Shape Up or Ship Out
11Monday, August 17, 2009 by Paul Grech
On days like this, it is perhaps advisable to avoid talking about football. You know what’s coming following Liverpool’s insipid display at Tottenham yesterday: complaints and whingeing at best, stupidity at worst.
It is also a given that there will be a lot of finger pointing going on. Already I see that Jamie Carragher (in particular) and Martin Skrtel have taken something of a lashing for what was, admittedly, horrendous defending whilst Xabi Alonso’s absence has also been widely blamed for the defeat.
Conscious of all that, I realise that what I’m going to say in the next few lines will sound just as much of a knee-jerk reaction as all of those mentioned above. Only that they aren’t. And, in any case, the sole purpose of me writing here is let off some steam and that’s what I’m about to do.
Because I can’t really stand Ryan Babel for much longer. Sure, he worked hard yesterday but I’m really exerting myself to think of anything good he did apart from that. At no point did he beat his man, his passing was generally atrocious, he dithered whenever he got the possibility to shoot and his movement off the ball was nonexistent thus greatly limiting the possibilities Liverpool had when going forward.
It is true that Babel wasn’t the only one who had a bad game against Tottenham but he was continuing on last season’s pattern. Whereas once Liverpool could rely on Babel to come of the bench and create something, now that no longer seems to be the case. It is as if he has set himself a very low standard and then gone out trying desperately hard not to achieve that. Whatever creativity and power there was in his game seems to have fizzled out.
At the start of the summer it was rumoured that Liverpool were willing to sell him but the player begged the club to stay. Whether that’s true or not, the likelihood is that Benitez found no one willing to spend what he had invested on the Dutch player. And that it would take much more to replace him then he was ever going to get back.
Yet Ryan Babel as he is playing at the moment is of no use to Liverpool. Apart from giving people like me reason to complain and grumble on the morrow of a disappointing game, that is.
Category Ryan Babel
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I agree with what you said.
To me, Liverpool should have signed David Villa and moved Gerrard back to his middle of midfield role so he can spray the balls around.
Lucas, and I know he had a reasonable pre-season, will never be good enough to do that.
Quite how we've managed to spend £20 mill on a player that can't play till October, who's then going to have to get match fit as well as used to the English game is beyond me.
Also, I don't want to see another centre half from Spain come in, as it will take him time to adapt to the English game.
Get the lad from Fulham who's been outstanding all last season and has refused to sign a contract.
When he's fit, play Agger at left back.
It's bad news when you look at the talent on the Spurs bench, then look at ours.
Win the title this year.?
Anyone got any depression pills.?
Thats hash man
Not the only problem.
A Big gap is between the midfield and attack. Yossi came out and the whole patter of the game changed ... we where more adventures ... but too late.
Hope we bounce back and we look at this match as it was the one which gave us a push not a sat back
Come on Red
Y.N.W.A - Malta
I appreciate what you're saying and yes, he did have an awful game(against 'Spurs) but he's spent the majority of his Liverpool career bench warming and when he has come on no one has had any faith in him (despite scoring some important goals).
With a player like Babel, a young man, you need to give him a degree of consistency to enable him to flourish, just look at Henry at Arsenal.
If he still seems phased by the league after that, then we should sell him. But for now, get him up front with Torres and let him show what he's capable of.
I had high hopes that Babel would take the opportunity to try and prove himself this season. But I'm really doubting he has the requisite mentality to make it at LFC. It'll be a shame if he does end up wasting his talent.
Completly agree!!! I have to admit, after pre-season i was impressed with Babel, but yesterday was a complete shame and his game was worse than anytime last season, which i tought was not possible. So just get rid of him!
Why are you on babel case, torres did not have a good game, lucas not play good, our defence line did not show it usual stability. the passing of the whole team was poor, most of the passing going backwards. Babel needs more games under is belt with the responsibility as a starter
Totally agree. Totally ineffective, not holding the ball, keep losing possession, dont shoot, cant create, cant defend, cant seem to do something right. I think besides Benayoun and Riera, even Dossena does a better job at left mid.
Always difficult to comment after a display like that, but there are a number of things which were there last season and haven't gone away.
Babel has had enough chances and we can't afford to wait for him to come good; Lucas will never be more than an emergency sub, he just isn't good enough. The most obvious comment to make before the spurs match was we don't have many attacking options and Rafa should have done something about it.
Why not? No money or poor management? I don't know. If we take a step back this season Rafa is finished he must know that.
I hope things improve quickly.
Phil Thompson was on Newstalk saying that the Yanks have only offerred Rafa one million to spend this spells the end of our challenge as we need at least three signings, centre half, centre mid & striker.
I for one cannot undertand why we blew 20 mil on a crock & why didn't we just focus on getting in some serious squad players like Y=Tuncay, Wheater, Adam JOhnson even Kevin Bloddy Nolan is a better option than Lucas.
I wonder can we risk playing Skrtel & Carra together again, their passing was shocking & the defending abysmal!
Rafa is being pressured to make do with the players he has. The team is pressured to perform as brilliantly as last season, but this time without Alonso.
Instead of moping over the loss of Alonso and griping about the faults of the players, it is understood that they are working to improve on their skills, but the fact is:
Hicks and Gilett really need to dish out some moolah for Benitez to spend.
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