Out of all the signings Rafa has made last summer, Ryan Babel was the most interesting and daring purchase. Cries of a top quality winger were left unanswered, as Rafa has decided to splash the cash on a player without a fixed position or a clear role in the team, but undoubted potential.
While Ajax certainly feel they got an excellent price for the Henry-wannabe, it was a good deal for us when you consider the alternatives Rafa mighthave bought instead: He was interested in Mancini, whose club wanted around £10m-£15m for his services, we've reportedly made a bid for Quaresma but it was short of the £17m his club demanded, and of course earlier in the summer, another one of our targets, Florent Malouda, went to Chelsea for £13.5m.
Looking at these (shocking) price tags, Babel at £11.5m seems like the best possible deal at that time. In hindsight, Rafa has made the right decision, but buying Babel meant getting in a player who needed extra attention and wasn't going to reach his potential in his first season.
Physically, Babel has all the right attributes to become a top player in the English game. He's got electric pace, good technique, is strong as an ox and has a very good sense of the goal. He is often at the right place, at the right time to finish attacks, and has already scored 10 goals, which is pretty impressive for the minutes he's been on the pitch.
The bad news is that Babel has many weaknesses. The good news is, they can all be worked on with good coaching. If Rafa manages to improve Babel during the summer break like he did to Daniel Agger previously, Liverpool fans already have something to be excited about, before any new player has arrived at Anfield.
Best position?
Ryan Babel is a pedant's nightmare. He has many great attributes which suit different positions, but in any position, he has one big flaw which prevents him from making it "his own". Judging by his performances this season, Babel will never be able to consistently perform when he's a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2. A midfielder in that position needs to be able to create and set up others for chances. Babel is a better finisher than a creator, and he's eager to move forward early. Against an organized defence, he struggles.
On the right, in any formation, he loses his most dangerous weapon, which is cutting inside and threatening the goal. Babel isn't the type to hug the touchline and put crosses in, so the right flank isn't where he's comfortable either. When played there, Babel runs into blind alleys and reminds us of a certain Milan Baros.
Many people say Babel will be at his best when played up front, but the personnel we already have in the squad means he'll see little playing time as an out and out striker. Gerrard behind Torres seems to be Rafa's preferred partnership, so our team will have to be built around that. Rafa's interest in Barry also points towards the 4-2-3-1. There is no doubt that in the future, Babel can realize his dream and become a full time striker, but it's not going to happen next season.
The position Babel has shown his best this season was the same position he has played for Ajax, the left sided forward/winger in a 4-3-3, or 4-2-3-1. There, he retains the ability to cut inside while having enough space and freedom to venture forward early, since he has a smaller burden defensively. It's been often a problem though, that Babel almost ALWAYS cuts inside and runs into brick walls. Defenders have already learned that Babel's left foot is used sparingly, so they act accordingly and close down the middle. His crosses are usually poor and not a threat to the opposition.
If Babel ever acquires the capability to pull wide and accurately cross with his left foot, he will be unstoppable. He is already dangerous at his somewhat one-dimensional version, just imagine how much damage he can do with that one single improvement to his basic football abilities. Defenders will not be able to guess his actions, which will add to his unpredictability and give us a much better chance to break down defences. If I were Rafa, I'd tell Babel to practice on crossing with his left foot all day long. Eventually, the kid will get it right, and it'll become much easier for him to do the things he already does well.
Fitness?
Surprisingly and despite his impressive physical appearance, Babel has admitted he's been struggling with the pace of the English game. His fitness levels when joining Liverpool have just not been at the standards required. As a result of this, Babel has often looked knackered early in the match, and looked much fresher when coming off the bench. This will also be addressed in the summer and should not be taken lightly. A player's fitness has a lot of influence on his ability to be at his best, so an improvement on fitness is expected to improve Babel's performances significantly.
Mentality?
Here Babel has lately shown improvement and it is a testament of Rafa's attention to every little detail. Babel isn't a strong player mentally, and he had admitted it himself by saying that one of the first things Rafa has told him is not to get his down when things aren't going well.
Rafa has watched tapes of Babel when he played away games in Holland and the hostile crowd booed him. It affected Babel and it caused his away performances to be sub par.
Today, Babel can come in at Stamford bridge, when all is lost, and score a magnificent individual effort at extra time to get us back into the match. From a player who used to hide when things got tough, Babel has started to relish every opportunity that has come his way.
He changed the game against Arsenal a minute after it looked like we were crashing out of the CL. While everyone had their head down, even the captain, Babel just got on with it and won us a penalty.
Babel is still not the best when it comes to game intelligence and decision making, but he has shown massive progress from the start of the season. Working with Rafa does it to you, and I expect him to start next season a lot stronger, with a cooler and clearer mind.
Ending thoughts?
In my opinion, Ryan Babel is a world class player waiting to happen. With the right guidance, improvement in several areas and a proper left back behind him, I expect him to explode next season. He's still a project, a work in progress, but we have the finest architect in Rafa to plan the construction of the Tower of Babel.
