gerrard , alonso simple as that
Not really mate. Football, as with life, is rarely simple.
The fact is the best pairing (or trio) will always depend on the opposition. For example, I would always put Sissoko in against good sides who like to play the ball about. He harries the opposition, not giving them time to play their passing game, and often they resort to long balls. Exactly what you want against say Arsenal, who pass the ball beautifully but don't have a target man. Similarly Gerrard, great as he is, wouldn't be a first choice in the middle of the park every time for me. We all know how brilliant Stevie is, but his bursts forward do leave space in the midfield behind him. Teams like Chelsea (this seasons Chelsea BTW, last season they attacked a lot more from the wings) who play a lot through the middle of the park, will exploit this space if Stevie loses the ball & they get a chance to break on the counter. For this reason I expect to see Gerrard either on the right tomorrow, or as part of a 5 man midfield. Alonso is brilliant at recieving the ball, having a look around and picking out a killer pass from 40 yards. Great when he's got the time to do it, but when the opposition has a Sissoko type player he doesn't usually have his best games. Mascherano, whilst playing a holding role like Alonso, is a lot more short & sharp with his passing and more ideal for these sort of games.
So to answer the original question, I can't give you a best pairing unless you're going to tell me the opposition. Taking tomorrows game as an example, personally I would go with a trio of Mascherano, Alonso & Gerrard. Chelsea this season like to play through the middle of the park, if we can control that area we'll be able to stop them creating anything. With Mascherano & Alonso there behind him, Gerrard will have the freedom to join the striker when needed.
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