After 5 Premier League matches, Liverpool are 2nd, still unbeaten, but already dropped points against Aston Villa and Stoke City. Optimist fans have something to look forward to, but it can't helped that the majority was pessimistic. Even me. Rafa is an astute tactician, but sometimes one can't ignore the fact that at times he's taking things a bit too meticulously and being overcautious. Unbeaten after five matches is good for any club - even Manchester United and Arsenal were not unbeaten anymore at this stage - but if we keep dropping points in draws, there's no point being unbeaten. Last season Liverpool went on a long unbeaten run too, but were adrift in fifth place. When they finally went down to Reading, the title never looked within reach.
The draw against Aston Villa demonstrates the lack of desire of going forward. Liverpool held almost 70% of possession and yet no shots on target. Nobody actually wanted to take a shot, and if there were any, it was off target. The next match, though, was one for the fans to remember. A memorable win against United, Rafa's first against Ferguson in the league. And even leading 2-1, Liverpool kept pushing forward for a third. That was the mentality the fans were hoping. Unfortunately, we we brought down to Earth very soon. Stoke City came to Anfield and defended their hearts out. Liverpool, despite all the shots and corners, were unable to penetrate the incredibly resolute and organized defence. Yes, Liverpool had a goal disallowed, but they had more than eighty minutes to win it, but they didn't. It marks a question mark, are Liverpool lacking creativity?
At that time, the 'Rafa can't win the league' and 'Rafa's not good enough' brigade came roaring out. Some of them are my own friends. To be honest, when I have so many friends against my opinion, I'll take the easy way and agree with them. I pointed out Rafa's weaknesses, one of which is that he's too defensive. The rotation policy, I don't mind. And my other point is, "Does he ever make Liverpool train corner kicks?", because Liverpool wasted 19 corner kicks against Stoke, not only failing to score a goal, Liverpool did not even test the goalkeeper.
>But I was never on the 'Rafa's out!' wagon. He has built his empire for four years, and if you sack him, you're destroying his painstakingly built empire, too. And for the optimists, he is not that defensive. A strong proof was the match against United, and we can always believe the mentality can be maintained on other weaker teams, surely.
When the team is playing horribly, I can't defend Rafa. But I will never have the heart to turn my back against him, too. I will just go with the flow, saying, "Rafa sucks at this," "Rafa sucks at that," but I would never say, "Rafa has to go out." Thing is, secretly, I have faith in him. His wife once told, sometimes when he sleeps, he suddenly wakes up, scribbles something down, and go back to sleep. And he is a people's man, too. A very nice character. But in football, the tactics are the most important, not personality. Jol never won the league, Mourinho did.
The draw against Aston Villa demonstrates the lack of desire of going forward. Liverpool held almost 70% of possession and yet no shots on target. Nobody actually wanted to take a shot, and if there were any, it was off target. The next match, though, was one for the fans to remember. A memorable win against United, Rafa's first against Ferguson in the league. And even leading 2-1, Liverpool kept pushing forward for a third. That was the mentality the fans were hoping. Unfortunately, we we brought down to Earth very soon. Stoke City came to Anfield and defended their hearts out. Liverpool, despite all the shots and corners, were unable to penetrate the incredibly resolute and organized defence. Yes, Liverpool had a goal disallowed, but they had more than eighty minutes to win it, but they didn't. It marks a question mark, are Liverpool lacking creativity?
At that time, the 'Rafa can't win the league' and 'Rafa's not good enough' brigade came roaring out. Some of them are my own friends. To be honest, when I have so many friends against my opinion, I'll take the easy way and agree with them. I pointed out Rafa's weaknesses, one of which is that he's too defensive. The rotation policy, I don't mind. And my other point is, "Does he ever make Liverpool train corner kicks?", because Liverpool wasted 19 corner kicks against Stoke, not only failing to score a goal, Liverpool did not even test the goalkeeper.
>But I was never on the 'Rafa's out!' wagon. He has built his empire for four years, and if you sack him, you're destroying his painstakingly built empire, too. And for the optimists, he is not that defensive. A strong proof was the match against United, and we can always believe the mentality can be maintained on other weaker teams, surely.
