Liverpool Fans, Would You Buy Christian Poulsen Or Mathieu Flamini To Replace Mascherano?

Ollie Irish

9th, August 2010

52 Comments

By Ollie Irish

Today’s armchair gaffer dilemma asks you to pick Javier Mascherano’s replacement.

Christian Poulsen is on Liverpool’s radar and slated to replace Javier Mascherano if the Argentine signs for Inter. Indeed, there’s talk the Dane may even have a medical at Liverpool today.

Mathieu Flamini has also been mentioned as a possible Mascherano replacement. He’s out of favour at AC Milan.

Poulsen v Flamini: In Roy Hodgson’s leather loafers, who do you sign and why?

Me? I’d go for Flamini every time. I think Poulsen is a very limited player, while Flamini is more versatile (he can play full-back perfectly well) and more stylish. He also offers more of a goal threat than Poulsen. Hell, in short, he’s a better player, in my view. And he’s proven in English football.

Make your choice now:


Posted in Liverpool, Opinion

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52 Comments

  1. Mark Holleran says:

    Flamini is definitely the better option but Hodgson will go for Poulsen because a) he’s cheaper b) he’s worked with him before and c) he’s a Scandi, Hodgson flippin’ loves Scandis

  2. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    “while Flamini is more versatile (he can play full-back perfectly well) and more stylish”

    Do scousers like stylish? They seem to have an affinity for headless chickens like Gerrard who just runs around all game for no apparent reason.

  3. George says:

    Flamini is better but more expensive, and, for now, money isn’t something we have a lot of.

  4. Frankie Gilmour says:

    It’s a no brainer…Poulsen any time. He is going to prove a very, very good buy. Defensive, yet better passing and ball retention than Mascherano.

  5. cake says:

    Neither.

    Ghana’s Anthony Annan.

    23 years old and available for about 5 million.

  6. 80's casual says:

    cant you put a a vote for none of them as i dont think there both not good enough and for america the beautifull how can you post a stupid comment asking about us do we like stylish you divvy

  7. magnumopus says:

    Flame is better but what matters is what Roy wants and too bad but he wants Poulsen.

  8. Ollie says:

    Poulsen has been excused from Denmark’s friendly with Germany by coach Morten Olsen in order to complete move to Liverpool. So, Roy has made his choice.

    @cake – Annan is a great shout. Triffic player.

  9. Sam says:

    Flamini. Proven in the premier league. Simple as that

  10. mop ed says:

    AmericaTheBeautiful says:
    August 9, 2010 at 11:15 am

    “while Flamini is more versatile (he can play full-back perfectly well) and more stylish”

    Do scousers like stylish? They seem to have an affinity for headless chickens like Gerrard who just runs around all game for no apparent reason.

    ^^^
    1st. Not all Liverpool fans are scousers.
    2nd. Gerrard isn’t a headless chicken. Overrated maybe but clueless no.
    3rd. Stylish – Billy Liddel, Peter Thompson, Steve Heighway, Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, John Barnes, Peter Beardsley, Steve MacManaman, Torres, Cole to name just a few.
    4th. You don’t know your arse from your elbow.
    5th Sod off

  11. Gym Blog says:

    Flamini is the younger, quicker player. But poulsen is more aggressive and experienced player that would cost half the price. If we get what we want for Mash (25mil) poulsen would be good as we can buy a very good striker with the rest of the money, even a cheap winger too. Once Insua ties up his deal with Genoa we would then need Figueroa with Insua’s transfer money. After that I would be quite happy with the squad.

  12. Mish says:

    @AmericaTheBeautiful

    Are you retarded? Do you even understand the game of football?

    Gerrard ‘just runs around like a headless chicken for no apparent reason’? Yeah, that’s why the majority of the worlds top clubs have tried to sign him at one time or another, he’s regarded as the players player and is one of very few true box-to-box midfielders who is good in the tackle and can pick out a 60 yard pass not to mention score goals with ease.

    You’re clearly some fuckwit sitting at a keyboard with your big 3lb spastic tongue applying pressure to the wrong parts of your brain. That is the only feasible excuse for speaking such total and utter dross.

