Liverpool FC Forum

by **account deleted by request** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:21 pm

I may be wrong, but the impression I get is that once you cross a certain line with Rafa its almost impossible to get back again. He has shown both with Paco, Heighway and again with Alonso that reputations and past friendships don't count for much if you cross him.

For all the arguments about how Alonso is still here, and that they have a "professional relationship", I think the "proof " was in the fact that Rafa always seemed willing to sell Alonso "if the price was right", while Torres, Masch and Gerrard were told that they would be staying.

It has always seemed more about the money than wanting to keep the player...... to me anyway.

by **Dundalk** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:36 pm

Round and round we go.......

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez insists he wants Xabi Alonso to stay at Anfield.

Reports in Spain have indicated Real Madrid are as keen as ever to sign the midfielder.

But Benitez said on Sunday night: "He is our player and we want him to stay."

Benitez saw his side suffer a 3-0 defeat to Espanyol in a pre-season friendly on Sunday night, as former Chelsea forward Ben Sahar scored twice against a strong Liverpool team, captained by Steven Gerrard.

Alonso came off the bench for the closing minutes and it remains unclear whether he will start the season with Liverpool.

Benitez brushed off the setback of losing in a match which was set up to officially open Espanyol's new stadium.

"Nobody likes losing like that, but it's pre-season so it doesn't matter. I'm not worried about it," he said.

Asked if Javier Mascherano, who has been linked with Barcelona, will leave, Benitez said: "No."

Link

by **account deleted by request** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:37 pm

Thats what I mean mate...... Asked if Javier Mascherano, who has been linked with Barcelona, will leave, Benitez said: "No."

by **tubby** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:42 pm

Fecking hell Madrid cough up the money will you. I hope those bridges are not too burnt incase he actually does stay.

by **Dundalk** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:44 pm

Yeah I see what your saying and its a good point Saint, its getting close to the start of the season and we could be doing without all this. The team needs to be settled. If he is going I wish it would just happen and we can all move on, its going on far far to long at this stage. Every Liverpool fan out there and probably even Rafa and Xabi are fed up with it

by **tubby** » Sun Aug 02, 2009 11:45 pm

Madrid know this and will just drag it out right till the end hoping we will just cave and accept that lowered offer.

by **Igor Zidane** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:09 am

s@int wrote:Thats what I mean mate...... Asked if Javier Mascherano, who has been linked with Barcelona, will leave, Benitez said: "No."

"He's our player and we want him to stay " That's not exactly beating around the bush mate .

by **Penguins** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:15 am

As it stands real will continue this negotiations via the media until they get what they want, be it until the 31st of August.

That is why if I were Rafa would sit Alonso down and tell him that real obviously doesn't want him enough of they think an offer of 1/5 of what Ronaldo cost, will be enough.

Set a final deadline for a few days and if rm doesn't cough up the money he stays and that is the end of it for this season.

It is a world cup year and it is a razorsharp competition to get into the spanish national team so unless Alonso turns the page and focus and give his all he won't be included.

Then RM will :censored:

their pants realizing they have only Guti, Diarra and Gago as their cm's and are royally ******.

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:24 am

Effes wrote:
bigmick wrote:
s@int wrote:Benítez believes that the midfield player’s much-lauded contribution last season has been overestimated. He feels that recruiting a more attack-minded player to operate alongside Javier Mascherano may benefit the team.

Good job he doesn't post stuff like that on here, feck me he'd get mauled for such thoughts.

Exactly what I was thinking; Im sure Lando would rip into them with his usual cutting wit

But no, hang on, even Rafa thinks someone can do a better job than Xabi??!! Whatever next?

So because a gimp journo decides it happened, despite a complete lack of quotes, and despite the fact that Rafa has done everything possible to keep him here, he doesn't rate Alonso.

You pair of simpletons. :no

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:26 am

s@int wrote:Thats what I mean mate...... Asked if Javier Mascherano, who has been linked with Barcelona, will leave, Benitez said: "No."

Has Mascher handed in a transfer request?

by **account deleted by request** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:37 am

Lando_Griffin wrote:
s@int wrote:Thats what I mean mate...... Asked if Javier Mascherano, who has been linked with Barcelona, will leave, Benitez said: "No."

Has Mascher handed in a transfer request?

Has Alonso ?

Last I read Alonso had denied handing in a transfer request.

