Three years may have passed since he signed for Real Madrid, but Liverpool fans still mourn the loss of midfield maestro Xabi Alonso. The Spaniard was immense in Spain's Euro 2012 quarter-final win over France, and like the club's fans, Jamie Carragher also misses Alonso's presence at Anfield.
Analysing the Spain-France game for ITV, Carragher argued that Germany were more exciting to watch than Spain, but reserved special praise for Alonso. He said:
"It was fitting that Xabi took the penalty on his 100th cap.
"It just sickens me to see him in the red of Spain and not the red of Liverpool.
"We'd love to have him back. He was a fantastic player at our club, and he's one of the top players at Euro 2012."
To this day, many fans refuse to accept that Rafa Benitez's crass pursuit of (the vastly inferior) Gareth Barry is the main reason Alonso left, but the man himself admitted as much in an interview in September 2009:
"Last summer when the club proposed that I had to be sold to buy new players it was a difficult moment and decision to accept, but I accepted it as a professional. That moment changed my mind, from that moment it was time for a change".
Bravo to Benitez for signing Alonso in the first place, but his very public pursuit of Gareth Barry basically amounted to a public vote of ‘no confidence’, and who could blame Alonso for wanting to leave after that?
It's no surprise that Liverpool finished 7th without Alonso the year after, and to this day, he's never been adequately replaced.
Jaimie Kanwar
Analysing the Spain-France game for ITV, Carragher argued that Germany were more exciting to watch than Spain, but reserved special praise for Alonso. He said:
"It was fitting that Xabi took the penalty on his 100th cap.
"It just sickens me to see him in the red of Spain and not the red of Liverpool.
"We'd love to have him back. He was a fantastic player at our club, and he's one of the top players at Euro 2012."
To this day, many fans refuse to accept that Rafa Benitez's crass pursuit of (the vastly inferior) Gareth Barry is the main reason Alonso left, but the man himself admitted as much in an interview in September 2009:
"Last summer when the club proposed that I had to be sold to buy new players it was a difficult moment and decision to accept, but I accepted it as a professional. That moment changed my mind, from that moment it was time for a change".
Bravo to Benitez for signing Alonso in the first place, but his very public pursuit of Gareth Barry basically amounted to a public vote of ‘no confidence’, and who could blame Alonso for wanting to leave after that?
It's no surprise that Liverpool finished 7th without Alonso the year after, and to this day, he's never been adequately replaced.
Jaimie Kanwar
Its depressing isn't it. I dont see us playing in CL for at least 3 years more. We must KEEP our best players.
ReplyDeleteAlonso wanted to leave because of the tax laws, but found a convenient excuse.
ReplyDeleteIf someone wanted to replace me with a 'vastly inferior' person, I would work my balls off to prove them wrong.
Don't let your hatred of Rafa get in the way of masking what EVERY footballer's No.1 priority is : THEMSELVES.
i miss him more than torres rooney st claus the 3 world war and whatever....ynwa
ReplyDeleteand jim the g point 2
ReplyDeleteI love Alonso, But his second last season alot of people forget that he was terrible , Juventus turned him down cause he was to expensive at 12 million or something, And it was that summer that we tried to get barry, Alonso was obviously upset by the whole thing and then that season he showed his true potenial and we ended up selling him for 30 million
ReplyDeleteAny excuse for him to bash Rafa,
ReplyDeleteIf he was 'terrible' that year, words fail me to describe performance's of our CM's last season!
ReplyDeletePlease explain - with specific examples - why Alonso was 'terrible' in 2007-8. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWhy would he want to stay in a team when the manager has no belief in him? Suppose it had nothing to do with the fact that the No1 team in the world valued him more than ourselves!
ReplyDeleteEH we didn't have a midfield last season as far as im aware
ReplyDeleteI want to see him red again. We love him
ReplyDeleteI always read stuff like Alonso only had 2 good seasons with us. Nonsense, his second last season we were near the top of the league and then Alonso got injured, broken metatarsal, which kept him out for 3 months. Benitez brought him back too early and he suffered a setback which ket him out for another 6+ weeks. Alonso never had a bad season with us as we finished in the top four ever season he played for us except the first (broken ankle courtesy of Frank Lampard, out 3 months). Everyone harps on about Gerrard being the best centre midfielder in the country but Benitez knew that Gerrard was best at attacking from midfield, he is not a midfield general like Alonso. When Xabi left, we finished the next season 7th, that along with all the players reactions that season to Xabi leaving should tell the whole story. We lost one of the best players at controlling the tempo of a game in the world and he was replaced with a dud called Aquilani. Benitez should have fixed his rift with Alonso instead of selling him. If he really had to sell players then sell different ones for the good of the club. Old news anyway. Xabi is a real gent and still publicly expresses his support for Liverpool F.C. for what it did for him as a player. I wish him the best of luck whatever he does in the future.
