World Football Postulant

After Liverpool’s defeat of Standard Liège, it was announced that Steven Gerrard would undergo surgery Thursday morning to correct a groin problem that has bothered him for the last month. The Reds’ captain decided to play through the pain this weekend against Middlesbrough as well as tonight, though against the Belgian champions he was a none factor and Rafa Benitez probably would have been better served with somebody else in the lineup. That Liverpool does not have somebody to fill that spot may have contributed to the decision to play Gerrard, and thanks to the upcoming break in the club schedule for World Cup qualifiers, Liverpool should only have to go one match without Stevie G.

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Liverpool may be one of the eight teams in the top pool for tomorrow’s Champions League group stage draw, but they were the closest of the thirty-two teams to being out of the tournament after the final round of qualifying finished today.

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It will be suggested that Middlesbrough was done wrong on Saturday, and if you look at how and when Liverpool scored their two goals, the suggestion is persuasive.  But Liverpool’s 2-1 victory is no more unjust than Middlesbrough’s 1-0 win would have been.  That both of the Reds’ goals came after the 85th minute - one deflection from a Jamie Carragher shot; another, a laser beam from Steven Gerrard - is an irony of timing.  It does nothing to change the rest of the match, a rather evenly played affair that had Liverpool continue their struggles in the opponent’s third.  For Middlesbrough, the match showed Gareth Southgate’s team may be ready to take another step forward in spite of their loss. Continue Reading »

Some will think Gretar Steinsson’s better, but Fernando Torres’ game winning goal against Sunderland has the benefit of being unambiguously intentional - a laser from just outside the box in the 83rd minute that was beyond Craig Gordon seemingly before he could leap. Off an innocuous build-up in a match that Liverpool and Sunderland has played somewhat even, Torres gave his fans another reason to think him the best player in the world. He took a performance that was by-the-book, recent vintage Liverpool - uninspiring, playing down to their opponents, potentially leaving points on the field - and salvaged the weekend with a win.

Given what happened Wednesday (a 0-0 draw in the first leg of Liverpool’s Champions League tie against Belgium’s Standard Liege), Torres salvaged the club’s week. Given what happened this summer (famously failing to get Gareth Barry), Torres may have salvaged the team’s last two months by finally giving LFC fans something to cheer. Given the subtle whispers that have started humming about Rafa Benitez’s status with the club, Torres may have temporarily unplugged the rumor mill.

But Benitez did not look his normal, confident self on the sidelines today. He seems legitimately concerned that his talented roster had so much trouble. The Reds tied gainst the champions from Belgium, and against Sunderland - a lower-half team without their biggest scoring threat - they were played surprisingly even.

In typical Liverpool fashion, they granted their opponents very few opportunities. Aside from some heart-starting miscues from Sami Hyppia and Andrea Dossena (miscues that made Liverpool backers thankful for the presence of Jamie Carragher), Sunderland were not afforded opportunities. At the same time, Liverpool showed almost no ambition in attack, allowing almost the same stalwart description to be applied to Sunderland’s defense. The difference, of course, is that the Reds have Torres, Steven Gerrard and Robbie Keane.  Liverpool should expect more of themselves.

The continued inability of Benitez to get his team to play to their talent level has to be the first charge in his indictment, a charge that looked all the more valid when you consider what Roy Keane is working with. Against one of the eight or ten most talented teams in the world, Keane assembled a collection of cast-offs and still almost salvaged a point. The Black Cats played tight and smart, but they did not bring out the bus. They did try to score, if they weren’t exactly ambitious. When you have players like Andy Reid in your starting XI, there’s only so ambitious you can be.

What would Roy Keane be able to do with Liverpool’s talent? It’s almost a scary question to ask, and there seems little doubt he would do more than Benitez has. And because Benitez was matched-up with Keane today and barely salvaged a point, it is as if the Spaniard lost, though his team got three points. For eighty-three minutes, Liverpool let Sunderland play even with them. If, on the season’s opening day and three days after an embarrassing result against Standard Liege, Benitez can not get his players to be the dominant force their talent dictates, then will Liverpool ever play the consistently great football it will take to challenge for the league title?

Saturday’s match gave us every reason to believe Roy Keane’s growing reputation well-earned. He appears to be on the verge of taking the Tottenham cast-offs he has acquired and making them into a team that might rise to the middle of the table. On Saturday, they looked as good or better than half the teams in the league.

Benitez, on the other hand, is forcing followers to ask questions. It is only one game, and Liverpool could still go on to have a great season. Yet, the match was so incredibly emblematic of every criticism leveled at Benitez over the last few seasons. If they can not show better in matches like today’s, when will they show?

Note: This article will be edited for posting to American Soccer Reader.

