Topic: Maxi - Vastly underated

[Gnurglan]

He wanted to leave last summer and will leave after this season ends because he wants to move back to Argentina. I don't see how is he treated badly, he got the cup medal and hopefully will get FA cup as well. Kenny is building a team and Maxi is not part of it, nothing personal, nothing unfair about it.

I think it's been a real mistake to exclude/drop Maxi. He played well last season. Scored a respectable amount of goals. None of our players has reached that many league goals this season. Not even our strikers.

New season and we dropped him immediately for the new flavour of the month. It didn't work. So we kept on with the new blood and it still didn't work. Every time Maxi has played, he's shown his worth and the outcome has generally been - benched for the next game.

It's all fair to exclude him from our future plans, but for the here and now, we've actively decided to go with players who don't deliver, instead of for example Maxi, who keeps on doing the business when given the chance. If we stick with the non-performers, that cannot be easily excused. Even less so when we don't get the results and when we struggle to score. In simple terms, it's just poor management. (Not saying we have a poor manager, just that he's managed Maxi's situation poorly.) We have rewarded the wrong things and we have made our minds up in spite of what players have shown.

There may be reasons that we don't know. Perhaps he's been injured, perhaps there's something else. We don't know. But generally, we don't bring those things up. We go with what we see. And I think, given what we have seen, that there's next to no excuse for leaving Maxi on the bench so much.

[Mr Blue of Goodison365]

Maxi is one of the most naturally gifted players in the world, look what he's done for his country, he's a joy to watch play when he's at his best.

[GlenJohnson2]

As much as I like Maxi, I think that's a bit over the top mate.
I think his absence has taken him from slightly underrated to slightly overrated. Good player though.

[kidnesiac]

I hope Maxi completes his Chelsea hat-trick at Wembley.

[liverpooll]

As much as I like Maxi, I think that's a bit over the top mate.
I think his absence has taken him from slightly underrated to slightly overrated. Good player though.

I think you are missing the point. The point which many mention is Henderson/Adam/Downing continued getting chances despite poor match performances and yet Maxi was on the bench despite playing well in his last match. 

[GlenJohnson2]

Well, he seems to perform more or less everytime hes given the chance. I for one would also like to see him getting more time.

[lorenzo23]

I agree with you, perhaps he thinks Carra is the better option currently though?

Personally I would like to see Coates get more playing time in preference to Carra, just to see how good he is and get him used to Prem teams.

How is Paletta doing these days, he is in Serie A now isnt he?

Well of course we don't get to see what happens in training and who is trying hardest or impressing but not sure how he can see Carra better options considering he had bad season specially by his standard he set at his heights in Rafa era. Most importantly Maxi has not done any worse than any of are attacking midfielder's.

Well Paletta didn't make it don't really mean Coates won't, but we wont know till we see really.

[CharlieAdamDontSurf]

I think the goal scoring streak he went on towards the end of last season has led a large part of our fanbase to overrate him but there's no doubt that at the moment he offers more to the team on the right than Henderson does. None whatsoever.

[Gnurglan]

He's made 15 appearances this season. 4 goals and at least one assist. 0.27 goals/games, vs his average of 0.21.

http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=31854

Under Kenny, he has a very good record, but people are mistaken if they think Maxi has not been at that kind of level before. I'd say Kenny has brought him back to the normal level.

[stoa]

You know what the funny thing about this bedding in players i find, is that lot of posters will say success don't come over night be patient. Kenny and players need more than a year to gel together etc etc all valid points, but in back of my head i think well should Kenny not bed in players slowly? not all at same time, but most importantly should you not be picked on merit ? regardless if your be leaving at end of season or not, if you can currently help then you should be picked.

To be honest, I hate this kind of reasoning and I'm praying to every God in the world that that's not what we are doing. Value, contract-lenght or wages should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER influence who is getting picked. Age should only be used, if you have two players (one young, one old) who are (roughly) at the same level and do the same job for the team. Then you pick the younger one. Other than that, everyone should be playing because he has earned it with his performances in games and in training. Players improve, because they're afraid that their place is being "stolen" by one of their team-mates. Using other criteria than their performance to pick your team undermines that whole principle, as player A (the younger one or the one the manager likes more) will stop looking over his shoulder because he's afraid of losing his place and player B (the older one or the one out of favour) will stop being arsed.

