Rafa : I want to stay
Submitted by tony on Sun, 2007-03-18 12:13.
Rafael Benitez has insisted he wants to stay at Liverpool, despite again being linked to the Real Madrid manager's job.
Real Madrid have been long term admirers of Benitez, and recently Rafa has been targeted as a replacement for Fabio Capello, but the Liverpool boss has again stated his desire to stay at Anfield.
Earlier in the week, Rafa said : There are always a lot of rumours in the newspapers and a lot of people have been talking about Madrid, I have read in some papers I’ve had meeting with people from Madrid. This is not true.
"What’s clear is I’m very happy at Liverpool"
He reiterated his comments ahead of Liverpool's game v Aston Villa :
"My responsibility is to say to the owners how to improve the team. I will put my ideas to them. Afterwards they will decide, The key is the team and after that we can go forward.
"It is not a question of money. It is a question of keeping going in the right direction."
"I am really happy here and I want to stay. I want to be here for a long time because I have confidence we can go forward. "
Rafa
Let's hope that's not just for the papers!
How many times have we heard one thing from somebody and then found out they either changed their mind or was not honest to begin with?
Lucash Neill ring a bell?
Let's hope Rafa has the integrity that we deserve as our gaffer.
Benitez going nowhere
He has said he doesnt want to leave. Real have been in for him before, and hes turned them down. In Guillem Balague's book, he says that the Real Madrid President said to Rafa "you will manage Real Madrid one day you know", when Rafa bought Morientes, but he turned them down then, and he signed a new contract last year remember?
villa game
at the moment it's a very poor game but even so Villa look the most likely to nick a goal!
We have plenty of possession but are doing sod all with it other than passing along the midfield. Mascherano is playing and looks comfortable on the ball and not a fan of the pump it long type play!
To be honest the only time we look threating is when the ball is punted up to the strikers who either get a knock on or run into the space!
Struggling for positives as even Stevie is having a quite game! I'm not sure if Khuyt is working up front and Momo although he's fantastic at breaking up play in the middle however, he doesn't seem to be able to unlock defenses with that killer pass!
Verdict bring on pennant and Fowler... off come Momo and Khuyt
When trying to win a game..
When trying to win a game ..do u take of a striker and probably the only one doing all the work..i really dont get it to be honest..the same thing happened against the mancs and barcelona..we didnt deserve to win today but great play by robbie fowler and pennant when the came on..almost got the win with his header ...just hoping for a better display next game although we are playing the gooners.
game on
I didn't understand it either but what I really noticed about the match was the poor striking movement.
All I ask is to attack the near post when the ball is likely to be played there oh yeah and to actually stay in the box ... not the midfield!!
Fowler came on once again with minutes to go and almost saves us (top save from the keeper) ... God I wish he'd start a few just so we could get a real look at how he's developed under the new training regime, the back room have him on!
Pennant was on point for us today and he ripped there wing up! at one stage they had about 3 guys marking him ! (take that ronaldo lol!) Should have started but with our overflowing midfield it's always gonna be an ish!
Was impressed by the way we could replace a player of momos quality with someone like Xavi ... now how many teams can boast that eh?
we were crap today
That was awful today, a game we really needed to win to keep up the pressure on Arsenal, but no, we field a team that was capable of whipping them, but we produced sod all first half.
Sissoko was poor today, Kuyt looked off colour, whats going wrong? these two were playing brilliant a few weeks ago, and today we cant even beat Aston fucking Villa.
Gerrard came in central, then there was no one on the right, all over we were just crap.
expressing self
I'm still coming to terms with that display!!
the thing that hits me is the complete lack of individualism !Its almost as if every one is following drills and rigid procedure of movement ... not very organic or nice to look at. what happened to expressing yourself on the pitch ??
Arsenal beat them fuckers
Arsenal beat them fuckers 1-0 last week, and we are trying to be on par with/better than them and cant do it, wtf is going on, we were beating barcelona in the Nou Camp a few weeks ago
i know gerarrd playin on the
i know gerarrd playin on the wing wasn't the only issue but when he is in the middle he has the pace to move around and inspire the team. He has been sulking because he is being forced to play on the right and i think that that is fair enough. It is about time rafa realised that stevie G is not a winger by any means and everytime he is on the right we play like we played todat- Average average average
blue nose scum 1 gooners 0
Well that would of lit up my day on any other occasion ..but the fact that we couldnt capitalise on it today was shocking...who here thinks 4th place is safe and who else thinks we can catch up with arsenal ??
