Manchester United debacle once again exposes Steven Gerrard's failure as a leader.

I have been arguing for years that Steven Gerrard is not an effective captain for Liverpool FC, and the Manchester United defeat once again confirmed this. Gerrard was typically anonymous during the game, but the most glaring problem was the conspicuous lack of leadership on the field.

I submit that Gerrard was indirectly responsible for Mascherano’s sending-off for the following reasons:

1. Mascherano was obviously pumped up for the encounter. At no point during the game did Gerrard approach him and tell him to calm down or stop arguing with the ref.

2. After Masch’s booking, Gerrard (one can only assume) failed to see any potential danger, and did not take then responsibility of talking to Masch to tell him to cool it a little.

3. After Torres’ booking, Gerrard was nowhere to be seen. He should have been speaking to the ref, defending the treatment of his fellow players.

4. It should have been Gerrard talking to Steve Bennett after Torres yellow card, yet even after Masch was sent off, Gerrard kept his distance, only ‘intervening’ about three minutes later, when Masch was refusing to leave the field.

5. After Masch’s sending-off, the only time Gerrard approached Bennett was when Manure were given a free kick in the second half. That was it for the whole game.

6. At the end of the game, Xabi Alonso and Jamie Carragher approached Bennett and expressed their frustration and anger. Carragher had to be pulled away, such was his irritation. Where was Gerrard? Too busy shaking hands with Man United players to bother about complaining, after which he just skulked off the field without a word.

Masch's actions highlight the difference between a leader and a follower: A leader does what Masch did and challenges injustice. A follower does what Gerrard did, i.e., nothing.

Now, I am not suggesting that Mascherano should not take personal responsibility for his actions – he should. However, the captain of the club needs to be doing more on the pitch! In high pressure encounters against the likes of Man U, real leadership on the pitch is absolutely essential.

Gerrard should have been watching Mascherano and intervening when necessary; he should have had the sense and the foresight to know that problems may arise at some point; He should have been protecting his players and making sure Liverpool’s case was argued as and when necessary.

He utterly failed on all points and exposed again that he is an utter failure as a captain.

And people have the gall to compare him to the likes of Graeme Souness?!

Such a comparison is insulting in the extreme.

Let’s hypothesis for a second: How would Souness have acted in the same situation? I don’t even need to answer the question because it’s obvious. With the great captains of the world, the answer is always obvious.

As per usual, when the going got tough, Gerrard was nowhere to be seen.

I don’t dispute that Gerrard is an excellent player, but I’m sick of Liverpool not having real leadership on the field and I’m sick of the club not having a captain who can stand alongside the greats of the past. I would gladly trade in Gerrard’s goals for a proper captain, as in my view, strong leadership on the field is one of the keys to winning the league.

Take the Man U game – it’s entirely possible that if Gerrard had done his job, Masch would not have been sent off. Liverpool could conceivably have gone on to win the game, thus putting them squarely in the title race and boosting confidence.

Instead, Liverpool lost, got dumped out the title race once and for all and will probably suffer a loss of confidence, not to mention the services of Masch for a few games.

How anyone can still argue that Steven Gerrard is a good captain beggars belief. Of course, Mascherano will be painted as the villain and Gerrard will again escape without criticism, but in my view, he should shoulder the lion’s share of the blame.

Liverpool needed a captain’s performance against Manchester United and they got it…from Mascherano.

Just one final note on the Mascherano incident: It transpires that earlier in the game, Masch was allegedly swearing the ref. Now, this is obviously unacceptable behaviour, but my opinion on his actions remains the same for the following reasons:

1. If Masch was swearing at the ref, then he should have received a yellow card for that. For the sake of consistency and fairness, Bennet should have taken action then and there.

2. If Bennett did not take action *when he should have* then that is his problem, and he should be disciplined for failing to take appropriate action.

3. Each incident should be judged on its individual merits. Bennet has no right giving Masch a second yellow for something that happened *earlier* in the game.

4. Masch was seemingly punished for his earlier infractions. This can only be the case considering a player CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be sent off for merely question a referee's decision.

I would have no problem with Mascherano getting his marching orders for swearing at the referee, but this did not happen, and Steve Bennett is to blame for not applying the rules correctly.

It is totally wrong for a referee to send someone off for an inconspicuous offence to make up for a failure to take action in an earlier incident.

Predictably, the biased press are painting Mascherano as a monster, and completely ignoring the finer details of the incident. What's even more disappointing is so-called Liverpool fans jumping on the 'Monster Masch' bandwagon.

My opinion hasn't changed: Mascherano did the right thing. He did not deserve to get sent off and he should be supported by all fans.

The ultimate irony of this article is that if Gerrard had acted lke a captain and spoken out against Bennett, and got sent off in the process, I would be writing an article praising his actions!

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Javier Mascherano's sending-off against Man United was PATHETIC. He showed real leadership ability and all Reds should support him.

