Here is what I think is a very good article on Rafa and this current Liverpool side.
I thought it desereved a topic of its own and would stimulate some optimism and knowledgable chat.
Rafa's Red Grinding Machine
The adjective that was perhaps most often applied to Rafa Benitez's Valencia side was "unfancied": an unfancied style of play, an unfancied sort of club and certainly not a club that anyone would have fancied to win La Liga twice in three years.
Yet, despite the apparently inherent unfanciability of the club, it became known as the "crushing machine": a side that dominated games and crushed the opposition, with the players working as a single unit for a singular cause. It might not have had the stars that other sides had, but Rafael Benitez brought something that the others didn't have and couldn't buy: league titles.
Liverpool under Benitez has been a work in progress for much of his tenure; although conversely the Spaniard has proved his abilities on the European stage and the club now stands at the head of UEFA's list. All the same, the comparatively poor showing in the domestic league has given rise to cries from some quarters that "Rafa does not understand the English game".
However, as Benitez surveys the league table a quarter of the way through this season, it's from a position 3 points ahead of their nearest rivals Chelsea, who have just surrendered to Liverpool an unbeaten run of home games that stretched back to February 2004. The side that Rafa built is delivering domestically at long last.
The change has been subtle, but the results marked: this is a side that grinds out results through gritty resolve and determination. Liverpool have fallen behind four times in the league this season and have then gone on to win. Whilst crushing victories may not yet be an integral part of the Reds' repertoire, there's no denying that the Liverpool of 08/09 is fast gathering a reputation as a grinding machine, an unfanciable side that gets results.
To find the roots of this, one should perhaps go back to December 2004, to a side relying on third-choice strikers and sheer single-mindedness that battled its way through the group stages of the Champions League. In the final game of the group stage, Liverpool were out of the competition with 45 minutes to go. They needed three goals and it was hard to see where they'd come from; however, a couple of inspirational substitutions and a moment of magic from Steven Gerrard proved that determination could overturn the odds.
The progress to the final was marked by similarly dogged battles and was perhaps best summed up by a tale recounted by Five Live's Alan Green: as the press corps flew to watch Liverpool defend their 2-1 lead at Juventus, the talk was of how Chelsea would cope with the Italians in the semi-final, so certain were the Reds to crash out of the competition. Yet, even with the unfancied Igor Biscan standing in for a suspended Steven Gerrard, a dogged 0-0 saw the stage set for an all-English semi-final which still stands as one of Benitez's best tactical victories.
And then, of course, there was the 'miracle' of Istanbul: 3-0 down at half time and ol' big ears still came home - and it certainly wasn't because Liverpool were the best footballing side. It was that dogged determination again, perfectly expressed by the magnificent Jamie Carragher, who saved the team again and again in extra time, despite the inconvenient fact that he should have been on the treatment table. History was made by a perfect blend of the astute tactics of Benitez and the grit and determination that has defined Liverpool teams down the years.
Yet whilst the European performances have been outstanding, the domestic showing has not been so fabulous and that perseverance has not been translated to the league. To an extent, that could be attributed to the fact that Benitez has been working against two clubs that have massive spending power and can field an array of world-class stars, whereas Liverpool have been shopping at the cheaper end of the transfer market. Similarly, there have been accusations that the drive to win may not have been there week-in, week-out, with the mentality perhaps being that lowlier sides would succumb rather than having to be ground down.
Taking the latter point first, it may be that the addition of Sammy Lee has been the final major piece in the jigsaw: whilst he may not be the world's most tactically astute manager, he's one of football's best motivators. That's certainly showed through in several games so far, when the side has been behind heads have stayed up and the desire to win has overcome the opposition. In simple terms, determination and sheer belief have ground out results and the fusion of Scouse heart and Spanish genius seems to be working well.
Historically under Benitez, Liverpool have proved a very difficult side to beat: a siege mentality set in and the fruits of a concerted fitness programme saw red players chasing down their attacking opposition in numbers until the very last minute. What was perhaps lacking was the ability to move forwards and strike the killer blow: the addition of Fernando Torres last season certainly improved this, but the accusation that the side had become a two-man team prevailed.
Questions still remained about some players in the squad, with the "tireless" Dirk Kuyt in particular being singled out as someone who simply wasn't of "Liverpool quality": yes, he might run his socks off and have an incredible workrate but that wasn't considered enough to win trophies. This, of course, overlooks one simple but fundamental point: players do not win league titles - teams do. And that's where Benitez is king.
The defeat of Chelsea may prove to be pivotable; and it is certainly an illustration of what Benitez has created. With the absence of the talismanic Torres, Liverpool were shorn of their greatest goal threat, a loss that lead many to believe that a draw was the best that could be achieved. Again, this overlooked one vital point: one man does not make a team - and it was a team that Benitez fielded, not a collective of star footballers.
The victory at Stamford Bridge is perhaps Liverpool's most significant game in the league in a decade: the Reds got back in numbers, chased down whichever Chelsea player had the temerity to have the ball and - more importantly - on several occasions the red hoarde flowed forwards in a fluid movement with the ball being interchanged between players who seemed to have a telepathic link. And finally, the belief and perseverance broke through the glass ceiling that hadn't seen an away win against a top side for what seems like an age.
The grinding machine's attack starts from its defence; its defence starts from the attack - indeed with the "tireless" Kuyt proving exactly why Benitez bought him. Despite the lack of goals so far, Robbie Keane has proved to be another vital cog in the machine: the team may contain several unfancied players, but the end product is still the side that's standing at the top of the Premier League. As someone once said, you don't have to buy the best leg you can buy for the table; you have to buy the leg that fits the table.
Tactical flexibility has finally been made to work: shifting to what was in effect a 2-4-4 when you're 2-1 down and your defence is suffering at the hands of the league's most in-form striker is possibly not the most obvious of switches but it worked, perhaps through belief as much as logic. And then there's what could perhaps best be described as a 'lockdown': when the side is protecting its lead with a few minutes to go, on comes a third central defender and the game is put to bed. It's not so much parking the bus as akin to a shopkeeper pulling down the shutters and locking the door so he can get on with counting the takings and taking stock at the end of the day: thank you for playing against us, but the game's over now, whatever the referee may think.
This Liverpool side is not yet a purveyor of pretty football: yet it is grinding out results with a regularity that's not been seen from Liverpool at this stage of the season for some time. Perhaps for the first time, Rafael Benitez has got the team he wants: a team of players working hard with the determination to win every game; a team that understands each other and plays the sort of fluid football that their maestro wants; and most importantly, a side that beats with a scouse heart that just won't accept defeat.
While Benitez's usual expression may be that of a poker player who gives nothing away, he must be quietly confident with progress so far: his creation is now delivering its potential; the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, even when its stars are missing. And at the back of his mind, Benitez must be looking forwards to letting the team off its leash and allowing the unfancied grinding machine become the new red crushing machine: make no mistake about it, this is only the beginning.
This article has been taken from the offal.
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