Xabi Alonso

[kamikaze80]

thats an impossible point to disagree with, he'd make any team better. football is such that having a better attack improves your defence, and vice versa.

still, the point remains, united dont have that midfield bruiser, so why do people feel we absolutely must have one, too? why couldnt fabregas+alonso work as well as scholes+carrick? obviously we'd have to strengthen wide midfield as well, but thats a given.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

klaus, how do you explain united's defensive record, then, with scholes and carrick defending? scholes cant tackle worth a lick and carrick apparently isnt rated by many of you.

"By many of you"? What does that even mean? And why is it something that I'm supposed to answer to? Do you imply that I don't rate Carrick? Then you're wrong. I don't think he's fantastic, but I rate the work he does for United.

Ricky has answered half of it, anyhow. They're playing a deeper line, but they've also got two deeper-lying central midfielders. It's a myth that Scholes can't tackle. Both him, Anderson and Carrick does it quite often (Scholes played 32 games last year and only scored two goals - not the trademark of a great attacking player). But more importantly, they stay behind the wingers to offer a passing solution, to swap up balls and to block the opponents from taking the game to the middle of the park. In return, it isn't really that hard to beat them wide since they've got a kid and a crap defender as fullbacks. I think their model suits their current players very well, but I wouldn't want us to emulate it. We've got other qualities.

 

[kamikaze80]

eh, i'll drop it. i still haven't heard a decent reason why a smart, good passing CM like alonso (or edu) wouldnt suit us, but it's not like we're getting alonso, anyway, so the argument is academic.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

It's not that he couldn't be useful us - I reckon we'd improve a lot offensively with his stability - it's more that he wouldn't solve any defensive problems we already have, he would only make them worse. Edu didn't really play that role when he was here. Vieira, as the brilliant two-way player he was, dropped back instead. Xabi is not Vieira. He's not Edu either for that matter. He could definitely do a job here, but to in my mind he's far from the best one suited for it.

 

[Anzac]

eh, i'll drop it. i still haven't heard a decent reason why a smart, good passing CM like alonso (or edu) wouldnt suit us, but it's not like we're getting alonso, anyway, so the argument is academic.

IMO it's because AW wants dynamic box-to-box MCs in a 442, NOT 2 deeper MCs in a deeper line for a 4231.

 

[Zico]

Alonso and Fabregas would be interchangeable on both offense and defense. I think that both are underrated defenders. Certainly, they're both better on the defensive end than the nonsense called Song, Diaby and Denilson. We would have a lot more creativity with an Alonso / Fabregas midfield.

Anyway, won't happen. Could you imagine what would happen to Benitez if he lost the league after selling Alonso?

 

[Gurgen]

Well no, they are definitely not better defensively than Song. Signing Alonso would be utterly pointless in my opinion.

 

[Macho]

I was saying that for most of the summer but I would be lying if I said I wouldn't take him right about now.

 

[outlaw_member]

I still think people are seriously underrating his defensive abilities. He has a defensive style which isn't apparent to the eye, unless you actually look out for it. Aaaah, who cares anyway. We ain't getting him, might aswell lock this thread. **** it, lock this whole section down. **** transfers.

 

[progman07]

Well no, they are definitely not better defensively than Song. Signing Alonso would be utterly pointless in my opinion.

I came to the thread with similar stuff in my mind but I didn't want to put it down so openly. Glad you've done it.

Alonso isn't that tough box-to-box midfielder we need. Though his experience would be welcome, but then this is what people said about Silvestre... He is better than Denilson, but we should be aiming higher. I don't say he isn't good, but we need somebody different.

 

[raidersoftheark]

Alonso isn't the right fit, but he's become an excellent player this season and would be a far better partner for Cesc than any of the other clowns we plop in there.

I would take him for what he is, but he is not the best player our money can buy right now.

 

[GoonerGurjit]

Linked again:

<a class="postlink" href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1101245/Arsenal-Liverpools-Xabi-Alonso--midfielder-crocked-Spain-team-mate-Cesc-Fabregas.html?ITO=1490" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/arti ... l?ITO=1490</a>

How ironic.

 

[SimplyFabregas]

I just don't understand why Liverpool would even consider selling him, he's been their best player this season, we should have got the deal done in the Summer when we had the chance, then we would have Alonso & Cesc right now, instead of neither. Proving to be a costly mistake.

 

[Webdesignlab]

That's NOT ideal is it?

 

[Klaus Daimler]

Benitez wants to buy other midfielders though - Barry, for one - and Liverpool are in bad shape financially, and everyone's expecting it to get worse. They might have to start selling a couple of players if Rafa wants to have any transfer kit to play with.

 

[Clrnc]

Maybe Xabi purposely injured Cesc to enhance his chances of a move here?

 

[thegame24]

This is exactly why i was saying we need more than just a DM.

With fabregas out we could have essien and akalele in their prime but we wouldnt create jack ****.

Alonso should have been bought aswell as atm we only have song.

****ing irony that the guy we wanted ends up being pools best player and breaking ours.

 

[Gooner_Stu]

Put your self in Benitez's position (minus the kidney stones, obviously).

Your top of the league;
You have the best chance to win the league for the better part of 2 decades;
The player you tried to get shot of in the summer is now one of your best performer and is crucial to success.

Do you really want to sell him? No Chance. We should have stumped up the cash in the summer when we had the oppitunity. That boat has sailed my friends.

 

[Klaus Daimler]

This is Benitez we're talking about. When they were ten points clear at the top with only Chelsea close he went to the papers and told them that the season start was a fluke and that Liverpool wouldn't win anything unless the other big teams seriously ****ed up their seasons.

Bottom line is that he's an idiot and Alonso isn't one of his favourites. He's only playing right now because he's too good to be dropped.

 

[thegame24]

Fact is they need players trained in england, thats why they are so desparate for barry and why he got keane.