Yossi

[Rosco]

I know we generally consider our best 3 in behind Torres as Riera, Gerrard and Kuyt but considering his hattrick against Burnley and the generally excellent form he's shown in 2009, should we be giving him the nod ahead of one of those ?

The general perception of him is that he's "a good squad player" but I think he's really stepped it up in the past year and he'd be well worth a regular place in the starting 11 . The trouble is where does he fit in ?

His best position is obviously the same as Gerrard's, and we're not ever going to drop Gerrard, but I wouldn't be adverse to playing Stevie in the middle alongside Aqualani or Mascherano to give Yossi a chance to play. Especially if the alternative is Lucas in midfield instead of Gerrard.

The left doesn't seem to suit him that well, but the position is definitely not nailed down unlike the right hand side where Dirk is proving to be a little bit indispensable.

 

[Dreambeliever]

[quote author=Rosco link=topic=35801.msg942690#msg942690 date=1252804081]
I know we generally consider our best 3 in behind Torres as Riera, Gerrard and Kuyt but considering his hattrick against Burnley and the generally excellent form he's shown in 2009, should we be giving him the nod ahead of one of those ?

The general perception of him is that he's "a good squad player" but I think he's really stepped it up in the past year and he'd be well worth a regular place in the starting 11 . The trouble is where does he fit in ?

His best position is obviously the same as Gerrard's, and we're not ever going to drop Gerrard, but I wouldn't be adverse to playing Stevie in the middle alongside Aqualani or Mascherano to give Yossi a chance to play. Especially if the alternative is Lucas in midfield instead of Gerrard.

The left doesn't seem to suit him that well, but the position is definitely not nailed down unlike the right hand side where Dirk is proving to be a little bit indispensable.
[/quote]

http://sixcrazyminutes.com/forums/index.php?topic=35639.0;all

It was all said in the post a last week Ross.

I'm glad Rafa has seen the light. A magical display from a player who never gets the credit he fully deserves.

 

[Y1]

Yesterday, Yossi was mesmerising, almost Messi like for hos first goal. His interchange with Kuyt was fantastic.

Play him behind Torres.

 

[Rosco]

Completely missed your thread last week Pat !

 

[Dreambeliever]

Ha ha no doubt you saw I started one and thought "oh great more negative shit!"

Anyways, I'm just glad Yossi is getting the chance to shine and what a display it was.

If Gerrard or Torres got a hat trick today everyone would be creaming about them and rightly so.

So I really hope Yossi finally gets the credit as a match winner he deserves.

If he can continue the form of the second half of last season we will do very well.

He's the only player who can really dribble a ball with ease in tight spots for me at our club.

He can see a good through ball and can finish too, all he needs now is consistency to be a must in out starting 11.

 

[Y1]

merge the thread ... lol

anyways, Johnson's thru pass was visionary too for Yossi's first goal.

 

[Rosco]

That's not his first hattrick for us either.

Games like Madrid and the Arsenal 4-4 draw where he came up with important contributions just make me think we really need to get him into this eleven.

I wasn't all that impressed with the signing initially because I never thought he could replace Garcia adequately, but he has definitely grown on me. He's arguably been more effective for us than Garcia, although Garcia was a bit more spectacular.

 

[ibromurph]

[quote author=Dreambeliever link=topic=35801.msg942696#msg942696 date=1252804627]
Ha ha no doubt you saw I started one and thought "oh great more negative shit!"

Anyways, I'm just glad Yossi is getting the chance to shine and what a display it was.

If Gerrard or Torres got a hat trick today everyone would be creaming about them and rightly so.

So I really hope Yossi finally gets the credit as a match winner he deserves.

If he can continue the form of the second half of last season we will do very well.

He's the only player who can really dribble a ball with ease in tight spots for me at our club.

He can see a good through ball and can finish too, all he needs now is consistency to be a must in out starting 11.
[/quote]

Johnson's a very good dribbler in tight spaces too. Agree with the rest.

 

[ILD]

He is also excellent at carrying the ball into dangerous positions. Fair play to him for the form he is showing in the last 8 months.

Plus, his first goal was excellent. Rooney scored a goal cut from the same ilk against Spurs and people are raving about it.

 

[LarryHagman]

Its taken Benitez 5 weeks to realise what virtually everyone else realised at the start of the season; with Xabi gone Gerrard needs to drop back as a Lucas/Masch centre mid is crap.
Impossible to say whether this has cost us points, we'll never know. We couldn't have expected a Yossi hat-trick but I think we all knew we'd be better this way.

 

[ILD]

But Lucas was supposedly the problem. People wanted Lucas out and Gerrard back in midfield with Masher. Will people's opinions change of Lucas if paired with Steven Gerrard?

