He ain't perfect, but he's Barry good

It just makes my blood boil sometimes reading Rafa getting lambasted for his Barry-gate affair, especially when this has been brought up again following his Times interview (and I'm actually going to do a bit of research and write a piece about it).

It was clear that Rafa wanted to evolve the attacking approach of his team last season.

Hence the PDA of his man-love for Barry.

So what's the fuss about this guy?

Well nothing much really, but after giving hints in the interview above, there's nothing wrong with us getting used to the idea that the favoured 4-2-3-1 might be reviewed. And fitting Barry and Keane into the revised formation.

It's not that difficult, really. I mean you would arrive at a diamond 4-3-3 most probably:

Keane Torres
Gerrard
Barry Mascherano
Alonso

Now put that against the 4-2-3-1 below:

Torres
Riera Gerrard Kuyt
Alonso Mascherano

Just an almost direct swap of Riera & Kuyt with Keane & Barry. We'd get double the goal threat from Torres (as Kuyt can't really be counted as a goal threat that much, and the most glaring comparison between his strongest points & Keane's is that Keane is a much better goal threat on his own), plus more physical presence in centre mid & set pieces without losing out on the delivery & composure of Riera on the left.

I mean, does Rafa need to write that out for you?

Barry-Keane was his plan (and the above could be a likely formation) before the start of last season. Kuyt performed well last season as a direct result of this plan falling through. Anyway, though he has repaid his transfer fee, he's still far from the ideal threat from the right, although he is a perfect fit there post conversion.

I'm not saying it will work wonders, but saying it couldn't posisbly work and Rafa's lost his tactical marbles with his Barry-Keane combo sounds exactly like who didn't have any tactical marbles in the first place.

INNER CITEH BLUES

MATCH PREVIEW
Manchester City, Anfield
21st Nov’09, 12:45 UK

If Rafael Benitez leaves at the end of this season, or any sooner, he would leave behind not so much a legacy, but most likely another promising and unfulfilled chapter in Liverpool FC’s Premier League era. After Gerrard Houllier’s unfortunate capitulation that followed a moving revival - which came on the back of the official end of the Boot Room tradition – it would be a huge step back from what was arguably the club’s greatest European night only 5 seasons ago.

To leave behind not further great European triumphs or League successes, but instead just endless saturated and tired discussion/debates of what he did and didn’t do, his managerial shortcomings and all would’ve been a grossly unfair hallmark of his tenure here.

Perhaps the hallmark of the Rafatollah era would’ve probably been the endless questions on his judgment as his decisions have often been derided and brought painful consternations amongst even the most faithful of Kopites, let alone the incessant and unforgiving media.

However, jokes aside, if I had a chance to put my two cents worth on what would be the hallmark of Rafa’s era, I would opt for a probably uncommon answer.

Timing.

To say the hallmark of Rafa’s tenure had been the debates that raged over his decisions would’ve not been inaccurate for many a supporter, however, jokes aside, a careful observation of his reign so far would evidence great and littered examples of impeccable timing.

Perhaps the most damaging yet exhilarating one yet would be his 2004/05 European Champions League triumph over the mighty AC Milan. Many have speculated that he is currently his own victim for this very success. This victory itself was even littered by further examples of almost divine timing – from Hamann’s introduction at the second half, to Smicer’s redemption goal after four seasons of loneliness, to the countless timely yet desperate lunges by Gerrard and co.

There are also many other good examples– the manner of the qualification into the knock-out stages of the afore-mentioned Champions League win, the manner of his FA Cup victory the following season, the numerous inspired substitutions he made, Gerrard’s huge Chelsea turnaround (though this might not be directly connected to Rafa), the tactical switch of Carra to centrehalf (although this is partly one the lasts of Houllier’s great legacy, but credit to Rafa too for sticking to Houllier’s judgement), the tactical switch to the right for Gerrard, the purchase of Alonso when the Kop was crying out for another Molby, the signing of Torres when the Kop finished crying for the next Molby and started crying for another God, the (finally) end of Parry’s tenure, last season’s 4 goal victories over Real Madrid and the Mancs and many others.

All the above came at the right time. Just when we thought we were out, he pulled us back in. Just when we thought we’d meander, he shepherded our fierce loyalty and passion back in.

Nowadays, many can somewhat feel the moment coming - that moment of another Rafa milestone. Every single time, this feeling will be preceded by a really fitting setting, a setting with a lot of relevance about it.

But not everything was as well-timed though. There was of course the infamous spat with the Yanks, where he was accused of breaking the club’s tradition of washing dirty linen in public (although that wasn’t the only tradition broken following the Yanks’ takeover), the now famous Rafa’s Rant on Fergie, his now old habit of rotation, his puzzling substitutions, his selling of club darling Alonso, the confession of his man-love for Barry and many other examples too.

Gareth Barry.