When the team is playing horribly, I can't defend Rafa. But I will never have the heart to turn my back against him, too. I will just go with the flow, saying, "Rafa sucks at this," "Rafa sucks at that," but I would never say, "Rafa has to go out." Thing is, secretly, I have faith in him. His wife once told, sometimes when he sleeps, he suddenly wakes up, scribbles something down, and go back to sleep. And he is a people's man, too. A very nice character. But in football, the tactics are the most important, not personality. Jol never won the league, Mourinho did.
(I was trying to find the picture that Rafa sits on the ground and was eventually made into a banner saying "Those who feel the breath of glory come sit down next to me" but then only I realized how hard it is to find that picture!)Fast forward to present day, Liverpool are leading the table, three points ahead of Chelsea and six above Arsenal, Aston Villa and - of all clubs - Hull City. Liverpool have just shattered Chelsea's unbelievably impressive home record, and made that result significant by winning against Portsmouth, albeit requiring a penalty.
This team that Rafa Benitez took so long to assemble are starting to draw comparisons with his team in Valencia. The team that came to Anfield and mesmerized the home fans. I remember that match, and how frustrated I felt, on how efficient the team was working as a whole. Nobody was the star player, because the team was the star. They were well-organized, defensively and offensively. Liverpool lost only 1-0, but nobody would argue Liverpool deserved to lose. The Valencia team were unfancied against Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they won the title twice in three years. The team was dubbed 'The Grinding Machine', an unfancied team playing not-so-fancy football, yet they're grinding the results.
And finally, Liverpool were taking the shape of that team. Liverpool were down against Middlesbrough, Manchester United, Manchester City, Wigan Athletic, and Liverpool were behind because they deserved to be so. But they showed gritty determination, will and courage to come back, not only to avoid defeat (which is only worth 1 point) but to win, which is worth 3 points.
Yes, it might come down to a bit of luck. The comebacks against City and Wigan was catalyzed by sending offs of Zabaleta and Valencia respectively, but no one would argue the sending offs were rightful. And from the (sent off) players' view, they never had to make the unnecessary tackle, because they were leading. Liverpool had one sending off all season last season, and it was Mascherano against United. He lost his composure and spoke too much against Riley. In other matches of Liverpool's lengthy season, Rafa has emphasised on discipline so much that nobody else got themselves sent off. If you're on a yellow, even if it was unjustified, it is common sense that, "don't go diving in tackles that are not worth it."
And while the comebacks are greatly attributed to our chief motivator, Sammy Lee (I have to credit Vanoord for writing an impressive article here, if you can't access the forum, shame on you, you should've registered) the conquering of Stamford Bridge was pure Rafa. The opening goal might have been lucky, but that's what exactly has been eluding us for years - being lucky. We were always dominant against United or Chelsea, even during the Mourinho time (except the 4-1 mauling at Anfield) but they always came out with the odd-goal. This time, the odd-goal is ours, and it is no exaggeration to say that Liverpool could've stretched the lead, most notably the Alonso's free kick, dummying even one of the finest goalkeepers in football, Petr Cech, into staying put on the ground.
Liverpool were very effective defensively, so much so that Chelsea - who had come back in so many occasions to restore their unbeaten home record - were unable to get a worthy shot on target. Their best chance fell to Ashley Cole who sliced the ball into the stands. And when Liverpool explore the Blues' half, they play very quick tiny triangle passes as they breeze even the world's finest in John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. I hate when they do that, trying to be beautiful. But it is a delight to watch, isn't it? Sometimes, trying to be overelaborate will catch on you (like against Atlético) but when it works, it is a great morale booster. And when you know the opponent's defence is so good, maybe you have to try something out of the ordinary to break them down.
