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Rafa shouldn’t go, but he should be accountable
Rafa needs to show some balls and drop those who aren't adding anything to the team.
Written by Matt Ladson on November 25th, 2009
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I’ll cut to the chase early on, I completely support the manager and the bigger picture is that there are two other people in the club who need removing as a matter of urgency rather than Rafa.
I’ve supported Rafa’s spending in the past, his transfer record and numerous other media-produced criticisms which are thrown his way.
Some of the less intelligent fans seem to be moaning about the following things today;
a) that Aquilani didn’t come on earlier last night; We were winning, why would you take off a defensive midfielder to replace one with an attacking midfielder for their European debut for the club when 1-0 up in a must-win match?
b) that Dossena came on for Aurelio; Seriously, get a grip. It was a time-wasting tactic, as was Aquilani coming on when he did, and was like-for-like. Those who think Aquilani should have come on instead would have been well justified if we’d have gone and conceded after changing our shape to accommodate him.
I’m not saying Rafa shouldn’t be accountable for our ‘demise’ though and there are a few things seriously wrong.
The biggest example of what I feel is wrong with Benitez and his mentality is the deployment of two defensive midfielders against the likes of Debrecen – a team who have never won in the Champions League and struggled to string two consecutive passes together on the night.
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I’m not having a go against Lucas here either, who has been improved this season, but as well as he may have played lately, he adds nothing positive to the side – especially going forward. He doesn’t actually create anything or inspire the team, and on the odd occasion he does get in the box he either fluffs a header or a shot. He doesn’t add anything to the team. He isn’t required against a team of Debrecen’s quality (nor against lower sides in the League).
Rafa needs to show some some guts and actually make some ruthless decisions – something he was so good at in his first few seasons at the club. Thesedays even the under-performing players (Kuyt) are assured of their place. The Dutchman has been undroppable despite adding nothing, much like Lucas, in the shape of goals or assists. Our side has too many grafters, waterboys, call them what you like, we simply lack creativity in every department. Our most creative player last night was probably Agger – our bloody centre back.
Looking at the Aquilani situation, I can understand why he hasn’t started yet, but I just don’t agree with it. He’s not going to gain match fitness any other way. Fair enough, a game as important as last night (could have been) isn’t ideal to give the lad his first start.
It’s the derby on Sunday, another tough match I doubt we’ll see Aquilani start in. Although I’d be pleasantly surprised if he did start, it would send out a signal not only to the opposition but also our players – give some of them some inspiration and maybe the kick up the backside others need.
It seems Rafa, given that he won’t drop Kuyt, cannot accommodate Aquilani at the moment as he is too scared to drop Lucas or Mascherano and leave our fragile back four even more exposed. The solution for me would be to drop (rest) Kuyt, move Gerrard to the right – with the freedom to interchange with Benayoun on the left – and Aquilani in his natural position behind the forward. That attacking trio inspires me much more than those we’ve been fielding of late.
I’d also like to see Insua rested and give Aurelio back at left back but that’s another story.
I don’t expect any of that to happen though, Rafa’s stubbornness is becoming his ultimate downfall so he’ll continue with Kuyt and two defensive midfielders. Hopefully we’ll grind out a win against Everton, that’s all we can hope for thesedays – grinding out wins as we won’t be dismantling anyone until Torres returns and Gerrard gets his act together.
The thing is though, even if we won the Europa League, the FA Cup and finished fourth – it would still be the first time under Rafa we hadn’t progressed from one season to the next.
Our Owner’s Lack of Ambition: Is Rafa the Glue Holding our Hopes Together?
No side has ever won the title with a "sell-to-buy" policy, yet Reds fans expect no less despite the clubs' owners forcing that policy on Benitez.
Written by Tetteh Otuteye on November 25th, 2009 123 Comments
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Let me first begin with a brief history lesson:
Cast your mind back to 1992 (if you were old enough) and think what United did after finishing 2nd to Leeds. Having bought Schmeichel (keeper of the season in the 91/92) and following recent big investments in McLair, Pallister, Ince, Irwin and co, and the emergence of Giggs, Beckham etc, Ferguson realised his team needed a striker. He had failed to sign David Hirst, Matt Le Tissier and Brian Deane, and went out and bought Cantona from Leeds (after rejecting Leeds’ bid to buy Irwin). Cantona provided the spark for their team and the won their first title in 26 years. The next season he went out and again set the transfer record to buy Roy Keane. They then won the double.
