Former Liverpool defender Jason McAteer has staggeringly claimed that Glen Johnson and Jose Enrique are two of the best players in the world.
Speaking on LFC TV last night, Macca - who played in thew wing-back position himself under Roy Evans - argued:
"Them two [Enrique and Johnson], for me, are possibly the two best wing-backs in the world.
"They have all the attributes to be the best: attacking, energy, fitness, speed and good delivery..
If Enrique and Johnson are the two best wing-backs in the world then McAteer is, by extension, suggesting that they are two of the best players in the world, is he not Macca added:
"I wouldn't say they are two unbelievable defenders. They're good, and their pace gets them out of trouble sometimes, but when you play wing-backs, you're allowed to express yourselves a bit more going forward.
"In that system [352], those two would be perfect, and that's what was disappointing against Stoke - Liverpool didn't really use them effectively".
What do you think?
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but is it possible that McAteer is wildly exaggerating here? First, Enrique and Johnson have barely had the opportunity to play as wing-backs for Liverpool, so it's difficult to see how they can be deemed 'the best' in those positions.
Second, their end product is (arguably) not good enough to be considered the best in the world:
* Only 2 assists between them all season.
* A mere 31% success rate for crosses (combined). That's 29 successful crosses in 93 attempts.
Are these the figures of two of the best players in the world? I don't think so. Macca also admits that both are not the best defensively; how can you be the best in the world if you're not consistently good defensively too...?
Don't get me wrong: Enrique is a top player and he's been great for Liverpool this season, and Johnson has been better defensively in recent weeks, but best in the world?
Jaimie Kanwar
Speaking on LFC TV last night, Macca - who played in thew wing-back position himself under Roy Evans - argued:
"Them two [Enrique and Johnson], for me, are possibly the two best wing-backs in the world.
"They have all the attributes to be the best: attacking, energy, fitness, speed and good delivery..
If Enrique and Johnson are the two best wing-backs in the world then McAteer is, by extension, suggesting that they are two of the best players in the world, is he not Macca added:
"I wouldn't say they are two unbelievable defenders. They're good, and their pace gets them out of trouble sometimes, but when you play wing-backs, you're allowed to express yourselves a bit more going forward.
"In that system [352], those two would be perfect, and that's what was disappointing against Stoke - Liverpool didn't really use them effectively".
What do you think?
Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but is it possible that McAteer is wildly exaggerating here? First, Enrique and Johnson have barely had the opportunity to play as wing-backs for Liverpool, so it's difficult to see how they can be deemed 'the best' in those positions.
Second, their end product is (arguably) not good enough to be considered the best in the world:
* Only 2 assists between them all season.
* A mere 31% success rate for crosses (combined). That's 29 successful crosses in 93 attempts.
Are these the figures of two of the best players in the world? I don't think so. Macca also admits that both are not the best defensively; how can you be the best in the world if you're not consistently good defensively too...?
Don't get me wrong: Enrique is a top player and he's been great for Liverpool this season, and Johnson has been better defensively in recent weeks, but best in the world?
Jaimie Kanwar
i like y humor and miss y as a player.....ynwa
ReplyDeleteI hate to be critical about someone else's work but every time I read an article on here it has a negative twist. The last couple of weeks in particular.
ReplyDeleteAnd while I understand everyone is entitled to their own opinion and things are not going as well as we all hoped they would, i'm beginning to find this exhausting. We were almost liquidated last year for Pete's sake!
The above article is by no means the worst offender but having watched LFC TV last night Macca was just being a liverpool supporter doing his job; Supporting the team.
YNWA
yawn. this site used to have interesting articles. now restricted to only ridiculing comments that have come from the press or people associated with lfc. come on - write something more original.
ReplyDeleteHa!
ReplyDeleteRichard - with all due respect, if you have a problem with this site's approach then please go elsewhere. There are plenty of LFC sites out there that cater to the 'blind faith' approach. No one forces you to come here.
ReplyDeleteAs you say, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and so am I. it is not a 'negative twist' - it is a critical twist, i.e. a questioning, analytical approach.
I know I should just worship at the altar of all LFC players and managers, and never say anything critical, bu that's not me, and if the blind faith brigade can't handle that, then that's not my problem.
What's Macca been smokin' ? He's right that they have all the attributes, just a pity they don't use them. Mind you Jaimie, Enriqui has been the best we've had on the left in donkeys years.
ReplyDeleteMacca just seemed to think that because they get forward they are classed as
ReplyDeletewing backs now and not just attacking full backs you could say they are the best in the Premier League at the moment work well down the wings and are defending well. Was there really any difference in their performances with a flat back 4 or 3 at the back when they were both still pressing forward and still defending pity the midfield couldn't do the same!
Alright, chill out mate. I'm not promoting blind faith, just maybe looking on the bright side once and a while.
ReplyDeleteDidn't mean to offend you, but you're right, I should stop coming here. Angers up the blood! :)
I'm not offended in the slightest :-)
ReplyDeleteAnd be honest with yourself: what you are basically doing is promoting censorship of opinions that don't fit with your own, just like so many other fans, and when you come across a view you don't like, you label it as negative.
