Jesus, Grin. The bandwagon sure is getting crowded, isn't it? This Brasilian kid. He's crap. He's too slow, too weak, and too scared. He'll never make it.
Hey, I never really disliked him. He was just a little crude in his tackles and loose with his passing. But I knew he'd be great some day..
twa tter rumour is that he's done his cruciate and is out for six months Still a rumour, though. If it comes to the worst, step up young Jay Spearing. And thank fcuk he turned down the chance of going away on loan.
Hoping its only 6 weeks, but i think Spearing can step in and do a job. Probably requires a 3 man central midfield more often than not, but wee Jay has been pretty damn good every time he has stepped on the field in 2011. Gerrard is coming back isn't he?
I am not counting on Gerrard returning any time soon. And if he does return, staying healthy for more than a week or two. I am trying to stay positive, but the guy seems cursed. Play Spearing alongside Adam, in place of Lucas, and put Henderson in front of them.
No SG will leave us short on the bench if we go 3 in the middle. I assume we can recall Shelvey, but if not who's next in line? Coady? Is close to being ready?
djphal on RAWK who always gets the lineups first, is saying its 6-9 months. That sucks, but we'll carry on.
Yup, doesn't sound good but we'll manage. I only hope he can rehab and be back to full fitness eventually. Brutally ironic - he was absolutely on fire...
If that is a potential problem - play a 4-4-2 (or a 4-1-3-2). Replace Lucas w/ Spearing in either formation for his non-stop hustle and defense, as Henderson alongside Adam worries me on the defensive front. The recent form of Maxi and Bellamy gives the team options on the wings or up front alongside Suarez. They can also dust off Aurelio and give him some minutes here and there. I think they have plenty of options if Kenny is willing to tinker.
The last 3 games have shown that we are better with 3 in the middle. I agree Henderson along side Adam won't work. I'm not sure about Spearing and Adam as a 2. Think they need Henderson inside as well.
http://www.blackpoolfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10432~2533307,00.html SHELVEY RETURNS TO LIVERPOOL Posted on: Wed 30 Nov 2011 THE Seasiders were dealt an unfortunate blow ahead of the busy December programme with the news that Liverpool have recalled in-form midfielder Jonjo Shelvey from his loan spell with the club. The 19-year-old had settled well into life at Bloomfield Road netting six goals in nine appearances and talks were at an advanced stage between the two clubs to extend the player's loan beyond the end of December. However, a knee injury to Liverpool's Brazilian midfielder Lucas has meant that the Reds have activated the recall clause and Shelvey returns to Anfield with immediate effect.
Frankly, Lucas is indispensable. This is the worst injury we could have. Worse than had it been Suaraz.
Honestly, I'm not sure it is overstating it. The guy has been developing into far more than just a good holding midfielder. He's really made the team tick recently, and has taken an incredible amount of pressure off our back four and Reina. We will have to tinker and adjust to work around his absence. We don't currently have a player who can fully replace him man-for-man IMO.
Lucas has been in brilliant form the last few seasons and hopefully he'll return as good as ever but we should still be able to cope without him till the end of the season. We've got 6 fixtures till the transfer market so if none of the current players can step up we will have options. Right now the obvious choice is to play Spearing in Lucas place while waiting for Gerrard to return. Another option is go with a 3 man back line giving Agger more freedom. Lucas has been everpresent the last few years, and while that is testament to how consistent he has become it also means that we don't really know how well we'll do without him. Apart from Reina, no one is really irreplaceable in our squad, we coped without Gerrard and Agger we'll have to do the same without Lucas.
We are going to have to stay with a 3 man midfield fOr the majority of games from here on. Spearing can be the harasser but lucas has upped his passing ability a ton this season and I can't see spearing replacing that. However that where a Jordan Adam mix will work. And in the city and Chelski games Henderson was putting in strong defensive work. I think we will be fine - but it sucks in any way we look at it.
I think Jonjo can step up his game and I am sure SG will return to full effectiveness soon. I love Lucas and he has been a Monster recently but we will survive over the next 5 games against middling opposition
Exactly. The drop from Spearing to Shelvey is greater than the drop from Lucas to Spearing. Hurts our depth, but we should be able to adjust our style to over come at least over the short term. Problem is its not 5 games but the rest of the season and these injuries usually take 12 to 18 months until he'll be back to top form. Do we have enough to cover that period of time?
This is a huge loss, no doubt about it, tactically and from a personnel point of view. In some games Lucas does the job of two players and has become the metronome of the side in a sense, very reminiscent of the influence Schweinsteiger has at Bayern. Hope the drop off isn't as notable as it is there.