Boxing Day Footie *spoilers be inside*

BaZ87 said:
No disrespect but come the end of the season I really don't think you'll be that close to the 4th spot anyway.
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Am i right in assuming Skippi's a spurs fan? Because I find it funny that Spurs are 4 points ahead, with a 8 better goal difference(scored more and conceded less) with a deeper squad that really dropped form significantly after Modric got injured and took a while for Krancjar to get match fit and find form, also with a much stronger record against the top half of the table(lost 3 to Pool's 6 losses).

Frankly I think Liverpool will be futher from the top 4 than Spurs by the end of the season. I think 4th will be a fight between City and Spurs, which might just come down to who both teams buy in January, both needing defensive cover.

Naan_H said:
Cant agree - Masch has been shocking all season - reckless tackles, especially outside the box, awful passing. He can only pass it sideways.



Martin Scrotal is an awful awful payer - cannot defend to save his life and so reckless - we are shocking at defending from set pieces and he goes in with one of the worst challenges this season on ?Warnock on the edge of the box...
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Have to agree, with both things, the tackle by Skrtel was a shocker, he just kicked him long after the ball was gone, no intention of doing anything but hurting the player, didn't even get a yellow did he(?) when really it was almost a red.

Masch as you said just does constant reckless challenges, how he, and lots of other DM's don't get sent off most games I can't understand, being labeled as the DM lets you get away with so much. De Jong's really the only DM in the league who doesn't constantly foul in a reckless and stupid way, and gets up when he's tackled rather than feigning injury to get people booked aswell.
 
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jakeke said:
Difference between Villa and Liverpool was Torres, Arsenal controlled the game vs Villa but ultimately Fabregas made the difference, Rooney made the difference vs Hull, all in the last few days. I suppose Liverpool, Man Utd, Arsenal and Chelsea all have a few of those players each and that's what gets them the extra points every season. Villa, Spurs and Man City don't really have those world class players who you often need to get a win when it seems unlikely
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I don't agree with that in the slightest, Fabregas created his chances, and a bunch of others, aswell as defending, making interceptions, tackles and controlling the game. Torres did smeg all but ran onto a deflected clearance and got incredibly lucky it fell for him. No one on the Liverpool team forced the error, nor created the chance. Likewise Rooney created the chances(well some of them) and made things happen all game. A lot of strikers could have put that away, Torres did nothing special to get in position or create the chance, it was quite literally nothing more than luck getting in that position to score.

City most certainly have those players, Bellamy has a fantastic goals and assists record this year, Robinho is a great player, has just been injured, top scorer last year until he got an injury aswell. Ireland is a fantastic player, as is De Jong though in a different capacity and Given might be directly responsible for winning more points than anyone else this year.

Likewise Krancjar has been absolutely superb for several games since he started playing with basically better players and got a bit of confidence, Defoe is one of the best finishers in the league and Modric ain't half bad.

The difference between Villa and Liverpool tonight was Villa were too scared to simply go out to win, Spurs go out like at Arsenal and aren't afraid to go for it. Sometimes that will backfire and you'll lose, but so what, they lost tonight anyway when frankly had they attacked all out the whole game they'd probably have won.
 
Pigeon_Killer said:
That whole paragraph is a joke. Seems a few Liverpool supporters haven taken a massive dislike to him because they expect him to leave for Barca and you're one of them.
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Not at all- Mascherano offers nothing going forward - stupid petulant fouls have cost us so much this season from set pieces - skrtel and masch have been the worst culprits.

Alonso did his fair share of tackling as well as some great passing during his time at anfield - he has left a massive creative hole in the centre of our midfield - mascherano and lucas have to step up - yes they have to get the tackles in - but now they have to create too and i think lucas is doing a far better job than mascherano. The lack of goals from our midfield is shocking - these two have to get on the scoresheet if we are to climb up the table. I have seen palacios play recently for spurs - he makes the crap tackle here and there but his passing and forward play is much better - something our players should try to emulate.

