I was going to write today’s article about the unbelievable Joe Kinnear, but have decided that Rafa Benitez is even more worthy of comment at this time!
Poor decision
The reason Kinnear came into the picture was his comments after the 1-1 draw with Sunderland. The visitors were 1-0 up when Newcastle were awarded the softest of penalties to allow them to escape with a draw. It was a very poor decision and Newcastle were very lucky to get the penalty.
What does Kinnear say after the game? He has moaned a lot about referees so far, so presumably he will say that they got lucky this time, but that it was about time, or something like that. No, he said,
“There were turning points in the game and I don’t think – again – the big decisions have gone our way, but that’s the way it is going for us at the moment.â€Â
As I say. Unbelievable.
Questionnable behaviour
Then the Robbie Keane saga continued and I felt it only right that the slightly questionable behaviour of Rafa Benitez over recent weeks should be looked at.
Whether you believe that Harry Redknapp tapped Robbie Keane up, or Benitez never wanted him in the first place, or Keane was treated poorly or nobody is to blame and it was just one of those things, the sale of Keane back to Tottenham was an embarrassing day for Liverpool FC.
Well respected
The facts of the matter are that a well respected Premier League and international player went to the club for £20 million and has been sold back to where he came from six months later for just £12 million. Whichever way you look at that, it is not good.
In recent times Rafa has come under a great deal of scrutiny. Much of it has been of his own making. Some say that he has been ‘doing a Mourinho’ and trying to deflect pressure away from his players. Some say he has been ‘doing a Ferguson’ and trying to play mind games and creating a ‘them and us’ situation. Others say simply that Rafa has ‘lost it’
At the risk of jumping on a growing bandwagon, I have to say that I think I fall into the category of people who feel that Rafa has somewhat let the pressure get to him and that he may indeed have ‘lost it’.
More importantly
The fans still seem to be behind their manager but the absolute need to win either the Champions League or more importantly, the Premier League, is growing by the day.
The manager’s team selection, particularly in Premier League games has always been confusing to the outsider. I see the likes of Agger, Babel and up until a couple of days ago, Robbie Keane, struggling to get a game whilst the likes of Benayoun, Kuyt and Lucas are regular fixtures in the side. I appreciate Benitez sees them more than me and knows more about football than me, but I’m not the only one who finds these decisions strange.
Defensive and cautious
It is well reported that Benitez has a defensive and cautious nature. His desire to play with two holding midfielders seems to be unshakeable and will always lead to a team that is hard to beat rather than a team that goes for the jugular.
Even on Sunday against Chelsea, with the score at 0-0 and the visitors down to ten men, in what everyone believed was a must win game, Benitez left it until the 83rd minute before sacrificing one of his holding players, Mascherano, for the more attacking Babel. OK, the two late goals brought the win and his decision was justified, but it was a worrying example of the man’s caution.
Spotlight
The incidents that have put Benitez in the spotlight are the attack he made on Sir Alex Ferguson which whilst being relatively controlled and probably wrongly referred to as a rant, was almost certainly ill advised at best.
The attack on Everton for playing defensively against them at Anfield. They played in a similar way to that which Benitez has so successfully used for Liverpool in Europe. Everton go to Anfield to take on a more talented Liverpool side. How do they play? They play in exactly the same way Liverpool would play if they went to the Camp Nou to take on a more talented Barcelona side.
The description of the events of the second half in the 1-1 draw at Wigan as being ‘crazy’, but then not being prepared to expand on his comments. Just what on earth was he talking about?
Hypocrisy
The complaint about the ‘tapping up’ of Robbie Keane by Harry Redknapp. This one really does smack of total hypocrisy. The purchase of Keane in the first place and more obviously, the pursuit of Gareth Barry, were far more obvious cases of ‘tapping up’ in my opinion.
In other words, I think at the moment that everything Benitez is saying publicly is open to question. Did he want Robbie Keane in the first place? If he did, then his current demands for total control over transfers seem to be difficult to justify in the light of the sixth month £8 million loss. If he didn’t, then things at the club are even worse than they appear.
Popular
Maybe he has looked at the way other team’s fans view the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho and realised that he was far to universally popular to be successful. He has decided that the only way to achieve success is by getting the fans of all other clubs to dislike you. If that is the case, he is doing a pretty good job of it!
- Soccer News Like
- Be the first of your friends!
