Rafael Benitez - The Man Brendan Rodgers Has To Thank

By Josh Bradley: http://bradleysbettingblog.wordpress.com https://twitter.com/JoshBradley10

On June 16th 2004, Liverpool finally got their man as the then Valencia manager Rafael Benitez signed on the dotted line and took charge of the reds.

His career at Valencia brought much success, as he managed to win La Liga twice as well as bringing the Uefa Cup back to the Mestalla in his three year career at the club. This created much hype around the Spaniard and he was welcomed on Merseyside with open arms.

The man from Madrid managed to live up to the expectation as he endured a successful six-year stint on Merseyside in which he managed to deliver a Champions League winners and runners up medal, an FA Cup winners medal and Liverpool’s highest league finish in many years, when finishing four points off winners Manchester United in second place.

He will be forever remembered for ‘that night’ in Istanbul when he brought home Liverpool’s fifth Champions League trophy in incredible fashion, clawing back a 3-0 deficit after half-time.

His transfer dealings as he racked up just under £229 million’s worth of spending, but when you look back over the years, he was possibly the shrewdest man to work in the transfer market. He managed to convince some of Europe’s top names to grace Anfield, the likes of Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano as he created one of the strongest Liverpool teams of the modern era. Of course he made some mistakes (pretty big ones..) such as signing Robbie Keane for £19m before not really giving him a chance and shipping him back out to Spurs within a year  for a fraction of the price, as-well as bringing in ‘the new Thierry Henry’ Ryan Babel for £11.5m. But everyone makes mistakes, and Rafa’s were very few and far between.

His man management was brilliant and he brought an attacking style of play to Liverpool which excited the fans, and managed to adopt the football he played at Valencia into the Premier League, whilst still dominating in Europe thanks to the likes of Luis Garcia and Djibril Cisse.

He left with his head held high in 2010, and for many, the Benitez era was well and truly over. But little would they know, it would take to this season to really begin to shine, without many even realising.

Brendan Rodgers has gained many fans across the country for giving many members of his youth squad a chance in the first team, without people actually realising where he acquired the players from.

Raheem Sterling, Suso and Jonjo Shelvey have been three of the revelations of the season at Anfield after putting in a string of impressive performances pushing them into first-team regulars. All three of these were brought to the club by Benitez when he was still at the helm.

He signed Sterling in February 2010 from QPR, when he was only 15, for an initial fee of £600,000, which could rise to £5 million depending on how many appearances he makes for the first-team. This was risky business and many thought splashing out such big cash on a 15 year old was crazy, but now we are beginning to see just how good Rafa was at spotting talent.

This is seen in it’s strongest case by the signing and nurturing of Suso. ”Rafa phoned me and convinced me to leave Cadiz CF. When he left us and Hodgson came in, everything was totally the opposite,” Suso stated. He allowed him the chance to learn from older players in the reserves without rushing him into the first team, and wasting his talent. The 18 year-old has shone over the past couple of years in the reserves with many commenting on his magnificent technical ability and vision. We must all be thankful for Rodgers giving him a chance in the first team, but we must not forget just how important Benitez was in initially signing Suso and then keeping him at the club.

Shelvey is arguably the pick of the bunch as the ex-Charlton man has come into his own, and is now challenging the skipper for a place in attacking midfield. When Liverpool splashed the cash on Joe Allen and signed the Welshman for £15m, the majority felt it was the end for Shelvey at Liverpool, but he has performed with great credit when given the chance and showed his passion and desire to fight for a place at the club. Benitez spoke extremely highly of Jonjo when he paid the £1.7m for him back when he was 16.

“Players who could feel what Liverpool means. Shelvey is one of these and we have two or three names ready so we will try to do the best for the club.

“We have this long-term plan in place and we will try to follow the plan.”

These are only a few of the players that we can thank Rafa for that our now in the main squad. Pepe Reina was a £6m purchase from Villareal, which has turned out to be a steal, as he’s developed into one of the most consistent Goalkeepers in the world.

Martin Kelly has developed into a promising talent and looks set to be challenging for a place in the first-team when he returns from injury.  Benitez gave Kelly his debut in 2008 and stated he thought Kelly could be in contention to be first-choice centre-back after the departure of Sami Hyypia. He has usually been deployed as a right-back due to his pace and ability with the ball, but could easily slot back in to a centre-back role if Brendan feels he’s suited.

