Liverpool FC Forum

The Ace1983 wrote:Another season, another chance gone to lift the Premiership trophy for the first time. But that dream is edging closer and closer to becoming a reality and it is in no small part to our manager and his slow playing.

When I say slow playing, I am speaking of course, as some of you will know, about poker. For those of you who don't play or know, slow playing is a specific tactic for playing the game which I will now explain with an example. I have this friend who I play poker with called Liam and he is a master of this art. Liam will sit at the table, guarding his chips and doing absolutely nothing. Even when he has a good hand, he will never make the first bet. But if he has a good hand and someone else bets, he'll match it all the way to the end. He doesn't always win, but he always lasts a long time and he accumulates enough chips to sustain him and his frugal approach for ages. It makes him safe, always with a chance of getting second place or even first and impossible to read.

And this is Rafa. I was reading today about his praise for Bolo Zenden who, in truth, I don't really think about. I always regarded him as being: solid, reliable, does exactly what it says on the tin. But he does get his crosses in, he can tackle better than a lot in the Premiership, he's got a decent shot and he works hard.

And Andy "Can I turn around and kiss you, Jose?" Gray thought about putting Steve Finnan in his team of the season which he is certainly deserving of, but outside of Liverpool supporters, no-one remembers him. He's got an amazing work ethic, he's more than competant and he responds to competition well. And there's Carragher, Hyypia, Agger, Riise, Reina, Sissoko... The list goes on. If there is one word that can describe all of these players' performances, it has to be: Solid.

And this brings me to my point about Rafa. This is how he will win us the league. Through every week putting out a side that will simply score more goals than they concede. Any flair, any fireworks, they might happen but they are not essential (though any team that has Gerrard, Garcia and the like should certainly expect some). He could have gone out and bought a right winger who was super fast, a primadonna and full of tricks. Instead, he bought, Jermaine Pennant, a player who is really good at crossing the ball. Simple as. He does what it says on the tin.

When Gerrard Houllier wanted a striker he looked for Cisse who was full of speed and packed with flair. The only problem was, he couldn't hit the side of a barn even if he was in the barn. Who does Benitez go for? Kuyt. He scores goals, he creates goals. The only flair or controversy he comes with is how to pronounce his name. Morientes was in the same mould but he just wasn't good enough.

So Benitez sits there, guarding his hand, and thinking. While those around him lose their heads, he waits until he has the best cards and then he goes for it. His interest and investment in the youth team and the players he buys are indicative of the manner in which he plays his game. And I know that it's been said time and time again, but its true. The future's bright, the future's Red.

Ok, so in terms of trophies, we may end this season with just a Charity Shield. But we could yet be European Champions for a sixth time and the summer should see an influx of top talent come into the club. Stevie and the rest want to see out their careers with us, Rafa's wfe won't let him leave and our foreign owners seem to be pretty nice guys on early impressions. And at the heart of it all, with our Crest in his heart, sits Rafa Benitez with his mind working away. And he'll get us there by employing players who do what they need to do. Not divers, not cheats, not players who are all bells and whistles with none of the fundamentals. He's cautious, and we have to patient. So prepare yourselves this summer to expect a few buys that won't necessarily reflect our now sizeable wallet.

So, if you do ever sit next to Rafa at a poker table, don't expect him to represent his hand. Don't expect him to go all in or bet silly. He'll be there at the end of the night, with money in the bank and a mind like a razor. Let's just hope he'll have a premiership title under his arm as well (and another European cup wouldn't be bad either).

Eat that Valdano 

Good one as always Ace - just hope he gets who he needs over the summer so we can make a good start to the season. We must get off to a good start early on - the secret of the mancs success this year no doubt!

DazH- wrote:Oh and does anyone think the stadium in Athens kinda looks like the Ataturk in Istanbul? Same opposition and all!

A bit maybe, hopefully it will be the same result as well