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Posted:
Mon Jan 23, 2006 3:20 pm
by neil
I hope BigMick reads this thread and remembers the ambush he witnessed me receiving at the start of the current campaign concerning a certain sissoko. I had the audacity to suggest that this Sissoko was not the best player in the feckin world and could'nt pass wind, though there was potential. Yeah the bandwagon brigade had a field day. Now then, you bandwagon lot can shut up about his bad points and stick to the "this guys better than Viera" s.h1te.
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Posted:
Mon Jan 23, 2006 4:14 pm
by 66-1112520797
I have to admit I think I would still prefer Hamman in the middle screening the back four as he is one of the best players at doing this. This may also give Alonso more licence to roam and play his game more effectivley.
As for Sissoko he is a good player and is still learning his game in England, we musnt forget that.
He still could be the next Vieira, but going back to Hamman, if he was fit ( and its easy to say now) I think Rafa could possibly of got the call wrong by not using Didi his experience and calmness would of been vital in that type of game.
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Posted:
Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:01 pm
by stmichael
As I'm not currently the Liverpool manager I can't speak with absolute certainty, but I'd suspect, with a high degree of probability, that the substance of the instructions given to Sissoko when he enters the field of play are not to perform blinding actos of circus brillliance with the ball, exert too much effort running at defenders with the ball at pace, nor indeed attempting defence-splitting, pin-point accurate 40 yard passes everytime he receives the ball.
I assume he's told something along the lines of "get stuck in lad, close down opponents, make some tackles and move the ball on to one of our more "gifted" players at the earlies opportunity". I'd imagine Benitez would use more poetic or European phrasing.... but I'm sure we get the gist.
That saying, his passing can be absolutely horrible and really, let's be honest... he's not likely to suddenly develop Alonso-like passing skills.
but why should he.... we've been blessed by watching arguably the most complete midfield player to emerge from the English game and we seem to think all our midfielders should be like Steven Gerrard.
If only that could be possible... but it's not.
It is possible for Sissoko to be an effective component of our midfield without displaying excellence in passing. I don't re-call Roy Keane being particularly good at passing, and he turned out to be a half decent player.
THere's a reason why Sissoko is getting a game ahead of Hamman, because he adds more verve and movement to midfield.
The idea that Sissoko will improve by spending some time in the stands watching is a poor one. How often have we said thatour young players will only improve with time spent on the pitch.
Having just turned 21, Sossoko will continue to add facets to his game and hone his skills. He certainly does need to improve his passing, but he's contributing enough to warrant selection while Gerrard is stuck out on the right.
While it's fair to note Sissoko's short-comings, heavens above, might it not just be an interesting approach to encourage the young lad in his development.
As for his tackling, he's not the only midfielder we possess that has a habit of flying in for the odd rash tackle. Doesn't excuse it, but it's a common trait amongst young combative midfielders.