The way Rafa is.........

[thesilverfoxlfc]

So I heard an analogy on Rafa on the radio today on what kind of a man/manager he is and it went something like this.

If you opened a can of coke, then Rafa would show you another way of doing it and would stick at you for as long as it takes to make sure you did it his way.......for instance

This is carried on in his team selections and his persistence of playing Kuyt upfront. He keeps playing and playing him till he proves to everyone that he is right even though he's clearly not but he doesn’t want to be seen as he's made a mistake. Interesting

It was interesting to hear them talk about how Rafa goes about his business and he's philosophy

[Joe King]

Everyone knows this is how Rafa is. Most famously with Crouch

[thesilverfoxlfc]

Well i didnt till earlier

[Matt]

Kuyt hadnt played in a couple before Marseille though (plus we were unchanged today for once).

[Craig_H]

Well i didnt till earlier

How's the cave decorating coming along?

[Dhav]

Trust Rafa, he's just using the players at his disposal. Kuyt since the shocker he had at Blackburn has actually played a lot less. Rafa was still picking the likes of Cisse and Baros even when it was clear he had no faith/confidence in them. I'm not saying he feels the same towards Kuyt, as he knows what Dirk will give him and he's dependable in this respect but I'm also sure he realises it hasn't worked out and will be looking to upgrade.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

...but he still keeps bringing him back in

[Craig_H]

Trust Rafa, he's just using the players at his disposal. Kuyt since the shocker he had at Blackburn has actually played a lot less. Rafa was still picking the likes of Cisse and Baros even when it was clear he had no faith/confidence in them. I'm not saying he feels the same towards Kuyt, as he knows what Dirk will give him and he's dependable in this respect but I'm also sure he realises it hasn't worked out and will be looking to upgrade.

He shouldnt just play him simply because he's THERE though.

Against your ****e teams, yeah. Not against the shadow-dwellers though.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

How's the cave decorating coming along?

Grand but i have this flat mate called Osama and he's forever recording himself talking in arabic......strange man

....and this gun hanging on his shoulder is slightly worrying me at this stage

[thesilverfoxlfc]

Trust Rafa, he's just using the players at his disposal. Kuyt since the shocker he had at Blackburn has actually played a lot less. Rafa was still picking the likes of Cisse and Baros even when it was clear he had no faith/confidence in them. I'm not saying he feels the same towards Kuyt, as he knows what Dirk will give him and he's dependable in this respect but I'm also sure he realises it hasn't worked out and will be looking to upgrade.

Not at all a Criticising him mate just passing on what they were talking about on the radio today

[Dhav]

He shouldnt just play him simply because he's THERE though.

Against your ****e teams, yeah. Not against the shadow-dwellers though.

Yeah I agree with you, I think Kuyt was probably playing because of his partnership with Torres. I thought they were devestating as a pair v Newcastle, with Kuyt seemingly playing a bit behind Torres and feeding him, and it worked pretty well v Marseille as well. Weird thing about today is that at times Torres seemed more withdrawn and Kuyt was further forward.

Kuyt's touch today was atrocious btw. Crouch would have been a better option IMO.

[bazza76]

So I heard an analogy on Rafa on the radio today on what kind of a man/manager he is and it went something like this.

If you opened a can of coke, then Rafa would show you another way of doing it and would stick at you for as long as it takes to make sure you did it his way.......for instance

This is carried on in his team selections and his persistence of playing Kuyt upfront. He keeps playing and playing him till he proves to everyone that he is right even though he's clearly not but he doesn’t want to be seen as he's made a mistake. Interesting

It was interesting to hear them talk about how Rafa goes about his business and he's philosophy

That is total crap. Whoever said that has no clue about what Rafa is really about and is showing themselves up. He is not the best tactical manager in world football for nothing. He may not have come to grips with the english game 100% yet. But he is far from being a GH type manager, as is what is being described by the Radio Presenter.

[thesilverfoxlfc]

That is total crap. Whoever said that has no clue about what Rafa is really about and is showing themselves up. He is not the best tactical manager in world football for nothing. He may not have come to grips with the english game 100% yet. But he is far from being a GH type manager, as is what is being described by the Radio Presenter.

Just what i heard on Newstalk Baz

[Alpha]

So I heard an analogy on Rafa on the radio today on what kind of a man/manager he is and it went something like this.

If you opened a can of coke, then Rafa would show you another way of doing it and would stick at you for as long as it takes to make sure you did it his way.......for instance

This is carried on in his team selections and his persistence of playing Kuyt upfront. He keeps playing and playing him till he proves to everyone that he is right even though he's clearly not but he doesn’t want to be seen as he's made a mistake. Interesting

It was interesting to hear them talk about how Rafa goes about his business and he's philosophy

That suggests that Rafa is pig-headed and bloody-minded. I don't think it is that simple.

I prefer a chess analogy. If Rafa picks a rook to move up-and-down in straight lines but finds him doing those L-shapes like a knight, his strategy isn't going to work.

He doesn't pick Kuyt to make a point, he picks him as one part of the team unit because he has identified a role to be performed in a given match and sees Kuyt as the best option to perform that role. That is why he signed Dirk in the first place.

Ultimately, he is more likely to replace Kuyt with a player who can perform better in that role than change his philosophy to accomodate a player in a role that doesn't necessarily fit his strategy.

Some managers create a system around their best players. Rafa is the exact opposite. He creates his system first and fits his players into it.

[bazza76]

Just what i heard on Newstalk Baz

I know mate it wan't an attack on you at all just on what was said by the presenters.
To be honest, when it comes to presenters or pundits, I don't expect them to know it all when it comes to Rafa. How many sports and teams do they have to know their stuff about?. afa is a very complex man, they will not understand him by watching the odd game and listening to Andy Gray, Jamie Redknapp and Gullit.
Rafa is the most complex manager in European football, and possibly the footbaling world, so indept are his techniques. The likes of Gray have to realise the football has moved on since the ****ing 80's or whenever it was he last played. It is a total different environment now. Rafa techniques are very advanced, from motivation to tactics.