by account deleted by request » Sat Jul 28, 2007 9:34 pm
Rafa’s focus has to be on league
Aug 7 2007 by Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo
OVER the course of the next nine months there’ll be several new banners erected on The Kop.
Sadly, it’s one hoisted above the Stretford End at Old Trafford which says more about Liverpool’s current position in English football.
“17 years and counting,” it reads. We all know what it’s referring to.
The United fans gleefully add a digit every time their fiercest rivals come to town.
The fact this will be accompanied by their own proclamation of ‘champions’ will twist the knife even further.
They’re adept at exposing Liverpool’s insecurities because for 25 years they occupied the same territory.
Liverpool fans have a well rehearsed provocative comeback focusing on European Cup wins, but privately they know this isn’t a wholly satisfactory response.
It’s the title that matters most and the wait since 1990 has gone from being excruciating to infuriating to plain humiliating during the course of the last two decades.
Only when their captain lifts the Premier League trophy, and a sheepish crew of United stewards are forced to remove the offending banner from their stadium, can Liverpudlians reclaim the upper hand.
Each August arrives with the same question: Will this, finally, be the year the drought ends?
As in previous years, the honest answer is no.
Having appeared to have closed the gap 12 months ago, Liverpool lost far too much ground to United last season.
Even though many fans head into the season with stars and stripes in their eyes, expecting Rafa Benitez to turn a modest, generally disappointing league campaign into a title winning one is too much.
United have spent equal amounts on world class youngsters, while Chelsea are sure to be hurt and determined having lost their crown last May.
Arsenal head into the campaign for the first time under Arsene Wenger as rank outsiders. Given the pedigree of his youthful squad, that may make them more dangerous than ever.
What will be anticipated – or should that be demanded – is an Anfield title challenge. Not necessarily a victory, but the promise of a much improved run with plentiful evidence to suggest there’s more to come in the seasons ahead.
The squad Benitez has assembled over the summer should not only equip Liverpool to put more pressure on United and Chelsea, its put a foundation in place for more consistent performances year upon year.
Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel are young, ambitious and hungry.
When added to the spine of a team which, on its day, can look formidable in every department, Benitez has the right to expect a possible 20 point improvement on last season.
The realistic target for Liverpool must be a minimum of 80 points from the campaign.
If they achieve this, and can take points from their closest rivals, they know they’ll be contenders.
The areas of improvement are easily recognisable.
Liverpool need to make a better start than in recent years, and the away form which deteriorated horribly last season must be radically improved.
The Reds suffered just one league defeat at Anfield – and that was undeserved in the last minute to United.
But the boldness so often seen on their own territory was absent on the road.
For three seasons, Benitez has managed too many players he didn’t trust. Tinkering with the line-up wasn’t merely a consequence of changing for changing sake, but a reflection the boss was more concerned about what opponents could do to his side than confidence his own players could hurt the opponent.
Now his squad is absolutely his own, it’s hoped Benitez will go for the jugular away from home far more.
The age old theory about ‘letting the opposition worry about stopping us rather than the other way around’ is surely the key to a title challenge.
This mantra was certainly pivotal to United’s success last year.
Benitez’s reign so far has witnessed some of the most celebrated victories in Anfield history.
But his greatest successes have always defied rather than lived up to expectations.
When charged with pricking the egos of Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United in one-off cup games, his tactical expertise has been unrivalled.
Strangely, it’s when the odds have appeared to be more favourable to his side – especially away to mid-table, mediocre Premier League teams - the cunning Spaniard has been frustrated.
If a summer of heavy spending in the transfer market can remedy this fault, Liverpool can expect to be a formidable force in the title race.
If they don’t, the comparisons with previous watershed seasons under the reign of Roy Evans and Gerard Houllier will be difficult to ignore.
And that pesky banner at the Stretford End will remain in place for an 18th, miserable year.