The lack of pace on our flanks........

[Iver]

Babel is the only player in the squad who can offer any kind of pace on the flanks for us at the moment.

 

His performance today was absolutely abysmal - you would think that he would be up for it, with a point to prove - he was appallingly poor - so much so that if it meant that we have to sell to generate funds to strengthen in January, he would be top of my list to offload, while we are still able to command a decent fee for him (another year down the line, unless his performances pick up markedly, we will struggle to get our outlay back on him).

 

Every time we broke in the second half today, we were too slow, and leaden footed.

 

I like Riera, he has good work rate, delivers a good ball, and has a great shot on him - he has provided much needed balance on the left, but pace is not a major asset of his.

 

Kuyt's limitations are all too apparent, but in his defence, his work rate is faultless, and he does offer a goalscoring threat.

 

Of all the fullbacks, only Insua, it seems after today, offers any kind of pace down the flanks - he was excellent today, and on the basis of his performance, a strong argument could be made that he merits inclusion ahead of Dossena and Aurelio.

 

If we are to buy a player in January, we really could do with an attack minded, creative, flair player, to play on the right side of our midfield.

 

Thoughts?

[floyd the barber]

well i like kuyt on the right, has been our player of the season...in my opinion..

 

Left side i agree we definetly need more pace....insua maybe a good option as an overlapping full back, he excelled doing that today..

 

riera made a good start for us but has gone of the boil this past month....still feel we need a step up, another world class player to go alongside torres and gerrard, some creativity and pace is needed in january...

Edited December 21, 2008 by Lets get Masched

[Nebraska Red]

it's funny, but I was thinking how we could have used Crouch in today;'s game.

 

we had no real threat up front and nobody to scare their defenders and keep them thinking.

 

I wish we would get the ball to Riera with some space in front of him and see what he can do. He seems to get the ball in thight conditions and is then forced to play it backwards.

 

I thought Arbeloa had a good game today and he does well with Kuyt ahead of him. When we play Benayoun out right, Arbeloa's game suffers as Benayoun does not work as hard as Kuyt. Insua had a great game.

 

Babel gives the impression that he is sulking his way out of the club and desperately wants to go back to Holland, as he does not appear to give a toss.

[Magic8Ball]

Rafael Benitez's team lack belief in title race

Matt Dickinson, Chief Sports Correspondent

 

The case for Liverpool winning their first league title since 1990 may have been given credibility by a satisfying result in North London, but it worsened the more you studied the detail.

 

Top of the table is never a bad place to sit, but you do wonder how Rafael Benítez’s side are still there after drawing four of their past five Barclays Premier League matches. And you pondered how they expect to remain there unless they resolve the attacking side of their game; an issue that is not purely a question of getting Fernando Torres fit but one of attitude.

 

The league leaders had the opportunity to push for victory in the second half at the Emirates Stadium yesterday. Arsenal had lost Cesc Fàbregas to a knee injury at half-time and then Emmanuel Adebayor, inset, to a second booking (both cautions easily justifiable despite the boos) with almost half an hour to go.

 

Here was the chance for Liverpool to apply pressure to a team with obvious defensive vulnerabilities, even with 11 men and, significantly, to record a result that would have been noted as far away as Japan, where Manchester United were involved in the Club World Cup.

 

Such pressure failed to materialise and if it was understandable that Robbie Keane should start alone up front, it seemed odd that no one should be shoved up alongside him in a bold push for victory. The obvious switch would have been to move Dirk Kuyt alongside the isolated Keane but the Dutchman came inside with only nine minutes to go and ended up playing off the teenage David Ngog.

 

None of these changes amounted to an attempt by Liverpool’s bench to swing the momentum of the game away from an Arsenal team fired up by what they perceived to be the unjust dismissal of Adebayor.

 

We must assume that Liverpool would have been no more adventurous had Benítez been sat on the sidelines rather than recuperating at home from surgery to remove kidney stones. Television on, phone clasped to his ear, the Spaniard yabbered away to Xavi Valero, the goalkeeping coach, for the entire afternoon, directing operations from his armchair. If he wanted two centre forwards, he need only have said so.

 

Perhaps, from a couple of hundred miles away, he did not sense that this was a chance for Liverpool to make a statement, but Wenger appeared as mystified as the rest of us by Liverpool’s lack of adventure. “Were they tired or scared to push on?” the Arsenal manager asked, pointing out that a couple of Liverpool players were suffering from fatigue. “I am convinced that Liverpool will drop many points. Why? Because they already have. They have four draws at home so they dropped eight points there. Why won’t they drop those again in the second half of the season?”

