Ryan Babel - all of a sudden has become a crucial member of the squad

[Iver]

God forbid, but if Torres picks up another injury, which is not beyond the bounds of possibility by any means, the only other option we have in the squad, who offers a bit of pace upfront, is Babel.

 

N'gog is pacey, but completely unproven.

 

With the departure of Keane, Babel's has assumed a very important position in the squad.

 

I hope he is up to it, if / when called upon, but on the basis of the form and attitude he has shown so far this season, I am not overly confident.

 

I think it is absolute lunacy letting Keane go, without bringing in a proven alternative, when we find ourselves in a position to realistically challenge for the title for the first time in almost twenty years.

[mathewbet1]

If we have to rely on Babel we are grand royally f ooked.

[Florist Cinema Pond Goal]

Going on what's happened this season should Torres be unavailable/rested, looks like Kuyt will be the one to come in as he was away at Blackburn and at home to Hull and Stoke. Cue heart in mouth moments every time Fernando enters a 50-50 challenge.

[Ombudsam]

you could have just used "Babel" as the subject line.

[smithdown]

Aye, let's all hope he plays really well and helps his team-mates.

[Ombudsam]

Going on what's happened this season should Torres be unavailable/rested, looks like Kuyt will be the one to come in as he was away at Blackburn and at home to Hull and Stoke. Cue heart in mouth moments every time Fernando enters a 50-50 challenge.

 

I agree. It will be Kuyt up top with Yossi on the right

[Florist Cinema Pond Goal]

you could have just used "Babel" as the subject line.

 

Not as catchy.

[abuusayd]

Babel already wanted out this season (although on loan), which says a lot of how he sees his career going with Liverpool.

[Dule]

I Really dont know why people have written off Babel as a striker when they have only seen him play the position 2-3 times for us, and thats recently.

 

Rafa has always said that Babel would be moved up front when we dont need him on the wings. With Yossi and Kuyt playing well on the right, now with Keane leaving, i can honestly see him playing up front and actually taking his chance if his started up front.

[madaboutlfc]

hes shown that he is uncomfortable with his back to goal

[Nebraska Red]

hes shown that he is uncomfortable with his back to goal

 

 

he's not that happy with his front and sides to goal either.

 

i have no great hopes as to him doing a good job for us, but i would love him to prove me, and many others, wrong.

[John am Rhein]

Stick with 1 up front (Torres), but get in a decent back-up player for that position. Obviously he's hardly going to be world class or he wouldn't be a back up player.

 

Certainly don't waste money on crap like Ribery or anyone else valued because of his 'width'.

[GWistooshort]

Babel already wanted out this season (although on loan), which says a lot of how he sees his career going with Liverpool.

 

Because he wanted to play more 1st team football - he should get that chance now

[uppsala]

you could have just used "Babel" as the subject line.

 

How many chances has this gob***te had for us.

Lets just call it like it is, Babel is NOT good enough for liverpool F.C.

its that simple.

And we are talking about having him as a striker .f..f.s.

[stonty]

How many chances has this gob***te had for us.

Lets just call it like it is, Babel is NOT good enough for liverpool F.C.

its that simple.

And we are talking about having him as a striker .f..f.s.

 

 

 

Sad but true, he's another Mark Gonzalez.

[Stevie H]

kevin mccarra's piece today is about right.

 

Benítez must get back to making team his first priority

The Liverpool manager will need to be at his tactical best if his side are to win the Premier League

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/...-premier-league

 

Rafael Benítez never stops being a tactician. The win over Chelsea had no sooner been completed than the Liverpool manager was honing his strategy on another front. Someone asked if there had been a Tottenham bid for Robbie Keane. "Officially I don't know," he replied. You had to admire his craft. Only a virtuoso could plant far-reaching doubts with so few words.

 

Without lurching into a crass outburst he had made his audience think yet again about Anfield's tensions and spheres of influence. The prospects of Benítez signing a new contract are hard to make out when so much is clouded at Liverpool. We have still to learn if George Gillett and Tom Hicks can complete a sale of the club. More pertinently for most fans, it is not known if Benítez will secure the absolute control he seeks over transfers.

 

The issues will have to be resolved eventually, but they ought surely to be shelved now that no further footballers can be bought or sold until the summer. Benítez has already been a distraction for Liverpool as well as a leader, but he is not guilty of the charge that is usually laid against him: the allegation that the attack on Manchester United last month had instead sabotaged his own team's form was the wrong complaint to make.

 

Benítez was surely trying to encourage the referee Howard Webb to be sceptical about the Old Trafford team and its manipulative manager on the weekend when Chelsea came to face United. He was not to know Luiz Felipe Scolari's team would be so weak that a relaxing win for the Premier League champions was inevitable. It is hard, all the same, to see why this trivial affair should unsettle the Liverpool squad or break Benítez's concentration.

 

The real harm was done when he left his own position open to speculation. Professional footballers may not care very much who the manager happens to be, but they are averse to instability because a newcomer might decide to get rid of them. For a while Liverpool did lose their focus. It was an affront to Benítez's sense of himself as the arch-organiser that Everton should score from set-pieces.

