Is their a battle on for 4th place? (Last Year)

Tusky

No (Liverpool fans)

Mr Alan wrote: »

wat are you talking about he does it all the time still.

you are aware he has been injured most of the season? anytime he's been on the field he has been pretty excellent this year, spraying balls left right and centre like only he can. Christ he has even had a couple of shots from his own half in his limited appearances this season

Alonso, even not at the heights he can be at, is better than 99% of other midfielders playing in England at the moment.

Eh. No. Im a Liverpool fan and Alonso has been poor this year. He played well against Luton & Arsenal (the game he got injured) but thats about it). He has been off the pace for some time now. How long is it since he had a game like this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US7eiFGiCG4

I still think hes an excellent midfielder though, even when off form.

Mr Alan

Tauren wrote: »

Rubbish!!

Been a while since i replied to one of your posts with that start.

Alsonso can play passes Scholes and Fabregas can only dream of? Absolute rubbish.

tauren, check out the link Tusky posted below (i havent even clicked on it, but i'm presuming its the spurs game?), Fabregas and Scholes are both different kinds of midfielders to Alonso. And they are both excellent at wat they do (well not so much Scholes anymore, but lets not open that can of worms:)) And Xabi is a far better passer of the ball than both.

Ya not remember Scholes trying to hit him a dig at Anfield and getting sent off? Jealous of his passing ability obviously

Tusky wrote: »

Eh. No. Im a Liverpool fan and Alonso has been poor this year. He played well against Luton & Arsenal (the game he got injured) but thats about it). He has been off the pace for some time now. How long is it since he had a game like this ?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=US7eiFGiCG4

I still think hes an excellent midfielder though, even when off form.

That was my point Tusky, he cant consistantly capture the form he showed in that Spurs match (if he could, he'd be the best in the world) but even now, he is a top top top midfielder. And i do think he has been very good in his limited time this season (though not as good as the spurs game)

PHB

No (Chasing pack fans)

Mr Alan, you say that Scholes and Fabregas can't play those balls (which they can) but they are much superior passers to him in the very very very tight spaces, instant thinking, no time, perfect pass.
Alonso is a deep lying midfield passer, so obviously he is going to play those styles of balls more, but it's not that Scholes and Fabregas can't play them, indeed we've all seen some real peaches of those sort of passes from Fabregas this year.

Mr Alan

PHB wrote: »

Mr Alan, you say that Scholes and Fabregas can't play those balls (which they can) but they are much superior passers to him in the very very very tight spaces, instant thinking, no time, perfect pass.
Alonso is a deep lying midfield passer, so obviously he is going to play those styles of balls more, but it's not that Scholes and Fabregas can't play them, indeed we've all seen some real peaches of those sort of passes from Fabregas this year.

Alonso too is superb at operating in tight spaces in the centre a la Fabregas, i would have thought that would have been pretty evident from the fact that an underform Alonso and In form Fabregas pretty much cancelled eachother out in Anfield earlier in the year?

I agree Alonso is more deep lying,but that does not take away from that when it comes to those kind of passes evidenced in the video, he has no equal imo.

And as for seeing some of those kind of passes from Fabregas this year? I can count the amount of times i've ever seen him play a pass like that on one hand.

Just to re-iterate, i am not slating Fabregas, i think he is an excellent excellent little player.

It is an absolute cop out (kop out, get it?! ) on your part to say "they can both pass like that, they just don't", sure i may as well say, "Carragher can finish as cooly as Eduardo, he just chooses not to"

Smegball

The bias coming from Mr Alan here is unreal, Alonso is IMO Liverpool's best midfielder and is vastly superior to Gerrard IMO.
However to say he plays passes Scholes or Fabregas can only dream of is quite simply a joke.
I would argue Scholes,Fabregas, Essien, Elano are all better midfielders than Alonso.

eirebhoy

No

PHB wrote: »

I'm confused then eirebhoy, just looking at the stats

Alonso - 61 per game at 78%
Fabregas - 67 per game at 80%
Scholes - 80 per game at 89%

Indeed even Carrick has 61 per game with 83% accuracy.

I was going by per 90 minutes rather than per game. Over this season and last ALonso averages 70. I have to admit I checked a very limited amount of players (trying to get away with it) and for some reason Scholes wasn't one of them. Anyway, that's incredible stats for Scholes.

kida

Looking more and more likely that pool may not get fourth, on an incredibly bad run of from and with tough matches coming up.

If Everton or one if the teams around them can string a few wins together they could pull away. Big question for the owners is do they sack the manager now and hope the impetious of a new man can carry them to fourth. There seems to big issues there and over the last few weeks even the team don't seem to be playing for him, I don't see them making fourth if he remains.

Thought. If the owners are thinking of selling they would have nothing to lose by sacking him before they go!!!!

Helix

No (Chasing pack fans)

kida wrote: »

If the owners are thinking of selling they would have nothing to lose by sacking him before they go!!!!

theyd have to pay him off

kida

Helix wrote: »

theyd have to pay him off

they could just add it to the money they ask for - it wouldn't be much in the bigger picture

Mr Alan

DSB wrote: »

Yeah but there is being reliant and being over reliant. Liverpool personally fall into the latter category. Personally I think Liverpool will finish 4th. But they'll be much closer to the Villas and Citys of the world than they will be to Man United, Chelsea and Arsenals. They have that bit more quality than us and the other Euro chasers but significantly less than the top 3 too.

Mr Alan wrote: »

like to put a little wager on that?

us to finish closer to Chelsea than we are to Villa, €20.00...sound good?

DSB wrote: »

Hahaha gwan so.

Mr Alan wrote: »

right so, *shake*

now, we better ****ing beat Villa on Monday!

PHB wrote: »

darn I'd take that bet in a second As I said myself, I'd be surprised to see Liverpool not come 4th. Can't seem them catching Chelsea, they look ominous.

Mr Alan wrote: »

i'll offer the bet to you too PHB if ya want?

PHB wrote: »

absolutely

my logic isn't behind the magic of Villa, it's behind what I think is the resurgence of Chelsea.

Mr Alan wrote: »

ok so €20.00 with PHB and €20.00 with DSB. christ i'm gonna have to keep a betting diary at the rate i'm going!

now lads, this slipped my mind, but i was very kindly reminded by a guardian angel :cool:

PHB

No (Chasing pack fans)

Ha I totally forgot about his I regret not making the bet about 3rd and 5th rather than Chelsea and Villa :P
Preferred method of payment

Mr Alan

bumpidy bump.

PHB, i pm'd you the other day.

DSB, don't go all shy on me

jesus_thats_gre

No (Liverpool fans)

Mr Alan is in the money!!

Mr Alan

PHB is sorted, still waiting on that other scally wag!

mike65

fair play to PHB, its all too easy to commit oneself online! Here's hoping for similarly misjudged gauntlet throwing this season.

Mike.

Reganio 2

Yeah fair play PHB top lad. Alot of people not naming names *cough*DSB*cough* might try avoid it. Fair play PHB.

DSB

Yes

Haha nah I'll pay up.