Getting carried away

[Slinky Skills]

I put a thread on here the other week about our good start to the season and how I felt there was a great belief within the team and so on.

Someone had put on there that the thread will curse us. I keep thinking I've left some sort of mad curse on the team now. Also, although the positivty from fans is good, does anyone else think that we should chill out a bit with regards to our good start and maybe try and not get too carried away?

The start has been excellent but there are a number of teams that are playing well. I watched the Chelsea game and they were very good and seem to be scoring a lot of goals. Arsenal are a pleasure to watch as usual and no doubt will be up the top or thereabouts too.

As for the filth, we all know that they're a bunch of sneaky cunts and will soon be at the top or near the top in no time once they get going. I just don't want everyone to get carried away with our start. There's nothing wrong with a bit confidence like but try and keep a bit of sensibilty if you get me.

[Marky]

Naw man i dont think alot of fans are getting carried away, just impressed with our start to the season and rightly so.
Here's what the boss thinks


Benitez drops his guard to finally talk up Liverpool's title chance
by JOHN EDWARDS
Last updated at 11:11 PM on 30th September 2008
Comments (0) Add to My Stories Maybe it’ s no more than a hunch at present, but it was still enough for Rafa Benitez to drop his guard for a moment yesterday and claim his emerging Liverpool side could be on the verge of a long awaited breakthrough.

The focus of attention switches to the Champions League tonight, with PSV Eindhoven the visitors at Anfield, but for once no one at Liverpool was describing it as welcome respite from their Premier League endeavours.

Not after a start that has yielded 14 points from their first six games and inspired a mood of optimism that appears to have infiltrated even Benitez’s normally cautious way of thinking.

I remember the feeling I had at Valencia when we were getting close to where we wanted to be, and I am getting the same feeling now.

‘It cannot be an exact comparison, of course, because it is another country and there are massive differences in the amount of money clubs are investing,’ said Benitez as he talked up his team’s prospects of ending 19 years of mounting frustration on the domestic front.

‘But there are similarities. At Valencia, I could see the team improving and the balance getting better each year. The mentality became stronger and confidence levels grew higher. The same thing is happening at Liverpool.

‘When I look at how things are developing here, I think maybe we won’t need to spend as much as in recent years. We have been signing maybe four, five or six players each year, and perhaps three or four have proved themselves good enough and have settled in.

‘When you do that over a few seasons, and you have enough players of the right quality and age, and they are all on long contracts, then you can say the foundations are in place. The basis is there, and we are getting closer all the time.

‘We have a balance now and a squad with enough depth to allow me to make changes without fearing I may be sending out a team not good enough to win. There is still room for improvement, and we will keep striving for that, but we really do have good options and a feeling we can manage 60 games a year.’

Winning start: Gerrard, Torres and Lucas celebrate Liverpool's winning start to their Champions League campaign
As recently as last month, the Liverpool manager was swatting aside any suggestion his side may be capable of challenging on two fronts this season, despite repeatedly underlining their European pedigree and finally looking to have moulded a squad with title aspirations.

After launching their group campaign with a 2-1 win in Marseille, Benitez revealed the motivation for following up with another three points and securing qualification at the earliest opportunity.

‘Clearly, if we can wrap it up as soon as possible, it will put us in a better position for later in the season, when we need players to be fresh for all the challenges we may face,’ he said.

‘We will not underestimate PSV and will be putting out a strong side, but it is important that we keep the momentum going.’

Javier Mascherano has been sidelined with a troublesome calf strain but was far more concerned with the pain of recent Champions League setbacks as he prepared to reclaim his place in midfield.

‘I know the supporters want the Premier League title, because it has been missing for so long, but for me the Champions League is the big one,’ he said. ‘I used to watch it as a boy in Argentina, and I always dreamed I might play in it one day.

‘If you asked 200 players about their preference, 90 per cent would say the same. I really want a winner’s medal to wipe away the memory of losing to AC Milan in the final and then Chelsea in the semi-final last season.

