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TOMKINS: THE SELECTION HEADACHE
Paul Tomkins 15 December 2008
It's been a harsh reminder for me, and I'm guessing a fair few other fans, just how little fun competing for the title can actually be. 
Every emotion is ramped up to 10. Stress levels have risen, as has the ability for almost anything to irritate me before, during and immediately after a game. And it's only December. Perhaps it's only in the release of tension at finishing top in May, should we be so blessed, that true joy can be derived. Otherwise it's just ten months of slow torture.
Never mind the players –– do we have the bottle?
I think that as fans we are all clearly feeling the strain a little. We've waited so long to be in with a shout of no.19, we've become achingly desperate. And understandably so. (I take the liberty to break tradition and speak for the masses based purely on observations and conversations; while I accept that we all think, perceive and analyse things very differently, one thing that usually binds us is our emotional response.)
I also think we've forgotten how these things work. Indeed, anyone under 30 will have little experience of what's involved. (My maths isn't awry, I just don't think you understand much of what's going on in a title tilt before your teens; I certainly didn't.)
There have been quite a few incredible games this season, and the Reds can boast an amazing ability to almost never be beaten; coming back to win lots of games, and drawing the latest pulsating encounter after being 2-0 down.
But typically of late, nothing seemed clear: was it one point gained or two dropped? Or, paradoxically, both?
This remains a great season as a whole, with some wonderful entertainment and peerless points hauls both domestically and in Europe, but the most recent chunk of it has been more rocky than rosy. The aim has to prove that it's any side's inevitable blip, and not a longer-term trend.
It's easy to forget that champions don't have ten months of sensational football. As the great bard observed in 1595, The course of a league title never did run smooth.
In many ways Liverpool's league form has been a bit like it was when winning the European Cup in 2005 and the FA Cup a year later: not consistent brilliance, but a number of top-class showings to beat the biggest teams when it mattered, and a remarkable ability to rescue lost causes against opposition of all calibre.
We're seeing some of the spirit that somehow helped achieve results against Olympiacos, AC Milan, Luton and West Ham, as well as the ability to beat Manchester United and Chelsea.
It's a different competition, with progress marked in other ways and rivals rarely ‘knocked out'/eliminated, but maybe the parallels are apt. It's the first time the Reds have shown such incredible fighting qualities in the first half of a league season for a long, long time. So let's keep that in mind.
The first half comeback against Hull involved some sensational play, and with a bit more luck it could have been 5-2 at half-time. And the Reds had started the half the far better side, too, with the visitor's first goal against the run of play, and their second down to a bizarre free-kick award against Carragher.
The second half was also dominated by Liverpool, despite Hull yet again excelling on the road, and as such, it's hard to be too critical after dropping two more points. This was a far cry from the Fulham game.
Patience seems much thinner on the ground since the winning of an 18th title (in life in general, not just football), and perhaps the squad system has only led to a greater questioning of a manager's methods. By my reckoning almost 20 players had a good claim to start against Hull based on their previous game; but the rules haven't changed that much in the past 18 years.
With all this in mind, Rafa's team selection was always going to be called into question.
Robbie Keane could well have featured after a fine display in midweek. But the player deployed in his favoured position (just off the main striker) was the man who scored both of the Reds' goals; a player now with eleven for the season. (As an aside, please let's stop counting Gerrard as a midfielder when listing formations when he's in this role; he's an attacking tour de force.)
Dirk Kuyt partnered him up front, and he's the team's second-top scorer. He also created both goals. So it's rarely as simple as people like to portray it.
Liverpool ‘may' have done better had Keane played. Equally, Gerrard may not have scored two goals had he been deployed further back; it's very unlikely he'd have been quite as advanced towards the six-yard box to poach his two goals like a true centre-forward.
I'm a big fan of Robbie Keane, and feel that his time to really shine will come, but it was hardly like his recent form made him a shoo-in for this game.
