Is Liverpool’s weakness its Spanish mentality?
Posted by Eric Beard on January 27, 2010 | 9 Comments
Portsmouth, Reading, Stoke City, and now Wolverhampton Wanderers. As Liverpool fans are asking the football gods what they have done to deserve this, they should really be looking towards the club’s leader, Rafa Benitez, for answers.
First of all, I am not a football xenophobe, far from it. I think the Italian and Portuguese influences on the Premier League’s style of play have only improved with the diffusion of tactical ideologies. And do not get me wrong, Spanish players have certainly contributed to the reason why the Premier League’s popularity is consistently growing. But I cannot say that the Spanish mentality has ever truly succeeded in England.
Now I am not talking about the modern mentality of the Spanish national team that went undefeated in World Cup Qualifying after winning the Euros. I am rather focusing in on the historical mentality of the Spaniards, an awful disposition that saw great Spanish teams fail time after time to live up to their potential.
You might ask, “Rafa Benitez won the Champions League with Liverpool, how much more success could you ask of a Spanish manager?”
Brian Clough believed that winning the domestic title was more valuable than anything else, simply because it demanded the most mental and tactical strength from the manager and the players. Rafa Benitez has been shining in the light of his Champions League trophy for so long that it is just now that the Liverpool faithful are just beginning to realize that he has not been nearly as successful in the Premiership as in Europe.
After Spain won the Euros in 2008, we saw the footballing nation’s mindset evolve before our very eyes. Unfortunately, Rafa Benitez is part of the dying breed of the old-school Spanish manager. Rafa’s type is the one that has never seen Spain get past the World Cup semi-finals, a side that, in a sense, has never eclipsed its own “top-four” boundary.
With the likes of Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, and Javier Mascherano, Liverpool has the potential to be as good as anybody. Focused on his own inanimate Spanish ideology that rightfully prioritizes a style of play with skill and technique, Rafa Benitez is ignorant of all the other great methodologies developed by today’s Premier League managers, who are, tactically, some of the managerial geniuses of our time.
This old Spanish mindset of refusing to learn from others nor grow from previous mistakes exemplifies why Rafa simply does not have what it takes to thrive under the modern demands of the world’s most competitive league.
Can Spanish tactics succeed despite the demanding nature of the Premier League, or should Liverpool stop trying to implement a hopeless system? Comments below please. Eric Beard is the creator of afootballreport.com, a site providing colourful insight on the world’s greatest game.
Tags: Champions League > Fernando Torres > Liverpool > Premier League > Rafa Benitez > spain
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9 Responses to “Is Liverpool’s weakness its Spanish mentality?”
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January 27th, 2010 @ 3:29 pm
Complete and utter rubbish. Staggeringly inept.
January 27th, 2010 @ 3:38 pm
Were did you get the photo Parry the traitor has long gone he can’t even sit in the directors box any longer, he’s even off the free ticket list.
January 27th, 2010 @ 3:45 pm
Is Liverpool’s weakness its Spanish mentality?
No.
If we had more than 2 Spanish internationals in our squad – we would be doing substantially better.
January 27th, 2010 @ 3:58 pm
Wow, this is an attempt most vague. I was intrigued by your headline but it seems I was suckered in. Your article has descended into mere conjecture, where are your facts? Show me the examples?
The premiership has 2 of the best Spanish players in the world in Cesc and Torres, both succeeded amazingly well. It also boasts the best goalkeeper in Pepe Reina.
It seems as though you clearly don’t understand or have bothered to study the history of Benitez and his teams, nevermind the mans methods.
Rafa is very much from the new school. His philosophy is based on science and tactics.
Liverpool have struggled greatly over the last 6 months, but don’t let 6 months of frustrations blur the fact of 5 years of consecutive improvement before it.
The Champions League success some would say came to soon for Rafa, it sky rocketed expectation beyond our reach and we’re still trying to live up to it now.
Was Rafa too old school and stale when we dismantled Real Madrid home and away? Or when he tactically outdone Fergie in their last 3 encounters? I doubt it.
I’m not necessarily all pro-Rafa, I think Guus Hiddink could do a better job, but I’m a realist and I can see the work Rafa has done at the club is progressive.
If you want to delve a little further, try looking at the success of our youth teams in the last 4 years. Rafa is one for the future ol’ chap. Get with the plan.
January 27th, 2010 @ 4:06 pm
as an american liverpool fan, i can honestly say i’m more worried about the troubling american mindset currently on display in the liverpool ownership.
January 27th, 2010 @ 4:50 pm
Is journalistic ineptness it’s internet mentality?
January 27th, 2010 @ 8:32 pm
st. chris what youth team.
steven gerrard still stands as the last player to come up through liverpools youth system.
If pacheco was at arsenal he’d be regulary starting an possibly of the the leagues top players.
spearing, darby an kelly are only gonna not be given a proper chance and sold off.
insua was getting matches in his first season so hes not part of the youth system
January 27th, 2010 @ 8:38 pm
I actually think there are a few good points made in this editorial. Sure, like some of you said above, Rafa has masterminded victories over Real Madrid (a Spanish side, by the way) and Manchester United recently.
But as we all know, that is not what the Premier League is really about. Manchester United did not fare very well against the top four last year, and yet they went on to win the title. Consistency and mental strength are not the strongest points for Spanish sides, so I rather enjoy this frame of mind. It is a bit outside the box, but lets not be too quick to jump to Rafa’s defence.
Love the Brian Clough reference by the way.
January 28th, 2010 @ 3:43 am
I actually think there are a few good points made in this editorial. Sure, like some of you said above, Rafa has masterminded victories over Real Madrid (a Spanish side, by the way) and Manchester United recently.
But as we all know, that is not what the Premier League is really about. Manchester United did not fare very well against the top four last year, and yet they went on to win the title. Consistency and mental strength are not the strongest points for Spanish sides, so I rather enjoy this frame of mind. It is a bit outside the box, but lets not be too quick to jump to Rafa’s defence.
Love the Brian Clough reference by the way.
By the way, really good post. Waiting on the next post!