Speaking of the 28 year old, this Saturday’s match will be the first time Rafa comes face to face with the player he openly courted last season. A player whom, on his day would’ve given Hargreaves and Carrick a really good run for their money in the center of England’s midfield, turned his back at Rafa at the end of last season and signed for Citeh this summer. He’s not having a particularly great season so far. Rafa’s comments about prioritizing Barry over Keane in a recent interview with The Times might hold some relevance too. Not to mention Rafa’s remarks after Barry signing for Citeh. Barry will have something to prove, although unfortunately only possibly against Aquilani, the successor of the player he was allegedly replacing.

This match has plenty of relevance indeed. In case many have forgotten, it was against Citeh at Anfield back in August’04 that the club won after going down 1-0 at halftime. The last time we did something like that was May’99 against Spurs. That wasn’t the only comeback in Rafa’s first season, and tenure. In fact, many would argue that comebacks are the hallmark of Rafa’s reign.

This match will also reunite Rafa with Craig Bellamy, a player whom he had to sell to fund the transfer of Fernando Torres, his replacement. Although, in the same interview mentioned above, Rafa mentioned he’d wanted Keane too actually, a player of similar ilk to Bellamy - able to play as the second striker, across the line behind the main striker. Bellamy is playing very well so far, and has finally looked settled, even forcing Tevez to the bench. It’s anyone’s guess if Rafa would’ve wanted Keane if Bellamy was still around. This game might just give us a hint of a combination Rafa might’ve ended up with, should he have had enough funds in the last two seasons without having to sell, though it’ll be from the tactically unproven Mark Hughes.

Mark Hughes, the man who held Liverpool to a draw at Anfield last season, one of the 11 draws suffered, 7 of which were at home, which was effectively Liverpool’s Achilles heel.

And despite spending close to 100 million pounds on 5 marquee players for this season, and facing the inner Citeh blues as to doubts of his credentials as a top manager, especially following Citeh’s current drawing form plus an unsettled lineup plus transfers choices, it won’t be Hughes lining up for the media spotlight initially reserved for him before the season began.

It’ll be Benitez instead, who is coming into the match on an even worse record of 1 win in the last 9 games, having lost 5 games already this season, while standing at a qualification knife’s edge in the Champions League. Not to mention with a healthy list of injured players.

This match is also coming off a two week international break, which gave some respite to Rafa’s squad for prior to an already season-defining run of 6 games starting with this game.

And the whole world will be watching too, because it’s the earliest game this Saturday with its afternoon kick-off. It’s like someone had set this up. It’s as if everyone’s expecting a show.

Talk about timing.

This Saturday couldn’t come any sooner.

Kop Bow

Yeap, it's my Kop bow.

No, not that I've made it into Melwood for the youth team in my tender age of 28, nor is it that I've actually touched the "This Is Anfield" sign (though this would've been awesome).

I've got my first piece on the club published. Finally.

Well, before I get excited, it's just a local blog/webbie that a bunch of die-hard passionate Reds came up with. It's called my-rawk.com. These guys got together around about 5 years ago after getting to know each other through www.redandwhitekop.com/forum. And since we found-ed ourselves there, calling ourselve MyRAWK was appropriate.

Well, the piece isn't anything great, it's the one I posted below as the first post on this blog, it's called "Change.". But the thing is, these guys have been telling to write for them, and I've haven't been able to bring myself up to write about the club all this while (this was since a long long ago, actually. So Jonno, it's like Degen coming on the pitch man! It feels good. LOL!).

I told myself that I'd write a weekly column this season but 14 weeks in, I've basically pissed myself after matches and have done nothing else.

Let's hope this isn't another false dawn.

Onwards, and upwards.

You'll Never Walk Alone

I've been a very quietly downcast fan this season. Moody. Very.

It's not easy watching the team play through the season so far the way they've been doing. It hurts. And to me, it hurts even more that at times, I do not feel like watching them play. I know, it may be very un-fan-like, but that doens't mean that I do not follow the game. The only thing in my mind, normally, when I feel this way, is that I know that I would become the typical fan - running high on passion, and then feel absolutely dejected with the team after witnessing a disappointing result.

And I hate feeling that way.

I hate feeling that dislike towards the team, wearing that annoyingly scrutinizing glasses looking at every single pass, every single run, every single touch, shouting swear words to Kuyt or Voronin or whomever quietly in my red heart, all in the pretense of being of a "proper" Liverpool fan - thoughtful, knowledgeable, well-spoken. I hate that because I don't want to do that.

I hate it every single time I feel that I hate the team or any specific player. Or Rafa even.

I hate it that I feel that way towards the club. Or anyone, even anything related to the club.

And that is why, a few times this season - Sunderland, Lyon at home - I didn't feel like watching the match. I just wasn't prepared for another bad result.

