Tevez to be absent for Manchester City game?

[Harv]

One other thing that came to mind - compare Mancini's stance on this, with Rafa's on Alonso, when he wanted to be with his partner for the birth of their child.

Slaughter me if you want, and the usual suspects obviously will, but this paints as emphatic a picture as anything, as to why people question how Rafa deals with his players as PEOPLE.

Sometimes seeing them as chess pieces or emotionless cogs in a machine, isnt the right way of looking at it. Ultimately, that's what cost us the services of Xabi Alonso.

Its a part of Rafa that i hate, and im sure the players hate too.

[Craig_H]

Bit harsh on Rafa that, It states that Tevez's partner has pregnancy complications, now that doesn't sound good to me. She is also half way around the world. Who would try to stop him going to her? not Mancini and also I honestly don't think Rafa would either.

I saw the bit about complications and yes, that gives it a slightly more serious angle, but even without complications, trying to get a guy to miss the birth of his first child, is not something most people would consider is it?

[SB]

Last 16 against Inter two years ago.

Cheers. I thought it was an important match and you've proven that.

[BFG]

One other thing that came to mind - compare Mancini's stance on this, with Rafa's on Alonso, when he wanted to be with his partner for the birth of their child.

Slaughter me if you want, and the usual suspects obviously will, but this paints as emphatic a picture as anything, as to why people question how Rafa deals with his players as PEOPLE.

Sometimes seeing them as chess pieces or emotionless cogs in a machine, isnt the right way of looking at it. Ultimately, that's what cost us the services of Xabi Alonso.

That's far too black and white. In fact it's so black and white it could have come straight out of a Daily Mail column.

Of course it might have played a role but there were several other reasons why Alonso wanted out. He'd always wanted to play for Madrid, he had been away from his home country a long time and he also mentioned how he was worried about paying a bit more tax when the new rules came in. He's since stated that Rafa is a great manager and we should stick with him and he has no hard feelings towards him and owes him a lot. That's a long way from "Rafa was cold and mismanaged me and that's why I left Liverpool."

Also the fact that Tevez's wife/ girlfriend is having complications whereas Xabi wanted to be excused in case his wife gave birth and we were on the eve of a big Champions League game whereas City are only playing league and FA Cup games.

[Craig_H]

Alonso's professional, and having got his move, of course he's going to say the right things about Rafa, he'd have to be a complete idiot to slag him off publicly - and he's not one.

But he did say himself that the Barry transfer thing was the main reason why he wanted out and this thing with his partner giving birth wouldnt have helped the situation.

Am i the only one who thinks it's unreasonable to get narky with someone who refuses to miss the birth of their first baby?

[BFG]

"There have been a lot of rumours but as I`ve said before, it was a professional relationship. I have always tried to do what he asked me to do on the pitch. When the birth of my child happened, I had to take a decision to be with my family because it was an important moment. Last summer when the club proposed that I had to be sold to buy new players it was a difficult moment and decision to accept; but I accepted it as a professional. That moment changed my mind, from that moment it was time for a change."

Seems Xabi doesn't see it as the reason he left.

"I think he’s a great manager. He’s capable of managing the squad he has got right now. He has been making decisions for a long time.

"It wouldn’t be a good decision to change the manager. I still have great respect for him. I’m very grateful to him for the five great years I had at Liverpool.

"He knows the squad very well and works with them on a daily basis. The situation isn’t the best right now but he knows how to turn it around."

Also seems he doesn't have any antipathy towards Benitez. He doesn't sound like someone fuming that he was treated badly regarding the birth of his child.

[BFG]

Alonso's professional, and having got his move, of course he's going to say the right things about Rafa, he'd have to be a complete idiot to slag him off publicly - and he's not one.

But he did say himself that the Barry transfer thing was the main reason why he wanted out and this thing with his partner giving birth wouldnt have helped the situation.

Am i the only one who thinks it's unreasonable to get narky with someone who refuses to miss the birth of their first baby?

I think if you worked for Rafa Benitez you'd maybe understand what was driving him to ask you to do that. It's not as if Rafa would let anything personal get in the way of a game.

If you refused to play and went back to Spain instead then I'm sure you'd know it would blow over and there wouldn't be any hard feelings and it looks like that's what happened. I'm not saying it didn't affect their relationship. I just completely disagree with the inference that this incident was what led to Alonso leaving, there's a myriad of factors that led to it, many of which had nothing to do with Benitez.

[Craig_H]

As i said, he's a decent fella and a level headed professional, so it's doubtful that, having got his move, he'd come out and be negative towards Rafa.

I've not said the birth thing was the sole reason for moving, but i think it wouldnt have helped and as i've said, it's very strange for someone to get miffed with someone for 'daring' to choose the birth of their child over a football match.

