I've mixed feelings this morning. On one hand it's good to note that someone but the mancs is leading the Premiership. On the other hand, losing in such a pathetic manner especially when we had only 2 games at home this season is a bitter pill to swallow. Let's put things in perspective. Would I have sacrificed the game against Chelsea prior to knowing that both Spurs and Man City won? No. I have to admit though that knowing the final Champions League spot was out of reach by the time we kicked off, the thought of losing didn't bother me all that much. Sure it was annoying to watch Drogba suffering from his usual bout with low pain threshhold syndrome, and Kalou battling against bad balance disorder but knowing that Villa lost and Everton drew made is that much more bearable.
So we now find ourselves in 7th and Everton drawing means that we'll finish no lower than 7th even if we lose to Hull next week. If anyone took the piss out of Rafa for complaining about the fixtures this weekend, you can take your foot out of your mouth now. Rafa cited potential problems with motivation given the different kickoff times with teams battling for the title or a spot in Europe, knowing crucial results of other games prior to their respective kickoff times. We went into the game against Chelsea knowing that we'd finish 6th at best and 7th at worst. Either way, we'd be in the Europa League regardless of who wins FA Cup. It looked at though the lads knew it as well. They played with little motivation and looked disinterested at times. Well, can you blame them?
QUOTE(led_zep_freak @ May 2 2010, 11:08 PM)
2) Rafa. I admire to him to be honest. Really really admire him. There are not many managers out there who would come into a club and announce that he wants to building a long-term future. Him going all the way to gain control of the academy and overhaul it have shown his genuine interest in youth development. And he knows what he's talking about, having a good track record in Real Madrid B (???? I stand corrected). Some of his younger players like Insua, Lucas and N'gog have shown potential. But the question is, can this overcome Rafa's shortcomings? I'm on the fence for this one but what makes the dilemma even tougher is that if Rafa leaves, who will be our replacement? We can't afford proven coaches like Jose, so are we ready for another gamble?
He has indeed put emphasis on the importance of having players from the academy play more competitive games. He and Mourinho were the only managers who proposed that teams be allowed to field a second team in the lower leagues, like they do in Spain and they were criticised for it. Let's not get into another round of discussions. The bottom line is simple. More Spanish players have come through the ranks than English ones. Spain are currently seeded second in the world and have recently won the European Cup. What have England got to show?
QUOTE(led_zep_freak @ May 2 2010, 11:08 PM)
3) Rafa mentioned that we need 5-6 players to bring our team back on track. In a way I do agree, seeing that Voronin and Dossena haven't got their replacements yet. Aurelio too even for his standards had a injury hell of a season and Degen is simply not good enough. Rafa had to gamble on free transfers like them and sometimes it pays off sometimes it don't. In Aurelio's case, it has but I'm afraid we desperately need a reliable LB. In Degen's case, a flop.
Before the season began it was 3 players. This isn't an indication of progress then. Voronin and Dossena not having replacements? Well I figure that Agger and N'Gog are at least as good if not better in those respective positions.
QUOTE(led_zep_freak @ May 2 2010, 11:08 PM)
4) Age. We have an aging squad, not at Chelsea's level but we're slowly approaching there. Kuyt, Carra, Benayoun and Gerrard are in their 30s next season and ask yourself this, do we have potential replacements for their positions? Gerrard - Aquilani? Carra - Skrtel? Benayoun/Kuyt - (Couldn't be Rodriguez and definitely not El Zhar)? Still early days to worry but next 2 seasons are gonna be the transition to their successors. Will they be able to step up to the challenge?
Any thoughts and comments are welcomed.
It's depressing really because when we won the Champions League back in 2005, we had a relatively young squad. Players like Baros, Cisse, Traore, Gerrard, Carragher, and Risse were all in their mid-20's back then. It just reinforces the fact that we've not got enough talent coming through the ranks. Our bench is a joke at the moment. Ayala looks far from ready for first team action and he's said to be the most improved of our young uns, and do we really expect Nabil El-Zhar or Daniel Pacheco to change the face of the game? We had nothing to offer going forward against Atletico especially after we lost Kuyt.