Champions League - Rafa’s Genius or Houllier’s legacy?
We’re often told about Rafa’s tactical genius, but his increasingly erratic decisions have raised big question marks about his ability both in Europe and in the Premiership. Now he is suggesting that, Steven Gerrard, one of the world’s greatest central midfielders, is best played out on the wing.
But if Rafa isn’t a genius then how did his team win the Champions League, and how did his Valencia team win two La Liga titles?
Looking back at his form prior to Valencia, it doesn’t look too good; sacked as coach for Valladolid after just 23 games, sacked after just 9 games by Osasuna, relegated with Extremadura (after first gaining them promotion), then in the year he leads Tenerife to promotion, he gets a dream job as manager of Valencia when Hector Cuper left to join Inter Milan.
At that time Valencia had a very strong team built by Cuper who had just led them to back to back Champions League finals. Rafa then took this great team and led them to two la Liga titles in three years. But was it a case of a great manager, or of a good manager in charge of a great team?
After a very public falling out with the Sporting Director of Valencia for reasons that remain a mystery Rafa left Valencia and went to join Liverpool
Rafa joined a Liverpool that also had a very strong team, built by its previous manager Houllier. The team had won numerous cup competitions but had difficulty challenging for the Premiership. Rafa came in and with more or less the same team that Houllier developed he won the Champions League. Its true he bought in some new players, most notably Alonso (least notably Nunez), but the team was largely the same one he was inherited.
Now in his third season in charge at Anfield, he seems to be losing the plot a little, buying journeymen like Bellemy, Pennant, Crouch, etc. (can they compare to Dalglish, Fowler, Keegan, Barnes, etc.), dropping his best players or playing them out of position. Was it this habit of buying journeymen and tinkering that caused the fall out with Valencia’s Sporting Director?
This season the team is now one that he has built, and so far its not looking good. He’s taken what was arguably a very good team and turned it into just a “good” team.
We know its only early days in the season, but I suspect that it’s the lack of goals, rather than the lack of points that’s really worrying the Liverpool Board at the moment, especially after Rafa spent over £70m on players, including a whole new front line. There is a saying around the halls of Anfield; “form is temporary, class is permanent”, so maybe Rafa’s early form was temporary ….and his true class is beginning to show?
This year may be the one in which he is found out (one way or the other), but when you look across at Lyon, it is interesting to note what a great team Houllier is building over there…
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22 opinions for Champions League - Rafa’s Genius or Houllier’s legacy?
Alan
Sep 18, 2006 at 4:41 pm
It must be a tradition to start your stint on The Footie with an article about Rafa Benitez!
You make some good points Jay especially when I thought I was one of the only ones to question Benitez’s judgement overall.
I honestly think he’s a Spanish Houllier, big reputation that he struggles to live up to when it comes to buying players and moulding a side together. Playing England’s best midfielder since Paul Gascoigne on the wing sums him up for me.
Out of his depth and a liability with the cheque book.
Bring back Souness!
Sack the Juggler
Sep 18, 2006 at 4:53 pm
Hi Alan, good to see you back!
Rafa hasn’t got Mourinho’s chequebook, but he’s in the Arsenal / Man U / Newcastle bracket for making purchases - the trouble is, he hasn’t got Wenger’s or Ferguson’s skill for picking winners, so he picks loads of “potentially” good players in the hopes of getting a good one!
But the main thing he has achieved in the transfer market so far is to dilute the quality of what was a very good squad.
jonathan okanlawon
Sep 18, 2006 at 6:08 pm
Well even though I am not a liverpool fan, i don’t believe Benitez should be crucified for poor recent form. He is a good coach, what i think is that he is just having a bad patch. As for Gerrard he should draft him back to central midfield, he is one of the best in the world.Playing him on the wing is playing him out of position.
Sack the Juggler
Sep 18, 2006 at 9:32 pm
Jonathon, you may well be right and it might turn out to be a bad patch, but his decisions seem to be increasingly strange.
I think he wants to play gerrard on the wing because neither sissoko nor alonso can play there and therefore if he wants three of them on the pitch at the same time he has to push gerrard out to the wing.
I think he needs to make his mind up if he’s going to play a 4-4-2 or a 4-5-1 (which would allow three in central midfield), but his front line doesn’t seem able to score with just one up front. So maybe Gerrard is suffering because of Rafa’s failure to buy a 20 goals a season striker?