  13. Donner Meat says:

    Fuck them all, bring back MOMO.

  14. PhilandoTorres says:

    According to Jan Molby, Poulsen is ‘past his best’.

    If we sold Mascherano, presumably for about £25 mil, I’d get Ozil. Play Gerrard deep with Cole and Ozil supporting Torres with Jovanovic on the left and maybe Kuyt on the right again.

    We can but dream…

  15. Anonymous says:

    fuck them all ,,, defour are better

  16. momo says:

    fuck them all ,,,,, defour yes

  17. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    Mish, Gerrard is a typical english player. Awful first touch, can’t keep the ball if his life depended on it, can’t dribble, etc. For the amount of shots he takes of course he will score some goals. He has been given free reign at Liverpool and the club has suffered for it. But hey, he runs and “loves a tackle”. The only things that matter in premier league football.

    And btw, attacking me personally is a sign that you’ve already lost the argument.

  18. Ryan Kam says:

    Defour is significantly better than both.

  19. daboy says:

    Without a doubt Flamini and Roy has the money from sales to buy him supposedly, if this is the case he is making the side very ordinary.
    Liverpool are about to lose a big name Mash wheres the big name signing not Joe Cole i hope.

  20. Yanks are foolish says:

    American… U are a big fool for saying that to Gerrard.U are watching different league.My 2yrs cousin knows football better than u.

  21. C says:

    20 comments too late, but cue the liverpool bashing.

  22. llks_18 says:

    Its clear folks that this AmericaTheBeautiful chick/dude came on the wrong page thinking that this article was abt American Foot[more like handball IMO]ball… Go piss off you f***** yank….

  23. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    llks_18, Should somebody from an irrelevant footballing nation like England really be acting superior towards anybody else, including towards somebody from America?

    “Football is made up of subjective feeling, of suggestion – and, in that, Anfield is unbeatable. Put a shit hanging from a stick in the middle of this passionate, crazy stadium and there are people who will tell you it’s a work of art. It’s not: it’s a shit hanging from a stick.” Valdano said this about Liverpool, but he really could’ve said this about premier league as a whole.

  24. Mish says:

    @AmericaTheBeautiful

    You’ve undermined your own argument by posting with literally no knowledge of the sport you’re discussing.

    Just because you’ve picked an English premier league team to follow now that ‘soccer’ is acceptable among your meathead countrymen, doesn’t mean you get to mince about regurgitating other peoples baseless arguments and acting in a stilted manner while you do it.

    If you’d watched more than 5 minutes of the game you would know that Gerrard has exceptional ability on the ball, he has strength to hold up and a lovely touch in the area. Not to mention world class finishing. But you obviously haven’t seen ANY of those goals, eh?

    Clearly, by talking about him ‘taking shots’ you’ve only sat and watched a handful of Youtube videos of his long-range efforts. Again, this exposes you as being dreadfully ignorant.

    As for your attack on English footballers and our game in general, well, that just shows you to be one of the many feckless Yanks that got a massive boner from watching your pathetic shower manage a draw..yes a fucking DRAW (through keeper error) at the World Cup.

    ‘Like all English players’ fuck me! I bet you couldn’t name me any fucking players pre 2007 without a sustained Googling effort.

    Don’t get above your station, flower. You’re still a no-mark from the land of obesity and steroid-fuelled ‘athletes’. Until you learn you’d be best advised to keep your opinions in your own little mind.

    Even Mancs and Chelski fans will acknowledge how good a footballer Gerrard is, grudgingly. Just as Scousers will with Fat Frank and Rooney. You can have your club loyalties but to say players of their like aren’t great is just pure ignorance and again shows the lack of class that only a Yank plastic football fan would display.

    As for personally attacking you losing me the argument, well..I think we’ve just seen that isn’t the case, haven’t we?

    Knobhead.

  25. Mish says:

    Oh yeah, while I’m on the subject you MUST have seen at least one of Stevie’s subtle, in-the-box goals..he put one past your bunch of muppets within 10 minutes in South Africa.

