14 Sept 2009

Yossi Benayoun MUST start every game for Liverpool. If he doesn’t, it is managerial negligence.

Yossi Benayoun’s creative contribution over the last year proves that it is in Liverpool’s best interests to start him as often as possible, but despite this, he is STILL in and out of the first team. What more does Benayoun have to do to join the list of automatic starters?

I know I've made this point before, but I feel it needs to be made again. So let’s look at one cold, hard, irrefutable fact:

LAST 21 STARTS: Benayoun has scored/created 18 goals (11 goals + 7 assists)

It’s simple: start Benyoun and he will invariably score or create a goal. If we look at last season as a whole:

League/CL starts - 24 (21 league/3 CL)

Goals – 9
Assists – 6
Total: 15 goals scored/created in 24 games.

* 8 of Benayoun‘s goals and all assists came when he started.

Now let’s look at Benyoun’s impact as a sub last season:

* 15 sub appearances – Only 1 goal scored/created.

It’s not rocket science, is it? Benayoun creates next to nothing as a sub but as a starter he scores or creates a goal in 81% of games! (based on last 21 starts.)

Rafa Benitez undoubtedly has access to these figures but he still sometimes relegates the Israeli to the bench. This season, for example, Benayoun has started on the bench/been subbed in 3 out of 5 league games so far.

A similar situation occurred with Peter Crouch, who at one point had a record of 38 goals scored/created in 43 starts. Despite such outstanding figures, he was still inexplicably dumped on the bench regularly.

It is Benitez's job to manage Liverpool's playing assets in a way that benefits the club, is it not? That surely means starting those players who make the biggest creative impact as often as possible. Failure to do this without good reason is, in my view, managerial negligence?

I wrote an article after the Spurs defeat arguing that Liverpool should adopt the following formation until Alberto Aquilani is available:

---------------------------------- Reina

Johnson ------------ Agger ---------- Carra ------------------ Insua

-------------------------- Gerrard --- Masch/Lucas

Kuyt --------------------- Benayoun ----------------- Riera

---------------------------- Torres

This is the formation Benitez employed against Burnley, and it worked like a charm, mainly due to Benayoun’s brilliance.

And Steven Gerrard proved what we already knew - that he can be just as effective from midfield as he is playing behind Fernando Torres. So - Why change a winning formation?

If Benitez continues to treat Benayoun with such disdain I have no doubt that, like Alonso, he will leave in the summer.





NB. Just to clarify something - When I say 'every game' I on't literally mean every single game; I mean every league game, most CL games and other important games. Benayoun, Gerrard, Kuyt etc can be rested for non-essential games (Carling Cup/meaningless CL group games etc)


52 comments:

  1. Yes, Jamie, you are right. You know best. You are the God. Jamie for Prime Minister.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And i guess you were one of the ones that was complaining when we signed him? This site is a joke, all your articles are only ever to stir shit and this is just another example of the drivle that you seem to come up with day by day.

    ReplyDelete
  3. <span>LAST 21 STARTS: Benayoun has scored/created 17 goals (11 goals + 7 assists)</span>

    my maths aint great but i make that 18.

    And surely by rotating his squad Rafa is getting the best out his players without burning them out? Yossi is a shining example to Riera and Babel, when you get your chance, take it, dont keep pissing and moaning in the press, let your feet do the talking. Overall i agree though, the saturday formation has to be stuck to at least until the aqua man is fresh. Aquafresh so to speak.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Aqua man / Aquafresh......hehehe..... i like it ...

    ReplyDelete
  5. You're right - it's 18.  My rudimentary error adding up the figures :-[

    The rotation argument is a fair one but how does that apply to the likes of Gerrard, Kuyt, Carra and Torres?  They start almost every game, so why not Yossi?  He is in the prime of his career and is producing the goods big time.  he deserves to start every game, especially with his creative contribution.

    ReplyDelete
  6. More unsurprising anti-Benitez rubbish from Jamie Kanwar.

    Most negative 'fan' ever.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I totally agree with your preferred formation and think it's the best use of our resources at the moment (stevie in the centre of the park is always a winner in my book) however it seems both Rafa & Yossi himself thought he was playing on the right against Burnley with Kuyt up top with Torres so bit of an error there.