If you’re old enough, cast your mind now back a bit further to the early 1970’s (or if like me you weren’t quite around then, turn the pages back). Shankly’s team of the 60s was ageing and he new he had to rebuild. In 69/70 we finished 15 points behind the winners, having to “settle” for a UEFA cup place. Rather than wait for his team to fall even further behind their rivals, he went shopping. Having bought Larry Lloyd in 1969 and nurtured Ray Clemence up through the ranks until he broke into the 1st team in ‘70, he signed Steve Heighway and splashed the cash on big John Toshack. In 70/71 we again finished in 5th place, 14 points adrift. Shankly kept on shopping and signed Kevin Keegan in the summer of ‘71. Keegan and Toshack helped fire us up to 3rd place in 71/72 (still settling for the UEFA cup), and still not satisfied with his team, Shankly splashed even more cash on Scotland international Peter Cormack, who would go on and play an integral part in the double winning team that season.
What’s the point of this history lesson then, you ask? You don’t win things without investing in the team – and you don’t stop investing until you win. And even then, you don’t stop investing if you want to keep winning. No team has ever won the title having to sell to buy. That’s not how Shankly did it, it’s not how Paisley did it. We all know it wasn’t how King Kenny did it (the Beardsley, Aldridge, Barnes and Houghton signings weren’t exactly cheap).
But now at Liverpool we do things differently. We must sell to buy, despite promises of Snoogy Doogy and plans for a new stadium to bring in big cash receding faster than Rafa’s hairline. To sign Torres we sell Garcia, Bellamy and others, to sign Mascherano we sell Sissoko, to sign Johnson we sell Crouch and Arbeloa, and we could only afford Aquilani because we sold Alonso. Now when we finish 2nd, instead of building on what we have and allowing our manager to go strengthen his hand, his “transfer budget” is used to renew contracts – as if signing existing team members constitutes a transfer!
Who are we kidding?
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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What bothers me in all this isn’t just the owners lack of funds – I’m getting used to that. It’s the lack of ambition that I sensed when Christian Purslow (managing director, pictured right) was explaining that the club had indeed invested in the team by renewing contracts, as we’re not supposed to know the difference between extending contracts and buying new players. Yes, we must live in the constraints around us. But how can we then expect to overhaul United and keep out new competition that actually is spending like drunken sailors? How can we complain when our squad isn’t deep enough to handle major injury crises like the one we’re facing without bad results, when we’ve had to sell players to buy new ones, rather than relegate 1st teamers to squad status to deepen the squad as we sign new and better players?
There seems to be a dichotomy between the ambition of the club as shown in our transfer activity, and the expectations of fans as shown in our disgust at ending up in the UEFA cup or our anger that we’re in 7th place struggling to cope with several injuries to 1st team players.
And I know I’m not the only one at a loss as to what to make of this Purslow fellow. He’s certainly a smooth talker, saying the right things soon after his arrival (but then his employers are known for talking the talk, if not walking the walk). But his recent comments about “budgeting wisely” got me thinking:
Quote:
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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Rafa’s critics seem to think the only reason he has not been fired for our poor results is because of his new contract which would cost our owners £20M to break. While this is no doubt a factor, I suspect they are also reluctant to put the club into further instability and uncertainty as this would throw some doubt into any potential buyer’s minds. Add to that the fact that Rafa in his dedication to the club seems determined to succeed despite the uncertainty and instability at boardroom level, and the owners must surely now realise that they have a manager who will do his best to keep things steady, even as they try to offload the club for a profit.
Rafa’s critics also believe Liverpool will not win anything with him in charge – and even if that were true (which I doubt), frankly, I think our owners wouldn’t be bothered one bit. I do not believe they are particularly motivated by us winning the title. Regular qualification for the Champions’ League, decent cup runs and a top 4 place, and these “low expectations” will provide a steady enough revenue stream to ensure they can attract a buyer with the promise of better merchandising and international marketing and a greater future revenue stream once the stadium is built. Winning silverware does not factor into it one iota.