Idiotic Referees and ceaseless bureaucracy are ruining football and Javier Mascherano’s dismissal against Manchester United for so-called ‘dissent’ is another depressing example of this. The Argentinean did not deserve to be sent-off and I have nothing but support and admiration for him and his actions.

Admiration? Yes, because he was the only Liverpool player who had the balls to question the referee over the injustice of Fernando Torres’ yellow card.

Mascherano made a stand in adversity and displayed the true strength of his character. It should have been Steven Gerrard questioning Steve Bennett, but he was hiding away somewhere, nowhere to be seen. As per usual.

That Mascherano questioned the referee despite his earlier yellow card is further testament to his commitment to the cause. And I submit that he has every right to question the referee; he did so in a non-threatening manner and was not abusive or confrontational in any way.

And Mascherano’s ‘dissent’ was nothing of the sort - he merely asked the referee ‘what’s happening’ after Torres was booked. Replays clearly show that he did not impede or intimidate the referee; he just had the audacity to question a decision.

Why is this wrong?!

What is the game coming to when the simple questioning of a referee’s decision is deemed to be a yellow card offence? If the player launches an intimidating Roy Keane style tirade then I can understand the ref taking action, but Mascherano did nothing of the sort.

Mascherano was entitled to question the decision; indeed, civilised discussion between referees and players on the pitch has been a staple of football since the game first began. In such an important, passionate game, referees should expect to have their decisions questioned and act accordingly.

There are those who will argue that given his earlier booking, Mascherano should have stayed away. Why? I'm sure he had no idea that simply asking the referee a question would lead to him being sent off!

If Mascherano had said nothing, then he would have been as bad as Steven Gerrard, who is supposed to be looking out for the players on the pitch. If the so-called captain is not going take the responsibility, then someone has to step up to the plate.

As a result of this ludicrous, irredeemably pathetic decision, the game was ruined. Ten years ago, nary an eyelid would have been raised at such behaviour. Indeed, ten weeks ago, a referee would just have waved him away! Refereeing standards are in the gutter and football is being ruined as a result.

Football used to be a game of men - no more. It’s now a sanitized game where passion and competitiveness are slowly being eradicated.

And fair play to the much maligned Andy Gray, who slammed the decision during his half time comments. He was absolutely right in everything he said, whereas Jamie 'jellyfish' Redknapp (predictably) sided with the referee.

Andy Gray and Jamie Redknapp perfectly illustrate the clash between old and new values: Gray is an old school, no-bullshit' type of guy, who like many, hates the way football is being turned into a passionless, sanitised non-contact sport.

Redknapp on the other hand is a typical 'modern' footballer - always following the crowd and jumping on the bandwagons, spouting whatever opinion is most popular at the time.

I've never had a problem with Andy Gray, and the accusation that he is biased against Liverpool is complete and utter drivel without any foundation in fact.

Anway - Liverpool lost the game, and Steven Gerrard was anonymous against Man United again.

And at the end of the game, what happened? Xabi Alonso and Jamie Carragher headed straight for the ref and expressed their frustration and discontent. Passionate as ever, Carra actually had to be pulled away.

Where was Steven Gerrard, Liverpool's so-called Captain?

Nowhere to be seen.

There is one positive thing that has come from this incident: Mascherano showed all the qualities necessary of a true captain and this bodes well for the future. As of now, he is officially my choice for next captain of Liverpool FC.

The sooner the better.

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The proof of Javier Mascherano's negative impact on Liverpool FC? A failure to win 65% of league games with him in the team.

Liverpool FC have gone backwards as a creative force since Javier Mascherano arrived at Anfield, and some pretty compelling statistics back up this contention. Mascherano is undoubtedly a fine defensive midfielder, but those that continually deify him and proclaim him to be the answer to Liverpool's problems need to acknowledge the reality of his impact.

Quite simply, Liverpool’s league season has been killed by too many draws and an inability to break down defences. Additionally, the quality of Liverpool’s attacking play has been shocking at times, with the team struggling to consistently create real goal-scoring chances.

It is only February, and the team has already wracked up an astonishing 11 draws in the league. To put this in perspective, the club’s recent history should be considered. As such, below is a list of league draws by season for this decade:

00-01 – 9 draws
01-02 – 8 draws
02-03 – 10 draws
03-04 – 12 draws
04-05 – 7 draws
05-06 – 7 draws
06-07 – 8 draws
07-08 – 11 draws

It is no surprise that in Gerard Houllier’s darkest days, the team was achieving a similar number of league draws. However, this was over a WHOLE SEASON! Rafa’s team of 2008 has amassed 11 draws already, and there are still 13 league games to go!

There will inevitably be more draws, and if it continues, Liverpool of 2008 could surpass Bob Paisley’s side of 1981, which drew 17 league games in one season. Incidentally, in 1981, Liverpool finished 7th in the league.

