Rafa Benítez (now unemployed)

[Disco]

[joeyt]

Aye just read that, really good stuff:

 

For a man who once described his seven-year Liverpool spell as “lots of ups and downs”, the 2005 Champions League final must have felt like a rollercoaster even for Djimi Traore. The left-back started on that famous evening against AC Milan, and it was his needless concession of a free-kick in the first minute which led to the Italian side’s opening goal. It was akin to heading into an uphill battle wearing a pair of roller skates with a boulder strapped to your back.

 

“The first half was a nightmare. At half-time I felt bad about how I had played,” Traore said ten years later, admitting Rafael Benitez had planned to substitute him. An injury to Steve Finnan was his only reprieve, a “second chance” that the Malian was “determined to take”. The Champions League winner’s medal sitting proudly in an otherwise sparse collection tells the rest of the story.

 

“Everybody brought something to the team that night,” he would add, in a quote that embodies Benitez’s management style more succinctly than any other. The Spaniard’s perennial mission is to create a whole greater than the sum of its parts; guiding Liverpool to European glory with Traore, Harry Kewell and Milan Baros in the starting line-up and Igor Biscan, Antonio Nunez and Josemi on the bench was his crowning glory.

 

Twelve years on, Benitez is aiming for a domestic encore. His Newcastle side are captained by a 23-year-old, have a central midfield pairing aged 21 and 22, and their starting striker was offloaded by Stoke in the summer after scoring four goals in 27 games. Jamaal Lascelles, Mikel Merino, Isaac Hayden and Joselu had made 40 Premier League appearances between them at the start of this season, and yet they form the unlikeliest of spines to the team currently in fourth.

 

In goal is Rob Elliot, who has made 44 league appearances for the club in six years. At right-back, Javier Manquillo crossed the Tyne-Wear divide to become Newcastle’s right-back after Sunderland’s relegation. Ciaran Clark, defensive partner to Lascelles and the only outfielder to play every minute so far, suffered the same fate with Aston Villa a year prior.

 

Newcastle outspent only six clubs this summer. Of the three promoted sides, Brighton and Huddersfield both spent more and signed more players. The Magpies added six to a Championship-level squad; the Seagulls and the Terriers brought in 10 and 13 respectively.

 

Yet this collection of Newcastle misfits currently forms the filling to a Chelsea and Tottenham sandwich. Only Leicester (41%) and West Brom (41.4%) have lower possession on average (41.6%) and no club completes fewer of their passes per game (68.9%), but Benitez is proving the power of coaching and a meticulous game plan over spending.

 

Had the Spaniard got his own way, he would have been able to strike more of a balance between the two. “As soon as the window closed we knew this was the group of players we have,” he said last week. “They know that they have to work hard because we can improve them individually or as a team.”

 

It was a risky public message to send, but three straight victories suggests, as is often the case with Benitez, the tactic was perfectly executed. Former scout Mauro Pederzoli, who worked with him in 2007, once said Benitez “doesn’t want headline-hogging players” but ones with “discipline”. Moussa Sissoko, Georginio Wijnaldum, Andros Townsend, Remy Cabella, Papiss Cisse and Florian Thauvin are all proof of the Spaniard’s exacting standards.

 

The recipe for top-flight survival has been passed down through generations. A club must have a blend of experience and youth in their squad, players with an understanding of the league are essential, and without a proven goalscorer, relegation is an inevitability. Benitez has defied the conventional wisdom, having named four of the seven youngest starting XIs in the Premier League this season. Only two Newcastle outfielders are over 30, and neither Jesus Gamez nor Mohamed Diame have played more than 90 minutes.

 

The season is but five games old, and one could argue that Newcastle’s fixture list has been kind. But the youngest, least established side who complete barely two-thirds of their passes, have just over two-fifths of possession and rely on youth instead of experience have scratched, clawed and fought their way up the table.

 

Benitez has been the key. Like the award-winning artist who is able to create a masterpiece with a pot of broken crayons and a pair of rusty scissors, he has shown his ability to excel in the face of adversity once more. Mike Ashley tried his best to handicap his manager, but it feels like the Spaniard could even make it work with Djimi Traore at left-back.

[themanupstairs]

Taking Liverpool to the title is almost impossible TBH. The only time they came close was when they stumbled on a superhuman player to carry them there.

 

If Leicester can do it, then Liverpool can with the right investment.

 

Leicester had a lot more balance to their main side than Liverpool do currently.

