Before the season started, I've come across a great site called fantasy Rafa, in which you can try and predict Rafa's line up for the forthcoming match. No, I'm not one of its creators and this is not a commercial, but I found the results, especially in the Aston Villa game, intriguing. I'll get back to this later.
During the summer, Rafa Benitez has hinted with actions rather than words that Steven Gerrard would become a permanent fixture outside of the 'central midfield duo', either behind a lone striker or on the right. Let's look at the facts:
1. He has sold neither Alonso nor Sissoko, despite reportedly receiving extremely tempting offers for the two, and instead opted to tie them to new long term deals.
2. He has also signed Lucas Leiva, a very gifted central midfielder with a bright future, for quite a large sum of money.
3. He has refused to sign a WoRlD ClAsS right winger who merits an automatic starting berth, instead signing the versatile, talented yet forever 'squad option': Yossi Benayoun.
Finally, the midfield squad looked like this:
Pennant-Alonso-Mascherano-Kewell
Benayoun-Lucas-Sissoko-Babel
Gerrard
(Note that I'm ignoring Seba Leto, who was brought in as a prospect, and I doubt he'll get picked for more than the odd league cup game. I'm guessing he was bought for the likely scenario of Kewell suffering another long term injury.)
Notice Gerrard looks a bit out of place there, which perfectly suits him in a way, since not one of us has been able to agree on what kind of player he is (other than the complimentary adjectives of course). It seems that the gaffer thinks the same.
Looking into it, Rafa Benitez has assembled a midfield squad, which is capable of fitting Gerrard into every possible position you can think of, without being short of options in any area and in any case. Three examples using just 4 other midfielders are:
1. Pennant-Gerrard-Alonso/Masch-Kewell
2. Gerrard-Alonso-Mascherano-Kewell
3. Alonso-Macherano
Pennant-Gerrard-Kewell
For the first time in his managerial reign with us, Rafa is spoiled for choice and has made no secret of the fact.
At the start of the season, Rafa chose midfield number 1, surprisingly to some (given his actions in the transfer market).
Contrary to media propaganda, it could be argued that he didn't really rotate. He just picked two teams, one for the first two Premier League games, and one for Too-Lose. Rafa hoped that his determined captain, who has highlighted our troubles at the starts of our previous campaigns before the match, will grind his way to pick up the early points. What better way to give him the 'keys' than to put him in the middle of the action.
But this still doesn't explain why just 7 people got the line up of the Aston Villa game spot on, out of 1514 predictions. A week before the match, Rafa said he intends to play Gerrard in the middle. He has also mentioned his growing confidence in Jermaine Pennant. The hints were there, and the Liverpool fans are certainly not stupid:
Reina
Finnan Carragher Agger Arbeloa
Pennant Alonso Gerrard Riise
Kuyt Torres
My first reaction (and I bet most of yours) when I read the line up was "What the hell is Riise doing there?"
This isn't the first time Rafa "sacrifices" one of our flanks' potency for getting the most out of Gerrard and Pennant. The second leg of last season's CL semi-final is a great example for this, only instead of Riise it was Zenden. This is where my admiration for the gaffer turns into a slight concern.
Will we always pay this toll when we want to see Gerrard in the middle?
Both against Aston Villa and Chelsea this season our stance was similar to that of a boxer, using his left arm to make slight and weak jabs at the opponent, saving his stronger right arm for the hook and the uppercut.
This asymmetrical 4-4-2 worked for us because Gerrard was at his best and Pennant played well, especially against Chelsea. It was obvious that Riise was there to bring a more defensive balance into the midfield with the absence of a pure tackler, but the ginger was frustrating and ineffective while Alonso was also hurt in the process. We were far from perfect.
I've noticed some criticism directed at Alonso after the match and I find it grossly unfair. Xabi Alonso is a superb midfielder, but when he becomes our sole defensive midfielder his main contribution is crippling the opposition. Mascherano is hailed just for doing that, yet from Alonso, the fans are somehow expecting more.
There is room for optimism though, and there are signs which hint that the "Riise and Zenden effect" is a temporary one. They were both picked when Rafa didn't have better options available on the left. Last season Kewell and Garcia were out while there was no way the inconsistent Gonzales was going to be trusted. This season, Kewell was injured a day before the Aston Villa game while Benayoun and Babel were already planned to start in mid-week, continuing Rafa's philosophy of getting new signings involved slowly and not rushed into potential domestic banana skins too early (Torres is an obvious exception rather than the rule).
It could be that Riise, despite his defensive contribution to the midfield, was simply an emergency solution. It certainly makes sense when you consider the selection headache Rafa has created in midfield during the summer.
So what can expect of the next few weeks?
When Kewell is back from injury, he'll be heavily involved in the first team, pushing Riise back to fight with Arbeloa for the left back position. As much as some people are annoyed with the crippled Aussie, Rafa is just not giving up on him.
As a few weeks pass and new signings settle in, the fight for the wide positions becomes more intense. We will see the three different types of midfields I mentioned being picked during the season depending on the opposition, but Rafa will not rotate heavily between Premier League games.
