Mourinho 'keen on Benitez's job'

[Craig_H]

I don't think our squad is good enough to be honest. We still don't have wingers and our back up strikers are pants. We aren't far off the right mix but will he be given the time and money to get it together. I hope so but I think the Yanks will want their own man in place.

It's good enough to challenge mate. Maybe not win, but being in the race until March time isnt beyond us.

[Craig_H]

See my analysis of points totals required to win La Liga and the Premiership respectively, just a few posts ago...

[AFII]

Eh, steady on there. Shouldn't that be part of step one?

He couldn't afford to do that in step one with Moores as our owner. He had to secure a good enough squad to finish in the top four to get the CL money on an average budget and in the same time get rid off some players that more or less was unsellable because they was on high wages and wasn't good enough.

Get rid off players like Diao, Diouf, Cheyrou for example isn't easy and won't earn you any money.

[Jaymo]

i think the only motivation in why he would want to be liverpool manager, is that it would piss abramovic off no-end.

[sonsofthedesert]

I dont see why people cant grasp that it's different.

His Valencia title winning sides won the league with 77 and 75 points.

Where do you think that would leave you in the Premier League? About third is the answer.

The difference when he was at Valencia, was that you probably COULD afford to draw quite a few games that you're expected to win. He could probably afford to draw at home to La Liga's equivalents to Brum, Wigan and Spurs. It doesnt work that way here.

Even last season, La Liga was won by 76 points. That's all. 76. The season before it was 82 (and Barca won it by 12 points, meaning a tally in the early 70s would've still won it).

Before that, it was 84. This was the highest points tally recorded in La Liga since 1997.

In La Liga, they only started giving 3 points for a win from the 1995-1996 season...and they only dropped down to 20 league clubs (and 38 league games) from 1997-1998. So i'll use 1997-1998 upto 2006-2007 for my example. 10 years worth.

During this time period, the average total points tally for the league champions in spain is 77.4 points.

During the same period in the Premier League, the average total points tally for the leeague champions is 86.3 points.

So that's a difference of basically 9 points.

During those 10 years, the highest tally for La Liga champions was 84, achieved by Barcelona in 2004-2005.

84 points would only have won you the Premier League in four out of those 10 years.

In 1999-2000, Deportivo won La Liga with just 69 points.

During the whole history of the Premier League, 69 points would only once have seen a side finish above 3rd...and that's only one solitary season. In all the other seasons, 69 points would've got you a 3rd or 4th placed finish.


Now do you see why Rafa's methodology that won him La Liga is meaningless here? Because you need to achieve far more to win the Premier League than you do to win La Liga.

If someone can argue my point, then please do so.

I've backed this up with facts and statistics. If someone can dispute it doing the same thing, then fair play.

Good post mate, goes to show why Rafa was so succesful there, defence is the key by a long shot as there will be plenty of draw's for the winners.

[kurtangle01]

Amen to that I feel he is the most arrogant manager ever... Do you think we'd ever see Rafa on TV saying...

"Excuse me no? I don't mean to be arrogant but I am european champion manager that won the cup when my team was down 0-3 at HT, in the FINAL!! Can you believe? Unbelievable against the best defence in the world AC Milan... Unbelievable unbelievable. he he I'm champion (with massive cheesy grin)"

Another thing that gets my back up is the way Mourinho has cleverly been angling (through friends and press) for disruption at Anfield since he GOT FIRED!

He reminds me of the kid that wanted all the sweeties in the sweetie jar and sulked and plotted revenge when it never happened.

NO WAY IS HE LIVERPOOL MANAGER MATERIAL.. NO ****IN' WAY!

So funny!!!!

[Sir Bob]

I dont see why people cant grasp that it's different.

His Valencia title winning sides won the league with 77 and 75 points.

Where do you think that would leave you in the Premier League? About third is the answer.

The difference when he was at Valencia, was that you probably COULD afford to draw quite a few games that you're expected to win. He could probably afford to draw at home to La Liga's equivalents to Brum, Wigan and Spurs. It doesnt work that way here.

Even last season, La Liga was won by 76 points. That's all. 76. The season before it was 82 (and Barca won it by 12 points, meaning a tally in the early 70s would've still won it).

Before that, it was 84. This was the highest points tally recorded in La Liga since 1997.

In La Liga, they only started giving 3 points for a win from the 1995-1996 season...and they only dropped down to 20 league clubs (and 38 league games) from 1997-1998. So i'll use 1997-1998 upto 2006-2007 for my example. 10 years worth.

During this time period, the average total points tally for the league champions in spain is 77.4 points.