ReplyDeletealonso is quality and always has been. just can't believe we have gone from a team with mascherano and alonso to jay spearing and charlie adam. so so poor in central midfield now. wings have always been weak. so basically our entire midfield - bar gerrard- is way below what we had.
ReplyDeleteOk i admit terrible was a bit over the top but he was no were near as good as he was the following season, Appearances wer limited due to dip in form aswell as injury, But the FACT we tired to sell him and he was deemed overpriced at 12 million??
ReplyDeleteAlonso is the best long passer of a ball I have ever seen, from any country in any era and I am 54 years of age and have watched a hell of a lot of football. To have sold him was one of the most stupid pieces of "business" the club has ever carried out. The term "world class" is bandied about way too much, but Alonso truly is world class. He is also a gentleman and a class act as a man as well as a footballer, and I for one have rued the day we lost him every time I have watched us play since his departure. I thank the football gods that I was lucky enough to see him play for us - I regard it as a privelege to have done so. I wish him all the best in whatever he does.
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you're saying, I bloody love xabi BUT Gareth Barry has just won the league with City, a team who can afford any player in the world, so he can't really be that inferior. City fans love him.
ReplyDeletewhat's the point in providing specific examples for something we all know. He may not have been terrible but was nowhere near the level of the following season. Jaime why not write an article about how much we miss poulsen and konchesky? I remember you giving specific examples about how good they were. I thought Adam was more than an adequate replacement for Alonso?
ReplyDeleteWas Gareth Barry instrumental to the success of the team or just a team player though? That is the question. If you want an answer just look how good Real Madrid are these days. Mourinho has said there are 3 players he always looks to pick for the big games, Ronaldo, Casillas and Alonso. THAT says everything about Xabi. Gareth Barry is a good player, but he certainly isn't "World Class". Someone once said that to be World Class you have to have won everything in Football, league title, domestic cups, european or south american championships and the world cup. Xabi has won the lot. He is world class. Ask yourself, would Gareth Barry get into the Spain 1st team linup? Now we've all stopped laughing, I rest my case.
ReplyDeleteI hate seeing him playing for that shower of bastards in Madrid. He'd be welcomed back in a heartbeat at Anfield.
ReplyDeleteAll we keep hearing is that players want out - skirtel bellamy reina kyut maxi etc and that even some kids from Roma and Crewe would not even talk to Liverpool - and no new stadium either - OH WELL -Things can only get better ??????
ReplyDeleteAlonso left for Real Madrid, argument with manager or not he still would have left. Get over it. ( We were ranked 1st en Europe while rafa was there so maybe Madrid wasn't as appealing for a spanniard)
ReplyDeleteMiki Roque RIP
ReplyDeleteThe problems Liverpool faced were deeper than loss of Alonso.
ReplyDeleteHe is not coming back unless Liverpool would be retirement home for him when he is no longer good enough for Real Madrid and we still hope it will not come to that.
Great player and still a Liverpool supporter but it's in the past.
Liverpool must now find their style of football and I hope Rodgers can have proper financial backing and more than 1 season to do so.
In my POV why LFC fans love him(Alonso) so much:
ReplyDeleteWith him around we dun need to construct something from deep, we back passes too much in our current game play....
Our captain can rely on him to control center...so he can had much freedom in atk...that why u can see best gerrard...ALONSO is a really good midfield partner or cover
Alonso was a GREAT GREAT replacement when HAMANN leave....when Alonso leave, our replacement gap was too huge...term of overall..
Im not try to bring out his kicking skill or passing since it well establish...
As a lfc fans i hope ADAMS can lift himself up this coming season...put the word "reliable" on his back....(may some fans not agree with this point but pls pls cheer for your own player)
YNWA
it was all benitez's fault. thank goodness that somebody came to their senses to see what a lousy and horrible manager rafa was and did not re-hire him in spite of some nutters signing some petition. whew.
