Do you still have faith?

[dww]

Man U played 4-5-1 at home against Birmingham, they won 1-0 but they still played 4-5-1, Tevez alone upfront.

It's the quality of the players that counts and how they perform on the pitch. The big buck players bail out Man U and Chelsea time after time after time, why?

The answer is that they have the quality to do it and that is why they are so expensive.

We have two players that can bail us out, Torres and Gerrard. Man U and Chelsea have a lot more.

Wenger have been allowed to build his team, the board gave him time to do it even that it meant that they couldn't challenge for a couple of seasons.

Rafa need to be backed to buy his first choice targets. That way we will get more players that can bail us out in off days like yesterday.

You make some good points.

I actually think 4-5-1 was the right choice against Wigan. The problem is that neither our strikers (at least those who aren't Torres) nor our attacking midfield players score enough. Added to that the fact that we played two players in Alonso and Pennant who are only just back from injury - which I do think was a mistake.

This is partly a problem of quality and partly a problem with attitude IMO.

I think that Rafa has been protecting Babel and that while he does potentially offer part of the solution that this strategy is the right one in the long term. However if Rafa is keeping him out not for his own good but because of fear of loosing something defensively or in terms of possession play then I think we may have a problem.

[Imy]

You make some good points.

I actually think 4-5-1 was the right choice against Wigan. The problem is that neither our strikers (at least those who aren't Torres) nor our attacking midfield players score enough. Added to that the fact that we played two players in Alonso and Pennant who are only just back from injury - which I do think was a mistake.

This is partly a problem of quality and partly a problem with attitude IMO.

I think that Rafa has been protecting Babel and that while he does potentially offer part of the solution that this strategy is the right one in the long term. However if Rafa is keeping him out not for his own good but because of fear of loosing something defensively or in terms of possession play then I think we may have a problem.

Was Babel not part of the reason why Paco and Rafa fell out, he was the emergency buy that Paco advised against.

[tomasjj]

I know there are threads about Rafa's future, but I wanted to see in simple, numerical terms where this site stands on the future of Rafa Benitez.

Simple question. Is he still the man for the job? Not "let's see where we are in the summer". Do you, TODAY, think he has a long-term future as LFC manager.

This is the wrong question, at least based on yesterdays game.
Do I still have faith in our players it should have read.

Rafa cannot put the ball in the net. He can put out a lineup and tell them to play a system that creates chances, but the players must score....

[dww]

Was Babel not part of the reason why Paco and Rafa fell out, he was the emergency buy that Paco advised against.

Thats a rumour I've heard too. Never know how true it is but if it is then you would imagine Rafa would have more faith in Babel.

I actually think he was the right sort of gamble to take. Whether he was the right player only time will tell.

[dww]

This is the wrong question, at least based on yesterdays game.
Do I still have faith in our players it should have read.

Rafa cannot put the ball in the net. He can put out a lineup and tell them to play a system that creates chances, but the players must score....

Rafa has been here long enough to bear some responsibility for which players are in his squad surely?

[Howard_lfc]

This is the wrong question, at least based on yesterdays game.
Do I still have faith in our players it should have read.

Rafa cannot put the ball in the net. He can put out a lineup and tell them to play a system that creates chances, but the players must score....

Maybe having more than one forward on the pitch would have helped this no?

the buck stops with Rafa. End of.

[bazza76]

Thats a rumour I've heard too. Never know how true it is but if it is then you would imagine Rafa would have more faith in Babel.

I actually think he was the right sort of gamble to take. Whether he was the right player only time will tell.

Rafa seen his attributes, age and experience and thought he would go for him.
Personally, I look for a natural instinct in players.

[dww]

Rafa seen his attributes, age and experience and thought he would go for him.
Personally, I look for a natural instinct in players.

For me Babel has some of the right instincts. Partcularly for a Rafa team. He likes to keep the ball but when he sees a chance instinctively takes a man on, when in the box he also seems to have good finishing instincts. I like him, he is raw and I can see why you have reservations as his natural decision making is not great but then I thought much the same about Ronaldo when he went to United and hard work and experience has turned him into one of the worlds best players.

[bazza76]

For me Babel has some of the right instincts. Partcularly for a Rafa team. He likes to keep the ball but when he sees a chance instinctively takes a man on, when in the box he also seems to have good finishing instincts. I like him, he is raw and I can see why you have reservations as his natural decision making is not great but then I thought much the same about Ronaldo when he went to United and hard work and experience has turned him into one of the worlds best players.

Personally, when I seen Ronaldo first off, I was alot more impressed. Although Babel has impressed me at times this season.

[CAD]

Maybe having more than one forward on the pitch would have helped this no?

the buck stops with Rafa. End of.

[dww]

Personally, when I seen Ronaldo first off, I was alot more impressed. Although Babel has impressed me at times this season.

So was I and I wasn't claiming Babel is or will be as good. I was just saying that when they arrived in the PL they had a failing in common which Ronaldo has overcome. You can still be a very good player, improve our team and not be as good as Ronaldo.

[AFII]

Maybe having more than one forward on the pitch would have helped this no?

the buck stops with Rafa. End of.

We only have one good enough striker if you don't count Babel as a striker and that is Torres. The rest of them are simply not good enough. Even some of our midfielders are more dangerous in front of goal.

Rafa need to sell Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin as soon as possible and replace them with one or two quality strikers.

Nemeth simply can't be any less goal threat than Kuyt, Crouch or Voronin. Play him until we have signed one or two strikers that can replace him. He may be a success who knows? He deserves a chance because Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin simply hasn't delivered.

[Jazzmaster]

Babel, though talented, does not know when to pass the ball. He is invariably greedy and nowhere near the player I expected him to be. I hope he ups his game soon cos he frustrates the hell outta me.

I mean each time he gets the ball he cuts inside, tries to turn his man again and again and then blasts wide. His only goals were against derby and besiktas and in fairness i could have scored against them.

[Imy]

We only have one good enough striker if you don't count Babel as a striker and that is Torres. The rest of them are simply not good enough. Even some of our midfielders are more dangerous in front of goal.

Rafa need to sell Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin as soon as possible and replace them with one or two quality strikers.

Nemeth simply can't be any less goal threat than Kuyt, Crouch or Voronin. Play him until we have signed one or two strikers that can replace him. He may be a success who knows? He deserves a chance because Kuyt, Crouch and Voronin simply hasn't delivered.

Rafa signed all our strikers if he can't trust them to score the goals then thats another point in the debit column.

Nemeth looks good in the reserves, no way will Rafa give him a chance in the first team not yet anyway, Rafa does not blood the kids.

[rage]

babel was a panic buy. he's neither a striker nor a winger. maybe he'll come good but for 11 million i'd want someone who can make an immediate impact. we don't have the finances like utd or chelsea to buy players for 10 million plus that may come good or for positions that aren't priorities.

Hope he comes good but his decision making is poor. Ronaldo's was too but he was played regularly and improved. Babel isn't being played often enough imo to improve to a level required.