First post here guys, shoot me down if need be ..;)
Flames, do you actually pay attention to Liverpool games by any chance?.
I actually rate the lad, the statistics when he starts for us make very interesting reading.
Alberto Aquilani 7 assists - 1 goal - 7 starts.
Wolves (h) - Won 2-0
Villa (a) - Won 1-0
Spurs (h) - Won 2-0
Bolton (h) - Won 2-0
Pompey (h) - Won 4-1
Fulham (h) - Drew 0-0
Burnley (a) - Won 4-0
So, that's 6 wins and a draw in the 7 games he started.
19 points out of 21.
15 goals scored, 1 against.
The thing with Aquilani isn't even his final ball, It's the fact that when he gets it he can turn with it at will. Then if there is no option he can turn again and again, this is how you play in the middle of the park, you look for options like a metronome. If you can only go into the direction that your eyes are initially facing you're just not a very good midfielder and this is the problem with Lucas especially when deployed in the holding role.
Its why I go half crazy when people say well, Lucas didn't make any glaring mistakes so he was okay, actually, no just getting by by not making mistakes isn't good enough for someone in his position, Mascherano, mabye, but the non DM has to make things happen beyond making the safe and obvious 5 yard pass sideways or backwards.
I would rather Aquilani misplace 4 or 5 passes, if he makes 3 killer passes that create 1 or 2 goals and he puts a fair amount of pressure on the other team while helping us keep possession, I will take that over Lucas connecting on 100% of 5 yard passes to Inusa and Johnson and Carra and Agger.
I don't know if people appreciate it enough with Aquilani being able to turn, look, not panic, turn the other way, and turn right back till he finds the right ball it makes all the difference in the world in the style of play, especially how we play and set out.
One thing that was pointed out to me today was there have been 4 occasions this season when Rafa has chosen not to play Alberto Aquilani due to tactical reasons only, Wolves and Stoke away were 2 of those games can't remember which the other ones were but we gained only 3 points from the 4 games, now if Aquilani had started these games they may have been turned into wins and we may have now been sitting in that 4th spot
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