There were occasions last season, when it was impossible to open a newspaper or turn on a televison, and not be confronted with Rafa Benitez chatting about something or other. He was the footballing equivalent of Paul Ross on one of those ‘100 greatest’ Ch4 shows - ubiquitous, ill-informed, irritating.
Yet given the opportunity to rant about a genuine misjustice, a winning goal against his side that should never have been allowed, Rafa instead has remained calm. Speaking about the beachball goal in his press conference yesterday, Rafa said:
“I don’t know if the referee didn’t know, maybe he couldn’t see. Anyway, I think that is better to move on. I think the referees and Keith Hackett know that a mistake has been made but I do not want to criticise. He is a young referee and there are not too many referees around the world so if you have someone who has a passion and wants to be a good referee then the best thing to do is to just move on.”
Ok, very admirable and dignified. Best not to criticise referees as they are only tryng their hardest. Does this apply to Phil Dowd too Rafa?
“I think everyone could see there was a penalty, especially to Voronin, it was so clear. The third one, you could excuse. You can say that the hand was to the ball or the ball was to the hand, it could be, but the other one was so clear, it was unbelievable.
Can you get two penalties at an away ground? No. With this referee, I knew that this was impossible.”
Ah. Could the new Rafa have anything to do with being warned as to his future conduct by the FA last Tuesday? thespoiler thinks it might….
Is the Special One honing his act to replace Fergie?
Inter Milan will almost certainly win Serie A this season. Their two biggest rivals, Milan and Juve, are both managed by men who before August, had taken charge of a hefty zero matches in their managerial careers. The challenge should come from Sampdoria, Fiorentina and Genoa, none of whom are likely to have the staying power or experience for a long Serie A season.
Yet since Calciopoli, Inter always win the title. Its like being named the tallest dwarf. So Jose must do better to keep his job, and that means the Champions League, which Inter have started badly by drawing their first two matches. If Mourinho is fired at the end of the season, he will be casting his manly eyes to Old Trafford, where Sir Alex may soon be vacating the throne.
And what better way to ingratiate himself with the United faithful than having a pop at the bête noire of choice, Rafa Benitez, and the 2005 version, Arsene Wenger. Mourinho commented yesterday when asked if he feels pressure at San Siro:
“[Arsene] Wenger has been Arsenal’s coach for 15 years but he hasn’t won even a Carling Cup for six years. [Rafa] Benitez hasn’t won a league title in six years but they continue to keep him as Liverpool’s coach.
This is not the Italian mentality. To stay here I must continue winning and do well.”
A city comes together united under one banner… well, two
Oh, everything’s been going wonderfully well at Anfield - The Reds finally beat Manchester United, and got their Champions League and Carling Cup campaigns off to a winning start. Just don’t mention Stoke, nobody needs to mention Stoke. What was that? The Stoke game? Ahh, you just had to say it didn’t you! What is WRONG with you people? Anyway, who gives one, we’ll all have forgotten about the lurching awkwardness of the Stoke game once Everton win the Merseyside derby and claim their throne as the Capital of Culture’s number one team. Here’s why Everton will definitely win:
1. Over the last five years the two teams have taken it in turns to win this fixture. Liverpool won 2-1 last year meaning that now it’s Everton’s turn.
2. Everton have only lost four Premier League home games in each of the last two seasons so having lost two already, their home form surely won’t last much longer.
3. Liverpool have triumphed in just sixteen of their last forty Premier League away games.
UCL semi-final first leg, Tonight, 7.45pm, ITV1, bet here
Thank you, most merciful television schedulers, for giving tonight’s Liverpool/Chelsea Champions League to ITV. In the hands of Sky we’d have been facing a night of incantations from the Book of Revelation, bursts of the March of the Valkyries and Carmina Burana, all interspersed with images of planets colliding from the Hubble telescope, such is their preferred method of communicating the apocalyptic drama of the event. As dramatic episodes go, however, this game would be taken to the cleaners by Cranford; even the paint drying channel takes on a certain appeal. In six Champions League games together, these two teams have produced an average of half a goal a game. We have also started to get glimpses of the Grantian football philosophy, a school of thought so brutish and defensive it makes the Berlin Wall look subtle and discreet by comparison. This is going to be one for the purists, for everyone else, there’s always Holby City.
The statistics
* There have been just three goals in their six Champions League meetings.
In today’s Sun, court jester Ian Wright highlights what he believes will be the ‘three key battles’ at Anfield tonight. Firstly, he correctly identifies the likely tussle between Torres and Terry. Then, he considers the midfield war that will take place between Gerrard and Lampard (provided the latter has his head in the right place).
These are both fair assertions, but his third and final claim is that Reina and Cech will be going head-to-head in a key on-pitch battle. Um, what are the two players who stand at either end of the pitch going to be battling over? Who has the firmest pre-match handshake? With this kind of insight, it’s hardly surprising that he feels out of touch with Match of the Day types…
Will either side resist the temptation to grind out a bore draw?
For the 4,076 in Champions League history, Liverpool and Chelsea will be facing one another tonight, and no one is more excited than the tabloid media. For the past few days the back pages have been filled with taunt exchanges from The Toad, Benitez and Didier Drogba, but they all seem like over-enthused attempts to breathe life into what is destined to be a dull game. There have been just three goals in the last six European games between the sides, so we’ll be mighty lucky to see the net ripple at Anfield tonight.
But if one of the sides does allow their defence to be breached tonight, who will it be? Votes and comments below, please.
After weeks and months of tinkering around, finally Benitez had stumbled across a team that could perform consistently - Gerrard just behind Torres, Kuyt and Babel on the flanks. So why feel it necessary to change it? He had home advantage against Arsenal, and putting Crouch in the starting team made no sense whatsoever. Unless, of course, Benitez was frightened.
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