Official Premiership 2008/09 thread

[Matt]

I'm sick of people slagging Benitez off for what he said... if the scorelines had been reversed Benitez would have been a tactical genius. If they're going ot slag him off, slag him off for his absurd team selections.

[Baddar]

The scorelines weren't reversed though, so what he said ended up biting him on the arse, for this week at least.

[Matt]

The scorelines weren't reversed though, so what he said ended up biting him on the arse, for this week at least.

Yeah but the point I'm making is that the media are just hounding him (and it'd be the case with almost anyone else) but had it worked, none of them would be saying "Oh but it could have backfired".

[The Future]

Why on earth was Kaka even nominated for the World Player Of The Year award? There were at least 5 players better then him in the EPL alone.

[Matt]

Why on earth was Kaka even nominated for the World Player Of The Year award? There were at least 5 players better then him in the EPL alone.

Token player from Italian league or token Brazilian, I'm guessing.

[Hobo]

I'd doubt it had anything to do with the outcomes of the matches anyway (considering what cost Chelsea was their horrible defending of set pieces). What Rafa said, he said and it wasn't that far wrong didn't cost Liverpool against Stoke either. It was more bad luck and Stoke's doggedness. If Chelsea won they would be a point off of Liverpool and people would be writing off United and let's not forget Fergie had a go at Liverpool's title hopes before Rafa said anything.

[DFF]

After watching the highlights, it looked a pretty even game.

Really wasn't. Chelsea had periods (mainly in the first half) where they were able to pass the ball around comfortably, but that doesn't count as being 'even' for me when they were also physically incapable of making real attacks from it.

Chelsea sucked in exactly the same way that they've been sucking against Southend/Fulham/Everton/West Ham/Arsenal/Burnley/Newcastle over the past month and a half. I was expecting the result going into the match and it's not unlikely that their next three league games against Stoke/Boro/Liverpool end up as a draw/draw/loss, simply because their tactical system is flawed and generally involves try to string three or more quick, tight and difficult passes together through the middle of 3 or 4 defenders on the edge of the penalty box. No width, no vision, nothing. Their two full-backs, upon whom the 4-3-3 formation is supposed to be largely dependent, rarely get within 15 yards of the byline because they instead always pass back to Lampard or Ballack when they're still 25 yards from goal.

If this is Scolari's system, I've no idea what the fuck it's supposed to accomplish, short of the expectation that they entire opposing team will stand aside and let Anelka through to the 6 yard box. Scolari has shown no sign of having a Plan B either, which is the most concerning thing of all.

But before all this, it's a trip to Southend in midweek. I'm not optimistic.

Aye, Chelsea were shocking at utilising width in the game. The most frustrating thing about it is that they clearly have the talent, but Scolari has this kind of vision of his that he must play Mikel, Lampard and Ballack together, meaning he has to either play 4-3-3 and expect the full backs to push up, 4-4-2 and play with only 1 player who can truly play on the wing J.Cole (I still can't fathom why he was taken off. Sure, he wasn't playing that greatly but the other 3 were probably worse), or you end up having to play 5 midfielders and use a second winger. Actually, do Chelsea have another winger?

Add to this that Drogba looked miles short of the both fitness and form and Chelsea were doomed as long as Man U put in a competent performance.

[stokeriño]

The other winger Chelsea have is (the injured) Malouda. Not that he really counts even when fit.

If Drogba's going to require an entire season to get back into form every time he gets injured then we may as well start games with Di Santo up front just for amusement's sake.

[FireDoughnut]

Who is this Di Santo fellow?

[stokeriño]

A 19 year old Argentinian who is apparently our sub striker behind Drogba and Anelka. He runs around a lot, but in something like 8 apperances that I've seen him play, I've seen him actually touch the ball a grand total of twice.

Edit: Apparently he hasn't even made 12 appearances this season. Only in my mind. >_>

Edited January 13, 2009 by stokeriño

[Matt]

22.08 Another exclusive piece of transfer information from Sky Sports News chief news reporter Bryan Swanson is that Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is keen to lure Inter Milan striker Adriano to White Hart Lane, with left-back Gareth Bale offered as part of a swap deal.

22.07 Shock news reaching us late in the day, with Sky Sports News chief news reporter Bryan Swanson exclusively revealing that Manchester City have travelled to Italy to open talks with AC Milan over a multi-million pound move for Kaka.

I can't decide which is more hilarious and which is more unlikely.

[Asuka's Gonna Kill You]

Why would Inter ever want Bale? Jose surely isn't that idiotic. Bale used to be hyped up so much and I believed the hype, then I started watching him and now I think he's one of the most average players I've seen. I guess he's still young and all, but fuck knows where he got so much praise about being great from. Although Adriano to Tottenham is easily possible, he's guaranteed to move and is one of the most underused players in recent years. I think he'd be great in the Premiership actually, although I'm not sure I'll eve trust Sky with claiming he's heading to Tottenham.

Somebody just told me about the Kaka stuff. Again, cant ever see it happening. Then again, if somebody told me City would get Robinho at the start of the season, I'd of said the same thing then, so I guess I'll wait and see.

[Matt]

He scored freekicks in the Championship... That's about the reason he was hyped up. I can see Adriano coming to Spurs, but not Bale going the other way - unless Mourinho has lost his marbles.

I'm actually starting to believe the Kaka rumours could emerge into something, if City are really up for paying £20m a year (as I've heard), he might just go - only thing is, they need to get European football next year, IMO.

