Steve Gerrard will get all the praise for scoring a hat-trick in the 5-0 hammering of Aston Villa but I had my eye on another player and was thinking of what might have been.
Watching Xabi Alonso spray pass after pass around the Anfield turf was a joy to see. He is true quality and I believe that he is one of the best midfielders in the world.
How good has he been for Liverpool this season? I'd argue that he has been their best player and after the way Rafa Benitez treated him last summer it shows how strong his character is.
I never understood why Benitez tried to sell Alonso and buy Gareth Barry as a replacement. Don't get me wrong, Barry is a good player but I don't think he is a patch on Alonso.
Alonso is highly revered by the Kop and I know there was a lot of sympathy towards him from them over the way he was treated. I've no doubt that they are over the moon that he stayed.
After getting thumped today Aston Villa appear to be slipping away for a Champions League place. Barry is desperate to play in Europe's elite competition and I wonder whether Rafa Benitez will renew his interest.
In my opinion he doesn't need to when he has Alonso in his squad but from a Gooners point of view I hope he does because there is still that glimmer of hope that we may see Alonso in an Arsenal shirt one day.
Despite Arsenal's revival in recent weeks I would still like to think that Arsene Wenger will look at the midfield and be keen to improve it. A midfield of Fabregas and Alonso would whet the appetite.
Some people say they are similar players and would not compliment each other. My answer is simply watch them together for Spain. They suit each other down to the ground.
I hope Liverpool make a move for Gareth Barry in the summer and I hope that it may open a door for Alonso to join Arsenal.
Keep it Goonerish.........
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46 comments:
I never understood why Benitez wanted to buy Barry in the first place! Saying that if there is anything negative to say about Xabi then it is that he is a bit slow. While he and Cesc can play together for Spain, it might not work for Arsenal.
Xabi's good form can also be because of Mascherano? If Xabi became a Gooner we'd need to have a player purely to do the dirty work. I can't see Benitez letting go of Xabi, unless he decides that Xabi is far too slow for Liverpool.
as much as villa have annoyed me this year wouldn't mind barry in the red and white either..very similar to xabi and could probably fit with fabregas...and of course we have more of a chance to buy him cause alonso has been brilliant this season..that said song and denilson are progressing very well and they could do the job...p.s. id love to see liverpool win the epl, cause that would make that twat ronaldo fuck off to real madrid and the media would have someone else's "crisis" to rant on about..up the scousers('cept when they face us)and UP THE GUNNERS!!
hope not wrighty! if liverpool sell lucas (waste of space) for 8m, which is what they paid for him, hopefully they can put the 4m or whatever to getting barry.
You forget about Arbeola, and Dosena, oh and you cant forget about Dirk Kuyt!
Why dont you go buy a Livershite shirt with BENITEZ 1 on the back you mug.
Shit article, shit player, end of.
I don't think we need Alonso now. Diaby, Denilson and Song have really matured in the last few months with some excellent performances. They are just aged 22, 20 and 20 respectively and can only improve more.
Alonso would be the one doing the 'dirty work' if he signed for us, unless Cesc was out and someone like Song came in. I thought he'd be a great signing last summer and my oopinion aint changed!
Well, him or essien!
Gooner get ya,
Very articulate!
From a liverpool fan. Lovely to see other clubs fans praise alonso. He have indeed been fantastic this season. And i cannot see barry be his equal. I am glad to see arshaven making emirates his his new home and playing well. Good luck the rest of the season , and i hope the gunners bag the last champion league place
My choice of midfielder would have to be blaise matuidi, he is so quick, really good in the tackle and can pass as well as anyone.
With Gerrard now firmly established in the second striker role, Barry would not longer be a replacement for Alonso. So though I think Liverpool will be after Barry again in the summer, I don't think that spells the end of Xabi Alonso.
And remember, if Wenger had have met the asking price of £16m, he'd be there now.
From a Liverpool point of view: Thank god he didn't.
Alonso is a good player, but he is a mental retard. The tackle that injured Fabregas was a disgrace, there was no need to make it. OK, he did play the ball, but it was obvious that, given the power of his strike that he would smash through the ball and hit Fabregas hard, when Fabregas was almost kneeling down and in no position to adjust or react. If a play was lying down with the ball beside his head, I suspect that the halfwit would do the same thing.
..still, I agree that we need somebody to replace Diaby (lazy) and Denilson(no ideas, afraid to do anything other than the 2m sidepass). Ask yourself this, would you be interested in buying either of these if they were at another club?
ARSENAL FANS ARE RETARDS!
ALONSO IS CLASS AND AS A UNITED FAN ID LOVE TO HAVE HIM!
Why is Denilson so under rated?He breaks up play, covers a lot of ground and in my opinion can be as god as Alonso. So what if his passes are to the player next to him, it's not his job to create he's the DM nobody complained when Flamini did it
Its really funny how when people dont rate a player, they keep on churning out shit that isnt even true; Denilson only passes it sideways is a classic! He has produced chances for others with great passes and general forward play, even tho, he is the defensive minded player when played with cesc and diaby.
I aint saying he's world class or thaat I even rate him, just that I aint blinkered so much, I cannot appreciate it when a player improves and has good games.
I think now that Denilson and Song are starting to play well Wenger will not try and buy another central midfielder. I'm not sure about Diaby still (he does have potential but his passing is horrid and he's too keen to dribble sometimes) but Denilson will be a great player and Song has potential as well.
I think Denilson can actually be better than Alonso if you consider the age difference but I'd still like to see Alonso at Arsenal because he is a great player, but considering that we didn't meet the asking price last time will have considerably increased due to his performances and that Alonso probably wants to stay at Liverpool now that they've proven they can challenge for the title and the fact that Denilson's proven he can play at the top level, I doubt Wenger will buy him.