In Rafa’s first three years in charge, Liverpool averaged around 7 league games drawn each season. This season, that figure has jumped massively. The question is, why?

Javier Mascherano is why.

Mascherano offers nothing creatively, and the team effectively carries a passenger when attacking, as Mascherano just defends and does nothing else. Furthermore,
the whole team is more defensive and cautious when he plays, as the following figures prove:

Premiership: 2007-08

Games - 17
Wins – 6
Draws - 9
Defeats - 2

Liverpool have failed to win 65% of league games involving Mascherano this season. That’s 11 out of 17 games without a win.

All Competitions: 2007-08

Games - 27
Wins - 13
Draws – 11
Defeats – 3

In all competitions, Liverpool have failed to win 52% of games involving Mascherano. That’s 14 out of 27 games without a win.

Premiership total – Liverpool

Games - 24
Wins – 10
Draws – 12
Defeats – 2

Taking all of Mascherano’s Premiership appearances since arriving at Anfield into account, the figures are equally damning: Liverpool have failed to win 60% of games. That’s 14 out of 24 premiership games without a win.

Premiership record - West Ham

Games - 5
Defeats – 5

Is it any wonder West Ham wanted to get rid of Mascherano? He played five games and was on the losing side in all 5!

Premiership total – Liverpool + West Ham

Games - 29
Wins - 10
Draws - 12
Defeats - 7

The most compelling statistic is this: Mascherano has played 29 premiership games (Liverpool and West Ham combined) and 19 of those games have been draws or losses.

19 out of 29 games!

That’s 65% of premiership games without a win.

It is no coincidence that as soon as Mascherano became a regular in the side, Liverpool started drawing lots of games. I would argue that the reasons for Mascherano's negative impact on the side are as follows:

1. He is a limited player in that he defends and does nothing else.
2. He offers nothing going forward.
3. His range of passing is cautious and limited.
4. He cannot creatively control the pace of the game.
5. He is not a match-winner.
6. He does not score goals.
7. He does not create goals.

In his entire club career of over 60 games, Mascherano has NO GOALS and a measly ONE ASSIST.

When Liverpool need to break down stubborn defences, Mascherano is clearly not the answer, which is one of the reasons why Liverpool have struggled creatively this season.

Of course, Mascherano is not the only player to blame, but when Anfield is crying out for creative players, I still fail to see the logic in such an expensive purchase.

Having a central midfielder who does nothing except defend should not be an option. There will be those who point to Claude Makalele as an example of a defensive midfielder who doesn’t score or create. Granted, but that type of player is arguably a dying breed, and in Liverpool’s case, it is OBVIOUS that the team needs a different type of player.

Without exception, teams that employ defensive midfielders like Mascherano always have excellent attacking options across the rest of midfield and up-front. Prime examples include AC Milan (Gattuso), Chelsea (Makalele) and, most famously, Brazil (Dunga).

Indeed, the same is true for the Argentina national team. When Mascherano plays, the rest of the midfield and forward players are genuinely creative and offer a major goal threat.

In some ways, Mascherano is the right player in the wrong team. Liverpool will *never* be a free-flowing creative force under Benitez, which is what is needed for Mascherano to be *necessary* for Liverpool.

Unfortunately, as has been proved time and time again this season, Liverpool have deseperately poor creative players, and those that ARE creative have their craft strangled out of them by the Benitez's tactics. As such, the whole team is ultra-cautious and too defensive-minded, meaning a player like Mascherano is superfluous and unnecessary.

In contrast, a midfielder like Xabi Alonso is *exactly* what Liverpool need for the following reasons:

1. He can dictate the pace of play and set-up attacks AS WELL AS DEFEND.
2. He chips in with goals and assists (Average of 8-10 goals/assists per season).
3. He has an impact going forward as well as in defence

Again, it is no surprise that with Xabi in the team, Liverpool win more games and draw fewer games.

I have been arguing all season that Liverpool should let Mascherano go and use the money to buy creative, attacking players.

There are many central midfielders out there who can defend as well as Mascherano AND offer something in attack. To suggest otherwise is ridiculous.

Xabi Alonso is such a player, but he seems destined to leave after Benitez’s monumental mismanagement of the player.

Alonso is a quintessential Liverpool-type player, cut from the same cloth as the likes of Jan Moby and Ronnie Whelan – an exquisite passer of the ball and an asset to any team serious about challenging for honors.

Furthermore, an examination of Liverpool's midfielders over the last 30 years reveals the obvious fact that, with the exception of Didi Hamann, there has NEVER been a midfielder who just defended and added nothing else.

Even Hamann offered more of a creative threat than Mascherano, and the German's ability to move forward with the ball and set up attacks is also another thing in his favour.