Some extremists said they feared for our sake whenever they saw Lucas on the teamsheet.

 

[LarryHagman]

Lucas shouldn't be anywhere near the team full stop.

What do you mean "extremists said they feared for our sake whenever they saw Lucas on the teamsheet"? WTF is 'extreme' about noticing how shit Lucas is and not wanting him to play. Also, by using the word 'extremists' I think you mean to imply minority when it clearly isn't.

 

[Squiggles]

I regard Yossi as a guaranteed starter at the minute. He thrives in the space between the lines and helps deliver the ball from midfield to attack now Xabi Alonso's passing is gone. Everything today came through the centre and much of that through Yossi Benayoun.

He's proving himself to be a fine footballer and worthy of the red shirt.

I see there being 3 options for his inclusion:

A) ----------Torres----Kuyt-----
-----Riera--Gerrard--Masher--Yossi

B)
-----------------Torres-------------
---Riera----Gerrard----Yossi-------Kuyt
-----------------Masher----------------

C)---------------Torres----------------------
----Yossi------Gerrard--------Kuyt---
-------------Lucas---Masher-------------

C is my least favourite but I still believe Yossi has the capability to 'learn' that position and become more effective. If Rafa is to continue the 4-2-3-1 formation in the long term, Yossi will have little other option.

 

[madmax]

To me it appears Rafa has seen a clear solution for the team to leave Xabi behind and move forward. I hope he implements it.

Till Aquilani gets fit, Gerrard and Masher should be first choice partnership in the center, with Lucas providing capable cover.

Yossi should play behind Torres interchanging with Kuyt. If Yossi is injured then Gerrard should move forward or even Pacheco can be tried.

 

[MaBigTip]

HaHaHA!!!! people see Gerrard back in the middle one game because Mascher traveled an extraordinary distance to play with a struggling national team where he has as much responsibility as you can get. Rafa doesn't believe Lucas is a starter. But he sure as hell likes him more than Riera or Babel in the team. If Gerrard gets put in midfield then our team has more room for mistake and automatically more goals in it (a number of us said this last year). It's not like in games we are winning he won't be outside of the box driving in with this imperious technique and control, can't believe some of the balls he has controlled perfectly for us this year that really where not good. But when all our players are fit I don't know what is our best 11. But Yossi is making 4-2-3-1 look stupid for us. Especially if Aquilani does what I think and most think he will do.

I don't really have a solution, but I don't mind having a problem because its trying to put all our match winners together (pitiful bench usually). If I wanted to put them all in there - I'd go 4-3-1-2 yossi as the one, Torres and Kuyt as strikers, Aquilani, Mascher, and Gerrard in midfield.

But I think I'd go for options it has to be the 4-2-3-1 but I thiink our best team for the league on most occasions is Mascherless - as much as I love him I think Aquilani and Gerrard could be the best wheelhouse in football. But Mascher is a top 4 killer and as much of a CL weapon as anybody. We are getting a lot of posshibilities imo.

 

[spider-Neil]

I don't think yossi should be included in the team if he is to play on the left, you'll then have two players who will spend next to no time on the flanks (although this may not be a problem with our attacking fullbacks).

to me it's a case of playing yossi where gerrard is now and moving gerrard back and dropping lucas. aquaman doesn't come into the equation yet as he is ridiculously injury and we have no idea how he perform when fit.

to be honest I'd rather keeper gerrard behind torres as I think he will score more and create more but on current form we need to fit yossi into the team. the line up v west ham be interesting

 

[iseered]

Mossi IMO

 

[rage]

lucas or maschnext to gerrard? its really simple until aquaman is fit.

 

[jan]

[quote author=rage link=topic=35801.msg942762#msg942762 date=1252832897]
lucas or maschnext to gerrard? its really simple until aquaman is fit.
[/quote]

I think I'd actually have Lucas against shit opposition (like yesterday) and rest Mascherano, he did okay and I don't see Mascherano offering much more in this type of games.

 

[Buddha]

[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=35801.msg942714#msg942714 date=1252811536]

Lucas shouldn't be anywhere near the team full stop.

What do you mean "extremists said they feared for our sake whenever they saw Lucas on the teamsheet"? WTF is 'extreme' about noticing how shit Lucas is and not wanting him to play. Also, by using the word 'extremists' I think you mean to imply minority when it clearly isn't.

[/quote]

Whilst I'd rather partner Gerrard in midfield with Masher for now, Lucas is simply not "shit". He's quietly progressing as a premiership player who'd hold his own in most prem teams. The "extremist" view is that he's "just shit and that's that". Utter bollocks.

He played well (again) yesterday.