    And who was it reduced to headless chicken style running and speculative shooting? Was it England?

    Ignoramus.

  26. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    Mish, this rally is too easy. After arguing sports with fans in America i thought the english would maybe give me a better challenge. Unfortunately it hasn’t been the case. Let’s pick apart your amateur response point by point, shall we?

    I would think that it’d be pretty obvious that i think english football is just a horrible waste of time. By “english footbal” i mean the national team and the premiership. So, no i don’t “follow” a premier league team. Btw, i don’t know why you put a word that was invented in england in commas. You do know where the term “soccer” comes from don’t you?

    That is simply not true and i suspect you know it, but are just trying to win the argument any way you can. I don’t think the word “lovely” has ever been used when describing Gerrard’s play. There’s absolutely nothing lovely about him. Ah yes, but he has strength. “Fighting for the cause” and all that. Premier league lemmings love that. The fact that he has no technical ability whatsoever doesn’t really matter, does it?

    I don’t know why anybody would get a boner over his team drawing with england, a team that has been a non-entity for more than 40 years now. The difference is that most people here still don’t care about football. On the other hand it is absolutely incredible that a country (england) that is so passionate about a certain sport (football) is so horrible at it. How can it’s people be so talentless at this game? How does that happen? So, do you really want to talk about meatheads?

    A lot of your argument is based on the premise that americans who do care about football have started doing so recently and stil don’t understant it. Even though you’d still be wrong, this doesn’t apply to me. Even though i live here right now, i’m not from here originally and has been a fan of the game for a long time, possibly longer than you since i suspect i’m older than you. Pretty much blows up most of your argument, doesn’t it?

    England is a terribly backwards footballing country. It’s like everybody have moved on, but english players and fans are still stuck in the past. Loving footballing virtues like “Fighting for the cause”, “loving a tackle”, running around, yes, like a headless chicken is what made this country that is absolutely irrelevant in most things also be irrelevant in one thing they love most – football. I believe i’m finished here.

  27. spectator says:

    clearly poulsen is not a long term replacement.

  28. Daniel says:

    Poulsen – in this particular case!

    1) cheaper choice
    2) has a lot to prove (played well in germany and spain, not that well in Italy
    3) good defending- and passing skills
    4) 75 caps for the danish national team vs. flaminis 5
    5) experience, experience, experience
    6) plays well with Daniel Agger on the danish national team

  29. Andy says:

    Be happy for Poulsen!

    Its only Liverpool. Not Manu or so!

  30. chris t says:

    Hi all liverpool fans, Poulsen is the best soccer player in Denmark, he lead his team forward both club and national teams.

    Flamini has played in the arsenal, and he also made it fine, but is not the same player as time, currently he is without playing time, and completely out of shape, dt is such a player want?

    Poulsen has played in the best leagues, Serie A and La Liga and in both places, he has shown what super player he is.

    Liverpool will not regret buying poulsen!
    He is the LFC missing!

    MVH Chris T. (From Denmark and big Chelsea FC fan!);)

  31. Mish says:

    “Let’s pick apart your amateur response point by point, shall we?”

    Well, when are you going to start picking then? All you need was type another lot of bile and flawed personal opinion. You didn’t address any of the points I made.

    You seem to have this lovely vaunting manner about you, with a nice little side-order of condescension and arrogance but guess what? You’re not that bright, flower.

    What you’re doing is pissing your opinion out on to other people and trying to force it as fact. It isn’t and your opinion is monumentally undone by the fact that, worldwide, the Premier League is the most watched and supported league, it’s also expertly regarded as the best with the mix of skill and passion leading routinely to fast paced, end-to-end contests.

    For all your talk of being older (on what grounds you’re basing that, I’d be interested to know btw) and well versed in the game you’re showing a spectacular ignorance for the rules and nature of the sport. Which leads me to surmise myself, that you’re all bluster and no substance. No, let’s not be polite about it, you’re a bullshitting Billy Big Buttons who really knows very little.