Links
Torres summons lightning strike
Sunderland 0 Liverpool 1: Moment of Torres magic lifts Benitez
Keane points to fatigue
Torres spares Reds’ blushes
Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool: Torres to the rescue
Rafa hails match winner Torres
Torres strike knicks Reds victory
Keane please despite defeat
Sunderland v Liverpool ratings&stats
Torres strike sinks Sunderland
Sunderland 0-1 Liverpool
Torres the hero as Reds leave it late

Liverpool’s Yossi Benayoun has been linked with moves away from Anfield all summer, and it makes sense.  The Israel international is ready to play more often, but it does not look like he will get a chance for a Liverpool team that is feeling pressure to justify it’s top four status, if not actually win something.  While younger winger Ryan Babel looks to get regular time for Rafa Benitez, there are few spots available for others to get starts.  Benayoun did make 44 appearances for the Reds last season, but until later in the campaign when injuries started to mount and Liverpool’s Premiership chances faded out, most of those caps were in a substitute’s role.  Though only entering his second season at Anfield, the 28-year-old winger could stand to move on for more playing time, especially if it is to a big club.

And that’s where AS Roma, still looking for a winger to replace the departed Mancini, comes in.  Benayoun might not hve the technical skill of the departed Brazilian, but his work rate would be a welcomed addition to the Giallorossi while providing the same kind of annoying-edge of his predecessor.  Though it is unclear he would be the choice for Mancini’s still vacant spot (Roma hints he would be in a sharing situation), he should see more regular starts in Roma than he has seen at Anfield.  Were he to get regular time, he should be able to replicate Mancini’s 2007-08 output.

Liverpool, still looking to scrounge up funds for their Gareth Barry purchase, would be willing to move Benayoun, though they would prefer not to.  Benayoun is the type of player who can not command a huge transfer fee despite being a great role player on a club.  It is rarely profitable to sell such a player, but Rafa Benitez has put himself in a position where he either has to lower his price on Xabi Alonso or sell other players.  His pride seems to be keeping Alonso’s fee high, and Benayoun is slowly being squeezed out of playing time.  It makes sense to sell the Israeli.

For his part, Benayoun seems to have no plans to switch, a position I find baffling.  If you have a chance to start around 20 matches for Roma or being a regular substitute for Liverpool, you go to Rome.  If you do not, you are basically saying that Liverpool is the better club, capable of doing more - positions with which I find it hard to agree.  Benayoun may be motivated by a desire to succeed where he has yet to establish himself, but the glory in contributing to a successful Roma team is no less than doing the same for Liverpool.

Quotes
“There will be two new signings.” - Luciano Spalletti, manager, AS Roma
“The names? They’re the names you’ve heard. Menez and Benayoun are both top class players.” - Spalletti
“We need two players for each position.” - Spalletti
“It is not true that I am about to leave Anfield.” - Benayoun
“I want to stay and that is what will happen.” - Benayoun
“It is nice that everybody is interested in Yossi. All summer there has been speculation about Yossi, but he has a contract with Liverpool.  I don’t believe Liverpool want to sell Yossi and, from our point of view, he is only thinking about life at Liverpool.” -  Ronan Hatzav, agent, Benayoun
“There has been no contact or talks with any club about Yossi.” - Hatzav

Links
Roma confirm Yossi liking
Roma admit Benayoun interest
Roma name Menez, Benayoun as transfer targets
Benayoun planning to stay with Reds
Yossi plans Reds stay
Agent Rubbishes Benayoun Exit Talk
Yossi rumors rejected
Roma confirm interestin Benayoun and Menez

It should surprise nobody that the July 30 deadline Martin O’Neill had imposed on a Gareth Barry transfer has not held up. Today, O’Neill admitted that the deadline now means nothing. The only time limit on the Barry-to-Anfield negotiations will be the end of the transfer window in four weeks.

O’Neill had originally implemented the transfer deadline so that his club’s whole summer wouldn’t be defined by the Barry saga. Unfortunately, it did not work, with Aston Villa’s plans being more influenced by Barry and the stall around his transfer than one would have suspected months ago. That this ordeal is carrying on into August after it looks such a sure, logical thing two months ago is a bit amazing. Liverpool stalled trying to sell Xabi Alonso and then funneled money to Robbie Keane all along knowing Barry was not going anywhere. If Martin O’Neill’s deadline attempted to mitigate the effects of Liverpool’s decisions, it hasn’t worked.

Barry does not want to stay but only wants to move to one club. That club finally seems willing to meet Villa’s evaluation, but they spent over a month balking at that price. Whereas O’Neill would like to have his money and be able to concentrate on his team’s problems at the back, he continues bogged in this Barry quagmire. It’s a situation that makes you question whether extracting the extra £2 million from Liverpool was worth the aggravation. It probably was, but that makes the ordeal no less infuriating for Villa fans who have alternated between disdain for Barry, to welcoming him in their Intertoto tie, to now feeling slapped in the face after Barry reiterated his desire to leave only days after being welcomed at Villa Park.