This may be a typical out-of-towner's reaction, something that separates them from the fortunate and blessed ones to have been born in and is currently breathing the Liverpool air. This may have made me just another fan. Not a supporter.

Not a supporter indeed.

I hate it when I can't show that I love the club. And I hate it that I'm not in a position to present or express my love and passion to the club in a way that those who are closer to the club would be able to acknowledge, let alone appreciate. I hate it that I feel that I have to do a whole lot more than many others to just have a say, an opinion even.

I may not know all the streets in Liverpool.

I may not know the names of the groundsmen or ball boys on matchdays.

I may not know all the names of the 96 who lost their lives at Hillsborough.

I may have followed Tottenham Hotspur when Gascoigne, Nayim, Lineker, Thorsvedt and Klinsman was there.

I may not be able to even set foot on Liverpool for the rest of my life.

But I know one thing.

That I don't walk alone. That I won't walk alone.

That I'll never walk alone.

And no matter how different I am than those who were born in the land of legends, who breath the air of history, who live the lives of glory, I'll never walk alone.

Because all these people, in all their differences and privileges, would feel as lucky, if not more lucky than I do.

Because we all walk together. And we'll never walk alone.

So this is me throwing my hat off, my bowing in respect, my three finger salute to all you fortunate and blessed souls there.

Though your dreams be tossed and blown, walk on. Walk on with hope in your heart. Because I'm right behind you.

And you'll never walk alone.

CHANGE.

I’ve always wondered why I find it hard to drag myself to write about Liverpool, week in week out. I’ve always seemed to have something, if not a lot to say about things, especially when things are this bad. This is the worst run of form that we’ve had in 22 years, ironically in arguably the better years that we’ve had in that period. No one can explain it.

Not even the manager.

Hell in fact, probably even God would’ve been stupefied. Although he’s currently enjoying some sort of an Indian summer in the faraway lands of Australasia, it probably wouldn’t take half a second for him to cast his gaze over this side of the earth and wonder what the hell is going on.

Actually, there can be no other appropriate expression than that right now– what the hell is going on.

There are just so many ways that hell can actually be related to Liverpool FC right now – the afore mentioned fact that we are in our worst run of form in the last 22 years, we are currently in what is possibly our worst run of injuries in the last 10 years losing 9 first time players at one point, we’ve lost a key player in our spine to another Perez mega project, commercially and financially the club is in it’s most limited and restricted periods, getting beat by a beach ball, Stanley Park doesn’t look like it’s getting built anytime soon and lastly the fans, whom have always been the club’s most distinguishable features apart from Gerrard, are starting to divide themselves into two and debating on Rafa’s position, something which is blasphemous and forbidden just 6 months ago.

And the most hellish thing that is happening to us right now, on top of all the above, is the fact that it’s happening to Liverpool FC.

Yes, it’s happening to us.

On the back of one of the most glorious seasons in the last 10 years, where we did not lose to any of our top 4 rivals, beating the Rentboys, the Mancs and Real Madrid both home and away, scoring the most number of goals in the last 10 years, scoring the highest points tally in our Premier League history, all while missing both Gerrard and Torres for a combined third of the season and coming back from numerous games and winning them.
Just what the hell is going on?

As I write this, it’s half time at Anfield with us trailing Birmingham by the odd goal in 3. It’s a surprise scoreline really, considering The Blues were trailing 15 minutes in, and equalized through a soft set piece goal 15 minutes later, before taking the lead through a strike which will definitely be a contender for Goal of the Month for November. But the most surprising part of all was that for the entire half, the team, which included the fit-again Riera who then injured himself with 5 minutes left and the steadily improving Ngog in Torres’ place with Kuyt captaining the side with Gerrard warming the bench, played well.

Yes, they played well.

Although my Kop eyes are young, the team played well. Lucas was a steady – and steadily improving – influence at midfield, biting timely, harassing effectively, running the game smoothly while occasionally – although with increasing regularity – making up for the absence of Gerrard’s incisive passing with his own. Johnson showed why we missed him during his injury, proving already just a quarter of the season in that he’s worth every single penny spent with his direct running, skinning the whole left wing, reassuring covering and physical presence just about every time the ball comes his way. Ngog consistently showed flashes of what Rafa has been seeing in trainings, sneaking in and out in between defenders, showing a good physical side to his game to hold defenders off for the pass, and most of all, wanting the ball played to feet before turning to take the first defender on.

I can go on and on. We were assured in possession, not wasteful, patient, passed the ball well, spread the game and shrunk it with good control, and created opportunities for almost everyone from midfield to the forward line. For my money, as good, if not better, as how our second string side performed against Arsenal in the recent Carling Cup defeat, having given them a considerable run for their money. Any other day, this team – the same team that went into halftime 1 goal behind – would’ve been 2-0 up.

No doubt about it.

