The Torres Saga: Who's the real winner ?

Having allowed the dust to settle or my emotions to be more appropriate, I thought now would be a better time to write my views on all things Fernando Torres. I could have spent the last 2 weeks commenting on various articles some good and some not so good. But I thought that a response this way would help people understand the situation much better. Unfortunately a lot that I have read could have been separated into people who follow and write about Liverpool daily and people who write about them every-now and then.

I was as surprised as anyone when Fernando Torres made it clear he wanted to talk to Chelsea. The fans were upset and rightly so, the Spaniard had been brought into the family at Anfield and his wish to join an arch rival was unforgivable to the Kop faithful. Outsiders have criticised Liverpool fans after all he was born in Madrid and has never made a secret of his love of his first club Atletico. You only ever support and love one club ! If he can leave them he can leave anyone. Whilst this is true he didn't have to spend his three and a half years on Merseyside talking as if he did love Liverpool just as much. Frequent comments and interviews talked about the similarities he found between the two teams, talk of only ever playing for one English club came up. If as fans we are stupid for believing a player that has been deemed a nice and genuine bloke by many that have interviewed him then I'm as guilty as the next man. Once bitten twice as shy.

Could you really blame him though, the evil that was George Gillett and Tom Hicks had lied to Fernando. This wasn't the club he had signed for, promises had been broken. But they had also been telling lies to the fans and they weren't receiving £100,000+ a week for their troubles they were still having to pay out there hard-earned money to watch the club. From the summer of 2008 just a year after he had signed till the end of the last summer transfer window the cowboys had a net spend of minus £10.35 million that's the proper spending not the fantasy talk that Andy Gray and Martin Keown would have you believe. Having also acquired regular large sums of money from qualifying for the Champions League in the previous 5 years and they went on to do so again that season finishing 2nd. Throughout 5 transfer windows over 2 years they had made a profit but were still expected to close the gap on more established rivals and others with more financial backing in order to compete for the league and Champions League positions. With the sales of Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano, El Niño felt that the club was going backwards. Of course it was, selling players of a high-class calibre and having to bring in replacements for a fraction of the price. The number one aim was to cover the debt repayments and not win trophies. Rafa Benitez has received a lot of criticism in the press, injuries in his last 12 months at the club the worst in his 6 years, left Liverpool 7th. The players that were brought in weren't bad players and were very good value as many are showing now but the English media had there scapegoat and they were sticking with him. Top 4 finishes were expected on bottom 4 budgets.

Having spoken to a journalist as this was unfolding he said to me that Torres had asked Man City in the summer of 2009 to come back in for him the following summer. That summer Liverpool had finished 2nd but it was obvious to him inside the club that things were on the slide. Many have said that his body language and lack of form in the last 6 months indicated he has wanted out for a while. Since when the likes of Jamie Redknapp found time to study body language remains unknown, I thought body language was a very difficult subject to master but all of a sudden everyone's an expert. Players body language changes regularly through out a game depending on whether the play falls for them or not, that's just human emotion. Some only break into a wry smile when they score. The only times you would see a happy Torres was when he was scoring goals, the fact that Fernando is a quiet lad would emphasise this all the more. How often did Eric Cantona or now Dimitar Berbatov operate on the pitch with a Cheshire grin. That is not to say he didn't look disheartened at times but so would you forced to chase endless long balls like a headless chicken. Having been injured at the end of last season and played through the World Cup not fully fit it was always going to take time for Liverpool's number 9 to get up and running, the lack of a proper pre-season for the third season was bound to take its toll.

Then came Roy Hodgson, a lack of effort was blamed by many on the striker, but tactics so poorly suited to him and the team more than showed. Long ball after long ball was pumped either into the air for the lone front man to try to win or regular punts down the line to run after. When two were played upfront the lack of one to drop off and link up the play happened all to often. With Liverpool sitting back and not keeping possession the lack of support for Torres was very apparent. It was all very Sunday League. In 21 games Torres scored 6 goals that's 0.28 goals per game (gpg). Enter King Kenny and a return to the high pressing and passing game of the Rafa years. Balls played on the floor past the defence to run on to and passes to feet. The forward scored 3 goals in 5 games (0.6 gpg) and hit the woodwork twice.

