Are we in the title race?
Nope. Are we depressed, angry, resentful, fed up? NOPE. Is Rafa in the middle of creating something special at this club AGAIN. If you ask me, YES.Nobody could begrudge our fans, players or management cursing our luck on the injury front this year. Cisse out for the best part of a year with a broken leg. Gerrard was out for two months with a broken metatarsal in his foot. Kewell has been out for nearly two months with a groin injury, just as he was hitting some form. Baros has been in and out the team with hamstring injuries for two months and counting. Alonso and Sinama Pongolle are now out for the rest of the season. Smicer is still yet to play this season. And to top everything off, we brought Anthony Le Tallec back from his loan spell at St Ettienne and he got injured playing for the reserves.
Injuries shouldn't be used as an excuse but I've never seen anything like our exodus this season. Its the equivalent of Arsenal losing.......Henry, Viera, Pires, Reyes, Gilberto/Edu and Van Persie maybe.
But, I hear you cry, why do we still lie only fifth, if we are playing a better style of football this season. Injuries??? Well yes, thats a massive, massive factor, its part of football. However, I am not here to talk about the excuses for us ONLY being fifth at the moment. What I do want to talk about, is HOW we are fifth, only a couple of wins off fourth, in the last 16 of the Champions League, and in the Carling Cup Final.
The answer is obvious to us Liverpool fans. Its Rafa Benitez. I cannot help but think that if we had had the same injuries to key players under Houllier, as we have had this year, we would almost certainly be out of the Champions League, Carling Cup, and would be in the bottom half of the table.
The guy is basically everything Houllier was not. The evidence of this comes through the development of certain players and the more frequent use of some of our promising youngsters. Many had been cast aside by Houllier, but in came Benitez and stamped his authority on the Academy set up. Again, Rafa knew that many would be needed, and so has been the case. He brought more promising faces up to Melwood to train with the first team to give them a chance whilst also working with the existing Melwood youngsters.
And what do we see. A Liverpool side made up of Academy Graduates, and fringe players, reaching the semi final of the Carling Cup, having dispatched Boro at home, Millwall away, and SPURS AWAY. Players like Whitbread, Raven, Warnock, Potter, Pongolle and Mellor have all flourished under the Benitez effect. Before the season started, I'm sure a lot of fans had never heard of half the academy players, let alone see them play.
Stephen Warnock looks like an able, tough tackling, quick full back or a decent nippy winger who could save us millions. Why??? Because Benitez has worked closely with him and given him the confidence to display his promising ability.
Darren Potter looks like he could become an intelligent play maker. Why?
Because Benitez has worked closely with him and given him the confidence to display his promising ability.Flo Pongolle looks like he has stepped his development up a level. He was always thought of as a promising gem, but under Benitez he seems to have a confidence in his ability that we haven't seen before. Why??? Because Benitez has worked closely with him and given him the confidence to display his promising ability.
And what of Neil Mellor? A player most Liverpool regulars, myself included would have told you was not good enough for the Premiership. Then comes a brace in the Carling Cup, then a winner against Arsenal, then a crucial goal against Olympiakos, then a goal against Newcastle. Add to that a new found touch on the ball that seems to suggest that maybe this player is Premier League standard. Why?
Because Benitez has worked closely with him and given him the confidence to display his promising ability.Many of these youngsters, like Warnock, Pongolle and Mellor have all been crucial also in the Premiership as the injury crisis deepened before the turn of the year.
Finally, look at the effect Rafa has had on a few of our out of sorts stars.
Mr Kewell went to Benitez for help to rediscover his form. Rafa told us, "he is on a special regime, and we will see the benefits in a month." Bang, a Villa Park, he was on the score sheet, and post Villa was turning in some much improved performances, before, yes you've guessed it, injury took him too.
Steve Finnan. One of the best right full back in the Premiership at Fulham, but not living up to it at Liverpool......then enter Benitez, and for the last maybe 3 months we have seen a full back we all know and love, who has been solid, dependable, a great attacking support player, and has bascially been quite superb.
Under Rafa, Jamie Carragher has flourished into one of the best Centre Backs in Europe on current form, and Milan Baros has shown what we already all knew anyway ( except Houllier).....he is a very good player who just needs to keep improving to take him on to the next level.
Simply put, Benitez's influence on the team ,and individuals has been key. He has kick started "star" players' form and confidence and he has given the confidence to squad players and youngsters to go out and perform at the top of their game. Quite simply, he is extracting the absolute best from every member of his squad, and at a time when this is absoltely CRUCIAL in the face of an injury crisis that has gripped KEY players.
What I am trying to say, to sum up, is that, with a fully fit squad ( I know squads are rarely FULLY fit, but its unusual to have all your key players pick up long term injuries as we have had, in one season), and with several plus additions, imagine what this team under Benitez could do, if at the moment, as we operate on "empty" we are still right up there. Imagine us with the tank "full".
Therefore I beg you all, judge us this time next year, when Benitez has a team he can call his own, and whats more, a fully fit team firing on all cylinders, a fully fit team firing on all cylinders "The Benitez Way"
Its coming, we all know it......so hold on tight Reds.
kidding mate
