Crouching Tiger wrote:
Gerrard can't be compared to Kaka in terms of influence as the influences they have on their divergent teams are pretty indifferent, i.e. Kaka is a creative force, while Gerrard has more of a physical impetus.
Their influence on their respective teams may be different, but not so much so that it is incomparable. It's fair to say that out of every member in each midfield both Kaká and Gerrard are the most "free" to do their damage.
To merely dismiss Kaká as a purely creative force is to write off a large portion of his direct game, which is as evident as Gerrard's.
If Gerrard was to be replaced with Kaka, we'd have to change our formation and tactics in very a similar way to what it would be like if Ronaldiniho
Why would we? Kaká performed the role of a right sided player last season. And though it's fair to say that without Cafu behind him, he was forced into a far more disciplined interpritation of the role than he would have enjoyed, he still did an admirable job. I believe that any creative player with solid movement could do our job on the right for us - so long as we have the balance in midfield or Momo and Xabi. In 04/05, Garcia had the task of playing Gerrard's current role, but without the balance in the centre of the pitch, he and Gerrard occupied similar positions too often. Now that we have solidity, without any attacking imputus in teh centre, we can allow a playmaker/attacking midfielder to drift from out wide into the hole.
Kaká, unlike 'Dinho, has already proven defensively aware within his time at Milan. Also, unlike Ronaldinho, he certainly can't be accused of over-play. He may be an extremely elegant player, but he's more direct than Gerrard also, IMHO.
drop a striker and play a 5 man midfield, with Kaka as our creative player.
I've just explained why that wouldn't be needed. Though personally I'd love to use him in the 3-5-2 I mentioned above:
- - - - - - - - - - Reina
- - - Carragher - Hyypia - Agger
Finnan - Alonso - Sissoko - Aurelio/Gonzalez
- - - - - - - - - - Kaká
- - - - - - - - Kuijt - Bellamy
In terms of technical ability, the two players can be compared easily. It should be obvious to us all that Kaka is the more 'gifted' of the two, but that’s not to say his technical ability makes him a more effective force for his team than Gerrard is for his, as the both have different jobs.
Do both have different jobs? I was under the impression that both are their sides most attacking midfielder. Burdened with the job of supplying the most assists and goals fromt he midfield. Maybe both have played in different positions, but the job is still essentially the same. Even if their style of going about it is different.
A big difference between the players is their discipline on the pitch...Kaka is a reasonably disciplined attacking midfielder, who has a great positional sense, while Gerrard pops up all over the pitch, and helps everyone out...that’s why he is no longer seen as a central midfielder by many parties, but as a 'free' right winger, where he had a HUGE influence on last season.
Not for one second disputing that Gerrard had a huge influence last season, but to describe Kaká as a disciplined attacking midfielder is folly and suggests that he has no movement. Kaká, like all good playmakers, drifts around the pitch into dangerous areas. I won't say he's like Gerrard in the sense that he'll run 50 yards to the leftback position to win the ball. I will say he has better, more effective, movement over all though.
Gerrard, for all his marauding, still fails to drift unnoticed into the box as much as Kaká. He's fantastic at getting into space at the edge of the box and anticipating where the ball will land, but he doesn't get into the same dangerous positons within the box that Kaká does - like Scholes before him, for example.
I wouldn't say that either of the players is better than the other one, although you'll probably disagree with me, but the fact that Gerrard is Scouse, and that Kaka would alter our already effective team a lot, swapping Gerrard for Kaka isn't really a sound option.
Kaká, if anything, would take our team to a different, more efficient level IMHO.
I've seen you argue that you feel the physical impact of our game would be less obvious if Kaká signed. I'll point you to a single example - his 50 yard run, holding off a defender, against Parma at the San Siro. I can't remember specifics, but he ran from the right hand side of midfield, all the way into the box, and when in the box played an inch perfect ball in between 3 defenders, for a simple tap in.
That's just something doesn't do. Kaká is the perfect blend of the directness and physicality of Gerrard mixed with the subtlety and brains of Riquelme. The only difference is he has the drawbacks of neither and is a far better finisher than either.
He is the next best player in the world.
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