by bigmick » Sat Jan 05, 2008 8:32 pm
Well if we're going to debate how we've played in each match relative to the other team Lando, lets at least try and keep it sensible. We "didn't look like conceding" against Arsenal? Feck me they hit the post twice and missed open goal rebounds before they scored. Come on that's hardly a sensible argument. Neither is claiming we've dominated every game, do you seriously, honestly, believe we dominated the games Away to Portsmouth or Reading?
Similarly this argument which is creeping in that we have been in some way unlucky, it's just simply that the chances haven't gone in is delusional in the extreme. Injuries? Well Aggers injury has hurt but it's worth remembering that coinciding with Hyppia playing in the centre came our very best spell. Then Hyppia got injured as well but it was hardly a surprise given his age and the fact we were asking him to play every game. Not having a further centre-back to call on other than the inexperienced and arguably not good enough Hobbs isn't a case of bad luck.
As for Alonso being injured, well many prefer Masherano anyway. We've also got a bloke who won Brazillian player of the year sitting on his erse and a fella who Juventus are after so I don't accept that hurt us massively either. I know you mentioned Aurelio and Kewells injuries in an earlier post. Aurelio I've said many times that I like, but since he's been at the club he's barely played two consecutive games, and despite having obvious qualities has never consistently put form together so I don't think his absense is overly significant, while Kewell was unfit before the season even started (since last season in fact) so him coming back is a welcome bonus while his injury was known about and should have been planned for.
Torres being out for a couple of matches did hurt I'll give you that. I think he missed two or was it three League games and we missed him as he's one of our best players. It certainly put into perspective the absolutely barmy decision to rest him after half a dozen games and of our own valition, sit him on his erse for two consecutive League games before playing him in an Away Carling Cuo match where he got the sh!t kicked out of him. I also think we felt his absense more as we insist on playing a bloke alongside him who never looks like he will score a goal unless you give him a penalty. If we played Crouch/Babel/Benayoun/Me alongside Torres I suspect any of those would offer more goal threat than Kuyt, and then when Torres was out perhaps we wouldn't feel it so badly.
The injuries as a reason for underpermance though can't hold water for a pro rotationalist surely? You can't on the one hand claim that it's OK to change the team every week, to change the formation and the players, and which positions they play in etc doesn't have an effect on the fluency of the team, then on another hand claim that those self same players which you voluntarily sit on their erse while they're fit mortally wound your title challenge when they sit down injured. Like the delayed gazelle theory, it defies all sensible logic. It also defies logivc when you consider that all the toher top four teams have had to cope with injuries as well.
"se e in una bottigla ed e bianco, e latte".
