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**Sir X** · February 3, 2009, 10:02 AM

I take it you had a Keane interest in this striker that we recently sold.The way how i see it more playing time for Babel and Nyogg.

Torres is back with 15 to 17 games left in the season , lets see what happens, btw Berbatov isnt lighting up Man U at the moment.

**Assasin** · February 3, 2009, 10:12 AM

I see you didn't mention Cisse. The man turn a idiot under Rafa. He lost every once of self confidence he had.

**Assasin** · February 3, 2009, 10:13 AM

how many goals Babel and Nyogg have?

Hope Torres nuh go down fi the rest of the season.

**Lazie** · February 3, 2009, 10:14 AM

Originally posted by X View Post

I take it you had a Keane interest in this striker that we recently sold.The way how i see it more playing time for Babel and Nyogg.

Torres is back with 15 to 17 games left in the season , lets see what happens, btw Berbatov isnt lighting up Man U at the moment.

Really? Who have more assists than Berbatov in the EPL? On top of that he has about 11 goals in all competition.

Quick question ... what if Torres get injuried again, who going to lead the line?

**Sir X** · February 3, 2009, 10:18 AM

Rafa dilema he can always blame Parry,You think Keane would have made a difference If Torres gets injured ? He didnt in the 1st half of the season 3/4 of those draws occured when he started.

Its my belief that Babel should have been blooded as our 2nd go to striker.Well better late than never.

**Assasin** · February 3, 2009, 10:38 AM

when them sell Crouch man shout "good riddance" and said they got 20 million pound striker

now

Benitez explains Keane departure

Keane scored five goals in 19 appearances for Liverpool

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says he let Robbie Keane rejoin Tottenham because the striker had failed to settle in the team.
Keane signed a four-year deal at Spurs, with the fee starting at £12m and rising with add-ons, six months after he left the club for an initial £19m.
Benitez told the Reds' website: "Sometimes good players cannot settle in the team. You have to react quickly.
"It is a risk but the situation was not good and we needed to do something."
The Republic of Ireland captain joined Liverpool from Spurs in July in a deal which could have risen to £20.3m, but he failed to establish himself in the team.
Keane, 28, managed only five goals in 19 appearances for the club he supported as a boy and admitted his summer transfer "proved not to be the right move for me".
I would like to wish Robbie the best because although things did not work out he has been working hard for us

Rafael Benitez

Benitez said Keane's quick return to north London was best for all concerned and refuted suggestions that the player's departure meant the title hopefuls were too reliant on Spain striker Fernando Torres.
"We still have Ryan Babel, David Ngog and Dirk Kuyt as well as Torres," said Benitez, whose team trail Premier League leaders Manchester United by two points.
"If it is not good for the team then it is better for everyone to make a decision, and because of the situation in the transfer market and the opportunity for the player we had to do it now.
"I have to analyse things and try to look at the bigger picture and this means thinking of the club and the team and what is best for them."
Benitez added that Tottenham had shown a great desire to re-sign Keane. 606: DEBATE
Were Liverpool right to sell Keane?

"I would like to wish Robbie the best because although things did not work out he has been working hard for us," said the Spaniard.
"He was trying to do his best and the key was that Spurs showed a lot of interest and they were pushing really hard for him.
"The player needed to play and he was not doing that as much as he would have liked with us.
"But I cannot criticise him in any way because, as I have said, he tried to do his best for us."
Former Liverpool and Republic of Ireland striker John Aldridge questioned whether Liverpool now had sufficient attacking depth to win the title.
"Look at the players they have had in the last four years. Michael Owen was sold, Robbie Fowler has been and gone, Peter Crouch and now Robbie Keane," he said. "To sustain a challenge on Manchester United you have got to have one if not more of those players on top of what we have got at the moment. "Dirk Kuyt can play up front, Ryan Babel at a push and then there's the lad (David) Ngog, who is nowhere near the quality needed, he's a young lad. There are certainly not enough options."

**Sir X** · February 3, 2009, 10:52 AM

There is an english bias in regards to the quality of strikers that they have , None of the listed Michael Owen was sold, Robbie Fowler has been and gone, Peter Crouch and now Robbie Keane,"

Except Owen should be in this Liverpool squad , all of those listed have left for Midtable or relegation clubs except Owen who went to Real and then Newcastle.