ReplyDeleteIt is no coincidence that the down turn in performance and quality at LFC commenced when Alonso left. Nobody has come anywhere near the quality he exuded, and please don't insult the intelligence by suggesting that Adam will ever be an adequate replacement for him !
ReplyDeleteAlonso is the best player in the world , ever , he is the magic missing ingredient in every pie !
ReplyDeleteAlonso was average at best .
He had good moments just like every other player does but when Gerrard wasnt around he was just another nobody , just another foreign gutless wonder here going through the motions for yet another hefty pay check .
If you like him or not at least Gareth Barry knows how to dig in & scrap for a result instead of looking around himself wondering who is going to do it for him .
Charlie Adam is not just similar to him in his range of passing but for me Bonny Prince Charlie is a stronger character , a better leader & much more effective in the final third & I dare say even if his 11 assists last season alone dont top Alonsos numbers throughout his entire career at LFC then the simple fact that Adam led the club in assists last season is all the evidence if not proof anyone with half a brain needs to realize Alonso was never effective for us in the final third & never topped the club in assists .
I say bring him back though .
He might help us avoid relegation & if not he may prove useful when we are looking for promotion .
Funny that the year previously when he was put on the market the only team interested was Juventus.....says a lot about the two previous seasons he had for Liverpool. Soon as his place was under threat he started to perform.
ReplyDeleteHe was terrible the season before also...!!!
ReplyDeleteYou don't need examples...Only Juventus were interested in him Jamie...and he was on the transfer list....!!! That says it all....and 12 mill was too much for him !!!
ReplyDeleteTrue, rafa was always 50-50..never know what to expect. I hope LFC don't sell Suarez and regret it after few years. De ja vu
ReplyDeleteAlonso had one great season, the last one as he knew he was in the shop window. Maybe if it wasn't for the speculation he would have just strolled through the season like he did all the others. Maybe that was Rafa's plan to motivate him as he knew he was capable of much more. Whatever the reasons for going, all players have a choice, put the work in and make it impossible for the manager to drop or sell you or take the easy route make up an excuse and pocket a nice fee on the way out the door. As for Gareth Barry being classed as inferior, despite City's billions he remains in the team every week and would have been at the Euros if not for injury, so Mancini rates him and obviously Rafa did, that's a great endorsement.
ReplyDeleteAh come on, it is common knowledge that Alonso's form dropped big time which prompted Benitez to try and replace him (along with their falling out over Alonso wanting to see his son being born and the need for more English players because of new rules). It is pretty difficult to come up with specific examples from half a decade ago. Alonso's style of play makes it even harder, since if he plays badly, he just wont get involved and the whole team will likely look worse. If we was a centre-half, you could point to big mistakes but it isn't the same for a deep lying playmaker. I'm sure there are some, but they're tough to recall.
ReplyDeleteI never supported the decision to sell Alonso since you could see he was starting to regain form after injury in the 2007-8 season BUT people like to look back on Alonso's Liverpool career and make out he was always brilliant which isn't true. First season (2004-5) he was excellent but for the 2 seasons before we tried to sell him, he was nowhere near that level of performance. The player that we had in 2008-9 was far greater than he had been ever before.
The trauma of losing Alonso has caused people to lose objectivity and the result is that he has morphed in people's memories into some sort of football super being who drove Liverpool on every season he was at the club. When he was at his best, he had no equal but there were was a sizeable chunk of his career at Liverpool were he wasn't at that level.
I should end this by saying 2 things:
1. Alonso is a played I absolutely loved at Liverpool. I never wanted him sold, I never wanted him to leave and he is still one of my very favourite players in world football.
2. I do blame Benitez for his leaving, despite being an ardent Rafa supporter, but I have to concede I don't know the full story. From my vantage point, it looks like Rafa's stubborness cost us massively in this regard.
Keep reading the English papers about Gerrard being the best central midfield player in the world. Same with Lampard. Gerrard and Lampard are attacking midfielders by their very nature, not midfield generals. Charlie Adam or Gareth Barry would not get into the Spainish squad nor Real Madrid, so your rgument is massively flawed. Too many Benitez worshippers and Sun readers on this site. Have any of these posters actually gone to a football match? There's much more to beinig important to a team than pure stats.
