Wise move from Raul. The Mohican who was all tats and no trousers was always likely to suffer from Bellamy’s Golf Bag Of Justice and find himself on the wrong side of a long iron. He’d managed to take Reece’s place in the squad of looking hard but being really, really soft though he was nowhere near as soft in the head as the doombrained Norwegian. Indeed, with terrific movement off the ball and splendid retention with both feet he’ll do well for himself at Chelsea but there was always this question mark hanging over him:
Liverpool player 2012/13?
I realise the window has just slammed shut and silenced the much mocked Jim White* and that there’s a lot of football to be played, so thinking a year ahead may understandably be frowned upon. However, this summer seems to have been defined by two goals:
1. Building a squad that can secure top four and challenge for domestic honours
2. Undoing damage and creating a bridgehead into the season that follows to aggressively hunt down trophies on all fronts, including Europe, for seasons to come.
Jim White
Both TAW’s Rob Guttman and The Telegraph’s Rory Smith have written eloquently about the cleansing process (here and here respectively) and discussed the footballing and financial sense the trinity of Fenway, Comolli and Kenny have displayed. To continue referencing the great man, the anniversary of whose birth is today, these directors are here to cancel the cheques as much as to sign them. Both articles are terrific so do slip away for a few minutes if you haven’t already read them. Tell them I sent you.
Back? Boss. So part one appears to based on selecting from the following outfield backbone starting week in, week out in all competitions:
Four from Johnson, Kelly, Flanagan, Coates, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Robinson, Enrique, Aurelio.
Three from Lucas, Adam, Henderson, Maxi, Spearing, Gerrard.
Three from Bellamy, Suarez, Kuyt, Downing, Carroll.
That’s not to pre-suppose a 433, just that’s the likely balance. It could be 442, 4231, 451 or 433 and there may occasionally be a sexy three
at the back from Kenny just to keep everyone on their toes. Ignoring Kenny’s body-swerve into the back three I think that breakdown in selection is the most likely pattern and that squad has a balance and quality that should be more than enough to secure top four. What makes the case stronger again is that Chelsea seem like they may just be in flux, but more importantly Arsenal seem to be hitting a Carragher sized panic button and Spurs are wisely seeing Redknapp out either to England, Her Majesty’s Pleasure or the sack. Stoke aren’t anywhere near strong enough though are most likely to emerge from the mid-table mud with more than sixty points.
The attack has plenty of variation and pace about it, the midfield has significant quality with the ball and should have enough energy without, and the defence is a lovely blend of youth and experience and should be sufficiently equipped for the top four challenge.
But as Smith and Guttman have made clear, we’ve done a lot more than that. We’ve got the house well and truly in order meaning that if we do pull it together to come top four this season we can look at these players as a nucleus to really begin to push back on next. We’ve also got the new lads relatively cheaply in terms of wages (pre-Bellamy averaging on 40k a week for the six according to Smith) meaning that we’ve freed up the room in which to work, especially with a Champions League revenue bump.
Of that squad list we’re not going to have Aurelio next season and we may be without Maxi if some of this summer’s rumours were accurate. Shelvey waits in the wings. Beyond that while one or two of the older players may wane you’d think there would be a place in the squad for them, especially one having to fight on four fronts against City, United, a resurgent Chelsea and the European giants. It would take only one more all singing, all dancing player in each of the categories above for you to really believe we can genuinely challenge the cream at home and abroad, especially in either of the threes.
And this takes us back to Raul. He was never that player in either of those categories of three. He could sing, he couldn’t dance. Tats, not trousers. A good player but not the player with genuine flair the attacking three needs to have next season to supplement Suarez, nor the aggressive all-rounder that may just be lacking from the middle three, especially as Gerrard’s career draws to a close. The money accepted from Chelsea was about as good as it was ever going to be. Given all this, Raul Meireles may be a loss for 2011/12, he may be a boost for Villas Boas’ Chelsea but he’s not special enough for the spires we should aim to build on the very solid foundations laid this summer.
* Sky seemed to (wilfully?) misunderstand this. We’re laughing at Jim White. Not with him. Not towards him. At him. In fact we aren’t just laughing. We’re shouting, flicking the vees and, on occasion, throwing things at him. He’s not so bad, he’s good. He’s so bad, he’s a bad tit.
