The spine of the Liverpool team

You're right that he has a lot more quality than our other strikers, but those qualities won't always be the right ones for the opponents we're playing. I would play Torres 9 out of 10 times, but wouldn't consider him a nailed on starter for this reason.

Fair point, but i think you have to mate if you're spending £20+ million on a player, and certainly when there is no doubting his quality.

Richobaz would lose

Anyway back on subject, with the season gone a little more this is now the spine

Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard, Torres

Or is it? Can Mascherano & Torres be classed as the spine? Torres certainly can as we want to build the team around him, captain fantastic, Carra & Reina certainly are but what about Mascherano? Is he part of the spine in the Liverpool team?

Our biggest problem is we should be able to substitute/rotate any of the players in our 1st spine, with an almost equally good player... and with the lack of quality in depth at our club - WE CAN'T.

There is a saying in Spain "Querer y No Poder" - "You Want But You Can't"

That reflects LFC at the moment, all want and ambitions in reference to EPL... but plenty of can't to go with it due to lack of funds, primarily.

I just voted for Richobaz btw... get in!

I just voted for Richobaz btw... get in!

 

Don I don't think we want to rotate the spine players. I've always thought that the spine players and first XI players should always be a higher quality. Every team should have a best XI but we don't. Remember all top clubs have a best XI and a second XI but because we are rotating that has been our downfall with the lack of quality in the team.

The spine should always be the same and should always be the two strikers, two midfielders, two defenders and the goalkeeper. Then we got the arms and legs. Taking Gerrard and Mascherano away from us would be like taking an engine out of a car, we need them as they make us tick!

Mascherano's passing has seen a dramatic improvement this season, and for me he would now form part of the spine, yes. The problem with him in the past has been that he was only really capable of mopping up play & playing the simple ball, which was brilliant in the games where it was needed, but not every game requires such a midfielder. As he's starting to add more to his game & becoming a more complete player he has become a nailed on starter subject to fitness IMO.

I'm not quite sure where this leaves Alonso though. I feel we will start playing a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation more often as we're starting to get the right personell for it, but I can still only see Alonso getting around 30 games a season, and would understand if he wanted to move on, although I would love to keep him. Considering the interest shown from both Real & Barca in the past we could well get them into a bidding war & get some decent money for him, which could be used to strengthen other areas of the squad where we don't have such a wealth of talent.

Based on the games played so far it has got to be Stevie, Torres, Masc. Jamie and Agger.

Dont forget Reina.

For me, the spine of the team should not be rotated (only in extreme circumstances). That's the whole point of having a spine.

I'm not quite sure where this leaves Alonso though. I feel we will start playing a 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 formation more often as we're starting to get the right personell for it,

i quite like that 4-2-3-1 idea, could have alonso and masch holding with stevie in the centre of the 3 supporting torres. babel and benayoun/pennant could make diagonal runs towards the box, would be a bit like barca and accomodates our better players

True that is a great idea. Provides more pace for attacking in terms of counters with Torres, Babel, Stevie, Yossi/Pennant all driving forward Alonso holding the centre and masch just behind.

For me now spine is Reina, Carragher, Gerrard, Mascereno, Torres, Babel, a few players close Alonso, Finnan, would have Sammy there if he was younger or Agger once he's more established

It's so obvious that the spine of a team is down through the middle. So that's Reina, Agger, Carragher, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard & Torres.

However, the players who I think are the key players in the spine are: Reina, Carragher, Mascherano, Gerrard & Torres.

Players like Babel are not part of the spine, a spine doesn't travel through to the arms...
Anyway, we've got a spine as good as anyone in Europe me thinks, now we just need more quality for the arms and legs of the team!

Our team is based on these player : Reina, Carra., Gerrard, Masch. & Torres. And these players in short time will be joining the spine : Skrtel, Babel & if crouch stay with us he has the potential to be in the spine also.

Pepe--->Carra---->Masch---->StevieG---->Torres

Our spine is straight through the middle. It definately CAN branch out to the wide players though but ours doesnt.

     Pepe .....Carra/Agger....Mascherano....Gerrard....Torres 

Spine (always make team sheet):
Reina
Carra
Masch
Gerrard
Torres

I believe this thread is crucial though because the more sure of our "spine" we are the more settled the team will become.  Rafa should hope to bolster up his defo starters in the closed season, that can be very important for how the team gels and learns how to play for and with each other.

i agree the four of them are just untouchable 

Spine (always make team sheet):
Reina
Carra
Masch
Gerrard
Torres

I believe this thread is crucial though because the more sure of our "spine" we are the more settled the team will become.  Rafa should hope to bolster up his defo starters in the closed season, that can be very important for how the team gels and learns how to play for and with each other.

i agree the four of them are just untouchable 

Welcome to the forum Sandsy! Isn't there five of them though?   

When Masch got sent off against the mancs i guess you could say we slipped a disk 

(well i thought it was funny  : )