Andy Hyslop
Sep 19, 2006 at 12:14 pm
Its an interesting theory i’ll give you that… but you have to remember that liverpool had a poor start at the start of last season. If Raffa can nip it in the bud now then i dont know why liverpool cant finish 2nd. What he needs to do is beat Newcastle and the spurs to get some faith back… then watch the clean sheets and goals pour in… Kyut is a master buy and crouch is on fier for england… he needs to stick with a 4-4-2. Reina - Finna, agger, carragher, aureilo - Gerrard, alonso, sissoko, gonzales - Kyut, crouch. Plasy that for 5-6 games and results will be pouring in… In Rafa We Trust
Ian
Sep 19, 2006 at 12:39 pm
I dont think he’s made many mistakes so far. Ok we lost against a decent Everton team but it was a one off especially when you consider the number of clear chances we made against what Everton created.
Of course, it also proved to be undoing against Chelsea as we didnt take our chances and if we had we would have most likely won as Chelsea dont look as cohesive as they have in previous seasons (in fact Chelsea have looked out of sorts since December).
You have got to take your chances in football and when your team takes a lot of time before making the chances count it needs a lot of defensive solidarity to make up for it which has also been lacking.
If liverpool had won yesterday no-one would be questioning Benetiz. Benetiz is an excellent coach and anyone who queries this doesnt understand football. To say that Houllier is a better coach when he takes over a team that had previously won the same league for 4 previous seasons is madness.
Scott
Sep 19, 2006 at 12:42 pm
“This year may be the one in which he is found out (one way or the other), but when you look across at Lyon, it is interesting to note what a great team Houllier is building over there…”
Didn’t Houllier inherit a team that had won 2 back to back titles?
Phil P
Sep 19, 2006 at 1:35 pm
I think the major problem Rafa has had this season is getting to know his best side/formation. The likes of Man U/Chelsea/Arsenal have brought just a couple of players in each. Liverpool have made wholesale changes to their squad which obviously needs time to gel together. Two international breaks right at the start of the season have done nothing to help him out with this problem.
The media are talking about Liverpool’s season in the Premiership being over already….what a load of Grade A rubbish!! Assuming we pick 3 points up against the Geordies on Wednesday night, we’re a massive 5 points off Chelsea and Man Utd. Time to worry (or question Rafa)?…..I think not!
Sack the Juggler
Sep 19, 2006 at 1:37 pm
Scott - yes, Houllier did inherit a great side, and my tongue was firmly in cheek when I mentioned how he was building a great team at Lyon.
With regard to the other points made by Ian and Andy, I think that we all get the feeling that alls it will take is one win for Liverpool to get back on track, but the worry is that Rafa will not let the team settle. For some reason he seems determined to keep changing it, regardless of how well the team has played.
I actually like Kuyt, think he’s a great player but plays too deep for the Premiership and so I just can’t see him getting goals. Crouch and Bellamy will miss by far the majority of chances the team carve out for them, and Liverpool are seriously lacking a Rush or a Fowler (in his youth), to get onto the end of through balls and put them away.
I honestly think Andy Johnson would have been perfect for Liverpool, he’s as good a finisher as Fowler / Rush but with more pace, can’t see why you didn’t go for him!
Andy Hyslop
Sep 19, 2006 at 1:43 pm
i agree with the point made that Raffa has started to tinker, but he did it at valencia with good results. i agree that he may have chosen the wrong time to do it this season… I think liverpool were blinded by the fact that he came from crsytal palace and that they are a “worldclas” team and he is beneath them, that sort of thing. I would of loved to see AJ at anfield however as we have bellamy we have a stricker with similar qualities he wasnt needed. It also comes down to adjusting to life in the premiership. Once Kyut and Gonzalez/aurielo etc adjust they will be a force to be reconed with… The tinkering must slow down… keep a strong 1st eleven for a few games and see where that goes then make changes… not after each game… but Raffa knows best…
Sack the Juggler
Sep 19, 2006 at 3:28 pm
Phil,
I understand what you are saying about the new signings and stuff, but don’t you think he should have therefore made the signings earlier to give them time to bed in and to give Liverpool a flying start in the Premiership.