The sad truth is this: Benitez has a depressingly cautious, defensive mentality, with the emphasis on not losing and preference for defensive-minded players. Javier Mascherano is symbolic of this, which is why he is the current midfield flavour of the month.

Conversely, Alonso is the opposite of Mascherano, and represents flowing, creative, expansive football, i.e. EXACTLY what Liverpool FC should be about. Such a style of play is, however, the antithesis of Benitez’s painfully dull Liverpool team, which is why Alonso will be forced out.

Javier Mascherano’s record so far in premiership football says it all: Play him, and you will invariably fail to win the game. 19 draws/defeats in 29 games is testament to that sad fact.

People need to stop sticking their heads in the sand and face the facts: Benitez and Mascherano are a recipe for dull, footballing drudgery. Mascherano plus a different, expansive manager who believes in creative, flowing football is a different proposition entirely.

If Liverpool stick with Benitez then Mascherano needs to go. If Benitez leaves, then Mascherano should stay...if the new Manager fills the team with exciting, effective creative players

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Stop criticising players in public, Rafa - YOU are the architect of Xabi Alonso's downfall

When is Rafael Benitez going to learn that club affairs, whatever they may be, should be conducted behind closed doors?! The recent public spat between Benitez and Tom Hicks made the club a laughing stock and made a mockery of the Liverpool way of doing things. Benitez should have learned from that farcical situation, but his latest comments about Xabi Alonso prove that he hasn’t learned a thing.

Quite simply, Benitez's recent public comments about Alonso are graceless and completely unacceptable:

"Xabi needs to step it up. When you are not 100 per cent fit, you want to play every game because you need to play more games to build up your fitness. But if Gerrard, Mascherano or Lucas are playing well, it means there is competition for places, which is good for the team. Xabi knows he needs to work harder if he wants to have a place in the team."

What possible benefit does Alonso gain from these needless comments?

And if, as Benitez states, 'Xabi knows he has to work harder' then why is it necessary to say the same thing in public?

Benitez has repeatedly proven that he is woefully lacking in man-management and motivational skills, and it’s no surprise if his idea of motivation is publicly criticizing players.

In my December 2007 article ‘Has Rafa’s Rush Job Inadvertently Ended Xabi Alonso’s Liverpool Career’, I argued that Benitez’s handling of Alonso would lead to the gifted Spaniard leaving the club.

Well, with new reports indicating that Alonso is set to leave Anfield at the end of the season, it seems I was right, though, of course, no one would accept my contention at the time.

What makes all this worse is the fact that Benitez himself is arguably to blame for Alonso’s demise, for the following reasons:

1. Failing to utilize Alonso properly and play to his strengths.
2. Shunting Alonso around to accommodate Gerrard.
3. Forcing Alonso to change his game from skilful, creative playmaker to defensive midfielder tasked with doing all the donkey work for Gerrard.
4. Signing Javier Mascherano and Lucas, thus marginalizing Alonso’s role in the team and making the competition for midfield players too intense.
5. Rushing Alonso back from his early season metatarsal injury.

The last point merits further analysis, as I believe Benitez's poor decision to rush Alonso back after his injury has contributed to his stuttering season and inability to find form or consistency.

Let’s recap briefly: In the first months of this season, Alonso had already been an early victim of Benitez's rotation policy, starting 4 games and warming the bench for 3, including being an unused sub in two Champions League encounters with Toulouse.

With Gerrard out injured against Derby, Alonso seized his chance and proceeded to run the show as Liverpool battered the rams, with Alonso scoring 2 of the 6 goals that day.

Then disaster struck: Alonso was injured against Portsmouth on September 15th 2007 - a devastating blow for the Basque maestro, who was clearly high in confidence after his Derby heroics.

So Alonso was injured. It happens to most players at one time or another, so need for alarm. The fatal blow came 43 days later, when Benitez inexplicably rushed him back from injury and put him in the starting line up against Arsenal.

It was gamble by Benitez that spectacularly failed to pay off. Alonso aggravated the same injury he had suffered against Portsmouth and was forced off. Just for the sake of clarity, here is the proof that it *was* the same injury:

Portsmouth Injury Report: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2007/sep/20/N157043070920-0839.htm

Arsenal Injury Report: http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/archivedirs/news/2007/oct/29/N157487071029-1303.htm

Alonso was rushed back after just six weeks, which was a major mistake considering every player in world football who has had the same injury has taken much longer to recover. Examples: Wayne Rooney - 14 weeks. Steven Gerrard - 10 weeks. Daniel Agger – almost three months!

Xabi Alonso was rushed back into the team after 6 weeks.

As a result of that catastrophic decision, Alonso missed a further 5 weeks of the season, and since returning from injury, he’s been in and out of the team, with precious little time to build up any rhythm or consistency.

So, given the circumstances, for Benitez to come out and criticize him in public exposes a dispiriting lack of class – something I never previously associated with Liverpool’s Manager.