[Guest reefatoon]

shaddap about Liverpool in here man. there is more talk of that than the mighty Rafa. This thread should be about the godly one only.  f***ing Liverpool, Klopp and Leicester man. Take that talk to the nobody gives a fuck thread.  mmmmmm Rafa

[Conjo]

This method of football could be very, very effective next season like.

 

This is my thinking as well.

 

We might not steamroll lesser teams in this division with the football we are playing, but it feels like Rafa is preparing the team for tougher tasks next season where this style could prove to be mega valuable to us.

 

I feel this is paying off now.

[Guest Howaythetoon]

Liverpool could win the title man. Conte come in and won it in his first season with Chelsea. Its not like the others are massively outspending Liverpool, although City and Chelsea could.

 

Klopp will never win them the title though because his sides cannot defend well enough over the course of a season and for all their attacking intent, they were outscored by Spurs by 8 goals who finished 10 points ahead of them.

 

They conceded 42, however, to Spurs' 26. Man Utd conceded 29 and Chelsea 33 who finished a massive 7 points ahead of Spurs and an even bigger 17 points ahead of Liverpool.

 

Obviously they have better players respectively, but Klopp's philosophy just doesn't lend to a title winning team over the course of 38 games given the competition.

 

Arsenal are the same under Wenger who when he was winning titles it was pretty much a two horse race at the top. Klopp's Liverpool will always excite and challenge for the cups and CL spots, but is that enough for a club who wants to add to their huge title collection?

 

I could see them fluking a CL win, but the odds are stacked massively at the moment given Barca, PSG, Real Madrid, Bayern and the likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City in their way.

 

I love Klopp though, he's my kind of manager. Very similar to Keegan. I dislike Liverpool though so hope it all goes wrong for them, although that may lead to them getting Rafa back one day, but its inevitable he won't be on Tyneside much longer anyway. Not unless Ashley does a massive u-turn when it comes to spending power and wages or sells up completely.

[TRon]

Klopp doesn't need to win the title for our purposes, which are to make sure Rafa doesn't leave us for them. He just has to do what he's doing for a couple more seasons, get them challenging, and in the CL places with the odd cup win or two. By the time Liverpool fans start demanding more, Rafa's time will probably be done here anyway if he hasn't left already by then.

[Kanj]

Depressing post Tron

[Figures 1-0 Football]

We can officially postpone the panic and bedwetting until the obvious unsettling reports that will come out in January.

 

Rafa planning for the 'next two transfer windows' according to the Chronicle.

[Darth Crooks]

We can officially postpone the panic and bedwetting until the obvious unsettling reports that will come out in January.

 

Rafa planning for the 'next two transfer windows' according to the Chronicle.

 

 

[TRon]

Depressing post Tron

 

I look on it as the glass half full mate.

[Sir Toon]

How can Rafa realistically plan for the next two windows when all his planning in the last two were for nothing?

 

Its still all about rebuilding trust and promises. nothing more nothing less.

[Paully]

How can Rafa realistically plan for the next two windows when all his planning in the last two were for nothing?

 

Its still all about rebuilding trust and promises. nothing more nothing less.

 

You know how meticulous he is - he will be fully planning for the summer window even if he thinks there is only 1% chance of him being here next season!

[Odear]

I hope Klopp stays for a long time.. the dippers would be a lure for Rafa to return for sure if that job was available again.

 

 

[Dave]

It was earlier.

[Guest firetotheworks]

This is where the difference is -

 

'But, at the same time, we have confidence that we can get three points'

 

No 'try to get something' or anything of the sort. Just straight down the line going for the win. We might not get it, but we know he's playing for it and there's no dampening or curbing of our targets.

[Rebellious]

Found a bit of it: https://www.nufc.co.uk/news/latest-news/rafa-expects-totally-different-brighton-battle

 

https://www.nufc.co.uk/nufc-tv/latest-videos/benitezs-pre-brighton-a-media-briefing-17-18

[Kanj]

stop trying to sell our manager to Liverpool, hTT

[Dave]

[Ikon]

 

Possible for non UK people to listen?

[HaydnNUFC]

Gerrard said Rafa would be the first manager to be sacked or leave.

 

 

 

 

[Si]

 

Possible for non UK people to listen?

Yeah just tune to ultra high frequencies till you hear "erm......."

[afar]

We are not flying, we have beaten 3 poor to average teams, trying to build us up so they can take great joy in knocking us down.

[HaydnNUFC]

Stoke aren't poor to average, like.

[Astroblack]

I think they're the definition of poor to average.