To be honest the main worry that Liverpool have at the moment is a lack of goals rather than a lack of ability. That might change soon, but in the meantime it’ll be playing on their minds…
aadithya
Sep 19, 2006 at 6:44 pm
FIRSTLY let me say i sincerely hope that u will reply to this. this appears to be a liverpool bashing site first of all, what when collymore’s supposed offers must naturally be thought of as ‘if rafa that desperate?’. now firstly to valencia. how exactly are u deciding that they are a great team? empirically against a certain team of a certain year? quantifiying each players ability and averaging it out? his valencia team won in a period where Real Madrid had its galacticos, and Barcelona had a team which according ur standards of houllier’s liverpool team, were stupendous. Ronaldinho was even present in the 2nd win. So how come these other great teams didnt beat Rafa’s? Next. Houlliers legacy. The team Houllier won all those cups with was decidedly different. It had a michael owen with jet heeels which was not the case post-worldcup 2002 when he scored much fewer goals and where liverpool struggled to fourth placing leading houllier to the sack. gary mac was also no longer there to be the inspiration he was, henchoz had declined, as had babbel, riise was off form, heck gerrard was dragging his teammates by the scruff of their necks. rafa bought only alonso yes, but it is a testament to his ability that it was all he needed! buying more players doesn’t show quality. it is idiotic to think that stating he only bought one player proves that it was his squad previously assembled that did the job and not rafa. Don’t forget he also won the CL that first season without a certain MICHAEL OWEN which you cannot say was his fault as owen himself would deny it. The season after the CL (last season), Liverpool finished 3rd, and not far off 2nd either. Yet more improvement, with Liverpool then being touted at the beginning of this season as favourites to challenge Chelsea. Do you really think that the team with a best XI of baros, heskey, diouf, murphy, gerrard, letallec,riise,hyypia,biscan, and a heavily off-form finnan, dudek would have been that? no chance. Now to playing Gerrard out wide. Here’s the thing: alonso and sissoko are fantastic in the centre, anyone who watched liverpool last season will know that. this season alonso has lost a bit of form but he is proven class. however, liverpool ’s wingers are not that great right now with last season’s resurgent kewell injured. So against chelsea, the logical thing to do would be to put out ur best team. Is a midfield with gerrard in a non-strict roving side role with alonso and sissoko better or gerrad and one of alonso/sissoko in the centre and gonzales who is young and not settled in the prem be better?! gerrard has proven he can play in the almost free-role ish wing for england and for liverpool, especially last season for liverpool when it got him so many goals. The reason for rafa’s departure from valencia is also no mystery: he wasn’t in control of transfers, the director of football instead used to do the purchasing, his decision to leave mirrors that of harry redknapp from portsmouth back in the DOF phase and it was respected. His signings this season? Pennant put in the most crosses of any player in the premiership last season, and no that doesnt meant balls which ballooned out of play, ones that stayed in. He has bags of pace and trickery and is young. Journeyman? he’s been at what 3 clubs? that is usual in todays football. Bellamy: 17 goals last season despite injuries. Pace that was lacking last season and goal scoring ability that even Arsene Wenger confessed he was tracking. Journeyman? 3 clubs. Crouch is a controversial topic im not going to debate becoz im not such a great fan of him myself, but the guy doesnt play poorly for liverpool, gives his all, gets assists and some goals, heck hes in the england team aint he. And so-called ‘great’ managers have spent much more on much greater flops. Fergie on djemba etc. Wenger on Reyes etc. Moaninho on tiago etc. The start to this season now: How many games have been played? and where are the other big guns in the table? None have had 100% starts. Losing against Chelsea 1-0 at stamford bridge in a close game is no shame, and everton well it was at goodison and with derbies form goes out the window as they say. New players need time to bed in and lets not forget the superhuman exertions of players like Gerrard over last season with Liverpool and England. By comparison frank lampard of chelsea also has not yet hit the heights with his club this season and as a result his team are not playing as good as they can yet either. So basically. Shut it, you obviously either don’t watch any Liverpool games or are just plain stupid.. I can’t decide. You don’t win the CL by luck, you don’t win 2 primera liga titles by luck, or whatever else Rafa has won, and you certainly can’t manage to have won them all by luck. PLLLEEAASE reply dear blogger, i’m relishing it.
aadithya
Sep 19, 2006 at 6:47 pm
Btw sorry if i came across as over aggressive, i think i did. Unintended.
Sack the Juggler
Sep 19, 2006 at 9:55 pm
Aadithya, sorry if I’ve come across as liverpool bashing (or maybe Rafa bashing), its just that the main stories seem to be about Liverpool this week, even the Collymore story came out this afternoon and I couldn’t resist speculating on who the premierhsip was, especially with Liverpools current goal scoring problems.
