Comments on: Contemplating life without Alonso

By: Simon Pearce

Simon Pearce — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 07:20:51 +0000

And that’s it’ Xabi’s gone. Christian Poulson from Juventus as a replacement?

By: mengmengmeng

mengmengmeng — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 14:00:05 +0000

Watch what may be Alonso’s final appearance in a match for Liverpool FC… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vq2eHgdCpc

By: Shaunymo

Shaunymo — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 01:25:18 +0000

I agree. The Reds fans would be absolutely heart broken if Alonso were to leave. However, if he were to leave, there are several options to fit his role and I’m not saying they would do any better or any worse. Moving Benayoun into the slot would be very effective as his vision for the pass and goal, plus his creativity would be an asset. Lucas, yet a raw prospect and very inconsistent in his performance is another option, but not a secure one if challenging for the Prem Title. Joe Cole is an amazing thought. Young is also a fantastic thought, but very pricy! Juan Mata would be a perfect fit on the Left, moving Yossi into the “Alonso” slot. I’m not sure about Aquilani, however knowing he is a highly rated youngster out of Italy, he may be the choice as he’s in the news often. I think that Rafa should take a gamble on Elano. He’s got Premiership experience and he had a fantastic Confederation’s Cup performance. For all those who think Silva is the answer, I truly feels that he doesn’t justify the price tag! Might as well spend the money on a Prem proven Englishman (Cole or Young). Remember, Silva is light weight and doesn’t have the guile as Mata has. Mata is the answer, but I’m not Rafa! Good Luck Reds, we deserve this title! YNWA

By: Scouser101

Scouser101 — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 19:51:31 +0000

I agree, we don’t want to loose Alonso. However, if he does decide to leave and our summer spending is really over, another alternative to replace him is to put FÃ¡bio AurÃ©lio into his Alonso’s position, like when he played there against Portsmouth where he gave an impressive performance and scored. This means we can have Insua at left-back and I know it probably won’t happen, but what Insua needs is more playing time and he has the potential to be the best left-back in the premier league.

By: Kop Tid

Kop Tid — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 15:21:21 +0000

Personally I think the continuing rumours about Xabi and Xavier are a nightmare. It’s unlikely they would both go (we’d lose our entire defensive midfield – one of the main reasons we were so hard to beat last season) but even one of them would leave a void very difficult to fill. Xabi had a fantastic season last time, and he does something that few in the modern Premiership seem capable of – he can slow the game down, look up, and find the perfect pass, just like Souness used to do. He’s a possession player, and does the simple things very effectively. Who on earth would we replace him with? Sadly, yet another example of Rafa’s apparent failings in man management, a legacy from this time last year.

I only hope Xavi puts the fans’ affection for him above the lure of being a galactÃco. No hablo Espanol, pero nosotros le adoramos, Xavi – por favor no lo deje.

By: kirkusmarikonus

kirkusmarikonus — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 01:14:23 +0000

I definitely agree with almost everything on this sheet, with the exception of the fact that David Silva is a more likely candidate to fill in the left winger role than Young.
But if either happen I won’t complain!

By: Ian Gaskell

Ian Gaskell — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 09:16:49 +0000

A few thoughts – I think Rafa’s treatment of Xabi last summer set all of this in motion and basically Real Madrid do tend to get their man if they set their heart on him. Lots of denials from Man utd, AC Milan and Lyon prior to to the arrivals of Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema……so I think Xabi will go after this weekend when his 20 per cent(I think) sell-on clause with Real Sociedad expires. I think we need a direct replacement and the very man may already be at the Bernabeu. Real already have the 2 Diarras and Gago as defensive midfielders and the latter would be ideal for us to combine with Javier as he does for Argentina. I reckon he would fit the Premiership better than La Liga. I think the shouts re Young are pie in the sky. If Johnson cost Â£17m then Young will probably be valued at close to Â£30m and thus not worth it. Silva plus Gago for me if Xabi has to go. Silva would add so much with Riera and Babel as back-up. Also, anyone else think we may have bought a Â£17m left back after St.Gallen……….you know how Rafa is!!!!

By: Karl Heinz Schneider

Karl Heinz Schneider — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 13:57:28 +0000

Xabi wants to go, and if with his departure we can get W. Sneijder and enough money for David Silva, then it will be the best thing for everyone.

By: DirkKuytIsAGoldenRetriever

DirkKuytIsAGoldenRetriever — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:54:43 +0000

Losing Xabi is certainly not an ideal situation to be in, but the notion that we could make up for the loss by addressing the situation at left flank is a little concerning. Does anyone else wonder how tiny David Silva might hold up in the Premiership (most of the Spaniards who’ve been successful in the EPL have been a bit more physically imposing)? Is the void left in the center of the midfield by Xabi’s departure now larger than the issues on the flank?

By: lberkeley

lberkeley — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 11:44:53 +0000

If Alonso does want to leave surely Â£32 million is a great price and if we can then get schneider as part of the deal and then buy either young or silva we have more than made up for Alonso’s seemingly imminent departure