Even in case of a great player Enrique is, it is a definite exaggeration. And I won't even say anything about Johnson.
ReplyDeleteHaha! Ok, mate. I promise to stop trying to censor your Rebel yell.
ReplyDeleteThey are two of the best full backs in the premier league which makes them two of the best full backs in the world.
ReplyDeletei am confident Enrique will be Spain's left back at Euro 2012 and Johnson England's right back.
IMO they do have the attributes to BECOME top wingbacks if they played the role regularly, but you can not expect them to go from playing full back for years to becoming masters of the wingback role in the first 3-5-2 game they play for year(s).
Especially when that system relies on counterattacking which was non existent against a sh1t stoke side that park bus and concede most the possession.
They both have pace, are strong, technically great, not easily knocked of the ball and can cross the ball into the danger zone.
If they were playing for Barc or Real (or England/Spain), with the mass of talent around them and top strikers it would slightly easier for them to make assists etc and counter attack at pace, which is what their styles are suited to IMO.
As for them being not good at defending hmmmmm... I struggle to name a better defender at left back than Enrique - he never gives the ball away, never panics or lashes out, he is great in tight situations and very rarley lets anyone past, he is certainly better than Evra at defending and even Cole has been more inconsistent than him this season. Johnson's defending has been very good in recent months, he needed to get a bit tighter to his man and certainly been doing so recently.
johnson isn't even the best right back at liverpool if you ask me.
ReplyDeletemcateer is full of it.
in all fairness most of the people who appear on lfc tv go a bit over the top with thier praise of players.it's like propaganda at times.
You did seem to be a LITTLE offended though, eh?
ReplyDeletePoor EndlessRich was just making a point and you went at him like Stewart Downing at an 'Ex-Girlfriend Convention'.
Jaimie, if you've got anger issues then there are plenty of other LFC sites that can cater to that kind of aggression.
And yes, I AM just stirring up the shit here...
At least not as bad as John Barnes who would have claimed that Andy Carroll is the next Allan Shearer
ReplyDeleteI completly agree your always negative never positive posts how about you right an article onhow Enrique is arguably the best left back in the league this season I agree with endless rich
ReplyDeleteWell... I think both Johnson and Enrique are AMONG the best WING-BACKS in the world. The problem has not been with the two of them; rather the remaining players in the team are not suited to play in a proper 3-at-the-back system. 3-5-2/3-6-1/3-2-3-2 or any other varition with 3 defenders requires specifc skills by all players, not just the wing-backs. One can afford to employ it if most if not everyone on the pitch are of Barca quality (technique, movement, discipline, speed, creativity) or at least close to it.
ReplyDeleteI could see Enrique and/or Johnson playing in a Barca team with 3 men defense and 2 wing-backs while I just cannot see the likes of Downing, Caroll, Henderson, Adam doing so.
Again, both are among the very best for the specific position of wing-back, while it cannot be said for the remaining players for their respective positions.
Jaimie
ReplyDeleteI have a suggestion. Have you ever heard of a chill pill ? If you have then get one, in fact get a bag of them, crush them up and snort the lot!
Chill out fella
I'd have to agree with Macca. But that doesn't mean that our boys are exceptional it just means the quality of fullbacks in the world at present isn't as Cafu and Carlos as it used to be.
ReplyDeleteJaimie has always been a passive aggressive little snot who condescends to all who opinion against him, it's his site and if you don't
ReplyDeletelike it Pissssss off.
You are right Macca, just an exaggeration. May br right if compared to the days of Rigobert Song. Me Ashfah loves Song.
ReplyDeleteBest Couple , Sure !
ReplyDeletesaid from day one johnson is the best in the country because he plays at right back for inngerlund, its only the idiots at our club who doubt him
ReplyDeleteas for how many assists they have had, well we'd be better off questioning the greatest thing since sliced bread who has had as many shots at RVP and only scored 5
Personally im very happy with the pair. I wouldnt be too harsh on any of the teams assists tally as it will be low this season due to poor finishing not poor crosses. And 31% of crosss hitting their target doesnt seem bad. I really like Enrique, you can give him the ball even when he's marked and ive never seen anyone so good at getting between an opponent and the ball, (a kind of legal obstruction).
ReplyDeleteOh my god. Johnson can't even defend that well. Still shocks me that we paid so much for him. Micah Richards is far better and can defend better than him as well as being a beast going forward...and we haven't even looked outside the country yet for other better alternatives. Dani Alves and Maicon annihilate Johnson, in terms of better wing backs
ReplyDeleteEnrique is a very good player and can actually combine defending and attacking unlike Johnson. But certainly not a top tier player, although a fine player indeed. Bargain.
Maicon and Alves shit all over Johnson
ReplyDeleteMicah Richards is a far better right back and he doesn't even get in the squad. England selection doesn't mean anything, in terms of determining who is better.
ReplyDeleteBoth Maicon and Alves are better than Johnson, I agree. Still the difference between them and Johnson is only marginal when compared to the difference between, say Xavi/Iniesta and Adam/Henderson, for instance. Our problems in the 3-5-2 system come from other places on the pitch, not the wing-backs, I would have thought.