    For all your defamation of English players and the English league you’ve never cited a contrast. What do you see as the best league in the world? Spain? Italy? Goodness me! You must be a fucking idiot or a homosexual if you like seeing grown men with expertly tousled hair falling on the floor at the slightest touch to edge a little bit closer to the opposition goal. Although, the similarity to gridiron football is there, so maybe that’s why?

    I’m not even going to bother arguing with you about Gerrard any further. It’s a moot point. The man is regarded, by higher authorities than you, to be among the greatest players of all time and most true football fans can see this. By not doing, you’re just demonstrating your ignorance again.

    So, come on! Roll out your next stilted, substance-less rant and give everyone a laugh!

    You’re certainly cheering me up so far!

  32. Pj says:

    Poulsen is hodgeson’s man. Roy discovered him and promoted him from 3rd div side Asnaes to FC Copenhagen. From there, poulsen went on to do well for schalke 04 and sevilla. In juventus, he has struggled with injuries and has had a hard time getting into the starting 11. Also, the general population hate poulsen after his falling out with totti in the euro champs when totti was sent off for spitting at the Dane. Also gattuso has had encounters with poulsen.
    I

  33. Michael the dane says:

    Christian Poulsen is the best choice for Liverpool!

    If Flamini couldnt make it in Arsenal he cant make it in Liverpool!

  34. Jack says:

    Poulsen, any time !!!

  35. Odin says:

    I would go with Masch but if we are to sell him then I would prefer Flamini. On the other hand Poulsen would probably pack more of a “punch” ;) than Flamini.

  36. Hippie The Dane says:

    As a dane and also a big Liverpoolfan I recommend Poulsen to all U supporters who are not familiar with his footballskills. Poulsen is a great and tough defensiv mittfielder, that will send John Terry up on the 15th row in every tackle head to head. He has the ability to come up with goalscoring assists and even score goals himself. He was a profile in Schalke 04 and Sevilla and he fougth his way back into the team of Juventus even though they’d tried to freeze him out, that calls for character. He also is a profile on the danish national team. I must say I can’t see a better club than Liverpool for Poulsen, I think he’ll fit in just perfectly, I’m sure Agger will back me up on this. Give Poulsen a chance, it will be the perfect match, I guarantee!!!

  37. c00ln1ck says:

    Poulsen for the win.

    The guy have a winning mentality next to none, and since he was 19 ANYBODY playing opposite hime have hated it!

    It is probably either him or Agger who will become the next captain for the Danish national team.

    Its not without a reason Barcelona have been scouting him for several seasons…

  38. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    Mish, stop now before you lose whatever is left of you credibility. You continue to make baseless assumptions about me as a person and a football fan instead of actually arguing my point. Do you not see that it makes you look defeated and like a fool? In real life you would be laughed off of any debate including one about football.

    When you do try to stay on topic, it’s all conjecture and no facts. C’mon, how can i take you seriously after you say that Gerrard is regarded “to be among the greatest players of all time”? As far as premier league being the most watched, c’mon, in today’s world when a lot of people like something you should run the other way. Something/Someone being popular these days pretty much mean’s they’re shit. I mean a lot of people buy Lady Gaga records. Alot of people thought England had a chance to win the World Cup. You get the point. Most people are not that smart.
    And in any case the premier league popularity is ALL due to american style marketing they’ve adopted (“gridiron” that you love to mention so much) and FOREIGN not english players.

    And i can’t imagine i’m not older than you simply because of the language you use. Can somebody over 30 really be talking the way you do? If yes, then england is more hopeless than i thought.

  39. Simon says:

    According to Jan Molby, Poulsen is ‘past his best’

    hmm………..Molby The former Kidderminster coach !!!
    doesn´t have a clue about who is good or bad….he just want a burger and a pint

  40. Mish says:

    AmericaTheBeautiful,

    Tip top. Another rant from up on your high horse with nothing behind it.

    Yet again you’ve side-stepped the issue of comparison.

    Yet again you’ve just tried to brush off simple facts that show you up.

    Yet again you’ve tried to do just insult me rather than taking on my points one by one, and you say that I’d fail in a debate? That’s a laugh – you don’t even seem to understand the concept of debate.

