Rafael Benitez - FMFormation.net - Football Manager

New*Anfield* · 18-02-08, 07:33 PM

In my opinion Rafa has had his priorities wrong for a little while now at Liverpool, and although we had relative success in the Champions league for Liverpool the league title has always been our aim.

I personally feel Rafa has done a decent job in his time at Anfield but unless his priority changes regarding the premiership then I feel he will not be around past the end of this season.

Who will replace him if this occurs?

(My personal choice would be one certain 'Special One' and I know a precentage of reds would not like this apoointment but one thing cannot be doubted about this man is that he is a born winner and that is just what Liverpool Fc require if Rafael decided/is forced to step down.)

**T.H** · 18-02-08, 08:16 PM

Dont agree that your doing badly in the league coz Rafa is prioritising the CL, coz you aint doing well in that either, or the FA Cup!!!!

Rafa aint a great manager, and tbh you dont have the quality to compete with The Big 3. Each of those three have several or a lot of world class players, where as Liverpool only have 2 maybe 3.

Liverpool fans live off their history too much and I can honestly say that I believe Liverpool will finish 7th or 8th this year, and eventually slide down the table, and maybe do a Leeds!

There can be no excuses, you simply aint good enough!

leachy-boi91 · 18-02-08, 09:04 PM

t.h that was a bit much lol ... i doubt liverpool are gonna do a leeds lmaoo

i think hes doing a good enough job for him to keep his job,, hes one of the best managers in england ..
liverpool shouldjust stick to a team for once instead of mixing it around every match because the players cant gel properly..
but i hope they do get relegated eventually ;-)

New*Anfield* · 18-02-08, 09:52 PM

Well over the top Tom, Rafa's european record is far superior than any other manager in the Premiership...that includeds messrs Ferguson and Wenger so you need to increase you're knowledge regarding european success. I do agree though that they are not good enough in prem but 8th? We'll see about that one.

Rafa aint a great manager? Ok, he has not won the prem title with Liverpool but has won the otehr 2 major trophies we compete for, and also broke the monotony of the big two in spain with 2 titles in three years with valencia (and a uefa cup)....you sure that does not consist of being a good manager

Another point you made regarding living off the past, I think if you check..aside from from the league title , we have won more cups than any other prem team in recent years :)

*best of luck with spurs

**Fedorico Roma Fan** · 18-02-08, 10:22 PM

liverpool arent good enough to win the league, they have had their glory days, and they will come back one day, but i dont see you winning the premiership for another few years,

spitye3 · 18-02-08, 10:25 PM

i agree m8

targetthyself · 19-02-08, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.H

Dont agree that your doing badly in the league coz Rafa is prioritising the CL, coz you aint doing well in that either, or the FA Cup!!!!

Rafa aint a great manager, and tbh you dont have the quality to compete with The Big 3. Each of those three have several or a lot of world class players, where as Liverpool only have 2 maybe 3.

Liverpool fans live off their history too much and I can honestly say that I believe Liverpool will finish 7th or 8th this year, and eventually slide down the table, and maybe do a Leeds!

There can be no excuses, you simply ain't good enough!

the answer is to Liverpool's problems is simple stop falling on your faces because your trying think to far ahead of yourself. listen the prem title is between 5 teams every year, the Big 4 (which still includes Liverpool) and that dark horse team(this year it was Man City) and it comes down to the record you have against each other. Don't try and think about winning the title just think if we can defend Anfield against Chelsea, Man Utd, and Arsenal. and steal some points at there places, we'll be just fine. When you over think every draw versus Newcastle or every away loss against Villa your going to crack the season is just to long. and things are cyclical and sometimes it just won't work out nobody wins these things more that 3-4 times every 10 years. Settle down guys, this is Torres, and Gerrard's first year together, Ronaldo and Rooney took time to sync up.

and as to your Liverpool have only 2 or 3 world class players? well lets count. Gerrard, Torres, Carragher, Lucas, Masherano, Babel, and Riise. thats 7 world class and countless upper tier premier league players.

now lets count Man Utd, Rooney, Ronaldo, Anderson, Nani, Tevez, Ferdinand, Pique.( Giggs and Scholes are too old, and Evra and Neville are fence sitters for me so i threw a 1 on for them combined) hmm 8 WCPs. A whole 1 more.