Benitez is developing a habit of negative public comments about players. Indeed, earlier in the season, he accused Steven Gerrard of ‘not playing with his brain’ and scolded Peter Crouch for not having ‘the right character and mentality’

Whilst I agree with the Gerrard comments, both were unacceptable public criticisms, and given the destabilizing period recently undergone, negative public comments should be the last thing coming out of the club.

The name of the game is UNITY at the moment. Public criticism of players has never been the Liverpool way, and Benitez should know that.

Far from having a positive, galvanizing effect on Alonso, I am sure Benitez's comments will just hasten his departure.

It would be a tragedy to lose Alonso, as he is one of Benitez’s finest signings and is blessed with an essential skill that Steven Gerrard just does not possess: the ability to intelligently dictate the pace of play.

He is a quintessential Liverpool-type player, cut from the same cloth as the likes of Jan Moby and Ronnie Whelan – an exquisite passer of the ball and an asset to any team serious about challenging for honors

The sad truth is this: Benitez has a depressingly cautious, defensive mentality, with the emphasis on not losing and preference for defensive-minded players. Javier Mascherano is symbolic of this, which is why he is the current midfield flavour of the month.

Conversely, Alonso is the opposite of Mascherano, and represents flowing, creative, expansive football, i.e. EXACTLY what Liverpool FC should be about. Such a style of play is, however, the antithesis of Benitez’s painfully dull Liverpool team, which is why Alonso will be forced out.

Ultimately, Alonso leaving will be a good move for the player; in fact, I would argue that it is essential for the further improvement of his game, because what is plainly evident is this: no creative player with creative instincts can thrive in a Benitez team.

And that is the most depressing thing of all.

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Keep Reina, Agger, Carra, Alonso, Lucas, Benayoun and Torres - Scrap the rest.

Liverpool’s wretched season reached its nadir against Havant and Waterlooville last weekend, with the non-league minnows embarrassing Anfield's lumbering primadonnas and once again exposing the obvious truth: Liverpool are as far away from winning the premiership as they've ever been, and the club's deadwood is dragging the team into oblivion.

Four years into Rafa’s reign, and the rebuilding process is only just beginning. People may not accept that, but it is depressingly self-evident. In my view, the signing of Fernando Torres heralded the start of the real rebuilding process. Until players of Torres’ standard are consistently bought and developed, Liverpool will continue to wallow in premiership mediocrity.

There are, apparently, 60 players on Liverpool’s books. 60! Unfortunately, 95% of them are not good enough. To my mind, Liverpool have only 8 players who are capable of being part of a premiership winning squad - by that I mean they:

1. Are good enough in terms of quality and technique.
2. Have a positive, winning mentality
3. Do not unbalance the team.
4. Can form part of an effective 4-4-2/3-5-2/4-1-3-1-1 system.
5. Do not symbolise the counter-productive, ultra cautious 'safety first' approach so entrenched in Rafa Benitez's Liverpool.

The list of players Liverpool should keep is below:

Pepe Reina
Daniel Agger
Jamie Carragher
Xabi Alonso
Lucas Leiva
Yossi Benayoun
Peter Crouch
Fernando Torres

The following players should be sold and replaced:

Steve Finnan
A fine servant for the club, but does not offer enough going forward. A very good player, but needs to make way for the new breed of right-back i.e. marauding and offensive.

Sami Hyypia
My favourite player – a true Liverpool legend, but his time has passed. He should stay as cover and hopefully move into the coaching set-up too pass on his defensive genius to younger players.

Fabio Aurelio
Always injured and not reliable enough as a defender or an attacker. Great technique but too often flatters to deceive. Not the solution to the left back problem.

John Arne Riise
How the mighty have fallen. Once a potent attacking threat and a capable defender, but his form has tailed off badly over the last two seasons. Too often a passenger and a liability these days. Needs to go.

Alvaro Arbeloa
Competent, lightweight, unremarkable player who doesn’t really excel at anything, whether it’s defensive duty or attacking play. Sometimes, it’s hard to even remember he’s on the pitch. Doesn’t bring anything special to the team, and in the modern game, an effective right-back has to offer more, especially going forward.

Harry Kewell
He’s past it, pure and simple. It doesn’t matter how much faith Benitez has in him, the Harry Kewell of old died as soon as he signed his Liverpool contract. He’s lost his pace and sharpness and hardly ever beats his man these days. Liverpool don’t have time for him to ‘come good in the end’. The team needs a left wing specialist NOW, not next year.

Jermaine Pennant
Has vastly improved over the last year, but his goal return is negligible, as is his assist ratio. Pennant is a good player, but he belongs at Blackburn or Portsmouth, not Liverpool. Just compare him to a winger like Cristiano Ronaldo. Enough said. That is the quality Liverpool need on the wings. Pennant just doesn’t cut it.

