Rafa Benitez - the science of winning

[Shaggy]

TBH Rafa seems to have streamlined his thinking this year, but mainly because he has made many mistakes during the last almost 4 years. When he took over the job he asked for 5 years to properly implement his methods. Lo and behold, in his fifth year the team has evolved into his methodology.

Science is all about making mistakes, and learning from them. Rafa appears to have the backroom staff and playing staff now that complement his analytical approach. Flexibility of style must be as important as that of
substance.

If you think that football is a simple game of lumping 11 players on the pitch and letting them go at it, then I'm afraid you are likely one of those people that look at TV and merely see moving images, without understanding the mechanics of the television; or drive a car without knowing what makes it move; or use words without knowing their etymology.

Do you think it's coincidence that the most drilled and methodical team in the league appear to comeback time and again in what seem like impossible situations? This team are learning from match to match - a slow start, the odd goal against, and the confidence to fight back and win.

Football is a mind game, especially in the last 20 minutes of a match when bodies tire and players make mistakes. I would argue that the majority of Rafa's methods kick in at this time in a match. It is the 5-10% difference in mental and physical strength that he has instilled in our players (through scientific analysis of their own stamina and that of their opponents) that has enabled them to come back so often this season and not as some pedants would have us believe, through luck.

And science, like football forums, are all about argument and interpretation. So you can have yours and I'll have mine. I know which I'd rather.

Great post.

[Shaggy]

I disagree. It's probably all some cunts can understand.

NEIL!

The facts are also:

Riera has played
Keane has played
Dossena has played
Riise hasn't played
Rafa's a bit older
It's Autumn 2008
Gerrard had the summer off
We had a crap summer

So why choose lack of rotation?

Er, because it's your bugbear and now Rafa is rotating less then that HAS to be the reason. "Look, I was right all along..."

It's idiotically self-serving. To assume that "Rafa has learned" is incredibly patronising and intellectually arrogant.

Maybe he knew all along and, as dww has suggested, didn't have the starting-line up he wanted or the players weren't tactically strong enough.

Going back to your earlier point about the likes of Merson, Gray, Redknapp and the other morons explaining to us all that we're top because Rafa has "learned"...I couldn't agree more. I find this simplistic, patronising and arrogant rubbish intensely irritating. I am irritated that these cretins are not only allowed but paid handsomely to spout such crap to millions of unsuspecting viewers.

You just know that if we win the league *prays* the media at large will put it down to Rafa listening to his critics in the press and most likely using his previous four 'failures' as a stick to beat him with. Using previous failures to denigrate the achievement.

[frank the tank]

Please leave out the personal abuse. It's just not necessary.

i agree completely dww.............even if he does speak the truth!!!

[Neil Young]

NEIL!

I was referring to one individual only.

Going back to your earlier point about the likes of Merson, Gray, Redknapp and the other morons explaining to us all that we're top because Rafa has "learned"...I couldn't agree more. I find this simplistic, patronising and arrogant rubbish intensely irritating. I am irritated that these cretins are not only allowed but paid handsomely to spout such crap to millions of unsuspecting viewers.

You just know that if we win the league *prays* the media at large will put it down to Rafa listening to his critics in the press and most likely using his previous four 'failures' as a stick to beat him with. Using previous failures to denigrate the achievement.

[Craig_H]

Listen, we have one of the best managers in the world in Rafa. He knows more about football than the lot of us on here put together, and most importantly he works with the players day in day out. How the **** are you in any way qualified to say who should be playing and who shouldnt?

All of the above doesnt mean that Rafa is right with every decision.

If he played Pennant in nets, he'd still be one of the best managers in the world and would still know more about football than all of us. None of us would be 'qualified' to pick the team ahead of him, but we all have the right to an opinion, whether we've got the badges or not.

If rafa picked Sammy Lee up front, some people would laud it as a masterstroke.

[rage]

The facts are also:

Riera has played
Keane has played
Dossena has played
Riise hasn't played
Rafa's a bit older
It's Autumn 2008
Gerrard had the summer off
We had a crap summer

So why choose lack of rotation?

Er, because it's your bugbear and now Rafa is rotating less then that HAS to be the reason. "Look, I was right all along..."

It's idiotically self-serving. To assume that "Rafa has learned" is incredibly patronising and intellectually arrogant.