**Assasin** · February 3, 2009, 12:01 PM

oh well why unnu never hold on to him?

What is the bias against Cisse?

**Paul Marin** · February 4, 2009, 08:28 AM

This is true of Cisse as well. But I only talked about players that left other clubs for Rafa. If you look at strikers that Rafa inherited (Sinama, Cisse, Owen) they scored more at their subsequent clubs than they did under Rafa. Sinama pumped in 12 in his immediate next season at Recreativo; Morientes pumped in 13 and I believe Cisse had double digits as well.

There is something about his tactics that stiffles scoring.

**Assasin** · February 4, 2009, 09:38 AM

I think he puts too much pressure on them. I look at Cisse and he was trying to make Cisse a crosser rather than an explosive scorer.

If you look at Fergie, if a striker is in form he rarely pull him, and if he is on the bench he will still get a little run in the games. No Rafa will just pull a striker cold. Look at Keane said he was training very well yet he pull him and didn't even name him in the squad. In my opinion it results in hot/cold.

**Paul Marin** · February 4, 2009, 08:33 PM

I don't think that it is pressure, I think it is defensive mindedness. If you look at the current "best" formation for Liverpool it is a 4-2-3-1; this works well for his mindset but can never work without a "perfect" marksman in the "1" position. The only other Prem player that (when in form) that I can think of who can do it is Drogba; Keane couldn't as he plays off a strike partner (like he did with Berbatov).

As for Slur Arselick, let's just agree to disagree as I don't think your assessment is entirely accurate.

**Assasin** · February 5, 2009, 09:48 AM

thinking about it maybe you are right execpt for the last sentence

**Karl** · February 6, 2009, 01:37 AM

Originally posted by Paul Marin View Post

It is no secret that my concerns with Rafa Benitez and his decisions run deep. I am especially concerned with his inability to capitalise on the strengths of strikers that have come to Anfield on his watch. The only exception is Torres. Every other striker has had a sharp drop in performance over their prior seasons with other clubs. Consider:

Player___________Full Season Immediately Before Rafa__________Best Season Under Rafa
Crouch___________12 (Southampton)____________________________9
Voronin__________ 10(Herta Berlin)_____________________________5
Morientes)________10(RM/Monaco) _____________________________5
Keane____________15(Spurs)________________________ __________5(so far)
Bellamy__________13(West Ham)_______________________________7
Fowler___________10(Man City)_________________________________5
Kuyt_____________22(Feyenoord)____________________ ___________12

The data get even more interesting when you look at the performance of players at new clubs when they leave Rafa - Sinama, Morientes, Crouch, Bellamy all performed better in immediate next seasons (actual output or run rate) at their new clubs than their best seasons at Anfield under Rafa.

I personally think that there is something about Rafa's system (including his ineptness at boosting their confidence) that destroys strikers (at least in his tenure at Anfield) which makes Robbie Keane's departure that more frustrating. This is because Keane's output (5 goals in 19 appearances - not complete games) was better than any other player in the squad except Torres and Gerrard.

So to me, the decision to let him go is perplexing at best, but I think Keane (unlike Liverpool) is better off for it. This decision will come back to haunt Rafa on the last day of the season when Robbie returns to Anfield; God help us if we need to win that game, but I suspect Rafa will have lost the title to the scum long before then. If not, and Keane is instrumental in a draw or a tie that loses the title, then Rafa can kiss the goodwill of the fans goodbye. And that will go doubly so for this particular fan.

YNWA.

You may be on to something...

...but I would like to be to convinced that - the quality in Rafa's squad is not better than the teams to which the players go...

...and on Rafa teams the scoring is not spread around among more players? Point is, it may be that the players are stars on teams with lower calibre players and the burden of scoring thus falls on them...as they get an inordinate more chances at goal than they do at Liverpool...while Liverpool's TEAM get many more scoring chances than do those 'gone to teams'?

Yet, forgetting the thoughts surrounding those players and TEAM play, I do believe that Keane was not given a fair shake by Rafa. I do believe he is much better than the time given to him on the field and thus his goalscoring returns.

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