Steven Gerrard
A great premiership player, but if Liverpool want to move to the next level, he needs to go. His presence restricts other players (especially Alonso) and stops Liverpool from becoming a fast moving, technically adept team. Gerrard’s positional indiscipline is legendary, and his inability to pay with his head and dictate the pace of the game is a problem.

Then there’s the perennial conundrum: Where does he play? In the centre; on the right; behind the front-man? Gerrard excels in none of these roles, and wherever he plays, the whole team has to dance to his tune. The bottom line is, if Gerrard plays well, the team plays well. If he has a bad patch, the team has a bad patch.

This needs to stop. Liverpool need all players taking responsibility instead of one player trying to do everything and overpowering the team. Just look at Arsenal after the apparently ‘irreplaceable’ Thierry Henry left. This is exactly the type of change Liverpool need.

The team is stagnating. There is no sign of forward progress in the league. Just look at the current debacle of a season: Gerrard has a purple patch of playing well, the team plays well. Gerrard’s form has dropped off again, the team can’t win!

On top of all this, he is a poor captain, and this has been proven again with the team’s diabolical performances in 2008 and his failure to motivate the team over the last few months.

Gerrard also needs to leave Liverpool for his own benefit – he is not improving as a player, and the problems with his game will not improve unless he abandons his comfort zone and tests himself in a different environment, where he feels the pressure of having to perform, instead of being guaranteed a starting place at Liverpool regardless of his form.

Javier Mascherano
In December I argued why it is madness to spend 17m on a defensive midfielder - my feelings have not changed. Liverpool's priority needs to be creative, attacking players, not more defensive-minded players. Furthermore, spending 17m on a defensive midfielder is indicative of the negative, 'safety first' culture so depressingly evident at Anfield these days.

I don't care how much Man United spend on Carrick or Hargreaves - they can do so because they already have the creative side of the team sorted out.

I have no doubt that Liverpool could find an excellent DM for 8-10m; to suggest otherwise is ridiculous. This would leave 7m left over to put towards creative players. If the club can get Mascherano for 10m all inclusive, then go for it. If not, let him go and find someone else.

Andriy Voronin
A sprightly player who always tries his best but he is just not good enough for Liverpool. Even as a fourth striker, Liverpool need more quality. Taking a player on a free just to make up the numbers should not be part of Liverpool’s buying strategy.

Dirk Kuyt
Has to go. It’s that simple. Not good enough for Liverpool and will never be a free-flowing goalscorer. Who cares if he runs 20 miles a game – his job is to SCORE GOALS, and on the front, he is an utter failure. He reminds me of Emile Heskey, except Heskey (amazingly) scored goals occasionally!

Ryan Babel
Will never make it at Liverpool. The excuses for his dire performances are already verging on the cliché:

‘Thierry Henry took a year to settle’
’Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t set the premiership alight in his first season’
’He just needs time to adapt to the league’
’Next season we’ll see the real Ryan Babel’

I don’t buy it. Babel himself admits that he ‘can’t cope’ with the pace of the premiership. If he doesn’t believe in himself, then Liverpool are in real trouble. Such a defeatist attitude is not what Liverpool need. I haven’t seen anything this season that suggests Babel will be a future success. And if he was so great, why did Ajax sell him in the first place, and why did Arsene Wenger cool his interest?

Spending 11m on Babel was a mistake, as was spending 11m on Emile Heskey, and 10m on El Hadji Diouf.

Rafa (or whoever the club’s next Manager will be) needs to be ruthless - get rid of all of the above players and use the money to buy quality players (especially attacking players) who will fit into a system that will bring league success.

And it’s not just about spending huge amounts of money. Tomas Rosicky and Alexander Hleb cost Arsenal about 12m combined. They are superbly creative, technically gifted players – just the type of quality Liverpool should be buying.

It is possible to find the right players at the right place if you have an excellent scouting system in place. Liverpool clearly do not.

And it’s not even the scouting system that is most important here; Liverpool need a complete change of philosophy. At the moment, the team is built around defensive-minded players, which was also the way under Gerard Houllier.

This needs to change. Like Arsenal, the team needs to be built around attacking players and the emphasis has to be on offensive play.

Until this happens, Liverpool will never win the Premiership.

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Spending £17m on Javier Mascherano is the wrong decision

If Sunday’s predictable defeat to Manchester United proved one thing, it is that Liverpool are in serious need of top quality creative players. Why then is Rafa Benitez pushing hard for 17m to permanently sign Javier Mascherano, a player who offers absolutely nothing going forward?

The proposed purchase of Mascherano has been one of the key causes of Rafael Benitez’s recent problems with the club’s American owners; Benitez wants £17m to buy the Argentinean stopper, whereas Hicks and Gillette allegedly prefer to wait until the loan deal is over in the summer before splashing the cash.

