by PhiLFC » Fri Nov 23, 2007 2:38 pm
Some interesting reading for y'all.. courtesy of "This is Anfield"
Great Spending
Yes, Jose Mourinho was brilliant, but he was crucially backed to the tune of just under £200 million pounds worth of stars, which blasts Benitez’s spending out of the water. No, Rafa does not have similar cash to spend, and this important issue seems to be worryingly lost on many who believe now that Fernando Torres has arrived for £22+ million pounds that he has no excuses.
I ask you to cast your minds back to when £24 million pound striker Didier Drogba arrived.
In-tow with the Ivorian came £15m Arjen Robben, £13m Paolo Ferreira and £19m Ricardo Carvalho, not exactly on level par with Benitez’s outlay this year, especially when you consider the only serious incoming money Chelsea received was £9m for Eidur Gudjohnson, whilst Rafa recouped almost half of this summer’s spending.
Rafa Benitez in comparison has had three years in charge, in which he has lifted the Champions League trophy in his inaugural season and the FA Cup in his second.
Great Changes
When Ferguson sends a letter praising Benitez’s tactical-nous to switch to a 3-1-4-2 with Didi Hamann man-marking Kaka so as to allow Liverpool to attack with freedom, then surely the ‘new tinkerman’ should be given his just dues as one of the top managers currently around, and thus not one to be rashly dispatched due to a disappointing run of draws in the league, draws that still leave the Reds in a healthy position to continue their challenge for the league unlike the previous year.
But the draws still throw up the old cliché of rotation, rotation, rotation. However a solid, stonewall fact of Benitez’s regime is that, according to Opta stats which form the basis of any statistical evidence in the Premiership, Liverpool have rotated less than United and Chelsea in the last three years. Unbelievable but true! Here is a fact that I shamelessly borrow from Liverpool fan and renowned author Paul Tomkins:
Manchester United won last season's league title with Alex Ferguson having made a total of 118 changes to his Premiership line-ups throughout the campaign, at an average of 3.11 changes per game. The season before that, Chelsea won the league with Mourinho also having made 118 changes to his Premiership line-ups throughout the campaign, again (obviously) at an average of 3.11 changes per game.
So how many changes did Benitez make in 2006/07?
You guessed it, 118 changes to his Premiership line-ups throughout the campaign, at what the eagle-eyed among you will know recognise as an average of 3.11 changes per game.