Liverpool FC Forum

by **Leonmc0708** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:43 am

I would personally opt for all three.

I read something before about missing key players, and whilst I do agree that you need strangth in depth, I also firmly beleive in a spine to the team.

Our spine should be; Reina, Carra, Agger, Gerrard, Alonso and Torres.

If all are fit then all play.

What do you think ?

by **club_Levis** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 10:56 am

Leonmc0708 wrote:I would personally opt for all three.

I read something before about missing key players, and whilst I do agree that you need strangth in depth, I also firmly beleive in a spine to the team.

Our spine should be; Reina, Carra, Agger, Gerrard, Alonso and Torres.

If all are fit then all play.

What do you think ?

I agree but would add Arbeloa as well.

by **bigmick** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:01 am

It's an interesting question Leon and one which throws up a whole heap of follow ons. I suspect the answer for everyone is that Torres and Agger would certainly figure in their first choice eleven, and for almost everyone Alonso can't come back quick enough.

That does conveniently disregard the fact though that all three were playing when we first went off the rails (and it all began back at Portsmouth in my opinion) but whatever, they haven't been involved as of late and sometimes that fact alone can lift the others when they return.

It also beggars the question if all three are so absolutely crucial to our success, why have we been quite so prepared to leave them out in the past? I for one have made the point many times that with your top players, you'll get plenty of times when you wish you had them but can't pick them through injury so don't be sitting them on their erse over often out of choice. It also kind of blows the strong squad/replacing like for like theories out of the water as well.

I actually think you made a really interesting point on another thread as well regarding the relative merits of the two teams, player for player. When you list them down, theirs isn't all that impressive when you think about it. True they have Fabregas who is an excellent player, Toure is top quality as is Gallas, while Van persie up top is a superb player as well. The other fella who is vastly underated and was a very shrewd purchase was Hleb but I digress. On paper, our team and squad would appear to be their equal.

That's the rub though. When they play, it's all one touch, dummies, step overs, players passing without looking, midfielders breaking their necks to get into the box. There's roars of exasperation, smiles as chances go begging and an absolute lack of the anxiety which seems to envelope our play.

They didn't start the season like that though. No they were much more workmanlike, not as bad as man Utd but not firing on all cylinders either. They've built on their start though, as have man Utd. And what of the team who looked comfortably the best in the Premiership in the first few weeks? Well, we need to rebuild again. Hopefully we can start on Sunday. I don't expect us to football Arsenal off the park, but if we can grind them off it, then it'll have to do for now. If in the subsequent weeks we do happen to get something going, maybe this time we'll spend our time wondering how we can keep the run going rather than how we can preserve our energy until the end of the season.

by **Paul C** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:04 am

Like Mick said I'd have Arbeloa in there too, the lad has been rock solid since joining back in January, especially since Finnan has looked a little rocky (adrian) lately.

by **Sabre** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:07 am

I haven't 3, but more "untouchables" (untouchables as in my starting eleven, of course they can be subbed/rotated)

Reina
Carraguer
Agger
Mascherano
Alonso
Gerrard
Torres

So I've voted for the 3 of them, at least.

by **redtrader74** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:16 am

All three for me at the moment need to be playing, and most of the time when available. I do believe the results would have been better or at least more convincing, just with Agger playing for the last few games. AlonSOS calming influence has been missed, IMO he is the only player, maybe Leiva could, who can control the tempo and build up.Torres may need a few more rests here and there, only for the first half of the season, because he does take a fair amount of punishment which is at a higher intensity in the EPL imo, but i would find it hard to do, considering the goals do not look like coming form the other forwards right.

Regarding Arsenal, i agree their sqaud is not special, but they are the right players to play in that system, and that way. Take the players out of Arsenal and they don't look as good, Ashley Cole for example looks qiute ordinary, and has done since he left, no Pires in front to make the space for him to look like he is flying past players down the wing. I know its early but even Henry hasn't looked special since his arrival at Barca, but maybe he's coming to the end.

by **Paul C** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:19 am

redtrader74 wrote:All three for me at the moment need to be playing, and most of the time when available. I do believe the results would have been better or at least more convincing, just with Agger playing for the last few games. AlonSOS calming influence has been missed, IMO he is the only player, maybe Leiva could, who can control the tempo and build up.Torres may need a few more rests here and there, only for the first half of the season, because he does take a fair amount of punishment which is at a higher intensity in the EPL imo, but i would find it hard to do, considering the goals do not look like coming form the other forwards right.

