Rafa Benitez's treatment of...

[MaBigTip]

_________ has been diabolical.

Fill it in boys.

Rafa Benitez's treatment of Riera has been diabolical.
He helps us play better and directly contributes to a higher winning %. He gives us balance strength and height. He is by far our best Left Winger if not our only one. And he is a goal threat from further away from goal. He can crack a 30 yard shot on target.

 

[SaintGeorge67]

Glad to see you've been down to Melwood and know exactly what's going on between the two.

 

[SaintGeorge67]

Although, if he is fit, he should be playing,

 

[Stulikesdrums]

I thought Reira was being held back for this game, it is more than a bit puzzling that he didn't play tonight. We could have used him.

 

[Niall K]

If he's on the bench he should be able to play

 

[Fabio]

I think rafa just plain doesn't like riera

 

[monsieurdantes]

Le tallec

Oh by the way assulin, what did you think of n'gog and bednter's 'finishing under the cross bar' techniques today?

 

[Bazza The Kopite]

Keane
Babel
Alonso
Lucas (for actually playing him every game)
Aquilani
Crouch
.
.
.

 

[MaBigTip]

Thats what I was aiming at. Its criminal how few players get shown confidence and given a position. Even that Maxi at age 29 is going be turned into a permanent LW. I think its been obvious for a long time we need H&G to sell to a legitimate billionaire and its more and more obvious the Rafa needs to go for no. 19 to be won (thanks to quite a few of his buys).

 

[Ryan]

Another nothing thread. 'Rafa's treatment of Player X is a joke and that's why we don't win games ra ra ra...'

 

[Farkmaster]

[quote author=Ryan link=topic=38880.msg1053363#msg1053363 date=1265846165]
Another nothing thread. 'Rafa's treatment of Player X is a joke and that's why we don't win games ra ra ra...'
[/quote]

Do you think it's sensible that Riera wasn't included, both at the beginning of the season and now?

It isn't as though Riera is a great player, he isn't, but our team makes a hell of a lot more sense when we can spread the field a bit.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Rafa wasn't well pleased with Riera's grumblings this last summer, and that he is holding some grudge. I think it makes it easier that Rafa has never thought Riera can play 90 minutes, but it's certainly still a factor.

I don't think if you stick Riera in, it makes victory that many times more likely, but I do think he should have been included.

 

[Ryan]

Maybe Fark. He'd certainly have been a better option on the left tonight than Maxi.

But then there are players at every club that feel mistreated, left out, and can point to someone in their position who shouldn't be there.

 

[Farkmaster]

[quote author=Ryan link=topic=38880.msg1053381#msg1053381 date=1265847822]
Maybe Fark. He'd certainly have been a better option on the left tonight than Maxi.

But then there are players at every club that feel mistreated, left out, and can point to someone in their position who shouldn't be there.
[/quote]

So what? I'm not saying this is a failing unique to Rafa, but if you do it enough and don't get results it's a huge problem.

Riera is the only natural winger that we have, and without a shadow of a doubt he's the only player that can play at LM and belong there. I think he's quite useful anyway, but because he's the only one, his utility to us is heightened.

I'm sure Rafa has some tactical or performance related reason to suggest why he shouldn't have played, but I think by now it's a bit silly to think that he isn't prone to his stubborn blind spots. Our team is underwhelming in attack as is, and we simply can't afford to have an inbalanced team out there, and we NEED to have a competent attack down the left, with a player who doesn't tuck in constantly, otherwise we expose the worst of Insua, without getting the best from him in his attacking play. It's just stupid to further handicap ourselves. It isn't this one game either, he did the same at the beginning of the season with Riera.

 

[Ryan]

Well, there is all that. But then it could just be that Riera wasn't fully fit enough to start against Everton, a game in which Maxi did ok, thus ensuring he kept his place for the Arsenal game.

The subsitution of Babel ahead of him tonight was the right one too.