    I'm not sure I can really agree with this bit either "<span style=" color: #333333;">That surely means starting those players who make the biggest creative impact as often as possible" - is it really?? Surely it's about balance, I agree Rafa is generally too cautious but surely it would be managerial ineptitude of the highest order if we were to start all our best creative talent and get ripped apart through the middle, it has to be a balance and I'd say a 5-5 split of defensive minded vs attacking is about spot on - although Rafa does seem to prefer a 6-4 split too often for my liking.</span>

    Yossi's a cracking little player and maybe you'd acknowledge he was an excellent signing, much more than the Garcia replacement we thought we were getting - so a great piece of management on a budget by Rafa!?

    But no-one should DEFINITELY start every game, I'm not sure I'd want Yossi playing away to Pompey or Stoke too often, he's short, he's very lightweight and easily knocked off the ball, doesn't tackle well and tracks back infrequently. He looks like he could do a great job 'in the hole' and I for one would vote for him there and Stevie in the middle but he's still not going to be one of the first names on the teamsheet and something tells me Rafa is a better judge of this than you or I

    ReplyDelete
  8. I agree Jaimie i think <span>Benayoun shouild be played as often as possible as he gives that extra little bit of creative flair thats needed to unlock defences and as proved on sat gerrad is the best fit in the middle of the park untill the new guy is fit.</span>

    ReplyDelete
  9. Don't think rafa or his fckin staff will allow benayoun to start, even if this is for the best of the team.. they will prefer useless Lucas in midfield, hence, just like since the begining of the season, we will only be playing with 10 players, coz lucas does nothing in the team, whenever he gets the ball, pass it to the keeper or back to the player who gave him the ball and run to hide himself upfront where nobody will send the ball back to him.. gerard or mascherano needs to recuparate the ball.. so wat the hell is lucas doing in the team?? My dog plays football better than him!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I think rafa is doing a fine job, I think youll find Yossi will start more this season.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's Rafa's job to get this team winning as many games as possible throughout the entire season. However he does that is up to him. Benayoun is one of the players who shows that Rafa's methods are very effective, as was Crouch. If anything, it was the rotation that drove them to perform so well when they did get their opportunities. The notion that Rafa simply has to start Yossi in every single game from now  on is a bit simplistic. There are countless factors to consider including fitness, fatigue, performance during training, tactics against specific teams, availability of other players and general team performance. I think I'll stick with Rafa when it comes to making those complex decisions rather than your "Benayoun must start every game because he played well against a team that has been just promoted to the Premier League" mantra. 

    ReplyDelete
  12. Fraggs - don't take everthing so literally. It goes without saying that there are factors which would prevent Benayoun starting every game.  Clearly, what I mean is he should be treatedt the same as Gerrard, Kuyt, Carra and Torres, i.e. started as often as possible.  If they can do it, so can benayoun.

    And you fail to acknowledge the stats - where did I say benayoun should become a regular starter on the basis of one game?!

    That's right - I didn't.

    I offered the last 21 starts AND his form last season as evidence to back up my argument that he should start more games.

    With these figures in mind, how can it credibly be argued that Benayoun *shouldn't* start more?

    ReplyDelete
  13. Managerial negligence? P-UH-LEASE!

    Yossi's contribution has been immense. There is no denying that. But to suggest that he plays every game is just being naive. Yes, rotation is the reason and it is the correct strategy. Look at Aston Villa - they just ran out of steam at the end of last season. We are not the only team to rotate - Man Utd makes a similar number of changes per game as us (or the other "big 4").

    In reality picking the team is just one component of managing the club. That is why these football clubs dont just hold a massive video game competition with the winner becoming manager of the club.

    It is far more complex than that - you might want to look at some articles on the set up at Liverpool (http://www.guillembalague.com/interview_desp.php?id=18). 

    As far as I understand, some players play more than others because they are fitter PLUS they have a lower recovery time i.e. they get back to optimal performance quicker than others. My understanding is that every player's health is monitored on a regular basis to ensure that they are not suffering from fatigue. If they are, they are rested and Benitez (plus backroom staff) need to alter the selection based on the data they have. And for the sake of clarity, what i mean by fatigue is that the player is not performing at their peak. The issue for Benitez is to calculate whether a X% fit insua is more effective than a Y% fit aurelio and if so, for how long will this difference be, impact on the long term, run of games, etc. etc.