Regarding Arsenal, i agree their sqaud is not special, but they are the right players to play in that system, and that way. Take the players out of Arsenal and they don't look as good, Ashley Cole for example looks qiute ordinary, and has done since he left, no Pires in front to make the space for him to look like he is flying past players down the wing. I know its early but even Henry hasn't looked special since his arrival at Barca, but maybe he's coming to the end.

It's the same back in 2001 when we won the 5 trophies and back when we won't the champ league, you don't need superstars but players which play well as a unit.

by **ivor_the_injun** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 11:28 am

I don't think Arbeloa's necessarily an always-play-if-fit, particularly if Aurelio gets back to the kind of form he was hitting before his injury. I think those two will be great competition for left back.

by **Owzat** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:10 pm

Two players we missed most are Torres and Agger. I think with Sami out of the back four and Torres up front we'd convert more defeats to draws and draws to wins. To me Alonso is a good player but not one we can't replace with someone equally as good, Sami is way behind Agger and Carra while Torres is miles ahead of Kuyt and Voronin

by **RichardLFC1** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:33 pm

I think all 3 are key players in our team and as soon as all 3 are back the better, Hopefully against arsenal

Agger is young and quicker then Hyypia and thats what we have really been missing from our defence in the last 3 or 4 games.

Alonso is a great passer of the ball. His vision is amazing and i think him and Gerrard make a good partnership

Torres has scored 4 goals in the league so far which is excellent for a first season player. He adds more pace then Crouch Kuyt and Voronin, I think more defenders are scared to challange him rather then the other 3 and is an all round better player.

With all 3 back in the side we would improve very much so and the sooner they all come back the better

by **kunilson** » Thu Oct 25, 2007 1:38 pm

i would also say all 3.

i think the defensive partnership of carragher and agger is a must.
alonso needs to sit in front of the back four and dictate the tempo, cos hardly anyone in football can do that job like he does when he's on form......and Torres, well....class in both attacking and defensive play.

by **maypaxvobiscum** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 3:42 am

all 3 definitely.

reina, carra, agger, finnan, mash, gerrard, alonso, torres form the untouchables.

rafa seems to have kuyt on that list though. i wonder why. i prefer voronin who is so much smarter.

by **flombs** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 4:06 am

Quite simply, i think its nuts that Benitez does not, at LEAST, play these three
guys on a regular basis. I would also include Babel, Gerrard, Arbeloa and
Aurelio as a firm basis of the team.

by **Rimetto_** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:19 am

flombs wrote:Quite simply, i think its nuts that Benitez does not, at LEAST, play these three
guys on a regular basis. I would also include Babel, Gerrard, Arbeloa and
Aurelio as a firm basis of the team.

he normally does play them regularly but 2 have been out injured, but i think alonso is fit again.

for me the most noticable thing over the last couple of weeks has been the impact losing agger has made on our back 4. we have not looked solid at the back since his injury. Sami has been a legend for us over the years but this has to be his last year with us on recent performances.

by **NiftyNeil** » Fri Oct 26, 2007 8:41 am

People have short memories around here. So far 19 people out of 24 have voted for all three. Yet before these injuries, the general consensus was that Gerrard and Mascherano were the midfield duo of choice. Alonso was getting the usual stick of not being the player he was in the 04 - 05 season.
The only player we are missing is Agger and that is down to insufficient cover at the back. With Mascherano, Gerrard, Sissoko and Lieva in midfield, there should be no worry about leaving Alonso out. With Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin up front, we should cope with the loss of Torres.
I think there should a spine of four players that the team plays around:

Reina -- Agger -- Gerrard -- Torres

I've not gone for Carra because I think that Agger could carry (that sounds harsh on a Liverpool legend) better than Carra could due to his pace.

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