ReplyDeleteAnother Sun newspaper reader. One great season. So miopic.
ReplyDeleteGarreth Barry really enjoyed a healthy association with the winning team. He played a part in the campaign that saw city claim their first premiere league title in forty-four years. So i guess he would say he made the right decision to leave Villa. With two or more players for every position Barry is finding it hard to start many games at Man City. Rich you say he won the league which he did but it was not because he was a dominant force in Man City's midfield it was because he was surrounded with multi-million pounds worth of talent. I don't even know if Barry scored one goal all season. I know he didn't score twice.
ReplyDeleteWhere do you get this info from? It doesnt matter how much Juve (one of the top teams in the world) where prepared to pay for him back then.
ReplyDeleteHe went for 30m (not bad consdiering how terrible he was) and is noticibly missed whn not playing in the a team that has the NO1 squad in the world!
If he was on the market now im sure every team would take him in a heartbeat.
'Its says it all' yet he STARTS for the World, Euro and La Liga CHAMPIONS!!
ReplyDeleteCant be that great can he!??
Are you havin a laugh....Juve were embroiled in a betting scandal and were nowhere near where they are now...which is still nowhere, even though they are Seria A champs....no-one with serious career ambitions moves from the PL to Seria A....let's just put it like that. !!! And BTW it matters a lot...for the simple reason....Alonso was put on the transfer market...no-one wanted him apart from Juve...FACT...and it was a megre £12 mill as stated above...real Liverpool fans are aware of these facts...!!! Don't get me wrong Alonso was and still is a great player. In his first season he was amazing...but the next two he completely coasted...and when it was put up to him that only Juve wanted him he started turning out performances...which is a sad indictment on him more than anyone. !!! Just a pity it took a rocket up his swiss to make it happen, as well as the tax situation as mentioned also....!!!
ReplyDeletemoan all u want i thought we had the best midfield in the prem at 1 point mascherano,alonso,gerrard. and to cap it off torres up front imagine if we still had all these and now lucas playin the way he is we would of won the prem by now. why not build on a team that finishes 2nd rather than break it up. (and thats 1 thing i cant forgive benitez for)
ReplyDeleteThe truth is that Rafa would have preferred to have BOTH Alonso and Barry, however H&G wouldn't supply the funds. So after an underwhelming season he mistakenly assessed Alonso as the makeweight. The truth is that Rafa should never have had to be in that position in the first place but again the root of the problem was the previous owners. With Barry, Alonso, Gerrard and Mascherano we would have been unstoppable. Rafa managed the situation poorly, but it was a situation that a top 4 Champions League winning manager should never have been put in.
ReplyDeleteand whoever says lucas is shite. he not only does the job for us but barzil as well i think we might of finished a bit higher last term had lucas not got injured
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'm Xabi's biggest fan, believe me. He's a quality player, and I would much prefer him to Gaz Baz. I think that Barry is underrated though. He is one of the first names on the city team sheet. He is surrounded by stars, as is Alonso at Madrid. Barry scored one league goal last season, as did alonso. Again, I agree, Xabi is a world class player, but all I'm saying is that Barry can't be as bad as is being made out. You ask any City fan.
ReplyDeleteAlonso was pure class and that is still evidence very much today when you see him play for Real Madrid or when you watch him with the Spanish National team. Will always be great-full for Benitez for discovering him. Scored a really classy goal in the Euro's too against France. I think that Liverpool made a mistake in letting him go. He has not been really replaced. I know Macshereno tried to plug that gap he left in the midfield but he lacked Alonso's creative wizardry. It is safe to say that it will be along time before another Liverpool player is crazy enough to attempt score from their own half of the field on more than one occasion. I think Alberto Aquilani on his good day represents a player who closes reproduces Alonso's long passing range, and vision. Others may disagree but it is just my opinion
ReplyDeleteStop going off the subject...!!! No-one at all is doubting how good he is...!!! But don't go around telling me he was performing like he is now the two seasons prior to being put on the transfer list by Rafa....because no La Liga Champions were interested in him then...as a matter of fact even Athletico Madrid/Valencia weren't even interested then....so do yourself a favour and read between the lines...you might learn a thing or two.
ReplyDeleteWhat English newspaper ever said that about Gerrard ?