    And someone over 30 ‘using the language I use’ – what, do you mean English? You should come over here, there are loads of us.

    So, if you want to continue get to the point.

    What do you consider to be a better, or even a comparable league to the Prem?

    Who do you consider to be a more complete midfielder than Gerrard?

    Once you’ve answered those points we’ll have an idea, won’t we? Rather than you just being the sort of moron that just shits on things just to troll a website.

    Okay? Good.

    Run along.

  41. Anonymous says:

    Poulsen. He’s from denmark. Need to say more?

  42. Mish says:

    Further to that, I’m sure if you’re the football fan you say you are you watched England play Hungary this evening.

    I need not add anything further to this argument.

    You, sir, are a cunt.

  43. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    Mish, the reason why i talk from “up on my high horse” is because WITH YOU i can do that. Arguing with primitives like you will put anybody on a high horse, including me. The reason most english football fans are primitives and are unable to argue their points is because they are firmly inside the england and premier league bubble and like the absolute shit they are fed. English football is all they see, so they think it’s actually good. It’s incredible really. It’s the football version of the Soviet Union.

    Now as to your questions. Gerrard wasn’t anything special even in his prime, but at THIRTY years of age? The list of midfielders better than him is a LONG one. Xavi, Iniesta, Essien, Kaka, Sneijder, Pirlo, Hamsik, De Rossi, Gourcuff, Alonso, Schweinsteiger, Ozil etc. These are just off the top of my head. There are many more.

    And i enjoy La Liga and the Bundesliga much more than i do the “blood and guts” premier league. Btw, you want facts, here are some facts for you. In the quarterfinals of this last world cup there were more players there from La Liga, Bundesliga, and even Seria A (and that was without italy being there) than there were from the premier league.

    Now your little add-on post, wow. See, this is why i can’t you seriously. Do you really think beating HUNGARY is anything to scream about? A team of suburban american soccer moms can beat Hungary. You actually watched this match?

  44. Mish says:

    Haha you’ve cemented your place in fuckwit history!

    You just reeled off a list of current midfield players – none of whom possess a total game, which not only shows how shallow your knowledge of the game tactically is, it also shows that you have no idea about the game past about the last 3-4 years. The only player that really holds a candle to Gerrard in terms of his complete skill-set is Defour and you didn’t even mention him. Quelle surprise.

    I love that you actually tried to quantify your stilted behaviour! The fact is though, that you’ve done nothing to show you have any intelligence above shouting about it. You’ve proved yourself ignorant of the subject matter you’re trying to discuss on numerous occasions yet you just go on bleating like a freshly gelded lamb, because it’s the only way you know how behave. You’re clearly used to shouting people down rather than backing up your points but guess what? It ain’t going to work with me fella.

    You’re wrong and you clearly don’t understand what you’re talking about.

    As for the league points..well, I don’t mind watching either the Bundesliga or La Liga, they both have their merits (that’s really because I love the game, you see what I mean? I won’t cane another league because they all offer various qualities..that and I’m not an arrogant little turd who feels like they have to shout loud to make up for their micro-penis).

    There is no other league in the world that offers everything that the Premier League does though in terms of skill, pace, physicality, stamina..it really is the complete package. But you wouldn’t know that because you’ve never really watched it!

    The point about watching the Hungary game wasn’t about the team we were playing, it was about the level of play..and from largely uncapped youngsters. That and the individual 2nd goal from Gerrard which showed your shallow, regurgitated opinion up as the nonsense that I’ve been telling you it is.

    So c’mon, carry on screaming like a bitch with a skinned-knee and proving me right!

    Mug.

  45. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    Mish, you’ve obviously allowed yourself to get overemotional, which impedes your ability to argue your point and think clearly. The ONLY people who rate or have ever rated Gerrard are english fans. Any football fan outside the irrelevant country you live in would choose all those players i listed and more over Gerrard.

    “Pace”, “physicality”,”stamina”. EXACTLY. Valuing these qualities over possession, technical abilities, vision, dribbling, creativity, etc. is why england has won “fuck all” as you all say since 66.