Couldnt agree with you more and I am a Liverpool fan. They guy has been absolute class after the Barry debacle and that more than anything tells me about Alonso as most other players would have thrown their toys out of the pram.
Barry would suit us more IMO.
agree with spike..the sideways pass and he loses the ball argument..the stats say something else..i think both denilson and bendtner will imrove a lot..they only need minor tweaks..and in all honesty why buy a player to see if he fits in with the system rather than have someone from your own ranks step up..people said the same crap about almunia not so long ago and he's not doing very badly is he?i think its cause of the media they seem to think that any player who's not playing exceptionally well for arsenal isn't real quality and doesn't deserve to be in a top four club..
I don't think many Liverpool fans ever understood why Rafa wanted to replace Alonso with Barry in the first place. I like Barry but Alonso is definitely the better and younger player. He also has a massive wealth of big game experience (Champions League finals, semis & quarters, Euro Champs and World Cup) which Barry doesn't have. You could sense the loss of power from Liverpool's midfield the minute Xabi came off today just as happened at the same stage of the Real Madrid mauling the other night. No-one controls the flow of play like Xabi and this is why players like Stevie G and Torres get a constant flow of good passes and a platform to strut their stuff further forward. I personally consider it more likely that Barry will end up at Arsenal as the Gooners do need a player in that position and unlike Xabi, Barry is likely to be available in the Summer.
I strongly disagree.
Mascherano is their key defensive player in midfield and would be a great addition to our squad.
Alonso would add nothing.
I would love to see those stats. Check out this site for excellent stats. They show that in the Newcastle game Denilson made three tackles and lost the ball twice in another. What sort of contribution is that? It also shows his preference for short meaningless passes. Even more notable is the Blackburn game, in which he made zero passes into the final third of the pitch. He reminds me of Gilberto in his bad days (and he had some good ones)drifting around the middle of the pitch doing nothing...dropping back when we go forward and limply chasing off the pace when we are under attack. Please show me some stats to convince me I am wrong.
guardian.co.uk/football/chalkboards/create
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I'd love to see Denilson appreciated by more people in Arsenal shirts!
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Getting a bit Spiky Spike? You are clearly talking crap and are now getting angry because your argument has been show to be empty. OK, let's all pretend that he is great. I'm sure Fergie, Benitez and all that lot will be delighted. Well done.
OOh, I think Ive got a stalker....
Nah, not angry, its called wit fella. Look it up. BTW, that second link to a site is actually real! Gawd, I am sooooo funny.
I like Denilson and think he will become a great player.
I think people forget this is his first season as a regular.
The problem is who does he look up to in the squad?
Alonso would improve Arsenal and would help players like Denilson improve their game.
This one's for the stalker who got all upset;
You think a load of stats prove your point? Erm, OK, how about the fact we are unbeaten since November? Now thats a pretty good stat. You prbably slated Gilberto when he joined as he wasnt scoring hatricks and setting up goals all the time... The fact that Denilson is appreciated by blinkered fantasy manager type glory hunters aint a great surprise.
Well, Wrighty7, time will tell. I don't see it yet. To me, he does not wreck the attack (like those 2 at Liverpool do) and does not move the ball forward convincingly like somebody like Barry does. While, it is rare to find a player who can do both (like the might Viera - and I accept your point about age being relevant)I think that we should expect a player in this position to be able to fill at least one of these roles convincingly. Clearly, we are short in the first skill, not the second. The likes of Spike believe it is un-Goonerish to question any player (please let's not have the booing debate), but some of us question them because we care. I just think that this position at this club is a massive job and the kid is not up to it now.
Spike, I won't defend myself to your trumped up charge. As for the stats, your logic fails you again. The stats that are relevant to this debate are the stats on Denilson's performance: passes, tackles,interceptions etc. In my opinion Arsenal have been doing well despite him, not because of him. You clearly think otherwise. The stats on Arsenal's performance are irrelevant.
I'd love to see Eboue in a Spurs shirt.
... and I'd love to see Megan Fox without a shirt.
laspeyres = wanker
I thank you.
facts say that he is in the top 5 for passes and tackles check them out..also a good number of assists and goals..
i feel sorry for villa! hope they can beat manure in 2 weeks but stay behind arsenal...
laspreyes
You onviously have not one ounce of football intelligence. Go jump on the Barca bandwagon.
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It says a lot for Rafa's 'knowledge' that he wanted to sell Alonso and sign Robbie Keane and Gareth Barry
cuntchops
Alonso is the new Jamie Rednapp. Slow, can't tackle, and everyone loves his lovely passing.
Well fuck lovely passing. Cesc can do that and needs a hard bastard to support him. Give me Mascherano any day of the week.
did you know Spike is Wrighty7's homosexual alter ego.
Love you boys x x x
why do you sad losers refer to fabregas as "cesc" like hes your best mate or something? the ugly little spitting urchin will be of to the nou camp quicker than you can say "arsenal for the europa cup" get a life!
Iam a GOONER from kingdom of saudi arabia.
alonso as we all know has great passes and good viewing to playing.
but actully we need Mascherano because denilson has a little of experience even he has improved this season .. diaby has great body good tackles but his mind has to change and he should playing fast /.. so diaby and denilson should sit in sub next season .. even in middle east we hate eboue but you have to support him .
No 1 disagree with spike for fuck's sake god forbid people have there opinion that spike doesn't agree with.
Your a fucking idiot the way you cunt people off 4 not agreeing with you... Who the fuck are you????
Very effective material, thanks so much for this post.
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