@knox_harrington
Who is Reece? Or is that a golfing pun for Riise?
Not a golfing pun; Aldo pronounced his name on the phone ins for a while as “Yon Reece”.
Long time lurker on RAWK (over a decade) but so much shite spouted on it these days I tend to have a fleeting glance more than an in depth read, tweeted many times TAW is fukn immense, exactly what was needed, no shite Internet warriors, knowledgeable lads talking shop with trimmings, just short of talking about skirt it’s a lads pub chat on net, top stuff.
Anyway I digress, nice to put a face to the orchestra conductor
(from podcast that’s what I consider him) it’s a fukn cracking article and people will realize the reality of the RM situation in reading it, nice but a bit of a luxury in my opinion, plus he was a tart, bit strong but reaffirmed my idea tats
Don’t make u hard, just sussed I’m rambling, fantastic article, hopefully people will open their eyes to the raul situation, if KK don’t fancy him in midfield good enough for me, not blind faith talking as I can see it, he just is not capable of a shift, end of.
Keep up the good work up lads, raving about site and podcast to all and sundry
PS – Jim White pic hahaha , lock him up till January
The importance of finishing in the top 3 rather than top 4, can’t be overstated. This has been the issue with Arsenal’s frenetic rush to buy players before the transfer window closed.
The Champions league quality additions we would want to bring in may not be so happy for move to a club that has qualified for a play-off the be in the group stages.
If we are challenging in the top 3 in January, which is very possible, the sale of Merry Les gives us scope to bring in another top quality player or 2, perhaps from teams that didn’t get out of the CL groups. To cement that push or cover any positions if injuries are a factor.
Lovely stuff Neil. That Jim White thing – that wanted nailing. You have sooo nailed it.
I find it strange how quickly we’ve all turned on Raul. One of everyone’s favourites from last season and all of a sudden he’s too soft in the tackle to make it into our side?
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but does the fact that he submitted a transfer request at the last minute not indicate that the club were not willing to sell?
The objective this season is to get into the top four and Raul’s passing and movement would have been very helpful in achieving that goal.
With Gerrard’s fitness not guaranteed I don’t think we have enough quality in midfield and a genuinely good creative midfielder should be top of the transfer list priorities in January.
the insistence on a transfer request could have come from the club….they could have insisted that was the only way they would allow the move given they were holders of the better bargaining position with the length of contract still remaining. By submitting the transfer request Raul likely waived any loyalty payments or bonuses and meant that no severance of any kind was due. If he was on the rumored $35k a week it was in his financial interests to waive this as his new contract will likely make up this shortfall (not to mention any signing fees sue to him) right away.
Many thanks for this article. As a Portuguese red, I was dissappointed to lose our Raul; he’s a good player and having a local in the Liverpool squad also increased the likelihood of seeing our team on the tele: the local TV company (Sport TV) seem to follow the logic of Portuguese league, Mourino-managed team, Man U, then teams with Portuguese players when making-up the schedules – so we get to see a lot of Chelsea.
But having read this, I have to agree its best for us in the long term.
1. Agree with u about raul
2. Disagree about Gerrard’s career drawing to a close – he’s got years in him yet.
3. The title is on. This year. The pieces are in place, the goals from all over, enough strength in depth for a season with no CL. Forget top 4, it’s a Top 1 we’re going to War for.
4. Get some new headshots done – that’s a shocker!
“…the footballing and financial sense the trinity of Fenway, Comolli and Kenny have displayed…that squad has a balance and quality that should be more than enough to secure top four.”
Randomly reading this stuff back is just sad in hindsight. Although it’s easy to say now how the likes of Downing was never likely to look a Champions League/title challenge class-£20 million man, I miss this Kenny-induced optimism desparately.
Rodgers and the kids (with whom we may or may not be able to ‘win anything with’) are promising; I get too giddy every time Suso and his bonce gets on the ball (which manager was it that signed him, Sterling and Shelvey again?) but I think it’s going to be a little while longer before I can get truly excited again because like every other one for the past 4-5 years, we’re only another transfer window of disconnect between ownership, manager and negotiator/non-football man – I’m looking at you Parry, Purslow, Comoli and Ayre – away from good work being undermined.