And the more it's made to be about one player, the more I sense the manager will reign it back to being about the team; not to prove a point or to cut off his nose to spite his face, but because obsessing over whether or not one player features can be counterproductive.
Some fans might not like it, but Benítez has strong ideas, and this is to be respected; we don't want a weak character swayed by our temperamental and emotional whims, or by price tags, but a man who knows his own mind.
Like anyone with an opinion, I don't necessarily agree with all Rafa's line-ups when I see the team-sheet, but then that applies to loads of games that ended up being won. I don't necessarily agree with all his substitutions, either, but often I find myself nodding once the change reaps dividends. At the very least, they tend to have a positive effect on the performance, even if they can't guarantee a positive outcome.
Basically, I've learned to reserve judgement. Rafa's record is one of getting things right a lot more than wrong. Some days it won't work, but that applies to any team. (I still see Man United fans moaning about Alex Ferguson's selections and tactics, so no-one is exempt, despite their long-term and recent records.)
I also don't share this outdated obsession some fans retain with two out-and-out forwards, or that throwing more strikers on in a game definitely makes it easier to score goals. Benítez went for pace and skill in wide areas from the bench, and I have no problem with that. Changing creative players is hardly a negative move. And Nabil El Zhar almost scored the winner.
I recall watching too many games from over the years when, needing a late goal, extra forwards were thrown on by a manager, only for it to blunt the attack; the midfield battle was then lost, and no-one could create anything. Sometimes it might work, particularly if you're just going to pound balls into the box, but it can just as easily confuse you as the opposition.
A poor, but not disastrous run of form should not see perspective abandoned en masse. Yes, Liverpool have failed to take advantage of the other big four teams losing or drawing, but equally, the reverse applies.
And if all these teams are showing so much greater title-winning form, why isn't it reflected in the league table? The fact remains that Liverpool are on top on merit, albeit by the slenderest of margins. No large gap has been opened up as hoped, but equally, no-one has thus far put in a better claim to be there.
In terms of points, Liverpool have effectively lost two of the last three home games: six points dropped. That's a big blow. But of course, there isn't the stinging psychological damage of two defeats, even if the draws have hardly been good for confidence. And at least the latest draw came with some genuine positives.
In my quieter, reflective moments I'm no less patient than usual for a 19th title, but I have felt a lot more anxious during recent league games, getting things out of perspective. And I've sensed a lot more tension and angst amongst fans in general. The higher we've soared, the more we've felt our wings start to melt.
At times in the last few matches I've almost felt like I did when the Reds played QPR in 1990, when a 2-1 victory after being a goal down secured the 18th league title. I'm having to remind myself that we're not even at the halfway mark, such is the tension.
It's almost as if we all, whether optimists or pessimists, have subconsciously felt that the only way to win the league was to get top and open up a big gap, particularly as, on paper, the recent run of games all looked winnable. But it's rarely that simple.
As newcomers to the title race, staying top, or pulling clear, was never going to be straightforward for these players; but being there for a few weeks should provide a good education in handling the pressure. It is all an experience to learn from.
At the start of the season, Liverpool were outsiders to land the title. Had the bookies known that Fernando Torres would miss most of the first half of the season, the odds would have been far longer.
At present Liverpool remain a good bet, and will be an even better one if the Spaniard, whose freshness after a very intense year will no longer be an issue following several enforced rests, plays in the majority of the remaining fixtures. Chelsea have been missing a greater number of players, but Torres' unique talents helps make Liverpool something special. The Reds have won games without him, but the inclusion of his pace, skill and finishing ability obviously makes for a better side.
And so, just as beating Olympiacos four years ago this month simply gave the Reds the chance to stay in the hunt on a more-or-less all-square basis at the halfway mark of that tournament, then the same applies to the league table right now as things began to heat up.
It remains very much game on, not game over.
For details of how to purchase 'Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool', click here to visit Paul Tomkins' official website>>
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by Liverpool FC or Liverpoolfc.tv.
