Liverpool FC Forum

[Sir Roger]

My biggest problem is the turnover of played at the club. We cant just keep spending £20m on players and shipping them off when they don't work, it cant be done. Its like Rafa want to keep doing it till he finds someone who he can stick with. It's just making Rafa look like a twonk

In his time at the club he has (correct me if Im wrong) had over 60 players in and out of the door.
Hes a hard man to please that much is true

[Aussie Style]

Benitez needs to forgot about his database of 14,000 players or whatever it was and just get the few signings each window right, even more so on the big money signings. He's apparently tracking thousands of players but is now surprised with what he gets out of Aquilani?

[Greavesie]

My biggest problem is the turnover of played at the club. We cant just keep spending £20m on players and shipping them off when they don't work, it cant be done. Its like Rafa want to keep doing it till he finds someone who he can stick with. It's just making Rafa look like a twonk

In his time at the club he has (correct me if Im wrong) had over 60 players in and out of the door.
Hes a hard man to please that much is true

we need a squad thats consistent and strong. Rafa's rotation malarky and the need to sell and buy every summer is not going to do that

[Red Indian]

Simple fact is, Rafa is losing it. His comments get more bizarre by the day. I'm sick of the excuses, I can understand the fact that it's difficult to compete with Man U & Chelsea as they've spent more than us over the last few years, but how can we look worse than Villa, Spurs, Man City & even Everton at times this season?? We could have had Sneider as part of the deal for Alonso, why take a risk on Aquilani???

[Fauxy]

I really think Aquilani is a class player.

But if he is getting injured even when Rafa is being extra cautious with him.. Im worried he's just going to be a bench warmer for the whole time he is here. It looks like it anyways.

It was a silly risk by Rafa to buy him in the first place knowing that he is injury prone.. maybe we should cash in on him before we have to pay all of those addons and buy someone like Defour or Sneijder. Someone that can offer us both stability and creativity in the midfield.

[kazza]

Skysports:

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is not sure when injury-prone midfielder Alberto Aquilani will return to full fitness.

The Italian arrived at Anfield last summer with a £20million price tag and a reputation for being susceptible to injury after being plagued with problems at Roma.

Since moving to the Premier League, the latter has proved accurate as Aquilani has suffered with numerous complaints in his debut campaign in England's top flight.

The 25-year-old missed the midweek Europa League defeat to Benfica with concerns surrounding the ankle which required surgery last summer and Benitez is not sure when his big-money signing will be back in action.

"He was complaining of pain in his ankle and said he couldn't train," the Spaniard told the Liverpool Echo ahead of Sunday's trip to Birmingham.

Pain
"We will have to talk with the doctors when we get back to see what's going on because at the moment we don't know.

"He has some pain and we will just analyse that with the doctor. It's the same ankle he did before.

"Some players maybe can manage with the pain, but some, when they have pain, cannot. It depends on each individual and that makes it really difficult."

But Aquilani's agent, Franco Zavaglia, has dismissed suggestions that his client's campaign may have been concluded by the latest injury.

"Season over? I don't know who puts these bad things around. We have to wait and see what it is, but Alberto will be back on the pitch soon," Zavaglia told ANSA.

[Sir Roger]

Skysports:

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is not sure when injury-prone midfielder Alberto Aquilani will return to full fitness.

The Italian arrived at Anfield last summer with a £20million price tag and a reputation for being susceptible to injury after being plagued with problems at Roma.

Since moving to the Premier League, the latter has proved accurate as Aquilani has suffered with numerous complaints in his debut campaign in England's top flight.

The 25-year-old missed the midweek Europa League defeat to Benfica with concerns surrounding the ankle which required surgery last summer and Benitez is not sure when his big-money signing will be back in action.

"He was complaining of pain in his ankle and said he couldn't train," the Spaniard told the Liverpool Echo ahead of Sunday's trip to Birmingham.

Pain
"We will have to talk with the doctors when we get back to see what's going on because at the moment we don't know.

"He has some pain and we will just analyse that with the doctor. It's the same ankle he did before.

