Adam vs Alonso
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[quote author=LadyRed link=topic=46665.msg1390582#msg1390582 date=1314700508]
And I think he'll prove to be a real bargain too and hopefully with us for a long time
[/quote]
Xabi was a bargain too when you look at it.
£11.2m for Xabi Alonso was a steal.
And I think he'll prove to be a real bargain too and hopefully with us for a long time
[/quote]
Xabi was a bargain too when you look at it.
£11.2m for Xabi Alonso was a steal.
I can't remember how well Xabi did in his first three games with us to be honest, but I would be surprised if it was as productive as Charlie's has been, I really don't want to get into this who is the better player shite, but it is impossible for anyone to say what may or may not happen over the next five years in Adam's career.
regards
regards
[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=46665.msg1390616#msg1390616 date=1314702576]
I can't remember how well Xabi did in his first three games with us to be honest, but I would be surprised if it was as productive as Charlie's has been, I really don't want to get into this who is the better player shite, but it is impossible for anyone to say what may or may not happen over the next five years in Adam's career.
regards
[/quote]
Indeed, and you can all take off the rose tinted ecstasy laced Alonso goggles too. There were games when he was *shock horror* fucking shit.
I can't remember how well Xabi did in his first three games with us to be honest, but I would be surprised if it was as productive as Charlie's has been, I really don't want to get into this who is the better player shite, but it is impossible for anyone to say what may or may not happen over the next five years in Adam's career.
regards
[/quote]
Indeed, and you can all take off the rose tinted ecstasy laced Alonso goggles too. There were games when he was *shock horror* fucking shit.
[quote author=Krump link=topic=46665.msg1390621#msg1390621 date=1314702969]
[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=46665.msg1390616#msg1390616 date=1314702576]
I can't remember how well Xabi did in his first three games with us to be honest, but I would be surprised if it was as productive as Charlie's has been, I really don't want to get into this who is the better player shite, but it is impossible for anyone to say what may or may not happen over the next five years in Adam's career.
regards
[/quote]
Indeed, and you can all take off the rose tinted ecstasy laced Alonso goggles too. There were games when he was *shock horror* fucking shit.
[/quote]
and two seasons of being decidedly average
[quote author=Vlads Quiff link=topic=46665.msg1390616#msg1390616 date=1314702576]
I can't remember how well Xabi did in his first three games with us to be honest, but I would be surprised if it was as productive as Charlie's has been, I really don't want to get into this who is the better player shite, but it is impossible for anyone to say what may or may not happen over the next five years in Adam's career.
regards
[/quote]
Indeed, and you can all take off the rose tinted ecstasy laced Alonso goggles too. There were games when he was *shock horror* fucking shit.
[/quote]
and two seasons of being decidedly average
[quote author=Krump link=topic=46665.msg1390630#msg1390630 date=1314703602]
Defo. We couldn't shift him for 14m the year before he went to Madrid, no one in the world would pay it. I'd have swapped him for Danny Murphy back then.
Ok, I'm a dickhead, but there's a point in there anyways.
[/quote]
it's true, we tried to sell alonso for 12m two seasons ago...and couldn't
Defo. We couldn't shift him for 14m the year before he went to Madrid, no one in the world would pay it. I'd have swapped him for Danny Murphy back then.
Ok, I'm a dickhead, but there's a point in there anyways.
[/quote]
it's true, we tried to sell alonso for 12m two seasons ago...and couldn't
[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=46665.msg1390462#msg1390462 date=1314693031]
Alonso was able to slow the pace of the game down, make the yard of space for himself and find runners even when we were under the cosh. Does Adam have that in his locker?
[/quote]
That's the point of those chalkboards I posted - take a look at them again (the link is working now). Xabi made 3 times (!) as many passes in one game (home against Bolton) as Adam. But look at the direction of these passes - most of them are sideways. Adam doesn't have the ball at his feet nearly as much as Xabi - but a much bigger % of his passes are direct attacking passes/through balls etc. To be fair, the overall number of attacking passes seems to be about the same for Xabi and Adam; the biggest difference between them is that Adam passes sideways maybe 5 times in the whole game, not 60-70 times like Xabi. We clearly play a very different style of football under Kenny compared to Rafa; less emphasis on possession and more emphasis on speed and penetration. So it's a huge difference in the number of passes per game between those two, but maybe it's not such a bag thing. Possession by itself doesn't win you games.
My only worry, looking at the chalkboard, is the number of relatively simple, short passes and passes in our own half, that Adam has misplaced. He had 5 unsuccessful passes while in our own half against Bolton - all of them short. By comparison, Xabi had only two misplaced passes from his own half in the corresponding game - and both of them were very long passes to the left of our attack. So essentially Adam lost possession 5 times in our half, and Xabi didn't lose the ball once there. Maybe that's the difference in quality that will be exposed by a stronger opponent, able to put Adam under more pressure. It will be interesting to see.
Alonso was able to slow the pace of the game down, make the yard of space for himself and find runners even when we were under the cosh. Does Adam have that in his locker?
[/quote]
That's the point of those chalkboards I posted - take a look at them again (the link is working now). Xabi made 3 times (!) as many passes in one game (home against Bolton) as Adam. But look at the direction of these passes - most of them are sideways. Adam doesn't have the ball at his feet nearly as much as Xabi - but a much bigger % of his passes are direct attacking passes/through balls etc. To be fair, the overall number of attacking passes seems to be about the same for Xabi and Adam; the biggest difference between them is that Adam passes sideways maybe 5 times in the whole game, not 60-70 times like Xabi. We clearly play a very different style of football under Kenny compared to Rafa; less emphasis on possession and more emphasis on speed and penetration. So it's a huge difference in the number of passes per game between those two, but maybe it's not such a bag thing. Possession by itself doesn't win you games.
My only worry, looking at the chalkboard, is the number of relatively simple, short passes and passes in our own half, that Adam has misplaced. He had 5 unsuccessful passes while in our own half against Bolton - all of them short. By comparison, Xabi had only two misplaced passes from his own half in the corresponding game - and both of them were very long passes to the left of our attack. So essentially Adam lost possession 5 times in our half, and Xabi didn't lose the ball once there. Maybe that's the difference in quality that will be exposed by a stronger opponent, able to put Adam under more pressure. It will be interesting to see.
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