Think on current form Alonso would easily force Gerrard out of the team. Also exactly what we need a player who can dictate the midfield whilst also linking well with the front men. Gerrard needs time to recover and it could take a while, he might never get back to his best but still can play an important role for the team.
Gerrard is playing the Alonso role. Can't think of a better player to play that role than Alonso However, is Alonso the type of midfielder we need? A few of us moan about the lack of energy and strength in the middle (myself included) - would Alonso give us that? ...
The Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Mmmmmmm peanut butter cup. I hope Gerrard does a Giggs and adapts his role and style of play in the team so he can carry on for a good few years. Hopefully he'll stick around long enough to get the PL title he deserves. He looks fit and in good nick for his age.
Just my opinion but this energy and strength thing is a complete load of bollocks. The real problem that Lucas and Gerrard have when in possession is that they have a midfield that is running away from them. Without Coutinho there is nobody in the middle making a move towards then for a 5 -10 yard ball. Gerrard is therefore forced to carry further or play Allen-like (sideways) balls to his defenders or consider the Hail Mary's (which he's expert at). Lucas's options are even more limited. It's not their fault that progress slows! Similarly, defensively they are being asked to perform a very different role. The combos normal strategy is to shepherd forwards into strong points in our defense where more than one player can be used to secure the ball. However, our FBs have been injured for the majority of the season. Our CBs have not settled into a unit yet. Therefore both Lucas and Gerrard are being asked to perform a more Mascherano role - which suits neither of their styles! Would Alonso be able to change any of that? The simple answer is no. However, he would bring with him a cool head, tons of experience, and a sublime range of passing skills.
Its a good point. comparing us now to us in 2009 must take into consideration that it was not just mascherano and alosno as holding players v gerrard and lucas. It was alonso sitting and covering run plus passing and it was rieira on a wing, kuyt on a wing, and gerrard in the middle coming back too. It was 4-5-1 without the ball. Yesterday we played 5-2-3 without the ball half the time. moses hasn't got a clue where to play as a 10 but also there are more guys behind the ball than ahead of it so there are no options. If you had alonso in my view what it would do is free gerrard to play further up and be that link. it also removes his tendancy to just pop out of the line closing someone down like an over eager school kid then tortting back like he's done a great thing while he's left a big gap. A shout and an order to moses would go a long way. You cannot beat quality.... get alonso for 2 years and you get quality.... same as suarez and sturridge and coutnho.. you can't beat quality.... same as tuore for example. A shining light yesterday for us. same as reina i fear... mingolet has done great shot stopping but one dropped easy ball and he was bricking it. he needs to learn.