    What you don’t seem to understand is that calling me names will not change that fact. Just like it will not change the fact that you’ve made a fool of yourself more and more with your each post.

    The difference is you’re too attached to a certain player, a certain country, a certain club and a certain way of playing football. You’ve allowed yourself to get too emotionally involved. That Valdano quote that i posted earlier, read it again. He talks about this very thing. You’re unable to think clearly. Also, your limited intellect just doesn’t allow it. I on the other hand am not constrained by any of those things. So i’m able too see players, clubs, national teams etc. for what they are.

    Even though you’re obviously wrong, i would at least like to say that it’s been an interesting/challenging debate, but i can’t even say that. Because it hasn’t. Debating with somebody with your primitive views is easy, but no fun. I wanted a challenge and you’ve failed to provide it.

  46. Mish says:

    You’ve not said or done anything to further your point though and yet you still think you can rant and rave and call me primitive?

    I like the little bit at the end, the attempt to back away without losing face when in all truth that’s all you’ve done. You’ve been outed as a no-nothing, with narrow, child-like views of the sport and all you’ve done is kick and scream as loudly as possible because you’ve got no way of arguing back.

    It’s be like me trying to argue about playing the violin to virtuoso level – I simply couldn’t because I don’t know how. You just don’t know enough about the sport and you’ve ably demonstrated your ignorance.

    So go on, walk away. I’ll miss the sport but I won’t miss your abusive posts packed with filler and nothing about football. Also I know deep down inside you’re leaving because you failed and it eats you up that your usual abusive defamation hasn’t worked and that you’ve made yourself look a real tit who shouldn’t really be on a football forum.

    You’re a beginner. Watch more football, develop a deeper understanding then, if you want, I’ll teach you some more lessons.

  47. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    From the start you wanted me to be something i’m not and based all your arguments on it. You thought i was from america and thus new to football. I told you i’m not. You thought i “followed” a premier league team. I told you i didn’t. Now you think i don’t know the sport. Why, because i think english football and it’s players are shit? I’m not the only one. Most people do.

    I understand that being so emotionally attached to something so mediocre must hurt, but it is what it is. From the moment you started to attack me personally instead of the argument, i knew you were a lightweight. You wanted to be right so much, that once it became obvious you weren’t, you started to accuse me of being “stilted” and “abusive”. Again go back and reread this whole thread. I was talking about Gerrard and you from your very first post started out talking about me. The fact that you don’t seem to understand that it doesn’t say a whole lot about you is your problem, not mine. Wishing for something to be true doesn’t make it so.

  48. Mish says:

    *claps*

    Spectacular.

    That reads among the worst back-tracks that I’ve ever come across. You should be saluted for living what I assume to be a full life with that level of social retardation.

  49. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    haha, backtrack from what? I told you what i think about football, then i told you what i thought about you. You didn’t like it and has been throwing a hissy fit ever since. That’s ALL this thread has been about. You’re under assumption that it’s been something more than that?

  50. Mish says:

    You haven’t said anything of substance. All you’ve done is gob-off, insulted English players and the English league and pretended that you’re some intellectual with a knowledge of football.

    What has happened is that you’ve been outed as a fraud on all counts and made yourself look like a cunt over your caning of the Premier League.

    You’ve shown an acute ignorance of football tactics, not to mention the fact that, for all your bluster about the English league, you’ve clearly never taken it in.

    To summarise:

    Utter prick who has spent the best part of a week talking bullshit about something he has literally no knowledge of. That alone is enough to show most of the world what a knob you are.

    On top of that your pseudo-intellectual filibustering has just hammered even more nails into your coffin and shown that, not only are you a football ignoramus, but a real walking little-dick, inferiority complex too.

  51. AmericaTheBeautiful says:

    A simple question for you. Did i not start out talking about the topic at hand ( Gerrard, english players etc.), while you from your very first post started out discussing me?

    How can you not see how that makes you look?

  52. paul says:

    fuck the whole lot gerrard is crap along with torres, david ngogg is the best striker in the world along with ryan babel. i love those guys so much i could fuck there black holes, yum yum

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