Rafa: You don't have to win trophies to be a success
-
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez claims you don't have to win trophies to be a success
Empty handed: But Benitez says you don't need to win trophies to be successful
It was a day when things could not get much worse for Rafa Benitez. Liverpool’s manager saw his side crash to their fifth Premier League defeat of the season as they were beaten 3-1 at Fulham , having Jamie Carragher and Phillip Degen sent off in the process.
The defeat casts immense doubt on Liverpool’s ability to challenge for the championship. But according to Benitez, winning trophies is not what the game is all about.
In the build-up to yesterday’s game, Benitez insisted: ‘I don’t agree with people when they say you have to win trophies. I always say the same, you have to be there. You
have to improve, you have to create a group of players who can fight for trophies.‘We got 86 points in the Premier League last year and some people say it wasn’t a good season for us. But to finish second and reduce the gap to four points was a massive achievement.
‘So it depends, trophies mean a lot for everyone. But to see the progression of the team means you can guarantee that you will be there in the future and that you can fight for the trophies.’
Many managers, especially those who, like Benitez, appear to have fallen short of expectations in the trophy department, could not hope to survive such an extraordinary admission. But Benitez will be safe from the sack even if his side do crash out of the Champions League this week.
He goes into Wednesday’s £15million match against Lyon with assurances about his long-term future from Spanish-speaking managing director Christian Purslow, the man who now holds the real power at Anfield rather than lame duck owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.
Purslow’s backing is vital, as he is the eyes and ears of the Royal Bank of Scotland, with whom Hicks and Gillett had to refinance a £350million loan in the summer.
Spanish-speaking managing director Christian Purslow, the man who now holds the real power at Anfield rather than lame duck owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.An indication of how the power base has shifted at the club came when Gillett was hauled into line recently after telling supporters’ groups that Benitez was to blame for Liverpool’s indifferent start to the season.
The hapless American was forced to do a quick U-turn and hail the Spaniard as the best manager in the Premier League.
Even though Benitez had to fight off speculation about his future before last Sunday’s face-saving win against Manchester United, the truth is Hicks and Gillett no longer have the power to sack him and sanction a £20m pay-off without Purslow’s
agreement.Benitez was defiant after yesterday’s defeat at Fulham, insisting that he does not feel under pressure, despite a nightmare series of results punctuated only by the victory over United last Sunday.
‘I had the same question before United but after that everything changed,’ he said.
‘In football, you have to keep calm and try to find solutions. When you are not winning, you have analyse why. You all saw the game against United. We are confident we can turn things around.’
Seeing red: Jamie Carragher is sent for an early bath
Liverpool need a win in France on Wednesday to keep their Champions League hopes alive after defeats against Fiorentina and at home to Lyon. Elimination from the group stages would cost Liverpool an estimated £15m and hit Benitez’s ability to spend during the transfer window.
Benitez, who has not won a trophy since leading Liverpool to the FA Cup in 2006, is aware of the flak he will get if Liverpool crash out, but he is adamant that it will not detract from his and Purslow’s long-term goals and he argues that his real job is to maintain Liverpool’s position among the country’s elite.
But he does accept that his transfer budget will be cut if Liverpool do not reach the knockout stages of the Champions League, although he insists: ‘It will not make a massive difference when you look at the long term. We are looking beyond just the
next transfer window.’ -
You don't have to win trophies to be successful If thats the case, why would investors such as SC (Standard Chartered) want to invest in such a club like Liverpool?
-
throw title away liao then say this kind of lj
win epl then say this oso more wu seh right
-
lol... then should i take over any epl club and not win any trophies and call myself a success? what BS
-
the more he talk the more he look stupid
-
The british press is just making use of his flop to sell their papers.
For Ah Ben, he have two months to get more cash for player transfer.
And he should talking to the press.
The more he talk, the more he screwed up.
-
walao.. i scared this year top4 also dont have
-
5 losses alrdy. No team with more than 6 losses has ever won the BPL.