To suggest, this is building for the future is stupid. Nobody knows whether Henderson will be here in two years. Yes, it is likely, but then again there's also a chance that he won't be here. What if he plays well and next summer a club comes in for him that can give him instant success and shitloads of money? He wouldn't be the first one to at least consider this (just ask our captain). He'd be gone. What do we do then? BUYING Henderson was building for the future. Playing him regardless of his performance and regardless of who is sitting on the bench, is NOT.

[lorenzo23]

To be honest, I hate this kind of reasoning and I'm praying to every God in the world that that's not what we are doing. Value, contract-lenght or wages should NEVER, NEVER, NEVER influence who is getting picked. Age should only be used, if you have two players (one young, one old) who are (roughly) at the same level and do the same job for the team. Then you pick the younger one. Other than that, everyone should be playing because he has earned it with his performances in games and in training. Players improve, because they're afraid that their place is being "stolen" by one of their team-mates. Using other criteria than their performance to pick your team undermines that whole principle, as player A (the younger one or the one the manager likes more) will stop looking over his shoulder because he's afraid of losing his place and player B (the older one or the one out of favour) will stop being arsed.

To suggest, this is building for the future is stupid. Nobody knows whether Henderson will be here in two years. Yes, it is likely, but then again there's also a chance that he won't be here. What if he plays well and next summer a club comes in for him that can give him instant success and shitloads of money? He wouldn't be the first one to at least consider this (just ask our captain). He'd be gone. What do we do then? BUYING Henderson was building for the future. Playing him regardless of his performance and regardless of who is sitting on the bench, is NOT.

Even though i hope we would pick players on merit, that never really going happen is it?? Every manager has his favorites and will play them specially if he new and its his new signing i mean Rafa played Kuyt during some dog shit spells same with Kenny and Adam. (even though he finally dropped him, he did same with Downing ) Just the way it goes some time managers want to justify there buys/system.

[Gnurglan]

Even though i hope we would pick players on merit, that never really going happen is it?? Every manager has his favorites and will play them specially if he new and its his new signing i mean Rafa played Kuyt during some dog shit spells same with Kenny and Adam. (even though he finally dropped him, he did same with Downing ) Just the way it goes some time managers want to justify there buys/system.

While true that managers have their preferences, compare Maxi's stats with Downing's. Downing has 2 goals in 35 appearances. 0.06 goals/game. With an average of 0.10.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=31018

Henderson 36 appearances and 1 goal. 0.03 goals/game. Average 0.05 goals/game.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=49999

Carroll 6 goals in 36 games. 0.17 goals/game. Average 0.29.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=45285

Kuyt 4 goals in 34 games. 0.12 goals/game. Average 0.25.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=36524

Maxi is, at 0.27 goals/game this season, one of the very best goal threats we have. And it's not a coincidence. It was the same last season. In a team that struggles to score, it's quite a sacrifise to stick Maxi on the bench. Whatever preferences Kenny may have.

[geoffstrong]

If any think that anything off the training ground will effect Kenny's selections you don't know Kenny, sometimes the manager just doesn't pick a player you like, also remember Maxi picked up an injury as well, do we know how bad it was really?

[Das Liverpool]

He's definitely been a victim of the summer signings, in an effort to accomadate the likes of Downing, Henderson and Bellamy, he just hasn't had the same opportunities to play and impress like he did at the tail end of last season. Plus it looked like he was leaving in the summer and it's almost certain that he's going this summer, a very good player when given minutes but I can fully understand why Kenny hasn't used him, even if it is infuriating, even more so when he played like he did yesterday.

[-Q-]

I think it's been a real mistake to exclude/drop Maxi. He played well last season. Scored a respectable amount of goals. None of our players has reached that many league goals this season. Not even our strikers.

New season and we dropped him immediately for the new flavour of the month. It didn't work. So we kept on with the new blood and it still didn't work. Every time Maxi has played, he's shown his worth and the outcome has generally been - benched for the next game.

It's all fair to exclude him from our future plans, but for the here and now, we've actively decided to go with players who don't deliver, instead of for example Maxi, who keeps on doing the business when given the chance. If we stick with the non-performers, that cannot be easily excused. Even less so when we don't get the results and when we struggle to score. In simple terms, it's just poor management. (Not saying we have a poor manager, just that he's managed Maxi's situation poorly.) We have rewarded the wrong things and we have made our minds up in spite of what players have shown.

