It's tough to say whether we are missing Xabi or not because we have yet to find out if Aquilani would be a more than able replacement, so until he gets started playing then its always we are going to miss him (now) because Lucas is nowhere near Xabi's standard.
Of course there are many factors that determine our poor start to the season, perhaps Alonso is just one of them, but no one can make a decision until Aquilani plays of course. He might just offer something that Xabi didn't have and might give us a better title push. For now though, Xabi is gone and that is fact - we just have no choice but to cope without him.
But instead of looking at the difference of 1 player I prefer to look on the team as a whole. One player doesn't determine a team's results, no matter how good the player is. It's about the teamwork, cooperation and communication among the players and the team spirit, the drive and desire to win the game, that will determine our results. Obviously things ain't going in a right direction when Xabi is not here but we have got easily 10 other players that would make the difference.
I know we lack a creativity in midfield now but until Alberto plays that question will remain unanswered. As of now, I prefer to look at the fact that there is no point moaning about the loss of Xabi, and blaming it for our poor start to the season, but instead, I rather look at it that every player should play their part and chip in wherever possible.
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