New*Anfield* · 19-02-08, 05:27 AM

I agree Lfc are not up to the league title, I've stated that already. My initial post was not as clear as I intended it to be, I was curious as regards people's thoughts on who would take over if Rafa walked or ran in the summer....

Another couple of years Fed, spot on ..its progress we like to see and in the prem its just not happening

Thanks guys

**T.H** · 19-02-08, 06:36 AM

Wtf!

How can you say that Lucas and Babel are world class players, they have been shadows to Anderson and Nani this year, Anderson in particular!!!

And as for Riise, have you seen him defend lately?

And you forgot Vidic and I would say Evra was, him and Clichy best Left Backs in England atm, and Scholes and Giggs aint too young, sure theyre not as good as they used to be, but people call Gerrard and Lampard world class, yet people still want Scholes to come out of international retirement to play for us! They still dictate the tempo and outclass opponents in games, and they are still going strong on a European basis against other top opponents!

So its pretty much just:

Liverpool: Gerrard, Torres, Carragher, Mascherano
Man Utd: Ronaldo Rooney Evra Vidic Anderson Nani Giggs Scholes Ferdinand Tevez and Hargreaves

Sorted?

Toukai · 19-02-08, 11:45 AM

benitez is good manager IMO, no reson not to rotate when you have a quality squad. these players train together every day playing together shouldnt be a huge issue...

leachy-boi91 · 19-02-08, 12:34 PM

t.h you would say there are more world class players at united because you support them..
i dont think giggs is a world class player. i think hes a good player but i dont see him in the world class section,
i do think lucas is class and dont forget reina hes quality.

**Hartynips** · 19-02-08, 01:33 PM

How exactly can you define world class? I would personally say there are extremely few "World Class" players in the premier league at this moment. I would say Gerrard is one, Cristiano Ronaldo is one, and maybe Richards, Torres and Rooney in a year or two, but there are scarce few others? Thierry Henry, Messi, Ronaldinho,Puyol, Kaka, Podolski would walk into just about any side on the planet, but you cannot say that about players like Evra, Vidic Lucas and Reina, they simply would not get into an AC Milan or Barca side without trying very bloody hard and waiting for a long time for their opportunity would they?I think you can describe any player as "special" if he has the ability to do something outstanding that nobody else can do on that pitch at that time. A "World Class" player does it week in and week out, regardless of the quality of the opposition. The things that a World Class player does live forever in the memory. We all remember the wonder goal where Thierry Henry flicked the ball up and scored a dipping, turning volley v Manchester Utd a few years back. And Steven Gerrards virtuoso performance that night in the Champions league final. Lionel Messi's wonder run and goal v Getafe last year? But what else happened in those games? Did anyone actually notice? No because we were in awe of the guys you can call "World Class", Doing what they do best.

**Hartynips** · 19-02-08, 01:38 PM

And to answer New Anfields one, Rafa isn't a bad manager, its just he's not very good either. Trust us Me and Leachy are part of the Toon army and we know all about crap managers!!!

New*Anfield* · 19-02-08, 03:34 PM

lol, like it harty. To reiterate can anyone suggest a possible successor to Rafa if he decides to leave?

Does anyone agree that Jose 'special one' would fancy the job?

Before Rafa was appointed Liverpool did approach Jose first but he opted for the Abramovich millions on offer ...just wondering if there is too much water under the bridge with Lfc & Chelski or would he see it as a challenge? (which it is undoubtedly is!)

lpool beast · 19-02-08, 04:22 PM

i agree with u i hope this isn't rafa's last season but if it is we need a proven manager no 1 like jurgen klinsmann???? an certainly no rotation policy!!!!!!!!

targetthyself · 19-02-08, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T.H

Wtf!

How can you say that Lucas and Babel are world class players, they have been shadows to Anderson and Nani this year, Anderson in particular!!!

And as for Riise, have you seen him defend lately?

And you forgot Vidic and I would say Evra was, him and Clichy best Left Backs in England atm, and Scholes and Giggs aint too young, sure theyre not as good as they used to be, but people call Gerrard and Lampard world class, yet people still want Scholes to come out of international retirement to play for us! They still dictate the tempo and outclass opponents in games, and they are still going strong on a European basis against other top opponents!

