James Lawton: Rafa show is ready for the final curtain
A failure to appreciate true footballing quality in the form of Xabi Alonso has left Liverpool in terrible strife and Benitez on the brink
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If there was any mystery to the question now being asked in open panic on Merseyside, the situation might not seem quite so hopeless. Unfortunately there isn't. We know well enough, and have done so for some time, the answer to "What's it all about, Rafa?" It is almost entirely about Rafa, and no team has prospered long term under such egocentric control.
Certainly it is hard not to believe that the consequences of the coach's insistence that he controls every nuance of the team's expression, first demonstrated in what seemed like rotation for its own sake, are darkening the sky above Anfield with their roosting schedule.
For a time rotation was a stick with which to beat the coach for his failure to produce the rhythm of a growing side. Now rotation is no longer an issue. It serves only one damaging purpose as it allows still another peek into an empty cupboard, a sensation made all the more stark by the riches that appeared to be on show in that spectacular but ultimately meaningless victory at Old Trafford towards the end of last season.
But then even as the indictment against Benitez grows as large as the one that led to the inevitable sacking of his predecessor Gérard Houllier, it is not so hard to understand those pockets of resistance to the idea that the man from Madrid must go with the descent of morale, even basic coherence, that has become so alarmingly steep.
Liverpool, after all, touched the stars in their first season under him and no doubt there have been times since then when Benitez has threatened to recapture some of that belief – and a little of the substance, but of course some certainties have always been elusive. They won, we have to be honest, the most prestigious club competition in the world with a team that had more holes than the waist-coat of a victim of the St Valentine Day's Massacre.
They weren't really a team at all. They were a ragbag of assorted and ill-formed talent sustained by an uncanny suspicion that, however improbably, they might just get there in the end.
Luis Garcia could score a fantasy or, as Jose Mourinho will always swear, a phantom goal but for much of the rest of the time he was a professional disaster area. His game was often nothing so much as a haemorrhage of possession. Harry Kewell was the big gamble in the final against a Milan team which so catastrophically and noisily celebrated its triumph at half-time, and, embarrassingly, he was withdrawn before the interval.
Yet when the dawn came up over Istanbul we were all agog when Benitez declared that now he would build a team.
Why wouldn't you believe in such a miracle worker who was fresh from Valencia and his breaking of the Spanish stranglehold exerted by Real Madrid and Barcelona? True, he plainly had much to learn about the Premier League and the kind of players it required, but in conjuring the great victory he had defied so many odds that a little bit of adapting to his new terrain was not so much to expect. Even then, he had acquired a player who looked as if he could conquer not only a new environment but the football equivalent of the mountains of the moon.
Xabi Alonso plays for Real Madrid now of course, and it is impossible to detach this bleak development for Liverpool with what is becoming increasingly evident as one of the two great flaws in Benitez's competitive persona. One is that he too rarely – and at Anfield now there is the cumulative evidence presented by 68 signings – recognises the quality of a player who can give so much more to the team than the sum of his individual talent. The other is that when he gets one, supremely in the case of the gifted Alonso, he signally fails to cherish him.
The disaffection between the coach and the player, which apparently arose over Alonso's demand for parental leave, was said to have been mended but the move to Madrid said differently, especially at the end of the season in which the brilliant force of the Basque midfielder was arguably as influential to Liverpool's progress as the pyrotechnics of Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard.
The £20m replacement Alberto Aquilani is currently inching towards fitness, but his absence at such a crucial stage of an embattled club's season could hardly be rivalled as a damning statement about lost momentum. In Italy the word is that Aquilani has talent but a less than overwhelming playing personality, a handicap at Roma that was disastrously compounded by his proneness to injury.
Inevitably, Benitez is skewered now by the appalling realisation that without Gerrard and Torres, his team – five years after the brilliant dawn of Istanbul – is mired in profound mediocrity, a reality that no doubt provoked from the normally relentless Javier Mascherano a statement about the extent of the team's lost confidence.