ReplyDeleteI happen to think that the English haven't acknowledged just how Good Gerrard has been in his LFC Career , if he had been a Cockney it would have been another story .
By the way , Gerrard , Adam or Barry couldn't play for the Spanish side , wait for it , because they arent Spanish & unlike other teams , the Irish for example , Spain tend only to use players actually from their own Country !
Neither could they get into the Real Madrid Side because , wait for it , none of them live in Madrid !
That aside all of them have proven themselves to be terrific players in the Premier League , something even the most ardent Alonso supporter would struggle to claim .
Aquilani is not a dud.
ReplyDeleteMid table needs no new home.
ReplyDeleteGareth Barry is a typical England player - all running and no skill. If he'd been in the competition England have just exited the results would have been...exactly the same. England just don't out players like Pirlo - players who exude class, style, confidence etc. We turn out players like Milner, Young and, yes, Barry. That's why we are so boring and it's a relief when we go out.
ReplyDeleteJuve are nothing, eh? Well, they won the league without losing a single match. What the hell did LFC do last season? Typical English arrogance. Buffon and Pirlo are Juve players - didn't do so badly last night, did they?
ReplyDeleteIt's nothing to do with English arrogance whatsoever....!!! Seria A has no pulling power whatsoever when it comes to transfers....they are left with the PL and La Liga cast offs....simple as....no need to get upset about it....!!! If Juve are so great why didn't Alonso take the move on...seen as it was such a defining moment in his career...!!! Because he didn't want to take a step backwards...!!! Pure and simple.
ReplyDeleteRafa was a shitty man manager end of. I have heard countless interviews of players talking about how he treated them shittily. Even Stevie G said that he never received a single compliment from him on his play. Rafa was a megalomaniac and he, along with the previous owners, is responsible for what has befallen us. I, for one, am glad to see the back of him and am happy that he will never be manager again.
ReplyDeleteAlonso is a great player and he never truly had a bad season at Anfield. He had a couple of seasons where he was mediocre (like nearly all stars do) and then he had a couple of truly great seasons. I would never blame him for leaving after how he was treated.
Lolz dude, you are just blind comparing Charlie with alonso. Charlie adam has been average at best. Maybe he could change next season but He doesn't know how to defend and is a liability whenever we are on the back foot. If you can't see that, then you are just another deluded fans of the last 20 years. Alonso was not great, he had 1 good season with us. But that was the turning point in his career, look at him in real madrid. And to say that charlie adam or Barry would get in the spanish squad or madrid squad is pure ....... No words there, just fill it in yourself.
ReplyDeleteYeah bring all the dislikes
best comment here
ReplyDeletelolz tell that to a spanish player that Madrid isn't appealing. Ask anyone they would tell you how appealing is Madrid. No matter where we were, we still didn't have the players that madrid had. We just had a good Manager (And yeah I acknowledge Rafa Benitez was a good Manager. Actually he was great. I still love him for what he did for us )
ReplyDeleteSpot on Mate. We need to improve if we want all the goodies
ReplyDeleteBenitez was partly at fault for Alonso leaving, but Jamie, do you think that Alonso would really have said "no" to Real Madrid? Putting all the blame on Rafa is not really wise. I know you do not like Rafa a lot, but do not let that get in the way of reasonable objectivity.
ReplyDeleteYou may be right, Karl, and I agree, it's unlikely that Alonso would turn down Madrid. However, it's also possible that Madrid may not have moved for him if he wasn't so clearly unsettled. the Alonso-Benitez 'rift' was highly publicised, which opened the door for Madrid to step in.
ReplyDeleteYeah you make some good point Rich. i do believe that Gareth Barry was a much better player when he was allowed the freedom to roam and he fully expressed himself for Villa. He is more restricted here at City to fit into Mancini's tactics. He had more pressure on his shoulders as team captain and therefore he was forced to create more . I think that he got a chance to really push himself at Villa. He is now on a team that could easily win with out his input. I am not saying that he is not making a fine contribution to the team, but with a team with an embarrassment of riches on the field he is not seen as the go to person during the clutch periods of a match. I think personally that Barry would benefited more when Yaya Toure was called away for the African Cup of Nations in January.
ReplyDeleteIn contrast the man whom he almost replaced at Liverpool is a more creative type of player and stamps his influence in his own special way in the game no matter where he is playing. He is usual starter for "The Special One" every game and is a fixture in the Spanish National team set up. Alonso is as special as they come.