And when we do establish a stronger left arm, our jabs will become a genuine threat to the oppositions' face. Let's hope Babel's settling period will be as successful as Agger's was.
Yours truly,
John Doe
During the summer, Rafa Benitez has hinted with actions rather than words that Steven Gerrard would become a permanent fixture outside of the 'central midfield duo', either behind a lone striker or on the right. Let's look at the facts:
1. He has sold neither Alonso nor Sissoko, despite reportedly receiving extremely tempting offers for the two, and instead opted to tie them to new long term deals.
2. He has also signed Lucas Leiva, a very gifted central midfielder with a bright future, for quite a large sum of money.
3. He has refused to sign a WoRlD ClAsS right winger who merits an automatic starting berth, instead signing the versatile, talented yet forever 'squad option': Yossi Benayoun.
Finally, the midfield squad looked like this:
Pennant-Alonso-Mascherano-Kewell
Benayoun-Lucas-Sissoko-Babel
Gerrard
(Note that I'm ignoring Seba Leto, who was brought in as a prospect, and I doubt he'll get picked for more than the odd league cup game. I'm guessing he was bought for the likely scenario of Kewell suffering another long term injury.)
Notice Gerrard looks a bit out of place there, which perfectly suits him in a way, since not one of us has been able to agree on what kind of player he is (other than the complimentary adjectives of course). It seems that the gaffer thinks the same.
Looking into it, Rafa Benitez has assembled a midfield squad, which is capable of fitting Gerrard into every possible position you can think of, without being short of options in any area and in any case. Three examples using just 4 other midfielders are:
1. Pennant-Gerrard-Alonso/Masch-Kewell
2. Gerrard-Alonso-Mascherano-Kewell
3. Alonso-Macherano
Pennant-Gerrard-Kewell
For the first time in his managerial reign with us, Rafa is spoiled for choice and has made no secret of the fact.
At the start of the season, Rafa chose midfield number 1, surprisingly to some (given his actions in the transfer market).
Contrary to media propaganda, it could be argued that he didn't really rotate. He just picked two teams, one for the first two Premier League games, and one for Too-Lose. Rafa hoped that his determined captain, who has highlighted our troubles at the starts of our previous campaigns before the match, will grind his way to pick up the early points. What better way to give him the 'keys' than to put him in the middle of the action.
But this still doesn't explain why just 7 people got the line up of the Aston Villa game spot on, out of 1514 predictions. A week before the match, Rafa said he intends to play Gerrard in the middle. He has also mentioned his growing confidence in Jermaine Pennant. The hints were there, and the Liverpool fans are certainly not stupid:
Reina
Finnan Carragher Agger Arbeloa
Pennant Alonso Gerrard Riise
Kuyt Torres
My first reaction (and I bet most of yours) when I read the line up was "What the hell is Riise doing there?"
This isn't the first time Rafa "sacrifices" one of our flanks' potency for getting the most out of Gerrard and Pennant. The second leg of last season's CL semi-final is a great example for this, only instead of Riise it was Zenden. This is where my admiration for the gaffer turns into a slight concern.
Will we always pay this toll when we want to see Gerrard in the middle?
Both against Aston Villa and Chelsea this season our stance was similar to that of a boxer, using his left arm to make slight and weak jabs at the opponent, saving his stronger right arm for the hook and the uppercut.
This asymmetrical 4-4-2 worked for us because Gerrard was at his best and Pennant played well, especially against Chelsea. It was obvious that Riise was there to bring a more defensive balance into the midfield with the absence of a pure tackler, but the ginger was frustrating and ineffective while Alonso was also hurt in the process. We were far from perfect.
I've noticed some criticism directed at Alonso after the match and I find it grossly unfair. Xabi Alonso is a superb midfielder, but when he becomes our sole defensive midfielder his main contribution is crippling the opposition. Mascherano is hailed just for doing that, yet from Alonso, the fans are somehow expecting more.
There is room for optimism though, and there are signs which hint that the "Riise and Zenden effect" is a temporary one. They were both picked when Rafa didn't have better options available on the left. Last season Kewell and Garcia were out while there was no way the inconsistent Gonzales was going to be trusted. This season, Kewell was injured a day before the Aston Villa game while Benayoun and Babel were already planned to start in mid-week, continuing Rafa's philosophy of getting new signings involved slowly and not rushed into potential domestic banana skins too early (Torres is an obvious exception rather than the rule).
It could be that Riise, despite his defensive contribution to the midfield, was simply an emergency solution. It certainly makes sense when you consider the selection headache Rafa has created in midfield during the summer.
So what can expect of the next few weeks?
When Kewell is back from injury, he'll be heavily involved in the first team, pushing Riise back to fight with Arbeloa for the left back position. As much as some people are annoyed with the crippled Aussie, Rafa is just not giving up on him.
As a few weeks pass and new signings settle in, the fight for the wide positions becomes more intense. We will see the three different types of midfields I mentioned being picked during the season depending on the opposition, but Rafa will not rotate heavily between Premier League games.
And when we do establish a stronger left arm, our jabs will become a genuine threat to the oppositions' face. Let's hope Babel's settling period will be as successful as Agger's was.
Yours truly,
John Doe
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