Liverpool FC Team Talk/Gossip/Rumours Thread

DeadSkin

Hmm, so that's Alonso cup tied for the CL

mike65

Right, when are Masch and Babel back?

Keane? Spare part or simply geing to need some time to work up a relationship with Torres.

I know its hard to make any sound judgments, Liege clearly put everything into this and still couldn't score so hopefully in two weeks they'll get whacked.

Mike.

Little-Devil

Really poor performance by liverpool tonight, its obvious they need a right winger and if i was pool fan id be looking forward and hoping Babel gets to play alot more this season. I expect a different liverpool for the second leg, but still be a bit worried.

MementoMori

mike65 wrote: »

Right, when are Masch and Babel back?

The good news is Argentina play Holland on Saturday and one of the two will be back after that - more likely to be Babel as Argentina seem to be going better.

Keane? Spare part or simply geing to need some time to work up a relationship with Torres.

I know its hard to make any sound judgments, Liege clearly put everything into this and still couldn't score so hopefully in two weeks they'll get whacked.

Mike.

The substitution of Keane for Gerrard is a little worrying in the sense that I'm not sure how Torres, Keane and Gerrard fit together in terms of a first-choice eleven. Keane looked very anxious and in fairness I think a lot of the issues against Liege were due to problems further back the field.

I would be a lot more comfortable about the second leg if we had managed to nick one - even though it would have been completely undeserved.

The other worrying thing was how disjointed the team looked especially given how many of the first choice first eleven were involved, particullarly after the performances in the previous friendlies.

On a more optimistic note - Odds on a Keane hat-trick against Sunderland to open his account?

spockety

Unfortunately the kids are still off school, so we can expect a flood of reactionary posts.. how long before we hear for Benitez's head? Probably about as long as it took Clive and Robbie to debate the merits of zonal marking. Come on guys, you're wasting valuable broadcasting time discussing this 4 seasons later.. Rafa is not going to change so let's talk about something else.

It was an away match to the Belgian champions with a new manager to impress, in front of a rip roaring packed house of home fans, at the tail end of our pre-season, missing some of our key players, and trying to bed some new players in. I don't care if we go through with a deflection off Carra's arse, no matter how bad it looks.

The only hope is that it has served as a reminder to the lads of what a real match is like after all the pre-season friendlies, and I know I would rather the mare came tonight against Liege than on Saturday against Sunderland.

seabee

Extract the attached zip file and upload the ics file to Outlook / Google Calendar for a full list of games, tv listings etc.

Tusky

spockety wrote: »

Unfortunately the kids are still off school, so we can expect a flood of reactionary posts.. how long before we hear for Benitez's head? Probably about as long as it took Clive and Robbie to debate the merits of zonal marking. Come on guys, you're wasting valuable broadcasting time discussing this 4 seasons later.. Rafa is not going to change so let's talk about something else.

It was an away match to the Belgian champions with a new manager to impress, in front of a rip roaring packed house of home fans, at the tail end of our pre-season, missing some of our key players, and trying to bed some new players in. I don't care if we go through with a deflection off Carra's arse, no matter how bad it looks.

The only hope is that it has served as a reminder to the lads of what a real match is like after all the pre-season friendlies, and I know I would rather the mare came tonight against Liege than on Saturday against Sunderland.

Dress it up all you want, it was an awful performance. I dont even think we created a single chance. I'm still completely confident we will go through but that was an awful display. Hopefully it will be a different Liverpool we see on Saturday.

One thing Ive been meaning to say is in regards to Dossena. Hes got a lot of praise so far but I havent really seen anything that particularly impresses me so far. Obviously way too early to judge, but having played this many games both Agger & Skrtel had impressed me much more than Dossena has. Only time will tell.

mada999

we look rusty TBH... also, I don't think our set pieces are great attacking wise... we get a lot of corners and free's but never really have end product, are our players too small or do we just not attack the ball??

spockety

seabee wrote: »

Extract the attached zip file and upload the ics file to Outlook / Google Calendar for a full list of games, tv listings etc.

Good stuff , but it is static and you'll have to maintain changes yourself.

Grab this:

http://www.google.com/calendar/ical/ue7bgistensrjfpl9gn919sg20%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

or search Google Cal for "myanfield.net" to subscribe to it. They update it with scores and everything.. very handy.

spockety

Tusky wrote: »

Dress it up all you want, it was an awful performance. I dont even think we created a single chance. I'm still completely confident we will go through but that was an awful display. Hopefully it will be a different Liverpool we see on Saturday.