Barry is a talented player no one can take that away from him. In all honesty I did not mind him coming to Liverpool but not at the expense of Alonso.
People are probably gonna get upset with me for saying this but highly technical player are what we are missing in the Liverpool squad. These players are more than likely going to be foreign. We need one or two more . We need play makers like David Silva or Man City's Nasri. Players who can create something out of nothing and find space for their team mates. When i look at the Liverpool squad i don't see anyone for whom there dribbling and one on one skills really stands out. We have no Iniesta's no Juan Mata's , no body who you know can beat there man 3 out of every 5 times and create space for their team mates. So you are right Martin we need technically gifted players
ReplyDeleteI agree with Jamie, Alonso had 3 years left on his contract so there was no pressure to sell him really. Benitez should have fixed the relationship for the good of the club. Don't get me wrong here, I really rated Benitez as a coach but as a manager in terms of handling players he has been found wanting. Anyway, we're in a new era now. Carra should be looking over his shoulder because the new manager wants his players to pass the ball a lot more than hoofing it out of defence.
ReplyDeleteExactly.
ReplyDeleteIt had nothing to do with Rafa having no belief in him. It had everything to do with improving his wages, his standard of living and playing for THE biggest football club in the World (despite what the inhabitants of that northern mill town along the M62 would have everyone believe).
I do find it uncomfortable that he plays for Mourinho, especially after his Chelsea team always used to (appear to) target Alonso.
ReplyDeleteAnd I hate him being Ronaldo's teammate.....
And hasn't Arbeloa turned into a complete nark since he went home?........
James, you know nothing of what went on, so do not make idiotic comments that purport to demonstrate that you have an in-depth knowledge and understanding of what took place. Very few people do, so it would be wise to be careful before voicing your opinion.
ReplyDeleteWhat IS clear is that Rafa was not a 'lousy' or 'horrible' manager. How you can say that is beyond belief.
Lousy? A manager that helped us win the European Cup? Someone who took us to our two highest points totals in 20 years? Who helped us to beat the greatest teams around at the time, and hammering the eventual champions in 2009, on their own turf? You indubitably do not understand the word 'LOUSY'. I'll give you a sentence to show you its meaning: "You, James, have a LOUSY understanding of the word 'lousy'".
Horrible? You mean this man who has contributed his time, energies and money to charities in and around Liverpool, and has supported the Hillsborough Justice Campaign and the families affected by the disaster? A man that represents the goodly nature that mankind does possess? Horrible ought to be reserved for the likes of Ferguson.
Hmmmm....2009/9 - 25 wins, two losses. That seems to be '50/50' to me....
ReplyDeleteI miss Aquilani far more than I do Alonso. That said, it doesn't mean I wouldn't take Alonso back; I'd just rather have both.
ReplyDeleteThat does not invalidate Rafa's decision to move him on to get Barry (in order to pair him up with Keane).
ReplyDeleteHaha! A dud! Nonsense! You don't earn M.o.t.M. awards for being a dud. Moreover, you don't earn FOUR in nine starts if you are. And it's fair to say that Aquilani was a class apart when he played in pre-season last Summer. How could Dalglish have been so blind to his talent, favouring Adam and Henderson (who may come good, as he's only young) over Aquilani?
ReplyDeleteAnd yet Rafa said that Aurelio was, technically, a better passer than Alonso. Wouldn't you know?
ReplyDeleteWe wouldn't even consider talking to Rafa, so we deserve all we get. Shocking treatment of a decent man, and a superb manager.
ReplyDeleteUnless of course Alonso had a quiet 'word' whilst on International duty that he wanted a return home? It wouldn't be the first time that a player engineered a move (Ziege) whilst playing for his country.
ReplyDeleteI know I harp on, but I saw a few interviews (notably LFC TV) where Alonso did mention the "tax factor".
I enclose a clip from The Telegraph:
10:00PM BST 20 Jun 2009
Alonso is refusing to commit himself to Liverpool next season, with Real Madrid eager to to take him to the Bernabeu, and with Alonso estimating he is losing a third of his earnings he is edging closer to a return to Spain.
