The Rafa thread

[IN_RAFA_WE_TRUST]

Who is Herrera?

[Neil Young]

We?

What have THEY done.

This has been a monumental f*ck up.

I said in another thread - it's the worst decision affecting the playing side of the club in living memory. I can't think of anything that comes close.

[Liverpool]

Im getting an Inter Rafa top.

[peekay]

Watch the press slowly change their opinion on Rafa. When Alonso was here we were a two man team - Gerrard and Torres. After Alonso left - the press started acknowledging his importance.

Same with Rafa. As soon as inter's journey in the CL begins, Rafa will change from cold/inflexible character to a tactical genius. The same press to whom our board fed tidbits of Anti Rafa information will soon sharpen their knives and attack the board for their stupidity. And the pressure will be even more if we get our next appointment wrong.

[tsb]

Watch the press slowly change their opinion on Rafa. When Alonso was here we were a two man team - Gerrard and Torres. After Alonso left - the press started acknowledging his importance.

Same with Rafa. As soon as inter's journey in the CL begins, Rafa will change from cold/inflexible character to a tactical genius. The same press to whom our board fed tidbits of Anti Rafa information will soon sharpen their knives and attack the board for their stupidity. And the pressure will be even more if we get our next appointment wrong.

Was thinking this exact same thing earlier today.

[IN_RAFA_WE_TRUST]

Inter president Massimo Moratti has said the guarantees Rafael Benitez brings with him influenced his decision to appoint him as coach until June 2012.

Benitez stood out from a number of candidates, and Moratti hopes the faith shown in him pays off.

"We chose him because we think he can guarantee our future, and I hope this happens," Moratti told the club's official website.

"He is a very serious person, a great worker, he has experience of European football. Our choice was an attentive one, we hope it gives us reason.

"He was the one we chose first, but there were others who offered themselves, but he was the person I always thought would suit the role.

"He is different to Jose Mourinho, but this is important because I didn't want a Mourinho imitator."

[Tee]

Really weird, and kind of sad tbh, watching Rafa's first Inter PC. I am sure he will do a great job for them though. Rafa

[dww]

Who is Herrera?

Legendary Inter coach - credited with inventing Cattenaccio (although he was keen on attacking fullbacks and a sweeper behind CBs which have disappeared from modern ideas of the formation).

[Shaggy]

Anyone got a link to Rafa's PC?

[dww]

The obligatory wiki link to back me up/undermine me:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helenio_Herrera

Apparently he didn't invent but refine Cattenaccio.

[the rev leeroy brown]

I said in another thread - it's the worst decision affecting the playing side of the club in living memory. I can't think of anything that comes close.

eh, selling alonso and not replacing with a like for like type of midfielder but still trying to play the same way we did when alonso was here was a bigger
"playing side of football" **** up.......or at least on a par IMO.

oh yeh, and when we announced souness as a replacement for dalglish is up there too.

lets not get blinded by the fact that rafa has shown he cannot motivate this team and if there is to be no investment during the summer in players then this was hardly the worst decision.

[Tee]

The last time Rafa inherited a 'winning' team he did pretty well. I expect him to consolidate Inter's position as Serie A Champions, but the CL will require a bit more luck.

[dww]

eh, selling alonso and not replacing with a like for like type of midfielder but still trying to play the same way we did when alonso was here was a bigger
"playing side of football" **** up.......or at least on a par IMO.

I don't think we did really to be honest. At the start of the season we fairly obviously adapted to have the two wide midfielders move inside more, push the fullbacks and Lucas further forward.

We regressed to a bit of a mess as for various reasons a variety of players were under performing (Gerrard unfit and depressed by Alonso leaving, Mascherano wanting out, Riera being a ****, Torres being injured).

oh yeh, and when we announced souness as a replacement for dalglish is up there too.

lets not get blinded by the fact that rafa has shown he cannot motivate this team and if there is to be no investment during the summer in players then this was hardly the worst decision.

I'm not convinced that one season which involved a variety of problems is enough to make claims like "rafa has shown he cannot motivate this team". I think given the circumstances of the ownership and injuries any manage would have struggled to motivate the team. It's worth looking at how the Chelsea team lost it's motivation when Jose was arguing with Abramovich before he left - every cites him as the master of the art.

Getting rid of someone commited to the long term future of the team and club, who is interested in youth development in a situation where we don't intend to invest in the playing staff seems like a pretty terrible idea to me.

The Souness decision was a bad one but I think that it was one that could have been retrieved long term. Not so sure that the same can be said about the current problems unless a vastly wealthy new owner takes over.

[Neil Young]

eh, selling alonso and not replacing with a like for like type of midfielder but still trying to play the same way we did when alonso was here was a bigger
"playing side of football" **** up.......or at least on a par IMO.

oh yeh, and when we announced souness as a replacement for dalglish is up there too.

lets not get blinded by the fact that rafa has shown he cannot motivate this team and if there is to be no investment during the summer in players then this was hardly the worst decision.

No way is the sale (or purchase) of any player equivalent to losing a manager of Rafa's ability, not to mention his backroom staff and the disruption this will create, and replacing him with, at best, Roy Hodgson.

I think your analysis is simplistic to say the least.

The only thing that comes close is not allowing Dalglish a sabbatical but I think hindsight has a lot to do with that.

[peekay]

He really likes his goalkeepers, doesnt he

Former Liverpool FC boss Rafael Benitez makes first Inter Milan signing of Luca Castellazzi

Jun 18 2010 by Our Correspondent, Liverpool Echo

RAFAEL BENITEZ has made his first signing as Inter Milan coach after Luca Castellazzi put pen to paper on a two-year deal at the San Siro.

Benitez was only unveiled as Inter coach this week but has wasted little time snapping up the veteran goalkeeper, who is a free agent after his contract with Sampdoria came to an end this summer.

Castellazzi made 19 appearances last season before being sidelined for two months with a knee injury and losing his place to Marco Storari, but the 34-year-old claims he is now 100% fit.

“First of all I want to say thanks to Inter,” he said. “To become a Nerazzurri player gives me great pride. I really can’t wait to start, to put myself at the disposal of Rafael Benitez, I feel a great joy.