One conclusion is inescapable and could scarcely be more harmful to the prospects of Benitez. It is that while an Arsène Wenger so regularly displays a Midas touch, Benitez too often shows a hand of stone. Players simply do not seem to grow under Benitez – at least not beyond the point of mediocrity. Whether such as Andrea Dossena, Lucas, Ryan Babel and Dirk Kuyt ever had greater potential is an extremely dubious claim. Nor does it help that the limited but earnestly applied ability of Robbie Keane was last season turned into such a wretched, £20m liability that the recovery of much of the original outlay did little to impose even a hint of reason.
What we are left with is the burden carried by Torres, a player who came finished in all his vital attributes, Steven Gerrard, who is a phenomenon of the football womb rather than any finishing school, and the currently strained but recognisable professional quality of those such as Jose Reina and Mascherano. Some say that defeating Manchester United on Sunday would make everything right. It won't. It can't.
The Rafa show has been running five years now. That's a long time for a one-man performance, especially when the script, as such a formidably acute critic as Jurgen Klinsmann is pointing out, has become so threadbare.
Klinsmann, of course, was once paraded as a potential replacement for Benitez. That might just make him a less than impartial witness after his departure from Bayern Munich earlier this year. Still, it doesn't invalidate his review. Or, realistically, lessen the chances of a last curtain call for its victim.
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Comments
the odd accurate point such as the importance of the loss of Alonso, ruined by misportrayal of the core Liverpool support as 'pockets of resistance' ; shock revelations about teams not being as good when you take their World Class players away (no shit Sherlock) ; disrespecting the achievement of 2 Champions League finals in 3 years, 1 win (are you reading this you miserable cockney failures?) and being the top seeded side in Europe bar none ; writing off Aquilani before he's kicked a ball ; writing off a side that bar the change of 2 players - 1 of whom (Johnson) is a vast improvement - finished above billionnaire Chelsea and (14 points above) Arsene 'Midas Touch' Wenger just a dozen games ago ; rolling out some crackpipe-philosophy tumbleweed about '5 years being too long for a one-man show', even though Ferguson and Arsene 'Midas Touch' Wenger have demonstrated the importance of longevity and avoiding knee-jerk sackings.
How about some proper journalism, writing a story that is different to the clichéd bollocks everyone else is writing, like why Liverpool won't be sacking Benitez. There are some pretty compelling reasons why they won't be.
If the Sports Ed of the Indy is reading this, get The Partridge in for interview. Stick Flawton's name in a journo sack race, see how he enjoys the ignominy, along with Barclays in the Times, who must be the only person on the planet who thought Martin Kelly had a "torrid" debut against Lyon's Cissokho. I could do their jobs properly. Can't be hard can it.
This 'pocket of resistance' Liverpool fan knows we're a niggle-free Torres, Gerrard and Johnson away from being a top 4 challenging side. Johnson's the Dani Alves we never bought, but even better, brilliant signing. Midfield (ie. Lucas) needs sorting soon but I've seen 15 minutes of Aquilani tonight and liked the look of him. Intelligent, good passer, great touch and most importantly looks to have a good couple of gears more pace than Lucas has. If he's as good as he promises to be then we've got as strong a first XI on paper as anyone in the top flight bar a very strong looking Chelsea (who also lack squad depth as LFC do). Enjoy the crisis while it lasts...
No amount of vituperation will disguise the fact that the days of the big four are over and will not return. Nobody denies that on their day Liverpool can outplay anyone, the issue is too many draws, and now defeats against mediocre teams.
Alonson and Keane were not the only flaws in the transfer market, why was Crouch sold while in form? As pointed out recently, Benitez cannot be sacked without a great financial penalty, but he has gathered so much power and influence in the club that his failure will cause great damage.
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As I said, on their day, Liverpool can beat any team in the Premiership and in the Champions League, as was proved last season. Nobody can deny the record of Benitez at Liverpool, as a Spurs fan I certainly appreciate what he has achieved.
The debate centres on whether he can take Liverpool further from their current position, or whether he has reached his limit. Given the restricted financial position at Liverpool, and the spate of injuries incurred to key players while on international duty, would any other manager have done better?
I do think the article was not very well written, though!
With no confidence that Benitez will be replaced in the future - his compensation package will see to that - he could be at Anfield for another 2 or 3 years yet.