I'm not dressing it up, just getting my opinion in before someone inevitably calls for Rafa's head, or Kuyt to be sold, etc.

One thing Ive been meaning to say is in regards to Dossena. Hes got a lot of praise so far but I havent really seen anything that particularly impresses me so far. Obviously way too early to judge, but having played this many games both Agger & Skrtel had impressed me much more than Dossena has.

You're comparing your judgement of each player after Dossena's 1 competitive match..? Preeeetty harsh!

Boggles

spockety wrote: »

The only hope is that it has served as a reminder to the lads of what a real match is like after all the pre-season friendlies, and I know I would rather the mare came tonight against Liege than on Saturday against Sunderland.

I'd say tonights match is far more important then what may happen at Sunderland on Saturday, at least you get 37 more shots at the league.

Belgian Champions lucky not to win it by 2 or 3, can't see them bringing the same gusto with them to Anfield thou.

MementoMori

Pepe - MOTM - awesome in the first half for the two saves.
Arbeloa - awful defending, awful going forward - got destroyed a number of times - Cant see Finnan being sold anytime soon
Dossena - started poorly but improved - unlucky with the pen
Carra - solid as always in defence had to cover for Arbeloa too many times for my liking but did hoof the ball a couple too many times for my liking when under no real pressure
Agger - looked a bit rusty but had a decentish game - good to see him striding out of defence

Alonso - cup-tied now - was hoping for better on the basis of pre-seasons but the logic of replacing him with Barry seemed very apparent tonight. Dwelled on the ball, gave away the ball cheaply, poor in the tackle, played too deep for a creative CM, wasted free kicks. Probably slightly lucky not to get a second yellow
Plessis - for only his third start did quite well - one of the better performers I thought quite happy for him to be Masch's understudy - Outperformed Alonso in the centre of the park.
Kuyt - woeful - don't think I've seen him have as poor a game for Liverpool in a while.
Benayoun - decent performance could have been more involved but was probably the best midfield performer all things considered

Keane - still trying to force things - looked very anxious - nothing really worked for him - coming off won’t have done his confidence any good - I thought it was going to be Alonso for Gerrard when Stevie was warming up
Torres - battered by Liege anytime he got the ball - nothing even remotely like any sort of decent service

El Zhar - at least he looked interested when he came on, which was an improvement on Kuyt
Gerrard - definitely didn’t look fully fit - shape seemed better when he came on

Tusky

spockety wrote: »

I'm not dressing it up, just getting my opinion in before someone inevitably calls for Rafa's head, or Kuyt to be sold, etc.



You're comparing your judgement of each player after Dossena's 1 competitive match..? Preeeetty harsh!

Well its not a final judgment. Ive seen him in every pre-season game also and even against lesser opposition he hasn't stood out. As I said, too early to say, its just me early thoughts on him.

spockety

Boggles wrote: »

I'd say tonights match is far more important then what may happen at Sunderland on Saturday, at least you get 37 more shots at the league.

More important when you look at it logically maybe, but the craving for the league is there and there is a desire to hit the ground running.

Give most fans the choice between drawing with Liege away and beating Sunderland on Saturday, or beating Liege away and drawing with Sunderland, and I'd be surprised if most didn't grab the former with both hands.

Belgian Champions lucky not to win it by 2 or 3, can't see them bringing the same gusto with them to Anfield thou.

You never know, but yes usually in these situations you would bank on a team like Liverpool doing the business when it really comes down to it. Liege don't look rubbish though, and I doubt playing at Anfield will make them look rubbish either. The attitude of Liverpool players going into that match is going to be crucial.

Boggles

spockety wrote: »

Give most fans the choice between drawing with Liege away and beating Sunderland on Saturday, or beating Liege away and drawing with Sunderland, and I'd be surprised if most didn't grab the former with both hands.

Entirely depends what happens in the second leg, would Liverpool fans take a 5-0 hammering Saturday if it guaranteed qualification into the Champions league?

spockety wrote: »

You never know, but yes usually in these situations you would bank on a team like Liverpool doing the business when it really comes down to it. Liege don't look rubbish though, and I doubt playing at Anfield will make them look rubbish either. The attitude of Liverpool players going into that match is going to be crucial.