Paul Tomkins 15 December 2008
It's been a harsh reminder for me, and I'm guessing a fair few other fans, just how little fun competing for the title can actually be. Every emotion is ramped up to 10. Stress levels have risen, as has the ability for almost anything to irritate me before, during and immediately after a game. And it's only December. Perhaps it's only in the release of tension at finishing top in May, should we be so blessed, that true joy can be derived. Otherwise it's just ten months of slow torture.
Never mind the players –– do we have the bottle?
I think that as fans we are all clearly feeling the strain a little. We've waited so long to be in with a shout of no.19, we've become achingly desperate. And understandably so. (I take the liberty to break tradition and speak for the masses based purely on observations and conversations; while I accept that we all think, perceive and analyse things very differently, one thing that usually binds us is our emotional response.)
I also think we've forgotten how these things work. Indeed, anyone under 30 will have little experience of what's involved. (My maths isn't awry, I just don't think you understand much of what's going on in a title tilt before your teens; I certainly didn't.)
There have been quite a few incredible games this season, and the Reds can boast an amazing ability to almost never be beaten; coming back to win lots of games, and drawing the latest pulsating encounter after being 2-0 down.
But typically of late, nothing seemed clear: was it one point gained or two dropped? Or, paradoxically, both?
This remains a great season as a whole, with some wonderful entertainment and peerless points hauls both domestically and in Europe, but the most recent chunk of it has been more rocky than rosy. The aim has to prove that it's any side's inevitable blip, and not a longer-term trend.
It's easy to forget that champions don't have ten months of sensational football. As the great bard observed in 1595, The course of a league title never did run smooth.
In many ways Liverpool's league form has been a bit like it was when winning the European Cup in 2005 and the FA Cup a year later: not consistent brilliance, but a number of top-class showings to beat the biggest teams when it mattered, and a remarkable ability to rescue lost causes against opposition of all calibre.
We're seeing some of the spirit that somehow helped achieve results against Olympiacos, AC Milan, Luton and West Ham, as well as the ability to beat Manchester United and Chelsea.
It's a different competition, with progress marked in other ways and rivals rarely ‘knocked out'/eliminated, but maybe the parallels are apt. It's the first time the Reds have shown such incredible fighting qualities in the first half of a league season for a long, long time. So let's keep that in mind.
The first half comeback against Hull involved some sensational play, and with a bit more luck it could have been 5-2 at half-time. And the Reds had started the half the far better side, too, with the visitor's first goal against the run of play, and their second down to a bizarre free-kick award against Carragher.
The second half was also dominated by Liverpool, despite Hull yet again excelling on the road, and as such, it's hard to be too critical after dropping two more points. This was a far cry from the Fulham game.
Patience seems much thinner on the ground since the winning of an 18th title (in life in general, not just football), and perhaps the squad system has only led to a greater questioning of a manager's methods. By my reckoning almost 20 players had a good claim to start against Hull based on their previous game; but the rules haven't changed that much in the past 18 years.
With all this in mind, Rafa's team selection was always going to be called into question.
Robbie Keane could well have featured after a fine display in midweek. But the player deployed in his favoured position (just off the main striker) was the man who scored both of the Reds' goals; a player now with eleven for the season. (As an aside, please let's stop counting Gerrard as a midfielder when listing formations when he's in this role; he's an attacking tour de force.)
Dirk Kuyt partnered him up front, and he's the team's second-top scorer. He also created both goals. So it's rarely as simple as people like to portray it.
Liverpool ‘may' have done better had Keane played. Equally, Gerrard may not have scored two goals had he been deployed further back; it's very unlikely he'd have been quite as advanced towards the six-yard box to poach his two goals like a true centre-forward.
I'm a big fan of Robbie Keane, and feel that his time to really shine will come, but it was hardly like his recent form made him a shoo-in for this game.