Frankly, my doubts are not over Rafa. My doubts are whether ANY manager will be able to win any silverware with the lack of ambition shown in the transfer budget we’ve had over the years, and the penny pinching decision to take the costs of contract renewals out of the limited transfer budget. No team – from Shankly’s to Dalglish’s to Ferguson’s to Wenger’s to Jose’s – has ever won a title while having to sell in order to buy. No manager has managed to do it, and certainly not while his rivals are spending steadily and investing in their teams and deepening their squads all around him.
So while others are eager for Rafa to be fired to bring in some new messiah who will work miracles in this penny pinching climate, I’m very skeptical over such optimism. As I said elsewhere, sacking a quality manager in the midst of such turmoil would usher in a period of uncertainty and instability that would shine a tragic light on the unfortunate situation that our owners have put us in: no real investment to suggest they are bothered about winning anything, mounting debt, constantly regressing stadium plans, a “transfer budget” that is used only to renew contracts, and constant boardroom squabbles while attempting to hawk the club off for a profit.
Frankly, I give Rafa credit for getting us where we were at the end of last season in the midst of all that over the last 5 years, and I credit him with us not falling away from the top since the owners arrived. Should Rafa quit now or worse, be sacked, I can see us heading into steady decline. I say this because I doubt there are many managers who would do as well as Rafa has done in this environment, and fewer managers who would be able to repair the chaos and instability that sacking him would cause, especially not on the “transfer” budget our owners would provide, even if most of our squad remained intact.
Moaning Media: Rafa just can’t win!
Reds steady the ship with 2 clean sheets in a week, yet still some "pundits" moan at Rafa.
Written by Matt Ladson on November 29th, 2009 43 Comments
Email This ArticlePrint This Articleaddthis_pub = 'thisisanfield'; After a season which has been hugely hampered by our leaky defence – conceding well over half as many as we conceded in the whole of last season (27, average of 0.7 goals per game) in just 13 games (20, average of 1.5 goals per game) – you’d expect a clean sheet in a Merseyside derby, and a second inside a week, would be greeted with praise.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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Not by all though, instead the good old media prefer to criticise Rafa Benitez for, as Mark Lawrenson put it on Match of the Day 2, “reverting to type”. Lawrenson moaned we had pretty much 7 defenders in the starting 11 today.
Let’s see, Liverpool have been conceding goals at a faster rate than at any other time under Rafa Benitez. Maybe Rafa’s rationale for deploying a defensive minded team has something to do with that fact? Maybe, just maybe, he is thinking to keep it tight, maybe get a goal at the other end and if not have plenty of creative players on the bench to win the game late on when Everton are tiring (our bench had Benayoun, Riera, Aquilani and El Zhar on it).
There’s a huge reason why Lawrenson and other pundits are exactly that, pundits, and not coaching themselves.
You honestly have to wonder if the likes of Lawrenson ever played the game, never mind played under some of the greatest managers Britain has ever seen.
Stick to the sofa Lawro (and others who will no doubt join you in the morning papers), and ill stick to trusting a manager with more tactical nous than you could ever dream of.
Rafa needs to show some balls and drop those who aren't adding anything to the team. Written by Matt Ladson on November 25th, 2009
54 Comments Email This ArticlePrint This Articleaddthis_pub = 'thisisanfield'; I’ll cut to the chase early on, I completely support the manager and the bigger picture is that there are two other people in the club who need removing as a matter of urgency rather than Rafa.
I’ve supported Rafa’s spending in the past, his transfer record and numerous other media-produced criticisms which are thrown his way.
Some of the less intelligent fans seem to be moaning about the following things today;
a) that Aquilani didn’t come on earlier last night; We were winning, why would you take off a defensive midfielder to replace one with an attacking midfielder for their European debut for the club when 1-0 up in a must-win match?
b) that Dossena came on for Aurelio; Seriously, get a grip. It was a time-wasting tactic, as was Aquilani coming on when he did, and was like-for-like. Those who think Aquilani should have come on instead would have been well justified if we’d have gone and conceded after changing our shape to accommodate him.
