BenÃtez says sorry to Reds fans
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Snobbish attitude to domestic cup duties costs Liverpool dear
Rafael BenÃtez pays a price for treating the Carling Cup with disdain and prospective owners will not be happy
If Rafael BenÃtez needed confirmation of the benefits that winning the Carling Cup can bestow, he had only to look up into the directors' box at Anfield last night. There, his face burnished by a recent dose of Dubai sun, sat Steve McClaren, whose capture of the trophy at Middlesbrough went a long way towards securing him the England manager's job.
In BenÃtez's position last night McClaren would almost certainly have fielded his strongest possible side as he tried to exorcise pyschological damage inflicted by the weekend's FA Cup defeat at the hands of the same opponents. But the Liverpool manager's Spanish roots dictate that he remains a bit of a snob about domestic cup competitions. How else to explain why he gambled on causing palpitations among the Maktoum family in Dubai by fielding several second-stringers against a similarly weakened Arsenal side?
Afterwards his words remained as defiant as his decision to keep Peter Crouch on the bench, but his expression told another story. Regret seemed written all over his face when he admitted: "I say sorry to our supporters."
A proud man, BenÃtez does not find apology easy and continued in uncomfortable sentences: "It was a bad game and we will try and forget it as soon as possible. We worked really hard, but it's very difficult to explain. The other team has quality and were keeping the ball better - and each attempt they had at a goal they scored."
It is surely too much for Liverpool's manager to hope that the club's soon-to-be owners were not watching in horror in the United Arab Emirates. The Maktoums will be mystified as to why BenÃtez spurned the chance of lifting a piece of silverware, particularly when Liverpool are already way out of title contention, eliminated from the FA Cup and facing a daunting Champions League tie with Barcelona next month. Surely this was the last occasion when key players needed resting and rotating.
He may have won the Uefa Cup with Valencia but BenÃtez has apparently made the mistake of being too sniffy about a competition capable of conferring invaluable boardroom and terrace "cred" on those who choreograph its winners. Not to mention virtual immunity from the sack; it would, after all, take a harsh chairman to dismiss a trophy winner.
Yet BenÃtez treated the Carling Cup with the sort of disdain he might once have reserved for the plain girl who kept demanding his attention at a teenage disco. Now, in the second week of January, he is the one in danger of being left looking like a wallflower, the boy left with no girl to walk home as Liverpool's season dissolves in dashed expectations.
How he must wish he could swap places with Arsène Wenger. "Our future is very promising," agreed Arsenal's manager, who admitted he was surprised that BenÃtez had not started with a "normal" team. "Our young players have shown they have mental strength as well as talent."
When he eventually reports to the club's new owners, BenÃtez may blame the English academy system and its failings for Liverpool's lack of strength in depth. Indeed, he apparently has so little faith in the homegrown players coming through at Anfield that only three youngsters in his starting XI were produced locally.
Although no worse than the lightweight foreign imports playing alongside them, Danny Guthrie, Lee Peltier and Stephen Warnock failed to impress on a night which cried out for such second- stringers to strut their stuff - not to mention impress watching managers seeking to work the loan system during this month's transfer window. Glenn Roeder, for instance, had presumably made the long drive from Newcastle to identify such a potential acquistion.
Roeder may have had his eye on Warnock, Liverpool's left-back. If so, it might explain why he looked rather pale as he left his seat at the interval, by which time Warnock's part in Liverpool's collapse possibly had Newcastle's manager wondering if even Albert Luque might be a better alternative to Celestine Babayaro.
Indeed, Liverpool's defensive positioning was so bad that even Jérémie Aliadière looked a world beater. As Wenger put it: "I always thought we had a chance to win - but I didn't think we'd score six goals." -
wad he tink of Arsenal sia??
a bunch of sch boys??
haiz -
sorry no cure.
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saying sorry is the least he could do. conceded 12 goals in the 3 matches they played against arsenal. wad happened to the pool that went to the final of ucl and fa cup??
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arsenal did not play very well. liverpool played badly.
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They became history....Originally posted by used:saying sorry is the least he could do. conceded 12 goals in the 3 matches they played against arsenal. wad happened to the pool that went to the final of ucl and fa cup??
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maybe it is time for a new manager.