During the same period in the Premier League, the average total points tally for the leeague champions is 86.3 points.

So that's a difference of basically 9 points.

During those 10 years, the highest tally for La Liga champions was 84, achieved by Barcelona in 2004-2005.

84 points would only have won you the Premier League in four out of those 10 years.

In 1999-2000, Deportivo won La Liga with just 69 points.

During the whole history of the Premier League, 69 points would only once have seen a side finish above 3rd...and that's only one solitary season. In all the other seasons, 69 points would've got you a 3rd or 4th placed finish.


Now do you see why Rafa's methodology that won him La Liga is meaningless here? Because you need to achieve far more to win the Premier League than you do to win La Liga.

If someone can argue my point, then please do so.

I've backed this up with facts and statistics. If someone can dispute it doing the same thing, then fair play.

An interesting post and I have to say i didn't realise that La Liga was regularly won with so few points compared with the CL.

However, that has no relevance ot Rafa's future at LFC. By your logic, no winning manager of La Liga would win the league here as they areused to winning the league with less points. So bang goes Capello, Riykaard and anyone else who's won La liga in the last decade.

the situation in Serie A is the same except for last year when Inter scooted in with 97 points. so thats all Serie a winning managers out of contention for the LFC job as well.

[Craig_H]

An interesting post and I have to say i didn't realise that La Liga was regularly won with so few points compared with the CL.

However, that has no relevance ot Rafa's future at LFC. By your logic, no winning manager of La Liga would win the league here as they areused to winning the league with less points. So bang goes Capello, Riykaard and anyone else who's won La liga in the last decade.

the situation in Serie A is the same except for last year when Inter scooted in with 97 points. so thats all Serie a winning managers out of contention for the LFC job as well.

No mate, it's not saying no winning manager of La Liga would win the league here. Not saying that at all.

It's saying that the methodology to win La Liga is very different.

La Liga is more forgiving of dropped points, draws when you think you should be winning and more cautious football designed not to lose, rather than to win. So in La Liga, loads of rotation and dropping points as a consequence doesnt do as much harm.

So what this means is that if a manager used those methods to win La Liga, as Rafa did, then in order to come and win the PL, he needs to change his ways and his mentality.

If Rafa did this, he'd succeed here, i've no doubt. But he doesnt seem like he's willing to. That is the crux of the matter.

So when people say 'but he did it in La Liga', they should consider those statistics and then they might revise their opinion.

[Sir Bob]

No mate, it's not saying no winning manager of La Liga would win the league here. Not saying that at all.

It's saying that the methodology to win La Liga is very different.

La Liga is more forgiving of dropped points, draws when you think you should be winning and more cautious football designed not to lose, rather than to win. So in La Liga, loads of rotation and dropping points as a consequence doesnt do as much harm.

So what this means is that if a manager used those methods to win La Liga, as Rafa did, then in order to come and win the PL, he needs to change his ways and his mentality.

If Rafa did this, he'd succeed here, i've no doubt. But he doesnt seem like he's willing to. That is the crux of the matter.

So when people say 'but he did it in La Liga', they should consider those statistics and then they might revise their opinion.

I just think you can win it with less points in Italy & Spain with less points than here because the overall standard in Italy & Spain is better than here so the better teams drop more points. I don't think the manager's mentalitycomes into it at all.

[Jayesh87]

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[tomasjj]

I agree that the methodology for winning La Liga and the PL is different.
It is hardly news though.
This difference is what Rafa still has to come to grips with imo, as he is a bit too tactical in a league whose tempo negates some of these tactics.

[Johnny]

I agree that the methodology for winning La Liga and the PL is different.
It is hardly news though.
This difference is what Rafa still has to come to grips with imo, as he is a bit too tactical in a league whose tempo negates some of these tactics.

Theres no proof that the man who won the portuguese league would do it at Liverpool with our budget.I`d rather we keep our honour and dignity and stick with Rafa.

[Craig_H]

I agree that the methodology for winning La Liga and the PL is different.
It is hardly news though.
This difference is what Rafa still has to come to grips with imo, as he is a bit too tactical in a league whose tempo negates some of these tactics.

Does it genuinely and honestly not concern you that in 3 and a half years, he still looks no closer to coming to terms with it?

[tomasjj]

Does it genuinely and honestly not concern you that in 3 and a half years, he still looks no closer to coming to terms with it?

I am not overly concerned at the moment and am prepared to give him this season and the next.

[Red Chilli]

I am not overly concerned at the moment and am prepared to give him this season and the next.

Even if we don't get top 4 this season?