Can't see them doing it, no matter who show up to be honest, there fit lads, but with Gerrard back depending where he plays, Liege won't have enough. Will look out for them in the UEFA Cup thou.

mike65

Boggles wrote: »

Entirely depends what happens in the second leg, would Liverpool fans take a 5-0 hammering Saturday if it guaranteed qualification into the Champions league?

Fortunatly the real world doesn't work like that.

Mike.

spockety

Boggles wrote: »

Entirely depends what happens in the second leg, would Liverpool fans take a 5-0 hammering Saturday if it guaranteed qualification into the Champions league?

Eh, no, I think we'd take our chances.

MIN2511

What happened to Pool? Didn't watch the match but i see Keane was in there with Torres before substituted.
What formation?
Disappointing!

mike65

I'm going to blame that away shirt - appalling. Why are Liverpools away strips so Goddamned bad?

Mike.

Tusky

mike65 wrote: »

I'm going to blame that away shirt - appalling. Why are Liverpools away strips so Goddamned bad?

Mike.

I actually quite like it! When I first saw the pictures I didnt like it but with the black shorts and white socks I think it looks really well.

el rabitos

mike65 wrote: »

I'm going to blame that away shirt - appalling. Why are Liverpools away strips so Goddamned bad?

Mike.

ah here now mike, lets not start using old united excuses :pac:

mike65

Its very bad under lights against an er green background IMO.

Mike.

rossie1977

had to laugh how much the uk media underestimated liege when the draw came out, these guys won the league easy last year and only lost one game all season, in addition before tonight they had played 40 games in the champions league and won 23 and yet everyone was saying walkover

if liverpool do win at anfield it will be by one goal max, i can still see liege pulling a marseille though with a last minute goal

copacetic

silva signs new 5 year deal?

kaimera

mike65 wrote: »

I'm going to blame that away shirt - appalling. Why are Liverpools away strips so Goddamned bad?

Mike.

wait..the shirt looked like the 3rd kit to me on tv?

defo didnt look grey

I was horribly dissappointed with the performace. We didnt look interested. First time I've seen us play this season and not impressed.

jesus_thats_gre

Regarding the shirt that they wore tonight, I really like it. I despise the grey jersey.


As for tonights performance. It was 11 completely out of sorts players playing against an extremely well organised and surprisingly good football team. Credit where credit is due, they done to us what we were doing to bigger European clubs 2 or 3 seasons ago.

I expect the 2nd leg to be a different affair however and expect us to go through.

I am glad to get this type of performance out of the way though. Sunderland would have been able to capitalise on it. Rafa will crack some heads and I expect a very different performance than tonights.

Karmafaerie

Alonso back to his usual self I see.
Everytime we play a team who pressure him, he disappears.
And seeing as he's there to create the chances and dictate the pace, we disappear!

If all games were friendlies, he'd be one of he best in the world!:rolleyes:

Performances like tonight just make me wish we had Barry!

redspider

Standard Liege 0-0 Liverpool

Well, Liverpool knew they were in a real game tonight. I think Standard Liege played very well and 'above their station'. Liverpool were rusty and some new playing staff were still finding their feet. Liege had the best of the chances its true, and did that ball cross the line? It looked over to me, bring in the hawk-eye. The penalty was harsh, many times such handballs are not given, and it was clearly outside the box by at least a metre. Justice was done when it was poorly placed by the taker and well saved by Reina, and collected again.

Liverpool started 4-4-2 as follows, and with Gerrard on the bench with an injury, that seemed okay:

---

Reina

---

Arbeloa - Carra - Agger - Dossena
Benayoun - Plessis - Alonso - Kuyt

---

Keane ---- Torres

---

Kuyt and Benayoun switched positions at times.

Of course much has been said and written about the arrival of Robbie, a player we all know well. I for one have stated that it is not that great of a move for Liverpool. So far, that has proven to be the case and tonights match was no different. Seldom did himself and Torres link up. They could not get any passes going together and when they did, it broke down. For me, there is no understanding so far. Tonight not even a decent shot from Robbie, never mind a goal! Torres was good, but he was nwas closely watched, and Liverpool's tactics of the long ball failed badly as the Liege defence mopped up. It is not one of Fernando's strongest attributes.

Liverpool looked much better when Gerrard came on (for Robbie on 67m) and when they played 4-2-3-1. He came closest to scoring, he was more lively, linked up better, etc.