 

The expected return of Torres, perhaps as soon as Boxing Day, is one riposte. The Spaniard not only brings goals but also a more expansive way of playing. Yesterday Liverpool relied largely, and successfully in the case of Keane’s spectacular equaliser, on balls over the top.

 

With only one league defeat, fewer than any of their rivals, Benítez might consider that his team remain on course for the trophy that players such as Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard covet above all others.

 

But after the frustration of draws against Fulham, West Ham United and Hull City, this was another game when you were left to wonder if Liverpool are capable of closing the deal — not only in these matches but in the championship race itself.

 

Do they have the belief that victory can be theirs? Are they, to borrow a phrase from Sir Alex Ferguson, “ready to win”? In the specifics of one afternoon, and in the broader sweep of things, you would have to conclude that they are probably not.

HAVE YOUR SAY

What about the games United and Chelsea should have won? Liverpool are not the only team dropping points! Benitez got the points on the board going 4-4-2 early on and now its back to 4-5-1 to grind out results in the second half of seaon where liverpool have been consitently stronger than the rest.

Chris Kershaw, London,

 

Another negative article from a so called 'expert'. Who would have predicted Pool potentially being top at Xmas! Instead of getting on Benitez's back about picking up an away point at Emirates why don't we relect on the demise of Arsenal?

 

The same old stories with the same old media!

Tommy, Herts, UK

 

Why a team that already beaten Man United and Chelsea, who both failed to get even a point from Arsenal and top of the table half way through the season has to suffer such criticism from pundits, media all over?! I don't think they will get praise even if they do win the title this season.

Axon, Singapore, Singapore

 

As a Liverpool supporter I would even have taken a defeat if only we would have gone for the win. Your article is spot on. We are not adventurous enough, but by now we should know that Rafa prefers a cautious approach. It may well cost us a good shout at the title.

anteater, Idiot City, Germany

 

Your analysis is spot on unfortunately. After a very impressive first 60 minutes Liverpool's final half hour was desperately poor and basically reflected the pathologically defensive mindset of Benitez which is killing Liverpool as an attacking force. His substitutions were a disaster.

Jim , London, England

 

They are still top of the league because the others have dropped points too. This game was up for grabs but let's not forget Liverpool are the first team among the top 4 to get anything from arsenal.arsenal had loads of pace on the pitch and could have won the game had Liverpool gone gung ho.

Farhad, Sheffield, Uk

 

Very Disappointing. Complete lack of ambition to win the game. Ryan Babel was a disgrace, looked like he didnt want to be there. Much prefer Benayoun, if not for his overall ability but his attitude is always good. Balls over the top caused them trouble all 1st half, why did we stop doing it?

Jack, Singapore, Singapore

 

Well done Rafa, one point gained....bet Redknapp wished he'd played it safe and got something out of their match too !

Robbie Grant , Texas , US

 

It's all Rafa. No clue about "O." When a team goes to the Emirates, has an extra attacker for 31 minutes, has them on the ropes and can't find a way to score, it all comes down to the manager's selections. Two points dropped again! Why play two holding mids at home and with an advantage on the road.

Richard Hudgens, Bakersfield, United States

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/foo...icle5380694.ece

[Maldini]

You don't need pace to be a great wide man, it certainly helps, but it's only a means to an end. The reason people say you need pace is so that the winger can get behind the defence and make their defenders run towards their own goal. Riera can do that through skill so he doesn't need lightning pace. It's not like he's slow anyway, he has average pace

[Ben 23]

Riera is already one of my favourite players. I hope he has the left wing position for a few years now. Forget lightening pace if you can dribble, cross and shoot to a high standard and will defend well too.

[Toni]

Riera is already one of my favourite players. I hope he has the left wing position for a few years now. Forget lightening pace if you can dribble, cross and shoot to a high standard and will defend well too.

 

yes but we really need another one on the right. although kuyt has a huge workrate, he offers next to nothing the role of a threatining winger.

[Guest PaulMcC]

Scoring goals and putting in good crosses is threatening.

[Magic8Ball]

sometimes we just need someone there who's threatening enough to get double teamed - that way there's space for Gerrard and Alonso to exploit.

Obviously it would be better if the "winger" could actually do something, beat a man, score, cross, dribble past players (not always cutting in). But mostly we need to stretch teams that are defending against us.

[Red]

yes but we really need another one on the right. although kuyt has a huge workrate, he offers next to nothing the role of a threatining winger.