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they wont sack him la. winning the ucl has guarenteed him a few years at the club
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did any1 think of this?
maybe benitez sensed that even his 1st team line up could not match arsenal's 1st team??without knowing that wenger will field a 2nd string side.Maybe his 1st team was not in gd condition...
so he rather lose with his 2nd stringers rather than his 1st XI..
but anyway it was embarrassing enough to concede 6 infront of the kop.. -
imo, benitez didnt win the ucl for liverpool, steven gerrard did.Originally posted by used:they wont sack him la. winning the ucl has guarenteed him a few years at the club
besides, that team he fielded against arsenal cant be really called weak either. -
the last time any team scored 5 goals at anfield was in the thirties.Originally posted by F.raon.I.R:did any1 think of this?
maybe benitez sensed that even his 1st team line up could not match arsenal's 1st team??without knowing that wenger will field a 2nd string side.Maybe his 1st team was not in gd condition...
so he rather lose with his 2nd stringers rather than his 1st XI..
but anyway it was embarrassing enough to concede 6 infront of the kop..
its really embarassing for liverpool. -
he should have fielded his strongest lineup. that was afterall liverpool's only chance of a silverware this season.Originally posted by F.raon.I.R:did any1 think of this?
maybe benitez sensed that even his 1st team line up could not match arsenal's 1st team??without knowing that wenger will field a 2nd string side.Maybe his 1st team was not in gd condition...
so he rather lose with his 2nd stringers rather than his 1st XI..
but anyway it was embarrassing enough to concede 6 infront of the kop.. -
After the defeat at the FA Cup, Ah Ben know that he did not have the depth and strength from his reserves.
He have also become timid from his 1st season where Liverpool have suffered major injury crisis and won the CL final.
That is why he fielded the reserves to save the strength for the 1st team.
Deep inside, he want to avoid any match congestion that may affect the CL and EPL preparation.
That is why he have to sacrifice both the silverware.
He know that the fight for 3rd placing this season will save his rice bowl and not Carling Cup.
Sad to say, his little plot backfire as Garcia is out for the rest of the season.
Now, I can say Liverpool is in serious crisis unless Ah Ben can buy some star strikers and defenders to save his back side.
Liverpool have become weaker with no able replacement or youth players.
All the other players bought by Ah Ben seems to be all flops. -
LUXURY GAP REAL CONCERN FOR RAFA
LIVERPOOL 3 ARSENAL 6 CARLING CUP QUARTER-FINAL FROM ANFIELD
IT WAS like being at a fashion show or even a motor exhibition - as next year's models were rolled out for inspection before they become known on every high street.
Arsene Wenger displayed his latest collection of unfamiliar names, while Rafa Benitez showed he has a few new numbers of his own waiting out the back. And on this evidence there are more young Gunners heading for the top than a fairly average group of Liverpool wannabes
There might have been more strength and experience in the home ranks, but the magic ingredients of pace and skill were paraded by unknowns in the fetching yellow numbers.
Johan Djourou used the Carling Cup to cut his teeth last season and has come a long way. He has already been on a World Cup stage with the Swiss and looks ready to be a regular right now. Denilson is a wiry- looking Brazilian while Armand Traore, a young master from Paris, has positional sense and quick feet for a left-back. Cameroon's Alexandre Song is a little raw and has a bit to find but could do well out on loan.
Keeping them occupied is Wenger's dilemma - as Jeremie Aliadiere has proved. The Frenchman was a hero at youth-team level but stagnated as his career drifted. He proved he has the ability with his goal but the hard part is finding somewhere to play.
Liverpool have nobody in their ranks who look like a future world-beater. There is no Gerrard or even Carragher coming through on last night's showing.
Instead it was further proof to Benitez - if that was needed - that he has to get those Dubai millions in quickly to buy from the smartest showrooms, rather than waiting for the next star to drop off the Anfield assembly line.
Lee Peltier, Danny Guthrie and even the moutainous Gabriel Paletta are a fair distance away from making an impact. -
Rafa Wants Reserve Cash
Rafa Benitez has reacted to his side's Carling Cup exit to Arsenal by demanding more money to spend on young players. The Liverpool boss refuses to admit that his team selection was at fault for his side's 6-3 humiliation, pointing out that the Gunners had spent millions on their so-called reserve side.
Benitez says the club must concentrate on strengthening their squad with youth, and will start by signing Sampdoria goalkeeper Daniele Padelli on a six-month loan deal. "There is a lesson in this for the whole of our club," Benitez told the Liverpool Echo. "If you want to compete at the top level, you must be able to spend a lot of money not only on your first team, but on the young players and reserves.
"Arsenal spent £4m on Diaby, £4m on Denilson, £8m on Walcott and Baptista is a £22m player. "They have been working for ten years to build a strong squad, and we have been working for two years. My scout department has done an excellent job, but sometimes we go too slow as a club to make signings we need, and when we do there is not a lot of money.
