Rafa it is time for YOU to improve
First of all sorry for the hiatus. Relocating to a different country is harder than I thought it would be. But enough about that, let's get onto the football.
A lot has passed since my last post which was over a month and a half ago. Liverpool have gone on an abysmal run of losses that has left our season reeling at the very least, and perhaps more realistically in tatters.
Accusations have been flying as to who to blame for our current plight? Some blame the Americans, with some justification, of not backing Rafa in the transfer market. Others have slated Benitez's record in the transfer market and highlighted his many average buys as proof that he cannot spot real talent and therefore improve the team. Personally I think both arguments have merit but it is the latter which I want to focus on.
In the five years that Rafa has been in charge, Liverpool have improved. No one can deny Rafa that. The team that Houllier had built and our current team are just not on the same level. Simple case in point: who would you rather have leading your line, Pongolle or Torres?
But the question is have we improved ENOUGH? In my opinion no we have not. Apart from perhaps Reina, Agger, Aquilani (he is good trust me), Gerrard and Torres there is no other player who would command a place in the squad of either Chelsea, Man U or Arsenal. 5 good players are just not enough when you have had five years in charge to build the team that you want. Rafa has to accept that. Nothing irritates me more than when managers make excuses and deflect problems onto other people or circumstances. Hold your hand up Rafa, admit that you have not been good enough in the transfer market and try to improve. As the fans have shown we are a 100% behind the boss, but it is time for the boss to be honest with us.
In Rafa's defense he has been hamstrung by the owners not giving him enough money in the market. Therefore he has not been able to buy many of the star players that he would have wanted. Silva, Simao and Alves spring to mind but I am sure there were many others that Rafa wanted to bring but did not have the money for.
However, I don't think that this can be an excuse. I mean how much money has Wenger spent in the last three years? An analysis will show that he has spent very little compared to Liverpool but still has a team which are quite strong now and show every indication of being formidable in 3-4 years' time.
Why are we not in a similar situation? I think again the blame lies with Benitez. He does not trust his young players (he has bought almost 80% of the players in the reserves) like Wenger does. I am convinced that at Arsenal players like Pacheco and Nemeth would have already played a handful of first team games. At Liverpool unfortunately, one is farmed out and the other just seems to have been bought to play and score at reserve level!
I really do hope that somehow our finances get sorted out and that any new owner backs Rafa in the transfer market. But Benitez has to make sure that he improves in his selection of players as well!
0 TrackBacks
Listed below are links to blogs that reference this entry: Rafa it is time for YOU to improve. TrackBack URL for this entry: http://www.liverpoolbanter.co.uk/cgi-bin/mt421/mt-tb.cgi/160264
9 Comments
Leave a comment
Keep up to date
Liverpool Twitter
Follow me on Twitter
Technorati
Blogs that link here
regarding the 5 I think you can add Monster and Johnson to that, I am sure that Chelsea were in for Johnson and also you cant tell me mash would not get into Arsenal or United teams, I leave chelsea out as Essien would probably make it harder for him there.
You quote "Apart from perhaps Reina, Agger, Aquilani (he is good trust me), Gerrard and Torres there is no other player who would command a place in the squad of either Chelsea, Man U or Arsenal."
What about Mascherano and Johnson!!??
You then quote "He does not trust his young players (he has bought almost 80% of the players in the reserves) like Wenger does."
Three points here:
1. He was frustrated about the players coming through the Academy hence in March 09 he put his job on the line to take control of the Academy....just like Wenger has!!
2. This season he has trusted Eccleston, Kelly, and Spearing, not to mention Insua, Lucas and N'gog. This is not the actions of a manager who does not want to trust his younger players.
3. You decry rafa buying 80% of his reserves. What % of players who have come through Arsenals youth set up, were actually born and bred within London. With the exception of Gibbs and Wilshere I cannot think of any. I would suggest over 80% were either signed or poached, ala Fabregas!
@ lee the red: On reflection I think yes Johnson would get into chelsea, arsenal, chelsea. So I do take that back.
On Mascherano, first of all I want to say that I am a HUGE fan. I think when he is in top form he is the BEST defensive midfielder in the game. but when i said he could not get into united's team i was thinking of fletcher already being there. Im not saying flethcer is as good as Masch (I dont think he is anywhere close). but he does the job that ferguson wants. I dont think Mascherano would be a right fit. Same for Arsenal. I dont think his forward game is good enough for the way that Arsenal like to play with their def. midfielder also supporting attacks.
Wonderful journalism.
So no Mascherano, Johnson, Yossi, Riera, Kuyt, Skrtel or Carragher?
Mash who made it in to the FIFA top 60 world players last season, captains Argentina and is sought after by Barcelona.
Johnson the best attacking full back in the Prem and a regular starter for England.
Riera who is a regular starter for Spain.
Kuyt a regular starter for Holland and one of the hardest working players in world football.
Benayoun. Liverpool's best player of the last 12 months.