But finally, one of the most important things Rafael Benitez ever did in his six-year stint at Liverpool occurred in the first month. When the man from Madrid arrived at the club Steven Gerrard’s future was in doubt, but the decision for the former Valencia manager to fly out to Portugal whilst Gerrard was competing in the Euro’s proved to be a shrewd one. He had a lengthy discussion with Gerrard about the direction the position the club was going in, and why he should stay at the club. This was a major factor in the skippers decision to stay, as he had previously stated he was ‘unhappy with the progress the club was making’, but a few words of wisdom from Benitez instilled the confidence in Gerrard the club was going in the right direction.

Without this, Gerrard could well be playing at Stamford Bridge alongside another Benitez master-stroke  Fernando Torres. Instead he is still captaining his childhood club and gracing the Anfield turf every weekend, which in turn is still key in attracting big names to the club.

So when you are thanking Brendan for giving the opportunities to the youngsters, allow a small appreciation for a certain Mr Benitez for allowing the team to take the shape it does today. Benitez’ best work at Liverpool, may still yet to have occurred.

Liverpool Hoping To Kick On This Season

By Liverpool supporter Jay Smith: https://twitter.com/jaysmith93

Being a Liverpool fan in the modern day is a hard, heartbreaking experience. Being a Stoke fan, on the other hand, is the complete opposite. Since returning to top flight football in 2008, Stoke have been a team that are unpredictable. 

Liverpool have struggled against Stoke in the league in recent years, losing one and drawing one last year. Despite knocking Stoke out of both the FA and League cup, their league form against them is outrageous.

After Thursday’s performance there are a few positives despite the loss to a team that Liverpool, at home, should be beating. The younger players in the team such as Jack Robinson, Jonjo Shelvey and Raheem Sterling, who was subbed on late in the game, showed much more fighting spirit. 

Once again Liverpool fans were left questioning the heart and desire of the once great, Pepe Reina. Since the beginning of last season, Reina’s form has been more than questionable. At times it seems as though he can’t even be bothered to play in a Liverpool shirt anymore and he’s just doing it for the money.

Hopefully we will see Suso again tomorrow against Stoke. The young Spaniard has been on the lips of Liverpool fans since around Christmas time and Brendan has come in and brought him into the first team picture along with Jonjo and Raheem. 

I believe Liverpool will take the 3 points tomorrow, if Suarez can find his shooting boots again, Sterling and Sahin start and we cut down the defensive mistakes that have cost us so dearly this season. 

Today Daniel Agger penned a new deal with the club. This is delightful news for all Liverpool fans that feared we were going to lose our best centre back. In such little time Brendan Rodgers already knows who his best players are. 

He stated his delight today: “He's one of the best centre-backs in world football. His balance, his reading of the game, his defensive qualities and his ability to bring it out from the back is outstanding.”

Another one of Liverpool’s young players Jordan Henderson has shared his desire to stay at the club for the remainder of his career: “When I put the shirt on it is a real honour to go out and play for Liverpool so I want to do that for the rest of my career. I will keep fighting and I have belief in my own ability that I can be a success here."

Captain Steven Gerrard believes he can still improve under Brendan Rodgers. “There are certainly things I can still improve on by working with him.” He said. “I'm enjoying working with him on a daily basis, and I think my form recently has been really good.

"I'm enjoying my football, and I'm really looking forward to the next two years I'm contracted for and hopefully more, to add some chapters to a career I'm really proud of."

What Can The Average Fan Learn From England's 5-0 Win In Moldova?

Ahead of England's opening World Cup 2014 qualification fixture in Moldova there was plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the England camp after their usual exit on penalties at the quarter-final stage of a major championship. This summer it was Italy who dispatched of the Three Lions in a shoot-out after failing to score against a dogged England side. Roy Hodgson's men got their own back in a friendly in August, but in what was a very low-key game with both sides under-strength.