When we look at events this year that have helped to bring about the situation on the playing field, two games stand out. The 4-1 win at Old Trafford and the 4-0 victory over Real Madrid at Anfield told the Liverpool fans that their team was good enough to win the EPL. The manager and his team believed the nonsense written in the press about Liverpool being on the road to glory. And the fans lapped it up. The owners took these two wins as evidence that the team didn't need strengthening. And so it wasn't. There lies the crux of the present problem. Benitez has a squad of players totally without the ability and skill to win anything, certainly not the championship, and it looks as if he won't get enough funds to buy the players the club needs. Without some additional class Liverpool will be facing years of being in the football wilderness - mid-table mediocrity beckons.
It's going to be a long road back to the summit and with more clubs acquiring the financial means to compete at the very top, the Anfield faithful can expect a long, long wait.
Crouch rejected a new contract and requested a transfer as, with the new playing system, he didn't fit in with Torres. Incidentally, when he went to Tottenham, he was a sub several times, but newspapers didn't mention it much.
Lawton's articles are becoming more and more monotonous, and incorrect, and the Independent's sports writers are now at tabloid journalism level.
The media's been desperately looking for a good footballing story and are scratching around for anything. This season's material continues an ever-worsening standard in analysis of the EPL game, in content, argument and English expression.
Clubs going through a tough patch find their manager under pressure from the media as an incredibly cheap source of print fodder - no journalistic skill required...just wheel out all the same old cliches with inevitable doom approaching. They've surely got article templates to work from.
I was aware of some people's criticism of Lawton's "work", but have read little of his stuff myself before.
Frankly, if this is representative, then I will certainly not waste any time on the work of someone who, at best, appears way past his "sell-by-date". I'd be embarrassed by this article, whichever club and personality it involved. I certainly don't see Lawton participating in the fruits of any journalistic bonus culture in the near future.
Apart from disagreeing with the thrust of the article, I find it is of a truly horrible standard of journalism and writing.
It screams out as being the output of a journo desperately trying to assemble / cobble together a piece which is controversial and likely to attract fans of other clubs to bash them, in order to attract a large number of comments. This is a common trait now of media articles.
I had thought of addressing many of his points, but decided it wasn't worth my effort.
Luis Garcia the disaster - is this the same Garcia who played for Spain during his spell at Liverpool? Or the same Garcia who scored so many important goals for Liverpool in Europe and the League?
Harry Kewell subsituted in Istanbul - yes James he was substituted, but it was because he was injured - not that please, he was injured!
James Lawton is a disgrace, an old fogie churning out tomes that are low on facts and high on contrived drama.
A couple of other points.
-2nd half in Istanbul was a tactical masterstroke the like of which we're unlikely to see again in a hurry.
-if as Lawton said Istanbul team was a ragbag team then recovery is even more impressive
-erm Torres was nowhere near the finished article. Benitez made him the Euro champion winning sniper he is now
- he finally solved the "where to play Gerrard" conundrum.
- mascherano
-reina
Finally, Chelsea without drogba, lampard, a.cole, malouda would look pretty shaky and they have 10 times the spending power.
Times are tough at Anfield at the moment but aurelios comments on the same page are closer to the mark. In a pinch there is noone better than rafa.
er no.
It was inept tactics that meant Liverpool were three down at half time (i.e. palying Kewell as attacking midfielder with Garrard having to hold back in a more defensive role) and then a stroke of good fortune with Kewell getting injured / breaking a nail which meant Hamman came on thus freeing Gerrard to do what only he can.. and the rest is history.
Luck, not judgement.
Benitez's 'tactics' are what led to the first half calamity. Gerrards genius and an injury that forced the managers hand is what led to victory.
We bought Albert Aquilani to replace Xabi with equal vision and more mobility. My fear was that he may only be fit when the routes to those big prozes had been closed off for this season. Maybe he has returned too late; but you will see a monster performance or some out of us this season when he and the other bigger players are fit again; and when a few more of the reserves get into the squad, like Threlfall and the wondrous Pacheco.
Treat us fairly and with honour you journos, ey?!
I've always had a soft spot for the team, and I'm so sad to see them in decline. But to spout vituperation against Lawton for telling it as it is...well, that's the same febrile blindness to reality that Newcastle supporters show their team.
Now hes got it in for Benitez; he has to define the morality of the game for us stupid football fans!