The liverpool game sucks!!!
yeah, the game sucks when players don't do enough effort!!! Kuyt is always looking backward toward reina, just like Heskey was playing in liverpool, how do u expect him to take the ball forward or even score!! He really make the team play with 10 players, he looks more like the defender of the other team as all ball that is sent to him is forwarded backward to our midfield or defenders!!
And Benitez, the fuck1ng blindman instead of substituting kuyt he removed Bellamy who looked more like scoring..And not to forget he put the only player who got the best action only at the 83 mins, at least if he had put Fowler right from the 75 min we could have got a good result!!
Its pretty clear that we gonna lose again heavily to Assnal again if the team keep playing like this!!
And i've already got the excuse that benitez will provide "the international break"
I wonder if the useless and uncoordinated players of liverpool don't watch the football of other teams, at least they should watch the videos of game from ManUre, chelski or Assnal and see the killer instinc that exist in their game, even korean players looks better in ManU, yet in liverpool as if their isn't any professional player!! I accept we can't always rely on strikers, but in all other teams they have midfielders or defenders to score, who do we have except from gerrard????
NONE!! ALL useless players who don't deserve to play for a great team like lfc.
4th = touch and go
It was clear that we had a real stinker of a match and if rafa wants to bring in players in the summer he needs to understand that todays display will not attract top class! We were so fucking machine like ...across the the midfield .... pass back to defense .... hoof it up to bellamy ... repeat once we get back possession!
We need to be organic, let individualism flow , it was almost as if everybody had these zonal jobs they were told to do and were scared to deviate from them. Imagine that the lads seemed scared to be creative!!
Fowler gets on at 83 minutes and what does he do ?? He attacks the near post and guess what .... we nearly get a goal! Why keep struggling on with Khuyt who is not adapting to this sterile system of football by numbers!
If you gave me fourth now and we'd be out the champs league I'd bite your fooking hand off!!
Aurellio is not a Liverpool player by a long shot .... one of Rafas freebies, I dread to see Voronin!!
I'm getting frustrated because I honestly can't see the logic behind a lot of the Gaffas decisions .. even on match of the day the pundits were at a loss to describe our play!
Rafa was quoted during the week as saying we are not as close to the top 2 as we think we are!!
that is from the Gaffas mouth
More freedom
Benitez needs to let the team have more freedom when we're playing inferior opposition like Villa. Sticking to a rigid system isn't working in away games in the Prem where you need to win the match, unlike in Europe where an away draw is fine.
I agree with Benitez that we're a nice bit off the top 2; they have many match winners in their teams while we have Gerrard and that's it. Who else can win us matches in the season consistently?
Kuyt works hard every game but his lack of class infuriates me. He needs to use his brain a bit more instead of running like a headless chicken. Yet Rafa never takes him off, always Bellamy who looks far more dangerous up front.
Various
Probably one of the worst displays I Have seen from Liverpool Fottball Club in over 40 years. So many questions to be answered it is clear the manager has made no progress. Aurelio and Riise playng in the wrong positions, one can't defend the other can't attack ! The two most influential midfield players on the books - one on the wing, one on the bench ! Sissoko and Mascherano as a central midfield pairing is so defensive it beggars belief ! Kuyt starting to look as useless as Crouch - drag Bellamy off ! Fowler gets 6 minutes and then take the captain off ! Bloody astonishing from start to finish. 22 points behind the Mancs and now just 8 above the Blue Shite. He wants a meeting with the owners to see where we are going ? The paper talk starts again about Real Madrid. There`s a flight out of John Lennon Airport at 10.30 for Madrid - do us all a favour. Worst performance by this club in years. I hope I have spelt everything right - I am prepared to break ranks and call for him to go - he is tactically and motivationally bloody useless.
Next season
Rafa's test comes next year because he won't have any excuses left for another poor league campaign. I don't expect him to win it next year; but he HAS to challenge for the title to the last weeks of the season and not be so far behind.
Playing Sissoko & Mascherano was incredibly negative against such a poor side. Gerrard should have been in the centre with Mascherano and Pennant out right. Villa are so poor we could have killed them. When Kuyt is that bad in a game he should be hauled off and Fowler should be given far more time to sniff out a goal like he nearly did.
It's great for Rafa's ego all the talk about going to Real Madrid; but like Capello his tactics wouldn't go down well there and if he didn't win the title in his first season he'd be sacked like Capello will be. So Benitez isn't stupid and sees the incredible patience managers get at Anfield. Who in their right mind would leave a great club who show such incredible loyalty to their managers to a club that sacks managers every 9 months!
?
