All Things Football #9

Posted by Frankie Lally on November 2, 2009 | No Comments

Rafael Benitez is a man in turmoil.  The Liverpool manager doesn’t know when to stick with his best team and is caught between balancing the Champions League and the Premier League.

Liverpool crashed to their sixth defeat in seven games on Saturday, losing 3-1 to Fulham at Craven Cottage. Benitez made the decision to take off Fernando Torres in the 63rd minute when the score was 1-1. Despite their dominance in the game, Torres looked like the only player capable of scoring for Liverpool.

Liverpool now face going into their do or die Champions League match against Lyon on Wednesday without Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard. Benítez said he would “have to see how Gerrard progresses” with his troublesome groin injury, while Torres is still not 100% fit.

The only thing I’d say in Benitez’s defence is that Fulham under Roy Hodgson are a good side. Arsenal were very lucky to take three points off them at Craven Cottage, so a lot of credit must go to Fulham. When Tottenham and Aston Villa beat Liverpool people dismissed Liverpool’s failings by saying that other teams would drop points against them. I think Fulham are capable of taking points off such teams too.

Wednesday will be very interesting, and possibly quite entertaining, for non-Liverpool fans at least.

Last weekend was good beating United and the team did improve and played well to win that game. Even in midweek against Arsenal the players who were picked, mainly fringe players, did okay and with better finishing the tie could have gone to extra time/penalties.

The players that were picked on Saturday were simply just not good enough. I can understand Benitez’s concern over Torres fitness not being 100 per cent yet and needing him in Lyon but given how well Ngog played at the Emirates surely he should have come on rather than Babel? Why take Benayoun off? Forget the sending offs because Liverpool didn’t create enough before that.

I don’t subscribe to the view that Liverpool need continuity and should keep the same manager beyond 5 years just because the other top clubs have managed to achieve success that way. In any event Wenger’s current team and team since 2004 has not been winning trophies year on year so this doesn’t stand up anymore. Sure there were players out with a virus today including Aquilani and Gerrard is still crocked as we know but who allowed Crouch, Gonzalez and Keane to leave in return for the likes of Babel and Voronin?

As good as it was I didn’t believe the win over United was definitely the turning point of the season unless it was consolidated with at least one win in the next two games, prior to the Lyon match.

A defeat in Lyon on Tuesday and I think it’s all over for Benitez I think he’ll walk and I doubt that the club will stand in his way. That at least would allow him to have some dignity rather than the humiliation of a dismissal in May when the team finish 5th in the Premier League.

What do you think? Comments below please.

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