Rafa on Athens...

[Craig_H]

Lifted from YNWA, after being lifted from RAWK.

Interesting read...

Rafa: I didn't regret to front Kuyt

Two months ago in the Champions League final, Liverpool, the team who controlled the match, lost. Liverpool squad was strengthened in every department since Istanbul, while Milan is just a team that ages 2 years in every department. Unthinkable but there you go, Liverpool lost something that should have been in the bag.

Rafa Benitez, the Liverpool manager still cannot swallow the defeat. In the past 2 months, he could barely sleep. Once I started the topic on the CL final, the gaffer couldn’t stop, like a secret he has kept forever finally to be able to speak out. I can’t help but wonder, am I the only one (who’s odd enough) to bring up that sensible topic for the first time?
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In the CL final, Zenden was the weakest link. Why him? Like Liverpool haven’t got a better left-winger? Rafa shrugged:” We only had 3 choices: Zenden, Kewell and Gonzalez. Gonzalez has speed but he lacks of experience, his condition wasn't up to it. I wanted to start Kewell, but how much time he spent running on the pitch before the final? I was happy enough to be able to put his name on the sub. Then, Who’s left?”

“I mean” Rafa continues: ”In cup finals, experience means everything. Zenden is an experienced player, he played in many big matches, for the club and for his country. I have to put those factors into consideration. As a manager, you can’t predict everything. Who could have thought that Inzaghi scored a goal like that during the dying minutes of the first half?”

Many people have the same question, Crouch has scored 6 goals in the tournament, yet left on the bench in final? Why bring him on so late until there’s only 12 minutes left?

Rafa took a deep breath:”We had 3 plans before the final. Plan A: start Kuyt, Gerrard playing in the hole. Plan B, start Crouch and exploits Milan with his aerial threats. Plan C, start Bellamy and let him run with defenders, play counter attack if necessary. Kuyt, obviously the most all-rounded striker we have, he can head a ball , he can run with defenders, his work-rate is unbelievable, he can even drop deep when we defense. I wanted to see how things go, then bring on Crouch to add dimensions to our attack if we can’t score. But Milan scored in the dying minutes of first half, that totally ruined my plan.”

“We needed to pull one back asap. Should I bring on Crouch at the beginning of 2nd half? I had hesitation. We controlled the first half so well, Milan had barely had a threat in the our box because of our solid defense. Gerrard played well in the hole, we had created quite a few chances, all we need is the final touch. So I decided to wait. Unlike 2 years ago, I needed to make a swift decision, bring on Harmann and Smicer, cos we needed to gamble. Well, this is football, last time we scored 3 within 6 minutes, this time we couldn’t even find the goal ”

Apart from the strikers, the wingers Rafa picked that night drew questions. Why not play Arbeloa as left back and push Riise as left-winger? Rafa explained:”Attack is the other form of defense. Milan usually initiates their attack with their wing back, with Oddo and Jankulovski to feed Seedorf and Kaka in the middle and Inzaghi forever waiting on the shoulder of the defenders. While I instructed Alonso and Mascherano to look after Kaka and Seedorf, they have Gattuso and Ambrosini to take care of Gerrard, mid-field was way too overcrowded, that’s why I want to play aggressively down the flanks. Riise, he can’t dribble and he’s not the best man to play positional attack (Rafa being honest here ), with a left-winger in front of him during attack that he can over-lap with, that’s what he does best.”

Then, the Mascherano myth, the man who totally marked-out Kaka, the time the Argie were taken off, Milan scored another. Rafa said:”To bring on Crouch, I had to consider the balance. Given the fact that we had to attack, if I don’t take off Mascherano, who should be taken off?”

[Dhav]

Interesting indeed.

Inspite of what Rafa says, I think Athens still haunts him for the simple reason that he knows he got the tactics wrong. I know it's the easiest thing in the world to be wise after the event, it's a lot harder to pick the right tactics for the match before the game, but I think it was clear for all to see that Kuyt can't play the lone striker role and Gerrard in the hole was isolated with no options when he got the ball.

I think he says he wanted to play aggressive down the wing. Well that was wasted because we were only playing one man up front, Pennant seemed to be deliberately hitting the far post with his crosses and on the few occasions Kuyt was in the area he went near post and there was no one on the far post to get on the end of the crosses.

I think the whole left side was poor as well, It wasn't just Zenden who was the weak link, Riise was poor as well.

Yes we controlled the game, but I dont think we really took the game to them or created bucketloads of chances.

When Rafa mentions the likes of Zenden and Gonzalez as options for the final, I'm so glad we've gotten rid of wasters like that and replaced them with quality like Babel, Benayoun etc.

[Maxiedge]

If we played Milan now we would destroy them.

Inzaghi :whatever:

[badpiggy]

Interesting indeed.

Inspite of what Rafa says, I think Athens still haunts him for the simple reason that he knows he got the tactics wrong. I know it's the easiest thing in the world to be wise after the event, it's a lot harder to pick the right tactics for the match before the game, but I think it was clear for all to see that Kuyt can't play the lone striker role and Gerrard in the hole was isolated with no options when he got the ball.

I think he says he wanted to play aggressive down the wing. Well that was wasted because we were only playing one man up front, Pennant seemed to be deliberately hitting the far post with his crosses and on the few occasions Kuyt was in the area he went near post and there was no one on the far post to get on the end of the crosses.

I think the whole left side was poor as well, It wasn't just Zenden who was the weak link, Riise was poor as well.
Yes we controlled the game, but I dont think we really took the game to them or created bucketloads of chances.

When Rafa mentions the likes of Zenden and Gonzalez as options for the final, I'm so glad we've gotten rid of wasters like that and replaced them with quality like Babel, Benayoun etc.

riise had a ****in shocker that night. he gave the ball away constantly - our possession broke down around him numerous times. it's one of the reasons i thought rafa might get rid of him this summer.