"Some players maybe can manage with the pain, but some, when they have pain, cannot. It depends on each individual and that makes it really difficult."

But Aquilani's agent, Franco Zavaglia, has dismissed suggestions that his client's campaign may have been concluded by the latest injury.

"Season over? I don't know who puts these bad things around. We have to wait and see what it is, but Alberto will be back on the pitch soon," Zavaglia told ANSA.

All jokes aside it really pi'sses me off when Rafa does his snide references to players commitment in the media. What the fu'ck is he doing with his veiled criticism of a player HE bought when he was injured?
I'd have more respect for him if he said "I bought  a player whose ankle was fu'cked because:
a. my scouting staff said he would be fine and I believed them
b. my scouting staff said he wouldnt be fine but I ignored them
c. None us had a clue but we bought him anyway because we had the money
Either way the buck stops with him and to ridicule the lad in public is a sh'ithouse trick by anyone's standard

[LFC2007]

"He was complaining of pain in his ankle and said he couldn't train," the Spaniard told the Liverpool Echo ahead of Sunday's trip to Birmingham.

Pain
"We will have to talk with the doctors when we get back to see what's going on because at the moment we don't know.

"He has some pain and we will just analyse that with the doctor. It's the same ankle he did before.

"Some players maybe can manage with the pain, but some, when they have pain, cannot. It depends on each individual and that makes it really difficult."

You really do wonder why he mounts these veiled attacks on his players. Who does he think he's kidding? 

[account deleted by request]

He's just calling Aquilani a pussy

[Sir Roger]

"He was complaining of pain in his ankle and said he couldn't train," the Spaniard told the Liverpool Echo ahead of Sunday's trip to Birmingham.

Pain
"We will have to talk with the doctors when we get back to see what's going on because at the moment we don't know.

"He has some pain and we will just analyse that with the doctor. It's the same ankle he did before.

"Some players maybe can manage with the pain, but some, when they have pain, cannot. It depends on each individual and that makes it really difficult."

You really do wonder why he mounts these veiled attacks on his players. Who does he think he's kidding? 

All the people who think Aquilani's a wimp

[kazza]

When you consider Jaimie and Hamann both playing with strapped up broken feet, Kuyt and Pepe never injured (and they must have had niggles), Torres and Gerrard constantly playing hurt (all be it with pain killing injections) you can understand why Rafa is fustrated by Aquilani ability to suck it up.

I remember when we had Garcia Rafa had used up all his subs one match (can't remember who) then Garcia got injured and motioned he wanted to come off. Rafa gave him a look like "get out there and fecking play". Garcia hobbled around the match looking pitiful until a chance came his way and then sprinted like a thoroughbred.

[Waldo]

When you consider Jaimie and Hamann both playing with strapped up broken feet, Kuyt and Pepe never injured (and they must have had niggles), Torres and Gerrard constantly playing hurt (all be it with pain killing injections) you can understand why Rafa is fustrated by Aquilani ability to suck it up.

I remember when we had Garcia Rafa had used up all his subs one match (can't remember who) then Garcia got injured and motioned he wanted to come off. Rafa gave him a look like "get out there and fecking play". Garcia hobbled around the match looking pitiful until a chance came his way and then sprinted like a thoroughbred.

Can't agree with you more.

Aquaman has had a scan on his ankle and they can't find anything wrong so Rafa should throw him onto the training pitch and tell him to get the f*ck on with it and, in good old fashioned style, run the injury off.

Clearly Rafa can't force the lad to turn up to training but perhaps sending Stevie and Fernando round for a wee pep talk would work. He needs to understand how important these next few weeks are for LFC and needs to grow a set of balls.

[Waldo]

We have seen glimpses of the guy and I think there is a genuinely class footballer there somewhere, however I can't help but think that we have wasted a hell of a money on this lad.

