From almost to almost

I apologise for the increasing number of posts dedicated to Liverpool, but no other club seems to be making as much news as Liverpool Football Club.

Liverpool's demise in the UEFA Champions League with a game to go has been seen as a shock for many. Liverpool's struggle to keep up with United, Chelsea and Arsenal at the top of the Premier League has got many shaking their heads. And why not. Liverpool have made it to the knock-out stages in every season under Benitez. Liverpool were top of the English Premier League after Christmas last season.

Benitez keeps saying that there is not much difference between last season's team and this season's team. Save Alonso. So, there should be no reason to doubt the team this season.
But I think the fact that there has not been much difference between last season's team and this season's team has contributed to Liverpool's struggle. Lets be frank, Liverpool were lucky last season with all their last minute goals/equalizers. I seem to agree with Sir Alex's comments - "This particular Liverpool team peaked last season." Most of this Liverpool team were playing at their best last season even without Gerrard and Torres. That seems to be part of the problem.

Club finances are a whole other issue. The fact that Liverpool are not willing to spend in the transfer market seems to be incurring the wrath of a few players themselves. You can say, Liverpool are in debt, but, so are United. That doesn't stop them from spending if they want to.
Last season, Liverpool "almost" won the league. This season, I hope, Liverpool dont go on to "almost" finish fourth.

This post is about problems. To think about a solution, there needs to be a change. Where? Who? I do not know. The question is, does Hicks, Gillete, Purslow, Benitez know?

P.S. It has been one year that The Kop End has been alive. Thanks to one and all who have been reading.

Statement

Long before Robbie Keane's official return to Spurs, he was gone. You could even see the smile on his face when he was in the stands during the Chelsea game. He must've known he was getting rid of his boyhood dream/nightmare.

Keane was never at his best at Liverpool. His partnership with Torres hardly got going and he was not able to play in his prefered position. One might argue that he was not played enough. And that he got to play only because Torres was injured for most part of the first half of the season. People might compare the Keane situation to the Berbatov situation at United. Berba took sometime to settle in but Sir Alex continued to play him and now they are gelling as a team. Perhaps Rafa should've done the same thing.

But this one goes beyond Robbie Keane. Its all about the man-Rafael Benitez. According to his comments in the recent past, it was Rick Parry and not Rafa who got Keane to Anfield. This clearly frustrated Benitez since the purchase of Keane meant a certain Gareth Barry would not be heading to Anfield.

Benitez did not play Keane and was even dropped for many crucial matches, the latest being the Chelsea game.

The reason is simple-Keane was NOT Benitez's player.

Now that its looking more and more likely that the owners are giving Benitez complete control over transfers, I think, the sale of Keane was a test of character for the American owners. More like an audition before Benitez signs his new contract.

Keane out-Round 1 belongs to Benitez. Statement made.

I guess the real Rafa-lution starts now.

Scream!!!!

When Andy Gray said the following quote during the Liverpool-Marseille match last week, I decided to blog about it.

"Of all the TOP sides, I've not seen anyone shout so many instructions to the players during a football match".

Yep he was talking about Rafa Benitez. And till the time Mr.Gray pointed it out, I didnt realise he was actually right. Benitez does seem to scream an awful lot of stuff to the players. And I think he uses the little black book(the one used by managers to make notes during a match) more than any other manager in the EPL.

On the contrary, someone like Sir Alex Ferguson just lets his players do the talking for most of the time. And it helps as a player if your boss has some confidence in you and you dont have someone breathing down your neck all the time. Dont get me wrong, Alex has a fuse and he knows how to blow it.

Analysing the quote, it either means that Rafa's team is not prepared(I dont believe it) or Rafa demands perfection. You can demand perfection during a keep ball session or during a training ground match. But to demand perfection and to actually shout his heart out during the course of a football match is something else. If I was playing, after a while, I would stop listening. Might lead to a substitution though. Robbie Keane? Listening?

By the way, I would give anything to see Rafa's black book.