In response to your detailed reply you make some excellent points but at the end of the day, the Liverpool squad now is worse than the squad Rafa took over. Ignoring Michael Owen for now (as he was hardly scoring for Houllier either) I honestly think that Rafa is a good at getting the best out of a squad but prefers quantity over quality.
Using your own arguement you could say that Valencia’s sporting director was the main force behind Valencia’s success because he chose which players to buy.
My point is that Rafa has been in the right place at the right time twice now, and whilst that is not a bad thing (Napoleon always prefered a lucky general rather than a good general), but being a hard working manager is not the same as being able to build a great team and to my mind Rafa has worked the squad he inherited as far as he can but has also diluted the quality somewhat.
I honestly can’t see Liverpool winning the Premiership under Rafa, even if he had Abramovich’s riches, and I think thats why he fell out with Valencia.
You clearly know your team and I commend your loyalty and depth of knowledge, and I don’t think you were being aggressive, just passionate about your club and your sport. I look forward to having other discussions with you in the future, but I can’t promise they’ll all be about Liverpool.
Rog
Sep 21, 2006 at 2:26 pm
I’m afraid I just don’t agree. As already mentioned by others, the squad that Rafa inherited was certainly not the squad that won the cup competition treble. In fact, it’s fair to say it wasn’t Houllier’s failure to win the premiership, but rather his failure in the transfer market that doomed his tenure.
How you can say a squad containing Cheyrou, Diao, Diouff, Biscan and Smicer was better than the current squad is beyond me. I look back on those dark days with a bit of a shudder.. defensive, long ball football at its least attractive.
The style Rafa has brought in is more dynamic, still the onus is on a sound defence but not by putting ten men behind the ball; more by putting pressure on the opposition, closing down from all angles and reverting to attack quickly. Working very hard, in other words. Whether you agree or not, Liverpool’s attacking play has vastly improved and they are now a better team now to watch, and yes, this has to be down to Rafa.
I firmly believe that Rafa has strengthened in every position and now has a squad capable of challenging for the title. Fair enough, Liverpool have not had the best of starts, but there are mitigating circumstances. Come Saturday, Liverpool will have played 6 league games. How many of these were a standard 3pm kick off on a Saturday? Not one of them. The start of the season has not really allowed Liverpool to get their confidence up.. the hectic schedule seeing 3 away games in their first 4 league fixtures. Despite this, Liverpool have still had the better of the play away. If Liverpool had been deservedly losing I’d be worried, but the truth is, apart from some bad finishing and the woodwork, Liverpool would have more points on the board to match their play.
Am I the type of fan that follows the team and the manager with blind faith? I like to think not, I like to think I make my own judgements. I don’t pay attention to the constant media criticism. A club like Liverpool will always be in the spotlight, every decision by the manager analysed. One bad result can cause a crisis, two can bring about the end of the world as we know it, but why? Why question the man who won the Champions League in his first season? The FA Cup in his second?
I believe in Rafa Benitez, his record is no fluke and any decision he makes is fine by me.
PS. Just wanted to add, he didn’t just bring in Alonso in his first season.. he also brought in Garcia.. and we all know how important his contributions were to win the CL.
Sack the Juggler
Sep 21, 2006 at 3:47 pm
Rog - good answer, well thought out and, I must admit, it has me thinking about the validity of the original post…. but having said that Rafa also bought Nunez, Josemi, Morientes, Kromkamp, so maybe Houllier’s purchases can compare.
But leaving the Houllier v Rafa agrument to one side for the moment, do you think that Liverpool will win the league this season? I know they’ve had a bad start, and although last night’s result was good, your forward line is still having trouble taking its chances (I think Rafa’s quote was “at last, a goal from one of our strikers!”)
Rog
Sep 21, 2006 at 8:41 pm
Thanks Juggles! Your too kind.
I could sit here and defend the players you mention, but the truth is they didn’t cut it; despite some fine reputations. However, that to me is another welcome change from the previous regime. I really don’t want to knock Houllier, as I think what he did for the club was amazing, especially considering he literally put his life on the line for Liverpool FC, but still, he did have a tendency to stubbornly refuse to admit he made a mistake.. and he made several.
Rafa doesn’t seem to waste any time to correct his mistakes, he has been ruthless in his persuit of team success, putting a few ‘big name’ noses out of joint along the way. A vital ingredient for a successful manager I think. All the players you mentioned have since been moved on, a sign that Rafa saw his mistakes and rather than avoid it, he held his hands up and corrected it.
