Close season.
Will he? Won't he?
Are we really buying that player?
Surely we can't be selling him??!! What's he bleedin' playing at?
I'm old enough/experienced/mature/
Then you get Man City spending like some Chelski chav who's just won the lotto. They are getting rid of the Vauxhall Nova GTI and wapping their wad in favour of a Subaru Impreza WRX. The thing is they have bought some serious quality attacking players, but once again not really strengthened their defense. Successive managers/regimes have never rectified this. I will wait for it all to implode a la Spurs' diamond formation!
Right then Rafa. Do you, or do you not want to keep Mascherano or Alonso? Simple question really - in my un-managerial, no stress, un-screwed-up finances experience.
WE NEED TO KEEP BOTH THESE PLAYERS! End of story. No arguments.
They are both excellent midfielders, bordering on world class. I honestly believe with those two and Gerrard in a starting 11 we are more or less unstoppable - and I'm not talking about fantasy football here.
Rafa wants to buy some more players to complete the jigsaw of the Premier League-winning squad. He was given a budget and outside of that needs to sell in order to buy. Understandable really.
BUT!
Alonso and Masch??!! I know Barca are courting Masch and Real, Xavi and for serious bish bosh. OK. He set the limits of 30M and 35M respectively in the hope that they would not be matched. I hope so too, but if say Xavi goes, where do we find a central midefielder in the defensive mode who will cover the park more than any other Liverpool player did last season? Is he thinking of replacing Xavi or both with British players as may need to be the case. If so, why did he let Gareth Barry go? Will the players on his wishlist allow for one or both of their absence from the team, while adding to the squad which the coming season should see us going one better and stopping the Scum from overtaking us in league wins?
No effing way!! Even me dad is asking me what the bleeding hell is Rafa playing at? Does he want to de-moralise these players? Or does he want them to start the new season buzzing that he said from the start of the close season that they were the hub of a midfield which should win the Prem?
Just imagine the reaction of Masch and Alonso if Rafa had said "Sod off! They are going nowhere. They are my two first choice midfielders! Look at the hoptions they provide. They aaare two plaiers I need to help make dis cloob win der league." They would be willing to give all on the pitch for the team and the manager - though Masch does need to temper that errm, let's say "enthusiasm", with a bit more control - this is the 21st century Masch, football is no longer a man's game. It's a non-contact sport that is meant to be digestable for a 21st century audience consisting of middle to upper class fans who want to be entertained by whatever team they fancy this season and can actually afford the full price of a North Face jacket with all the winter accessories - what's wrong with a good old scally Berghaus jacket hey?! Or an Adidas bubble jacket kidda?!
Err sorry. Again I digress/rant/get on my soapbox.
Rafa lad. Strengthening the squad means not selling either of our best midfielders - I no longer fully class Gerrard as an all out midfielder anymore; which I have never been happy about, but I'll leave that rant for another day perhaps.
Imagine what is going through the heads of those two players? Not the best way to motivate them for the coming season. I may be labouring the point, but these two guys haven't even matured yet. When they do mature.....the mouth waters. They are certainly better than anything Man Ure have got. Carrick? Carrick??!!
They-----------must-----------
End of rant.