None of us want Rafa to go. Because if he does, it means that he has ultimately failed and that will not be a good thing for Liverpool Football Club. Of COURSE he has made mistakes, of course things have gone wrong when he genuinely expected them to go right - that makes him human. But the position of Manager of Liverpool Football Club is not a job for any regular human being. Shankly was not a regular man, neither was Paisley, nor Fagan, nor Dalglish. Only a couple of them had to genuinely cope with the incredible pressure that comes with the job, but none of them brought the pressure on themselves like the imcumbent.
I like Rafa Benitez. In fact I really like Rafa Benitez and I am aware that this blog has turned into a mini-tirade against a mighty man. This man taught me the importance of continued high level performance in my job off my own back, the importance of statistics in proving outcomes (which all my colleagues will testify to), and genuinely understands the power and importance of Liverpool Football Club. He is one of our sons, because like Gerard Houllier before him, he is a fan of the club and not a mercenary.
Maybe this semi-apology (you will never get a full apology from Rafa) is a step towards latent humility. Maybe it is a defence after the scathing actions of his top two players this week, but the bottom line for me is that it speaks the truth. Rafa had made mistakes, and I for one can pinpoint about 20 serious mistakes that an above-human manager would not have made.
Self-awareness is one gracious quality. Self-improvement is what we need now.
I still think that Rafa could bring us the title... Even after this season, I just cannot write him off yet. I know this season's been disappointing, but it's happened and we have to learn from the mistakes of this year.. Which I think Rafa would do if given another season in charge.
ReplyDeleteI do doubt we will get 4th place this year, but maybe without the stress of the CL, we can focus more on the PL. We won't have players getting injured in the CL and we won't be tired mid-week. I know it would be disappointing to not feature, but in the long term, it may be a blessing in disguise.
Even with how bad this season's been.. we have to look for the few positives. I am willing to stand behind Rafa and give him another year, because I think he could bring us the title.
Nice post :)
Believe me I WANT him to succeed, as it means the club is moving onto great things. I firmly accept that we've been excellent in Europe, done well-ish in the PL and he's bought some cracking players.
ReplyDeleteBut I also think that to take the final step up to FIRST place in the PL he really has to change things he has been committed to. Last night's game aside - why don't we keep 2/3 players up when defending cornerss, why does he ALWAYS substitute on 65min, and why do we always play 4-2-3-1?
All these things are predictable and lose you the edge - I doubt Rafa has that edge needed, or the full confidence of the players. Sir Clive Woodward once said that when coaching a team, the most important players are your reserves, because the first team should be happy and can take care of themselves. But the reserves are the ones who need support as they need to come in all guns blazing and maintain the standard of the first team.