Rafa slates the world cup - Too long
Posted: Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:10 pmFrom Football365.com:
WORLD CUP IS TOO LONG - BENITEZ
Posted 25/08/06 16:10
Rafael Benitez has launched an astonishing attack on the World Cup and claims that it damages the big clubs' chances of success.
The Liverpool manager also insists that there is far more chance of players being injured when they return from major tournaments as their clubs find themselves immediately playing vital Champions League matches that can dictate their future and finances.
Benitez's side take on West Ham on Saturday at Anfield without a clutch of injured stars and with others who played in the World Cup way short of the standards he believes they require.
Harry Kewell is still suffering from a World Cup injury and Jamie Carragher could be out for another three weeks after picking up an ankle problem.
Gabriel Paletta, Stephen Warnock, John Arne Riise and Mohamed Sissoko are also out with injuries, while the match fitness and form of World Cup players Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch, Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso has already been questioned.
Benitez believes a radical change in the World Cup format should take place. He says: "The World Cup is too long, and big clubs lose their players for something like two months.
"They come back from the finals not fit and carrying injuries because they have been playing and working so hard.
"Sure they like playing for their countries, but frankly half the World Cup is not important.
"For the first 15 days you are playing teams that do not matter and matches that do not matter. Then after that you have the best teams playing for the trophy in the last couple of weeks.
"To lose players for two months and find them playing build-up friendlies and then games against small countries is too much.
"They return not fit, with injuries, and then they have to play very important club games straight away. At big clubs you must win every game, whenever it is."
He added: "You must play for big money for Champions League qualification when players are not ready.
"The World Cup must be played by fewer teams, players are being expected to perform too much in poor matches that don't mean anything.
"If you then lose your first club matches, people start to criticise, but you lose those games because you are not fit."
And Benitez even had words of sympathy for Chelsea, whose manager Jose Mourinho has persistently complained about the stress and work heaped on his stars from the World Cup.
Benitez, who is more than aware that Chelsea have lost two games already this season - one to his own club - chose not to gloat, saying: "It is not the best situation this season, with two international breaks straight after the World Cup is over. Chelsea are having the same problem with the fitness of their players.
"For Chelsea it was very good, and very difficult to win two titles on the trot and to win three will be even harder."
Benitez takes on West Ham - a side his team only beat in the FA Cup final on a penalty shoot-out - and likely to introduce £10million striker Dirk Kuyt from the bench.
He said: "I said before the cup final that West Ham are a difficult side, they attack, they score lots of goals and it will be an open game because that is how they play.
"I just hope they don't score as many as they did in Cardiff against us. But they had a fine season after getting promotion and I have a lot of respect for them and their approach.
"It is hard to say what our targets are, it has been such a difficult start to the season with injuries and form, and that is all because of the World Cup.
"I will have a better idea of how we are progressing after this next international break and we can get everyone fit and playing as a team."
After the internationals, Liverpool will be headlong into their Champions League group stage, with the highlight a return to the Ataturk stadium in Istanbul to take on Galatasaray, the venue of their European Cup final triumph of two seasons ago.
Benitez said: "I hope our group is comfortable before we have to go to Galatasaray for the last game in the group. Even if it will be nice to go back to the Ataturk stadium where we have such great memories.
"It is a dangerous group, nobody should say it is easy because it is not. PSV have great experience in Europe, Bordeaux have some very good players and playing Galatasaray in Istanbul is never easy."
____
On the one hand, I think Rafa has a good point. The World Cup did take its toll on some of our key players and it is really disruptive having international friendlies sandwiched in between CL qualifiers. And, that's not to mention the upcoming international qualifiers, where even injured players like Riise are being selected and expected to travel (as the Echo reported today).
On the other hand, is it just me or does this kind of thing seem too much like the type of whinging we've grown accustomed to with Mourinho, Ferguson and Wenger? One of the things I love about Rafa is that he usually seems above the fray: he doesn't bad-mouth opponents incessantly or whinge to the press when things go pear-shaped. Calling for a drastic reduction in the length and number of teams at the WC seems just a little bit self-serving in this case, though, and doesn't sit well with me.