So tonight heads turned to see how the nation ranked third in the FIFA world rankings would get on in their latest quest for World Cup glory. Moldova, a country with a population of barely more than 3.5 million, were always going to be making up the numbers, despite being at home. The visitors duly dished out a 5-0 thrashing to make England fans immediately start bigging up their team and their World Cup hopes. Despite the apparent formality of the result for England, this did appear a much more convincing performance than the ones seen under Steve McLaren and in Fabio Capello's last months in charge. 

Roy Hodgson has become the first national manager to get fully behind Steven Gerrard and give him the permanent captain's arm-band. The rewards have been great as the Liverpool has excelled in every recent performance. The way that Gerrard and Frank Lampard played together tonight would have delighted Hodgson, especially after years of the two mid-fielders struggling to strike up a partnership. However it would have been the displays by youngsters Tom Cleverley and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain that would really have pleased the boss as they seemingly took apart their opponents with ease. 

The former Switzerland and Finland head coach said: "Cleverley was excellent for 90 minutes and when you watch him, you understand why Sir Alex Ferguson is pleased with him. Alex had an excellent first half. He hasn't played much football, and I think even at half-time, he was tired, and we were worried about leaving him on for too long, because his 15 minutes in the second half weren't as good as his 45 in the first."

Although Hodgson was pleased with his team's blend of youth and experience and an excellent result, it is clear that this match must not be taken out of context. England want to be in a position where they can challenge for major trophies while Moldova are ranked 141st in the world and for whom any points in this qualification campaign would represent a decent result. A convincing win against a team like Moldova is not going to quash any fears that England are still a long way off where they want to be. 

Captain Gerrard has insisted that England could still win in Rio and said: "We have to have that faith and keep believing. You never stop believing in football. Miracles do happen." Nevertheless the use of the word 'miracle' still suggests that he feels that this is a long way from happening with England as they are now. He echoed these thoughts: "When I speak, I'm realistic and honest. At the moment we're not one of the favourites to win the World Cup but that doesn't mean you stop believing, working hard to improve and try to learn from mistakes you have made in previous tournaments."

England will struggle to improve on their last eight exit in the Euros in two years time, but they do have some real quality in the team. First and foremost is this qualification campaign and England face a much tougher assignment against Ukraine at Wembley on Tuesday. A 1-0 win over the Eastern European team secured progress from their group in Euro 2012, although the goalscorer from that match, Wayne Rooney, is absent with an injury. 

England should be able to qualify for 2014 in Rio without too many problems. Poland, Montenegro and Ukraine are all tricky fixtures, but also ones that Gerrard and co. will go into as hot favourites. It will be at the finals where Hodgson and his squad are really put under the microscope. 

Rodgers Let Down By Owners But Liverpool Should Not Be Written Off

There was plenty of optimism surrounding Anfield yesterday morning as manager Brendan Rodgers spoke of hopefully adding two new faces to his Liverpool squad. Eleven pm came and the Reds had loaned striker Andy Carroll to West Ham, 18 months after his predecessor Kenny Dalglish bought him for £35 million, and signed no one. Their clear weakness is their inability to consistently find the back of the net and it is clear that they need a proven goalscorer to boost their ranks. 

Rodgers was clearly confident of bringing in forward Clint Dempsey from Fulham but Fenway Sports Group failed to produce the £7 million needed to bring him to Merseyside. A figure like that is relatively measly in this day and age and Tottenham snapped him up with glee. Reds fans must be bewildered as to how FSG could spend a combined £57.7 million on Carroll and Luis Suarez in January 2011 but not fork out a figure over £50 million less to bring in Dempsey, a player who the manager obviously wanted. 

A new era has started at Anfield, people should not doubt that, but it is starting to dawn on the fans that it is going to take at least a few years before Liverpool can even dream of going to Champions League finals again. There is still plenty of world class talent at Rodgers's disposal in the form of Luis Suarez, Steven Gerrard and Daniel Agger. 

Suarez is a special talent that needs to be enhanced into a special, prolific goalscoring talent. The amount of chances he creates is second to none, but his chance conversion rate is nothing short of dismal. One of the Northern Irish manager's biggest tasks over the coming months is to find the deadly finisher inside the Uruguayan that scored 50 goals in one season for Ajax and three goals in South Africa in the 2010 World Cup. 

Rodgers also needs to get the best out of talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard, even if it is only for two or three more seasons. If he can score 10 to 15 goals this year it will make a huge difference to whether or not Liverpool can push for a top four spot. 