There may be reasons that we don't know. Perhaps he's been injured, perhaps there's something else. We don't know. But generally, we don't bring those things up. We go with what we see. And I think, given what we have seen, that there's next to no excuse for leaving Maxi on the bench so much.

I am not sure about the part I highlighted at all. My response was to a person who claimed it was a disgrace how Maxi is treated but to respond to the points you are making I need you to explain what you mean. Maxi wants to leave and this is his final season with us, it makes sense to use him only as a cover because our new players need to gel, get experience playing at higher level etc. I watched all our games this year and there were only a handfull of bad performances, the only diference between having 20 more points being our poor finishing. It is possible that with Maxi we'd score a few more goals and we will have to look for a younger player who plays like him - but it is only a speculation.

[Gnurglan]

If any think that anything off the training ground will effect Kenny's selections you don't know Kenny, sometimes the manager just doesn't pick a player you like, also remember Maxi picked up an injury as well, do we know how bad it was really?

No, of course I don't know about the injury. But Maxi has been an unused sub a few times. If he's on the bench, I believe we should expect him to be fit enough to participate. I think, based on what we have seen, that we haven't tried to include him. If we wanted to get him going, he'd be the first one on when we make a sub.

And while it's true that I like Maxi, where is the case for using Henderson and Downing over Maxi? Kuyt? Carroll? When we, IMHO, also tend to play better when Maxi is in the side. What else does Maxi need to show to get picked? We seem to find reasons to defend why we don't pick him. Swap that and ask why should the other players get picked ahead of Maxi? What do they offer that he doesn't? Are they in the team on merit?

[Not A Scouser]

I think one of the biggest factors in Maxi not being picked is that he can't play 90 minutes at Premier League pace.  He slows noticeably in the second half and is pretty much always substituted.

[ArgImAPirate]

I think one of the biggest factors in Maxi not being picked is that he can't play 90 minutes at Premier League pace.  He slows noticeably in the second half and is pretty much always substituted.

I agree, fitness is a problem with Maxi.

If he were 5 years younger with the same intelligence he has now, we'd have a world beater on our hands. I think Maxi's been underused this season, I agree. But I think there are factors, visible in the way he tires on the pitch, that are an important consideration to our team selections.

I still think we could/should have used him more over the course of this season. We haven't, but hopefully in the closing stages we see more of him. Downing's saying that he and Suarez have a real understanding in training, we should be looking to utilise that more. Henderson will still get a lot of minutes, and he's had a lot of good experience for a 21 year old at this club. What I think is more important for our long term development is getting Andy Carroll playing in a Liverpool that attacks well, so he can adapt to the way we want him to play more and we can utilise his best assets in a way that suits us. And we need him alongside our senior, and best, striker Suarez. But if we can compliment Suarez, I think that benefits Carroll and the attack in general, so Maxi is valuable in this run in.

[Gnurglan]

I think one of the biggest factors in Maxi not being picked is that he can't play 90 minutes at Premier League pace.  He slows noticeably in the second half and is pretty much always substituted.

Has he taken part in two consecutive games? Three? Has he even played 90 mins once this season? With 15 appearances in 6-7 months, it's hard to get match sharp. And still, he has a case to be in the side on merit.

[Sangria]

If any think that anything off the training ground will effect Kenny's selections you don't know Kenny, sometimes the manager just doesn't pick a player you like, also remember Maxi picked up an injury as well, do we know how bad it was really?

I think a more easily observable trend is Dalglish's preference for using players he's planning the future with, in the hope that giving them as much game time as possible will give them a better chance of getting used to his ideas. And when they've not responded, the veterans who are marked for the exit play a few games while the newcomers get some time out, before being eased back in. The reasoning is clear, the evidence supports this observation. Whether one agrees with the reasoning or not is one thing, but the alternative argument above isn't really persuasive, as it depends on evidence which we can't see.

[CHOPPER]

[lorenzo23]

If any think that anything off the training ground will effect Kenny's selections you don't know Kenny, sometimes the manager just doesn't pick a player you like, also remember Maxi picked up an injury as well, do we know how bad it was really?