‘When you lose games of that magnitude, the pain stays with you. You can be happy for an hour or so when you win, but losing hits you for a lot longer. It can stay with you for weeks, months or even years, and I don’t want to have to live with that again.

‘I will never forget the moments after losing to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. We got back to the dressing room and no one said a word. It was so quiet and so sad, and the memory of that will spur me on this season.’

[Slinky Skills]

Good article that Marky, thanks for posting it fellor.

Things are definitley coming together, it HAS been a great start by the team. It's nice to see in that article that he doesn't have to talk about a poor start to the season for a change either.

I am really happy with how things are going. We look very solid and have a good balance. We're not the most spectacular of teams but we're very effective at what we do. We're a bit like assassins in a way. Do the job and get the **** out of there!

I just get the feeling that we'll end up ****ing it up just as we usually do. We've had to endure so many miserable seasons in the league that you just feel that we'll come unstuck somewhere along the way, and it will affect the players mentality.

Something else while I'm here. Has anyone noticed there's not been much rotation by Rafa since the start of the season.....our is that just me??

[Hammer]

Something else while I'm here. Has anyone noticed there's not been much rotation by Rafa since the start of the season.....our is that just me??

I would agree with you on that. Compared to the start of last season he does seem to be making a lot less changes. I think its due to him finally being happy with the quality of players he has now and he doesn't need to play players out of position anymore to cover for weaker areas of the team.

[5aq1b]

I remember about 3 years ago we went on a little winning run and Morientes was quoted as saying that, and i paraphrase "we're finally seeing Liverpool through the eyes of Rafa Benitez"

No Mori, NOW we are seeing Liverpool through the eyes of Benitez. Slowly but surely we are becoming more and more similar to his Valencia team and it's quite clear that Benitez still uses his Valencia team as his blueprint. The way we closed and harassed the scum down is exactly what "the crushing machine" was famous for. All we need is consistency and maybe 1 or 2 more World class signings (wide players) and no. 19 could finally be coming Home.

[Craig_H]

Good article that Marky, thanks for posting it fellor.

Things are definitley coming together, it HAS been a great start by the team. It's nice to see in that article that he doesn't have to talk about a poor start to the season for a change either.

I am really happy with how things are going. We look very solid and have a good balance. We're not the most spectacular of teams but we're very effective at what we do. We're a bit like assassins in a way. Do the job and get the **** out of there!

I just get the feeling that we'll end up ****ing it up just as we usually do. We've had to endure so many miserable seasons in the league that you just feel that we'll come unstuck somewhere along the way, and it will affect the players mentality.

Something else while I'm here. Has anyone noticed there's not been much rotation by Rafa since the start of the season.....our is that just me??

It's not just you and it's no coincidence that we're winning so often, while the rotation is kept to a minimum.

I remember about 3 years ago we went on a little winning run and Morientes was quoted as saying that, and i paraphrase "we're finally seeing Liverpool through the eyes of Rafa Benitez"

No Mori, NOW we are seeing Liverpool through the eyes of Benitez. Slowly but surely we are becoming more and more similar to his Valencia team and it's quite clear that Benitez still uses his Valencia team as his blueprint. The way we closed and harassed the scum down is exactly what "the crushing machine" was famous for. All we need is consistency and maybe 1 or 2 more World class signings (wide players) and no. 19 could finally be coming Home.

I dont even think we need much more in the way of new players, to actually win the title. I think we're capable and i thought so last season too. We need a bit of luck, as all teams would do to win a league, and we need consistency, both in terms of results but in terms of the starting XI and tactics too.

If the boss delivers on those counts, we'll go close.

[5aq1b]

It's not just you and it's no coincidence that we're winning so often, while the rotation is kept to a minimum.

Rotations a myth. Nobody notices it when you win

[Guest]

We have been rotating this year too, and quite a lot. I don't have the stats but Rafa has been tinkling with the side. The difference now is that he has got the 'core' of players needed (the spine of the team) needed and he can rotate everyone else.

He still didn't rotate Torres too much last year. This year we've beaten United with a supposedly 'weaker' team and we've won. Maybe this has just given us the needed lift and confidence that we have been lacking.