[Owzat]

I've said before, Rafa seems keane to spend big but his record of big spends is littered with either big flops or overpriced. Aquilani may well fall in the latter category, good player but never worth the money we paid for him. Keane was never worth £20m, maybe at his very best, but not at 28 and now not long after we sent him back he has found his level in SPL. Johnson is a decent player, good aqua-sition in terms of being a good RB and ENGLISH but not worth what we paid for him. Babel hasn't yet proven worth £11.5m, what annoys me is Rafa can buy players like Benayoun at £5m and N'Gog at £1.5m who are good value and arguably as valuable to the side as some players he paid over £11.5m for. I welcome someone above to keep Rafa's extravagance on some deals in check, we simply don't have the money to throw it away on relative gambles

Excuse the deliberate spelling errors

[Reg]

WTF, WTF, WTF...... ??

From Times Online April 3, 2010

Rafael Benitez fears for Alberto Aquilani's state of mind

Liverpool’s concern over the fitness of Alberto Aquilani has taken a new twist after Rafael Benitez suggested that the latest problem affecting the Italian midfield player may be psychological rather than physical.

Aquilani is back on the sidelines with sources in Italy suggesting that the 25-year-old feels he needs further surgery in order to clear up the persistent ankle problems that have plagued him since his £17million move to Anfield from Roma last summer.

Benitez, though, has yet to be convinced that an operation is the solution and the Liverpool manager will want evidence that the injury keeping Aquilani out is serious enough to require surgery.

“Aquilani was complaining of pain in his ankle and said he couldn’t train,” Benitez said. “We will have to talk with the doctors to see what’s going on because at the moment we don’t know. He has some pain and we will just analyse that with the doctor.


“It is the same ankle he did before. Some players maybe can manage with the pain, some players when they have pain cannot. When you talk of pain you never know, it depends on each individual and that makes it really difficult.”

As well as the dilemma over Aquilani, Benitez has a number of big decisions to make before tomorrow’s Barclays Premier League match against Birmingham City at St Andrew’s. Chief among them is whether to risk Fernando Torres on a pitch described last weekend as “terrible” by Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager.

Torres was taken off in the closing stages of Thursday night’s Europa League defeat to Benfica with Benitez admitting the forward’s exertions, playing up front on his own, had drained him physically.

“We took Fernando off because he was tired,” Benitez said, ruling out suggestions that Liverpool’s top scorer could have suffered an injury. “After a couple of days’ rest we will check with all of the players and see how each one is. If we have to rest someone we will see because we want to keep the performance at the same level. But at this moment I don’t see anyone as a risk.

“It’s always difficult when the pitch isn’t good enough, so we will have to see. The pitch will be the same for both sides, but we will have to show character too.”

Even if Benitez makes changes, he is unlikely to offer a recall to Albert Riera, who remains out of favour despite making conciliatory noises after his proposed move to Spartak Moscow stalled because of his personal demands.

Benitez’s patience with Riera snapped last month when the wide midfield player criticised his manager on Spanish radio and described Liverpool as a “sinking ship” on the eve of a Europa League clash against Lille. There is no sign of Benitez being prepared to forgive and the Liverpool manager still believes that a loan deal to take Riera to Spartak could be resurrected before the Russian transfer window closes on Thursday.

“We still have some time until the end of the window so we will see what happens,” Benitez said. “I didn’t see his latest comments but for me, on the day before a massive game when he was talking this way was disappointing. It was especially so when he was saying things that weren’t true, so I was really surprised.

“He also said he wants to play, that’s why he had to go, but our fans are not stupid and they will know what’s going on. We’ll see what happens now.”

Premier League officials, meanwhile, have been bombarded with e-mails sent by Liverpool supporters accusing them of ignoring the financial problems that have built up at the club since the takeover by Tom Hicks and George Gillett three years ago.

“Questions must be asked of those who are meant to regulate the game, the Premier League,” James McKenna, spokesman for the Spirit of Shankly fans group, said. “They are seemingly turning a blind eye to what is happened to us and other clubs, in favour of selling the brand. What brand will they have to sell if it carries on like this?

“If we don’t get the answers we want from them, then we will see if they will listen to us when we turn up at their offices and demand answers.”