Maybe he knew all along and, as dww has suggested, didn't have the starting-line up he wanted or the players weren't tactically strong enough.

no its not its an accurate assessment of the last 4 seasons. maybe i should call you a cunt to strengthen my opinion on the matter?

oh and whilst i value dww's opinion i disagree with that last bit - i don't think rafa knew what he needed to compete in this league when he arrived and working that out has took him some time.

[Craig_H]

The facts are also:

Riera has played
Keane has played
Dossena has played
Riise hasn't played
Rafa's a bit older
It's Autumn 2008
Gerrard had the summer off
We had a crap summer

So why choose lack of rotation?

Er, because it's your bugbear and now Rafa is rotating less then that HAS to be the reason. "Look, I was right all along..."

It's idiotically self-serving. To assume that "Rafa has learned" is incredibly patronising and intellectually arrogant.

Maybe he knew all along and, as dww has suggested, didn't have the starting-line up he wanted or the players weren't tactically strong enough.

It's also somewhat idiotic to dismiss the impact of a settled, stable lineup.

[Warren]

If rafa picked Sammy Lee up front, some people would laud it as a masterstroke.

I think he should just for one game

[Craig_H]

I think he should just for one game

He'd put in a shift.

[Neil Young]

It's also somewhat idiotic to dismiss the impact of a settled, stable lineup.

I'm not dismissing it. It's perfectly possible it plays a role.

What I'm dismissing is the declaration that that's why we're unbeaten like it's the only possible explanation and finally Rafa has learned the error of his previously foolish ways.

[rage]

What an irritating cunt you are. Rafa makes a mistake, youre right and he's wrong. Rafa gets something right, he's learned and you were right all along. **** off with that **** mate.

Listen, we have one of the best managers in the world in Rafa. He knows more about football than the lot of us on here put together, and most importantly he works with the players day in day out. How the **** are you in any way qualified to say who should be playing and who shouldnt?

Just have the grace to give Rafa his dues for what he's been doing this season and quit the whole 'I was right all along' bollocks. It makes you look like an absolute tit.

where did i say that? internet hard man are you? i suppose that like most aggressive people i've met in real life your muscles are balance out by a pea sized brain.

[Craig_H]

I'm not dismissing it. It's perfectly possible it plays a role.

What I'm dismissing is the declaration that that's why we're unbeaten like it's the only possible explanation and finally Rafa has learned the error of his previously foolish ways.

I think it's more than possible Neil, i'd say plausible and fairly likely.

Of course it's not the only reason, there isnt just one reason, it's a combination of various things and i think the settled side argument accounts for a fair proportion of the impact.

[El Jefecito]

All of the above doesnt mean that Rafa is right with every decision.

If he played Pennant in nets, he'd still be one of the best managers in the world and would still know more about football than all of us. None of us would be 'qualified' to pick the team ahead of him, but we all have the right to an opinion, whether we've got the badges or not.

If rafa picked Sammy Lee up front, some people would laud it as a masterstroke.

Don't be a whopper.

[Craig_H]

Learnt a new word from your mate, i see

[Neil Young]

I think it's more than possible Neil, i'd say plausible and fairly likely.

Of course it's not the only reason, there isnt just one reason, it's a combination of various things and i think the settled side argument accounts for a fair proportion of the impact.

It's pure conjecture. You could be right, you could be wrong.

FWIW I think it helps but I don't think it's got anything to do with what Rafa has or hasn't learned. I struggle to believe that Rafa hasn't already thought of the possibility of not rotating as much before this season.

In fact we know he repeatedly rotated less towards the end of the season. Also there was a Tomkins article which had figures suggesting Rafa rotated no more or less than Ferguson and, um, Wenger (or was it Mourinho or Grant?).

I'd have thought the point was Rafa believed (and still believes) you can't win the league with resting/rotating players and that our squad wasn't good enough to rotate. So he was in a bind - don't rotate and don't win the league or rotate and don't win the league, The thing is, by rotating he reckoned we stood a chance of winning the CL and other cup competitions. And if so he was right.

Now perhaps he thinks he's got a squad that's capable of winning it so he's going for momentum and hoping to hang on as players tire. He might well rotate more in cup competitions (if we beat At. Madrid next week then he'll start resting in the CL) to save key players.

Who knows? We can all have our theories but I'd say that one fits better with what we know of Rafa than the idea he's taken four years to work out a settled team can have advantages.