Rafa now has the quality to replace Torres with Keane or Kuyt, and he's even let Crouch and Voronin go, so this must speak volumes.

As I said, it's not about rotation being less as it's a myth. Rotation is still key in this day and age. But we just have better players and rotation doesn't seem to be a problem because of that fact.

[Guest]

Just in case Sarb, Rage or Rashid come back and start taking credit for that 'great' myth that is rotation.

It's simply the fact that we are having a squad of much better players to choose from. Add to that our excellent youngsters waiting in the wings, I think the future is very bright!

[Laddsy]

Just in case Sarb, Rage or Rashid come back and start taking credit for that 'great' myth that is rotation.

It's simply the fact that we are having a squad of much better players to choose from. Add to that our excellent youngsters waiting in the wings, I think the future is very bright!

Rashid was just in here having a looksy

[Reece]

Interesting that Mascherano says he wants a CL winners medal more than the Premier League. I wonder if it's a case of the foreign players see it this way, whilst the local players (and other English/British players to a lesser extent) would rather the Premier League.

[Kenneth]

Interesting that Mascherano says he wants a CL winners medal more than the Premier League. I wonder if it's a case of the foreign players see it this way, whilst the local players (and other English/British players to a lesser extent) would rather the Premier League.

Maybe, or maybe he looks around the dressing room and sees others with the medal and feels left out.

[Reece]

Maybe, or maybe he looks around the dressing room and sees others with the medal and feels left out.

Yeah possibly. As he says the hurt of losing in the final surely contributes. Was just thinking out loud really

[red g]

Interesting that Mascherano says he wants a CL winners medal more than the Premier League. I wonder if it's a case of the foreign players see it this way, whilst the local players (and other English/British players to a lesser extent) would rather the Premier League.

well he says 90% asked would, so yes think that accounts for the foreigner count in the premiership

[Craig_H]

Rotations a myth. Nobody notices it when you win

We have been rotating this year too, and quite a lot. I don't have the stats but Rafa has been tinkling with the side. The difference now is that he has got the 'core' of players needed (the spine of the team) needed and he can rotate everyone else.

He still didn't rotate Torres too much last year. This year we've beaten United with a supposedly 'weaker' team and we've won. Maybe this has just given us the needed lift and confidence that we have been lacking.

Rafa now has the quality to replace Torres with Keane or Kuyt, and he's even let Crouch and Voronin go, so this must speak volumes.

As I said, it's not about rotation being less as it's a myth. Rotation is still key in this day and age. But we just have better players and rotation doesn't seem to be a problem because of that fact.

Just in case Sarb, Rage or Rashid come back and start taking credit for that 'great' myth that is rotation.

It's simply the fact that we are having a squad of much better players to choose from. Add to that our excellent youngsters waiting in the wings, I think the future is very bright!

Sorry guys, the rotation argument isnt a myth at all.

Fredo, you claim that we've rotated a lot too this season, but say that you dont have the stats - well i've checked the stats.

So far this season, we've played 9 competitve (not couting the League Cup) and in that time, we've made a total of 14 non-enforced changes, between games. That's 14 in nine.

The breakdown is:

2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 3, 2, 0

So it works out generally, at about 2 changes, from one game to the next. The maximum was 3.

Last season, after just THREE games, we'd made a total of 15 non-enforced changes. For the first nine games, we'd made a total of 40 non-enforced changes, more than double that of this season (in fact, nearly 3 times as many). Again, i didnt count the League Cup game.

The breakdown is:

5, 6, 4, 7, 5, 5, 6, 2

So generally speaking, we were making about 5 changes between games, and on odd occasions, as many as 6 or 7.

So sorry fredo, while you say "As I said, it's not about rotation being less as it's a myth.", it actually is very much about roation being less, it's much less.

I've looked into the stats and provided you with the evidence, so really, it's beyond question.

It's factually true to say that we have rotated MUCH less in the 1st 9 games of this campaign, than we did in the first 9 games of last season.