We have reached a stage in the title race when only wins will do.
So it was a surprise selection that Rafa Benitez came up with for the trip to Portsmouth – and at 2-1 down a second defeat would have seriously hit our title hopes, especially as Manchester United won again the following day at West Ham.
In the end, however, he got the win the Reds needed, albeit with goals from two of the players he rested in Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres, so you have to pat him on the back.
You can see his point in wanting to rest players.
Kuyt has played in most games this season, while Torres is still feeling his way back after a long injury lay-off. The other factor he possibly considered was that Pompey are a bad side.
Perhaps, therefore, it wasn’t such a gamble to rest key players – but they still had to play crucial parts to get the result.
You can’t complain after coming away with the points, but the Reds generally are not scoring enough goals, and that has been happening too often this season.
It’s a fact that, with Steven Gerrard sidelined, the only player capable of scoring regularly is Torres.
I have always felt that you must play your best team. The one Benitez put out was not a good side, although I am quite happy with what he did, providing the result is right.
But it was only when Kuyt and Torres were introduced that we really started to threaten the home side.
On top of that, the zonal marking policy is rubbish. Players keep failing to pick up men and the goals are being conceded, particularly from set pieces. It’s not just been a problem this season, either, and has often put us on the back foot chasing games.
It’s a different game from my day, and you can understand the manager trying to protect his players, but you wonder what Torres could have done if he had been playing for half an hour.
The title race is still wide open. While United have a game in hand, they still have to play us at Old Trafford, and that is a problem – for them! We know that a win there can swing the pendulum our way.
It won’t be easy, of course, but there’s no better incentive than winning the title.
So it was a surprise selection that Rafa Benitez came up with for the trip to Portsmouth – and at 2-1 down a second defeat would have seriously hit our title hopes, especially as Manchester United won again the following day at West Ham.
In the end, however, he got the win the Reds needed, albeit with goals from two of the players he rested in Dirk Kuyt and Fernando Torres, so you have to pat him on the back.
You can see his point in wanting to rest players.
Kuyt has played in most games this season, while Torres is still feeling his way back after a long injury lay-off. The other factor he possibly considered was that Pompey are a bad side.
Perhaps, therefore, it wasn’t such a gamble to rest key players – but they still had to play crucial parts to get the result.
You can’t complain after coming away with the points, but the Reds generally are not scoring enough goals, and that has been happening too often this season.
It’s a fact that, with Steven Gerrard sidelined, the only player capable of scoring regularly is Torres.
I have always felt that you must play your best team. The one Benitez put out was not a good side, although I am quite happy with what he did, providing the result is right.
But it was only when Kuyt and Torres were introduced that we really started to threaten the home side.
On top of that, the zonal marking policy is rubbish. Players keep failing to pick up men and the goals are being conceded, particularly from set pieces. It’s not just been a problem this season, either, and has often put us on the back foot chasing games.
It’s a different game from my day, and you can understand the manager trying to protect his players, but you wonder what Torres could have done if he had been playing for half an hour.
The title race is still wide open. While United have a game in hand, they still have to play us at Old Trafford, and that is a problem – for them! We know that a win there can swing the pendulum our way.
It won’t be easy, of course, but there’s no better incentive than winning the title.
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