"Of course we footballers think about it; we are not stupid, we keep an eye on it," Alonso said. "When you see your contract down by 30 per cent you cannot be happy. I cannot do anything – it must be Gordon Brown or David Cameron.
" I think the weakness of the sterling is not helping the Premiership because for those competing and fighting against the European teams it is a big weak point. Hopefully over the next few months and years it will get back to what it was not so long ago."
Obviously I am not naiive enough to pretend that the media could not angle an interview to suit their agenda, but he did receive a considerable pay rise when he joined Madrid, which according to Guillem Ballague would have "completely destabilised [LFC's] existing pay structure".
I concede Rafa did piss him off big style as well.....
;)
What dislikes ?
ReplyDeleteFashion Victims are pitied not disliked in my house .
Run along now & go watch some more Youtube compilations & highlights , theres a good boy .
Otherwise go learn something about the game , learn about building a squad , building a team & then leading them systematically toward challenging for all tha major honors .
If you do that you will soon realize Adam had a fantastic 1'st season in a newly assembled team at a big club in transition .
Yea I know he doesnt have a hair styleist & he doesnt ponce around half naked in magazines , he doesnt do cartwheels or look for personal glory ...
Like Downing , he just lets his football do the talking & plays for the team , hence the bookings & injurys he picked up last season while throwing his body in the line of fire for us last season , something Alonso does very well too .
Anyone who can play in Liverpool's midfield so well when Gerrard is out that Gerrard isnt even missed must be one hell of a player .
If that same player is in his 1'st season at the club ?
What a player !
Personally I think Ferguson is either blind or handcuffed not to have built his midfield around Charlie Adam , they are crying out for his composure & leadership . .
Alonso got a public vote of no confidence because he had a poor season. It's great with hindsight to look back and think what a great season he had after we tried to sell him, but I don't remember there being a great public outcry when there was talk of him being sold to Juve. I recall there being a problem finding a club willing to pay a good price for him because he'd been so poor. There is no question that he re-asserted himself as a world-class player but I'm not convinced anyone quite had the foresight at the time to see that. Otherwise why didn't Madrid buy him the first time he was offered for sale? If it was such a mistake to try and sell him, why were there not clubs lining up to cash in? Simple fact: there weren't. He had a difficult season and the club struggled because of it. No one wanted to pay big money for him. That it turned out to be a mistake is a real shame but to repeatedly go over it again and again seems nonsensical. No one knew what was going to happen, not even Xabi.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell if this is a joke or not.
ReplyDeleteHe had one season where, after it was done, we couldn't even get an offer good enough to take when we were clearly willing to let him go. Don't you remember what it was like when it became apparent we were interested in letting him go? There were talks of one or two clubs but that was it. For all that he was such a great player, how was it that we never actually managed to sell him?
ReplyDeleteHardly surprising but I'll give you a clue , that pointy bit at the middle of yer arm where it bends is called yer elbow not that thing you sit on .
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel, the same feeling I get with most of his posts, genuine stupidity or joke.
ReplyDeleteWe have to stop buying S***E! Then we might just progress.
ReplyDeleteWe never really had Aquilani. He has shown his true colours & now he's not really wanted anywhere. Gets what he deserves.
ReplyDeleteI'll still take him on a bad season!
ReplyDeleteMaybe that was something to do with how he was being managed.. or should I say mismanaged.
ReplyDeleteI hope Adam can take himself off somewhere else. Sorry but true! Whilst he turns out for LFC I will support him but I would be glad to see the back of him!
ReplyDeleteGo look fer a husband elsewhere womin , I'm not interested in no humorless butch dykes !
ReplyDeleteWell said Chris
ReplyDeleteFor the two seconds every year that he played, he may well have been. He had incredible technique
ReplyDeleteI'm a big Alonso fan...massive in fact, but it IS funny how people forget how he was at the start of his LFC career. Awful at timing challenges, constantly giving away free kicks on the edge of our box, and often lost the ball even when trying to pass the ball 5-10 yards. He COULD accurately pick out a teammate on the other side of the field, however. When it became clear we were in for Barry, the real Alonso emerged and the rest is history. A large part of that is down to the partnership with Mach and Gerrard. People forget that those three were possibly the best midfield ever assembled at Anfield.
ReplyDeleteAll I am saying is if you have a predisposition against Benitez it is easy to assume you know everything and jump on the Rafa hating bandwagon.