 

He and his squad must regain focus. The reported annoyance that Gareth Barry was not bought in the summer ought to have been forgotten by now, particularly since Liverpool are well-equipped with deep-lying midfielders. Every ounce of his concentration is needed to make the most of his players, since they alone have a faintly plausible hope of beating United to the title.

 

One of Benítez's key tasks is to replace a footballer he has not appeared to want of late. Keane did badly for Liverpool and will have to accept much of the blame. He was, in essence, asked to be an attacking midfielder, sometimes stationed towards the left, who tried to combine with the lone striker Fernando Torres. That was not radically different to his role at Tottenham, where he played behind Dimitar Berbatov, but Keane seemed flummoxed.

 

It is an area of the team that will continue to be crucial to Liverpool's ambitions. Far too much rests with Gerrard and it looked a burden to him on Sunday. Torres decided the game and, if he remains fully fit, will broaden the side's repertoire. Nonetheless, it will take more than that to pursue United. Keane, in a sense, has to be replaced even if he did happen to be utterly unwanted when a couple of recent squads were being picked.

 

If there is to be any challenge to United other figures will have to exert an influence that eluded Keane. Dirk Kuyt, for instance, has to earn plaudits for more than just industry. Yossi Benayoun would also be cherished if he regularly perked up the side as he did as a substitute on Sunday.

 

With Keane gone, it will not suffice for Ryan Babel to be Albert Riera's understudy. The young Dutchman cost £11.5m in 2007 and was then considered a leading footballer in the making, but his form has meandered off course. Any hopes of a League title will depend on such players and, above all, Benítez himself performing at the peak of their powers.

[stonty]

kevin mccarra's piece today is about right.

 

Benítez must get back to making team his first priority

The Liverpool manager will need to be at his tactical best if his side are to win the Premier League

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/...-premier-league

 

Rafael Benítez never stops being a tactician. The win over Chelsea had no sooner been completed than the Liverpool manager was honing his strategy on another front. Someone asked if there had been a Tottenham bid for Robbie Keane. "Officially I don't know," he replied. You had to admire his craft. Only a virtuoso could plant far-reaching doubts with so few words.

 

Without lurching into a crass outburst he had made his audience think yet again about Anfield's tensions and spheres of influence. The prospects of Benítez signing a new contract are hard to make out when so much is clouded at Liverpool. We have still to learn if George Gillett and Tom Hicks can complete a sale of the club. More pertinently for most fans, it is not known if Benítez will secure the absolute control he seeks over transfers.

 

The issues will have to be resolved eventually, but they ought surely to be shelved now that no further footballers can be bought or sold until the summer. Benítez has already been a distraction for Liverpool as well as a leader, but he is not guilty of the charge that is usually laid against him: the allegation that the attack on Manchester United last month had instead sabotaged his own team's form was the wrong complaint to make.

 

Benítez was surely trying to encourage the referee Howard Webb to be sceptical about the Old Trafford team and its manipulative manager on the weekend when Chelsea came to face United. He was not to know Luiz Felipe Scolari's team would be so weak that a relaxing win for the Premier League champions was inevitable. It is hard, all the same, to see why this trivial affair should unsettle the Liverpool squad or break Benítez's concentration.

 

The real harm was done when he left his own position open to speculation. Professional footballers may not care very much who the manager happens to be, but they are averse to instability because a newcomer might decide to get rid of them. For a while Liverpool did lose their focus. It was an affront to Benítez's sense of himself as the arch-organiser that Everton should score from set-pieces.

 

He and his squad must regain focus. The reported annoyance that Gareth Barry was not bought in the summer ought to have been forgotten by now, particularly since Liverpool are well-equipped with deep-lying midfielders. Every ounce of his concentration is needed to make the most of his players, since they alone have a faintly plausible hope of beating United to the title.

 

One of Benítez's key tasks is to replace a footballer he has not appeared to want of late. Keane did badly for Liverpool and will have to accept much of the blame. He was, in essence, asked to be an attacking midfielder, sometimes stationed towards the left, who tried to combine with the lone striker Fernando Torres. That was not radically different to his role at Tottenham, where he played behind Dimitar Berbatov, but Keane seemed flummoxed.

 

It is an area of the team that will continue to be crucial to Liverpool's ambitions. Far too much rests with Gerrard and it looked a burden to him on Sunday. Torres decided the game and, if he remains fully fit, will broaden the side's repertoire. Nonetheless, it will take more than that to pursue United. Keane, in a sense, has to be replaced even if he did happen to be utterly unwanted when a couple of recent squads were being picked.

 

If there is to be any challenge to United other figures will have to exert an influence that eluded Keane. Dirk Kuyt, for instance, has to earn plaudits for more than just industry. Yossi Benayoun would also be cherished if he regularly perked up the side as he did as a substitute on Sunday.