So its pretty much just:

Liverpool: Gerrard, Torres, Carragher, Mascherano
Man Utd: Ronaldo Rooney Evra Vidic Anderson Nani Giggs Scholes Ferdinand Tevez and Hargreaves

Sorted?

um no, Vidic is nice but would he better say Alex of Chelsea, or Daniel Agger, and Sammi Hyypia at Liverpool how about Distin or Sol Campbell at Pompey, I don't think so.

for future record, my definition of "World Class" is a player that could command a fee of 20M pounds or could walk on to just about any team in the world AND make them better.

now with this said i would say that Evra is now a WCP, but so is Riise because of the shockingly weak world level of the LB position. and btw Riise is a built like a cinder block so if you can get him to turn his hips you have him beat. Rafa is trying to push him forward to take advantage of his very nice passing and Long Shooting. but if you throw Ronaldo, or Nani at him he's got problems, but who can stop them honestly.

and Lucas is so good Rafa is trying to force him onto the pitch at unnatural positions, his problem is that Mascherano is in front of him i expect to see him in a Barca or A.C Milan or Chelsea, or Real Madrid shirt in the next few years.

and i reject the Giggs Scholes and Hargreaves express train, i think your Red Devil blood is clouding your vision on this one. Hargreaves is a waste of money a nice pure DM but you play a 4-4-2 and he has to pass the ball which to say he's very blinkered with his passing would be a massive understatement. Fletcher is a better player then he is imo. and Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes are legends in the annals of Old Trafford as they should be, but they're times as world class players as come to an end. They're David Beckham, still very good to good players, but not World Class any longer.

and Babel i was probably a little early on, but hes maturating into a WCP if not there yet.

Liverpool: Gerrard, Torres, Carragher, Mascherano, Riise, Lucas
Man Utd: Ronaldo, Rooney, Evra, Anderson, Nani, Ferdinand, Tevez

targetthyself · 19-02-08, 06:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by New*Anfield*

lol, like it harty. To reiterate can anyone suggest a possible successor to Rafa if he decides to leave?

Does anyone agree that Jose 'special one' would fancy the job?

Before Rafa was appointed Liverpool did approach Jose first but he opted for the Abramovich millions on offer ...just wondering if there is too much water under the bridge with Lfc & Chelski or would he see it as a challenge? (which it is undoubtedly is!)

Jose will be talked to, but i don't see it hes sitting on a Portegese or Spanish job i would imagine Ferreirra's contract expires this year does it not?

Jurgen Klinnsman(sp?), Mark Hughes, Steve Coppel, would be favorites

a few dark horse's? Manuel Pellegrini(fantastic job at Villareal) Marcello Luppi, (doubt it after the Juventus match fixing scandel) Ruud Guulit(a prospect manager but hes played everywhere Italy, England, Holland could wow in an interview) Alian Perrin ( i know he washed out at Portsmouth but he's done a magnificant job at Lyon despite playing his reserve team basically, and looks like 7 straight is going to happen.)

**Hartynips** · 19-02-08, 07:39 PM

watch out for mr wenger heading to barcelona later this season, and a mr rijkaard checking out possible gaffes in the borough of liverpool...

**chrisashmore** · 20-02-08, 07:36 AM

first thing is first,
rafa needs to be sacked as he has no future at liverpool,
1.we went behind against H&W but than won but still we shouldnt have gone behind to them.
2.when we play hard games he dosnt try putting his best squad out and than we manage to lose.
3.again he dosnt put his best squad out and we lose to smaller clubs for example reading.
4.we lost in the cup against barnsley with a great squad out.

they are good reasons why he shouldnt be at liverpool.

T.H : i dont believe what u said and lucas and babel and riise are top class, riise could be at his best but the reasons are that rafa plays fabio who is rubbish compared to riise, and lucas and babel are better than nani and anderson, lucas has a amazing potential ability while babel is pure class.

ps. Im A Liverpool Fan ;)

Marsh · 20-02-08, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leachy-boi91

liverpool shouldjust stick to a team for once instead of mixing it around every match

Well, I don't see the big drawback with a general rotating system of the team, but there's one part of the team that shouldn't be rotated: The defending line! That's *THE* important thing to keep "clean" (four first choices).