[quote author=Ryan link=topic=38668.msg1058340#msg1058340 date=1266880253]
[quote author=Niall K link=topic=38668.msg1058336#msg1058336 date=1266880044]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=38668.msg1058323#msg1058323 date=1266879206]
This thread is just whopping evidence of this Forum's need for a scapegoat. Why, after Sunday's game are we fcousing on two central midfielders, and specifically the pairing of them? Every fucking ill or fault this year is seemingly linked back to Lucas in some way. Zero shots on goal, two wingers who provided zero, and the narrowest attacks in living history - And the forum's on top of Lucas again. 6 degrees of seperation.
Mascherano and Lucas got the better of De Jong and Barry on Sunday. City's midfield is an experienced and good one, no doubt about it, but we were the team on top, and the team more in control (a phrase loved by many on here). Mascherano was outstanding, absolutely outstanding (you could nitpick about free-kicks and bookings but you take the rough with the smooth if he's going to play like that). Lucas whilst not as demonstrative or eye-catching was good. He was on the ball far far more than he has been in recent weeks, did his usual trick of hardly ever giving it away, and won the ball back on several vital occassions. He has a fantastic knack of winning it back without actually going to ground either. He's had better games, but he contributed. Mascherano didn't win the midfield battle on his own.
If they can do and win their battle and job, why are we asking them to compensate for others? If Maxi and Babel aren't creative enough to engineer fucking one chance or shot, then why is the onus falling on our midfield pairing. Sunday's MOTM? Zabaleta. Made an absolute cunt out of Ryan Babel (who's "pacy" don't forget). Kuyt's contribution? Minimal. Guilty of dropping too deep. Gerrard? Again crowded out of it. Maxi - nothing. Substitutions? Not much more. People are banging on about Mascherano's passing, and Lucas's through balls. Who the fuck is there to pass it to? I pointed out in another thread that Babel was in possession of the ball 12 times in 70 minutes. 12 fucking times. That is diabolical. No offence to Carra, but why give it to him if all he's going to do is shunt it straight back to you. Maxi, whilst capable of receiving and keeping it, just isn't going to hurt people. Thus Gerrard invariably picks it up, and gets crowded out. We need to get fucking braindead players like Babel out of the team, and replace them with footballers who can find time and space. Next time City are on the TV, watch how Tevez finds space and the ball. He's brilliant at it. That's what we need. If there's fuck all to pass it to, and fuck all resulting in them getting the ball no wonder the two playing the passes look insipid.
Too much emphasis is being placed on Gerrard to influence. He needs better players around him. Too much emphasis is being placed on a midfield pairing that won their battle on Sunday. Too little though is being asked of our ability to create chances in the final third - this is the responsibility of players in attacking positions who's job it is to do that. We need better players in attacking positions, and we need to get Torres, Benayoun and Johnson back fit. We don't need to focus on a midfield two who performed well.
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I dont think everyone needs a scapegoat nor are our two CM's the sole reason for our lack of creativity but it would help if either of them offered some level of attacking threat.
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Why are we asking our central midfielders to offer an attacking threat, when we have attackers who don't even offer a fucking attacking threat?
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Our wide players for the most part of this season have been the same ones we had last year and whilst Torres has been absent more often he missed a fair chunk of last season too.
The team looks unbalanced and devoid of attacking ideas. All the great Liverpool sides had midfielders who could both tackle and see a pass.
