Having lifted Liverpool from a dreadful lethargy by scoring the opening goal against Sunderland last week and followed up with a half- decent display for England at Wembley, Peter Crouch ought to be a shoo-in for a starting place at Chelsea today. But in the wacky world of management as practised by Rafa Benitez, Crouch might yet find himself on the bench, even though Fernando Torres is injured and Dirk Kuyt still upset after the death of his father last June.
If former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri was the Tinkerman, Benitez is the Mad Axeman, chopping at least four or five players every game in the name of rotation or just to keep people on their toes. So Crouch responds with a nervous laugh when asked if he is confident of making the line-up at Stamford Bridge.
He says: "I don't know about confident. I started the last game, did well and scored. But with our manager it's not a case of whether you've done well in the last game but how he feels the next game is going to be. So I have no idea."
Crouch tries to present himself as the good professional but he is clearly fed up to the back teeth. He says: "I'm not going to lie, it's frustrating. I feel I've taken my chances when they have come but I'd like to be playing a bit more. I do feel I'm in the manager's plans, though, and will play enough games towards the end of the season to warrant staying."
One may be Spanish, the other Italian. But in the way they handle their team selection and announce it to their players, Steven Gerrard reckons Rafa Benitez and Fabio Capello might have been separated at birth.
Not only did Capello keep his England players sweating almost until it was time to get changed, à la Rafa, when the squad saw the team sheet, there were gasps of: "Blimey, is he playing?" and "I can't believe so-and-so has been left out".
Gerrard, delighted to be Capello's first captain, said: "He is very like our manager in the way he keeps things close to his chest. We didn't know the team until two hours before kick-off. We didn't have a clue and I don’t think anyone in the country would have guessed that team."
If former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri was the Tinkerman, Benitez is the Mad Axeman, chopping at least four or five players every game in the name of rotation or just to keep people on their toes. So Crouch responds with a nervous laugh when asked if he is confident of making the line-up at Stamford Bridge.
He says: "I don't know about confident. I started the last game, did well and scored. But with our manager it's not a case of whether you've done well in the last game but how he feels the next game is going to be. So I have no idea."
Crouch tries to present himself as the good professional but he is clearly fed up to the back teeth. He says: "I'm not going to lie, it's frustrating. I feel I've taken my chances when they have come but I'd like to be playing a bit more. I do feel I'm in the manager's plans, though, and will play enough games towards the end of the season to warrant staying."
One may be Spanish, the other Italian. But in the way they handle their team selection and announce it to their players, Steven Gerrard reckons Rafa Benitez and Fabio Capello might have been separated at birth.
Not only did Capello keep his England players sweating almost until it was time to get changed, à la Rafa, when the squad saw the team sheet, there were gasps of: "Blimey, is he playing?" and "I can't believe so-and-so has been left out".
Gerrard, delighted to be Capello's first captain, said: "He is very like our manager in the way he keeps things close to his chest. We didn't know the team until two hours before kick-off. We didn't have a clue and I don’t think anyone in the country would have guessed that team."
No comments:
Post a Comment