    To go to the extreme, my understanding of the setup at AC Milan is that each player has to wear a bracelet that monitors their heart rate, blood pressure etc every second while it is in the academy, each player has a bespoke diet and training regime based on their physique, etc, which is why the have players going for so long (e.g. Maldini). 

    So before you start quoting stats and using that as the sole basis of your 'insight' or why Benitez is not doing his job, why dont you do some proper analysis - sorry i mean critical realism - of the situation.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Jaimie, I agree that Yossi is a very creative player, but I don't believe he's in the same physical category as Gerrard, Kuyt or Torres. So he should be rotated with Riera/Babel whenever Rafa feels the need to. I'd like to see how effective he is when started game after game. Maybe the reason he does so well when starting is because he's so rested, as someone else pointed out. Rafa's style does require a player to be very physically fit (as he is a follower of Sacchi, who, in turn, depended on very physically fit players). I also don't think Carra should be starting once Agger and Skrtel are both 100% fit. He's shown since the start of the season that he doesn't have it anymore. Skill is good when defending, but doesn't have the legs to compete with the fast paced Premier League strikers, also he doesn't add as much attacking as Agger does. 

    ReplyDelete
  15. Who's arguing that he shouldn't start more? I'm just pointing out that your analysis is grossly over-simplified. Those stats are nice, I'm sure you're proud of the 5 minutes it took to compile them, but it's hardly compelling evidence. Any player in the world is going to score and create more if they start more matches, that's completely obvious. You could say the same for Babel and Riera, both of whom would suffer if Benayoun is to get more time on the pitch. What I think you're failing to acknowledge is that Rafa isn't just making a random decision if he leaves Benayoun on the bench. It's through Rafa's system that Benayoun is playing so well and yet you seem more inclined to have another dig at the manager rather than congratulate him for enabling Benayoun to be so influencial. Doesn't he get some credit for that?

    If we acknolwedge that there may be tactical reasons to leave Yossi on the bench, that he may have different fitness requirements or stamina, that other players are to be afforded a chance to prove themselves, that his training performances may not always be so great as to warrant a starting spot, what's left of your argument? That when he starts more he scores more goals? You're right, that's not rocket science at all. 

    ReplyDelete
  16. It's not naive at all.  Perhaps I wasn't as clear as I should've been in the article; I've added a note at the end to clarify what I mean by 'every game'.

    I appreciate what you're saying about fitness and recovery times, but there is no evidence whatsoever that Yossi is one of those players who is not as fit as the others.

    In any event, it's not as if he's overworked, is it?  Since he arrived at Liverpool, he's been used sparingly as it is...until the tail end of last season that it.

    In any event, your main argument is negated by the what actually happens in practice.  The likes of Gerrard, Torres, Carra and Kuyt start almost every game when they're fit.  Why?  because they're seen as integral to the team.

    Yossi should be seen in the same way.  And if it's okay for them to play so many games, it's okay for him.

    The fitness counter-argument is pure supposition and is basically a cop-out.  Today's footballers are fitter than they've ever been; they have experts working around the clock with sole purpose of keeping them fit and healthy. The notion that Yossi can't start most games because of lack of fitness is clearly complete nonsense.

    Yossi is in the prime of hs career; he's fit; he's creative and he almost guarantees a goal (scored or created) when he starts.  Thus, he should start most games.  There is no logical reason why he shouldn't, especially in ligght of the fact Gerrard/Torres/Carra and Kuyt start most games.

    There are ways and means of effectively resting players; using them in a stop-start fashion is not the right way.  Rest players by taking them off early if we're winning comfotably; rest them for meaningless Carling Cup/CL group games etc.

    For every league and CL game you should start with your best team. Yossi is undoubtedly a component of our best team, thus he should start most, if not every league/CL game. End of story.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Bikram - I agree with you about Carragher, but why don't you believe that Yossi is in the same fitness category as Gerrard, Kuyt or Torres?

    How many times has Yossi been injured in his career?  Compare this to Gerrard/Torres, and I fail to see how that point is valid.