"Today, for example, we are signing a young Italian keeper on loan with an option for later. We've also been working for many weeks to sign the young Scottish player James McCarthy.
Benitez once again defended his team selection, saying: "Last night we believe we've lost Luis for the rest of the season and Gonzalez and Warnock were injured. Steven Gerrard has a dead leg and Xabi Alonso a tight hamstring.
"What is more important? The Premiership, the Champions League or the Carling Cup?" -
Rafa's starting to sound like our local politicians.
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what do you mean?
he blames everybody and everything except himself? -
"It's not my fault."Originally posted by dragg:what do you mean?
he blames everybody and everything except himself?
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Blame Rafa for drubbing
JERZY DUDEK reckons Rafa Benitez must share the blame for his Carling Cup horror. He said: “If you play one game each two months it is really, really difficult to show your quality.” The Polish keeper conceded nine goals in the space of four days as Arsenal sent Liverpool crashing from both domestic knockout competitions.
He was blamed for two of the goals in SaturdayÂ’s 3-1 FA Cup defeat and for three in TuesdayÂ’s 6-3 Carling Cup mauling, The weekend game was DudekÂ’s first at Anfield since a 1-0 win over the Gunners last February.
Now he has become the first man to question publicly a selection policy which has been under the spotlight all season. Dudek, 33, said: “After seven months, or more than that, you have to play another game against a good side in Arsenal. “For a goalkeeper you can use experience but you can’t build confidence in training.”
He is out of contract in the summer and, if he was not 100 per cent certain to leave before last night, he is now. Dudek, who was filling in for first-choice Pepe Reina, admitted: “I don’t expect anything now.” Liverpool forward Luis Garcia has been ruled out for the rest of the season after rupturing a knee ligament on Tuesday. -
well...the only good thing about liverpool fielding a weak side is that you can check those new names in FM07 and hope they become wonderkids for you...
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dbl post
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Knn, betting on a 6-3 scoreline between these 2 teams would have yielded a mini fortune at the betting booths.
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besides the EPL there are other cup competitions. why dont managers play the reserve players for the lesser cups and/or as substitute and/or against weaker oppositions?
how do they expect the bench warmers to perform if they dont play regularly? -
Anfield's anarchy
Liverpool's disastrous domestic season exploded into anarchy in the wake of the humiliating Carling Cup mauling by Arsenal. No sooner had the dust settled on Tuesday nightÂ’s 6-3 defeat at Anfield than accusations of blame started to fly within the normally private club.
First manager Rafael Benitez accused the board of not backing him quickly enough or generously enough in the transfer market. Then under-fire goalkeeper Jerzy Dudek blamed Benitez for his own horror show against Arsenal by claiming that he had not been given enough football to prepare for the game.
To cap it all, the manager suffered a major blow to his Champions League plans when forward Luis Garcia was ruled out for the rest of the season with knee ligament damage.
In a pointed attack at the Anfield board, Benitez said: "If you want to compete at the top level, you must be able to spend a lot of money — not only on your first team, but on the young players and reserves. "My scouting department has done an excellent job, but sometimes we go too slowly as a club to make signings we need. And when we do, there is not a lot of money.
"The big money we get is for the first team and, when you look at the quality of Reina, Sissoko, Alonso, Bellamy and Crouch, itÂ’s clear all are worth more than when we bought them. Today, for example, we are signing a young Italian goalkeeper on loan with an option for later. We have also been working for many weeks to sign the young Irishman Jamie McCarthy from Hamilton.
"These are the deals we are doing because we want to build for the future. But without spending money it is difficult." Benitez’s comments will not go down well with a Liverpool board who have already stretched resources to hand him £78million to spend in the two and- a-half years he has been at the club.
Poland keeper Dudek, who was to blame for three of the goals, said: "I'm devastated. IÂ’ve never had a game like that before. Almost every shot went in. "I just wanted to take my opportunity and build some confidence, but it is difficult. Every player needs to be playing regularly. You canÂ’t build confidence and good feeling in training."
Benitez responded to criticism that he should have put out a stronger side, saying: "I picked seven from the first team. The players I used were good ones."
SampdoriaÂ’s Italy Under 21 goalkeeper Daniele Padelli had a medical at Liverpool yesterday after agreeing a six-month loan deal at the club. -
players were also performing below par. team morale must be rock bottom. luckly they are only facing watford in their next match