Will Rafa win the league with Liverpool?

[Spy Bee]

We are no better than 4th place material this season - so far.

 

Which is why we are second yeah?

 

Fuck this it's really annoying me now. Rash and Mental Nicholas are now on ignore and I am going to the pub.

 

Follow the instructions in my sig my GF brothers!

[RedinSweden]

We ain't winning the league this season, simply cannot see it happening. If we can't beat fucking Birmingham City at home then we have no chance.

We still need better players, we're still inferior to both Chelsea and ManUre in terms of personnel, and no better than Arsenal who are absolutely cruising.

We are no better than 4th place material this season - so far.

 

Chelsea - If they can't beat Blackburn at home then they have no chance

Man Utd - If they can't beat Reading at home then they have no chance

[ratcatcher]

So the title challenge is over?

Have I said that?

 

Think its time people stepped back and saw what the rotation policy is doing.

 

Do I think the title challenge is over? Have a word with yourself. No it isnt over. But too many strange team selections and not fielding our stringest 11 every week will see the tile slip from our grasp again.

[Bourbon]

I think this brinksmanship and cyber squaring-up is masking what I think he is asking...

 

Will he bring us the Title with the levels and patterns of rotation that we have seen particularly in the last two seasons and now the start of this.

 

Personally, I think that's what we should be answering to rather than bailing in on these two, regardless of their discursive, argumentative personalities.

 

Having seen Rafa say this League is harder to win than La Liga and the biggest challenge of his career, he is still learning. He has never been to this extent in his life before.

 

Given that he has conceded on two or possibly three major issues; playing your strongest side in the FA Cup(post Burnley!), playing Steven in the centre and playing a more attacking 442, I am using this as evidence in that he will relent a little on the rotation at the current degree...He has changed his policy on the previous things and will do on this.

 

He simply has to, regardless of whether we should batter sides like Pompey and Brum.

 

I voted yes, but if he changes "certain things" ie more full strength starting XIs sent out to play with heart and to be bold.

 

To play, in short, worthy of Liverpool Football Club.

 

Or sadly, I can see him getting press ganged out by hateful journos and spiteful, gobby fans.

 

Booing at Anfield?

 

Classless in excelsis.

[Faustus]

He's a great manager and has the talent to deliver no19, but I really fear for the stubborn streak he has. He has to be big enough and cater aspects of his management to the English game.

[Red Mist]

Which is why we are second yeah?

 

Fuck this it's really annoying me now. Rash and Mental Nicholas are now on ignore and I am going to the pub.

 

Follow the instructions in my sig my GF brothers!

I don't think there will be much between 1st and 4th place this season, could be just a few points in it since out of the big 4, only Arsenal have made a really great start. But once Fabregas and Toure get injured they will start to lose and slip up, and the top of the table will get awfully congested.

We just don't have that extra quality which the mancs and chelsea have to make the real difference IMO.

[RedinSweden]

He's a great manager and has the talent to deliver no19, but I really fear for the stubborn streak he has. He has to be big enough and cater aspects of his management to the English game.

 

Stubborn streak? I really don't get what that is supposed to mean.

[ratcatcher]

My problem with this thread is that it typifies the dummy-chucking attitude of too many of our fans these days. I'm pissed off we drew today, and I honestly don't expect us to win the league this season. But then again I didn't expect it before the season began either, not when we were (net) spending at what is a relatively low amount these days. If we win it then great, but we've forgotten that just two years ago we failed to finish high enough to even qualify for the CL.

 

Booing is a disgrace, but no surprise these days. I wonder what the booers would say tomorrow if Rafa said, "Fuck it, I'm sick of being moaned at for rotating, doing things my way, I'm off back to Spain."

 

Teams like Birmingham, and Middlesborough in the past, turn up at Anfield with no intention of trying to win. We do need to work harder at finding ways to get round that. Rafa said tonight that he didn't play Torres because he expected Birmingham to play in a way that would prevent Torres from getting into space behind them. He said when Torres came on later he was proved right. He said he chose Voronin because he's quite "clever" and he hoped he'd be able to get round Birmingham's way of playing. As much as I like Voronin he was a free transfer and for all the razzmatazz that greeted us when the new owners took over, Rafa shouldn't be relying on free transfers when it comes to finding the right players to use against teams like Birmingham...

Who's 'expecting' us to win the title? Fans ARE expecting a decent title push this season. Leaving your £25m striker out of the team for an hour doesnt make sense to me. If he's fit, what's he doing on the bench? If he's not fully fit, what's he doing on the bench? The comments about brum playing a way that would stifle Torres, oh come on! I just cant believe some people fall for this and just proves Benitez worries too much about the opposition. For god's sake play our best and let THEM worry about us! Is it really that hard?

 

The point about brum and smoggies now turn up for a game is precisely the point, we HAVE to field our strongest side every week IF we want a title challenge. The results of not doing so are obvious from past seasons.

 

Benitez can win the title for us but only if he drops this constant nonsense. If Im wrong this season, I gladly eat humble pie. But if Im not, I expect some to eat dogshit!

[Gods back]

Well?

 

Your now like a broken fucking record.

 

And to think i stuck up for you when you came back.

 

How wrong was i??

[RED Tezza]

I think this brinksmanship and cyber squaring-up is masking what I think he is asking...

 

Will he bring us the Title with the levels and patterns of rotation that we have seen particularly in the last two seasons and now the start of this.

