Hi guys. My first post here and I've read some interesting comments on certain players and I'd like to add my view.
On Joaquin. I don't know if Benitez rates Joaquin or not but I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't rate him as a poster suggested.
Joaquin is a extremely inconsistent player, great on his day but extremely useless when not. He never works on the defensive end and in attack when he fails to beat his man on his first or second try he is likely to dissapear from the game all together. Benitez had at Valencia only one winger, Vicente, but this guy would keep trying even in the worst of his days and he would also provide defensive work. Joaquin for the ones who see mainly highlights of him may look like a world beater and certainly he is on his day but as I said those games do not come for him often enough and when he is not on song you are left basically with ten men on the pitch.
I agree with the posters who rate Crouch. He looks to me like the best English centerforward, techinically speaking, that I have seen in many many years. He can hold the ball, he knows how to move and find space, he can pass and even he can dribble, all that amazing considering how tall and lanky he is. I think he will be a great adiction for the squad.
On the issue of who will Benitez will go for for his two not so well covered positions I have the feeling that he will try to get for the CB position a player that can lead the back four and good on the ball. I doubt very much that the player will be someone like Andrade or Gallas, players in the mould of Carraguer, essentially man markers not distributors of the ball and organisers. Milito was that type of player and would have added another dimensiong to the way Liverpool bring the ball forward from the back.
For the right wing position I think he is trying to bring not just a winger but a player who can provide defensive cover as well. Alves is more of an attacking right back and Juanfran is too me like a much improved version of Rufete, the utility man he used at Valencia for that post. Juan fran can beat players in attack, has decent pace and is so hardworking that he was even used as right back in the Spanish NT under 20 in the final of the world cup cause the Rbs were suspended/injured, and he did a very good job.
Benitez at Valencia did very little in bringing / getting rid of players as the nucleus of the sqaud was already formed. I was interested in seen how he would build his squad now at Liverpool. It seems to me that he at valencia found already many players of his type but nevertheless wants to build a team here with a little bit more of technical, especially on the spine of the team but that has space for hardworking not so good on the ball players too.