The timing of his move to Chelsea has been the one that has upset the Liverpool fans the most. He was not allowed to leave last summer whilst the sale process of the club was taking place. But many felt with new owners and a new manager that understands the club, things were on the up. But clearly Torres feels he hasn't got the time to wait. The timing has a lot to do with Chelsea after all it was them that made the late bid ensuring that Man City had already made their striker move in the transfer window bringing in Edin Dzeko. But could things have not waited till the summer ? Not in Abramovich's eyes or Torres's who see this as a chance to win the Champions League this season. The leaving of Fernando Torres was more about the player as a symbol of the club than the actual player himself, everyone has a price. For a player that turns 27 next month with a history of muscle problems, £50 million is a massive gamble. History shows players that rely on their pace but played heavily when younger rarely have much impact entering there 30's. Michael Owen was 25 in 2005 when Newcastle paid £16 million for him 4 years later he left for nothing having only played 71 times. Ronaldo was 30 when he left Real Madrid in 2007 he played just 20 times for AC Milan in 18 months.


Was Chelsea a good move ? Well only time will tell but joining a club that will need heavy investment in the near future due to an ageing squad is perhaps not the wisest. Financial Fair Play rules will ensure that this isn't the start of another mass spending spree for the London side. Tactically it doesn't make much sense either Torres has always performed better as a lone striker, trying to fit him and Didier Drogba into the same side won't be an easy task. To get the best out of Torres the team needs to be built round him as it was at Liverpool and Atletico Madrid. Are Torres best years behind him anyway ? Will he ever hit the heights that he did under Rafa Benitez ? 72 goals in 116 games (0.62 gpg) under Rafa was due to a number of reasons, a player at his peak, tactics suited to his style of play and a manager that provided in-depth analysis on opposing defenders. One of Rafa's strongest points is his ability to get the best out of pacy striker just ask Samuel Eto. Rafa's time at Inter might not have been his finest moment but the Cameroon striker returned to the goalscoring form that we had previously seen at Barcelona. Could Rafa be the next Chelsea manager as some have suggested. Well if he is that won't be because of Fernando Torres who was reported to have been one of the senior players happy to see the back of him at Liverpool.

Some have said that spending £50 million on a world-class striker is no more short-term than spending £35 million on an unproven striker on the last day of the transfer window. But this is ignoring obvious factors. I had heard from a journalist that Newcastle had agreed a fee on the Friday for £25 million in principle. Mike Ashley difficult to deal with ? Who would have thought. However as this can't be proved here are the other factors. Andy Carroll is a 22-year-old English striker with potential that has not been seen in an English forward for a while, well since Manchester United paid £27 million for an unproven Wayne Rooney in 2004. Taking into consideration inflation I don't remember to many criticising that deal. With rules changing for more homegrown players to be included into squads, English players will continue to be more expensive than there foreign counterparts. The sell on factor is a big influence for John Henry and his gang. In 3 years time both Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez will still be able to command fees for in the region of which they were brought. Will Torres at 30 years old ?


Why couldn't Liverpool not just save the money until the summer where better value could have been found ? Well from this summer Financial Fair Play rules will start to be taken into consideration. Teams will only be able to spend what they have earned in revenue or what they have earned from player sales. Having been in communication with the excellent Swiss Ramble, I am now aware that both Chelsea and Liverpool like all clubs will have there transfer fees amortised meaning that the transfer fee and wages will be added up and divided by the length of there contracts. This will show up on there accounts for the length of Torres, Carroll and Suarez's stay at there respective clubs which if contracts are seen out is the next 5 and a half years. It would have perhaps been better from a financial aspect for Liverpool to have waited, however the criticism the new owners would have taken from the media and the fans meant that immediate action was required. Both in selling a player that could potentially disrupt the dressing room and in buying a replacement. Had they not brought Andy Carroll they would have been labelled the same as the previous owners, selling one of the best players without adequate replacements.