While true that managers have their preferences, compare Maxi's stats with Downing's. Downing has 2 goals in 35 appearances. 0.06 goals/game. With an average of 0.10.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=31018

Henderson 36 appearances and 1 goal. 0.03 goals/game. Average 0.05 goals/game.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=49999

Carroll 6 goals in 36 games. 0.17 goals/game. Average 0.29.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=45285

Kuyt 4 goals in 34 games. 0.12 goals/game. Average 0.25.
http://www.soccerbase.com/players/player.sd?player_id=36524

Maxi is, at 0.27 goals/game this season, one of the very best goal threats we have. And it's not a coincidence. It was the same last season. In a team that struggles to score, it's quite a sacrifise to stick Maxi on the bench. Whatever preferences Kenny may have

Just like you don't know him mate? or are we missing that you are his long lost brother!

More importantly if Kenny thought Maxi could be some sort of shithouse why not let him go in Jan when he wanted to leave for lack of game time?  Or if he was really bad in training why not put Jonjo on bench instead of him everytime??

The fact is not made up theory FACT Maxi has proved more effect than Downing so far this season. Is he leaving end of season? who gives a fck if he stays or goes he is old, what matters is rite now can he help us in achieving success yes he can.

[lorenzo23]

Has he taken part in two consecutive games? Three? Has he even played 90 mins once this season? With 15 appearances in 6-7 months, it's hard to get match sharp. And still, he has a case to be in the side on merit.

Don't think he has finished a game or more to point played full 90mins.

[Neil D]

I think a more easily observable trend is Dalglish's preference for using players he's planning the future with, in the hope that giving them as much game time as possible will give them a better chance of getting used to his ideas. And when they've not responded, the veterans who are marked for the exit play a few games while the newcomers get some time out, before being eased back in. The reasoning is clear, the evidence supports this observation. Whether one agrees with the reasoning or not is one thing, but the alternative argument above isn't really persuasive, as it depends on evidence which we can't see.

On the whole I'm glad Kenny is investing in the future and taking this approach. He is phasing out the old guard.

[Sangria]

On the whole I'm glad Kenny is investing in the future and taking this approach. He is phasing out the old guard.

I actually agree with the policy, and wish that Carragher is in the out list as well.

[lorenzo23]

I actually agree with the policy, and wish that Carragher is in the out list as well.

I would suggest not seeing as Carra go picked over Coasts many times this season even after bad games, while likes of Kuyt or Maxi been dropped regardless of good or bad performance.

[Quintet]

I'm quite sure Kenny said maxi was 34 in an interview earlier this season. I hope that was just a mistake and that Kenny actually knows his age.

[Gnurglan]

On the whole I'm glad Kenny is investing in the future and taking this approach. He is phasing out the old guard.

I am not convinced we are betting on the right players. The only thing this season has shown is that the new players have not been able to take leading roles. To then replace the old guard... it puts a huge burden on those same players who haven't made it just yet. Without the old guard, they will have to deliver.

There is no doubt we will have to phase out for example Maxi, but the way we have chosen is risky.

If we compare with how we have handled Carra's phase out, Carra's is much better. His replacement, Agger, have not just held his own, he has been better than Carra. Agger is in the team on merit. Then we have signed a young player who has already had some international success. Carra has gone from 2nd pick to 3rd which will soon be 4th if we do this right. That's the way to do it. We don't have the same platform to phase out Maxi. His replacement(s) are not good enough. That's all we know. With the little money we will get from Maxi's departure (compare to selling for example Downing) we will not fund a new first pick player. Wouldn't it be better to keep Maxi as a bench option, sell Downing and use the cash to fund a new first pick? The problem with that approach is that we have closed that door for ourselves. We have neglected Maxi, so it will be an extremely hard task to convince him to stay. We haven't put value on his contribution.

[Neil D]

I actually agree with the policy, and wish that Carragher is in the out list as well.

He definitely is mate, he's slowly being phased out in the manner befitting of a LFC legend. Agger and Skrtel are our new CB pairing and Coates is being slowly bedded in in his first season in English football. Carra if he is here next season will be fourth choice I have no doubt.

[Neil D]

I am not convinced we are betting on the right players. The only thing this season has shown is that the new players have not been able to take leading roles. To then replace the old guard... it puts a huge burden on those same players who haven't made it just yet. Without the old guard, they will have to deliver.

There is no doubt we will have to phase out for example Maxi, but the way we have chosen is risky.