No critical pieces written about Fergusons appalling behaviour towards officials, his red-faced tirades towards 4th officials, Rooneys infamous I didnt do it since I am an honest lad dives (like the one against Slovenia at Wembley).
This paper used to have some credibility in being Independent, but with such dumb intellectuals, it is no longer worth the time or the money!
Thanks to the wonders of the internet, we now have access to newspapers we would never dream of buying were we forced to spend money on them. And, because of this, it has become glaringly clear how, sometimes, the sport pages can be utterly removed from the content of the main paper. For example, who would ever have guessed that the good old Indie would be home for umpteen years to someone like James "Woodrow" Lawton, The Voice of (un)Reason? The sheer bile he spouts and plain inaccuracy of some of the "facts" he presents are more akin to the reactionary drivel one would expect in the Mail. And yet, over at the Mail, they have Martin Samuel, someone who has probably forgotten more about football than "Woodrow" has ever known. Not only that, but Samuel doesn't jump onto bandwagons such as the recent kicking of Manchester City for daring to dream, as has Lawton. The only person you will never see Lawton attacking is Lord Taggart, Man United, and Man U players generally. Not only is Woodrow Lawton biased, bitter and twisted, but he isn't even impartial or accurate. The Indie should be able to do much, much better.
Lambasting this Journo or that Journo is easy, because opinions are like a-holes, everyone`s got one and most of em stink.
The issues are real at Liverpool FC.
Ive stood and sat on the Kop since I was 11 years old (30+ years ago), and I`m not a prawn sarnie fan, nor am I a wannabe-scouser from Kent or Shanghai, I was born 2 miles from Anfield, schooled less than a mile from the ground, and Ive watched players and managers come and go.
So I think I`m entitled to give my own opinion on the Reds` current situation.
I think Benitez should have gone some time ago.
Yes, I know that presents the problem of "but who would we replace him with", but the shortest answer to that is, "preferably anyone who has better man-management skills and someone less intent on cementing their delusions of deity status"
Rafa is not a god.
Shanks and Paisley were footballing gods, Rafa isnt even on a par with Fagen.
Yes, I`m well aware of the Champions League record he has, and whilst ramming that down the faces of Chelsea and Manure fans is fun, it is also a little disingenuous.
Hailed as a tactical genius by so many of my fellow Kopites, and lauded so fervently by the very press who are now circling with gleeful delight , many, and yes I do mean MANY, of us real fans have twitched uncomfortably in our seats.
Whilst silverware success is now paramount to most "fans", some of us can recall the many many games where we lost, and the seasons that were barren, but where we left the ground feeling a sense of cameraderie and good humour. It was about being Scousers, it was about the game, it was about the players, but most of all it was about pride in being Liverpool fans.
I look at the team sheets and the programs and the news reports , and sometimes, there are names and formations and speculations about players I have never heard of (and after seeing some of them perform, I`m not surprised).
First we endured the endless tinkering and mindless start-of-season rotations. then we endured the influx and ejaculation of "names" of players who pulled the wage but didnt pull their weight.
then we had to watch as less and less of the players wearing our shirt didnt touch the Anfield sign as they left the tunnel, and now we are left with a squad bereft of any heart, let alone depth.
i`m not in despair... because I`ll follow Liverpool till the day I die, be that at the pinnacle of the premier league, or languishing mid table of the lower divisions.
But i will NOT lie to myself or anyone else about a poor performance, be it by the team OR the manager.
Tactically I believe Rafa is suspect.
And yes, you can blame the owners and the players if you wish, but for me, the manager picks the team, and in his case, the manager picks who he buys and sells, and looking at what we have currently, the squad simply arent good enough on paper, so that requires man-management skills to get the very best out of what youve got.
Something that Benitez seems totally incapable of doing.
Might I add to all of those now itching to fire off a sarcastic reply in defense of Rafa based around what they think they should do...
"Blind acceptance is a sign, of stupid fools who stand in line"
there is no shame in questioning... the real shame is not to.
I always read the independent for its insight and great analytical approach to topics, which sees many of its articles, delve under the surface of a topic and get to the root of issues.