This has been the state of play since May Lando , not just since the alleged request was handed in last week.

I do appreciate if a player is determined to leave, the manager has no option but to be a little more circumspect in his statements, but even you must see there has been a big difference between how he has handled bids for Torres, Gerrard and Masch to how he has handled Alonso's.

Infact we only really heard about bids for Torres well after the events. There has been no prolonged drama just a simple NO and move on.

by **bigmick** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:38 am

Lando_Griffin wrote:
Effes wrote:
bigmick wrote:
s@int wrote:Benítez believes that the midfield player’s much-lauded contribution last season has been overestimated. He feels that recruiting a more attack-minded player to operate alongside Javier Mascherano may benefit the team.

Good job he doesn't post stuff like that on here, feck me he'd get mauled for such thoughts.

Exactly what I was thinking; Im sure Lando would rip into them with his usual cutting wit

But no, hang on, even Rafa thinks someone can do a better job than Xabi??!! Whatever next?

So because a gimp journo decides it happened, despite a complete lack of quotes, and despite the fact that Rafa has done everything possible to keep him here, he doesn't rate Alonso.

You pair of simpletons.

"Pair of simpletons"

I simply pointed out that if they were Rafa's thoughts and he posted them on here he'd get plenty of flack. You jumping in confirms it, why does that make anyone a simpleton?

And I didn't say that Rafa "didn't rate Alonso" either. He played him consistently throughout last season, so obviously he "rates" him, it would be a silly statement to pretend otherwise. If the no quote journalist is to be believed though, although he "rates" him he thinks the midfielders "much-lauded contribution last season has been over estimated". My take on that is that if true, he perhaps doesn't quite "rate" him as highly as some on here. As you point out though, we will probably never know for sure as we aren't actually talking to Rafa himself.

Anyway "simpleton" comments aside, I remember recently reading some comments from Ferguson regarding ronaldo and was surprised at how much stock he placed in stats, headers won, time in the oposition box, shots, attempts on goal and the like. Now if Rafa is similarly a fan of the stats (and I have no way of knowing if he is but anyway) then it would perhaps go someway towards explaining why he's not quite a Xabi devotee, if indeed he isn't.

I'm not a massive fan of stats myself when judging individual performances, preferring to believe my own eyes. That said and as has been pointed out many times, what does a dildo salesman know about anything? If Rafa does like the old "attempts on goal", "assists", "interceptions", "headers won", "goals scored", "points the team gained when the player was in the team" etc etc then it might be an answer to what has baffled many, namely why he is seemingly willing to let Alonso walk.

by **JC_81** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:44 am

My fairly simple take on this is...

Ideally I'd like Alonso to stay, but it looks like he's off. We are absolutely laughing if we get 30 million for him, because in my honest opinion he's not worth that. The only real problem is that the deal has taken so long, because replacing him with equal quality will be difficult unless we have someone lined up. I think Benitez's view is slightly different from mine, in that ideally he'd have the 30 million rather than Alonso.

If the @rse falls out of the deal, fair enough. In a world cup year Alonso will have to bite the bullet and perform this season. Then if he has a good world cup we can ask for 40 million next summer :laugh:

by **LFC2007** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:47 am

My take is he'd prefer Alonso to stay, but if as appears the case Alonso would prefer to leave and if there's the possibility of getting £30m or close, then he's bound to keep it a bit more open. Combination of both. If Real were only prepared to pay, say £20m, I think he would've given it the 'No' treatment.

by **Lando_Griffin** » Mon Aug 03, 2009 12:52 am

s@int wrote:
Lando_Griffin wrote:
s@int wrote:Thats what I mean mate...... Asked if Javier Mascherano, who has been linked with Barcelona, will leave, Benitez said: "No."

Has Mascher handed in a transfer request?

Has Alonso ?

Last I read Alonso had denied handing in a transfer request.

This has been the state of play since May Lando , not just since the alleged request was handed in last week.

I do appreciate if a player is determined to leave, the manager has no option but to be a little more circumspect in his statements, but even you must see there has been a big difference between how he has handled bids for Torres, Gerrard and Masch to how he has handled Alonso's.

Infact we only really heard about bids for Torres well after the events. There has been no prolonged drama just a simple NO and move on.

Before the Alonso saga took on any real meaning, they were both spoken about in the same vein.

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