ReplyDeleteWatching the Bolton game and so far, the full backs have been absolutely non-existent and providing no width whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteIf they are the best in the world (but they are not, not even close), than the standards have really dropped to shocking levels.
Yes, the central midfield are doing poor and not giving them service but the Johnson and Enrique have barely got forward or provided any width.
I LOL @ Henderson
ReplyDeleteHave to laugh really Jaimie you do 2 articles on the defence which has played well this season and they go and give their worse performance of the season!
ReplyDeleteI think that he is talking about their attributes as wing backs and, to be honest, I wouldn't take too many other full backs over them to join us to be used in an attacking sense. Why they don't provide too many assists may well be down to our poor tactics and the fact that we don't get enough people in the box. Enrique has been our main attacking threat on the left all season, and Johnson has provided more threat than Kuyt or anyone else down the right. Don't recall many slating him when he scored the winner against Chelsea, and I can't think of many in our team who I would have put money on to score that chance that he put away. And for everyone who thinks Maicon and Alves are so much better, maybe they are, but I'd like to see how well they would do in our rank average team at the moment. Regardless, when your two full backs are two of your most potent attacking threats, it means that too many other players are not doing their job.
ReplyDeleteKanwar you are sad, tragic, desperate, attention seeking cunt.
ReplyDeleteThis is an outrageous comment.
ReplyDeleteYou criticise EndlessRich for contorting your opinion because of his own views and then, without irony, tell him the actual intent of his own comment.
Just because you have to deal with some nutters etc. on here doesn't mean you had to respond to someone trying to give a gentle 'critical' analysis of your website, someone who in fact made an effort to be tactful, like you did.
If you weren't offended, you need to be more careful with how you convey your feelings with words.
Not on to be honest, and I'm a big fan of this site.
With regards to the article Macca is talking out of his arse here. Johnson is nowhere near the best. Enrique is a lot closer because of the relative dirge of quality left sided defenders, wing-back or full-back. That and he is a better player than Glen.
For all I can pick out, he means they are 'good', stats point to the fact that we have had a better defence this term, so opinions are allowed, lets not get carried away. Johnson has always like the forward runs when he has a reliable MF to cover him, but Henderson? Enrique also faces the same problem with Downing, who always drifts backwards. Give them credit where its due, they are playing well bar last night's game, however if we play both as attacking midfielders you will realise that Macca was right.
ReplyDeleteKyle Walker poo's over Johnsen....he is 8 years younger and has already improved his defeensive attributes from being an attacking full back naturally.......Johnsen has now completely taken his attacking instincts out of his game to become an average right back.
ReplyDeleteKelly is better than him.....how can you be the best full back in the world when you aint even the best full back at your club and you play for a team thats 7th in the league
McAteer, im sorry but this is the guy who when filing out a credit card application, asked when confronted with the question, position held within company, "shall i put wing back or midfielder".
ReplyDeleteNot the brightest tool in the box.
Johnson gives me the heebeejeebees as a defender, his positional sense is woeful, his speed off the mark suspect, and he basically is a liability as a defender.
When he was pulling up trees at Portsmouth, prior to Rafa paying 18 million for him, yes 18 million, he was playing right midfield, this i feel is his best position with Kelly behind him.
Enrique, solid defender, who has tailed off a bit in last few games, his crossing sometimes leaves a lot to be desired. But for 6 million a no brainer.
As for McAteers comments is it April fools day already :)
That's fine, Jaimie. Everyone has a right to their opinion, just as everyone who "pays their money has a right to slag off the players", er, allegedly. Trouble is, it's not very constructive. Your approach is typically Adrian Durham-esque : say something controversial and they will reply in their hordes.
ReplyDeleteAll I will say is that for everyone who wanted Benitez gone, (and that includes YOU, you mug) look at where we are this morning. We had a squad that, though a bit threadbare due to the financial restraints, was genuinely feared throughout Europe. Now we don't. Do you honestly think Ferguson would have gone for him the way he did if he did not perceive Rafa as a major threat? Benitez got some average players to punch above their weight year after year, and with a bit of vision (and an extra couple of million quid here and there) would have added quality like Alves and Simao. Every time he wanted to buy, he had to sell useful squad players first. He was forced to wheel and deal. Yet we still competed, and we still believed we could beat anybody. Mainly thanks to tactics and hard work.I don't feel that way any more.What we have now is a tactically naive manager. What we have now is a striker with a first touch that goes further than most of my passes, we have a winger who is scared to take people on, and a midfielder who would look more at home in the more gentile pace of one of his Orange Marches. AND the selfish fucker refuses to pass when teammates are clean through (Fulham, Bolton etc, ad nauseum). And we have yet to see a decent free-kick from him.Or corner.And he's been shit for 7 games. And I am rapidly losing my rag with him.And so we have to resort to relying on a clearly unfit Gerrard to inspire the team.I just hope that everyone who was calling for Rafa's head (presumably the same people who booed Lucas but now want him fit asap), have been experiencing some severe bouts of insomnia. And that includes YOU!