I’m not saying Rafa shouldn’t be accountable for our ‘demise’ though and there are a few things seriously wrong.
The biggest example of what I feel is wrong with Benitez and his mentality is the deployment of two defensive midfielders against the likes of Debrecen – a team who have never won in the Champions League and struggled to string two consecutive passes together on the night.
Photo from fOTOGLIF
_qoptions={ qacct: "p-2bezcUSPIXo56", labels: "Widget" };
I’m not having a go against Lucas here either, who has been improved this season, but as well as he may have played lately, he adds nothing positive to the side – especially going forward. He doesn’t actually create anything or inspire the team, and on the odd occasion he does get in the box he either fluffs a header or a shot. He doesn’t add anything to the team. He isn’t required against a team of Debrecen’s quality (nor against lower sides in the League).
Rafa needs to show some some guts and actually make some ruthless decisions – something he was so good at in his first few seasons at the club. Thesedays even the under-performing players (Kuyt) are assured of their place. The Dutchman has been undroppable despite adding nothing, much like Lucas, in the shape of goals or assists. Our side has too many grafters, waterboys, call them what you like, we simply lack creativity in every department. Our most creative player last night was probably Agger – our bloody centre back.
Looking at the Aquilani situation, I can understand why he hasn’t started yet, but I just don’t agree with it. He’s not going to gain match fitness any other way. Fair enough, a game as important as last night (could have been) isn’t ideal to give the lad his first start.
It’s the derby on Sunday, another tough match I doubt we’ll see Aquilani start in. Although I’d be pleasantly surprised if he did start, it would send out a signal not only to the opposition but also our players – give some of them some inspiration and maybe the kick up the backside others need.
It seems Rafa, given that he won’t drop Kuyt, cannot accommodate Aquilani at the moment as he is too scared to drop Lucas or Mascherano and leave our fragile back four even more exposed. The solution for me would be to drop (rest) Kuyt, move Gerrard to the right – with the freedom to interchange with Benayoun on the left – and Aquilani in his natural position behind the forward. That attacking trio inspires me much more than those we’ve been fielding of late.
I’d also like to see Insua rested and give Aurelio back at left back but that’s another story.
I don’t expect any of that to happen though, Rafa’s stubbornness is becoming his ultimate downfall so he’ll continue with Kuyt and two defensive midfielders. Hopefully we’ll grind out a win against Everton, that’s all we can hope for thesedays – grinding out wins as we won’t be dismantling anyone until Torres returns and Gerrard gets his act together.
The thing is though, even if we won the Europa League, the FA Cup and finished fourth – it would still be the first time under Rafa we hadn’t progressed from one season to the next.
Our Owner’s Lack of Ambition: Is Rafa the Glue Holding our Hopes Together?
No side has ever won the title with a "sell-to-buy" policy, yet Reds fans expect no less despite the clubs' owners forcing that policy on Benitez. Written by Tetteh Otuteye on November 25th, 2009
123 Comments Email This ArticlePrint This Articleaddthis_pub = 'thisisanfield'; Let me first begin with a brief history lesson:
Cast your mind back to 1992 (if you were old enough) and think what United did after finishing 2nd to Leeds. Having bought Schmeichel (keeper of the season in the 91/92) and following recent big investments in McLair, Pallister, Ince, Irwin and co, and the emergence of Giggs, Beckham etc, Ferguson realised his team needed a striker. He had failed to sign David Hirst, Matt Le Tissier and Brian Deane, and went out and bought Cantona from Leeds (after rejecting Leeds’ bid to buy Irwin). Cantona provided the spark for their team and the won their first title in 26 years. The next season he went out and again set the transfer record to buy Roy Keane. They then won the double.
