Fifth time lucky for Benítez?
We’re now heading into November and the season seems to be settling down into some type of rhythm. Liverpool are having yet another new dawn, or will it prove to be another false dawn? Only time will tell, but if they are still close to the top in the spring then Messer’s Ferguson, Scolari and Wenger will be very twitchy given that Liverpool always seem to finish the season strongly, from spring onwards. And once they get a sniff of the silverware they seem to find something extra. Just ask AC Milan or West Ham.
It doesn’t really surprise me that Liverpool are finally looking like they could be genuine Premier League title contenders; what surprises me is that it has taken Benítez so long to get them there. After all he masterminded Liverpool’s march to Champions League victory in his first season, with the FA Cup the following year. Add to this his record managing a totally unfancied Valencia side (two La Liga titles and a Uefa Cup in three years) then it begs the question of why he is only now, in his fifth year at Anfield, looking like he could upset the triumvirate of United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
It takes a bit more to win the league however, and this is what has escaped Benítez up until now. He has had his share of boardroom spats to contend with, although this was also the case at Valencia where funds were similarly hard to come by. It has also taken time to understand the mentality of English football where struggling or unfashionable teams, of whom he would have had little or no knowledge, can still pose a stern test for even the most seasoned campaigners (Arsenal losing at home to Hull this season being the perfect example).
Benítez now has a squad of his own making. It’s a team that is as close to his all-conquering Valencia sides as he has had since coming to these shores, and this could prove the difference for Liverpool come May. The formation is the same, the players both believe in it and can play the compact and counter attacking style which Benítez prefers. Add to this a heartbeat in Gerrard and Carragher who demand nothing less than the 100% commitment that they give and maybe, just maybe, this could be his and Liverpool’s year. The expectancy levels are ever on the increase…
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I knew that rafa only needed time to make this club contenders again, but what beats me is how people expected him to do it quickly and ask why he has taken so long for it to happen and yet mention how he managed the club to CL and FA cup victories in his first two seasons at the helm. You can’t compare cup competitions to a league stretching over a nine month period. Benitez has brought this team to where it is with the little funding he has got for the past 4 years compared to the likes of ferguson and chelsea’s previous managers. I reckon that he has done a remarkbale job from the position he took over when he came to this club because neither wenger nor mourinho would have been able to do that if they managed Liverpool.
Please please please - what is the big furore over it taking him until now to get the right squad together to challenge? Have a look back in time and see how long it took Fergie or Wenger to win their first title. IT takes time to put the right team together and mould them into a team of winners, something Benitez is now getting the chance to do. Add to that the fact he didn’t have unlimited resources like Chelsea and it’s just logical.
Please put more effort into your articles. I’m sick of reading utter tripe written by 20 year olds who know nothing about football.
I think Rafa has done a great job at Liverpool. I think that in Spain you can usually bet your life that Real Madrid or barcelona will win La Liga. It the premiership we have Chelsea, Man Utd, Arsenal and Liverpool as contenders. Premier league mid to low table teams are still very talented with the ability to upset. Overall the Premiership is much less predictable than other leagues. Who would have predicted Liverpool would be top right now.
Why the surprise that it has taken so long? Its not as though the other teams just roll over and take it. He had to spend two years clearing out Houllier dead wood and then bringing in players for very little money. The Chelsea factor was huge for two years, so it is not unusual for 5 years to have gone by.
being completely honest its a bit odd that you foiund it strange benitez didnt change country and immeadiately get it right. HOEWVER all i have read recently is anti- liverpool articles..lucky liverpool etc. etc. so its is nice to see something that says about liverpool cracking it. thank you
History lesson 1 - Alex Ferguson waited 7 seasons to win his first English league title for Man Utd. History lesson 2 - Alex Ferguson won his first European Champion league only afer 13 years with Man Utd. Is there anything wrong for Rafa to win a league title after four seasons in Liverpool?
Jonathon, pls look at the Gunners’ side that Wenger inherited when he took over. Was it similar to what GH left at Liverpool. Of course not? The record breaking side of 2001 was dismantled by the same GH later when he brought the so called players for the future, Cheyrou, Traoré, Diao,et al. & to a lesser extent Le Tallec & S Pongolle who played much less than those mentioned above despite being highly rated. Alos, GH spotted players who were wrapped by our main rivals, silvestre, ronaldo & others as well. Added to this Benitez had to sell first & to buy next. with a limited budget, you cannot have all the players that you want. that explains why so much time he’s needed to put in place the present LFC squad (which I believe is still nowhere the Valencia side he left). We still need a few quality players - a right-sided riera, a Xavi, a Bale, a Kuba, a Bosingwa, an Alexis sanchez. we expect that Nemeth & Pacheco are fit for the first team as well. Then you can say that Liverpool are genuine title contenders.
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