Liverpool FC Forum

[GRAHAM01]

if rafa is coming out saying things like that then why not play the boy up front with torres and put gerrard back in the middle with mash? see what comes

anything is worth a try with the lad

I can't see how they would work together to be honest...Babel is too selfish to play Torres on/through....Torres only has an eye for goal and that's it....

ya fair point on babel being selfish but i think a lot of that comes from him wanting to prove a point (which he does with little effect)

torres i think is a more giving player and will pass when he has to as he does with gerrard a bit

if babel was there with someone who is a hell of a lot better (torres) he may be more open to passing it on as he knows he may well be the one given the pass from torres next time

just my thoughts

[Owzat]

I have just read here that Benitez is backing Babel to come good but i have to wonder how many chances the forward is going to get. He has had three seasons and has showed no sign of fulfilling the potential which everyone thought he had.

In fairness he's hardly starting every game and failing miserably, he's not being given a crack of the whip which for me is more annoying because he should either use him or sell him, not come out with comments in the media and then leave him on the bench/out all the time

[kazza]

Skysports:

Ryan Babel is hoping he can now display his best form for Liverpool following talks with manager Rafa Benitez.

Dutch attacker Babel has struggled to make a sustained impact on Merseyside since joining the club from Ajax in 2007 and was tipped for a January exit.

He revealed on his Twitter account last month that he had been dropped from the squad to face Stoke City before subsequently apologising for his actions.

On Sunday, Babel was rewarded with his first start in the Premier League for three months as he played 75 minutes of the 0-0 draw at Manchester City.

And, following discussions with Benitez, the 23-year-old believes he is now aware of what he needs to do in order to be a success at Liverpool.

Patient
"I have had a good talk with the manager and I know what I have to do," said Babel. "That is what I am going to concentrate on.

"I just have to try to be patient, keep working hard and doing my best."

Babel will hope for a second successive start in Thursday's Europa League tie against Unirea Urziceni and is optimistic Liverpool can protect a one-goal advantage from the first leg.

He added: "Unirea may not be a well known team, but the fact they are playing in Europe at this stage shows they are a good team.

"I think it's all about how you prepare yourself and as long as we do that then we should be fine.

"We have definitely improved over the last few weeks with a lot of clean sheets. The defence has been the basis of our better results.

"Slowly it gives more confidence and that is something that we have to try to keep hold of and hopefully we can be positive as we look forward."

*********************

I thought he had more of a spark against the Romanians at Anfield and also at City and he played much better yesterday so the talk seem to have done him well. Let's hope Babel can now go on and play like we know he can for the rest of the season.

[Owzat]

Fist time he's started two successive games in a year, did pretty well but for me he may just be too much of a wildcard to be playing ahead of Benayoun on the left or Kuyt on the right, so maybe his best hope is to play up front or on the right if Kuyt is played up front. The timing of the decision to bring him in is somewhat bizarre, just as Torres and Benayoun are coming back so even more competition for a place when perhaps him rotating with N'Gog might have been a better time to use him more

[Waldo]

Yeah...the talks clearly did him good as he was superb last night

All for giving him a chance and hopefully he'll get a run of games now so he can prove his worth although I bet his run of games comes to an abrupt end on Sunday as I can't see him starting against Blackburn.

[Owzat]

Yeah...the talks clearly did him good as he was superb last night

All for giving him a chance and hopefully he'll get a run of games now so he can prove his worth although I bet his run of games comes to an abrupt end on Sunday as I can't see him starting against Blackburn.

Exactly. Rafa dallied so long that now Torres and Benayoun are back in contention his chances may be much more restricted and we may be back to Babel on for Riera/Benayoun after 66 minutes

[leep33]

Hopefully he will start on Sunday and carry on the improved form he is showing.

[zarababe]

His Twiterring shnanigan's were unforgiveable - If I was Rafa I'd delete his partcipation on social networking sites

[Sir Roger]

Hopefully he will start on Sunday and carry on the improved form he is showing.

If Rafa is consistent he will drop him today

[Owzat]

Hopefully he will start on Sunday and carry on the improved form he is showing.

If Rafa is consistent he will drop him today

I was a little ahead of Rafa in the timing of the substitution, but Babel for Benayoun it was in the last third of the game. It was all too predictable, as Rafa often is. I hope those that hailed him as some kind of tactical genius have opened their eyes and/or woken up

zarababe - social networking sites should be banned, I mean outright.

[DrPepe]

"predictable" isn't alway ineffective though

what subs would you have preferred , owzat?

[Owzat]

"predictable" isn't alway ineffective though

what subs would you have preferred , owzat?

I was referring to him switching Babel (on) for Benayoun/Riera (off) and the timing. Perhaps you thought Benayoun was the worst player on the pitch, or at least deserved to be subbed, having created our opening goal I find that hard to believe, and the timing was predictable (post 2/3 mark) although it was somewhat later than usual. They were far from inspired subs, and Rafa leaving Torres on until he was sure the three points were safe is another more recent addition to his "repetoire"

[Sir Roger]

Hopefully he will start on Sunday and carry on the improved form he is showing.

If Rafa is consistent he will drop him today

Told you

[Owzat]

Told us what we already knew, well done *pats st roger on the head and gives him a cookie as reward*

[Ben Patrick]

Why was he dropped Sunday ?

He wasnt fantastic against the Romanians but scored a good goal so maybe his confidence would have been up...then dropped.

Lets just say i wasnt surprised though