If you’re old enough, cast your mind now back a bit further to the early 1970’s (or if like me you weren’t quite around then, turn the pages back). Shankly’s team of the 60s was ageing and he new he had to rebuild. In 69/70 we finished 15 points behind the winners, having to “settle” for a UEFA cup place. Rather than wait for his team to fall even further behind their rivals, he went shopping. Having bought Larry Lloyd in 1969 and nurtured Ray Clemence up through the ranks until he broke into the 1st team in ‘70, he signed Steve Heighway and splashed the cash on big John Toshack. In 70/71 we again finished in 5th place, 14 points adrift. Shankly kept on shopping and signed Kevin Keegan in the summer of ‘71. Keegan and Toshack helped fire us up to 3rd place in 71/72 (still settling for the UEFA cup), and still not satisfied with his team, Shankly splashed even more cash on Scotland international Peter Cormack, who would go on and play an integral part in the double winning team that season.
What’s the point of this history lesson then, you ask? You don’t win things without investing in the team – and you don’t stop investing until you win. And even then, you don’t stop investing if you want to keep winning. No team has ever won the title having to sell to buy. That’s not how Shankly did it, it’s not how Paisley did it. We all know it wasn’t how King Kenny did it (the Beardsley, Aldridge, Barnes and Houghton signings weren’t exactly cheap).
But now at Liverpool we do things differently. We must sell to buy, despite promises of Snoogy Doogy and plans for a new stadium to bring in big cash receding faster than Rafa’s hairline. To sign Torres we sell Garcia, Bellamy and others, to sign Mascherano we sell Sissoko, to sign Johnson we sell Crouch and Arbeloa, and we could only afford Aquilani because we sold Alonso. Now when we finish 2nd, instead of building on what we have and allowing our manager to go strengthen his hand, his “transfer budget” is used to renew contracts – as if signing existing team members constitutes a transfer!
Who are we kidding?
Photo from fOTOGLIF
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What bothers me in all this isn’t just the owners lack of funds – I’m getting used to that. It’s the lack of ambition that I sensed when Christian Purslow (managing director, pictured right) was explaining that the club had indeed invested in the team by renewing contracts, as we’re not supposed to know the difference between extending contracts and buying new players. Yes, we must live in the constraints around us. But how can we then expect to overhaul United and keep out new competition that actually is spending like drunken sailors? How can we complain when our squad isn’t deep enough to handle major injury crises like the one we’re facing without bad results, when we’ve had to sell players to buy new ones, rather than relegate 1st teamers to squad status to deepen the squad as we sign new and better players?
There seems to be a dichotomy between the ambition of the club as shown in our transfer activity, and the expectations of fans as shown in our disgust at ending up in the UEFA cup or our anger that we’re in 7th place struggling to cope with several injuries to 1st team players.
And I know I’m not the only one at a loss as to what to make of this Purslow fellow. He’s certainly a smooth talker, saying the right things soon after his arrival (but then his employers are known for talking the talk, if not walking the walk). But his recent comments about “budgeting wisely” got me thinking:
Quote:
“If we have three home games in the UEFA Cup we are equivalent to what we budget for in the Champions League. We’re very disappointed but we could have played one home leg, one away leg in the knockout stage and been out of this competition anyway,” he said.
“I like to think we’ll be taking 40,000-50,000 to Hamburg in May and if we get halfway to doing that we will make more money than we would from one round in the Champions League.
“It’s a missed opportunity financially but it has no effect on budgeted performance, and that’s the key thing. Budget prudently and then you don’t get negative surprises if the football doesn’t go the right way.”
Indeed, much of that is sensible, and pinning the club’s financial hopes on winning the Champions League or the title is not the way to go, as any Leeds fan will tell you. But his comments got me wondering whether this shrewd “low expectation” budgeting has come along with low expectations from the owners. It’s no secret that the owners’ number one priority is turning a profit on the sale of our club (which is pretty much a guarantee since most of the cost of purchase was through loans, a good chunk of which are on the club’s books now). And because I used to think the way to achieve financial success in sports was through on-the-field success, I was comforted by thinking that even if they were only focused on the bottom line, they’re goals and ours would be aligned since they’d need football success to generate financial profits. Alas, apparently this is not the case. It may be the best way to get rich through the business of sports, but it is not the only way. The leveraged buyout has them in the position where any buyer who can see the growth potential and revenue potential of the club (underscored by Purslow’s shrewd overseeing of our new sponsorship deal), could give them the profit they seek, even if the club does not win anything between now and then.Photo from fOTOGLIF
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Rafa’s critics seem to think the only reason he has not been fired for our poor results is because of his new contract which would cost our owners £20M to break. While this is no doubt a factor, I suspect they are also reluctant to put the club into further instability and uncertainty as this would throw some doubt into any potential buyer’s minds. Add to that the fact that Rafa in his dedication to the club seems determined to succeed despite the uncertainty and instability at boardroom level, and the owners must surely now realise that they have a manager who will do his best to keep things steady, even as they try to offload the club for a profit.