    ReplyDelete
  18. My analysis is not 'grossly oversimplified'.  if it is, explain why.  You would say that because to say anything else would've back up your argument.

    it's not even an analysis - it's a statement of fact.  I used the last 21 starts as a reference point and I compared those to Yossi's sub appearances, the result of which cannot be ignored.

    Any player in the world is going to score and create more if they start more matches.  This  is completely inaccurate, and as I'm sure you're aware, there are dozens of examples to contradict that generalisation. 

    And you include things in your argument that are completely irrelevant:

    * He MAY have different fitness requirments/stamina

    * Training performance may not be so good

    You're basing your argument on things that MAY be true?!  Things for which there is absolutely no evidence at all? I'm sorry, but that's just lazy.  Following that line of thinking, you have license to say anything you want and never have to prove/clarify anything.

    I prefer to stick to the facts, and Yossi's creative contirbution from starts is a very real, irrefutable fact.  Liverpool should be captialising on this not suffocating it.

    Just imagine if the likes of Barnes, Beardsley, Dalglish et al were dumped on the bench regularly and never allowed the space and games to really get into their stride.

    Thes players - fitness permitting - played every game.  The same goes for all of Liverpool's top players over the years, i.e. the likes of Fowlers, McManaman, Hyypia, Owen etc etc.  Influential players should play every game where possible; they shouldn't be obstructed from achieving their potential for the team under the guise of 'rotation'.

    And I disagree that Benitez's rotation system is repsonsible for Yossi's good form.  Yossi was frustrated last season with lack of games, and when he began to get more starts, he just did what comes naturally: he played to the best of his ability.  Benitez's 'rotation' had nothing to d with it.

    ReplyDelete
  19. My analysis is not 'grossly oversimplified'.  If it is, explain why.  You would say that because to say anything else would've back up your argument.  
     
    It's not even an analysis - it's a statement of fact.  I used the last 21 starts as a reference point and I compared those to Yossi's sub appearances, the results of which cannot be ignored: Scores/creates a goal in over 80% of starts vs. barely scoring/creating as a sub.
     
    Any player in the world is going to score and create more if they start more matches

    This  is completely inaccurate, and as I'm sure you're aware, there are dozens of examples to contradict that generalisation.   
     
    And you include things in your argument that are completely irrelevant:  
     
    * He MAY have different fitness requirments/stamina  
     
    * Training performance may not be so good  
     
    You're basing your argument on things that MAY be true?!  Things for which no evidence at all exists? I'm sorry, but that's just lazy.  Following that line of thinking, you have license to say anything you want and never have to prove/clarify anything.  
     
    I prefer to stick to the facts, and Yossi's creative contirbution from starts is a very real, irrefutable fact.  Liverpool should be captialising on this, not suffocating it.  
     
    Just imagine if the likes of Barnes, Beardsley, Rush, Dalglish et al were dumped on the bench regularly and never allowed the space and games to really get into their stride.  
     
    Thes players - fitness permitting - played every game.  The same goes for all of Liverpool's most effective players over the years, i.e. the likes of Fowler, McManaman, Hyypia, Owen etc etc.  Influential players should play every game where possible; they shouldn't be obstructed from achieving their potential for the team under the guise of 'rotation'.  
     
    And I disagree that Benitez's rotation system is repsonsible for Yossi's good form.  Yossi was frustrated last season with lack of games, and when he began to get more starts, he just did what comes naturally: he played to the best of his ability.  Benitez's 'rotation' had nothing to d with it.

    ReplyDelete
  20. JK - you CANT start the same players in every game. 

    The point I was making is that it is not JUST fitness or physical strength but a player's ability to recover. This is something that is more to do with genetic make up. The only analogy is Ledley King - his knee doesnt allow him to play more than once a week because that is how long it takes for him to recover. The same principle works here.

    Now I am NOT suggesting that YB is less fit than the others - I dont know. However, I HAVE to believe that a team of people who's job it is to evaluate the team's fitness knows more than I do (if i did, then I would be at LFC!).

    Now saying all of this, RB was quoted today "Over the seasons he has shown his value coming off the bench, but now he is showing how important he can be with movement and passing ability from the start." which would indicate that he sees YB as more integral to the team. 

