Liverpool FC Forum

by **FrankM** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:32 pm

Rafael Benitez has today explained why a fourth place finish in the Premiership is more important to the club than FA Cup glory.
In the wake of Liverpool's dismal third round FA Cup exit at Turf Moor on Tuesday, Benitez has received criticism for failing to field a stronger side in the 1-0 defeat.

The boss admits he's disappointed to have gone out of the competition but is standing by his decision and pointing to the 'bigger picture' as the reason why.

"I have to think of the bigger picture. I'm working to build a new team for the future. If you want the team rebuilt, you need money," says Benitez adamantly.

"You need to get into the Champions League and get as far as possible because that means more finances.

"I never want to be a manager who says we can't win this or that competition, but the reality is I know we don't have a squad which can compete for four trophies.

"In the future, I want to make a team that will be able to do so. We are not just working for one game. I want to build a squad which can fight in four competitions, but at this moment that is too difficult for us.

"We need 20 top class players in our first team squad and good players in the reserves. At the moment, we don't have this.

"How can I risk problems with those senior players I do have? Maybe we could have used more senior players, but we used virtually the same team away to Tottenham in the Carling Cup and won, so why not against Burnley?

"I'm very disappointed we are out of the FA Cup because I had a lot of confidence in the team.

"If I'm going to use these players in the future, I need to see them. You can't expect me to tell someone next year they have to leave unless I have seen their potential.

"Okay, we are out of the FA Cup, but we have seen a lot of these players now and know more about them. Potter, Whitbread and Raven have signed new contracts and Welsh and David Mannix will too."

Benitez also adds: "I know we will make mistakes. As a manager, I know I've made mistakes. A lot of them. The players have to learn from mistakes, and so do I.

"When we make a decision or a mistake, it's because we are working to a principle and an idea, not because I just wake up one morning and tell all my staff 'I've decided to do this'.

"We discuss our ideas and our intention is to prepare the club for the future.

"We know we have to change things. That means we need time. If we win, it's better. But if we lose, we know we are working hard to make things better and do things correctly.

"We need to use all the players we have, control what money we have to spend and try to win all the trophies. That's not easy.

"The fans need to understand we can't play four competitions at the top level with the same players. It's impossible."

by **Santa** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 5:43 pm

hey he took the word out of my mouth...

by **woof woof !** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:26 pm

Fair enough , as much as I am disappointed to have our pride pis'sed on by being booted out of the FA cup by Burnley and having to put up with the jibes and pi'ss taking from people who don't support LFC,I fully understand Rafa's perspective,just wish he had made it easier for us by saying all of the above BEFORE we were humiliated at Burnley , it would have at least given us some valid response to the sh'it we had to eat in the days that followed.

by **woof woof !** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:30 pm

FrankM wrote:Maybe we could have used more senior players, but we used virtually the same team away to Tottenham in the Carling Cup and won, so why not against Burnley?

P.S.
that statement worries me ,we got very lucky and only penalties saved us .

by **Leonmc0708** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:37 pm

woof woof ! wrote:
FrankM wrote:Maybe we could have used more senior players, but we used virtually the same team away to Tottenham in the Carling Cup and won, so why not against Burnley?

P.S.
that statement worries me ,we got very lucky and only penalties saved us .

Yes but it does not matter how the game was won, it was.

by **woof woof !** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:51 pm

Leonmc0708 wrote:Yes but it does not matter how the game was won, it was.

And that is sufficient reason to believe it would be good enough for the next cup game

C'mon Leon , you know better than that .

by **Redrider** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:04 pm

Rafa, knows he got it wrong. He thought they could pull it off and they didn't !
For me, he should have played Hamann and Riise and that's not hind sight, I had them in a team that I posted here on Sunday.
Just like the Everton game, he messed up then.
Good though he is, he certainly ain't walking on water yet !!
I don't think he fully understands the English game yet and he is still playing by the rules of thumb that he is used to from Spain.

by **woof woof !** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:24 pm

Redrider wrote:I don't think he fully understands the English game yet and he is still playing by the rules of thumb that he is used to from Spain.