[Colemere]

If I remember right it should have been Xabi he took off because he was ****e in that match. Mascher is better defensively and he can pass a ball so we wouldn't have lost much, just a 50-60 yards ball, possession is everything when you are trailing and need a goal.

[Redlife]

What does he mean by "positional attack" when talking about Riise?

[Pablo]

Any idea who wrote that article? How come I havent seen those quotes anywhere else?

[CAD]

Rafa lost his pacifier in Athens. Simple as. Way too defensive after the goal IMO.

[Marky]

Fuk it, it's all in the past. Recruiting Rafa has proved to be the best thing Rick has done in his time at LFC. Rafa is a genius.

[breffniboy]

"But Milan scored in the dying minutes of first half, that totally ruined my plan."

Rafa sometimes depends too much, or at least has done up to now, on not conceding a first goal. Then when it happens, we've been totally at a loss as to what to do. It's a gamble every time because even with the brilliant defence we have, you can't legislate for pox like Inzaghi or John O'Shea etc. and unfortunately it always seems to be in massive games we get caught out with this ever so slightly fraught gambling we have traditionally engaged in.

Hopefully our increased options will mean that when we are controlling a game like we were against Milan, there will firstly be more clearcut chances created (because frankly we didn't create very many even in first half as the poster above correctly points out) and secondly, the class (Torres) to finish them off when they arrive.

Rafa seems very despondent about the loss but even on the night itself, I wasn't. Being philosophical about it, they deserved their bit of luck against us after Istanbul and with all the possession we had we didn't have the personnel or wherewithal to really penetrate, an early chance in first half/Gerrard/Kuyt's goal aside. Not much to show for all the ball we had so hard to say we deserved to win, we were lucky to score even once given the chances ratio.

[nbryan1764]

If I remember right it should have been Xabi he took off because he was ****e in that match. Mascher is better defensively and he can pass a ball so we wouldn't have lost much, just a 50-60 yards ball, possession is everything when you are trailing and need a goal.

but Mascher had given a few fouls away and had been booked already. That may have swayed Rafa's thinking

[Darth Marty]

its done, we all know we should have won it, but then we should have lost in istanbul. Balance.
And we are going to win it at least 3 times in the next ten years anyway so its not too haunting for me.
Premiership this year, everything every year thereafter.

[Dhav]

"But Milan scored in the dying minutes of first half, that totally ruined my plan."

Rafa sometimes depends too much, or at least has done up to now, on not conceding a first goal. Then when it happens, we've been totally at a loss as to what to do. It's a gamble every time because even with the brilliant defence we have, you can't legislate for pox like Inzaghi or John O'Shea etc. and unfortunately it always seems to be in massive games we get caught out with this ever so slightly fraught gambling we have traditionally engaged in.

Hopefully our increased options will mean that when we are controlling a game like we were against Milan, there will firstly be more clearcut chances created (because frankly we didn't create very many even in first half as the poster above correctly points out) and secondly, the class (Torres) to finish them off when they arrive.

Rafa seems very despondent about the loss but even on the night itself, I wasn't. Being philosophical about it, they deserved their bit of luck against us after Istanbul and with all the possession we had we didn't have the personnel or wherewithal to really penetrate, an early chance in first half/Gerrard/Kuyt's goal aside. Not much to show for all the ball we had so hard to say we deserved to win, we were lucky to score even once given the chances ratio.

[JPK]

This is a made up piece of bull****.Guys like Rafa do not single out players and tell people there plans and tactics.Great magicians never give aways there tricks and great managers dont be that frank and open with there gameplans and tactics.If this is true which I doubt very much it is,then Rafa has went down alot in my estimations.Ok a few things that immediately make me think it is bull****.1)"I needed to make a swift decision, bring on Harmann and Smicer, cos we needed to gamble. Well, this is football, last time we scored 3 within 6 minutes, this time we couldn’t even find the goal ”.
Smicer was brought on for Kewell well before he needed to gamble.Is Rafa forgetful?No.2)"Riise, he can’t dribble and he’s not the best man to play positional attack (Rafa being honest here ), with a left-winger in front of him during attack that he can over-lap with, that’s what he does best "
**** me,if any manager said that about there player then the player would be totally disheartened and would walk.

Sounds like something fat ******* Dunk would write.
As Rafa says himself "It's unbelievable"

[Parm]

Interesting indeed.

Inspite of what Rafa says, I think Athens still haunts him for the simple reason that he knows he got the tactics wrong. I know it's the easiest thing in the world to be wise after the event, it's a lot harder to pick the right tactics for the match before the game, but I think it was clear for all to see that Kuyt can't play the lone striker role and Gerrard in the hole was isolated with no options when he got the ball.

I think he says he wanted to play aggressive down the wing. Well that was wasted because we were only playing one man up front, Pennant seemed to be deliberately hitting the far post with his crosses and on the few occasions Kuyt was in the area he went near post and there was no one on the far post to get on the end of the crosses.

I think the whole left side was poor as well, It wasn't just Zenden who was the weak link, Riise was poor as well.

Yes we controlled the game, but I dont think we really took the game to them or created bucketloads of chances.

When Rafa mentions the likes of Zenden and Gonzalez as options for the final, I'm so glad we've gotten rid of wasters like that and replaced them with quality like Babel, Benayoun etc.

Babel could be just brilliant for us. Needs a lot of game time and experience, but could be the next big thing for us.
As for the final, pah, what can you do now? We all know we controlled the game but didnt create enough chances, just as milan controlled most of the 2005 final but didnt out their chances away. Cant spen our lives thinking about could have, should have would have, lets move on to Moscow 2008