My thoughts on the players tonight:

Reina: did okay, but still doesnt always demonstate safety and assurance that would transmit to defenders

Arbeloa: so-so, did okay covering I thought but didnt get up the line much (perhaps was asked not to do so by Rafa)

Carra: was good, covered well, but did get tired on the night. I just wonder how long he can keep going in his career at this level and when will some mistakes (like a player just losing him for a split second) start appearing. He is not getting any faster at his age.

Agger: did well, but is rusty at competitive matches - will only get better with playing. I would still like to see Skrtel playing, perhaps alternating, although not really the ideal thing to do with central defenders. Is Skrtel fit?

Dossena: he was a busy chap as they went down his side a lot from the start. I thought he was just okay. No better or worse than Arbeloa. Not sure what he can give us going forward though.

Benayoun: he did okay, although was quiet at times. He was even back covering (after Reina's elbow). Long-term he cannot be a solution for us as he is just not good enough as a wide midfielder.

Plessis: he did okay, and himself and Alonso shored up the middle. Perhaps a Sissoko-like player but better at passing. Not sure if he will come up for a shot though, same as Masch that way.

Alonso: I thought he did well, and he tries his best at least. He should work on his shots though as he could be potent in that regards. He should do 7 hrs shooting practice a week!

Kuyt: worked hard as usual, covered and tackled and harried.

Keane: not a great start for Robbie, he ran into trouble more often than not, couldnt link up. It was a long-ball tactic and it didnt work.

Torres: was looking sharp and hungry but had little room to manouver, and was tasked as being the target man.

Gerrard: looked lively when he came on and did well. No sign of any injury.

El Zhar: filled in for Kuyt okay, but nothing to write home about


So, at half-way stage in the CL qualifier, Liverpool are in pole position. They need to have a good hard think though about what they want to do. If its going to be 4-4-2 with Robbie on and then 4-2-3-1 with Torres on, I perhaps could live with that, but will Gerrard and Keane. Gerrard will most likely want to start the league game at Sunderland. Perhaps he should and then brought off on 60.

1 game down, many more to come .....

Redspider

Karmafaerie

jesus_thats_gre wrote: »

Regarding the shirt that they wore tonight, I really like it. I despise the grey jersey.

The Grey shirt is in memorial of the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough.
It's to commemorate that we had the grey shirt as our away jersey 20 years ago.

Plus, I disliked it too, untill I saw for real.
It looks a hell of a lot nicer in real life.

jesus_thats_gre

Karmafaerie wrote: »

The Grey shirt is in memorial of the 20th anniversary of Hillsborough.
It's to commemorate that we had the grey shirt as our away jersey 20 years ago.

Plus, I disliked it too, untill I saw for real.
It looks a hell of a lot nicer in real life.

I hate the bloody thing to be honest.

joe123

bad showing alright...

I said way back on here that we needed a right winger. I said what was rafa at siging keane instead of going for bentley.I said keane wasnt worth 19 mill and I got the bloody head bit off me.

For keane gerrard and torres to play together either stevie has to take the kuyts position or change the formation totally.

We lacked pace and any threat on the wings. Babel is going to be important if were to launch any sort of title bid this year.

jesus_thats_gre

joe123 wrote: »

bad showing alright...

I said way back on here that we needed a right winger. I said what was rafa at siging keane instead of going for bentley.I said keane wasnt worth 19 mill and I got the bloody head bit off me.

And rightly so. 1, 2 or 3 matches proves nothing.

DeadSkin

Liege came at us from the start, they were very physical, they got the ball into that dangerous area between defence and keeper a number of times and were unlucky not to score.
They were really up for it. Liverpool didn't get started at all, Benni & Kuyt spent more time coming back to help out defensively than attacking.
Poor performance from Liverpool against a young, lively, physical Liege. On the return home leg, I expect Liverpool to come out with a more positive performance.

gixerfixer

Poor but professional performance againest a spirted but very limited side last night.In all honesty it was standards best chance last night to get a result and they went at it with all guns blazing but without creating one clear cut chance againest us.They no doubt decided before the game started that kicking us off the pitch was the best way of getting an upper hand in the game and it worked well for them as they targeted Torres in particular for some rough stuff from the start.All in all an excellent workout for us fitness wise before the real football starts Saturday.All i can say if we can play that bad and still not get beaten it shows just how bad standard really are .

gixerfixer

DeadSkin wrote: »

Liege came at us from the start, they were very physical, they got the ball into that dangerous area between defence and keeper a number of times and were unlucky not to score.
They were really up for it. Liverpool didn't get started at all, Benni & Kuyt spent more time coming back to help out defensively than attacking.
Poor performance from Liverpool against a young, lively, physical Liege. On the return home leg, I expect Liverpool to come out with a more positive performance.