And so we wait.
While Ajax certainly feel they got an excellent price for the Henry-wannabe, it was a good deal for us when you consider the alternatives Rafa mighthave bought instead: He was interested in Mancini, whose club wanted around £10m-£15m for his services, we've reportedly made a bid for Quaresma but it was short of the £17m his club demanded, and of course earlier in the summer, another one of our targets, Florent Malouda, went to Chelsea for £13.5m.
Looking at these (shocking) price tags, Babel at £11.5m seems like the best possible deal at that time. In hindsight, Rafa has made the right decision, but buying Babel meant getting in a player who needed extra attention and wasn't going to reach his potential in his first season.
Physically, Babel has all the right attributes to become a top player in the English game. He's got electric pace, good technique, is strong as an ox and has a very good sense of the goal. He is often at the right place, at the right time to finish attacks, and has already scored 10 goals, which is pretty impressive for the minutes he's been on the pitch.
The bad news is that Babel has many weaknesses. The good news is, they can all be worked on with good coaching. If Rafa manages to improve Babel during the summer break like he did to Daniel Agger previously, Liverpool fans already have something to be excited about, before any new player has arrived at Anfield.
Best position?
Ryan Babel is a pedant's nightmare. He has many great attributes which suit different positions, but in any position, he has one big flaw which prevents him from making it "his own". Judging by his performances this season, Babel will never be able to consistently perform when he's a wide midfielder in a 4-4-2. A midfielder in that position needs to be able to create and set up others for chances. Babel is a better finisher than a creator, and he's eager to move forward early. Against an organized defence, he struggles.
On the right, in any formation, he loses his most dangerous weapon, which is cutting inside and threatening the goal. Babel isn't the type to hug the touchline and put crosses in, so the right flank isn't where he's comfortable either. When played there, Babel runs into blind alleys and reminds us of a certain Milan Baros.
Many people say Babel will be at his best when played up front, but the personnel we already have in the squad means he'll see little playing time as an out and out striker. Gerrard behind Torres seems to be Rafa's preferred partnership, so our team will have to be built around that. Rafa's interest in Barry also points towards the 4-2-3-1. There is no doubt that in the future, Babel can realize his dream and become a full time striker, but it's not going to happen next season.
The position Babel has shown his best this season was the same position he has played for Ajax, the left sided forward/winger in a 4-3-3, or 4-2-3-1. There, he retains the ability to cut inside while having enough space and freedom to venture forward early, since he has a smaller burden defensively. It's been often a problem though, that Babel almost ALWAYS cuts inside and runs into brick walls. Defenders have already learned that Babel's left foot is used sparingly, so they act accordingly and close down the middle. His crosses are usually poor and not a threat to the opposition.
If Babel ever acquires the capability to pull wide and accurately cross with his left foot, he will be unstoppable. He is already dangerous at his somewhat one-dimensional version, just imagine how much damage he can do with that one single improvement to his basic football abilities. Defenders will not be able to guess his actions, which will add to his unpredictability and give us a much better chance to break down defences. If I were Rafa, I'd tell Babel to practice on crossing with his left foot all day long. Eventually, the kid will get it right, and it'll become much easier for him to do the things he already does well.
Fitness?
Surprisingly and despite his impressive physical appearance, Babel has admitted he's been struggling with the pace of the English game. His fitness levels when joining Liverpool have just not been at the standards required. As a result of this, Babel has often looked knackered early in the match, and looked much fresher when coming off the bench. This will also be addressed in the summer and should not be taken lightly. A player's fitness has a lot of influence on his ability to be at his best, so an improvement on fitness is expected to improve Babel's performances significantly.
Mentality?
Here Babel has lately shown improvement and it is a testament of Rafa's attention to every little detail. Babel isn't a strong player mentally, and he had admitted it himself by saying that one of the first things Rafa has told him is not to get his down when things aren't going well.
Rafa has watched tapes of Babel when he played away games in Holland and the hostile crowd booed him. It affected Babel and it caused his away performances to be sub par.
Today, Babel can come in at Stamford bridge, when all is lost, and score a magnificent individual effort at extra time to get us back into the match. From a player who used to hide when things got tough, Babel has started to relish every opportunity that has come his way.
He changed the game against Arsenal a minute after it looked like we were crashing out of the CL. While everyone had their head down, even the captain, Babel just got on with it and won us a penalty.
Babel is still not the best when it comes to game intelligence and decision making, but he has shown massive progress from the start of the season. Working with Rafa does it to you, and I expect him to start next season a lot stronger, with a cooler and clearer mind.
Ending thoughts?
In my opinion, Ryan Babel is a world class player waiting to happen. With the right guidance, improvement in several areas and a proper left back behind him, I expect him to explode next season. He's still a project, a work in progress, but we have the finest architect in Rafa to plan the construction of the Tower of Babel.
And so we wait.
however, our left back still refuses to cross the Stig Inge Bjornebye line.
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