 

With Keane gone, it will not suffice for Ryan Babel to be Albert Riera's understudy. The young Dutchman cost £11.5m in 2007 and was then considered a leading footballer in the making, but his form has meandered off course. Any hopes of a League title will depend on such players and, above all, Benítez himself performing at the peak of their powers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Good read but Gerrard didn't look burdened to me, thought he relished it & had a great game

[Magic8Ball]

I Really dont know why people have written off Babel as a striker when they have only seen him play the position 2-3 times for us, and thats recently.

 

Rafa has always said that Babel would be moved up front when we dont need him on the wings. With Yossi and Kuyt playing well on the right, now with Keane leaving, i can honestly see him playing up front and actually taking his chance if his started up front.

actually Keane going opens opportunities the everyone - at least now we'll end the debate of where Babel is best used. We've seen him as a LA and soon we'll see him as a striker. It's his chance to play where he wants, let's see if he has the talent and mentality to take that chance, if he does we're quids in.

[richwilks]

Let's hope we see Pacheco in the first team squad for the rest of the season.

[uppsala]

Sad but true, he's another Mark Gonzalez.

 

 

Tell me if we the fans know he is NOT good enough for the club,how is it rafa does not know?

And he persists in playing this waste of space?

[Rimbeux]

kevin mccarra's piece today is about right.

 

Benítez must get back to making team his first priority

The Liverpool manager will need to be at his tactical best if his side are to win the Premier League

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/...-premier-league

 

Rafael Benítez never stops being a tactician. The win over Chelsea had no sooner been completed than the Liverpool manager was honing his strategy on another front. Someone asked if there had been a Tottenham bid for Robbie Keane. "Officially I don't know," he replied. You had to admire his craft. Only a virtuoso could plant far-reaching doubts with so few words.

 

Without lurching into a crass outburst he had made his audience think yet again about Anfield's tensions and spheres of influence. The prospects of Benítez signing a new contract are hard to make out when so much is clouded at Liverpool. We have still to learn if George Gillett and Tom Hicks can complete a sale of the club. More pertinently for most fans, it is not known if Benítez will secure the absolute control he seeks over transfers.

 

The issues will have to be resolved eventually, but they ought surely to be shelved now that no further footballers can be bought or sold until the summer. Benítez has already been a distraction for Liverpool as well as a leader, but he is not guilty of the charge that is usually laid against him: the allegation that the attack on Manchester United last month had instead sabotaged his own team's form was the wrong complaint to make.

 

Benítez was surely trying to encourage the referee Howard Webb to be sceptical about the Old Trafford team and its manipulative manager on the weekend when Chelsea came to face United. He was not to know Luiz Felipe Scolari's team would be so weak that a relaxing win for the Premier League champions was inevitable. It is hard, all the same, to see why this trivial affair should unsettle the Liverpool squad or break Benítez's concentration.

 

The real harm was done when he left his own position open to speculation. Professional footballers may not care very much who the manager happens to be, but they are averse to instability because a newcomer might decide to get rid of them. For a while Liverpool did lose their focus. It was an affront to Benítez's sense of himself as the arch-organiser that Everton should score from set-pieces.

 

He and his squad must regain focus. The reported annoyance that Gareth Barry was not bought in the summer ought to have been forgotten by now, particularly since Liverpool are well-equipped with deep-lying midfielders. Every ounce of his concentration is needed to make the most of his players, since they alone have a faintly plausible hope of beating United to the title.

 

One of Benítez's key tasks is to replace a footballer he has not appeared to want of late. Keane did badly for Liverpool and will have to accept much of the blame. He was, in essence, asked to be an attacking midfielder, sometimes stationed towards the left, who tried to combine with the lone striker Fernando Torres. That was not radically different to his role at Tottenham, where he played behind Dimitar Berbatov, but Keane seemed flummoxed.

 

It is an area of the team that will continue to be crucial to Liverpool's ambitions. Far too much rests with Gerrard and it looked a burden to him on Sunday. Torres decided the game and, if he remains fully fit, will broaden the side's repertoire. Nonetheless, it will take more than that to pursue United. Keane, in a sense, has to be replaced even if he did happen to be utterly unwanted when a couple of recent squads were being picked.

 

If there is to be any challenge to United other figures will have to exert an influence that eluded Keane. Dirk Kuyt, for instance, has to earn plaudits for more than just industry. Yossi Benayoun would also be cherished if he regularly perked up the side as he did as a substitute on Sunday.

 

With Keane gone, it will not suffice for Ryan Babel to be Albert Riera's understudy. The young Dutchman cost £11.5m in 2007 and was then considered a leading footballer in the making, but his form has meandered off course. Any hopes of a League title will depend on such players and, above all, Benítez himself performing at the peak of their powers.

 

 

Pretty much spot on I'd say

[Maldini]

Let's hope we see Pacheco in the first team squad for the rest of the season.

 

You never know. He's been fantastic for the reserves in recent weeks. He's still very young though, he has bulked up a bit though. It'd be an atypical move for Rafa to throw him in.

[Bigal]

Tell me if we the fans know he is NOT good enough for the club,how is it rafa does not know?

And he persists in playing this waste of space?

 

maybe, he doesnt agree with you.

[johngibo YPC]

Stop...........

[Bigal]

Stop...........

 

get on to the Park, see if they can produce the Babel time trousers