Think we'll kill them in the second leg.You could see it on the players and fans faces after the final whistle last night that they had blown there chance

Malice

gixerfixer wrote: »

...without creating one clear cut chance againest us...

Apart from the penalty, the header that hit the post and the other header near the end that Benayoun I think cleared off the line? And that's only the ones I can think of off the top of my head .

prendy

the second leg is in 2 weeks right? well if so i would expect a way more polished performance.
Bit worrying going into a league game which we must win with such a poor performance.
I thought both our wing backs were very poor. Cant help thinking Finnan is a better alternative at RB?

wide midfield is still a problem, i dont think yossi shows enough for the 90. Kuyt had a bad night but i genuinely believe he is worth his place for his work rate.
Sooner either Babel or Masc or both come back the better.


As for up front, no partnership blossoms straight away and over the next month we will see this partnership get better. Will it get better quick enough? and can Rafa accomodate Torres Keane and Gerrard in the same side?That is what alot of this campaign will hinge on.


Also if Alonso is playing, can we please have him taking the corners and leave stevie on the edge of the box? i think alonso is better at taking them.

prendy

malice_ wrote: »

Apart from the penalty, the header that hit the post and the other header near the end that Benayoun I think cleared off the line? And that's only the ones I can think of off the top of my head .

and about 6 crosses from deep that just missed the strikers head.

mike65

Thinking back, why was Pennant not thrown on? Whatever we might think of him at times he could have done a job in the last 20-25 last night.

Mike.

NabyLadistheman

Spockety you do paint a pretty picture. Unfortunately though it's an all to familiar look to proceedings. I know it's jus after pre-season but last night was a clear indicator what this season holds for this team. Short on quality and ideas.

There are far two many journey men in the team. Say for example Liverpool are winnin 1-0 and then theres a goal late on we'll be scrathing our collective heads goin out of the Chaampions League. Thats how serious this is. It will be a water-shed for LFC if that happens and it wouldn't surprise me. Liege are well drilled and to think we didn't create one opportunity?

I think thats Voronin sold, did not want to cup tie him last nite. Same old failings, Kuyt right winger? come on. Im not going to whinge about that because everyone knows the score there...predictable predictable predictable! I hope he sellls Pennant because the lad is no good sitting on the bench with irk Kuyt occupying his position!

I hate to be pessimistic but wait til you see at Anfield in a few weeks when we're un-able to break down one of the lesser teams in the premiership. We've seen it before and it certainly ain't gonna change thiss season!

EDIT

Torres did not look sharp. His touch was heavy on numorous occasions. He will come on for the 90 though. I hope to god Rafa gives himself, Keane & Gerrard a fair crack of the whip in the team together.

On a lighter note did anyone see the cameo when Alonso back heeled the ball to Kuyt and went for the one two? Had a chuckle to myself as kuyt hoofed the return pass over his head to a Liege player..funny!

spockety

torresistheman wrote: »

Spockety you do paint a pretty picture. Unfortunately though it's an all to familiar look to proceedings. I know it's jus after pre-season but last night was a clear indicator what this season holds for this team. Short on quality and ideas.

There are far two many journey men in the team. Say for example Liverpool are winnin 1-0 and then theres a goal late on we'll be scrathing our collective heads goin out of the Chaampions League. Thats how serious this is. It will be a water-shed for LFC if that happens and it wouldn't surprise me. Liege are well drilled and to think we didn't create one opportunity?

I think thats Voronin sold, did not want to cup tie him last nite. Same old failings, Kuyt right winger? come on. Im not going to whinge about that because everyone knows the score there...predictable predictable predictable! I hope he sellls Pennant because the lad is no good sitting on the bench with irk Kuyt occupying his position!

I hate to be pessimistic but wait til you see at Anfield in a few weeks when we're un-able to break down one of the lesser teams in the premiership. We've seen it before and it certainly ain't gonna change thiss season!

Obviously I hope your prediction comes back to haunt you

I doubt that with all of Keane, Torres, and Gerrard fit, we will see Kuyt as a regular starter.

