Originally posted by Vermilion
View Post
Obviously not Maureen then, wonder who it could be ? Ferguson ? Wenger ? Ahhh i know... very crafty....it's RAFA is'nt it. 
On the one hand, it is one of the things I love about Liverpool. On the other hand, I wish the club's identity could be brought into the modern era of swagger and confidence, allowing us a little bit of a nasty streak so that when you walk on the pitch as our opponent, you know that you're going to be up against it. We have some players who have it-- I think Mascherano is the epitome of this attitude for the club, and Carra is just behind him-- but Rafa does not have it. For all of his tactical acumen, he comes across as more as a cold and detached efficiency expert than he does as a leader of men. He has a system that he believes will maximize results, but he doesn't seem to take into account the needs and motivations of men on the pitch.
For all of the history of the club, Bob Paisley and Bill Shankly are not here to lead us in the modern game of football. And when they were here, their passion for the club, their desire to do things "the Liverpool Way" meant going out with a fire in the belly and beating the **** out of everyone they faced-- all of it for the supporters. They did it with flair and confidence. To me, that is the Liverpool way of doing things. I was not able to watch those matches (I didn't discover my passion for the club until I could actually begin to watch and follow it, which was impossible, pre-1994 in the USA), but I am a student of history and I have looked back often to learn as much as I can.
All of that is to say, we need to start thinking less like cold blooded accountants and more like cold blooded killers on the pitch. I want to see players get in the face of other players, I want to see them taking pride in destroying other sides. In short, I want the fire of Wayne Rooney, of Jose Mourinho, of Leo Messi, of Cristiano Ronaldo-- If I can't have their skill and quality, I want that work rate and determination and tactics that allow for it.
For me this begins with Steven Gerrard and ends with Rafa. Most important to me, I want our Captain to get in the faces of his teammates and lead the squad on the pitch. Where is the Gerrard that used to run the length of the pitch to make a tackle? Where is the man who used to make runs into the box at will, scoring blazing goals? He hasn't lost that ability-- he is under motivated. For me, he has gone soft-- maybe tired of carrying the responsibility of the team? I don't know what is in his mind, but something is not there. He-- and the entire team-- need a fire lit under them.
I am not sure this will happen under Rafa, primarily because, while his tactics generally ensure that the team are in every match, he has built the team around a counter attacking philosophy. Nine times out of ten, we face clubs who want to bunker themselves, setting up dour matches where we have 75% of possession and no idea what to do as we **** around in the opponent's final third.
While it works at the highest level of European football (see Inter yesterday, who spent large portions of the match in a 8-1-1 formation), a conservative approach with a Cup on the line is one thing, a league campaign where you are the favorite almost every week is completely another thing. A dominant team does not walk on the pitch and soak up pressure hoping Torres will nick a goal-- they attack.
So, all of this is to say that while I admire Rafa's thinking on one level-- every match is winnable under his system-- he does not seem to have the belief in the players to let them go and be dominant in attack. We are short players-- we have no width, which is a huge problem, allowing teams to let Dirk Kuyt and Benayoun, who both drift in constantly, to try and be the force that wins matches-- but you would think we would accommodate that by making changes. This season's record was inexcusable and it is because of who we've bought, where they are playing, how they are being deployed tactically and the conservative approach we take to the game.
But most of all, Rafa needs to lead the men in his club and lead by example. If I were Rafa, my first order of business would be to sit down with Steven Gerrard and light a fire inside of him. I would stop popping a breath mint every time we scored and start showing some emotion. But more than anything, I would be doing everything in my power to find a way to integrate emotion, creativity and confidence in my players, one by one, with a single unifying message of belief in the club, the responsibility we have to our history, and the need to restore our glory. If that isn't the manager's issue I don't know who else to whom I can assign responsibility. If Rafa can't do it, we need someone who can. End of.
Listen i am a mourinho fan and think i would love him here, for the success he could bring not the football we would watch.
Comment