Wingers

Who is our best natrual winger at the club? By natrual I mean not players like Kuyt who thrown out wide but arent wingers.

And if the answer is Sterling or one of the kids should we use them?

Our lack of attacking threat down both flanks is a joke. Rarely do we see a wide man beat a player or 2 get to the endline and whip in a tasty cross. 

The question you're asking isn't straight forward to answer.  For starters, in the formation we have usually played, under both Rafa & Roy, we don't employ orthodox wingers.  As far as I'm concerned, when you're deploying 2 DM's who rarely get bast the centre circle, your width & creativity should be supplied by attacking full backs overlapping and by the ACM making himself available for quick passes from the defensive players. 

As for the most natural winger I've seen, I think that's Thomas Ince.  But he's not ready for Premiership football yet, but a cameo or two in the Carling/Coca-cola, Worthington, Rumbelows, Milk, Littlewoods or whatever it is league Cup would do him no harm.

Joe Cole.

He just gets given too much freedom to cut in.

I was talking to Res before and highlighted how Chelsea don't really have any natural width except for Malouda and even he cuts in a lot. The difference is, while they play with 4 midfielders through the middle and two up front, men are willing to drop wide and stretch their opponents to create space. That's what we need from Maxi, Cole, Kuyt and Milan.

Cole can be very effective for us there, but he needs to be restricted at times with his cutting back in to midfield and just stay wide sometimes.

I posted a thread on here about 2 years ago when was the last time we had a good wide man, I was saying probably Mcmanaman or Barnes. Nothing has changed in them 2 years and we still look to narrow.

Our best natural wide players are all reserve/youth players. Ince, Sterling and Silva to be exact. They all need time, which we dont really have. Ince will make runs all game. Sterling has pace to burn and Silva has great running and skill on the ball. Out of the first team squad. . . Cole and Pacheco could be our best bets

I know he isn't a natural winger, but, Fabio Aurelio has played really well whenever he has played on the wing for us, think he did against both United and Chelsea in our 2nd place season and this is partly down to his delivery into the box. It's an option IMO seeing as there is no other player other than Cole who can effectively play on the left.

Riera, oh wait.

I actually have been a fan of Aurelio as a winger, as his crossing ability is excellent.

I really don't think we have anyone who is an out and out winger in the first team. All the youth players mentioned will be in time, but for now I think the best winger we have is Glen Johnson. Although not a winger by trade, I think he has the requisite skills to be a good one if it were his primary position.

I know Cole can suffice but I agree that he will cut in a lot, and I feel he is better as an attacking mid with his vision and ball skills.

Babel and Cole are the only players we have in the first team that can beat players down the wing. Obviously the young players in our reserves and youth teams Ince, Sterling, Silva, Amoo and maybe even Ngoo could probably fill the void in a season or two, but i don't see them getting a shout this term.

I thought it said whinger - i was going to say a fair percentage on the forums
only joking

We don't have a genuine winger in the squad.

So erm....

Babel only. Really. He is not a natural, but he does a better job at it than the rest.

We use to have Riera, and Pennant - but I guess their careers "Failed" to achieve much.

The question should be why is everyone so convinced we need an 'out and out traditional' winger in the team?  It's hardly as if we've got a target man to utilise the crosses they would hypothetically be putting in.  If the threat down the flanks is provided by the fullbacks, it allows us to crowd the centre of the field further which frankly, is where all our best players play.

Joe Cole and Steven Gerrard are our best wingers at the club....and they aren't even wingers.

Was gonna start a new thread but remembered this one and it's around a similar point as it's about the wingers we (don't) have at the club.

People are moaning about Meireles playing on the right wing because it's not his best position well what are the alternatives?

Here's a list of possible players on the right and what I (and probably most) consider their position in brackets;
Kuyt (forward)
Johnson (full back)
Gerrard (centre mid)
Cole (left wing)
Babel (anywhere but Anfield)

From what I've seen of Maxi in a Liverpool shirt, he does play his best stuff on the right however the way he's performed this season he shouldn't be starting any games either.

So the alternatives to Meireles playing wide right, also would prefer to be played elsewhere. I mentioned earlier in the Is Roy The Right Man? thread that Meireles reminded me of how Gerrard played on the right wing during the 05/06 season. He drifted in, influenced the game and wasn't stuck to just one position. Meireles drifted out of the game in the second half though.

Who would you suggest plays there? If your answer is either Kuyt or Johnson then you can't moan about Hodgson playing somebody out of position because Dirk Kuyt is a forward and Glen Johnson is a right back.

I posted a thread on here about 2 years ago when was the last time we had a good wide man, I was saying probably Mcmanaman or Barnes. Nothing has changed in them 2 years and we still look to narrow.

Agreed, Barnes was our last genuine winger.  I'll never forget his goal against Southampton.

I loved McManaman, but I don't think he was a genuine winger, he had a free role and was often in the centre.

The question should be why is everyone so convinced we need an 'out and out traditional' winger in the team?  It's hardly as if we've got a target man to utilise the crosses they would hypothetically be putting in.  If the threat down the flanks is provided by the fullbacks, it allows us to crowd the centre of the field further which frankly, is where all our best players play.

That allows their defence to crowd the centre as well, meaning none of our players can find space and our attacks always fall flat.  A winger stretches the defence, opening gaps in the middle for Torres, Cole et al to exploit.

Firstly, I would actually start Gerrard on the right wing vs Blackpool. We have to remember he has played there a lot earlier in his career and maybe just maybe it might be crosses that Torres is looking for. It clearly isn't coming from the middle so I would put Stevie on the wing and whip some crosses in for Fernando cause after all he is a poacher.

Secondly, I really don't see why we don't try Kuyt on our left wing? Did anybody see him at the World Cup?
He had a fantastic World Cup and he played on the left throughout.

Myself of all people really don't wanna see Gerrard back on the wing but it could come up with the goods, then when them draws turn to wins, put him back into the middle cause morale will be high and they'll start playing again.

I can't help but think, if we didn't concede that last minute goal to Arsenal, this season would have planned out differently

This is what annoyed me about the backlash to some of Riera's comments about Rafa. I understand peoples frustrations but Riera's natural width on the left was a key part in how we were able to get as many points as we did in the 08/9 season. As much as I thought his comments were outrageous, I still want the team to perform, so outright disassociating him with the club was a bad move in my book.

Sterling,
Silva,
Amoo?
Ngoo?

That allows their defence to crowd the centre as well, meaning none of our players can find space and our attacks always fall flat.  A winger stretches the defence, opening gaps in the middle for Torres, Cole et al to exploit.

If their defence is also crowding the centre then Johnson is free to do what he wants meaning either: 1) wingers don't stretch the defence; or 2) they send someone to close him down and they can't crowd the middle like you suggested.  

Which is it?

edit: None of our current players can exploit space naturally without being given specific instructions to do so.

Wingers are great if you can get someone to spray an early ball out to them so they can exploit the space or even get to the byeline before the defence has a chance to close them down.

Who do you think is the best sprayer (playmaker) of the ball?

Lucas or Poulsen?

Plan B anyone?

Who do you think is the best sprayer (playmaker) of the ball?

Steven Gerrard.