Skrtrel has just been awful since his injury at man city last season - apart from his goal recently he has made so many mistakes its unbelievable - Although Sami was old (and slow) - his positional sense saved our backside so many times - skrtels is just shocking. Why rafa got rid i do not know - maybe krygiakos should be given a chance.
 
Naan_H said:
....
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IINM somebody posted some OPTA stats the other day which showed that Masch's passing and tackling were right up there with anybody in the league.

He wasn't himself for the first few games but had a lot of **** with Argentina, Barca and a little niggling injury but since then he's been 1 of a few decent performers for us.
 
drunkenmaster said:
Am i right in assuming Skippi's a spurs fan? Because I find it funny that Spurs are 4 points ahead, with a 8 better goal difference(scored more and conceded less) with a deeper squad that really dropped form significantly after Modric got injured and took a while for Krancjar to get match fit and find form, also with a much stronger record against the top half of the table(lost 3 to Pool's 6 losses).

Frankly I think Liverpool will be futher from the top 4 than Spurs by the end of the season. I think 4th will be a fight between City and Spurs, which might just come down to who both teams buy in January, both needing defensive cover.
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I like DM, he tells it how it is :D
 
BaZ87 said:
IINM somebody posted some OPTA stats the other day which showed that Masch's passing and tackling were right up there with anybody in the league.

He wasn't himself for the first few games but had a lot of **** with Argentina, Barca and a little niggling injury but since then he's been 1 of a few decent performers for us.
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Maybe we should agree to disagree :) - opta stats dont tell the whole story - im sure his stats are good cos hes passing it to somebody 5 metres to the side of him - but ill be more than happy for him to prove me wrong :D

Alonso and Masch made a solid midfield - now the former has gone i just think it highlights the poorer side to our midfielders' games and areas where they need to improve. If we could get good money for Masch then it might be worth the gamble to get some established creativity...

PS - i see ps3udo has gone into hiding :p
 
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Naan_H said:
If we could get good money for Masch then it might be worth the gamble to get some established creativity...
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That's what Real thought when they sold Makelelelelelele.

Florentino Perez: "We will not miss Makélélé. His technique is average, he lacks the speed and skill to take the ball past opponents, and ninety percent of his distribution either goes backwards or sideways. He wasn't a header of the ball and he rarely passed the ball more than three metres. Younger players will arrive who will cause Makélélé to be forgotten."

Mascherano was bought to win the ball back and pass it on and he does that as well as anyone. It's not his fault the player that he passed it to last season was sold and replaced with an inferior model :p

Edit: Meant Lucas when I said inferior model not Aquilani btw.
 
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Pigeon_Killer said:
That's what Real thought when they sold Makelelelelelele.

Mascherano was bought to win the ball back and pass it on and he does that as well as anyone. It's not his fault the player that he passed it to last season was sold and replaced with an inferior model :p
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We cant judge aquilani now - maybe the beginning of next season if he stays injury free.

I just get worried when we play masch and lucas together in the middle, the ball goes across rather than up the pitch :p

EDIT - just saw you meant lucas - give him a break hes doing well :)
 
Naan_H said:
Maybe we should agree to disagree :) - opta stats dont tell the whole story - im sure his stats are good cos hes passing it to somebody 5 metres to the side of him - but ill be more than happy for him to prove me wrong :D

Alonso and Masch made a solid midfield - now the former has gone i just think it highlights the poorer side to our midfielders' games and areas where they need to improve. If we could get good money for Masch then it might be worth the gamble to get some established creativity...
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Masch's job is to win the ball and play it simple. That's what he's made his name from doing and that's what he's continued to do and other than early in the season he's been doing it very well.

You can't say he's been playing badly because he's not been doing something that he never has or is expected to do. And btw Mascherano established himself at Liverpool when he replaced Alonso in the side at the back end of the 06/07 season.
 
Naan_H said:
EDIT - just saw you meant lucas - give him a break hes doing well :)
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I agree he's doing well but he's not a patch on Alonso. He doesn't have the speed of thought or vision he had and he's yet to stamp his authority on any game this season. If you want to criticise any player for a lack of creativity in the middle you should be focusing on him and Gerrard rather than Mascherano.
 
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