Rafa’s critics also believe Liverpool will not win anything with him in charge – and even if that were true (which I doubt), frankly, I think our owners wouldn’t be bothered one bit. I do not believe they are particularly motivated by us winning the title. Regular qualification for the Champions’ League, decent cup runs and a top 4 place, and these “low expectations” will provide a steady enough revenue stream to ensure they can attract a buyer with the promise of better merchandising and international marketing and a greater future revenue stream once the stadium is built. Winning silverware does not factor into it one iota.
Frankly, my doubts are not over Rafa. My doubts are whether ANY manager will be able to win any silverware with the lack of ambition shown in the transfer budget we’ve had over the years, and the penny pinching decision to take the costs of contract renewals out of the limited transfer budget. No team – from Shankly’s to Dalglish’s to Ferguson’s to Wenger’s to Jose’s – has ever won a title while having to sell in order to buy. No manager has managed to do it, and certainly not while his rivals are spending steadily and investing in their teams and deepening their squads all around him.
So while others are eager for Rafa to be fired to bring in some new messiah who will work miracles in this penny pinching climate, I’m very skeptical over such optimism. As I said elsewhere, sacking a quality manager in the midst of such turmoil would usher in a period of uncertainty and instability that would shine a tragic light on the unfortunate situation that our owners have put us in: no real investment to suggest they are bothered about winning anything, mounting debt, constantly regressing stadium plans, a “transfer budget” that is used only to renew contracts, and constant boardroom squabbles while attempting to hawk the club off for a profit.
Frankly, I give Rafa credit for getting us where we were at the end of last season in the midst of all that over the last 5 years, and I credit him with us not falling away from the top since the owners arrived. Should Rafa quit now or worse, be sacked, I can see us heading into steady decline. I say this because I doubt there are many managers who would do as well as Rafa has done in this environment, and fewer managers who would be able to repair the chaos and instability that sacking him would cause, especially not on the “transfer” budget our owners would provide, even if most of our squad remained intact.
Moaning Media: Rafa just can’t win!
Reds steady the ship with 2 clean sheets in a week, yet still some "pundits" moan at Rafa. Written by Matt Ladson on November 29th, 2009
43 Comments Email This ArticlePrint This Articleaddthis_pub = 'thisisanfield'; After a season which has been hugely hampered by our leaky defence – conceding well over half as many as we conceded in the whole of last season (27, average of 0.7 goals per game) in just 13 games (20, average of 1.5 goals per game) – you’d expect a clean sheet in a Merseyside derby, and a second inside a week, would be greeted with praise.Photo from fOTOGLIF
_qoptions={ qacct: "p-2bezcUSPIXo56", labels: "Widget" };
Not by all though, instead the good old media prefer to criticise Rafa Benitez for, as Mark Lawrenson put it on Match of the Day 2, “reverting to type”. Lawrenson moaned we had pretty much 7 defenders in the starting 11 today.
Let’s see, Liverpool have been conceding goals at a faster rate than at any other time under Rafa Benitez. Maybe Rafa’s rationale for deploying a defensive minded team has something to do with that fact? Maybe, just maybe, he is thinking to keep it tight, maybe get a goal at the other end and if not have plenty of creative players on the bench to win the game late on when Everton are tiring (our bench had Benayoun, Riera, Aquilani and El Zhar on it).
There’s a huge reason why Lawrenson and other pundits are exactly that, pundits, and not coaching themselves.
You honestly have to wonder if the likes of Lawrenson ever played the game, never mind played under some of the greatest managers Britain has ever seen.
Stick to the sofa Lawro (and others who will no doubt join you in the morning papers), and ill stick to trusting a manager with more tactical nous than you could ever dream of.