Another weekend, another milestone – Pepe Reina’s enduring consistency will be recognised this afternoon when he makes his 100th consecutive Premier League start for Liverpool.
It is, of course, a feat achieved before in the club’s illustrious history – 15 others have done it since 1892, the most recent being David James – but, in an age when reliable keepers are needed like never before, it demonstrates the level at which Reina has been operating.
And this season, it’s safe to say he has never been better. During a campaign that has tested the patience of even the most understanding soul, Reina’s outstanding performances have ensured he – quite rightly – has been exempt from any criticism.
Yet that will come as no solace to this fiercely competitive individual. As well as he has been playing, to suggest Reina has taken any satisfaction from a string of top drawer displays is nonsense.
When Steven Gerrard revealed after Tuesday night’s draw at Wolves that “players were hurting in the dressing room” apart from talking about himself and Jamie Carragher, his phrase could easily have been coined with Reina and Fernando Torres in mind.
Such an attitude has helped him become a hugely popular figure on the terraces and a hugely influential presence in the dressing room; he, like Torres, might hail from Madrid but, in the same way as his compatriot, Reina has immersed himself in Liverpool’s ethos. He understands the way supporters are thinking.
That’s why it’s never a surprise after every big win to see a picture of him celebrating; it’s why Reina will charge 80 yards from his goal to join in celebration huddles or, as was the case on Boxing Day against Wolves, he will hurtle the length of the pitch if he feels Liverpool have been wronged.
He is, quite simply, the complete package – if he wasn’t, Rafa Benitez, a man not known for handing out lavish praise at the drop of a hat, would not have said what he did recently.
“Goalkeepers will make mistakes at some point – that is clear,” Benitez pointed out. “But when we talk about the value of Pepe here, you really have to think only about Ray Clemence.
“He was one of the best keepers in this country for years and years and you see that if you analyse his figures. But then you look at Pepe.
“Three Golden Gloves awards in three years, fantastic records, doing well with a very good mentality.
“In a top side you have to be a top keeper and have great character. He is always pushing his team-mates and he is a leader on the pitch too.”
With all that in mind, then, it is no wonder talks are on-going about signing a new long-term deal; when you have such a valuable commodity, the only sensible thing to do is protect it and Reina deserves any rewards that will come his way.
This has been a hugely exasperating transfer window; true, not much business has been done elsewhere but both Manchester City and Tottenham, Liverpool’s main rivals for a Champions League spot, are trying to spend.
To preserve the club’s place in the top four, you might have thought that, with a striker needed, Liverpool would have given Benitez some fiscal help – why, for instance, could a deal not have been struck with Bordeaux for Marouane Chamakh or with Standard Liege for Milan Jovanovic?
Both men are poised to become free agents and both want to come to Liverpool, so why no deal? After all, a Champions League place is up for grabs now, not in the summer.
Obviously, that is a completely different argument but if Benitez can’t recruit from outside, some comfort would be taken if he could do the deal he wants most of all.
Gerrard and Torres were both tied down on long-term contracts in the summer, likewise Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun.
Clearly Reina should be a part of Liverpool’s future as he is one of the best in the world – sooner rather than later, his must be the one signing the club has to make.
It is, of course, a feat achieved before in the club’s illustrious history – 15 others have done it since 1892, the most recent being David James – but, in an age when reliable keepers are needed like never before, it demonstrates the level at which Reina has been operating.
And this season, it’s safe to say he has never been better. During a campaign that has tested the patience of even the most understanding soul, Reina’s outstanding performances have ensured he – quite rightly – has been exempt from any criticism.
Yet that will come as no solace to this fiercely competitive individual. As well as he has been playing, to suggest Reina has taken any satisfaction from a string of top drawer displays is nonsense.
When Steven Gerrard revealed after Tuesday night’s draw at Wolves that “players were hurting in the dressing room” apart from talking about himself and Jamie Carragher, his phrase could easily have been coined with Reina and Fernando Torres in mind.
Such an attitude has helped him become a hugely popular figure on the terraces and a hugely influential presence in the dressing room; he, like Torres, might hail from Madrid but, in the same way as his compatriot, Reina has immersed himself in Liverpool’s ethos. He understands the way supporters are thinking.
That’s why it’s never a surprise after every big win to see a picture of him celebrating; it’s why Reina will charge 80 yards from his goal to join in celebration huddles or, as was the case on Boxing Day against Wolves, he will hurtle the length of the pitch if he feels Liverpool have been wronged.
He is, quite simply, the complete package – if he wasn’t, Rafa Benitez, a man not known for handing out lavish praise at the drop of a hat, would not have said what he did recently.
“Goalkeepers will make mistakes at some point – that is clear,” Benitez pointed out. “But when we talk about the value of Pepe here, you really have to think only about Ray Clemence.
“He was one of the best keepers in this country for years and years and you see that if you analyse his figures. But then you look at Pepe.
“Three Golden Gloves awards in three years, fantastic records, doing well with a very good mentality.
“In a top side you have to be a top keeper and have great character. He is always pushing his team-mates and he is a leader on the pitch too.”
With all that in mind, then, it is no wonder talks are on-going about signing a new long-term deal; when you have such a valuable commodity, the only sensible thing to do is protect it and Reina deserves any rewards that will come his way.
This has been a hugely exasperating transfer window; true, not much business has been done elsewhere but both Manchester City and Tottenham, Liverpool’s main rivals for a Champions League spot, are trying to spend.
To preserve the club’s place in the top four, you might have thought that, with a striker needed, Liverpool would have given Benitez some fiscal help – why, for instance, could a deal not have been struck with Bordeaux for Marouane Chamakh or with Standard Liege for Milan Jovanovic?
Both men are poised to become free agents and both want to come to Liverpool, so why no deal? After all, a Champions League place is up for grabs now, not in the summer.
Obviously, that is a completely different argument but if Benitez can’t recruit from outside, some comfort would be taken if he could do the deal he wants most of all.
Gerrard and Torres were both tied down on long-term contracts in the summer, likewise Daniel Agger, Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun.
Clearly Reina should be a part of Liverpool’s future as he is one of the best in the world – sooner rather than later, his must be the one signing the club has to make.
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