Liverpool FC Forum

by **The_Rock** » Fri Jan 21, 2005 7:22 am

Wat do you think ? A little harsh on pelle. He looked ok against the scums. He will be a dependable cover if carra & hyppia get suspended.

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Rafa’s Foreign Policy Andy Harvey

We are well past mid-season, and I reckon it's worth having a look at Rafa's performance in the transfer market, to-date…

So how have Rafa’s new buys fared so far:

Antonio Nunez - unfortunate to have missed the first part of the season, although some would argue that it was hardly a good omen injuring yourself within an hour of your first training session. He has shown flashes of what he can offer – an accurate cross into the box from the wing - but he clearly needs more time to settle. The jury is still out on whether he has the quality to cut it at this level - after all, he wasn't languishing in Real Madrid's reserves for no good reason. A question mark also hangs over his desire. He looks like a player who would do well to spend some of his spare time reading up on Liverpool’s history so he can fully understand what it means to pull on the Red shirt…

Luis Garcia – there’s nothing more frustrating than seeing a player with acres of talent being wasted. Garcia was a sensation in home games at the start of the season, even being likened to the great Kenny Dalglish, but recently both his home and away form have been poor. Liverpool has been crying out for a flair player ever since Jari Litmanen left, but Garcia takes it to the extreme. Endless dis-possessions and hoofs over the bar are starting to lose him fans in the Kop. He would do well to take note of the term ‘back to basics’ as a disciplined, more-aware Garcia could prove to be a formidable force. When he can do the basics right, THEN is the time to try some of his trickery. Garcia needs to find some form, and soon, before the fans start turning against him.

Josemi – If ever there was a confidence player, it was Josemi. Within only a few matches Josemi was carving a reputation for himself as a no-nonsense defender that wasn’t afraid to put in the hard tackles and get forward with the ball when needed. However, his current crisis of confidence has made him look a shadow of the man we saw in early games and his form was shocking before he was injured. Maybe a spell out of the side will rejuvenate him as a confident, on-form Josemi can still be a formidable full back, even if he lacks some pace.

Xabi Alonso – Up until recently Xabi was Rafa’s best buy by a country mile. A player who possesses such passing ability over any range is astonishing to see, let alone believe. The player is a consummate professional and you can see how happy he is when we win and how upset he is when we lose. At only 23 years old he has all of the makings of becoming an Anfield legend. The only criticism of Alonso is that occasionally he has under-performed in away games. This suggests that he is still coming to terms with certain aspects of Premiership life, but such a talent will surely come good in the very near future. Alonso’s 3-month injury, courtesy of a Frank Lampard who can do no wrong, has only delayed this young man’s rise to becoming one of the Premiership’s top midfielders.

Pellegrino – I will admit to being a little surprised at this signing. ‘Pelle’ was brought in as cover for both Hypia and Carragher, but surely he is only suitable as cover for the former? Hypia’s pace escapes him more and more as each year advances yet he makes up for this with his aerial play and tactical nous. The Carragher-Hypia partnership seems to work so well because Jamie has pace and can make up ground where Sami can’t. In short, they complement each other. However, a player of 33 years has little or no time to adapt himself to a completely different league and the fear is that by only giving himself 6 months to prove his worth, it could backfire on him.

Fernando Morientes – It’s far too early to draw any real conclusions about ‘Nando’ and how he will fare in the cut and thrust of the Premiership, but all of the signs are good and his pedigree is un-debateable. On paper, Nando and LFC are a match made in heaven. Frustrations with being left repeatedly on the bench and playing second-fiddle to almost any striker that Real Madrid cared to bring in means that there is a proven world-class striker at the peak of his career with a real hunger and desire to play top class football regularly … and win. His no-nonsense, direct footballing style, combined with his strength, aerial skills, turning on the ball and most importantly, his knack of sticking the ball into the back of the net make his partnership with Milan Baros an exciting prospect.

So, those are all of the new buys, but on a separate note, what ever happened to Stephane Henchoz? His situation still remains a mystery … for a player to have formed such a formidable partnership with Sami Hyypia, he has seen little more than Carling Cup action this term. Sure, he may not be the quickest but he has proven himself to be both very aware and very capable of breaking up dangerous attacks. Rafa is well known to use some of the latest techniques in gauging the fitness of players, and maybe he just felt that Henchoz’s fitness has been way below his own acceptable standards? However, his absence from even the bench this season suggests there is more to this than meets the eye and maybe the two have had a major coming together?

I'm all for giving managers free reign to hire and fire who they like because ultimately they are responsible for the team’s results. But maybe someone at Board Room level should have mentioned to Rafa that he would have been wise to bring in a few players from the Premiership?

Up to now ALL of Rafa's buys have come from La Liga, but was this a wise move? It is a well-known fact that the Premiership is notoriously difficult for foreign players to adapt to. Some players like Pires and Cisse clearly need(ed) time to adapt to our game whereas the lucky few like Van Nistelrooy can adapt straight away. Maybe a little dabbling in the home market combined with some buys from Spain would have been a worthwhile mix?

To date, the season has shown that Rafa’s signings, on the whole, have plenty of potential but will need time to fully adjust to the Premiership. Until then, fans may just have to accept that the success that they crave may take a little longer than expected.

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