The other point is, Rafa always had to 'Sell-to-buy'. In order to evolve / improve the overall squad how many other players could he sell that would actually make any decent money?
ReplyDeleteI remember when he first took over he immediately sold Danny Murphy. Not because he wanted to, but because Murphy was the only player who would possibly raise a few quid......
The best deal ever. Selling Alonso and bringing Aquillani. Well done benitez.
ReplyDelete14 months before Alonso left, Liverpool had an away match somewhere in europe (can't remember where), Alonso wanted to stop at home to be with his wife as she was due to give birth and Rafa not being the sensitive type when it comes to man management said he wanted Alonso to play. Alonso refused to fly with LFC and Benitez soon afterwards said he only wanted players that were comitted to the club. Then he started the pusuit of Gareth Barry which ultimately led to Alonso leaving. I like Rafa, he did well for us overall, but his man management stinks.
ReplyDeletewish we had a nucleus of the team now like we had 3 or 4 years ago, Reina, Hyypia, Carragher (at his peak), a midfield of Mascherano, Alonso and Gerrard, Torres up front. Sort out the wide areas and it looks a really good team to me. Oh well!!
ReplyDeleteSo I think there you have it, it was a combination of many factors as well all mentioned before.
ReplyDeleteHow much we have to pay to get him back.
ReplyDeleteI want to see him red again whatsoever, had happend. I love his class
This is a joke right. Downing doing a great job. Downing had his worst season as a footballer. He didn't have a single assist or goal in the league. He only had a handful of good games. And if Rednose would have wanted Charlie Adam we would have never been able to get him in the first place.
ReplyDeleteJust don't be deluded man, Be realistic and open your eyes. If you are a player who has to chose between Man United or Liverpool, who would you choose. Give me a honest answer not a deluded answer
Gareth Barry, sorry couldn`t lace Xabi Alonso`s boots. Alonso, "world class" Gareth Barry, "average" IMO no contest. So tell me who in the current team would you say is as good as Alonso except for Stevie G, who we all know his one of only two IMO world class midfield players we currently have. So lets start with Henderson? no competition at the moment. Downing? like Henderson IMO very average, under performer. C. Adam? no world beater, sluggish and his passing Knowhere near Xabi`s, so another very average player. J. Spearing? very average big heart but just dosen`t make the grade. J.J Shelvey? out of all the above players IMO potentially has all the attributes too become a "class" player but only time will tell. Maxi and Bellamy? its a pitty thier passed there best. Last of all Lucas Leiva? "Quallity" anybody who knows anything about football can see, in Lucas we have a genuine world class player who was no doubt, solely missed after his injury last season more than any other player. Last season we were caught wanting in a few positions, I think we could easily solve this with at most four new signings, Top of the list a renowned goal poacher. Secondly two decent wingers who can actually beat a defender and put a half decent cross in the box. And another Defensive midfielder just incase Lucas gets injured again. People will most proberbly be saying we need another leftback too cover for Enrique? but i think in Jack Robinson we have a very good young replacement for Enrique, who knows if given the chance Jack could make this position his own? and another young talented prospect his Raheem sterling who given the chance could prove to be one of two wingers that we need. So i just hope Brenden Rodgers buys well, because whoever he brings in will determine his success or failure, like Dalglish, you will be judged on your league performances, and that 4th spot is more important than any domestic cup. Goodluck Brenden im 100% behind you. Y.N.W.A.
ReplyDeleteSo you think his performances once he was transfer listed were down to a change in the way he was managed...!!! Don't think anyone is buying that. Alonso always had the ability just lacked the desire to perform week in week out...which he is now doing. He should be grateful Rafa actually did put him on the transfer list otherwise he still might be putting out poor performance after poor performance. !!!
ReplyDeleteIn keeping with my overly-bombastic way, yes!
ReplyDeleteI suppose.
Totally agree!
ReplyDeletePlease give C. Adam away to Ferguson, that would for sure dent their titelaspirations! :)
ReplyDeleteAdam is less than average, his best merit so far is being a relegation team hero and a substitute for Rangers. Has nothing to do in Liverpool. Not the dudes fault to be brought to a club with ambitions way beyond his ability. Hes probably a nice lad, but so am I and I'm not playinmg for LFC!
The thin line between genius and insanity.
ReplyDeleteI know what my money's on......
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