by Bad Bob » Tue Dec 23, 2008 3:36 pm
My view, FWIW, is that Mick has a point. I think our subs, especially, have shown a decided lack of adventure of late. At the root of the issue is Robbie Keane. Whether you think he's done okay or poorly for us thus far is beside the point--he's a proven striker that will add something to our attack, particularly in the absence of Torres. Moreover, he's not carrying any knocks that I know of and seems to have top stamina so why he isn't kept on the pitch for 90 minutes in games we're drawing is beyond me. With Torres out, he and Gerrard are, IMO, far and away the most likely to pop up with a winner. And, his intelligent runs and movement will create space for others.
The other sub that seems nailed on of late is the Babel for Riera switch. Yes, it's like for like in the sense that it allows us to keep the same system but as many have pointed out (Babelians and non-Babelians alike) the Dutch lad isn't particularly effective at LM and so we lose something fundamental to our attack every time we make that switch. It's no coincidence that Babel's best game in a red shirt for some time came on the right flank against PSV. If Rafa doesn't trust him to spearhead the attack--and all actions to date suggest that he doesn't--he could at least stick him at RM when he comes on.
The other issue is whether it is best to keep our shape when chasing a win late or whether it's better to throw on another striker or two and re-jig things to be more attacking. Rafa said in the wake of the Hull draw that he wanted width and that's why he didn't bring on a 2nd striker. Fine, width helps when teams stick 10 men behind the ball and look to stay compact. But, I think the width in those situations is best provided by the fullbacks, while the wide midfielders should be ones that can show good movement and a bit of trickery on the ball in order to operate in tight quarters. But, I still would like to see 2 strikers operating up top to keep the centre-halves occupied and to be in the vicinity in case the fullbacks get balls into the box. This would also allow Stevie to operate a bit deeper and to make late runs into the box, when he's harder to pick up. When he plays as 2nd striker against teams that sit deep, he's easier to smother anyway so we aren't sacrificing attacking intent if we bring on another striker and push him back into central midfield. Besides, he's no slouch on the defensive side of things, as Stu likes to remind us, so he can also help Alonso snuff out any counter-attacks that might develop as we push forward.
All in all, I'm pleased we're top of table but I do feel we're playing things a lot more cautiously of late and I don't think it's the miindset we necessarily want to have. Risking a few losses by going all out for wins is a risk I'd be prepared to take and I think the lads would welcome it as well.
Is it slightly different to be down to 10 men after 35 minutes compared to the other team having a man sent off with half an hour to go?
, he has massive faults.