It's probably not worth reading too deeply into it, especially since we're not privvy to what Riera's full fitness is like, don't see him at training, and have last weeks press comments from Albert himself claiming that there's no issue with Rafa at all.

 

[MaBigTip]

I don't think Rafa has issues and spats with players, its his use of them and treatment in that sense that is baffling. This whole divide of the players he has confidence in to play anywhere and always compared to the players he doesnt have any confidence in to play more than 25 minutes or random spot start. The annoying thing is he bought all the players too. Its tedious watching Liverpool football club*. It all still stinks even off the back of a 7 game unbeaten streak.



*We have one cover for our star striker but he plays as a defensive striker occupying the right midfield slot, we have a star midfielder who suddenly can only play second striker even though we clearly lack pasing ability in the center of the park, we have a goal scoring right winger who will need to adapt to playing as a left winger to suit Rafa. A good creative AM and RW in Yossi playing on the left. A wingback with little positional sense making a shit comeback as he is our cover for another wingback who attacks brilliantly to help with our lack of width on the right but then again our defense only got better with his injury. Aquilani!!!!!! wtf? isn't there just so much more

 

[jexykrodic]

If those tiny lists are the full extent of players deemed to have 'fallen out' with Benitez in over five years in charge of a group of adults from different backgrounds and cultures then I'd regard it as no more than would be expected. In fact it's a pretty good record.

Seriously, do you expect complete calm and bonhomie to reign in an organisation with highly competitive individuals?

What could Benitez possibly gain by not picking someone? Perhaps he just thinks they just aren't ready to do the job he wants at any given time.

 

[mark1975]

[quote author=Farkmaster link=topic=38880.msg1053376#msg1053376 date=1265847456]
[quote author=Ryan link=topic=38880.msg1053363#msg1053363 date=1265846165]
Another nothing thread. 'Rafa's treatment of Player X is a joke and that's why we don't win games ra ra ra...'
[/quote]

Do you think it's sensible that Riera wasn't included, both at the beginning of the season and now?

It isn't as though Riera is a great player, he isn't, but our team makes a hell of a lot more sense when we can spread the field a bit.

It is difficult to escape the conclusion that Rafa wasn't well pleased with Riera's grumblings this last summer, and that he is holding some grudge. I think it makes it easier that Rafa has never thought Riera can play 90 minutes, but it's certainly still a factor.

I don't think if you stick Riera in, it makes victory that many times more likely, but I do think he should have been included.
[/quote]


This has all stemmed from the Spain game at the start of the season. Rafa couldn't play Riera in a league game (as he'd been out for a few games injured) and then he travelled away with Spain a day or so later and played for them. Then they had a bit of a public spat and, well, same old story really. He crossed Rafa.

 

[Farkmaster]

[quote author=mark1975 link=topic=38880.msg1053466#msg1053466 date=1265873475]
This has all stemmed from the Spain game at the start of the season. Rafa couldn't play Riera in a league game (as he'd been out for a few games injured) and then he travelled away with Spain a day or so later and played for them. Then they had a bit of a public spat and, well, same old story really. He crossed Rafa.
[/quote]

I'm one of the only ones who genuinely likes Rafa, but yes, that's the spat I was referring to, and I'm sick to fucking death of this sort of thing.

Either it's a whoever's best in training meritocracy where there are no certainties, and it's all about the team, and "not thinking about one player", or you get to a be an arbitrary autocrat who holds a grudge. The combination of the two is infuriating, and we aren't good enough as a team to humour it, nor has Rafa performed well enough for it to be tolerated.

Again, Riera isn't the messiah, he's not even a very naughty boy, but he's a sensible inclusion at this point, and it's plain to see.

 

[Dirkus_Circus]

After the match with the bitters I assumed Riera either was being rested for the match with the Arse or he had picked up a knock but after today when he didn't play at all and there are no signs of an injury it leaves me scratching my head.

Obviously if he has picked up a knock then no harm no foul, but if he is fit then my oh my why didn't he see the pitch today? He makes us look much more dynamic a side and really creates on the left. Siiiiiiiiiiigh.