Is Rafa Prioritising the Champions League?
At 2:30 on Saturday I was surprised to see the line-up Rafa had selected. Alonso was on the bench obviously being rested in preparation for the Champions League game tomorrow. I was expecting our strongest team, including Alonso, to be selected for a tough league match. Instead Rafa opted for the experience of Hamann to partner Gerrard in central midfield. And when Hamann was concussed after being smacked by the ball on the head Sissoko was his replacement. Surely the presence of Alonso would have improved our chances of creating goalscoring opportunities and therefore winning the game.
I could understand the Champions League being given precedence towards the end of last season when the finishing line was in sight, even though it could have cost us dear in the end as we finished fifth. However at the beginning of this season, when it is clear our league form needs to be improved, I would have thought our strongest possible line up should be selected, particularly away from home.
Perhaps I’m over-reacting and Xabi just needed a rest.
Please let me know what you think about Rafa’s squad rotation policy.
posted by withwolves @ 4:08 PM
9 comments
9 Comments:
If you look at the upcoming games, and the fact that Alonso played for Spain, it makes perfect sense to me.
Another point is that you dont rest a player when he's exhausted, you do it before he reaches that point!
Alonso has hardly played regularly for us this season. He was used sparingly in the Champions league qualifiers. I think Rafa appreciates Alonso so much he can be overprotective towards him at times. You could argue he hasn't even played enough to be match fit yet.
Hamann was a holding midfielder and we were playing 4-4-2 formation. Hamman goes off, you replace him with another holding midfielder Sissoko. You can't pair Gerrard and Alonso without a holding midfielder. If we were playing 4-5-1, Sissoko (or Hamman) and Alonso and Gerrard all would've started.
I wouldn't be surprised if Rafa is prioritising the Champion's League to some extent, particularly given the need to secure funds and subsequently signings in January.
If Liverpool can get through the Group stage, given how tough a group we have, it'll be quite an achievement and can only help to both fund and attract players in January.
At the same time, there's no denying that nothing less than 4th in the Premier League is going to be acceptable this season - and that's being realistic about our chances of retaining the CL which are pretty slim!
I'd have preferred to see Sissoko starting in the Premiership over Hamman who now just looks better suited to the pace of the European games. One thing I was glad about against Spurs was that at least Rafa did play both Crouch and Cisse up front and I really feel he needs to persevere with this pair for a few games running and give them the opportunity to develop an understanding. That pair certainly looks a better bet than one featuring Morientes, who even when fit has just looked completely off the pace in the Premier League.
I found a mouse hiding somewhere everyday.
You should also remember that Xabi took a knock while on international duty with Spain, so maybe the rest was justified.
I thought substituting Hamman with Sissoko worked well, he shut down Davids and generally broke up Spurs further up the pitch.
I agree that Xabi needed a rest as three games in seven days would have been too much. I also think the Betis game will better suit his talents.
I bet rafa has every intention to soak up the pressure & hit them after the interval, we did this to great effect at reverside just a pity, on both occasion we fail to score. Pretty darn sure its an option that Rafa refers to. Ultimately if he wants any squad player to step right in & do the job rotation is paramount.
Centre of the park is where are biggest assets lie (4 full internationals).quality players all offering something a bit different, with zenden also able to cover there. Any player who goes into that position is able to do a very capable job there so rotating the players in that position is important for a sustained challenge on all fronts.
Even gerrard has been told he will not play every game, which is sensible considering we COULD play around 70-80 games this season.
Post a Comment
<< Homepage