If we compare with how we have handled Carra's phase out, Carra's is much better. His replacement, Agger, have not just held his own, he has been better than Carra. Agger is in the team on merit. Then we have signed a young player who has already had some international success. Carra has gone from 2nd pick to 3rd which will soon be 4th if we do this right. That's the way to do it. We don't have the same platform to phase out Maxi. His replacement(s) are not good enough. That's all we know. With the little money we will get from Maxi's departure (compare to selling for example Downing) we will not fund a new first pick player. Wouldn't it be better to keep Maxi as a bench option, sell Downing and use the cash to fund a new first pick? The problem with that approach is that we have closed that door for ourselves. We have neglected Maxi, so it will be an extremely hard task to convince him to stay. We haven't put value on his contribution.

I think perhaps we have rushed too quickly to phase out Maxi and Dirk, but Maxi wanted to leave last summer by all accounts, and is leaving this summer regardless. So it's not like the task of getting him to stay is a worthwhile endeavour.

I think Downing has been much better overall since the CC semi against City and is growing in confidence and becoming a good player for us, despite my premature judgement of him as a failure. He's also showing some bottle and fight now, which I didn't think he had in him. Credit where it is due.

[Gnurglan]

I think perhaps we have rushed too quickly to phase out Maxi and Dirk, but Maxi wanted to leave last summer by all accounts, and is leaving this summer regardless. So it's not like the task of getting him to stay is a worthwhile endeavour.

I think Downing has been much better overall since the CC semi against City and is growing in confidence and becoming a good player for us, despite my premature judgement of him as a failure. He's also showing some bottle and fight now, which I didn't think he had in him. Credit where it is due.

Downings has shown some improvement, but twice the number of games and half the goals of Maxi does not fill me with confidence that he will reach the expected level. Nor does the 0.10 goals/game ratio. Had he had a number of assists to his name, I would have been more at ease, but he hasn't.

We have rushed it. I warned last summer that we shouldn't take Maxi's and Kuyt's goals for granted. We just need to look at how many/few attacking midfielders/strikers we tend to have who get 10 league goals or more. Not many. It's not so easy to replace them. We did anyway. And as of now, no LFC player has reached those ten league goals.

Which is why I would rather depend on Bellamy, Kuyt and Maxi for another season (although Maxi will be gone). Given games and trust, they will deliver. I know it's very unlikely that we will take that route. Just saying that there will be no comfort zone for Downing (or Carroll or Henderson if he plays in an attacking role) next season. IMO, that's quite a big gamble. Essentially, we need to find a LM/RM who gets 10-15 goals+assists, almost guaranteed, and that's what we tried last summer. And we need two to get those numbers next season.

[Sangria]

I think perhaps we have rushed too quickly to phase out Maxi and Dirk, but Maxi wanted to leave last summer by all accounts, and is leaving this summer regardless. So it's not like the task of getting him to stay is a worthwhile endeavour.

I think Downing has been much better overall since the CC semi against City and is growing in confidence and becoming a good player for us, despite my premature judgement of him as a failure. He's also showing some bottle and fight now, which I didn't think he had in him. Credit where it is due.

Dalglish clearly drew a line on the ground for non-performers around December-January, which Downing and Carroll crossed, leading to their replacement for a while by Maxi, Kuyt and Bellamy. That was necessary to show the manager didn't have endless patience, and if they didn't perform, they'd be out. The problem next season is this threat won't be there any more, so if Carroll and Downing can't gee themselves up, we'll have no alternatives to threaten them with. This problem would have been present anyway, but it's worrying that the newcomers only performed after they'd been dropped for a while. Compare with Henderson, who's mostly been doing the basic things right for a while.

[Neil D]

Dalglish clearly drew a line on the ground for non-performers around December-January, which Downing and Carroll crossed, leading to their replacement for a while by Maxi, Kuyt and Bellamy. That was necessary to show the manager didn't have endless patience, and if they didn't perform, they'd be out. The problem next season is this threat won't be there any more, so if Carroll and Downing can't gee themselves up, we'll have no alternatives to threaten them with. This problem would have been present anyway, but it's worrying that the newcomers only performed after they'd been dropped for a while. Compare with Henderson, who's mostly been doing the basic things right for a while.

Agree. But next season if they don't improve they will be sold. I have a hunch Downing will rise to the challenge. Not so sure about Andy.

[John C]

Makes me laugh every time CHOPPER

Which is why I would rather depend on Bellamy, Kuyt and Maxi for another season (although Maxi will be gone).

It seems Maxi will be gone mate but there also has to be a an improvement on the others, someone who can not only put in regular appearances but regular performances. We won't be able to rely on Bellamy & Kuyt to put in a sustained run in the first team.