Liverpool fans need to be honest with themselves and ask this question: Does the club urgently *need* Mascherano? If he was to leave, would the club be left with a gaping, unfillable hole in the team?

The answer is clearly NO.

I don’t dispute that Mascherano is an excellent player, but at this moment in time, Liverpool just do not need him. The focus should be on scouring the globe for creative players, not using a huge chunk of potential transfer cash on a central midfielder when that position is already oversubscribed.

With stadium plans hitting the skids and precious little money for transfers, demanding 17m for Mascherano is not only wrong, it is irresponsible and would amount to a scandalous waste of funds.

I would further argue that Benitez made a huge mistake bringing Mascherano to the club. The Spaniard should have thought a little harder about the signing and the long term negative effects it would have. These include:

1. Stunting the development of Momo Sissoko.

2. Creating unhealthy competition in midfield, with 5 players fighting for 2 positions.

3. Unsettling Xabi Alonso to the extent that Liverpool’s best midfielder is possibly considering his position.

In reality, it is not even 5 players fighting for 2 places; Steven Gerrard will always play, so in effect, Benitez has created a situation where there are 4 midfielders fighting for one place.

This is poor management and has caused frustration and recrimination, culminating in Momo Sissoko’s recent outburst, in which he stated he wanted to leave due to ‘unhealthy competition’.

And it IS unhealthy competition. Most if not all top clubs in Europe have 1 or 2 top class central midfielders and another 2 or 3 slightly lower quality back-ups. No club in Europe has THREE top class center mids vying for two first team places. And by center mid, I don’t mean attacking mids like Deco or Iniesta; I mean proper center mids like Pirlo, Fabregas, Viera, Keane, Hargreaves etc.

Liverpool have Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Steven Gerrard – three top class midfielders - all of whom expect to start every game - all vying for two positions. Add onto that Sissoko and Lucas also pushing for the first team, and you have a recipe for frustration and eventual disaster.

Due to Alonso’s injury and Lucas' inexperience, Benitez has not had to deal with the problem of an oversubscribed midfield; for most of the season, it has been a choice of two from Gerrard, Mascherano and Sissoko. The problems will come when Alonso, Gerrard and Mascherano are all fit, raring to go and desperate to start games.

I don’t blame Sissoko at all for wanting to leave. It is impossible to retain match sharpness and get any kind rhythm going when you are unfairly relegated to the role of bit-part player.

Additionally, how exactly is Sissoko supposed to improve his game when he plays only once a month? Fans and pundits complain about his poor passing ability, but this will not change if he is not given the chance to develop.

If Mascherano had not been brought to the club, I sincerely believe that Sissoko would have improved and would now be an integral part of the team. Indeed, it is no coincidence that Momo’s drop in form coincided with Mascherano’s arrival at the club. Similarly, the rise of the Argentinean has dovetailed with the continuing decline of Sissoko's status at the club.

I am not suggesting that Sissoko is a better player than Mascherano; at this moment in time he is not, but this is due to desecrated confidence and lack of match sharpness. However, if Sissoko had not been dumped on the scrapheap and left to rot, I would argue that he would be better than Mascherano is now.

Sissoko showed this frightening potential in his pre-Mascherano Liverpool career. Fans were raving about his performances and everything was positive. Such is the fickleness of fans though that everything has inevitably changed, and Sissoko is not the whipping boy du jour.

£17m is a lot of money; if Benitez is going to lavish that on one player, then he should spend it on the most skillful, creative winger/link man he can get for that price. This type of player is far more important to the Liverpool cause. In fact, I would argue that top class creative players are ESSENTIAL to the club’s future progress.

Liverpool have been buying substandard, cut-price 'creative' players for 17 years now and this needs to stop. Teams that win the league almost always have superb creative players. Liverpool have been suffering with the likes of Vladimir Smicer, El Hadji Diouf and Dirk Kuyt for far too long.

It’s time for a positive change – Liverpool’s overly defensive priorities need updating and flair needs to come into the equation. Is Benitez the right man to oversee this change of philosophy for Liverpool?

Sadly, no.

If he was, then three and a half years into Benitez's reign there would be some evidence of an attacking approach to Liverpool's play. There isn't.

Furthermore, if Benitez was the right man then he wouldn’t be demanding 17m for a superfluous defensive midfielder; he wouldn’t persist with the creatively inept Dirk Kuyt at the expense of superior players like Peter Crouch and he wouldn’t continually leave exciting attack-minded talent like Ryan Babel and Lucas Leiva on the bench.

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Has Rafa found his best XI?

With ten goals scored in the last two games and Liverpool’s first unchanged team in over a year, is Rafa close to discovering Liverpool’s best XI?

I personally don’t think so. Everything seems positive right now, but there are problems looming on the horizon with the return to action of a couple of Liverpool’s key players, namely Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger...

This might seem like a blessing for Liverpool, but how is Rafa going to accommodate these players and not unbalance a winning team?