In the interim, Villa has acquired a keeper, Brad Friedel, that should keep them in the middle of UEFA Cup contention this season. Were Barry to stay, they would be a decent bet to finish in the top seven. Even if he leaves, O’Neill has a side that could qualify for Europe, especially if he takes the Barry funds and buys two quality backs to keep with his depth issues and keep Nigel Reo-Coker in midfield.

After two months of this story, with plot points stretching from Trinidad and Tobago to Denmark, I’ve come to feel for Martin O’Neill. At this point, he may just be trying to prepare for the season, yet is obligated to get as much as he can for one of his best assets. I challenge you to read his quotes (below) and not feel for him.  When the Premiership starts and he can get back to the fun part of the job, he may be one of the happiest men in the league.

And just as I’m starting to feel sorry for O’Neill, I can’t help but feel that Liverpool (who seem to be unintentionally jerking Villa around) and Barry (who handled his transfer desire in a much more public manner than he had to) deserve each other.  In three years when Liverpool to  looking on Barry with the same wanting that they’re now looking at Xabi Alonso, I hope Rafa Benitez doesn’t put O’Neill through all of this again over Reo-Coker.

Quotes

“I was hoping that (the clubs moving on from the deadline) would be the case and this was not a matter of Liverpool missing the deadline by 15 minutes, as seems to have been reported.” - O’Neill
“Liverpool first showed their interest in signing Gareth Barry almost four months ago, so this is not a case of missing a deadline by 15 minutes. That’s simply not true.” - O’Neill
“The following morning we were very upbeat on the strength of what had happened on Wednesday evening. We were very buoyant and optimistic that everything could come back to normal again.” - O’Neill
“That wasn’t to be though. On Thursday there was a meeting between Gareth’s agent, myself and the player. They still felt that even though the deadline had passed they still felt Liverpool were going to come in and do the deal.” - O’Neill
“Gareth’s head is a bit all over the place at the moment …” - O’Neill
“There will be no deadline and Liverpool have all the time in the world now to sign Gareth Barry. They’ve got up to the normal window, which is the 31st of this month.” - O’Neill
“I have a football club to run and I really do want people who want to play for us.” - O’Neill

Links

Barry’s Reds Move Still On
O’Neill:  Reds Can Still Sign Barry
O’Neill accepts Barry could still join Liverpool
Door open for Barry to exit Villa
O’Neill throws ball into Liverpool’s court over Barry

Note:  I was writing this when the Crouch-to-Portsmouth-finalization broke.  I’m posting as is.

With the Xabi Alonso deal with Juventus no longer a sure thing, the money garnered from Liverpool’s Peter Crouch sale will be the principle funds used to get Gareth Barry.  Unless Rafa Benitez is able to find another bidder as eager for Alonso’s services as Claudio Raineri and the Old Lady, Barry will end up being the only major acquisition of the Reds’ summer transfer season.  For a club that’s made a lot of noise about being more competitive in the league and in Europe in 2008-09, Liverpool will be left disappointed.

This is not to say that Benitez won’t be able to otherwise address his needs and bridge the gap between his club and the big three, but he dreams of attracting another major striker will be dead.  For lack of funds, there will be no David Villa.  There will also be no Robbie Keane, who rumors had entertaining a move from White Heart Lane to Anfield.  But in lieu of having £20 million to give Tottenham for the Irish star, Benitez was said ready to offer Crouch and cash.  But with the Alonso deal up-in-the-air, Crouch must be sold to Portsmouth, the one team that can secure his signature that’s ready to give cash, lest the Barry deal fall through.

With Steven Gerrard’s scoring from midfield and the expected improvement from Ryan Babel, it’s unclear to  me that Liverpool needs Keane.  Yes, he would make their club better, but Liverpool doesn’t absolutely need him or Villa to compete with the big three.  Playing a 4-5-1, a midfield of Lucas Leiva, Javier Mascherano, Dirk Kuyt, Gerard and Babel could, with the experience of the fall and winter months, be better than the group that reach last season’s Champions League semifinals.  Improving in league could be as much about avoiding another poor start as it is improving on the team’s talent.

The end of the Keane quest could be a good thing, should Benitez decide to spend that money elsewhere.  Or just save it.