Your thoughts?
WORLD CUP IS TOO LONG - BENITEZ
Posted 25/08/06 16:10
Rafael Benitez has launched an astonishing attack on the World Cup and claims that it damages the big clubs' chances of success.
The Liverpool manager also insists that there is far more chance of players being injured when they return from major tournaments as their clubs find themselves immediately playing vital Champions League matches that can dictate their future and finances.
Benitez's side take on West Ham on Saturday at Anfield without a clutch of injured stars and with others who played in the World Cup way short of the standards he believes they require.
Harry Kewell is still suffering from a World Cup injury and Jamie Carragher could be out for another three weeks after picking up an ankle problem.
Gabriel Paletta, Stephen Warnock, John Arne Riise and Mohamed Sissoko are also out with injuries, while the match fitness and form of World Cup players Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch, Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso has already been questioned.
Benitez believes a radical change in the World Cup format should take place. He says: "The World Cup is too long, and big clubs lose their players for something like two months.
"They come back from the finals not fit and carrying injuries because they have been playing and working so hard.
"Sure they like playing for their countries, but frankly half the World Cup is not important.
"For the first 15 days you are playing teams that do not matter and matches that do not matter. Then after that you have the best teams playing for the trophy in the last couple of weeks.
"To lose players for two months and find them playing build-up friendlies and then games against small countries is too much.
"They return not fit, with injuries, and then they have to play very important club games straight away. At big clubs you must win every game, whenever it is."
He added: "You must play for big money for Champions League qualification when players are not ready.
"The World Cup must be played by fewer teams, players are being expected to perform too much in poor matches that don't mean anything.
"If you then lose your first club matches, people start to criticise, but you lose those games because you are not fit."
And Benitez even had words of sympathy for Chelsea, whose manager Jose Mourinho has persistently complained about the stress and work heaped on his stars from the World Cup.
Benitez, who is more than aware that Chelsea have lost two games already this season - one to his own club - chose not to gloat, saying: "It is not the best situation this season, with two international breaks straight after the World Cup is over. Chelsea are having the same problem with the fitness of their players.
"For Chelsea it was very good, and very difficult to win two titles on the trot and to win three will be even harder."
Benitez takes on West Ham - a side his team only beat in the FA Cup final on a penalty shoot-out - and likely to introduce £10million striker Dirk Kuyt from the bench.
He said: "I said before the cup final that West Ham are a difficult side, they attack, they score lots of goals and it will be an open game because that is how they play.
"I just hope they don't score as many as they did in Cardiff against us. But they had a fine season after getting promotion and I have a lot of respect for them and their approach.
"It is hard to say what our targets are, it has been such a difficult start to the season with injuries and form, and that is all because of the World Cup.
"I will have a better idea of how we are progressing after this next international break and we can get everyone fit and playing as a team."
After the internationals, Liverpool will be headlong into their Champions League group stage, with the highlight a return to the Ataturk stadium in Istanbul to take on Galatasaray, the venue of their European Cup final triumph of two seasons ago.
Benitez said: "I hope our group is comfortable before we have to go to Galatasaray for the last game in the group. Even if it will be nice to go back to the Ataturk stadium where we have such great memories.
"It is a dangerous group, nobody should say it is easy because it is not. PSV have great experience in Europe, Bordeaux have some very good players and playing Galatasaray in Istanbul is never easy."
____
On the one hand, I think Rafa has a good point. The World Cup did take its toll on some of our key players and it is really disruptive having international friendlies sandwiched in between CL qualifiers. And, that's not to mention the upcoming international qualifiers, where even injured players like Riise are being selected and expected to travel (as the Echo reported today).
On the other hand, is it just me or does this kind of thing seem too much like the type of whinging we've grown accustomed to with Mourinho, Ferguson and Wenger? One of the things I love about Rafa is that he usually seems above the fray: he doesn't bad-mouth opponents incessantly or whinge to the press when things go pear-shaped. Calling for a drastic reduction in the length and number of teams at the WC seems just a little bit self-serving in this case, though, and doesn't sit well with me.
Your thoughts?
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