Ditch the caution Rafa... it's time to back Cisse
Oct 18 2005
By Mark Lawrenson, Daily Post
I DON'T know how much it costs to make a phone call to France at the moment, but I would expect Rafael Benitez to be clocking up a fair bill in the next week.
Why? Because Djibril Cisse showed at the weekend just how crucial he is for Liverpool, as the only forward who even looks like scoring.
I have said before that Benitez doesn't fancy Cisse, instead preferring Peter Crouch or Fernando Morientes. However, he now has no choice but to back him, at least until January.
With that in mind, I'd be on the phone to Guy Roux, Cisse's mentor and manager at Auxerre, asking just what makes this bloke tick and how did you get the best out of him?
Of course, making that call would require Benitez to change one of his bedrock principles - the 4-5-1 formation, with the emphasis on using superior tactics to over-come the opposition. However as he showed in Istanbul, he is not adverse to changing things around when needed. I would argue it is needed now, because Liverpool aren't scoring enough goals.
On that night in Turkey, he also learned a lesson that is equally applicable to the Premiership - that tactics and sophistication are all well and good, but sometimes you have to bludgeon teams through strength of will and superior firepower.
Just look at Chelsea's result against Bolton. From one man to four up front, and suddenly you're 5-1 up. By playing Cisse up front with another striker, you're doubling the threat factor and creating a situation where by scoring goals, you can go away from teams, instead of clinging on for 1-0.
Looking at him against Blackburn, Cisse drew the foul that led to their defender getting sent off and then scored the winner - what more can any manager ask for?
The match also showed off two of his best qualities.
Firstly he is quick and if there was one thing I hated playing against, it was pace.
Secondly, he has a cannonball shot when he connects, which is difficult to stop, even if it takes him a few attempts to hit the target.
I know too that Crouch has been playing well as a lone target man, but you're not telling me he would not be happier with another striker alongside him. He has played that way throughout his career and it would also solve the problem of getting someone close enough to him to benefit from knock downs and nice touches.
And as much as I think Crouch is a fine forward, and as good a reputation as Fernando Morientes has, a forward is judged on the number of goals they score or create and score.
At the moment Crouch and Morientes, Benitez's favoured two, are not doing either. Of course there are mitigating circumstances - Morientes has been injured and Crouch is still settling in.
But with several draws in the bank already, Liverpool need wins and three points to get up the table. As far as I am concerned, that means Benitez will have to put his principles to one side and play Cisse with one other up front.
Some people may say that changing is a sign of weakness, but to me it exactly the opposite. Now is the time for Benitez to recognise that while his preferred system is an effective one on the Continent and against the top teams, the advantages of playing two up front are too great to ignore.
Benitez can take strength from that decision, strength which will be felt throughout the squad.
Does anyone know the dialling code for Auxerre?