But I must admit to be a little bit shocked to how one sided an argument this article is, written by someone who obviously is letting his bias against Benitez write this article.
Undoubtedly Benitez has made some dubious buys, and his handling of Alonso has mystified many a Liverpool fan, including myself. But to brush aside his achievements for Liverpool is to say the least absurd for anyone who watches Liverpool on a regular basis. Under Benitez Liverpool fans have been privileged to watch same great entertaining football we would have only dreamt of under Houllier. Last season was our first real title challenge since the early 90s, and Torres and Gerrard only played 12 games together. That says a lot about a squad that supposedly relies solely on them.
To claim his attention to detail stifles players ability to shine is not backed by the facts. If Im not mistaken we were the highest scorers in the land last season, and towards the end of the season we were playing the kind of free flowing football Barca get praised for, dismantling teams with 3, 4, and 5 goals on a regular basis.
Then you claim he doesnt know how to nurture players. I cant remember Gerrard scoring too many goals under Houllier. When Benitez came, he molded his attacking instincts and since then he has scored 20 goals a season on a regular basis. Then theres Torres. Far from the finished article at Atletico he was rarely scoring goals in double figures. One season with Benitez, who by Torres own admission taught him to play in the channels instead of always drifting out wide, scores over 30 goals in his first season. Not a bad transformation in his scoring figure wouldnt you say?
Then theres the theme of the show the one man show. I doubt many great mangers would have it anyway, I cant see the likes of Ferguson, Shankly, or even Clough letting players dictate to him the way his team should play.
Im very disturbed by the run of defeats and the performance of some of our fringe players in recent games, but that doesnt undermine what Benitez has done for this club and the kind of caliber player he has brought in. If your read the squad list when he first arrived to the one he has now you would be excused if you thought the previous list was the Blackpool squad.
Unfortunately all this was not considered in your article, which reads like a sensationalist tabloid piece instead of something worth of being printed in the Independent.
Thankfully, all is not lost - you can still read some excellent writing about Liverpool, Tony Barrett is one, Jonathan Wilson is another (though he writes generally, not about Liverpool), plus Vickery's excellent BBC column on Latin American football - real journalists who learn, research and report rather than pontificate at length about how wonderful their beloved St Wenger is blah blah 1966 blah blah Alf Ramsey blah blah blah blah blah - to sum up the content of the average Lawton article, with flowery turns of phrase removed for your reading convenience.
Check out this from Paul Tomkins, an inside look at Rafa's Liverpool informed by the man himself - if nothing else, it absolutely shatters the notion of Rafa as some kind of robotic dictator, so beloved by the British press, who seem to think that being a good person involves shouting at ones players with a scarily purple face (like Ferguson or Redknapp) or invoking 'fair play' and 'sportsmanship' while managing a club with an appalling disciplinary record, while laughably pretending not to see any of it, rather than getting his enourmously wealthy players to acknowledge and improve upon their own mistakes - a man who still hasn't shut up about the clear Ryan Babel penalty (from an obvious push) two years ago, yet doesn't see the irony in invoking the slightest of contacts as justification for Eduardo's obvious dive (Wenger).
Anyway, here's the article:
http://tomkinstimes.com/2009/10/my-d
Oh, and note to Lawton - maybe you should try meeting the man yourself before casting holier than thou judgement on his personality. Maybe I'm being a hypocrite in saying that, never having met you, but then again, I feel your personality comes across loud and clear from your writing - it was after all one of the things that stopped me buying the Independent anymore.
Good stuff, hesbighesred. A "signally" better written piece than "Woodrow's".
One of the biggest cliches about the elderly is that they harp on and on about the good old days, and Lawton fits that stereotype perfectly. Another is that they are cynical old buggers ignorant and hateful of modern life... Not only that, but his constant rambling about the so-called greats of American "sports" give one the impression he once recieved a 'The Bumper Illustrated Book Of Sports For Boys 1953' and uses it as his bible.
Still, James "Woodrow" Lawton is always good for an (unintentional) laugh.
James Lawton is in the top ranks of people who can write, in no way is he in the top rank of journalists. There's a big difference.
Writing is about evoking emotions, turning a phrase, using language well, in short about telling a story and telling it well. In that sense, Lawton is superb. I would love to have his flair with words, there is no doubt about it.