We say Rafa's tactics wouldn't go down well and they probably might not but what is clear is that he knows La Liga but hasn't a clue about EPL !! Will he come to grips with it ?? Million dolar G&H question ?
yard stick
otelyred your right, it was a shite performance and highlights so many key issues that we need to address. I Know certain players aren't up to scratch but I really do think that under the right atmosphere and system we would be much closer to challenging for the the title. But the continual negative tactics and repressed play is NEVER going to take us there!
Obviously I'd rather win it than get close but in terms of measuring progress what do we really have as a yard stick in 3 yrs ??
Fourth is going to be a struggle and we need champions league footy next year!
1-2 points off Utd last yr
What I think proves Rafa's huge errors this year is last season we were so close to Man U and yet they only signed one player this summer compared to the team last year. So why are they so far ahead with the same set of players?
It's not like they went out and spent 60 million to pull away 20 points from us this season. They didn't. But Ferguson got things right mentally this year by starting off strongly and buding momentum while Rafa clearly has made a mess of the league season, starting with the first game against Sheffield Utd and dropping 2 points trailing the leaders from the first game.
We have to start like a sprinter next season and play our best team from the start. All Rafa's talk about having the players fresh for the run in seems stupid now in 4th spot. How often is Lampard etc.. rested? Very rarely, even in the Carling Cup.
Benitez
Several comments hit home since the weekend from everyone. A key one for me is "Ferguson got things rightly mentally this year by starting off strongly". We set out with a nonsensical team selection at Sheff U, pyschologically fighting an uphill battle from the end of August. Down to Benitez and no one else. I do not believe he has the mental strength for the League Title and I have made this observation several times. Wenger has Pat Rice next to him, Mourinho has Steve Clarke, United have Carlos Queiroz next to Ferguson all giving a mix of English commitment with European know how. If this guy is to "survive" we have to have John Aldridge, Steve McMahon or somebody next to him. Other wise next year will be exactly the same. I also think some of the problems are a little deeper under the surface. Is Gerrard really going to accept being fourth in line for central midfield ? Don't be surprised if this nightmare starts again. "We will finish stronger at the end of the season if we continue to rotate the squad" The results since January are mid table standard on all fronts. The patience managers get here is down to the knowledge and tradition of the club. This guy has exhausted mine - significant improvement in the League by December is the only game in town now. Whatever happens in Athens.
Gerrard has to play centre
Benitez has to finally realise that Gerrard has to play in the centre, in the league anyway. Maybe in Europe Sissoko and Alonso is ok when you defend a lot but in the league you have to attack against trash teams and need an offensive central midfield & offensive right/left wingers. Gerrard and Mascherano or Sissoko for me every week in the league. That gives you goals and defensive play. Our centre midfield without Gerrard there is too defensive to win loads of games in the league.
If we played Gerrard out the right and bought an attacking central midfielder I wouldn't care, but as it stands the central midfield without Gerrard isn't attacking enough for the league.
simple points
(Selling will be shite due to no word check lol)
Our away form has been atrocious to say the least with only 5 league victorys all season and the reason ... negative defensive tactics!
Rafa must understand that being LFC we are always the expected to win and win well not grind out 1 nil victories or travel looking to nick a point on the counter ... always!
You feel that with his staff he's brought along there isn't anyone to have a quite word with him and say 'this isn't how it works on the prem ... you need to open up and let ... let the lads play their game ... let Stevie moaurord in the midfield ... let xavi have time and space to be creative further up the pitch .... ensure Khuyt stays up front and poaches ... get the ball played early into bellamy ... Use pennant on the wings and encourage the team to pass and move!!
Simply but true !! The zonal postioning he is employing will be the death of flair .. where does it even come from ?? I do not want to see football turned into ground out spectacles .. I mean that what makes the prem so exciting .. I CAN'T BELIEVE HE WANTS THE TEAM TO ADOPT THIS NEGATIVE PHILOSOPHY!!
Simple points
Yes well said re. the nicking an away point here and there.LFC should ALWAYS be expected to go to places like Villa Park and come away with full points. Visits to the mancs, Emirates and Stamford Bridge currently is a different matter but there should be an absolute expectation of winning elsewhere. We have some good players but we are also overloaded with middle of the road players. I think I saw today that we currently have a dozen out on loan. What does that say about their chances of ever getting a regular spot in the first team (Ok I know Danny Murphy went to Crewe and look how well he served us later on, but you know what I mean). I am sure in his own mind rafa is absolutely certain about what he is doing but maybe all of you who are doubting him have a point. It really hurts to say it but maybe we do need someone who is just that half a step better than him. George, Melbourne, Australia
Jason Koumas?
