Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The logic of Rafa
Being a football manager is a precarious career choice. You know that one day you'll be out on your ear, possibly after a not so reassuring vote of confidence. You are after all hired to be fired. And before you get that far be prepared from every smart alec fan and pundit who thinks he knows your job better than you.
Step forward please Rafael Benetiz, the Spaniard manager of Liverpool with the goatee who looks like a waiter in a wartime cafe in occupied France.
Liverpool fans I have spoken to love the guy but perhaps they're still living in 2005, Milan and all that.
But for now, and the foreseeable future I cannot see Liverpool winning the Premier League all the while he is running the club.
Seriously, there are times when he sounds like he's from another planet. Yes, I know managers like to wrap their precious players in cotton wool in case anyone should say anything negative about them. But his comments after losing to Tottenham at the weekend crossed the line from acceptable to downright rude.
I believe the FA started some kind of respect campaign last season. Something about showing them poor match officials a bit of leniency once in a while and not just jumping on their back every time they get a decision wrong.
Rafa calling the 4th official at White Hart Lane 'too young' was patronising and disrespectful. Match officials don't have the right of reply in public of course. In private they meet down the Blind Beggar and drive needles in effegies of Wenger, Rafa and Fergie before vomiting on a card board cut out Goodison Park.
But I'm sure that if the refs could answer back they might have a few choice words for the waiter. Like why would you go and sell one of your three best players? Why have you got so much dross in your team?
Selling Xabi Alonso was very different to the Arsenal selling Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togolese striker's ego was far bigger than his size 15s and his peronality didn't gel in the dressing room. He went missing in big games and when you sell the weakest link you can only strengthen the squad.
But Alonso wasn't a whinging tart as far as I could make out. And he did a bit on the pitch as well.
Selling a player like him when you only have limited quality at your disposal doesn't make much football sense. Unless Rafa, after whinging about Gareth Barry earlier in the summer, and the board were being greedy.
Liverpool will still finish in the top four. There will be enough dodgy penalties in their favour, especially at home. But if anyone is likely to fall from the supposed big 4 it is them unless some drastic surgery is carried out.
Step forward please Rafael Benetiz, the Spaniard manager of Liverpool with the goatee who looks like a waiter in a wartime cafe in occupied France.
Liverpool fans I have spoken to love the guy but perhaps they're still living in 2005, Milan and all that.
But for now, and the foreseeable future I cannot see Liverpool winning the Premier League all the while he is running the club.
Seriously, there are times when he sounds like he's from another planet. Yes, I know managers like to wrap their precious players in cotton wool in case anyone should say anything negative about them. But his comments after losing to Tottenham at the weekend crossed the line from acceptable to downright rude.
I believe the FA started some kind of respect campaign last season. Something about showing them poor match officials a bit of leniency once in a while and not just jumping on their back every time they get a decision wrong.
Rafa calling the 4th official at White Hart Lane 'too young' was patronising and disrespectful. Match officials don't have the right of reply in public of course. In private they meet down the Blind Beggar and drive needles in effegies of Wenger, Rafa and Fergie before vomiting on a card board cut out Goodison Park.
But I'm sure that if the refs could answer back they might have a few choice words for the waiter. Like why would you go and sell one of your three best players? Why have you got so much dross in your team?
Selling Xabi Alonso was very different to the Arsenal selling Emmanuel Adebayor. The Togolese striker's ego was far bigger than his size 15s and his peronality didn't gel in the dressing room. He went missing in big games and when you sell the weakest link you can only strengthen the squad.
But Alonso wasn't a whinging tart as far as I could make out. And he did a bit on the pitch as well.
Selling a player like him when you only have limited quality at your disposal doesn't make much football sense. Unless Rafa, after whinging about Gareth Barry earlier in the summer, and the board were being greedy.
Liverpool will still finish in the top four. There will be enough dodgy penalties in their favour, especially at home. But if anyone is likely to fall from the supposed big 4 it is them unless some drastic surgery is carried out.
# posted by Me @ 3:07 PM 
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