The deal was best for all parties in the end but would he have been better at Man City ?

Well as a side that is still tactically evolving with younger players, then it might have suited him better. The 4-3-3 system that Roberto Mancini operates would have suited him as the lone striker, perhaps with Tevez and Silva playing off him. In 18 months time it's debatable what the difference between Liverpool and Chelsea will be. The gap is a lot more likely to be bigger between them and Man City than it is between the two of them, as City have invested heavily in the last 3 years to put there future on a stronger plane. Both on and off the pitch David Silva would have made things easier for Fernando. But Chelsea are in the Champions League now !
The short-term thinking suggests that Torres himself knows he may not be at his highest level in 3 years time it was now or never. A certain other fast striker left Liverpool in 2004 at the end of a transfer window. Stating he wanted to win the Champions League and Premiership. That season Liverpool won the European Cup for a 5th time. Since then he has had continued injury problems and only has a Carling cup to his name. He will probably secure a Premiership trophy this season but at 31 years old and only a bit part player will he really feel he has a) deserved it or b) even have played enough games to qualify for a medal. One thing that did stand out as the world-class Spanish striker arrived at Chelsea 15 or so fans were their to greet him. Meanwhile at Melwood in the region of a hundred supporters, mobbed and chanted songs at their new unproven number 9.

Would a trophy for Fernando Torres at Chelsea or even Liverpool mean as much as one for Atletico Madrid who last season won the Europa League ?

Racing Santander sack their Manager

Miguel Angel Portugal must have heard the whispers. The new owner needed a new coach. Ignore the fact that Portugal had been in the upper echelons of Real Madrid management and knew the Spanish league like the back of his hand. It didn't matter. The club had gone winless in seven matches. They are a point above relegation, and so the new owner needed to make a public splash and so today the embattled tactician was sacked.

Reports are stating that former Racing manager Marcelino Garcia Toral is the front runner for the position. It's a top-tier job all of a sudden and the higher echelon managers are going to give it a whirl, or you would think, Marcelino was considered to be one of the brighter minds in world football just three years ago, but has anyone mentioned the fact that Rafa Benitez would be perfect with a blank check-book and an eye for talent?

It may not be the sort of job that instantly enamors, but this could the start of a much brighter and competitive league. Hopefully they decide on the right leader.

'Special One' to 'Spanish One': Was Rafa's time at Inter fair to judge ?

As the newly crowned World Club Champions arrived on the turf in the early hours of the morning at the Malpensa airport the fans chanted "resta con noi rafa benitez, resta con noi" (stay with us). Massimo Morratti wasn't listening though he had made his mind up a while ago, just giving the Spaniard an extended stay to ensure the team went to the United Arab of Emirates without anymore disruption. The fans were not unanimous in their backing of the manager but then they rarely are at any club in the world. But as at Liverpool there was more than half that wanted him to continue at the club. For the critics/media they can't get their heads round it, these foolish fans with their support of a manager that is clearly under-performing, how can you take a treble winning side that has won the league for the last 5 years and have them sitting in 7th after 15 games, the "league doesn't lie" is an old favourite.

Sometimes the league just deceives ! Although the strongest squad generally takes home the title at the end of the season and deservedly so, if an injury crisis ravages through a team, how can we judge correctly that the manager hasn't been up to the task ? The fans watch their side week in week out, sometimes (only sometimes) it's worth taking note why they have such faith in a manager when to others it seems so mad.