Normally I laugh at these links but after Veronin I am worried. If we buy Jason Koumas then I'm afraid we are in more trouble than I thought.
Could Rafa really think Jason Koumas, who has been around a good few years at a low level, could influence a Liverpool team desperate for the title? He must have lost his mind if he does. Houllier lost his mind at Anfield so it wouldn't be the first.
WHAT?
Pls Pls Pls say it ain't so !!!!!!
It is never ... no fuk it ... Never ever ever is it time for jason kumas!
look this is getting beyond the joke now! We have had good strikers come thru the club in cisse / nando /bellamy / khuyt / all now have their ability in question .. how does the gaffa then propose to buy Koumas and think that he will solve a problem!
it's got to be made up (no offence 1 red 1pool)
shear madness!!
Link here
http://www.fansfc.com/frontpage/frontpagenews.asp?newsid=164538
I'd imagine it's a joke but who knows!
jk
theres no way we should buy him a few years ago he was not abad player rafa we need class murphy is better than him and you sold him no more work horses i rather you brought molby back even at his age hes better than koumas nolan maybey it cannot be true
Sebastian Leto
just had a look at a young player who will becoming next season... he was billed as a better prospect than messi except he's about 6ft doesn't have the tricks and is a work horse!!
have a look and see if I'm missing something!
Interesting point to note
I think the hardest hurdle for Benitez to overcome is that in La Liga with Valenica, he did not have to win as many games to win the league as you do now in the Premiership.
Valencia were consistent and waited for Barce and Real to slip up before they got 1st spot. They didn't win week in week out. So in Rafa's mind this was how he won the league. But in the Premiership since Mourinho arrived, you nearly have to win every single week to keep pace. Utd this season have won an awful lot of games.
The need for these constant victories goes against Rafa's rather cautious nature and thus we drop points we shouldn't away from home and fall behind the leaders.
He has to realise next season that La Liga isn't the Premiership. He has to get more points to win the Premiership than he did to win La Liga so he needs to put the team out to be more offensive week in week out. Draws against the lowly teams are like heavy defeats because you're losing the title with those draws.
slow progress
Accomodation seems to be blight of our squad at the moment. Without doubt blessed in the middle of the park but can't get them playing in the correct system.
Well lets clear something up... Stevie starts in the middle of the park and someone then complements him by covering defensive duties! That is a big issue revolved.
Who is the natural holding midfielder ? well by my viewing it looks like Mascherano / who do we call for when we need some physical presence in the middle, why thats momo! Alonso then by default becomes the gooseberry or the odd one out. no doubt he is a talented footballer but worthy of a constant place in the starting 11 after his below par performance ... I doubt it!
Get the middle doing there job because it must be a distrction for the players by now .. week in week out stevie doesn't know wheter he will start wide or in the center, wingers not knowing if they'll get a game or what side they may play. I mean it's good to keep the oppo guessing but when that spills onto your own squad and results aren't going your way, it could well have a negative effect!
Three years and we are having the same end of season disscussions ?? I can't quite believe it to be honest and with the added statement that Rafa needs a meeting to disccuss the clubs future, bloody cheek!!
It should be G&H who made that statement. They say progress is slow but I distinctly feel that it shouldn't be so slow for a Huge club! Some may say look at real madrid but I'll counter the argument by saying that they haven't gone 17yrs without a title
Update
Interesting to note the two recent points - the midfield problem of 4 in to 2 won't go and the lack of reality with Benitez and the Premiership. Two suggestions that he should consider. Given the lack of support for the front 2 why does he not consider 5 in midfield. 2 wingers, 1 holding player at home, 2 holding players away from home and leave Gerrard to do what he does best. Total freedom from defensive duties and cause havoc behind the front man. 5 in midfield sounds defensive but if it switches to four up front on the attack it would reduce the negative rigidity we have now. Sissoko, Mascherano and Gerrard away, Mascherano, Alonso, Gerrard at home. Wing backs to create the five away from home, wingers to spring from 5 into 4 on the attack at Anfield. Gerrard stays central and cannot be marked. Kuyt / Fowler at home, Bellamy / Fowler away. If we adopt these tactics we then answer the second point. More points away from home. We would have far more fluidity and less risk of losing the best player and captain due to the managers stubborness. A right sided wing back may be needed if Arbeloa doesn't make the grade. My frustration is the squad could make progress - it's the managers tactics that are the problem. At some of the away games you still opt for wingers in the 5 man midfield - Aston bloody Villa for example. By the way Rafa there was NOTHING positive from the game at Villa Park - absolutely nothing.
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