Comments on: Liverpool’s Midfield

By: Bif

Bif — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:16:41 +0000

Yeah, I just spotted that myself.

By: Eoin

Eoin — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:14:48 +0000

Today’s Liverpool Echo has him gone for £3.5m.

By: Bif

Bif — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 11:10:43 +0000

I’d put a lot of stead in the Babel rumours actually - if the player is interested that is. Along with Benayoun, that’d be our wings sorted - if you include Pennant, Kewell, Aurelio and Peto in that. It’s also worth noting that Gonzalez hasn’t actually left yet and there doesn’t seem to be any talk of him leaving. Whether the Betis deal has fallen through or what is another thing.

By: Eoin

Eoin — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 10:46:10 +0000

I would say Benayoun can play on either wing or in the hole. That’s how we used Garcia anyway. Benayoun is just more suited to the Premiership.

I don’t believe that Rafa will only buy Benayoun and then stop. I suppose he’d be satisfied as he’s solved our biggest problem by signing a goal scorer but we still need to replace Garcia, Gonzalez and Zenden to have a better squad than last season. I’m thinking it’ll be Benayoun and one winger now. Don’t see Owen coming since Voronin got the number 10 shirt. I’d be surprised if anything comes of the Ryan Babel rumours but I hear he’s good.

By: Bif

Bif — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 09:14:21 +0000

Well, actually, Benayoun is a winger. Rafa has said he’d be happy with his squad if he landed Benayoun but has apparently also thrown a bid in for Ryan Babel - which fits with a rumour I’d read over the weekend that we going to try usurp Arsenal for one of their main targets. That would be our two wingers.

By: Eoin

Eoin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 18:15:02 +0000

Well I think Benayoun is coming as Garcia’s replacement. We’d still need to sign wingers as well.

By: Bif

Bif — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 16:20:18 +0000

Maybe but Parry supposedly rubbished suggestions we’d tabled a bid for Queresma and, by all accounts, Benitez apparently feels Mancini is way over-priced. Don’t think anyone is likely to be completely ruled out but it would seem Rafa has shifted focus. Expect Yossi Benayoun anyway. Other than that it’s really anyones guess.

By: Eoin

Eoin — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 15:29:46 +0000

Latest whispers are Ricardo Quaresma and/or Mancini.

This type of signing would bring Liverpool onto the next level. Flair has been sorely lacking!

By: Bif

Bif — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 16:07:43 +0000

You never said he’s a failure but his job is on the line.

Rafa’s poor record in the premiership is a bit of a media concocted fallacy. In his first season we came fifth and then in the following two we came third. In his second season we were one point behind Man United and, despite our away record rivalling a relegated team & our bad run of form at the start of the season, we lost only one more game than both United and the then Champions Chelsea. By all accounts last seasons early form looks like a blip on an otherwise upwards trajectory.

Liverpool are a team with a history of competing at the top but that doesn’t earn us the right to be up there, in spite of what we think. We have to be realistic about it takes to get there - a big part of which is time and a little bit of patience. Otherwise we’re going to end up like the next Newcastle or Man Utd before the boom.

By: Eoin

Eoin — Thu, 28 Jun 2007 15:15:50 +0000

I never said Benitez was a failure. 7 finals and 4 trophies in three seasons is great. The issue with the Premiership is that we haven’t been in contention never mind winning the thing. And in the three years there hasn’t been much improvement. I’d accept the bad run of form theory if it wasn’t for the bad run of form at the start of his other seasons too and for the fact he has a record in the away games that rivals any relegated team.

Now, I’m not anti-Benitez, nor was my intension ever to start highlighting his negatives, but there’s no point ignoring them either. The ‘last chance saloon’ attitude is for him to show signs of improvement in the league and get into contention for the title. I want improvement in this coming season. I’d like to be in the title race, but once we get close enough to expect to be in there the following season it’ll at least be improvement.

Liverpool is a club founded on being at the top. To be at the top we must deal with the bar being set at whatever hight it is. That’s the job Benitez has and, while he may be unlucky that the bar is so high right now, that’s what he’ll be judged on.