[Sangria]

Makes me laugh every time CHOPPERIt seems Maxi will be gone mate but there also has to be a an improvement on the others, someone who can not only put in regular appearances but regular performances. We won't be able to rely on Bellamy & Kuyt to put in a sustained run in the first team.

Scott indicated, and this is backed up by the observable selection policy, that Kuyt is also going this summer. Among the veteran forwards, Bellamy and Gerrard will be the only ones left, and Gerrard is being used as a midfielder.

[stoa]

Agree. But next season if they don't improve they will be sold. I have a hunch Downing will rise to the challenge. Not so sure about Andy.

And be replaced by whom? Maxi, who'll probably be in Argentina? Kuyt, who'll probably be back in Holland? To be honest, I hate that obsession with age (just generally speaking and not suggesting that you are obsessed with age) and "value" of a player. People are going on about how a young player is old enough if he's good enough. So, how about applying the same logic to older players? As long as they deliver they should be playing/kept in the squad. But no, as soon as someone is approaching 30 you have to think about selling them and getting a 19-year-old kid in to replace him immediately. That's just not the way it works.

Last season was perfect to build something. Let the "old guard" do what they had been doing at the end of the season and give the new players a chance to prove their worth and win their starting place. If they don't hit the ground running you still have the "old guard" as a safety-net to give the new players time to bed in. Didn't happen and I think that was a huge mistake, because it killed every single ounce of momentum we might have had from last season.

[lorenzo23]

And be replaced by whom? Maxi, who'll probably be in Argentina? Kuyt, who'll probably be back in Holland? To be honest, I hate that obsession with age (just generally speaking and not suggesting that you are obsessed with age) and "value" of a player. People are going on about how a young player is old enough if he's good enough. So, how about applying the same logic to older players? As long as they deliver they should be playing/kept in the squad. But no, as soon as someone is approaching 30 you have to think about selling them and getting a 19-year-old kid in to replace him immediately. That's just not the way it works.

Last season was perfect to build something. Let the "old guard" do what they had been doing at the end of the season and give the new players a chance to prove their worth and win their starting place. If they don't hit the ground running you still have the "old guard" as a safety-net to give the new players time to bed in. Didn't happen and I think that was a huge mistake, because it killed every single ounce of momentum we might have had from last season.

Scholes, Giggs, Pirlo and Di Natala just to name a few that agree with this, as i see it if your in squad and performing you should be picked regardless of age. Now lets make it clear Maxi is no world beater but he has helped out.

[Suspect Package.]

Maxi isn't underrated.

He just happens to posses the abilities that we currently lack. Arrives in the box, can sniff out a goal and has a bit upstairs.

But, he also has a tendency to go missing, offers no pace, isnt that great defensively and wont be here next season (which we need to start building for). For all Henderson, Downing, Adam might be under performing, we need to find a way to get them performing. And that'll only happen from trial and error, that means time on the pitch.

I'd certainly have Maxi involved more then he currently is, which wouldnt be hard, but he's not underrated.

Was going back through this thread, came across this post that chimes exactly with my feelings on Maxi.

His continued absense from the side after the previous purple patch makes him a lot better player in many people's heads than he is, but then he does happen to possess some tools we're missing from the side at the moment.

I'd like to see Maxi involved more for the remainder of this season, but I wouldn't be surprised or particularly unhappy if he's replaced by a younger, pacier attacking player who can play the same roles in the summer. The same goes for Kuyt in that regard sadly. Both been very good servants to the club but it's time to move on.

[scatman]

Was going back through this thread, came across this post that chimes exactly with my feelings on Maxi.

His continued absense from the side after the previous purple patch makes him a lot better player in many people's heads than he is, but then he does happen to possess some tools we're missing from the side at the moment.

I'd like to see Maxi involved more for the remainder of this season, but I wouldn't be surprised or particularly unhappy if he's replaced by a younger, pacier attacking player who can play the same roles in the summer. The same goes for Kuyt in that regard sadly. Both been very good servants to the club but it's time to move on.

I agree with this, but I still think we should have played him more to give us more of a tilt at fourth, for all those chances we've missed i'd guarantee Maxi would have put away quite a few.

[OperationIvy]

We have historically struggled to score against Stoke, yet we managed to beat them thanks to two 1-2s, one of which Maxi was involved in. I recently read (i think it was an interview with Downing) that Maxi and Suarez do this all the time in training. If Maxi plays more, perhaps we can get more out of Suarez too?