However, the ability to write is only a part of what makes a good journalist. Tireless curiosity, a hunger for facts, a desire to research any issue and a rejection of any and all received wisdom until one has determined, as much as possible, the truth of a matter by and for oneself - these are, in my view, the hallmarks of quality journalism. Judged on those criteria, Lawton is a complete and utter failure. Has he ever even met Benitez? Has he bothered to actually really watch our games, research the things he writes about as statements of irrefutable fact?
Of course he hasn't. His constant invocation of Wenger is all the proof you need. He loves Wenger and dislikes Benitez, kind of understandable since their styles contrast, but he writes, and no matter how well he does it, with the mindset of a hopelessly biased fan. Facts don't bother him, the truth is none of his concern. All that matters is sharing his opinion in such a way that it makes himself seem clever and knowledgable, Wenger seem like an all time great manager and Benitez as a borderline disgrace to football. The fact that Benitez is far more honourable in defeat, is a far better rolemodel for the values of sportsmanship that he claims such love for than his idol Wenger - a man who will refuse to acknowledge even the most disgusting challenge from his own players, yet accuses other players of unfair play at the drop of the hat.
In short, he's a tabloid hack with a wordsworthian turn of phrase. Good writer yes, good journalist - not a chance. Not even close. Go and read something like Jonathan Wilson's superb 'inverting the pyramid' for what real football journalism should look like. Sure, the writing isn't up to Lawton's standards but the curiosity, the quest for truth and desire to share that truth with ordinary people - well, the book is suffused with that, and that's what Journalism is, not about finding the most elegant way of borderline libelling someone you happen to dislike.
Oisin McGillicuddy
http://www.thesaraservice.com/
At least this twat tells it like it is, and noone here complains or says he's wrong!
He is not alone in being critical of Benitez, whom I feel sure would have been sacked years ago, were it not for the 'miracle' of Istanbul.
As for Liverpool supporters, all I would say, that if you are happy with your team and Manager, that's fine.
After all, it is not the sports writers who have prevented your team from winning anything for a few years.
I think ManUtd would struggle if Rio and Vidic were unfit and or out of form, Carrick was disinterested and Rooney and Berbatov were injured. Any team would suffer, any.
It's time to give the genius (yes - genius) of Rafael Benitez the time (&support) to get his team over this spell & see where he leads them this season. It isn't over, just look at Chelsea's away record already - and they'r being touted for the double this season, again.
If Rafa could spend anything like Carlo, Hughes or Alex he'd be top of the tables in both competitions - easily because he wouldn't have had to spend relatively small amounts on 2nd choice players eg Babel (young) ; Lucas (young) ; Riera (clearly 2nd choice in every respect) and Ngog (young). He wanted Barry, got Keane, asked for Silva got refused and wishes for Torres international strike partner but knows the club can not afford him.
It sounds cheap but it IS about money at this elite level. If you have it - you compete always and often win if you don't you can only 'punch above your weight' for so long before you hit a speall as Liverpool have now
That is the problem - he has been working miracles at Anfield since he began & it has become expected of him whilst the physical support hasn't been anywhere near enough. Liverpool have simply been punching above their weight for 5 years and now it's catching up.
Seriously, the only BIG players he has wanted & been able to buy were Torres, Alonso (only 10m at the time) and Johnson. Can anyone argue they haven't been GREAT buys?
End of the argument. Rafa IS a GENIUS
Alonso was absent from the game JL describes when we pasted a rather better Man U side than they have this season.
We're still well in it and it's up to every Red to adopt a siege mentality. Rafa's had to buy a few Turkeys (no point in defending that) but some of the talent being nurtured just below is about to burst through.
Aquilani looked a class apart from the opposition in last night's reserve game and it won't be long until he's fully fit... he is something to look forward to.
Pacheco and Kelly will soon be knocking on the door and you will see the plan coming together. (Only one season since Rafa revamped the behind the scenes set up!)
Better if we walk through a storm with our heads held high than allow lazy journalism to bring us to capitulation.
First Chant on Sunday? "Rafa.... Rafael....Rafa ..Rafael.... Rafa... Rafael......
RAFAEL BENITEZ!"