Although disappointed with his team selection against Burnley I wouldn't go that far RedRider . You don't win any championship playing by the rule of thumb.

by **109-1105722616** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 7:42 pm

Redrider wrote:Rafa, knows he got it wrong. He thought they could pull it off and they didn't !
For me, he should have played Hamann and Riise and that's not hind sight, I had them in a team that I posted here on Sunday.
Just like the Everton game, he messed up then.
Good though he is, he certainly ain't walking on water yet !!
I don't think he fully understands the English game yet and he is still playing by the rules of thumb that he is used to from Spain.

i thinkthat is going a bit far

by **Redrider** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:10 pm

Sorry Lads, I didn't intend to be too critical. But I do know in Spain that all the big clubs treat the 'Coppa del Rea' with little regard. RM were shedding no tears at dropping out last night, they played a few reserves like MO aswell !!
But I do get the idea that Rafa is feeling his way a bit at times, the early purchases of Josemi and Garcia worry me. I just think he bought those guy's based on their ability in the Spanish game, which is not as consistently robust as the English game, without a full knowledge of what was really needed to compete week in, week out in our climate.

by **Badmao1** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:21 pm

Firstly in response to the start of the thread i don't think Rafa has made a mistake, the team he fielded had a decent chance of beating Burnley and it's not like we got thumbed 3-0, we lost only 1-0 to an own goal. Rafa is building for the future and that is my only concern for now.

the early purchases of Josemi and Garcia worry me. I just think he bought those guy's based on their ability in the Spanish game, which is not as consistently robust as the English game, without a full knowledge of what was really needed to compete week in, week out in our climate.

In my opinion Luis Garcia has had a decent start to his Liverpool career, this guy has come from a differnet type of football and needs about a season to fully adjust. I think he's a bit too slight to have maximum impact although this will no doubt be improved over time.

Josemi has done quite as well but i still feel he is a good addition to our squad. Like Garcia and any foreign player it takes time to fully adjust. I'm sure that in seasons to come Josemi will prove his value.

by **andy_g** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 8:44 pm

i think it very very very unlikely that benitez accepted the liverpool job without having studied the english game and the premiership. as we've seen in many interviews he's a real studier of the game to an almost obssesive degree.

by **Redrider** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:19 pm

Badmao1 wrote:Firstly in response to the start of the thread i don't think Rafa has made a mistake, the team he fielded had a decent chance of beating Burnley and it's not like we got thumbed 3-0, we lost only 1-0 to an own goal. Rafa is building for the future and that is my only concern for now.

the early purchases of Josemi and Garcia worry me. I just think he bought those guy's based on their ability in the Spanish game, which is not as consistently robust as the English game, without a full knowledge of what was really needed to compete week in, week out in our climate.

In my opinion Luis Garcia has had a decent start to his Liverpool career, this guy has come from a differnet type of football and needs about a season to fully adjust. I think he's a bit too slight to have maximum impact although this will no doubt be improved over time.

Josemi has done quite as well but i still feel he is a good addition to our squad. Like Garcia and any foreign player it takes time to fully adjust. I'm sure that in seasons to come Josemi will prove his value.

Throwing away a cup run is not a good idea, when we need finance for new players. OK if he feels the squad can't cope, but that's the first time I have ever heard that at LFC.
They may have had a decent chance based on our league cup record, but on the night they looked poor and filled me with little hope for the future.
I like Josemi and Garcia, but as you rightly admit they are not ready for it yet, which reinforces my view that Rafa may be well read etc. But the real truth is that he aswell needs time to pick up the finer points of the English game and we also should not be surprised that he is not getting everything completely right. Like Tuesday night and his immediate assessment of the new guy's suitability for our game.
Don't get me wrong, I think he is doing OK.

by **woof woof !** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:20 pm

Badmao1 wrote:Firstly in response to the start of the thread i don't think Rafa has made a mistake, the team he fielded had a decent chance of beating Burnley and it's not like we got thumbed 3-0, we lost only 1-0 to an own goal. Rafa is building for the future and that is my only concern for now.

Badmao ,the fact that we lost by only an own goal should not be used as a consolation . At no point in the game did it look like we might actually win it .

by **Redrider** » Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:23 pm

andy_g wrote:i think it very very very unlikely that benitez accepted the liverpool job without having studied the english game and the premiership. as we've seen in many interviews he's a real studier of the game to an almost obssesive degree.

Studying is one thing, but he is now taking his practical examination and dropping a few marks, say 80 out of 100 !!
A grade but not AA.

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Couldnt have put it better myself

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