Do I think Liverpool could win the title? I definitely think they CAN, but if I’m honest I don’t think they will, at least not this year. We need more luck, an element that after hitting the post 6 times so far, doesn’t seem to be there! That sounds lame I know, but whoever wins this campaign will have had the rub of the green along the way.
Though who else could win it from the so called big four? Despite their great start, I don’t particularly rate United, I think they’ll lose their fair share of games throught the course of the season, that’s not said out of any hatred, I just don’t think all their players have what it takes. Arsenal have already shown signs of weakness, even Chelsea don’t look quite right at the moment, despite winning. So maybe this season will be Liverpool’s best chance in a long time, in fact maybe the eventual winner may only need 80 points, rather than the 90 or so of recent seasons? If that is the case, Liverpool have as good a chance as any, just need to find their consistency.
You’re right about the strikers not exactly being on fire at the moment, but there’s time to fix these things. I know it’s a cliche.. but the most important thing is they have been getting chances, they’re in the right place at the right time, whether or not they eventually hit the target. Kuyt to me still looks exceptional.. I’m hoping his goal last night will be the first of many..
Sorry for overly long reply!
Andy
Sep 22, 2006 at 8:24 am
I agree… Liverpools start was poor but the win against newcastle was Xtremely important. Last season Liverpools poor start went on till xmas, so i hope this win will turn things around and we’ll start rolling in the three points. kyut looks like a brilliant aquisitian. Better than 30m for Schev anyway… I think how ever that the title is chelsea’s for this season, I hope and pray that i am wrong… But Chelsea is a strange team as they seem to be an english real madrid. Full of galatico’s but not really playing that well. i would love to see chelsea decline, slight hint of monetary jelousy but as a famous saying says. Form is temperary, Class is permenant…
Sack the Juggler
Sep 22, 2006 at 8:33 am
I must admit, that’s one of the things I like about rafa, if he thinks one of his purchases isn’t going to cut it, he’ll admit it and he’ll move them on, regardless of how much it costs him in lost transfer fees.
But I also think think that has led to a problem, namely Liverpool haven’t got enough funds to risk it all on one player, so instead of buying one or two quality players a season, Rafa is spreading it too thinly and buying several players for around the £6m mark in the hope that one or two will work out to be bargains.
If they don’t work out then he will sell them on and recoup some money towards the next purchases. Each time he does this it drains a little more from the pot. Sometimes I wish he’d just go for it like he did with Alonso instead of haggling over the difference betweem £10m ansd £12m like he did with samoa.
Si
Sep 22, 2006 at 9:07 am
The season is only 5 games old… At least give the new signings till christmas before you condemn them to the scrap heap… Spending millions on a player does not guarantee quality - i think there’s plenty of examples around to prove that… The only thing that puzzles me (and many others) is rafa’s tinkering with the squad… I would like to see more of gonzales on the left and pennant on the right… Either gerrard/momo or gerrard/xabi in the middle and kuyt/bellamy upfront… I’m sure by christmas, the squad will be more settled and performances improved…
Sack the Juggler
Sep 22, 2006 at 10:02 am
Rafa has a problem in the middle, he wants to play Alonso becuase he was his major purchase, and he’s a class player, he also wants to play Gerrard there, because he is probably the best attacking midfielder in the country, but he feels that he also needs a defensive midfielder in there to break down the opposition play, so he needs to have sissoko in there as well.
But also wants to have at least two strikers on the pitch so in order to play gerrard / alonso / sissoko together in a 442 he has to put one out on the wing, and gerrard is the only one out the three with the ability to do that.
The only other alternative it so play three at the back, and go for a 352, but his defence has been his weak spot this campaign and he can’t afford to weaken it further.
Sack the Juggler
Sep 22, 2006 at 10:36 am
Andy, I’ve said before how much I like Kuyt, there is so much of his game to admire, but my one concer about him is that (I think) he plays too deep. In Holland he might have got away with that against some of the lesser clubs, but he wont get away with it in the premiership.
To me he seems to take on a Rooney role, and while we all know how good Rooney is, he’s not a prolific goals scorer (in the Ian Rush mould), and neither is Kuyt proving to be. I think he needs to sit up tighter to the back four and really work them, pushing them for an opening, and until he does this then his striker rate isn’t going to improve.
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