[quote author=Dreambeliever link=topic=38482.msg1036331#msg1036331 date=1263715769]
[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=38482.msg1036324#msg1036324 date=1263714712]
Pat, the play should have opened up I thought with Aquilani and Maxi being brought on sooner, but I though all in all, with what we had available, and given our lack of confidence and how Stoke were going to play, we got it right. We went for power against them, and in all honesty, didn't really have a lot else we could go with.
Even the hardened Rafa critic Andy Gray agreed with most of what Rafa did yesterday, even the exclusion of Aquilani (which the rest of SS hammered), because he's been out for ages and played most of the game and extra time midweek.
You say it was negative, what we're our other options? Ryan fucking Babel?
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Babel on the right yes. We had zero pace anywhere on the pitch. Nobody to hurt them.
and Aquaman in the middle. He cost 20m he should be able to handle any team away from home or not be bought in the first place. We can't afford 20m some game players.
[/quote]
Babel is shit and far from the answer, I think he summed himself up (again) in his appearance against Reading and his subsequent comments on Twitter. Yeah, he might lack confidence, but he also lacks brains and a first touch too. He's garbage and far from the answer to play on the right or lead the line.
I didn't say Aquilani couldn't handle Stoke, I said he played 120 minutes midweek after months on the sidelines pretty much, it was understandable why he was on the bench.