-
fantastic leh... yesterday the fulham fans were chanting we want four!!! na bei, i have never seen fulham playing like this, the whole stadium erupted. Liverpool were chasing for lost balls!!! HAHAHAHAHA.... it was pretty hilarious.
Ah ben is rubbish la.. told you guys that winning the UCL is steven gerrard's effort, not because of ah ben's genius.
How many games into the EPL? 11 games, how many lost? 5 games lost!!! They will continue to spiral downwards, unless they did what arsenal did last season, they will not be able to make it to the top 4. Remember, last season, arsenal only have aston villa fighting with them for 4th. This season fourth place is up for grabs with spurs, villa, everton, city, liverpool and sunderland all fighting for it.
Next week against lyon, and somemore its away to lyon, i seriously doubt benitez and liverpool have what it takes to win. Seriously lyon is strong at home. I believe lyon will win. Liverpool has lost gerrard for wednesday's game, and also torres was injured again in the fulham game. Carragher is at the lowest point of his career and none of the liverpool's players are actually performing. I believe this wednesday would spell the end of liverpool's UCL adventure, at most, they can go is the UEFA cup thingy.
Liverpool simply is rubbish. 86 points last season, I doubt they will even reach 80 points this season. The lost of alonso is too much for them. Ah ben is seriously a flop in the transfer market.
-
nah
Rafa a piece of reminder
Aim for 4th place
-
Originally posted by Rock^Star:
5 losses alrdy. No team with more than 6 losses has ever won the BPL.
Yahx lol. Man U needed to loss at most 5 times to reclaim BPL last time. -
Originally posted by Bus&Soccer l0v3r (VO3x 1):
nah
Rafa a piece of reminder
Aim for 4th place
Let Gerald Houllier return Liverpool, I think he can save the team back. -
Originally posted by TIB657M:
Yahx lol. Man U needed to loss at most 5 times to reclaim BPL last time.
but Liverpool lost 10 matches still get third
season 2006/2007 -
Originally posted by TIB657M:
Let Gerald Houllier return Liverpool, I think he can save the team back.why not kenny daghlish? he was the last manager who won the league title for them in 1990. houllier only know how to win the cups, but not the league title. he also will be sacked if he wins the cup only, so back to square one isnt it.
-
He say only improvement as a squad in the country is important, yet its obvious the pool squad is in decadence compared to last season.
All the other big 4 teams and many other mid tier teams are showing improvements over last season, like Spurs, Man C, Aston Villa. Only pool going opposite direction.
Typical pool. Beat Man U then lose next game. Maybe some pool fans are contented if they just beat Man U every season but lose half of the rest
-
liverpool is in huge debt now. their owners need to service the interest payments every year, so it where got extra money to buy players?
-
i'm a liverpool fan and i think liverpool is sccrewed up this season
-
got is got lar, but should be damn little.
liverpool need to get rid of the yanks and mr rafael
-
fuking americans dare to screw up pool! our only way out is change in the management.
-
Originally posted by brokenluv:
fuking americans dare to screw up pool! our only way out is change in the management.
not so easy lo.... -
want to get rid of the yankees, not difficult. protest at every home match, even go protest at their homes or hotel they are staying in england, make them very fedup and sick of it, that they pack their bags and leave england. make posters and distribute them in liverpool that yankees are ruining liverpool.
as for getting rid of rafa, its an easier. just make a banner, called, in rafa we distrust, go back to RM. then he will take the message and pack his bags to leave for spain.
-
what a cheap shot by the TS to title this topic the way it is.
clearly it is taken out of context and not what rafa said.
-
Originally posted by redDUST:
what a cheap shot by the TS to title this topic the way it is.
clearly it is taken out of context and not what rafa said.
Cheap shot, expensive shots or whatever you like to call it... Its only posted as it is... Nah you can go have a look at it yourself here...The full monty...
-
Originally posted by zocoss:
Cheap shot, expensive shots or whatever you like to call it... Its only posted as it is... Nah you can go have a look at it yourself here...The full monty...
sure, pass the buck. you are just the gleeful messenger.cutting and pasting without any thought or opinion if the article has a surreptitious agenda is supposed to make you (any) smarter?
-
chill man