Rafa Benitez

[Elvoz]

Blah blah blah

great work fella

[bobbyfallon]

You think a footballer's life (or any professional sporstman) is that easy eh ? You're horribly wrong mate ... horribly wrong. It's a ****ing tough job which not only drains you on a physical level but on a mental one too. You need to compete all the time, not only because clubs do complete on a competitive level but on a squad basis also. Your team mate can nick your place so you have to produce all the time.

You're over simplifying things once again. Ask your mate Gerrard.

CHEERS

[BFG]

To be honest I think fredo has a point. I think we will need to rotate key players at some point. The key is when we do it and how the team reacts. We showed against United that that can be positively (I know that was injuries rather than rotation but most of the point remains unchanged). Last year United rested both Rooney and Ronaldo at some points and actually often dropped points when doing so but it never affected their team style or overall momentum over the season, which at times I think most people agree it has for us in the past. That is what, at the minimum, we need to be aiming for.

All title winning sides rest players at certain points throughout the season, no matter what Paul Merson or the red tops would have us believe.

[Craig_H]

Blah blah blah

Why do you feel the need to be an idiot? People are respecting your view and taking you seriously (for a change) and that's the best you can reply with? Sad.

[Elvoz]

Why do you feel the need to be an idiot? People are respecting your view and taking you seriously (for a change) and that's the best you can reply with? Sad.

got to agree craig

[barnes10]

Regarding your 'tiredness' point though, Souness ALWAYS bangs on about how he was never tired. The game was a lot slower back then though, i guess.

read some stats on this - probably paul tomkins - and the game has changed so much. the distance and speed that players play at nowadays, as well as the number of games mean its a VERY different game to souness' days.

We need to rotate, but there's a time and a place isnt there. lets hope thats what we get right this season.

[lfc1394]

Rotation is required at this level of football if you want to get the best out of your players over the season.

Arsenel last year looked dead on their feet come the end of the season and that cost them.

Looking at our bench there is no reason not to rotate. For example resting Gerrard and playing Masher and Alonso not a problem, that's a midfield capable of beating anyone, and replace either of those 2 with Gerrard and the same applies.

[Sarb]

To win the Prem (sadly I agree with Lawro), Gerrard and Torres will have to play most Prem games this season. Rotation has it's benefits, but you don't rotate your best players at a whim. That's the difference this season. The best players have usually played when fit

[bobbyfallon]

To win the Prem (sadly I agree with Lawro), Gerrard and Torres will have to play most Prem games this season. Rotation has it's benefits, but you don't rotate your best players at a whim. That's the difference this season. The best players have usually played when fit

someone posted it further up the thread - a player scoring doesnt get tired. i agree with that.

as for resting 25 year old athletes? give me a break

the bit in bold i agree with. rest them yes - but start them get a couple of goals up then take them off no ??

[Sarb]

someone posted it further up the thread - a player scoring doesnt get tired. i agree with that.

as for resting 25 year old athletes? give me a break

the bit in bold i agree with. rest them yes - but start them get a couple of goals up then take them off no ??

Exactly right. Play them from the start, and when the game is won then hopefully take them off with 20 mins or so left. Plenty of rest.

[bobbyfallon]

Exactly right. Play them from the start, and when the game is won then hopefully take them off with 20 mins or so left. Plenty of rest.

fair enough when its tight and that leave them on.

carling cup - fa cup vs weaker opposition champions leage when qualification is assured. this is the time to rest them.

i think he is starting to learn though this season.

the fact that the team always finishes strong shows that rotation can work. just not at the start of the season and leaving us to play catchup against stronger teams like chelsea and united

[knockers]

To be fair Rafa never normally 'rests' Gerrard or Torres when they are 'rested' it's generally because they are coming back from injury.

[BFG]

To be fair Rafa never normally 'rests' Gerrard or Torres when they are 'rested' it's generally because they are coming back from injury.

Or the defence, especially the centre backs.

[dww]

To be fair Rafa never normally 'rests' Gerrard or Torres when they are 'rested' it's generally because they are coming back from injury.

In general I think that Rafa has rotated less the players he believes in and trusts. I think as time has gone on that number of players has grown with the result that now we are swapping just one or two players and they are often players that we might expect both the start (i.e. Alonso and Mascherano). That sort of rotation rarely gets commented upon, I think in the past our changes have been made to protect weaknesses Rafa has seen in the team and that will always be picked up on if it doesn't work for us.

[DannyMan2006]

Like it or not, with that schedule coming up Rafa WILL rotate the players. I think he mentioned it earlier in the season when questioned on the subject. He seemed quite happy for his players to play consecutive games when they were playing every 4 days.

But with games every 3 days at some stage in there changes will happen. He just has to make sure he gets the changes right. No doubt there will be wholesale changes in the Carling Cup. Hopefully we can beat Atletico home and away and then rest all the players in the remaining two games.