The five-time European champions can still push for a Champions League spot but injuries must be few and far between as they have a squad that now features only 17 senior players. For a good campaign in all four competitions to come to fruition the Reds will need to have a good start to the season, and then boost the side in January. Rodgers kept his side of the bargain by offloading players and slashing wage bills, but FSG failed to keep theirs. 

Can Brendan Rodgers Put His Stamp On A Liverpool Side Forever In Transition?

With Liverpool's pre-season tour to the USA and Canada coming up there are still heavy clouds hanging over the future of much-maligned striker Andy Carroll. His former suitors Newcastle United have made an improved offer for a loan with the view for a permanent deal but it remains unclear if the Reds want to offload Carroll so soon after his 35million pound move from the Magpies back in January last year. However he will accompany the Liverpool squad on their tour alongside new 11million pound signing Fabio Borini, a man who many have tipped as Carroll's replacement. 

Borini scored nine goals in 24 Serie A appearances last season for AS Roma as well as collecting his first Italy cap this year and was also part of the squad that reached the Euro 2012 final. He played under new Reds boss Brendan Rodgers on loan at Swansea in the 2010/11 season scoring six goals and the Northern Irishman has been an admirer ever since. He holds high hopes for his first signing in his new job as he said: "I'd anticipate that over the next two or three years he'll really progress and I'm sure do very well for Liverpool. Fabio fits the model of what we're trying to do in building not only for now, but also for the future."

Also on the plane to North America are Joe Cole and Alberto Aquilani, both of whom have only had one full season at their parent club. Last year Cole was on loan at Lille while Aquilani was at AC Milan after his spell with Juventus the season before. Both had very disappointing debut seasons in the North-West of England but also found returns to form while overseas. Former England winger Cole managed to miss a penalty in his first game and be sent off in his debut league game while Aquilani struggled to find a place in the starting line-up after being hailed as Liverpool's next midfield maestro after the departure of Xabi Alonso. 

Despite their relative failures at Anfield they both thrived on the continent as former Hammer Cole scored nine goals and made six assists in 42 matches in France. Aquilani played much more often in Serie A and was voted by the supporters as Liverpool's best player in pre-season last summer. When these two players were at Liverpool before it was clear that they did not really fit in with the side's ideology or style of play. Cole seemed disjointed and out of place in a side in transition while the Italian centre midfielder hardly got a look-in under Rafael Benitez's deteriorating side.  

Cole seems pleased to have Rodgers at the helm: “When I was hearing about Liverpool looking at certain managers, I was praying it was going to be Brendan — not just because he’s not an unknown for me and I know his philosophy on football, but I think for the club the owners have made the right choice." Cole worked alongside Rodgers when he was a coach at Chelsea and the 30-year-old is looking forward to playing under the manger's philosophy:  "I love the style of play. At Lille, we played like that as well — getting the ball down and moving."

Aquilani will also be much more used to a passing style of play than the fast-paced, slightly more long-ball tactics employed under former Reds bosses. His acute touches and flicks in midfield and his excellent close-range passing was one of the clear positives in his first spell at Anfield. Liverpool fans will be excited to see how the former on-loan men fare in the new-look side. 

Rodgers will also be keen to make the most of what is already at the club and made it clear that legendary captain Steven Gerrard is firmly in his plans when he called him the evening after being appointed manager. Luis Suarez looks set to stay and it is rumoured that he is being coaxed into signing a new deal. The new coach is also looking to bring in one or two more players before the transfer window shuts to further enhance his squad but one big question remains - will all these changes make a difference to Liverpool's fortunes? 

The last three years Liverpool have failed to finish in the Premier League top five and have lost their invincibility at home. Last season there were signs of a return to form but ultimately they did not hit the back of the net enough and Dalglish lost his job as they collected their lowest amount of points in a league campaign for nearly fifty years. 

This season Rodgers will be looking to begin his Red Revolution as he brings his own flair and style to the Kop. The team are likely to play with a 4-3-3 formation with plenty of width, as opposed to the more rigid 4-4-2 shape that previous managers employed. However there are some top teams above them that will also be attempting to finish in the hallowed top four spots that bring Champions League qualification. The likes of champions Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United all have world-class players and plenty of depth to their squads. Liverpool will have to significantly improve if they are to break into the top five, let alone the top four. 

