http://www.sportingo.com/fear_not_benitezs_patience_may/1001,3813
Fear not, Benitez's patience may give Liverpool the edge in the Big Four
It's a frustrating time for the Anfield faithful, but a little faith and a little patience will go a long way.
The La Liga season is now something of the past, and the Liverpool excuse pool has officially run dry, just as quickly as Gillet and Hicks’s pockets have mysteriously emptied, together with the promises of desperately needed funding for squad strengthening.
Optimistic Reds fans will be weary of the fact that somehow, with all the rich history and prestige, the Reds fail to attract the big names in world football. Fans have also to be realistic enough to accept that in football, money has replaced English as the universally accepted language, and, as the saying goes, money talks!
One wonders why it is a such an uphill battle to land a young star like Fernando Torres, whose Atletico captain's armband is emblazoned with “You’ll never walk alone” – seeing that Liverpool haven’t spent handsomely in the transfer market as yet. But with Torres, it’s a double edged sword. We all remember the last time a famed Spanish striker landed at Anfield! Some Spanish players find the transition to the English Premier League hard to tackle, but not as hard as the tackles they have to endure when playing against the likes of Kolo Toure or John Terry.
Fernando Morientes arrived with huge anticipation but simply could not maintain his goal scoring tempo , and limped out of Merseyside with little or nothing to show for his efforts. Rafa Benitez, as analytical as he is, will no doubt ponder the possibility of Torres’s adaptibility to the much faster and tougher aspects of the English game, much the opposite of the hair-stays-in-one-place-for-90-minutes features of La Liga.
Thierry Henry’s move to Barcelona could be a killer blow to Wenger and Co, but that’s what most said when Van Nistelrooy trotted out of Old Trafford. Manchester United are now Premiership champions, and Arsenal and Liverpool are once again playing catch-up, both on the field and off. With Arsene Wenger set to leave after his contract expires at the end of the season, Arsenal fans have reason to be worried. Their talisman,Thierry Henry, has helped carry a lot of the pressure on his shoulders, and it remains to be seen if Wenger can find a replacement close enough to fill the huge void left with his departure to the Nou Camp.
Rafa’s zen-like approach to his transfer debacle has done a lot to ease the fears of the Kop faithful. He teasingly stated recently that he has fielded numerous “interesting calls” and also insisted that there is no urgency yet. With Reds supporters worldwide pulling their hair out waiting for some big name signings, the man at the helm of it all
Is as calm as they come. And if there really was reason to panic, he would definitely be the first to feel the pressure!
Chelsea have been dollar thrifty in their efforts to strengthen their cavalry. Free transfer or bust, seems to be the message out of the Stamford Bridge boardroom to Jose Mourinho, and the likes of Claudio Pizzarro and his Bosman clan will once again reveal Mourinho’s nifty moves in the transfer market without Roman Abramovich’s blank cheque approval. But Chelsea could still emerge as title contenders this coming season.
It’s a topsy turvy time for the Reds, similar to that of Manchester United before the start of last season, and no-one would have expected last year at this that they would emerge 2007 League champions. The clouds are hovering, ready for the storm, but there is sunshine after every storm. Will it be a Red dawn? Time will tell, and Benitez has all the time in the world.
It all makes for spine-tingling anticipation for supporters of the Big Four in the silly season.
Optimistic Reds fans will be weary of the fact that somehow, with all the rich history and prestige, the Reds fail to attract the big names in world football. Fans have also to be realistic enough to accept that in football, money has replaced English as the universally accepted language, and, as the saying goes, money talks!
One wonders why it is a such an uphill battle to land a young star like Fernando Torres, whose Atletico captain's armband is emblazoned with “You’ll never walk alone” – seeing that Liverpool haven’t spent handsomely in the transfer market as yet. But with Torres, it’s a double edged sword. We all remember the last time a famed Spanish striker landed at Anfield! Some Spanish players find the transition to the English Premier League hard to tackle, but not as hard as the tackles they have to endure when playing against the likes of Kolo Toure or John Terry.
Fernando Morientes arrived with huge anticipation but simply could not maintain his goal scoring tempo , and limped out of Merseyside with little or nothing to show for his efforts. Rafa Benitez, as analytical as he is, will no doubt ponder the possibility of Torres’s adaptibility to the much faster and tougher aspects of the English game, much the opposite of the hair-stays-in-one-place-for-90-minutes features of La Liga.
Thierry Henry’s move to Barcelona could be a killer blow to Wenger and Co, but that’s what most said when Van Nistelrooy trotted out of Old Trafford. Manchester United are now Premiership champions, and Arsenal and Liverpool are once again playing catch-up, both on the field and off. With Arsene Wenger set to leave after his contract expires at the end of the season, Arsenal fans have reason to be worried. Their talisman,Thierry Henry, has helped carry a lot of the pressure on his shoulders, and it remains to be seen if Wenger can find a replacement close enough to fill the huge void left with his departure to the Nou Camp.
Rafa’s zen-like approach to his transfer debacle has done a lot to ease the fears of the Kop faithful. He teasingly stated recently that he has fielded numerous “interesting calls” and also insisted that there is no urgency yet. With Reds supporters worldwide pulling their hair out waiting for some big name signings, the man at the helm of it all
Is as calm as they come. And if there really was reason to panic, he would definitely be the first to feel the pressure!
Chelsea have been dollar thrifty in their efforts to strengthen their cavalry. Free transfer or bust, seems to be the message out of the Stamford Bridge boardroom to Jose Mourinho, and the likes of Claudio Pizzarro and his Bosman clan will once again reveal Mourinho’s nifty moves in the transfer market without Roman Abramovich’s blank cheque approval. But Chelsea could still emerge as title contenders this coming season.
It’s a topsy turvy time for the Reds, similar to that of Manchester United before the start of last season, and no-one would have expected last year at this that they would emerge 2007 League champions. The clouds are hovering, ready for the storm, but there is sunshine after every storm. Will it be a Red dawn? Time will tell, and Benitez has all the time in the world.
It all makes for spine-tingling anticipation for supporters of the Big Four in the silly season.
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