Benitez has lots to prove. 1387

still to us

Fair points, but was I alone in being anxious about the inevitability of the outcome of the first 45? There were plenty of scares with Gerrard gone missing, an uncontested mid field and an imobile flat backline. There is nothing magical about waiting 45 mins to then solve problems, in fact it's a pretty silly managers convention if faced with a problem as acute as that posed by Kaka. This is not after timing. I sat watching and screaming for them to take some action. I am bloody sure I was not alone or that many were surprised when they tapped those goals in ?

You are probaby correct. The Kewell of pre Liverpool would have been a perfect and dangerous outlet, but to gamble on a player in such poor form and suspected of lack of motivation in this important final was a gamble which should not have been taken. To be fair to Benitez, it might have worked, we do not know, but, all things considered ,it was against the odds wasn't it?

bone to I am Sky

True, but maybe it shows that they have some credence? I have yet to see any reasonable reply to the charge that some action should have been taken earlier, other than that half time is the conventional place for changes.

"Miracle" gets pretty close. Thats the whole point of my post, I thought Liverpool would not need so much good fortune to do themselves justice.

whole

Sorry. He did name the source as someone in the room but I missed it. The press pundits on this programme are far more objective, sensible and balanced than I would have ever guessed by reading the hyperbole that gets into their columns. Sales obviously dictate.

No, of course not, but I think you would be hard put to find many Pool fans, or even Pool fans for the night, who did not find this choice amazing. The dressing room reaction, if correct, was echoed by a few million outside, possibly including you?

is a jerk

The turn around was amazing and I was as pleased as anyone else ( but maybe not as OTT as some -)) ) ...but this was not the topic of my post ,which was to try to be a bit more objective about the role of the manager who was now being acclaimed as a genius by some. My opinion was that it is not a sign of tactical awareness to allow a losing situation to continue for so long. I appreciate that it takes a very determined manger to make team changes so early but even a tactical change would have sufficed with, possibly, Gerrard given the job of stopping that little sod from creating havoc ...an obvious problem after just 10 mins and one which needed attention before half time.

I may be hair splitting, but it would be harsh to say that players who raised their game were lucky. Goals come in many ways, players ran themselves into the ground and Gerrard was a hero in extra time. But, faced with a terrible result because of his early inertia, Benitez benefited from all the good luck that was going. It could so easily have been different and there would have been a dozen posts asking the same questions as mine. Gerrards headed goal was great, but you need a touch of good fortune to be alone in the right spot to get a speculative cross, but what a fine time to get it? The second (and possibly the most important) was scored 15 seconds after the ref missed the offside flag, good fortune rather than managers input, and we know that you need a bit of luck to get a second chance at a missed penalty. But the players ran themselves silly and deserved what they got. I am not sure Benitez did.

In spite of him rather than because of him sums it up for me.

would

But thats not the way that unlucky PSV gave them such a hard time. They contested midfield like tigers. Milan were not allowed a free moment to settle. They PSV attacks all came from that base. I know that Benitez does not have a squad of the standard he would like (who has?) and that he has often had choices limited by injuries, but for some time I have thought that his first team are far better than he appreciates. They are a far better side when playing positively, contesting everything, typical of a good English Prem team, a prefect foil for those ball playing Italian sides. You don't have to look far for evidence of this. The second 45 mins is enough. Don't you feel that Benitez is sometimes too negative? Does he worry too much about the opponents rather than let then worry about us?

Yes, it was unforunate , but made far more by what followed.

Thanks for your opinions. makes a nice change from " piss off you Man U Arsenal Everton Chelsea Spurs wanker" -))

Regards,

LC