Money

Internazionale are not the Internazionale of old, financially they cannot continue to lose money season after season. A profit of €32.8m was made in the summer, with €28m arriving in the coffers from the sale of daft hat wearer Mario Balotelli. In comparison to Mourinho's two seasons at the club where he had a net spend of €38.6m over his tenure this includes the Ibra/Eto swap deal which would have given him a considerable amount to reinvest. Promises of being able to bring in players has clearly been broken, not for the first time in the last 2 years Rafa had been lied to. Meanwhile AC Milan brought in Robinho for €22m and Ibrahimovic on loan on the provision of signing him in 2011. Michel Platini criticised Italian clubs for spending so much and warned them of the Fair Play Rules that are soon to arrive, for once he wasn't on about Inter. When Manchester United won the treble in 1999 they then made a net spend of £16m, which is more than you realise given it was eleven and a half years ago. When Barcelona won the treble in 2009 they invested €39m and on top of that the Ibrahimovic deal which estimated between £50-£70m. Both these sides went on to win the league the following season, but if Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola think treble winners should invest heavily in new blood who am I to disagree.

Record

Having played 25 matches overall, Rafa won 12 of them, with 6 drawn and losing 7. A win ratio of 48% not as high as he's 53% at Valencia or his 55% at Liverpool but not as unreasonable as some would have you think and having only been given 6 months. One of the managers linked to replace him Leonardo had a win ratio of 47.92% in his single season at rivals AC. Hardly seems fair that he is the bookmakers 2nd favourite does it ? As it stands Inter are 7th, (13 points off the top) with 2 games in hand on everyone else a win in those 2 games would see them 7 points off the league leaders. Last seasons Bundesliga double winners and fellow Champions League finalists Bayern Munich currently sit in 5th position in Germany and are 14 points off the pace with no games in hand. They to are feeling the effects of last year with injuries, motivation, tiredness all contributing but they havent had to contend with a change of manager or ideas.

Injuries

Inter have suffered terrible injuries this season, partly due to such a long season last year including the World Cup, ageing squad and the tough pre-season that Rafa had them undertake during the summer. But luck also plays a huge part and for that no one can deny Benitez has been out of it in this area. Whilst other clubs in Serie A have had long injuries none have had as many to key players as Inter. Julio Cesar, Maicon, Walter Samuel, MacDonald Mariga, Thiago Motta, Sulley Muntari, David Suazo, Wesley Sneijder (after he fainted at half time against Brescia), Dejan Stankovic, Diego Milito, Goran Pandev, Esteban Cambiasso have all missed parts of the season to varying degrees. Along with Samuel Eto's suspension after doing a Zidane. He can hardly be accused of not getting Jose's team playing as he has rarely had his team to play. Out of 25 games Rafa has been without his 1st choice goalkeeper 11 times, had lost his first choice centre back in early November for the season (after which they lost 3 out 5 league games, before had only lost 1 in 10), had star striker Diego Milito and attacking full back Maicon for 15 games a piece. Last season Mourinho was without his 1st choice goalkeeper just 3 times in the whole of the season, Walter Samuel made 42 appearances and both Milito and Maicon made a combined total of 104 appearances. Lucky Mourinho ?

Squad

With the sale of Balotelli, Inter brought in Brazilian Coutinho who looks a very good player but at 19 is new to Italian football. As Balotelli had his disagreements with the great man manager Jose and wasn't first choice it's often perceived he played a little less than he did but in total he made 40 appearances including 11 goals. Currently in Inter's playing squad they have 15 players in the 30+ age bracket, if Arsene Wenger was in charge there would be some very short contracts at the San Siro. Just 6 players in the 24-29 (peak years ?) area and 7 players in the -21 age range (3 of which were brought in during the summer). Rafa did say he felt the squad was unbalanced and more players were required in the 24-29 range, would it not make sense for a club struggling financially to have players with a sell-on value ? Over at the city rivals often deemed as Dad's Army they have 13 players of 30+, 8 players in the 24-29 and only 2 players in the -21 one of which Pato is now in his 4th season with the club. The new arrivals in the summer and new manager who is experienced within the league helping give them a new lease of life but for how long ?