And the more it's made to be about one player, the more I sense the manager will reign it back to being about the team; not to prove a point or to cut off his nose to spite his face, but because obsessing over whether or not one player features can be counterproductive.
Some fans might not like it, but Benítez has strong ideas, and this is to be respected; we don't want a weak character swayed by our temperamental and emotional whims, or by price tags, but a man who knows his own mind.
Like anyone with an opinion, I don't necessarily agree with all Rafa's line-ups when I see the team-sheet, but then that applies to loads of games that ended up being won. I don't necessarily agree with all his substitutions, either, but often I find myself nodding once the change reaps dividends. At the very least, they tend to have a positive effect on the performance, even if they can't guarantee a positive outcome.
Basically, I've learned to reserve judgement. Rafa's record is one of getting things right a lot more than wrong. Some days it won't work, but that applies to any team. (I still see Man United fans moaning about Alex Ferguson's selections and tactics, so no-one is exempt, despite their long-term and recent records.)
I also don't share this outdated obsession some fans retain with two out-and-out forwards, or that throwing more strikers on in a game definitely makes it easier to score goals. Benítez went for pace and skill in wide areas from the bench, and I have no problem with that. Changing creative players is hardly a negative move. And Nabil El Zhar almost scored the winner.
I recall watching too many games from over the years when, needing a late goal, extra forwards were thrown on by a manager, only for it to blunt the attack; the midfield battle was then lost, and no-one could create anything. Sometimes it might work, particularly if you're just going to pound balls into the box, but it can just as easily confuse you as the opposition.
A poor, but not disastrous run of form should not see perspective abandoned en masse. Yes, Liverpool have failed to take advantage of the other big four teams losing or drawing, but equally, the reverse applies.
And if all these teams are showing so much greater title-winning form, why isn't it reflected in the league table? The fact remains that Liverpool are on top on merit, albeit by the slenderest of margins. No large gap has been opened up as hoped, but equally, no-one has thus far put in a better claim to be there.
In terms of points, Liverpool have effectively lost two of the last three home games: six points dropped. That's a big blow. But of course, there isn't the stinging psychological damage of two defeats, even if the draws have hardly been good for confidence. And at least the latest draw came with some genuine positives.
In my quieter, reflective moments I'm no less patient than usual for a 19th title, but I have felt a lot more anxious during recent league games, getting things out of perspective. And I've sensed a lot more tension and angst amongst fans in general. The higher we've soared, the more we've felt our wings start to melt.
At times in the last few matches I've almost felt like I did when the Reds played QPR in 1990, when a 2-1 victory after being a goal down secured the 18th league title. I'm having to remind myself that we're not even at the halfway mark, such is the tension.
It's almost as if we all, whether optimists or pessimists, have subconsciously felt that the only way to win the league was to get top and open up a big gap, particularly as, on paper, the recent run of games all looked winnable. But it's rarely that simple.
As newcomers to the title race, staying top, or pulling clear, was never going to be straightforward for these players; but being there for a few weeks should provide a good education in handling the pressure. It is all an experience to learn from.
At the start of the season, Liverpool were outsiders to land the title. Had the bookies known that Fernando Torres would miss most of the first half of the season, the odds would have been far longer.
At present Liverpool remain a good bet, and will be an even better one if the Spaniard, whose freshness after a very intense year will no longer be an issue following several enforced rests, plays in the majority of the remaining fixtures. Chelsea have been missing a greater number of players, but Torres' unique talents helps make Liverpool something special. The Reds have won games without him, but the inclusion of his pace, skill and finishing ability obviously makes for a better side.
And so, just as beating Olympiacos four years ago this month simply gave the Reds the chance to stay in the hunt on a more-or-less all-square basis at the halfway mark of that tournament, then the same applies to the league table right now as things began to heat up.
It remains very much game on, not game over.
For details of how to purchase 'Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool', click here to visit Paul Tomkins' official website>>
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and are not necessarily shared by Liverpool FC or Liverpoolfc.tv.
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