Luck is definitely integral in winning the title, and Liverpool haven't been short of that, I must not doubt. Maybe the penalty against Portsmouth was lucky (the decision was correct, but the rush of blood to the head by Bouba Diop was lucky to Liverpool) but Liverpool attacked throughout the match, and to win the league, apart from playing well, you need a bit of luck, and Bouba Diop gave it. Chelsea, on the other hand, are still winning comfortably against other opponents, dispatching 'title-contenders' Hull 3-0. Which makes me think, maybe Chelsea lost to Liverpool because their life was made too easy, by Villa, Stoke, Boro and such, that when the comfort was suddenly taken away from them, frustrations took over and overambitious long shots came in.
And best of all, when asked if the win at Stamford Bridge was one of his best, he said, "I like to beat United." Classic Rafa! Classic!
This team that Rafa Benitez took so long to assemble are starting to draw comparisons with his team in Valencia. The team that came to Anfield and mesmerized the home fans. I remember that match, and how frustrated I felt, on how efficient the team was working as a whole. Nobody was the star player, because the team was the star. They were well-organized, defensively and offensively. Liverpool lost only 1-0, but nobody would argue Liverpool deserved to lose. The Valencia team were unfancied against Barcelona and Real Madrid, but they won the title twice in three years. The team was dubbed 'The Grinding Machine', an unfancied team playing not-so-fancy football, yet they're grinding the results.
And finally, Liverpool were taking the shape of that team. Liverpool were down against Middlesbrough, Manchester United, Manchester City, Wigan Athletic, and Liverpool were behind because they deserved to be so. But they showed gritty determination, will and courage to come back, not only to avoid defeat (which is only worth 1 point) but to win, which is worth 3 points.
Yes, it might come down to a bit of luck. The comebacks against City and Wigan was catalyzed by sending offs of Zabaleta and Valencia respectively, but no one would argue the sending offs were rightful. And from the (sent off) players' view, they never had to make the unnecessary tackle, because they were leading. Liverpool had one sending off all season last season, and it was Mascherano against United. He lost his composure and spoke too much against Riley. In other matches of Liverpool's lengthy season, Rafa has emphasised on discipline so much that nobody else got themselves sent off. If you're on a yellow, even if it was unjustified, it is common sense that, "don't go diving in tackles that are not worth it."
And while the comebacks are greatly attributed to our chief motivator, Sammy Lee (I have to credit Vanoord for writing an impressive article here, if you can't access the forum, shame on you, you should've registered) the conquering of Stamford Bridge was pure Rafa. The opening goal might have been lucky, but that's what exactly has been eluding us for years - being lucky. We were always dominant against United or Chelsea, even during the Mourinho time (except the 4-1 mauling at Anfield) but they always came out with the odd-goal. This time, the odd-goal is ours, and it is no exaggeration to say that Liverpool could've stretched the lead, most notably the Alonso's free kick, dummying even one of the finest goalkeepers in football, Petr Cech, into staying put on the ground.
Liverpool were very effective defensively, so much so that Chelsea - who had come back in so many occasions to restore their unbeaten home record - were unable to get a worthy shot on target. Their best chance fell to Ashley Cole who sliced the ball into the stands. And when Liverpool explore the Blues' half, they play very quick tiny triangle passes as they breeze even the world's finest in John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho. I hate when they do that, trying to be beautiful. But it is a delight to watch, isn't it? Sometimes, trying to be overelaborate will catch on you (like against Atlético) but when it works, it is a great morale booster. And when you know the opponent's defence is so good, maybe you have to try something out of the ordinary to break them down.
Luck is definitely integral in winning the title, and Liverpool haven't been short of that, I must not doubt. Maybe the penalty against Portsmouth was lucky (the decision was correct, but the rush of blood to the head by Bouba Diop was lucky to Liverpool) but Liverpool attacked throughout the match, and to win the league, apart from playing well, you need a bit of luck, and Bouba Diop gave it. Chelsea, on the other hand, are still winning comfortably against other opponents, dispatching 'title-contenders' Hull 3-0. Which makes me think, maybe Chelsea lost to Liverpool because their life was made too easy, by Villa, Stoke, Boro and such, that when the comfort was suddenly taken away from them, frustrations took over and overambitious long shots came in.
And best of all, when asked if the win at Stamford Bridge was one of his best, he said, "I like to beat United." Classic Rafa! Classic!
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