Tactics

Under the old regime Inter played a not to dissimilar formation to the one currently being deployed. A 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 are seen in games throughout and formations will change subtly in a match and depending on whether in possession of the ball or not. The real differences have been between the sitting deep and looking to counter attack of Jose and the high pressure and high line of Rafa. Had he just kept things as they the same would they have not been ok ? Try telling Samuel Eto that the change in position to his favoured central one and the high pressure up field hasn't helped him score 19 goals in 18 games (3 more than in the whole of last year). Like Fernando Torres he's game, due to his pace is helped massively by being instructed to close down defenders high up the pitch rather than re-grouping behind the ball. But that's one player what about the other 11 players that started the Champions League final in Madrid ? Well apart from the fact the personnel has been ever-changing, when a manager believes in their system they will rarely deviate from it. Wenger and Guardiola both stubborn in the way they wish to manage their teams and styles of play. That's not to say that tactics shouldn't be tailored slightly to suit the squad at your disposal but Carragher and Hyppia were never Carl Lewis and they coped fairly well with the high line defence.

Media

In this aspect Rafa probably hasn't helped himself mis-timed comments and public spats with managers he has replaced or been replaced by have not helped him warm to the critics. However if your record and ability to do your job was called into question would you not defend yourself ? Especially when much of what is being said is untrue as with much of what was said by the English based managers. It seems that Rafa isn't allowed to comment and should have concentrated on Inter, but its ok for Alex Ferguson, Harry Rednapp and Roy Hodgson to talk about him and his time at Liverpool. Likewise Jose will talk about Inter regularly in press conferences but no one ever seems to say he should focus on Real Madrid. In terms of taking renowned owners head on maybe not the wisest but if my senior bosses continued to lie to me and didn't show me support, hinting about replacing me, I would certainly speak up and hold my own. Or would you prefer a spineless manager, a yes man to take the fall when things have certainly changed. Wouldn't want the fans knowing what a piss poor job you were doing of running their football club would you. Had Rafa not took the cowboys who used to run Anfield to task many supporters and media outlets would not have known that the club was being run into the ground.

I'm not saying Rafa Benitez was necessarily the right man for Internazionale. All of a sudden he was sitting in the favourites chair having been used to being in a close outsider one. Like his last 3 years at Liverpool it shouldn't just be judged on results but also the circumstances surrounding them results to get a clear and fair picture. What I am saying, is there was certainly more to the change of Inter's standing than just the change of 'Special One' to the 'Spanish One'.

Álvaro Arbeloa: Seriously underrated

When the second Galactico era was embarked upon the world of superstars that arrived were some of the best in football. The best player in England, Italy and France all set sail for the Santiago Bernabeu. But who was the best value for money ?

In the summer of 2009 when Liverpool Football Club sold a number of players all the talk was how will they replace the experience at the back of Sami Hyypia and the midfield master that can land a pass on a piece of chewing gum Xabi Alonso. Would they miss a reliable full back ?

When Rafa Benitez is argued about amongst fans as to the success and failure of his transfer purchases one player is often overlooked in either list.

That man is Álvaro Arbeloa !

He's game often goes unnoticed as he doesn't possess the attacking dynamism of a Dani Alves or a Maicon. His modesty and the fact he is a very likeable person almost adds to the way he slides under the radar. Fans of clubs in which he has played for certainly appreciate what he does. He is the sort of player that even rival fans don't take a dislike too, most would just say he is alright. The ability to not cause offence even when wearing the colours of a hated enemy is rare and should be commended. He is in a sense the perfect squad player as you won't find him complaining that he isn't in the starting line up. He is happy and comfortable to speak to the media, he is honest and rarely has a bad word to say against anyone.

