Liverpool must keep Xabi Alonso
DESPITE our season coming to a slightly premature end last Wednesday, I bet there are a few players who have been pulling their tripe out in training since then just in case Rafa's considering whether they should be gracing some other practice ground come August.
While most of the first team squad will be digging out their flip-flops or avoiding injury for Euro 2008, there are a fair few who will be keeping their mobile phones off in case a certain Spaniard wants a word.
The absence of Riise, Pennant and Crouch from the end-of-season lap of apology on Sunday gave rise to plenty of speculation that they had already been shown the door, and the former two appear to be the "mish-mash" referred to by Martin O'Neill as makeweights in the Gareth Barry deal, a description it's hard to quibble with.
John Arne 'Mish' Riise's deterioration in the last two years has been stark, as his former surging runs and net-busting drives have been replaced by casual passes to opposition forwards, comical own goals and the demolition of the houses in Anfield Road from wayward shots.
Jermaine 'Mash' Pennant, meanwhile, might have invented the phrase 'flatter to deceive', his good performances against Fulham and Birmingham recently serving only to hoodwink Benitez into putting him on before Babel at Chelsea last week, wasting a substitution.
As for the long-legged one, it's hard to see what he has done wrong, unless of course he is the one doing the pushing. If Crouchy has finally tired of people asking him why he doesn't start more often then you can hardly blame him and he'll depart for the best of reasons.
I do hope Benitez has tried hard to change his mind however, since this will leave us short up front (no pun intended) and at the mercy of My Big Pony, Andriy Voronin.
Despite some early promise, the Ukrainian has proved strong evidence that you don't get something for nothing, and should be allowed to follow Sean Dundee and Eric Meijer into Kopscurity.
Assuming that Kewell and Carson will also be plying their trade elsewhere next season, the only other notable potential departure mentioned in the press has been that of Xabi Alonso.
Please Rafa, say it ain't so. This hasn't been Xabi's best season I know, but he's had two long absences with a dodgy toe, and the distraction of a new baby may have accounted for this patchy form.
If Barry arrives, then you can see how Rafa might decide that, with Mascherano a certain starter, Alonso's lack of goal threat might count against him.
But I for one would miss the sight of Xabi on song, 'managing the game' as Luis Garcia once memorably described, spraying divine passes round the pitch and trying audacious shots from the halfway line.
Alonso is a real footballer, and we haven't got too many of those to be able to use them as fund-raisers to buy less-talented replacements.
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What a load of tosh, he's got to go. Has a delivered nothing for two seaons. Oh, he's a had a dodgy and his wife's had a baby. That's ok then. Let's pay him £120k a week. Ridiculous.
Xabi Alonso has to go. Since Istanbul he's done nothing for Liverpool. I think he will be useful somewere away from Liverpool. I'm sure Real Madrid will be interested.
Completely agree - want him to stay as Lucas isn't ready yet. The Tommy/Alonso/Gerrard axis will sweep all before them next year.
I would like to comment of on the omission of Riise and Crouch from the roster on Sunday. These players have given alot to Liverpool over the years and if it was their last game at Anfield deserved to say goodbye to the fans. I find it disgracefull that Raf did not include them and allow them to take that final walk. I thought LFC was about tranditions and loyalty but clearly under Raf its run more like a business.
I like Xabi, but i think Barry's all round game will be more complementry to Masch and SG. One player we MUST sign in the summer is Royston Drenthe. The guy is not palying alot for R. Madrid so we could sign him for around £8m and he has got everything for a left winger.
Since we reverted to a 4-2-3-1, we've seen a more expressive Alonso - the team has excelled and Utd game apart, we've looked like title challengers. A little tweaking on the flanks is needed, but I certainly wouldn't want to lose a player like Alonso. We are nearly there, it could be a massive step backwards.
Ofcourse Xabi must stay does Rafa think this is his backyard he can do what he wants? I beg to differ. I mean look at how this guys r playing now it's embarrasing. I always have balancing tears after watching a game of Liverpool. What happened to them days of Fowler n Owen? I want an attacking game and Alonso can offer that.