    ReplyDelete
  21. I agree that you can't start the same players in every game, which is why I clarifed my article with a note at the end. 

    However, you CAN start the same players in most games; Gerrard, Carra, Kuyt and Torres are proof of this, as are countless players from Liverpool's history, as well as dozens of current and past players from various other teams in world football.

    I agree with you also about fitness and recovery time, but that cannot be used in this arguement unless there is some kind of evidence that benayoun suffers from some fitness problem.  Otherwise, I could equally say that Yossi MAY be the fittest players in world football, something that is equally unproveable.

    Yes, Benitez et al may more than we do, but human nature dictates that not everything is that robotic and rational. Benitez is stubborn; he has his favourites (Kuyt anyone?!); there are probably reasons other than fitness that Yossi has not been a regular starter.  Is this not possible?

    If everyone in positions of responsibility did everything correct all the time, the world would be a peaceful place; but that's not how it works in practice, and the same goes for football.

    And thanks for that quote - I may use that as the basis for an article because it is laughably inaccurate.

    Last season, Benayoun scored 1 goal (no assists) in 15 sub appearances; how is this 'showing value coming off the bench?!  Sutely it's the opposite.  Benitez is just trying to make excuses because people are asking why Yossi has not been a regular starter.

    What do you make of his quote in light of Yossi's sub record?

    ReplyDelete
  22. i keep reading the page and see the word "rotation" over and over again, and this and that etc, but hey! what about Kuyt? there's no rotation for him? so bullshite! just better treatment all i can see...

    ReplyDelete
  23. Exactly.  The rotation argument is not valid at all.

    ReplyDelete
  24. It's over simplified because all you've done is quote goal stats, nothing else. Goal stats are first of all a very limited view of match performance. What about work rate, defensive effort, ball retention, pass completion, overall team performance, the countless other stats that are logged by complex systems that all the teams have these days? There are also other selection criteria to consider, as I've mentioned about 3 three times now: tactics, fitness (including long term fatigue) and training performance. That's how Rafa selects his team. In the limited times he has explained that to the press, that's what he says, and he's also pointed out that this is an over-simplified view of what he does. To reduce that to mere "rotation" is a bit rediculous. 

    What you've done is indeed "analysis". You've taken a set of figures and from that concluded that the player should play more often. But you don't get that what you've said is obvious: Of course a player will score and create more in the games they start. Couldn't that be because they will play more minutes in those games? The least you could do is expand the numbers to show how many goals and assists Yossi creates per minute for when he starts as compared to when he comes off the bench.

    But overall, what I'm trying to suggest is that, counter to your view that we should all simply jump to a conclusion based only on the limited information we have, we could consider the notion that we just don't have all the facts. Just because I can't quote you details of all those other factors that we know Rafa considers doesn't mean that they don't play a part. We know they do because he tells us they do. To acknowledge this information gap is not lazy or a cop-out, it's just a different perspective. You seem to think that if I can't come up with quotable "evidence" to counter your 5 minutes of stats research that my argument is somehow weaker than yours. It's the very fact that none of us can come up with ANY solid information on a host of unknown factors that makes coming to a STRONG conclusion so very rediculous. Saying that we don't know how these things contribute is a completely valid point of view because, as opposed to many of your suggestions, it's an undeniable fact.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Most of the players mentioned who start just about every game have gone on to have injury issues. Gerrard, Torres, Mcmanaman and Owen have all suffered recurring injuries from being used and relied on too often to win games.

    The whole idea of having a squad of players is to keep people fresh and fighting for places so as to prevent complacency and injury.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Jamie, I agree with fraggs there. You always base your opinion on statistics, as if football is a game of numbers. Start watching the full 90 minutes and you might learn so, so much more.

    ReplyDelete
  27. I love the way you just assume that I somehow don't watch entire games.  And I do not 'always' base my opinion on statistic at all - that is ridiculously inaccurate.  When I use statistics, I use only the most pertinent facts, i.e.

    Goals scored
    Assists

    i don't care what way you try and fudge the issue, goals scored/assists achieved is a vital and important stat.  To argue otherwise is just pigheaded.  I do not use those stats and argue that they are the be all and end all; I am fully aware there are a myriad of different things going on in a football match.  However, if you are an attacking player, you are judged on your attacking contribution, irrespective of anything else.