Having signed for Real as a teenager he left the club for Deportivo La Coruna in search of first team football. As he stated this was the only reason he left, it was inevitable that if he reached the desired level that his career would go full circle and he would one day return to Madrid. The fact that it happened so soon was the biggest surprise, he was only ever away for 3 years. He signed for Liverpool at the age of 24 but having only ever made 22 first team appearances. Such was the faith shown in him by Rafa Benitez that he made his full debut for the club in the Champions League at the Nou Camp against the reigning champions Barcelona. Not only this but he was deployed at left back to mark the rising star of the time Lionel Messi. This tactical move to counter the predominately left footed Messi against a right back helped nullify the effect of the little Argentinian and helped the reds to a 2-1 victory. He went on to help Liverpool to the final that season and to a second placed finish in the English Premiership in 2009.

Having only 12 months left on his contract he returned home in the summer of 2009 for the more than bargain fee of £5 million. A player that is versatile across the back, he has since played a number of games at left back. His hopes for the future are to win trophies at club level having been part of Spain's European Championship and World Cup winning squads. As it stands he isn't Jose's first choice at either full back position with Sergio Ramos and Marcelo currently favoured. However a recent injury to Ramos should give Arbeloa a number of opportunities, where he will be more than happy to step in. An unsung hero that will rarely have a nightmare, the consistency of the player could almost see his name changed to Arbeloa 7. Although not the most attacking at his time at Liverpool (possibly for tactical reasons) he has been seen ploughing forward a lot more in the famous white shirt. Step overs, tricks and more positive runs have crept into his game.

Having been such a late developer he has still managed to play for some of the top managers in world football. Joaquín Caparrós, Rafa Benitez, Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho have certainly helped the defender improve his game to reach the potential that he possessed as a youngster. One thing all these managers will surely agree on is that for all the media and hype that surrounds some players, that Álvaro Arbeloa is seriously underrated.

A Prayer before Firing

When Guillem Balague wrote his book Season on the Brink, a tale of the unlikely victory by Liverpool in the Champions League Final, no one expected that title to hold sway on the Reds again so quickly, and for such different circumstances.All season, Benitez has been under fire by the American owners, by the Liverpool faithful, and by pundits who generally give Liverpool a wide berth, but much of the criticism is of his own making. I won't get into his rotational policy. All European managers, or at least the successful ones, rotate players in and out for different competitions. His problem lies simply in that he has failed himself.Rafa Benitez did not beat AC Milan by himself.

He had a backroom staff that he brought over from Valencia, led by Chief Scout and ex-Merida and Albacete coach Paco Herrera, assistant and fitness coach Pako Ayesteran, and goalkeepeing coach Jose Ochotorena, who have all left since that victory in Istanbul. Ochotorena returned to Valencia to become their goalkeeping coach under apparently amicable circumstances, and Pako Ayesteran famously left under a cloud, as his friend and confidante Benitez threw him under the bus, taking away much of his authority as an administrator and trainer for the club. Ayesteran was also widely seen as a good cop to Rafa's bad cop to the players, and his presence or lack thereof has been mentioned by some as a reason why the club have underperformed, but frankly these are professionals.

They shouldn't need coddling by an understanding and sympathetic assistant.I believe the primary reason why Benitez is under fire is that he never adequately replaced Paco Herrera who left to become Sporting Director at RCD Espanyol, and with ex-Periquito Ernesto Valverde, he has taken the Barcelona club to within a breath of the La Liga leaders.Benitez on the other hand has been in charge of a revolving door of washed up players like Bellamy, exuberant workmen like Dirk Kuyt, and not-ready for prime time players (yet) like Ryan Babel. He lucked into Mascherano and had the brilliant signing of the new decade in Fernando Torres.

Now, obviously I'm no Liverpool fan, and I'll probably get the most flack I've ever gotten with this post.Just know that I've been following Benitez since before his Valencia days, as he was about to take over from Cuper, and I sided with him in his battles against Mourinho (see one of my early posts on this blog in fact), but I can't see where this will end well for him.We can blame the media for a perceived bias against Scouser Nation, or the lack of support from the new foreign owners, but ultimately Benitez has failed himself. He had a staff in place to deflect criticism and share responsibility which allowed him to do what he does best: develop tactics to defeat his opponents. Rather than continue with his winning formula, he never adequately replaced his backroom staff.