An more pertinent question is how will Rafa accommodate Gerrard, Mascherano and Alonso? At present, the Gerrard/Mascherano partnership has been forced upon Rafa due to injuries, but given the Spaniard’s predilection for rotation, it seems inevitable that changes will be made.

In my view, a winning team should never be tinkered with, regardless of who is waiting in the wings. The one exception to this rule should be Fernando Torres, who should *always* start if he is fit, as he offers skill and creativity that no other Liverpool player possesses.

Daniel Agger’s return to the first team at the expense of Sami Hyypia is all but assured, despite Hyypia's important contribution to Liverpool’s recent solidity. Three clean sheets in a row and a man of the match performance against Fulham should be enough to keep Hyypia in the team, but that won’t happen.

After the last two results, The Steven Gerrard fan club will be out in force trying to convince everyone that his role in centre mid is the reason for Liverpool’s mini-resurgence. Whilst Gerrard has upped his performance level after the humiliation of the Everton substitution, the same old problems of positional indiscipline creative and paucity still exist, disguised by the mask of good results.

Besiktas and Fulham are hardly world class opposition, and until Fernando Torres came on in the 70th minute, Gerrard was once again bereft of ideas. Furthermore, for 10 minutes before Torres appeared, Fulham were creeping back into the match, capitalizing on the huge spaces left by Gerrard as he wandered away from his responsibilities.

Gerrard should be moved to the right to accommodate the return of Xabi Alonso. Given the fact Jermaine Pennant and Yossi Benayoun are both injured, this is a no-brainer. I shouldn't allow my personal feelings about Gerrard cloud my judgment though - he is part of a winning team and should retain his place for the time being.

As for Rafa’s best XI…it MUST contain the spine of the team, which for me means the following:

Reina
Agger
Alonso
Mascherano
Torres

All the other places are up for grabs, but if fit, the above four players must be the first names on the team-sheet. As such, Rafa’s best XI is as follows:

Example 1: Rafa’s current best XI

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

Arbeloa --------Agger -------- Carragher ------- Aurelio

---------------------- Mascherano

Benayoun ----------- Alonso------------- Babel

------------------- Torres ---- Crouch

Subs:

Gerrard
Hyypia
Riise
Finnan
Lucas
Babel

This team contains Liverpool’s most technically adept players, which allows for quick one touch football and proper pass and move - the founding principle of the renowned ‘Liverpool style of play’.

With two left-footers on the left, there is genuine balance in the team, something Liverpool have lacked for years. Up front, Crouch and Torres are both major goal threats and their contrasting style complement each other perfectly.

Of course, there will be howls of derision at the omission of Steven Gerrard, but the above team does not need him. Gerrard may be more of a complete player than Mascherano or Alonso, but that does not make him better.

Liverpool need specialists in every role, and Alonso and Mascherano are specialists in their respective roles. Alonso is superior to Gerrard in his range of creative passing and ability to dictate the play, and Mascherano is streets ahead of Gerrard when it comes to breaking up play and protecting the back four.

If Liverpool are to mount a serious challenge for the title, then the team above has to be the template for the future. As I’ve argued many times, Steven Gerrard needs to be sold, with the money being used to buy the best creative players available in Liverpool’s price range.

Using the team above as the template, Liverpool need the following to progress to the next level:

i) A world class/excellent Peter Beardsley type link man.
ii) Two world class/excellent wingers.

With the addition of these players, the team would look like this:

Example 2: Future premiership winning team (4-4-1-1)

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

New attacking RB---- Agger --- Carragher ---- New Attacking LB

----------------- Mascherano

New RW ------ Alonso -------- New LW

----------------- New Link Man

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

The above team could alternate between 4-4-1-1 and 4-4-2, depending on the opposition. In a 4-4-2, the team would look like this:

Example 3: Future premiership winning team (4-4-2)

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

New RB---- Agger --- Carrgaher --- new LB

New RW ----- Alonso --- Mascherano --- New LW

--------Crouch/New Striker----Torres

As good as Harry Kewell is, he is not the long term solution for obvious reasons. And on the right, Liverpool still lack real skill and guile. Jermaine Pennant has improved a lot, but his goals return is not nearly good enough. Furthermore, Benayoun should be utilized as a link man rather than a right winger, as that is his natural position.

Fabio Aurelio and Alvaro Arbeloa have both done okay since returning to the first team, though there are still improvements to be made in both positions. A rampaging left or right back would add more creative impetus to the team, but for now, Arbeloa and Aurelio must be first choices in their respective positions.

I sincerely doubt we will ever see the team I have chosen (Example 1 above), mainly because Steven Gerrard is bigger than the club, and there is no way Rafa can do anything that doesn't involve him. Mark my words though, Liverpool will not win the league unless the above formation and personnel in Examples 1-3 are adopted.

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