Skrtel.
Carragher.
Insua.
Aurelio.
There is so much trash written at present that we really do not need more spiteful, bile filled rubbish like this poor excuse for an article. Just a shame that there is no way of preventing news aggregating websites from picking up on it.
It wouldn't serve to support your (spurious) argument to include the players above would it! You really have made a bit of a fool of yourself here mate.
Absolute. Utter. Nonsense.
Perhaps you should relocate again. May I suggest Mars.
@ siblfc: point taken about johnson & mascherano. please see my above comment to lee the red.
I agree that Rafa has taken control over the academy to make sure that more talent comes through it. But you also have to remember that he has bought nearly all the players that have been bought. In essence these are the players HE selected to be part of Liverpool FC. Yes there are success stories with players like insua and maybe to a lesser extent kelly making the step up. But when you are not well supported in the market by the owners this is not good enough I'm afraid.
On your point about him buying players I think you misunderstood what I was saying. I am totally for Rafa buying players from other teams. In fact i think he is perfectly within his rights to look elsewhere for the next big talent. I'm all for him doing that as long as they are players who have a chance, no matter how remote, of eventually playing for the club's first team and I think on too many occasions players have been bought who we as fans could tell from the first game they played that they were nto good enough.
Lastly, I just want to clarify that I am not one of those people who are calling for Rafa's head. I think the season has been disappointing but I think Rafa has earned our patience and we have to stick by him. All I am saying is that just like the players, Rafa also has to improve!
And as for not trusting youth players!
What the he'll are Insua, Lucas, El Zhar, Kelly and Ngog?
Jesus he really can't win can he?
I honestly feel that Rafa should just up an away back to Spain. If I was himi would. The utter trash written by people who have never coached nor held any high pressure footballing position makes me vomit!
Just please go away.
Saad,
I completely agree with you on this one. I think alot of people read and dont take in what is actually being said.
Yes, the players need to improve, great we all know that. But so does RAFA.
Rafa never made a plan b available when he knew that Gerrard and Torres out would be a damper on the team.
I dont like comparing Rafa to other managers, but why is it that Wenger can do it when his team is struggling? And this is what i mean by that. Arsenal last season were topping the headlines that they needed a holding midfielder and that letting go of Gilberto, Viera and Flamini was costing them games (which was very evident) and that Arsenal were not going to win anything till they go that sorted? Arsenal always had Song, always had Denilson and now look how well they are flourishing this season. Thats down to the manager realising that money was not highly available so i WILL work on what i have and develop them in a way that will benefit my team...
These are attributes that managers need to be able to do, work with what they have and pin point areas that are in need of change immediately otherwise things like what is happening to our team right now,will continue.
I hate saying it, because its wrong, but without Torres and Gerrard this season, we have choked.. Those players replacing them have been bad, not awful, just not good enough... Maybe its not just down to Rafa but also down to his backroom staff, his defensive trainers, his youth trainers, his gk trainers, god knows, but there is a group of people who all help to develop all the players at LFC. We need to rethink these things....
Why is it also that when we have a player that all our fans seem to want out, the 1st thing everyone says is, 'you know hes going to go to another club and be amazing'... Maybe Babel is the person im using as an example. I mean just imagine him at Arsenal, it would pain me, cos i know he would show abilities that we have never seen before. So how can we develop him?
(by the way, im not an Arsenal fan)
So i think we should all realise that Rafa needs to analyse his abilities as a manager, developing new ways of utilising the players hes got to bring a better standard of football to our club...
I dont want him gone, and i dont want any other manager taking over. I dont even like to mention who would replace him because it just makes me feel ill. Hes created so much at this club that it would be a shame to throw it all away over some bad results. But things need to be analysed.
What happened to the resilient, nitty gritty LFC that grinded out results by playing boring football? Bring them back because they got results, and thats what we need, just for now.
LFC for life..
Blankie
Clueless- with fans like this who needs enemies in the media!
Your very simplistic analysis and arguments that certain Liverpool players wouldn't walk into other top four sides, the same can be applied in reverse to those players who play for Utd. Arsenal and Chelsea.
Valencia wouldn't get into Rafa's midfield, neither would the likes of Diarby or Alex Song. Sun ji Park? Darren Fletcher wouldn't oust Mascherano... You really haven't thought this through have you?. And missing out the class players that Benitez has bought Benayoun. Agger. Reina. Johnson etc. Smacks of yet another knee-jerker using a this particular bad run to denigrate a manager who under the circumstances, has worked wonders for us...we all love to watch Arsenal play, but they haven't won anything since 2005.
I don't see the same clueless calls for Wenger's head. The internet is brilliant, but it also has a lot to answer for... And as mentioned above you know little or nothing about Aquilani, so forgive me, but I'd rather trust a proven top-class manager in Benitez, than some "Championship Manager" "nintendo gamer" when it comes to team selection, tactics and transfers...