s@int wrote:I wouldn't sell Momo because I still think Momo is going to be a great player for us. Maybe as Stu says his passing is not going to get any better (I'm not sure about that) but people seem to forget how well he has done for us. FA cup final last year, Barca away, Chelsea in the Charity Shield etc etc big big games and huge performances from Sissoko.
He has had 2 bad injuries and has lost form at the moment, but I think he can still play a big part next season. I would keep all five midfielders for next season, after all what if our young Brazilian friend struggles like Gonzo has? At worst Lucas is just a replacement for Bolo(definitely gone now in my view), at best he's another string to our bow.
Once Lucas has proven himself, maybe then we can reassess the midfield, but if we want to go into next season with confidence I would be looking to keep Xabi AND Sissoko.
I do think signing Mascherano has show us(or me at least) one thing, he is a better defensive midfield player than Alonso. Thats not to say he's a better player than Alonso, but I have always thought of Alonso has a deep lying playmaker who was asked to take on some of a role that he has done admirably but wasn't particularly suited to. This I think was why Rafa was reluctant to pair him with Gerrard, and felt more comfortable pairing him with Sissoko. Similar to Pirlo of Milan who needs Gattuso alongside him, Alonso needs added protection. As I said in an earlier post I don't think Mascherano and Xabi would work together as a pair either.
This leaves either a 3 man central midfield(my choice) or Gerrard paired with Mascherano, and Xabi paired with Sissoko, with Lucas as the unknown quantity.
If we decide to go with the central 3 we need much better quality from the wings than we have seen this year, so I suppose much depends on who Rafa manages to bring in and maybe Kewell's fitness next season.
In short I agree Bob keep them all
