Mascherano and Lucas.

[Red Kent]

The only chance we have of top four is to split there two up. They offer nothing going forward what so ever. Play one of them personally I would play Lucas but ideally I would play Gerrard and Aqualani. This negative cautious no guts approach is killing us slowly. One decent performance out of ten is relegation form. It is not good enough. After Spurs hope had returned only for it to be taken away once more by another pathetic show of which there has been far to many this season to be called unlucky or a bad run. This is pure 100% s*** served up constantly by the manager.

[Falconhoof]

If Rafa insists that the combination of Lucas and Mascherano works, then he has to go. Its one of the hallmarks of a manager who still doesn't understand how to boss the weaker teams by what we do with the ball rather than what we do off the ball.

[mofus77]

The only chance we have of top four is to split there two up. They offer nothing going forward what so ever. Play one of them personally I would play Lucas but ideally I would play Gerrard and Aqualani. This negative cautious no guts approach is killing us slowly. One decent performance out of ten is relegation form. It is not good enough. After Spurs hope had returned only for it to be taken away once more by another pathetic show of which there has been far to many this season to be called unlucky or a bad run. This is pure 100% s*** served up constantly by the manager.

 

Sounds fair enough really, although I do think we would get overrun with both Gerrard and Aquilani in there. It'd be one defensive and one offensive for me, probably Gerrard deep with Aquilani forward as he needs time to get used to the league.

 

And just to be pedantic its actually 11 points from 15 which is far from relegation form. Not perfect of course.

[Swipe]

It really is one of the worst central midfields in recent memory for us.

 

They were both rubbish tonight. Lucas bottled out of everything and Masch could barely complete a pass.

[Conrad]

The only chance we have of top four is to split there two up. They offer nothing going forward what so ever. Play one of them personally I would play Lucas but ideally I would play Gerrard and Aqualani. This negative cautious no guts approach is killing us slowly. One decent performance out of ten is relegation form. It is not good enough. After Spurs hope had returned only for it to be taken away once more by another pathetic show of which there has been far to many this season to be called unlucky or a bad run. This is pure 100% s*** served up constantly by the manager.

 

Aquilani doesn't have the game to play in one of the two central midfield positions - not in England anyway

 

He should be playing though

 

For me,

 

Gerrard - Mascherano in central mid, Aquilaini in the 'hole'

[Nebraska Red]

Either one of them can sod off for me.

 

They were both crap tonight and as a double act they are killing the team.

 

To some degree I don't blame them as they are playing to orders.

 

Mascherano has lost his edge as I see it, he is not half the player he was last year and I reckon it's down to the loss of Alonso.

 

Lucas is a player who appears more suited to Italian or Spanish football.

 

If we are going to play a less than fit Gerrard, we have to put him in midfield with mascherano and play Aquilani ahead of those 2.

[dl2009]

Mascherano and Alonso was a dream combination; perfectly balanced between defensive grit and creativity. The complimented each other to the point of rendering the partnership amongst the top 2 CM hubs in football, imo.

 

Mascherano without Alonso is almost half the player as his passing game is not much to write home about. Paired with Lucas, our central midfield becomes a toxic, negative combination devoid of creativity.

 

I think Rafa's biggest mistake this season was thinking that Lucas could fill in for Aquilani until he got fit and acclimatised. He clearly underestimated Xabi's importance to the team imo, not that I want to steer this towards another Alonso debate (too late?!).

 

It's vital that Gerrard is dropped back into central midfield alongside the tenacious Javier and either Aquilani plays behind the striker, Pacheco is given an opportunity (if Alberto is not up to it) or we play two up top.

[Hassony]

This was Mascherano's first poor game for a 2-3 months

[Paisley]

It really is one of the worst central midfields in recent memory for us.

 

They were both rubbish tonight. Lucas bottled out of everything and Masch could barely complete a pass.

 

Lucas to me looks like a 15 year old boy, playing with the adults. The game just passes him by most of the time, and he's so easy to knock off possesion and lightweight in the tackle. I just don't see it in him at all. Even his passing is always the same easy option and offers nothing to our play.

 

Aquilani doesn't have the game to play in one of the two central midfield positions - not in England anyway

 

He should be playing though

 

For me,

 

Gerrard - Mascherano in central mid, Aquilaini in the 'hole'

 

Agree with that.

[Zoob]

This was Mascherano's first poor game for a 2-3 months

 

Agree with that. But he was woeful. If Lucas (who had his worst game of the season too) gave the ball away with as many bad passes as Mascherano did, he'd be getting slaughtered even more than he already is.

[Frosty Jack]

Aquilani doesn't have the game to play in one of the two central midfield positions - not in England anyway

 

He should be playing though

 

For me,

 

Gerrard - Mascherano in central mid, Aquilaini in the 'hole'

 

agree. lucas as cover for either. but gerrard has to remember how to tackle.

[D.Boon]

Lucas to me looks like a 15 year old boy, playing with the adults. The game just passes him by most of the time, and he's so easy to knock off possesion and lightweight in the tackle. I just don't see it in him at all. Even his passing is always the same easy option and offers nothing to our play.

