of himself and f*ck his agent off. Does he really want to be top dog at Portsmouth, winning f*ck all or does he want some more glory nights playing at the top level? If the latter, he should accept being a reliable & important member of the squad, work at being the striker Rafa goes to when he rests Torres and enjoy making a big impact off the bench.

 

One of Rafa's mistakes earlier in the season was picking Voronin & Kuyt together in some games when it's clear that neither can lead the line. But if PC really challenged himself, especially over his movement & runs off the ball, he can fit in to the current formation and become an effective alternative to Torres when, over the course of a long season, the great man has to sit out a few games.

 

Crouchie should get his head together, think about what he is giving up, sign a new contract and work his b****x off to prove himself.

 

Ain't gonna happen though