Rafa's an extreme case of football obsessiveness, which was highlighted by him staying with the club in Japan when his father passed away. And there's no criticism of him for being like that, in some ways it's admirable.

It's not something he should expect of his players though, and it's not something he should get annoyed about, if they choose to put family first.

[Vermilion]

Bit harsh on Rafa that, It states that Tevez's partner has pregnancy complications, now that doesn't sound good to me. She is also half way around the world. Who would try to stop him going to her? not Mancini and also I honestly don't think Rafa would either.

Spot on, as soon as i saw this article i knew someone would bring up Alonso, (surprised it was Craig though..Not! )and as you say the Tevez situation is completely different, his wife is having difficulty, and but for that he would still be with City and playing.

[BFG]

As i said, he's a decent fella and a level headed professional, so it's doubtful that, having got his move, he'd come out and be negative towards Rafa.

I've not said the birth thing was the sole reason for moving, but i think it wouldnt have helped and as i've said, it's very strange for someone to get miffed with someone for 'daring' to choose the birth of their child over a football match.

Rafa's an extreme case of football obsessiveness, which was highlighted by him staying with the club in Japan when his father passed away. And there's no criticism of him for being like that, in some ways it's admirable.

It's not something he should expect of his players though, and it's not something he should get annoyed about, if they choose to put family first.

But he has come out and said that the moment his mind was changed was when the club told him they were trying to sell him. If he was just being the ultimate pro and keeping all the reasons for him leaving to himself then why say that? Maybe it's the truth?

I think Rafa maybe was annoyed at Alonso but I think that would have passed very quickly and there's obvioulsy no bad feeling between the pair now. Situations arise in the workplace all the time and tensions rise but they pass quickly if people are mature and it's worth mentioning that noone of note has slagged Rafa off for the way he managers people after they've left (Pennant isn't of note) but there seems to be plenty that will offer him praise such as Alonso, Riise and Hyppia.

[Craig_H]

I'm not saying it wasnt the truth, i believe it was.

I do think the fall-out over the birth thing wouldnt have helped either. There's a difference between it not helping and it being 'the reason'.

[BFG]

I'm not saying it wasnt the truth, i believe it was.

I do think the fall-out over the birth thing wouldnt have helped either. There's a difference between it not helping and it being 'the reason'.

Well I don't disagree with that, although obvioulsy we'll never know Xabi's exact reasoning.

[Craig_H]

I think it's a fair assumption to make that the whole 'i want to sell you' episode was the majorly significant catalyst, whilst smaller things like the birth might have made Alonso start thinking whether or not this was the manager he wanted to continue playing under.

[SK]

Alonso's professional, and having got his move, of course he's going to say the right things about Rafa, he'd have to be a complete idiot to slag him off publicly - and he's not one.

But he did say himself that the Barry transfer thing was the main reason why he wanted out and this thing with his partner giving birth wouldnt have helped the situation.

Am i the only one who thinks it's unreasonable to get narky with someone who refuses to miss the birth of their first baby?

i'm of the same opinion, some things are more important than football

[Fan65]

As i said, he's a decent fella and a level headed professional, so it's doubtful that, having got his move, he'd come out and be negative towards Rafa.

I've not said the birth thing was the sole reason for moving, but i think it wouldnt have helped and as i've said, it's very strange for someone to get miffed with someone for 'daring' to choose the birth of their child over a football match.

Rafa's an extreme case of football obsessiveness, which was highlighted by him staying with the club in Japan when his father passed away. And there's no criticism of him for being like that, in some ways it's admirable.

It's not something he should expect of his players though, and it's not something he should get annoyed about, if they choose to put family first.

For Rafa read Shankly.

You seem to be labouring the point that you think Rafa was angry and bitter with Alonso for wanting to be at the birth of his child. Have you any evidence of this or are you just summising it from the endless tabloid dross aimed at Rafa.

Rafa may demand his players have total respect and loyalty to this club to the point where he appears aloof, I find nothing wrong in that. The players should be honoured and are paid huge salaries for playing in a red shirt the least they can do is respect it and be ultimate professionals. If that means playing a hugely important game for the club with the knowledge that his baby may possibly be born during the match so be it. It of course should be Alonso's final choice to opt to be at his wife's side during labour or to play a silly champions league football match. If Rafa wasn't happy so what eh?

He did in fact opt to leave and watched the game on TV.


Bringing Rafa's father's death into it was again not fair, We all handle grief in our own way to say Rafa is a football obsessive and that's why he stayed in Japan was extremely presumptious and rude even though you put a rider on it to excuse yourself for saying it.

Stick to criticising Rafa's team selections and tactics and leave his personal life out of it