 

Add to that painfully slow and you get a picture of real quality.

[growler]

I Agree about those two. I would go something like this though:

 

-----Masch

--Gerrard,Aqua

Kuyt------------Maxi

--------Torres

[Red Kent]

Lucas and Mascherano OFFER NOTHING GOING FORWARD, so that leaves EIGHT outfield players, FOUR of whom are defenders. So this leaves only FOUR out of TEN outfield players with any attacking intention/invention.

 

MASCHERANO PREM 19 GAMES - NO GOALS.

LUCAS PREM 22 GAMES - NO GOALS.

 

THAT IS JUST s***, NOT ONE GOAL BETWEEN THEM. And dont give me the goal at Everton, even ONE goal in 41 games is s***.

 

I hate football so much.

[Andy @ Allerton]

They weren't the only problem last night by a long chalk.

 

I'm quite surprised anyone would want Gerrard in the centre of midfield given how clearly unfit and generally uninterested he is. He's a great player when fit and in form. This season from start to finish he's been awful. If that's down to injury then he shouldn't play. As soon as I saw the teamsheet last night I knew we weren't going to win. It was all back to McManaman Syndrome Part II unfortunely. I wish I had been wrong thinking that before kickoff, but sadly I wasn't. No doubt I'll get dogs abuse as normal for saying that Gerrard was piss poor again, but ho hum. He was. Unlucky for us. Wish he was setting the world on fire personally. Ho hum.

[johngibo YPC]

I see our main problem being the poor form of our attacking players. Riera, Maxi, Gerrard and Kuyt saw plenty of the ball but did nothing with it. Our final ball and invention was poor last night.

[Dee]

i made this observation months ago - it's too negative and too stiffling

[Boca]

We bought Mascherano to be a destroyer in the middle which he does very effectively. His partnership with Alonso worked because he had a player next to him who took all the creative responsibility for the middle of the park. To say now that he is not good enough is harsh in the extreme. He still is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. He just needs someone attack minded and creative alongside him.

[richwilks]

I think you just sit Masch in the holding roll and put Gerrard and Aquilani in together ahead of him. Both should be made aware of their defensive responsibilites as well but both should be told to get forward and support the striker as well.

 

Gerrard sitting in the hole is getting far too predictable, we've got one attacking focus which teams can easily close down now.

 

If Aquilani and Gerrard we're in the middle we'd at least have to midfielders bombing on, stopping two's movement is far harder than stopping one player. The system Chelsea always played with attacking fullbacks, one holding player and two attacking midfielders is exactly the system we have the players for, we should be playing that system.

[Red Kent]

I see our main problem being the poor form of our attacking players. Riera, Maxi, Gerrard and Kuyt saw plenty of the ball but did nothing with it. Our final ball and invention was poor last night.

 

The final ball is poor because there are not enough options. All the options open to a player on the ball is sideways, backwards or hoof. Because even we attack the focus is on not conceeding.

[johngibo YPC]

The final ball is poor because there are not enough options. All the options open to a player on the ball is sideways, backwards or hoof. Because even we attack the focus is on not conceeding.

 

There were a few times last night when there were plenty of men in the box and the ball in was woeful

[Rimbeux]

I think you just sit Masch in the holding roll and put Gerrard and Aquilani in together ahead of him. Both should be made aware of their defensive responsibilites as well but both should be told to get forward and support the striker as well.

 

Gerrard sitting in the hole is getting far too predictable, we've got one attacking focus which teams can easily close down now.

 

If Aquilani and Gerrard we're in the middle we'd at least have to midfielders bombing on, stopping two's movement is far harder than stopping one player. The system Chelsea always played with attacking fullbacks, one holding player and two attacking midfielders is exactly the system we have the players for, we should be playing that system.

 

That would work if you played the wide players high up, and not just in the midfield line. I fear it would be more like 4-5-1 for us, rather than 4-1-2-3

[Conrad]

We bought Mascherano to be a destroyer in the middle which he does very effectively. His partnership with Alonso worked because he had a player next to him who took all the creative responsibility for the middle of the park. To say now that he is not good enough is harsh in the extreme. He still is one of the best defensive midfielders in the league. He just needs someone attack minded and creative alongside him.

 

Correct

[Beardsley]

The final ball is poor because there are not enough options. All the options open to a player on the ball is sideways, backwards or hoof. Because even we attack the focus is on not conceeding.

 

 

Doesn't exactly help when the open player choose to wait for the ball instead of meeting the pass, either. Gerrard was guilty of that plenty of times last night.

[Hassony]

The final ball is poor because there are not enough options. All the options open to a player on the ball is sideways, backwards or hoof. Because even we attack the focus is on not conceeding.

 

There was a moment in the second half when N'gog did well on the right wing, beat the defender and had no option other than shoot from an impossible angle as there was no one else busting a gut to get in the box

 

Kuyt was standing 5 yards behind him standing still!!!