Karmafaerie

prendy wrote: »

Also if Alonso is playing, can we please have him taking the corners and leave stevie on the edge of the box? i think alonso is better at taking them.

You mean like he did for the whole game yesterday, without reaching a single Liverpool player with a corner!

Boggles

spockety wrote: »

I doubt that with all of Keane, Torres, and Gerrard fit, we will see Kuyt as a regular starter.

So where does Gerrard play? On the right? (which I think he hates).

Or does he replace Alonso and partner Masch in the centre, Rafa likes the 2 defensive midfielders, Gerrard not effective there either.

Gerrards best postion with Liverpool has been filled by Keane.

Karmafaerie

Boggles wrote: »

So where does Gerrard play? On the right? (which I think he hates).

Or does he replace Alonso and partner Masch in the centre, Rafa likes the 2 defensive midfielders, Gerrard not effective there either.

Gerrards best postion with Liverpool has been filled by Keane.

And did Villa like playing on the right for Spain?!

Neither Gerrard or Keane will be playing on the right.
Or the center.
Or the left.

Rafa wants a fluid three behind Torres.
All three swapping and switching at will.

spockety

Boggles wrote: »

So where does Gerrard play? On the right? (which I think he hates).

Or does he replace Alonso and partner Masch in the centre, Rafa likes the 2 defensive midfielders, Gerrard not effective there either.

Gerrards best postion with Liverpool has been filled by Keane.

"[citation needed]"

Liverpool's first competitive match with both Keane and Gerrard fully fit, as well as Masch and Babel available, has yet to happen.

I think we will see Gerrard and Keane interchanging middle and right of the park, but I have no idea for sure, nor would I profess it as gospel.

Besides which, Gerrard's most effective season for Liverpool so far saw him playing on the right wing!

Boggles

Karmafaerie wrote: »

And did Villa like playing on the right for Spain?!

Neither Gerrard or Keane will be playing on the right.
Or the center.
Or the left.

Rafa wants a fluid three behind Torres.
All three swapping and switching at will.

Spain don't play with 2 defensive midfielders, they do play with 2 advanced wingers, but these are essentially wingers, Villa played in the centre mostly interchanging with Torres.

I have never seen Keane play on the right or left can't imagine him there either, to have 3 players switching at will is not conjusive at the best of times defensively, especially when you play a team with width.

Chardee MacDennis

Boggles wrote: »

is not conjusive at the best of times defensively,

you mean conducive?

anyway i have A LOT more faith in Rafas tactical knowledge than you or any one else on this forum, so i for one am going to see how it plays out.

also i only saw bits of the match yesterday but looked like Alonso was back to his wasteful self, anyone more inclined to see what Barry could offer us now? or maybe put stevie back in centre midfield with masch?

as for Robbie, it really will take him a while to find his feet in the team. According to Torres Rafa tells every player exactly where they should be under most situations, from what he said it sounded like he hadnt really mastered it till a bit into the season so i can imagine it will take Keane a good few matches to really learn his role and positioning.

spockety

Boggles wrote: »

I have never seen Keane play on the right or left can't imagine him there either, to have 3 players switching at will is not conjusive at the best of times defensively, especially when you play a team with width.

Have you ever seen Gerrard playing on the right? How did that go for him....?

Karmafaerie

AC Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti is reported to be interested in making a move for former Juventus target Xabi Alonso.

FansFC.com claim Ancelotti could be prepared to pay £15million for the Spanish International star, however, his inclusion in last night’s dire 0-0 draw in the 3rd Qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League could see his value plummet to around the £10million mark as he would be cup-tied.

“A move to Juventus was scrapped when the Italians refused to offer any more than £12million, whilst the Reds are reluctant to entertain interest from Arsenal.

“Carlo Ancelotti has now believed to have targeted the former Real Sociedad player for a move to the San Siro, and an offer of £15million will be enough to ensure the services of Alonso.”

Sections of Kopites are becoming disgruntled with Alonso as statistics show he has made a total of just two assists from the centre of midfield in the past two seasons, which for the pass-master is simply not good enough.

Good to see I'm not the only one who's all but out of patience for Alonso.
He's great at dictating the play IF he's allowed to.
All you have to do though is rush him, and he can't respond.
It's not that he doesn't try, he does, but he just needs the time.

zAbbo

We'll bring them back to Anfield and spank them 4 or 5 and this game will be quickly forgotten.