 

Personally, I think that's what we should be answering to rather than bailing in on these two, regardless of their discursive, argumentative personalities.

 

Having seen Rafa say this League is harder to win than La Liga and the biggest challenge of his career, he is still learning. He has never been to this extent in his life before.

 

Given that he has conceded on two or possibly three major issues; playing your strongest side in the FA Cup(post Burnley!), playing Steven in the centre and playing a more attacking 442, I am using this as evidence in that he will relent a little on the rotation at the current degree...He has changed his policy on the previous things and will do on this.

 

He simply has to, regardless of whether we should batter sides like Pompey and Brum.

 

I voted yes, but if he changes "certain things" ie more full strength starting XIs sent out to play with heart and to be bold.

 

To play, in short, worthy of Liverpool Football Club.

 

Or sadly, I can see him getting press ganged out by hateful journos and spiteful, gobby fans.

 

Booing at Anfield?

 

Classless in excelsis.

 

:thumbup:

[Cardie]

Rash in 'I'm just making conversation and not at all trying to push an agenda....Honest' shocker.

 

Where's the fuck off Rash option?

[Faustus]

Stubborn streak? I really don't get what that is supposed to mean.

 

Don't get me wrong, I love the fella, but to me, he comes across as a really stubborn person.

 

I don't know if I read to much into it, but I feel that last week's team at Portsmouth was governed by Rafa's rant about internationals and the early kick-off as not a single starter was involved in a midweek match.

 

As I said, I'm probably reading too much into it, but the persistance with rotating the side and leaving out your best players suggests, to me anyway, that he is a stubborn fella, despite the fact that after three years of employing it, we are yet to have a decent title challenge.

 

Look at the rest of the top four- they all have a core of 4, 5 or 6 players who play in league games in any circumstance. The only outfield player for us who seems to escape Rafa's chopping and changing is Carragher. How can you expect to put up a decent challenge if you don't have a settled side? How can you justify mass changes so early into the season? Yes, make a few changes around the Christmas schedule or towards the end of the season, but not when the season's only just started. Torres, for me, should be one of the "core players" who should start every league game. Simple as.

[Carradona]

Un. Believe. Able.

[Cardie]

Look at the rest of the top four- they all have a core of 4, 5 or 6 players who play in league games in any circumstance.

 

Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa

 

That's our 5, glad we've established Rafa is doing no different to other managers.

 

Next.

[ratcatcher]

If he's not fully fit I imagine he's on the bench because the manager knows he's capable of playing 30 minutes, but would worry about using him for 90. I keep hearing rumours he's got some kind of injury niggle, but that could be bollocks. It's also not worth announcing it to all and sundry.

 

A week ago the general call was that we should be starting every game with Babel, Gerrard and Torres. Even though Gerrard wasn't 100% fit after his international matches coming on the back of his broken-toe lay-off. Then Babel played shit and all of a sudden his name isn't mentioned.

 

I was surprised today when Torres didn't start, especially with him in a position to have a week off now. But I don't think Torres should be starting every game, I think that's a surefire way of him being burned out before the end of the season.

 

 

My opinion is we start every PL game with our strongest 11. We change players due to loss of form, injuries and suspensions. I've said this all along on this and other forums. Its no good being the strongest finishers in the second half of the season if you are so far off the pace as to be out of the race when it matters.

 

If a player is not 100% fit, he shouldnt be on the bench since playing him even for 30mins could aggrevate the injury.

 

Benitez can win the league but he needs to change his approach or our challenge will fizzle out sooner or later.

[Cardie]

Name me one team that starts with their strongest 11 (Injuries permitting) every game.

[ratcatcher]

Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa

 

That's our 5, glad we've established Rafa is doing no different to other managers.

 

Next.

 

So that core you've named is good enough to take us to the title? Dream on! Where's your forwards or do you intend to defend your way to the title?

[cochcaer]

Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa

 

That's our 5, glad we've established Rafa is doing no different to other managers.

 

Next.

 

How many league games do VDS, Neville, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Giggs, Scholes and Rooney sit out?

[ratcatcher]

Name me one team that starts with their strongest 11 (Injuries permitting) every game.

 

For a start manc and chavs have better squads than us. Their winning the title proves this. Or are you suggesting they have better managers (until Jose's departure)?

[RedinSweden]

For a start manc and chavs have better squads than us. Their winning the title proves this. Or are you suggesting they have better managers (until Jose's departure)?

 

they also have fewer points than us.

[Cardie]

Oh right so now we're adding stipulations to what was a fairly simple 'core of 4-5 that aren't rotated'. Did I miss the line that mentioned a striker, a midfielder a keeper and a partridge in a pear tree?

[Cardie]

For a start manc and chavs have better squads than us. Their winning the title proves this. Or are you suggesting they have better managers (until Jose's departure)?

 

Again with the changing of the rules.

 

You people are flakier than a flaky thing, you can't make big statements then change bit's to suit your argument when it's shot out of the water, who do you think you are, Rash?

[Faustus]

Reina, Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa

 

That's our 5, glad we've established Rafa is doing no different to other managers.

 

Next.

 

Bloody pedantic that.

[Cardie]

Yet also true, although you'd have to sub out Arbeloa if you took last season into account.

[Bloodred]

I've never criticised Rafa, but we cannot even challenge if we dont start our strongest team. This is so frustrating as we should have 3 in the bag for this game, and we all know it. Gutted.