 

[spider-Neil]

with yossi in this kind of form and kuyt being kuyt we'll see who has the last laugh regarding two midfielders getting into double figures for league goals.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=35801.msg942714#msg942714 date=1252811536]

Lucas shouldn't be anywhere near the team full stop.

What do you mean "extremists said they feared for our sake whenever they saw Lucas on the teamsheet"? WTF is 'extreme' about noticing how shit Lucas is and not wanting him to play. Also, by using the word 'extremists' I think you mean to imply minority when it clearly isn't.

[/quote]

Lucas went to Old Trafford last season and put on a great show in the 4-1 win, he's not 'shit' he just doesn't look particularly good next to Masher, especially when our attackers are out of sorts, he looked good next to Gerrard yesterday because Gerrard compliments him.

Stop talking bollocks.

 

[Stulikesdrums]

Where the fuck is Brendan with his 'peerless' knowledge of spotting a dud?
Was it Casper he called him? He backtracked with Aerulio, he'll have to do the same with Yossi now.
Lets hope Dossena and Lucas come good so he looks like a total cunt.

 

[Red Mullet]

[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=35801.msg942707#msg942707 date=1252808651]

Its taken Benitez 5 weeks to realise what virtually everyone else realised at the start of the season; with Xabi gone Gerrard needs to drop back as a Lucas/Masch centre mid is crap.
Impossible to say whether this has cost us points, we'll never know. We couldn't have expected a Yossi hat-trick but I think we all knew we'd be better this way.

[/quote]

I think you'll find that 50% of people was fearful of breaking up the Gerrard-Torres partnership...

 

[Avmenon]

[quote author=Stu link=topic=35801.msg942818#msg942818 date=1252841854]
Where the fuck is Brendan with his 'peerless' knowledge of spotting a dud?
Was it Casper he called him? He backtracked with Aerulio, he'll have to do the same with Yossi now.
Lets hope Dossena and Lucas come good so he looks like a total cunt.
[/quote]

Truly, the love has died ;D

 

[ILD]

[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=35801.msg942714#msg942714 date=1252811536]

Lucas shouldn't be anywhere near the team full stop.

What do you mean "extremists said they feared for our sake whenever they saw Lucas on the teamsheet"? WTF is 'extreme' about noticing how shit Lucas is and not wanting him to play. Also, by using the word 'extremists' I think you mean to imply minority when it clearly isn't.

[/quote]

Some posters were so extreme in their views against Lucas that the sheer mention of him on our teamsheet sent them into a downward spiral of negativity. As if one player alone could continue to cost us three points. Lucas looked accomplished today and had a fine game. He won some 50/50 that the 'haters' told us he wasn't capable of ever winning. He advanced into forward positions, he took shots, and more importantly him playing didn't cost us the game as many feared would happen if we continued to play him.

Yes, it's only Burnley but we have beaten quality opisition before with Lucas in the side so lets take one game at a time with him. On a side note, Aqualini will be fit in a month and probably rid Lucas from the team, so I wouldn't worry.

 

[ArneSlot4PM]

[quote author=Stu link=topic=35801.msg942818#msg942818 date=1252841854]
Where the fuck is Brendan with his 'peerless' knowledge of spotting a dud?
Was it Casper he called him? He backtracked with Aerulio, he'll have to do the same with Yossi now.
Lets hope Dossena and Lucas come good so he looks like a total cunt.
[/quote]

Ha.

To be fair to him he had allready started to openly praise "Casper" (allthough the abuse had flowed regularly for quite some time).

I personally miss having Bren around, he added a lot to this site.

 

[Atlas]

I would happily play Gerrard in the middle with Yossi in behind Torres and take out Lucas from the first 11. Aquaman will take a while to settle in after an operation like that and having to deal with a new league/team etc so there should be loads more playing time for Yossi.

 

[spider-Neil]

[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=35801.msg942707#msg942707 date=1252808651]

Its taken Benitez 5 weeks to realise what virtually everyone else realised at the start of the season; with Xabi gone Gerrard needs to drop back as a Lucas/Masch centre mid is crap.

[/quote]

rafa hasn't realised anything, the only reason why gerrard played central midfield was masher was injuried. it will be gerrard behind torres as usual for the west ham game.

 

[Red Mullet]

[quote author=spider-neil link=topic=35801.msg942911#msg942911 date=1252850230]
[quote author=LarryHagman link=topic=35801.msg942707#msg942707 date=1252808651]

Its taken Benitez 5 weeks to realise what virtually everyone else realised at the start of the season; with Xabi gone Gerrard needs to drop back as a Lucas/Masch centre mid is crap.

[/quote]

rafa hasn't realised anything, the only reason why gerrard played central midfield was masher was injuried. it will be gerrard behind torres as usual for the west ham game.
[/quote]

Only if Mascher is available...