Links

Crouch Deal Finalized

Liverpool Finally Agree to Crouch Sale

Hoping Pompey Add Crouch

Aston Villa Confirms Another Bid Rejected

Barry, Liverpool, Villa: This is Getting (More) Ridiculous

Xabi Alonso’s move to Juventus has been considered a given, but after a delay for Euro 2008 and the player leaving a decision on his future until after his holidays, Juventus has started to look elsewhere to address their midfield needs.  If Liverpool doesn’t get the money they need from Juventus, they may not be able to pay for Gareth Barry.  This is why Liverpool, now that negotiations on a fee have started, are reported to be holding out for £16 million, a number that has steadily increased in proportion with the increasing demands Martin O’Neill has made for Barry.  Like Aston Villa’s price for their midfielder, Rafa Benitez seems to be asking too much for his.

With rumors having linked Juventus with Roma’s Alberto Aquilani, Juve seems to have options.  Not so for Liverpool, who have put all their eggs in the Gareth barry basket.  While names like David Bentley and Stewart Downing have been floated, failing to get Barry at this point will be a failure not so much because Liverpool needs him or Barry is so much better than other options; rather, it will be a failure to manage the situation on Rafa Benitez’s part.  That he has created a situation where his Barry acquisition is overly dependent on selling Alonso risks neither transaction happening. If Juventus balk at Benitez’s inflated price, all the deals fail.

This is another example of how Liverpool has fallen behind the big three of the Premiership.  If is difficult to imagine any of Manchester United, Chelsea, or Arsenal putting themselves in a situation where the sale of one player has the potential to effect so much of their upcoming season’s plans.  Names like Cristiano Ronaldo, Frank Lampard, and Emmanuel Adebayor are being linked with moves from the big three, yet nobody is speculating that those moves in any way effect the club’s other business.  For Liverpool and Rafa  Benitez, it has all come down to Xavi Alonso, a midfielder who was having trouble breaking into the starting XI at last season’s end.

Links

Juve may pull out on Alonso

Juve tight-lipped on Alonso

Juve meet Alonso reps in Paris

Some reports say this was a final bid.  It’s too early to say if that’s true, but contrary to what Liverpool had said earlier, there has been another bid for Gareth Barry, and Aston Villa have rejected it.

Liverpool and Aston Villa both denied that the offer was for £17 million, but Villa did confirm that they had received an offer, it was “well short” of their evaluation, and it was therefore rejected.  One source has the bid as being around £15 million, or very similar in value to the deal Martin O’Neill rejected a couple of weeks ago.

At this point, it’s pretty clear what Villa’s price is.  O’Neill has all but confirmed it.  Liverpool needs to give him £18 million.  Liverpool keeps giving O’Neill different offers, but none of them reach that threshold.  While it’s possible that Rafa Benitez might catch O’Neill at a good time and get a cheaper price, I wonder why Liverpool is messing around.  Are they waiting for the Xabi Alonso money?  If so, I’m sure Villa will understand and make a deal in accordance with that restraint.

I doubt that’s the case.  Money from Juventus wouldn’t hold up this deal.  More likely, Benitez has a number in mind, he is being principled about it, and at this point he’s hoping the relationship between Barry and O’Neill sours enough so that O’Neill will let Barry go.

Sounds like a huge waste of time.

Links

Barry fined as Villa snub new bid

New Barry bid rejected by Villa

Barry, Villa, Liverpool:  This is Getting (More) Ridiculous

Fresh Barry bid rejected

Villa remains steadfast on Barry

Martin O’Neill reiterated today that Gareth Barry is free to go to Liverpool, should the Reds meet his valuation of £18 million.  He also let slip that Barry will be disciplined for an unauthorized interview he gave this weekend.  It just so happens that in the interview Barry, who has given various interviews over the summer (I have no idea if they were authorized or not), was very critical of O’Neill, noting the manager seemed more interested in going media work for the BBC during Euro 2008 than settling his club’s roster issues.

If that was not ridiculous enough, news of a Liverpool counteroffer has hit web sites this morning.  None of the stories look very reliable, but none of them quote a £18 million bid, either.  One gets up to £17 million.  Others are still in the £15 million range.  The most reliable of the reports don’t have a bid being made at all.  Liverpool and Rafa Benitez have said they have not made a final offer for their prized target.

So they haven’t made a bid.  Why not?  Can we wrap this up already?  I know one million pounds is a lot of money, but when we’re talking about it in the context of £18 million, it seems like prideful quibbling.

Of course, who is being more prideful?  The manager who keeps changing his price because he’s bitter that his captain wants to leave or the club that won’t meet the price?  As long as one side capitulates soon, ending this saga, I’m fine.  Since we all know what the final outcome will be, I’m tried of tracking this story.

Links

Barry disciplined over remarks

Villa punish unsettled Barry

Villa punish Barry over interview

Barry announced he won’t be returning for preseason training

Reds quash ‘final’ Barry bid talk

Villa discipline Liverpool target Barry

Reds quiet on Barry bid

Barry disciplined

Aston Villa punish Barry for O’Neill criticism as Liverpool deny fresh bid