[Hobo]

Benitez turns down contract offer

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has rejected the Anfield club's latest contract offer, BBC Sport understands.

Benitez, 48, says he will only accept the deal if he gains more control over football matters instead of having to answer to chief executive Rick Parry.

"The owners feel (my) decisions need to be subject to the chief executive," Benitez told the Liverpool Echo.

"But I know that I am subject to results and to our fans and they are the best judges I will ever have."

Benitez, who has agreed the financial terms and length of the proposed contract, has informed the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett of his stand.

The Spaniard insists he has a strong relationship with the co-owners but says that the deal on offer would not allow him to manage football matters at Liverpool to the best of his abilities.

I will continue to do my job as manager and concentrate on the thing that our fans want me to focus on - winning trophies for them

Rafael Benitez

"My relationship with the owners is better than people think," he said. "I have regular contact with them and especially with Tom Hicks who has always been very supportive.

"The talks between my agent and the advisers of the owners have been very positive and friendly and our differences are about my responsibilities.

"I have a lot of experience in football at different clubs and if you do not have a technical director and you are the manager you have to have control of the football decisions.

"But always within the confines of a budget which is controlled by the owners and the club.

"In this scenario the manager knows the amount money he has available to him and can decide how much he should spend on each player according to the needs of the team.

Rick Parry and Rafael Benitez

Benitez says he does not want to answer to Rick Parry

"The only person who can decide the value of a player to his squad is the manager because he knows what elements are needed to improve the squad."

Benitez, whose current four-year deal expires in 2010, expressed frustration that he has not had the level of control he would like over the club's Kirkby-based academy.

"I believe the academy is a very important part of the future of the club. The length of the contract was already agreed and this showed my long term commitment to the club," he said.

"I know the academies of Ajax, Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan and Valencia and they are producing players regularly.

"The way the system works there means the manager has an input into development and I think this could be the way forward here and we would hope that this would help us make better use of local talent."

Benitez has guided Liverpool to the top of the Premier League as they search for their first league title for 19 years.

"I believe that this club has the potential to improve and I just want to be able to help this to happen," he added.

"I will continue to do my job as manager and concentrate on the thing that our fans want me to focus on - winning trophies for them.

"From the first day I came to the club I have only ever given 100% and I will continue to do this.

"We have a very important game coming up against Everton on Monday night and now I just want to be able to concentrate only on this."

I kinda agree with Rafa's wishes. But then, I'm not too fond of Rick Parry.

[Crybaby Bunting]

So how long left of his contract does he have? Could it be that he's already agreed to a deal behind the back of someone else to join Madrid or something in the summer

[Matt]

So how long left of his contract does he have? Could it be that he's already agreed to a deal behind the back of someone else to join Madrid or something in the summer

18 months. To be honest, I think he just wants (poretty much) full control over who is signed, sicne he'll be the one in the firing line if it goes wrong. Makes me think he didn't want Robbie Keane.

[Hobo]

It says it in the article. "Benitez, whose current four year deal expires in 2010".

So next year his contract is up. I somehow doubt he'd be looking for an out. Not right now. Liverpool's best chance of a league title in years and the only term that he's not happy with in the new contract is the amount of control he has over his ability to run the club. It seems Rafa wants 100% control over the matters of transfer money which has been an issue in the past at Liverpool.

I would say not getting Barry or Simao and getting Keane and Pennant instead are two notable examples of where Rafa's not been able to get his targets and someone else has been bought. Liverpool could pay 20million for Keane but not a similar amount for Gareth Barry, (18million was the Villa asking price was it not). I think that has stuck in Rafa's craw ever since.

Edited January 16, 2009 by HoboObohHbob

[Summers]

Villa never said 18m, the media did.

[therockbox]

I think part of this is manouvering to get rid of Parry. It's significant that he's mentioned a good relationship with the owners, especially Hicks who has wanted to get rid of Parry before. I think you'd be hard pressed to find even a handful of Liverpool fans that would be sad to see Parry go, I'm not surprised that Rafa doesn't trust him given the list of players that have slipped through our fingers under Parry's guidance includes Alves, Simao and Vidic, as well as the Gerrard contract mess after the CL final.

The only worry is that apparantly it's Gillett/Parry vs. Hicks/Benitez. Parry's influence on the commercial side of things is practically non-existant now because of Ian Ayres' appointment, so if Rafa gets control of transfers in the way he wants then Parry has nothing. I think it's going to come down to either Rafa or Parry leaving, and given the fact that if it came down to it the supporters would be pretty much 100% behind Rafa I can only see one winner. It just depends on how long Parry can cling on for.

[Jay*]

I think part of this is manouvering to get rid of Parry. It's significant that he's mentioned a good relationship with the owners, especially Hicks who has wanted to get rid of Parry before. I think you'd be hard pressed to find even a handful of Liverpool fans that would be sad to see Parry go, I'm not surprised that Rafa doesn't trust him given the list of players that have slipped through our fingers under Parry's guidance includes Alves, Simao and Vidic, as well as the Gerrard contract mess after the CL final.

The only worry is that apparantly it's Gillett/Parry vs. Hicks/Benitez. Parry's influence on the commercial side of things is practically non-existant now because of Ian Ayres' appointment, so if Rafa gets control of transfers in the way he wants then Parry has nothing. I think it's going to come down to either Rafa or Parry leaving, and given the fact that if it came down to it the supporters would be pretty much 100% behind Rafa I can only see one winner. It just depends on how long Parry can cling on for.

QFT.