 

.. Unless the full back's name is Clichy

[Rimbeux]

Pace is important, if only because of the threat. A full back who knows the wide man has the run on him will be reluctant to give up too much space behind him and will also shout for cover as he drops off to give himself a couple of yards head start. If he knows he can match his winger for pace, he can get much tighter to him knowing he can catch him if the ball is lobbed over his head or he is turned.

 

With Riera we have a guy with the feet, but his lack of pace makes him more a continuity man as Kewell was a few seasons back rather than an out and out threat. With Kuyt on the other side full of energy if not quality, and nobody consistently top class at full back it's fair to say we are not the strongest on the flanks, putting a lot on mainly two players through the middle to produce threat.

[Mike]

reira has been off form lately, i wouldn't worry about his pace necessarily.

 

why babel can only come on on for the left mid berth is another one of rafas curios though, far better option on the right as we don't have pace there.

[muleskinner]

I love Wenger thinking that we will drop 8 more points (quite probably) 2nd half of the season while his side, beaten 5 times already, won't.

[Rimbeux]

I love Wenger thinking that we will drop 8 more points (quite probably) 2nd half of the season while his side, beaten 5 times already, won't.

 

Did he say that? Maybe I read it wrong but I thought he was just saying we wont run away with it

[muleskinner]

Did he say that? Maybe I read it wrong but I thought he was just saying we wont run away with it

 

He is deflecting.

[richwilks]

yes but we really need another one on the right. although kuyt has a huge workrate, he offers next to nothing the role of a threatining winger.

 

 

Kuyt offers a threat, just a different type of threat to a traditional winger.

 

If you look at the game Sunday up against Cliche Kuyt had a massive advantage in the air and we should have been looking to hit the back post a lot more from the left wing.

[Guest PaulMcC]

Wenger said we'll drop many points. He's sure of that. He said they've already dropped 8 and will drop at least as much as that.

[sned]

Kuyt offers a threat...

 

Threat to what exactly? He's slower than me and I've just had a knee op.

[sned]

I wish we would get the ball to Riera with some space in front of him and see what he can do. He seems to get the ball in thight conditions and is then forced to play it backwards.

 

I like Riera. He's willing to take on his man, and when he's got a little space he often succeeds. He isn't the quickest around but he's quick enough and has a decent level of skill. The other thing he offers is natural width to the team and he balances things out well.

[Sion]

I love Wenger thinking that we will drop 8 more points (quite probably) 2nd half of the season while his side, beaten 5 times already, won't.

 

Even if we drop 18 points between now and the end of the season we'll probably win the league

[Stevie H]

don't think pace is the problem for us at home so much as still not really having that elusive ball-carrier. a player who is happy running at packed defences with the ball at his feet to try and open them up and make something happen.

[Hassony]

don't think pace is the problem for us at home so much as still not really having that elusive ball-carrier. a player who is happy running at packed defences with the ball at his feet to try and open them up and make something happen.

 

we should get Kinkladze in, failing that a cheeky bid for messi

[John am Rhein]

don't think pace is the problem for us at home so much as still not really having that elusive ball-carrier. a player who is happy running at packed defences with the ball at his feet to try and open them up and make something happen.

 

Benayoun does his share of that - with typical ball-player ineffectiveness, of course

[Guest PaulMcC]

Threat to what exactly? He's slower than me and I've just had a knee op.

 

A goal threat. He also has brilliant movement and work rate. Puts in a good cross too.

 

He was good on Sunday and always is against Clichy. Clichy has loads of pace so obviously being quick doesn't mean you will stop Kuyt playing well.

[sned]

A goal threat. He also has brilliant movement and work rate. Puts in a good cross too.

 

He was good on Sunday and always is against Clichy. Clichy has loads of pace so obviously being quick doesn't mean you will stop Kuyt playing well.

 

His work rate is fantastic granted, it always is and he can't ever be faulted for his effort, but this thread is talking about pace on the flanks, and Kuyt offers zero in this respect. There were numerous instances on Sunday when we could have broken quickly with a proper right winger/midfielder but we didn't, Kuyt got the ball, ran 20 yards and then passed it right back to exactly where it had just come from. The momentum was lost, Arsenal re-grouped and the chance passed us by and we had to build from the back all over again.

 

I don't like Kuyt on the right. Never have. He offers a workrate second to none, he offers defensive assistance with his ability to continually `get up & down' the pitch, but when it comes to attacking we often miss opportunities simply because of his lack of pace.

 

Unfortunately saying all that I'm not sure we actually have a better option right now.

Edited December 23, 2008 by sned