Believe it or not this is not going to be a go at only liverpool players. i have been watching more and more footballers who have a position in which they are decent to good in try to play like a messi or ronaldo. Let me give some examples of what i mean. QPR yesterday SWP stood in the centre of midfield and tried, quite unsuccessfully to pass it about like a paul schole. needless to say he failed utterly. Now one might imagine hughes put him in there but i feel thats pushing it. Ryan giggs, now ferguson is playing him at CM beacuse he needs players in there but it seems the ex-wing wonder thinks he actually has vision and ability in the poistion too. Worse... Johnson. This guy was playing right wing back for liverpool but rather than offer any width he stood bang in the middle of the pitch trying to pass it round. I mean hang on there glen WTF, get back on your wing and try to run your man. In short i seem to be spotting a trend where guys who have a position in which they can prosper but that may not be the position where the most ball goes to OR are being put in there to fill a gap are in effect being totally ineffective at what they are doing. The most ocmmon situation does appear that everyone wants to be the "seoncd striker" or "creative influence" and wander about for me football is much more like say american football or rugby that people would like to admit. There are very specialist positions that a player can best suit even if its not the most glamourous. good examples? jonas guitierez. (spelling prob trash) this guy is not the best winger ever born is he? but you know what he works a shift every game up and down the left wing and doesn't try to play 40 yard passes etc, very effective and vital player for newcastle. Sagna, cafu or alves. All right backs and all concentrate on bombing up and down the right side. All are examples of a full back who while not necessarally the best defenders were so effective cos their firs tthought is either get back in position or genuinely get forward ..... so i have to ask, are managers at more glamourous clubs simply letting guys away with murder? Are swansea and newcastle examples of cubs where ego has been parked and result are being gotten becuase players are in their best strucutred positions and delivering the goods?
Do you think the fault has to lie with the management? If a player is being asked to play out of position and is gash there I don't think they can be blamed - and if they keep drifting out of position then the manager needs to give them a lashing to get where they have been told to play. Only Gerrard has made the license to roam role work to perfection because he would find space so often to pick a pass, burst through or simply open up the play because he has dragged defenders about. In doing all this he still had the legs to run 40 yards to make a tackle.
Watching a player like Downing playing in his position on the wing not being able to provide a decent cross or beat his man is a bigger concern than a player playing out of his position. Watching the likes of Nathan Dyer and Sessegnon terrorize Chelsea and Arsenal defenders over the weekend make you wonder what did we spend £20m on? Also Adam, playing in his expected position and he can't pass for **** and is no where near fit enough to play a role in a midfield for a team that supposedly has top 4 aspirations. People say we got him fairly cheap but Spurs got Parker for less for what is arguably a player that is 3 times better.
guys when a player like oh i dunno... downing is running about going anywhere but his position is is a bit down to the management. exmaples here: ballotelli, mr mancini threw him on v us i nthe legaue at anfield and the guy threw a strop at having to play left side. and he got himself sent off... Rooney; simialry his manager asks him to go do a job and he throws a strop. those are guys who are asked to play out of position and seem to think it beneath them. A guy like downing who goes about doing just baout everything bar actually do his own job is what i am on about here. he's NEVER in amillion years going to be a xavi so why try to play this type of game infield and triyng to spot passes he can't even make! Again the point on nathan dyer is something i agree on, some guys have no ego and have come up to this league so will go do thier jo bas instructed... and do it well.
Which would be: Carroll - Playing for Newcastle Downing - Playing for Villa Adam - Playing for Blackpool
carrol at newkie.. stuck up top, chase about (a lot more in the rpem at newkie than with us) and get to the back stick... with us, holding it up,dsitribution, running channels, corssing... just don't ok andy.. just no. Adam... he can no longer take a decent corner, a decent free or a decent pen... eh? why? though he at least is in midfield.
Correction: Carroll - Get in the ****ing box, not around it Downing - Get down the ****ing wings and cross the ball Adam - Hollywood passes are fine but short passes to feet are as important, work on them