    I'm not really interested in how many miles Benayoun runs per game; I couldn't care less how many tackles he puts in; as an attacking player, I am interested in how he is contribution in attack, and the best way to gauge that is to look at goals scored/created, pass rate, shots on/off-target etc.

    Do you disagree?

    When I use stats, I use them in a valid manner; people try and discredit my use of stats because they don't agree with the view I'm trying to prove.  Howwver, when I use stats to justify something they AGREE with (like Gerrard's goals/assists ration) I don't get any complaints at all.

    Funny that.

    ReplyDelete
  28. I love the way you just assume that I somehow don't watch entire games.  And I do not 'always' base my opinion on statistics at all - that is a false generalisation.  When I use statistics, I use only the most pertinent facts, i.e if I'm assessing an attacking player, i will look at: 
     
    Goals scored  
    Assists  
     
    Whatever way you try and fudge the issue, goals scored/assists achieved is a vital and important stat.  To argue otherwise is just pigheaded.  I do not use those stats and argue that they are the be all and end all; I am fully aware there are a myriad of different things going on in a football match.  However, if you are an attacking player, you are judged on your attacking contribution, irrespective of anything else.  
     
    I'm not really interested in how many miles Benayoun runs per game; I couldn't care less how many tackles he puts in; as an attacking player, I am interested in how his contribution to Liverpool's attack, and the best way to gauge that is to look at goals scored/created, pass rate, shots on/off-target etc.  
     
    Do you disagree?  
     
    When I use stats, I use them in a valid manner; people try and discredit my use of stats because they don't agree with the view I'm trying to prove.  However, when I use stats to justify something they AGREE with (like Gerrard's goals/assists ration) I don't get any complaints at all.  
     
    Funny that.

    Benayoun has scored or created 18 goals in the last 21 starts.  That is an absolutely superb record, and Liverpool should be utilising it. You will not find any other top-flight team leaving a player on the bench with that kind of record.  I challenge you to find one example of a player with benayoun's record not starting regularly for their club.

    You won't find any examples because there are none.

    Why?

    Because players with that sort of record are usually first on the teamsheet.

    ReplyDelete
  29. lucas is a bit better now, i guess he must be reading all those comments about him and realize it is not a joke. As for voronin he still can't understand all the comments about him and thinks it's a joke and thought it is very funny by not scoring on an open goal against burnley. kick the looser out along with the american of course!

    ReplyDelete
  30. Looks like Rafa disagrees with you, judging by his words below:

    "We have seen how good he is coming from the bench. Some games he has played from the beginning haven't been as good as he was today. His movement was fantastic."

    Better still is this story, http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2009/09/12/1497050/rafael-benitez-lucas-key-for-liverpool-against-burnley, which gives us the following lifted quotes from Rafa (taken from the official site):


    "Lucas supported and managed in the middle and kept everyone else going forward.
    For me he was the key player today. We can talk about Yossi but it was thanks to Lucas."

    ReplyDelete
  31. Re the first quote - I'm posting an article tomorrow addressing that.  re the second - can't you see that Rafa has an agenda here?  Lucas is his pet project; nothing bad can be said against him, and Rafa will do his best to defend him/big him up come hell or high water.

    Yossi is expendable in this respect; Rafa clearly values Lucas more.

    ReplyDelete
  32. I just want to say that it's not reallya rotation based on performance and fitness. Stevie G, Kuyt & Torres have a guaranteed start. However, SG & Torres I can understand, but what has Kuyt ever done to become sch an anchor. YOSSI IS 10 TIMES THE PLAYER THAN KUYT! I heard all the "work ethic" excuses BLABLABLA, thats all nice and good for division 3 football. Premier league needs people who can handle the ball, have vision, dribble and first touches...

    I believe that Yoss, Steveie G and Torres make a deadly trio upfront. And I am sure both Torres and SG. will prefer having him start every game since that will make them look better. And one more thing, put him in the middle already, how many times does he need to prove that thats where he belongs, he did it for Santander, West Ham and for Israel every single time, he is unstoppable there.