However this may not be as hard as some people think as there is a wealth of talent at the club. Luis Suarez has been a prolific goalscorer for previous teams and his country and although being criticised for his lack of goals last year, did finish as top scorer. Borini will be out to impress while Andy Carroll hit some form late on  last spring and did well for England at Euro 2012. Craig Bellamy's pace is always a threat and Steven Gerrard is an inspirational figure in the heart of midfield. Add Joe Cole's creativity, the technical ability of Aquilani and the impending return of Lucas Leiva and Liverpool's side immediately looks a lot stronger. 

All that is needed for them is to gel and work as a team, like Rodgers's Swansea City did last term. Liverpool will continue to be relatively tight at the back but will be sure to have a lot more of the ball and with it almost certainly more goals. All that remains to be seen is if Rodgers can successfully put his stamp on the team and put history behind them in an attempt to create their own; something the club has struggled with over the last couple of decades. Yes, it will obviously be a far cry from the glory days of the 1970s and 80s and they will not mount a title challenge, but this season they may just make a more threatening push for a place with Europe's elite.

England and Italy Set For Scrappy Battle

On a great day for the English nation in 1966 Bobby Moore lifted the Jules Rimet trophy after a momentous 4-2 win over West Germany in extra-time. However since then England are yet to reach a major final in 46 years of pain and misery. England have had high hopes many times before; in 1970 England were favourites for the World Cup but lost a 2-0 advantage to West Germany in the quarter-final. The amount of tight defeats since then have been endless. From dropping out of the World Cup in 1982 unbeaten to the endless penalty shoot-out defeats of the last 22 years the Three Lions have continued to fail time and time again. 

This year it seems that the English public have finally given up and expectations have been unusually low this summer. With a new manager and an injury-prone squad no one thought Roy Hodgson's men had a prayer in this tournament. But since then England have shown great resolve and grit to progress through a tough group on top. Today they face a much harder task in a determined Italy team hoping to also prove their doubters wrong. Italy have many world class players and will provide a very close examination of England's apparently water-tight defence. Despite this England have had five different goal-scorers in the group stages and will definitely create some dangerous moments for the Rossoneri on the counter-attack. 

Italian manager Cesare Prandelli will be aware that the opposition will be hard to break down but will still hesitate to start with enigmatic striker Mario Balotelli. Despite undoubtedly being their main goal threat his temper poses a very different problem for the opposition. His countless discipline problems have caused a headache for his manager who is likely to leave him on the bench again tonight. Prandelli does have other attacking options in Antonio di Natale and Antonio Cassano who have both scored so far this tournament. Despite this the game will probably be won and lost in midfield where the Italians will probably have an extra man as England are likely to play a 4-4-2 system. Scott Parker and captain Steven Gerrard will have their work cut out as they try to stop the creative influence of players like Juventus veteran Andrea Pirlo. These two English bulldogs are sure to hassle and hurry him to a point of no return and Pirlo can struggle when constantly put under pressure.

England have goal threats of their own in the shape of Manchester United strike pairing Danny Welbeck and Wayne Rooney who scored 47 goals between them for their club last season. Add the likes of Ashley Young, James Milner and the attacking threats from Gerrard and right-back Glen Johnson and this shows a definite capability of scoring goals. There is also the threat on the bench of big Liverpool striker Andy Carroll and the Arsenal youngsters Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain who both have plenty of pace to burn.

Tonight  is sure to be a tightly-fought contest between two similarly set up sides. Roy Hodgson spent much of his management career in Italy and usually sets up his teams to play in an Italian style. It could well happen that the two sides cancel each other out and extra-time and penalties is a very big possibility. However the game pans out this will be a massive occasion for both nations as they attempt to prove critics wrong. 

England 3 Sweden 2: England Keep Qualification Hopes Very Much Alive With Exciting Win

England hauled themselves out of a massive hole in Kiev this evening as they came back from 2-1 down to beat Sweden 3-2. With both sides desperately needing a win it proved to be an exciting match with plenty of chances at both ends.

