Very rare for Rafa to publicly criticise a player.....
BIG WHINGER CROUCH FACES WRATH OF RAFA
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RUTHLESS: Crouch's complaining angers Benitez
Sunday September 30,2007
By John Richardson
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England star Peter Crouch has been warned he will be dumped by Liverpool if he keeps on moaning – just like one-time Anfield record buy Djibril Cisse.
Crouch has once again annoyed manager Rafa Benitez by claiming that his game is suffering because of his manager’s rotation system.
But a reminder of just how ruthless Benitez can be arrives at Anfield on Wednesday night in the shape of French striker Cisse.
Cisse cost Liverpool £14million from Auxerre in July 2004 – a fee only surpassed by Fernando Torres’ £20m arrival – but fell out of favour under Benitez.
Scorer of one of the penalties in Liverpool’s Champions League spot-kick triumph over AC Milan in 2005, Cisse was shipped off to Marseille on loan before a permanent £6m deal with the French club was agreed over the summer.
Cisse will be back at Anfield this week in the Champions League – and his presence will serve as a warning to Crouch.
Benitez insists that Cisse, signed by previous boss Gerard Houllier, had every opportunity to succeed under the new regime.
“Cisse is a good striker with pace and we must be aware of him on Wednesday,” Benitez warned.
“He had enough games to prove he was a good player. Sometimes I asked him to play as a winger and he was unhappy about that.
“Now I hear that Crouch is saying he is unhappy that he can’t reach his ideal level because he isn’t playing enough games.
“Like in Cisse’s case, I need to think about the squad and the team – and not one player. “There is competition in each position in a top side and that can be hard. But that is the situation.”
Benitez will not be distracted from his controversial decision to rotate his four strikers – Crouch, Torres, Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt. When it doesn’t work the radio phone-ins crackle with criticism, even though Benitez has plenty of credit in the bank for his Champions League success.
Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce even suggested that Benitez could have been sacked for failing to mount a serious Premier League title assault had it not been for his brilliant results in continental combat.
That idea received short shrift from Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry, who said: “I am not necessarily surprised at Sam Allardyce’s comments but it’s probably best if he focuses on his own issues.We support Rafa wholeheartedly.
“We understand Rafa’s policies. We don’t get swayed from one week to the next. He produces the results It’s his judgement that counts.”
Story Image
RUTHLESS: Crouch's complaining angers Benitez
Sunday September 30,2007
By John Richardson
Comment Speech Bubble Have your say(0)
England star Peter Crouch has been warned he will be dumped by Liverpool if he keeps on moaning – just like one-time Anfield record buy Djibril Cisse.
Crouch has once again annoyed manager Rafa Benitez by claiming that his game is suffering because of his manager’s rotation system.
But a reminder of just how ruthless Benitez can be arrives at Anfield on Wednesday night in the shape of French striker Cisse.
Cisse cost Liverpool £14million from Auxerre in July 2004 – a fee only surpassed by Fernando Torres’ £20m arrival – but fell out of favour under Benitez.
Scorer of one of the penalties in Liverpool’s Champions League spot-kick triumph over AC Milan in 2005, Cisse was shipped off to Marseille on loan before a permanent £6m deal with the French club was agreed over the summer.
Cisse will be back at Anfield this week in the Champions League – and his presence will serve as a warning to Crouch.
Benitez insists that Cisse, signed by previous boss Gerard Houllier, had every opportunity to succeed under the new regime.
“Cisse is a good striker with pace and we must be aware of him on Wednesday,” Benitez warned.
“He had enough games to prove he was a good player. Sometimes I asked him to play as a winger and he was unhappy about that.
“Now I hear that Crouch is saying he is unhappy that he can’t reach his ideal level because he isn’t playing enough games.
“Like in Cisse’s case, I need to think about the squad and the team – and not one player. “There is competition in each position in a top side and that can be hard. But that is the situation.”
Benitez will not be distracted from his controversial decision to rotate his four strikers – Crouch, Torres, Andriy Voronin and Dirk Kuyt. When it doesn’t work the radio phone-ins crackle with criticism, even though Benitez has plenty of credit in the bank for his Champions League success.
Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce even suggested that Benitez could have been sacked for failing to mount a serious Premier League title assault had it not been for his brilliant results in continental combat.
That idea received short shrift from Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry, who said: “I am not necessarily surprised at Sam Allardyce’s comments but it’s probably best if he focuses on his own issues.We support Rafa wholeheartedly.
“We understand Rafa’s policies. We don’t get swayed from one week to the next. He produces the results It’s his judgement that counts.”
Yossi should recommend his agent to Crouchie. Maybe then he will be able to play week in week out, for a middle-premiership team. 
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