    ReplyDelete
  33. I hadnt thought about the sub record. You do have a point on this and a question that i would like to see a response if RB was asked at a press conference.

    The fact that Torres, Gerrard and Carragher plays most games is due to three things: 1) Their standard of play <span style="text-decoration: underline;">AND</span> 2) They have the required fitness <span style="text-decoration: underline;">AND</span> 3) They fit the tactical strategy for the game. Arguably, YB fulfils 1 & 3 but we have no way of assessing (2) and any conjuncture cannot be proved or disproved, so the rotation policy explanation is AN argument (not THE explanation). However, given the number of people at LFC assessing the players, I can only assume it has a considerable factor.

    Plus, the other consideration that Fraggs mentioned is that the Rotation system encourages competition which some players may respond positively (or negatively) - YB may be one of those. 

    ReplyDelete
  34. Jaimie, I'm not talking about his fitness in terms of injury but in terms of his effort and athleticism. Now I'll be the last one to say that Yossi doesn't give a 100% for the club, he's been a fine servant throughout even though some fans, myself included, were calling for his head at the end of the first season (how wrong I've been and how I wish Babel would learn from Yossi). But is he capable of running as fast at the 90th minute as at the first? Gerrard is a natural athlete, he won tons of medals in track & field and swimming in his high school days, and makes those lung bursting runs on many occasions, so we know he can play game in game out unless he's injured etc. Kuyt and Torres are also natural athletes, I mean, Kuyt is known for his stamina and work-rate, and Torres is really quick. I just don't get the same feeling when I see Benayoun play. I could be wrong, but I think there may be issues of stamina and fitness etc with Benayoun, which is why he didn't do too well in his first season at Liverpool, as the fitness requirements under Rafa are exceedingly high. 

    Again, I think Rafa has a lot more information about Benayoun's fitness, and you and I can only speculate so much from the internet. I have faith in Rafa and generally (though not always) agree with his team selections. 

    ReplyDelete
  35. I don't know why you keep on talking about Kuyt as if he's a complete waste on the right wing. He scored 12 goals in the Prem last year - as much as Rooney and many of them vital goals, had 8 assists (the highest was 12 by Gerrard), and his work-rate allows Gerrard, Torres and the right back (this year, Glen Johnson) so much more freedom. Why do you think Johnson has performed better for Liverpool than England? Its because Lennon doesn't work quite as hard as Kuyt and thus allow Johnson the defensive back-up, or the offensive licence. I would say Kuyt is one of our most important players. His attitude just adds to it. 

    ReplyDelete
  36. i agree with the fact that he is a great player and could be the natural link to torres and play gerrard were he is most effective center mid,  that way lucas would lose his place because masch has more to offer the team in every way

    ReplyDelete
  37. Go on Jaimie - congratulate Rafa on a great, bargain basement signing and in replacing Garcia with a better player without spending a penny.. 
    Can't quite bring yourself to see both sides of any argument or take a stance that isn't myopically anti-Benitez. You sing the praises of Yossi but not the manager who brought him to the club and coaxed the best patch of form out of him in his life... one eyed analysis at best.

    ReplyDelete
  38. I don't need to present both sides of the argument.  Why should I?  This is not the BBC - I don't have to be impartial.  And why should I congratulate Rafa - Benyoun is performgin well in spite of Benitez, not because of. 

    This notion that benayoun's form is all down to Benitez's management is just not true - Benayoun is a professional and has a great attitude, therefore he will do his best whenever given the chance, irrespective of how a manager mishandles him.

    it's only when Benayoun made it clear he was thinking of leaving that Benitez decided to play him more.  Before that, it was a constant stream of substitutions (including unused sub appearances) and cameos in the second half of games.

    Benayoun has simply proved that Benitez's ridiculous insistence on using him as an impact sub was ill-conceived - 24 league draws in two seasons is testament to the fact that Liverpool neeed more creativity on the pitch to unlock stubborn defences; we had it sitting on the bench but Benitez was too stuboorn to accept it.