'The Three Lions' started the better of the two sides and were rewarded for their pressing play when surprise selection Andy Carroll scored a thumping header in the 23rd minute from a brilliant Steven Gerrard cross. Neither side threatened much before half-time although Joe Hart was forced into a couple of stops from long-range Ibrahimovic efforts.

The game exploded into life in the second half as Carroll conceded a needless free-kick about 25 yards from goal. From the resulting set-piece a sliced Ibrahimovic rebound effort found its way to Olof Mellberg who was played onside by Glen Johnson who was slow to react. The ball rebounded off goalkeeper Hart onto Johnson before bobbling into the net to give Sweden a priceless equaliser.

England started to look devoid of ideas as Sweden continued to press and they took the lead from another set-piece, this time given away by James Milner. Sebastien Larsson whipped the ball into the centre where veteran defender Mellberg headed home completely unmarked.

England manager Roy Hodgson responded by replacing Milner with 23-year-old winger Theo Walcott. The decision paid dividends as Walcott's first meaningful contribution was to smash a thumping 25-yard swerving strike past the stranded Swedish goalkeeper Isaksson. The game then began to become more and more stretched as both sides pressed for a precious winner.

It was Walcott who was involved once more as England counter-attacked with pace and the Arsenal winger beat his man to cross for Danny Welbeck who scored with an acute back-heel. With just 12 minutes left Sweden continued to press but could not find an equaliser as the last good chance of the game fell to Scott Parker, who blazed over.

It proved not to matter though as Hodgson's men held on to move level on points with group leaders France while Sweden were eliminated. The immediate future looks bright for England as they head into Tuesday's game with co-hosts Ukraine needing just a draw to progress. Added to the availability of Wayne Rooney they are becoming more and more confident.

England Ready to Prove Their Doubters Wrong

'Boring'. 'Too defensive.' 'Negative.' 'Played like Chelsea.'

They were just some of the criticisms aimed at England after their opening 1-1 draw with France. True, England did sit back after taking the lead but that was more down to the French stepping on the accelerator rather than England taking their foot off the gas. People should not forget that France are on a 22-match unbeaten run and looked in great shape in the run-in to this tournament, so a point was a good result for England. One thing is for certain, if England beat Spain by playing 'too defensively' in the final, is anyone in 'our green and pleasant land' going to care?

Tonight the 'Three Lions' will go out against Sweden in a much more attacking frame of mind. Danny Welbeck says that he expects it to be an exciting game, while skipper Steven Gerrard has called on his team-mates to perform in order to seal the three points. The Swedes desperately need a positive result after their opening 2-1 defeat to co-hosts Ukraine and will go out with a plan to frustrate England. Gerrard and co will be ready for this and will know that the Swedes only real goal threats are through star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and set-pieces. 

Going forward against France England looked dangerous but did not create many clear-cut chances. The goal came from an excellent free-kick and England's only other good opportunity was when James Milner could only find the side-netting after rounding goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Against Sweden Hodgson's men will be expecting to create a lot more and to learn from their opening contest. Hodgson looks set to name a more attack-minded side with Liverpool's big striker Andy Carroll likely to get the nod. Whether he plays alongside Welbeck or replaces him remains to be seen, but England are sure to get balls into the box and get at the Scandinavian's defence. 

England's squad seem to have renewed belief under Roy Hodgson and will be hoping to take the game by the scruff of the neck this evening. One thing is for sure; the supporters may have written England off, but the players still hold high hopes. Hodgson denied any thoughts that other teams in the tournament were under-rating England: "I would be surprised if teams were not taking England seriously. I think it is more of a question that in past tournaments we haven't been able to live up to very high expectations."

Legendary Swedish striker Henrik Larsson said he was wary of this 'disciplined' England side: "I am impressed by England because normally they go forward and sometimes play more with the heart than the head.
I think that's one of the reasons England have maybe not had the great results at the European Championships or World Cups over the years."

In the three matches since Hodgson took over England have looked very organized and difficult to beat, whereas in the disaster in South Africa they looked open to the counter-attack and all at sea. Their next two group games will be very tough; Sweden are no mugs and Ukraine will be a force as the hosts. Despite this England should progress out of Group D with at least five points if they continue to do the simple things right. What happens after that is anyone's guess; a quarter-final penalty shoot-out maybe?