Really? It's what i like about our players. We do NOT try to keep it at all costs. If a situation is dangerous, just kick it out. Keep it simple instead if conceding a stupid goal.
I never said we should do it at all costs. More like we need to find some middle ground here. Otherwise he hoofs it every time and then we're closed down on our half for long periods of time. It means the players have to run without the ball more and opposition gains confidence due to being in possession for a long time. In Serie A teams are so clueless they can't use it to their advantage but CL is a different story.
If its one player that can't be blamed ability wise, its Alves. He is basicly doing the exact same thing he did at Barca. Offcourse its not going to "Click" right away, takes time. I think he is doing fine, he certainly can improve, but so can the whole team.
I'm tempted to @CrimsonianKing here, so @CrimsonianKing.
Alves is as good as Licht is defensively right now. The Swissman isn't the same player he was a couple of seasons ago and sadly with this little playing time, he's not going to get any better. Alves on the other hand still looks the part and his defensive ability is IMO grossly underrated. Even when he does the Pirlo-esque 'dribble out of a situation' routine, he's really composed. That kind of play scares me generally, but this guy still has it in him to pull it off. The only problem I have is with him drifting into the middle. Did that vs Sevilla as well. He needs to hug the line and stay there.
He's still got legs for a season or two. I still hate his antics and buffoonery though