    ReplyDelete
  39. It's not impartiality it's rationality - no one-sided view can ever tell the full story and you confuse your opinion with uncontestable fact far too frequently. Makes your articles momentarily interesting but rarely worth serious consideration - an argument is more powerful if it's logically dealt with the alternatives rather than dispelling any counterpoint out of hand as "simply untrue" or "complete rubbish" - you can't prove opinion.

    ReplyDelete
  40. I don't  confuse my opinion with 'uncontestable fact' at all - other people do.  When I highlights stats etc then that is fact that cannot be questioned.  Example: Yossi's 1 goal in 15 sub appearances last seaosn.  That is irrefutable fact,  it doesn't matter why or how, it is a fact. 

    Whether my arguments are 'powerful' or 'worthy of serious consideration' is irrelevant to me; I'm not in this for validation or ego massage.  People will either read, or they won't, and if they'd don't, so be it.

    And just because you think an argument is more powerful if deals with the alernatives doesn't make it so.  People are intelligent enough to consider the alternatives themsleves, without having every tiny detail spelled out for them.

    ReplyDelete
  41. So much for critical realism or whatever that may mean: "I don't need to present both sides of the argument.  Why should I?  This is not the BBC - I don't have to be impartial."

    'I', 'my' or 'me'...ego massage...you do provide both sides of the story but there is actually no story...

    Benitez says that he will 'play Benayoun more often'

    I'm sure it is not about you being right when Benayoun plays more. So please tell us why?

    ReplyDelete
  42. Bikram - dunno who that comment is to, but not me I hope? I totally agree. also, read an article by jonathan wilson wrote on fullbacks. Very interesting and delves into to the topic that talk about. 

    ReplyDelete
  43. Hi Jaimie,
    Don't get me wrong, I agree with you and despise the way some players are unnecessarily denied their due at the expense of others. Lucas is exempt from this. I've written similar pieces on Rafa's lack of man-management (maybe it should be selective man-management) on Sportingo, and like you, received an avalanche of condemnation. It is fun to address each of detractor though, even if you have to repeat the same answer using different words (many with fewer syllables)

    ReplyDelete
  44. Well, Yossi should start every game but he usually on the bench.
    How about Kuyt? He starts almost every game.

    The same situation goes with Agger and Skrtel.
    I really think Agger should start every game if he's ready.
    Insted, Rafa usually starts Skrtel and leave Agger on the bench.
    Damn stupid!

    ReplyDelete
  45. 'managerial negligence' - come on, where did you get that one from?  The Jamie Redknapp book of anti-Rafa quotes.

    The fact is Yossi will be important to us this season as he was at the tail end of last season.  This season is only a few games old so I am sure there is plenty of time for him to start many, many games. Rafa even said so.  Rafa is not a silly man, he spends long hours analysing things.  He knows.

    And RapRapMan - I am sure you know better, but Agger is currently injured.  And what is wrong with Skrtel?

    ReplyDelete
  46. The Jamie redknapp book of anti-rafa quotes?  Haha.  Funny stuff.  Nice one :-D

    ReplyDelete
  47. Hilarious! When a player does well, it's despite Rafa's intervention. When they do poorly, it's because of Rafa's mis-management. You do enjoy presenting laughably unbalanced interpretation events and figures. Still, it provides us readers with some amusement.

    ReplyDelete
  48. <span style=" "><span>"Benayoun has scored/created 17 goals (11 goals + 7 assists)</span> "

    </span>
    Here i am thinking  for one of the goals he scored he must also have assisted. 

    ReplyDelete
  49. I would be intested to see the stats on what percentage of games he scored/made an assist he played the previous 1 or two games. I think he's great yet he has (untill recent weeks) always looked much sharper after missing a game or two.

    ReplyDelete
  50. disagree. Yossi is captain of his national team, is an experienced player and is much less in need of support. Lucas is none of these things and is constantly being slated. Rafa is simply attempting to balance things up a little.....what man management {;o)

    ReplyDelete
  51. stats are important but as my old lecturer used to always say it is nigh on impossible to get a fair population and as such get an accurate 'truth'.
    Stats show that Yossi scores more when he starts - thats not really suprising.
    other stats may show that he scores more after missing the previous one or two games.
    both of these can be true and therefore the conclusion that he should start every game would be wrong (i'm not saying this is neccisarily the case just arguing the point)

    ReplyDelete