Which was the exact reason why Rafa put this team out.

Yes, I admit, the starting lineup didn’t make perfect reading. Reina, Johnson, Skrtel, Agger, Insua, Benayoun, Lucas, Mascherano, Riera, Kuyt, Ngog. Ideally, we’d have Gerrard, Torres and Aquilani in Ngog, Riera and either Benayoun, Lucas or Kuyt’s place. But things are from ideal right now. It’s Hell. In case you’ve forgotten. And four weeks ago, everyone would’ve been happy with the above starting lineup. In fact, everyone would’ve been calling out for the line up during the good times of last season.

So what was different then?

Let’s see – Carragher wasn’t suspended, Gerrard wasn’t just coming back from a groin injury, Torres didn’t have his hamstring killing him, Alonso was still here, Johnson was still playing with Portsmouth (and hasn’t just recovered from his injury), Riera was fit and playing, Lucas was fit and waiting for playing time and Aquilani was fishing with his club doctor while Agger was watching from the balcony.

I could go on and on.

If we had put out this lineup last season, it would have been because of opportunity. But today, it was because of necessity. The necessity made even more certain by the fact that Voronin could not make up for Gerrard’s absence in his run of 3 games, that Babel is not tactically aware enough yet to complement a more calculated team yet, and that Torres needs a rest after playing 3 straight games (whilst scoring 2) while still recovering from injury.

But we would’ve still put the same team out, although with starkingly contrasting differences in expectations.

I am going to say that our usual suspects’ performances – Lucas, Ngog – have been really good considering our reduced expectations and reservations about them.

I am going to say that in spite of missing 3 of our first team players – Gerrard, Torres and Aquilani (yes, he is in the first team) – the rest of the patched up team (inclusive of all those who were somewhat rushed from injury) we’ve been seeing from the Lyon defeat at Anfield have been playing consistently well with each other, and that the team’s understanding hasn’t deteriorated since then. The initiative has been the same, the mentality has been the same, the approach has been the same, and the intent has been the same. And proof of that were moments of brilliance and excitement and surprise and positivity, all throughout the match.

And that was the same thing I saw in the second half against Birmingham just now.

Yes, we looked desperate. And I agree with everyone out there we didn’t get the results we wanted and expected, but I will defend the team by saying that they did not play badly from that Lyon defeat at Anfield.

You may chose to be in denial, or take the high ground on this matter, but I chose to see the positives. In each of those matches – Lyon, Manchester United, Arsenal, Fulham, Lyon and Birmingham – the team has more than held it’s own against its opponents. It may have lacked cutting edge, or incisiveness at vital moments, but never in any of those matches did we feel that team that was playing could not do the job.

I will agree that individual mistakes, individual lapses of concentration, individual lack of determination, individual inability to hold composure and individual bad judgment were all the reasons why we have only won 1 out of the last 9 games. The rest of the time, I’m sure none would’ve been unhappy to see the way the team played.

We’ve never seen our second team play good enough. Even through last season. But this season, I’ve seen a lot better. It is gross injustice to not let the teams that played those 9 matches take anything positive away from those matches, especially if in the joy of last season, all of us would’ve been even more pleasantly surprised with the very same performances.

Yes you may accuse me of trying too desperately to look for positives. You may even accuse me of trying – valiantly – to make a mountain out of a molehill, but it’s this very same mountain that Shankly was thinking about when we were relegated. And what did we get?

Not a bloody mountain. But instead a history. A bloody glorious history.

And our history has taught us many things, things that we forget in the heat of the moment, in the despair of a defeat, in the frustration of a draw, in the intoxication of expectation – the virtues of patience, perseverance, persistence and perspective. Manchester United won the title last season on the back of 4 defeats and 6 draws, which is a total of 24 points dropped. We’re currently on 5 defeats and 1 draw, which make 17 points dropped so far. We can still afford to drop another 7 points and win the title, meaning we can still afford to lose 2 more games and draw another one (dropping 8 points), or lose 1 more game and draw 3 more games and still win the title. However, considering how open the league is this season, we might be even able to afford to drop a bit more.

Yes, things don’t look like they’re getting better any time soon. But is there anything we can do about it, anything constructive? Yes.

And that is to keep looking for positives, and merely acknowledge the negatives. We’ve stopped the run of defeats with our fighting draws. Gerrard’s back. Aquilani’s back. Torres is going to get some rest with the 2 week break. Johnson is back. Agger is back. Skrtel is back. Ngog is coming on nicely. Lucas is showing his potential. Yossi’s made it to the first team. So a lot has changed positively, albeit just in little bits and pieces. Hell, even Degen has shown that he can actually play a bit of football.

And if that’s not enough, then there is the last thing we could do.

Sing our lungs out, loud and proud. Quiet and dignified. And do not stop.

For the day the sweet silver song fills the golden sky.