The Official Paul Tomkins Thread

Excellent read as always, gives you even confidence for next season.  Rafa really does know what he's doing, thats why IRWT 

Great read and a point of view of the silly season. Seems to me like Tom's been floating round a few forum's

Maybe a few know-alls will have a read and gain some sense from this column. This is why I like Tomkins, He always gives Rafa and the staff the credit they deserve which a lot of misguided people think he is just kissing Rafa's ass and being blinded by optimism. That is not the case at all. Everything he ever writes has reason and an explanation, and he never "dreams" about how he would run the club compared to most pundit's and columnist's.
Which is why I think it is important everyone give Rafa the credit he deserves over the summer, rather than saying you would have done a better job.

IRWT

Long may you write about Liverpool football club Paul your insight broadens the mind. Thanks mate.....

Tremendous journo he is.

As for you Poolgiants, before i thought of you as just a pessimest, but now your just pain low mate. To compare Tomkins to Goebbels is absolutely insane, they have bloody no common trait except for both being journalists.

Absolute tit you are and a lucky man if your not reported beyond this website.

TOMKINS: ARE WE WATCHING THE SAME TORRES?
Paul Tomkins 25 June 2008


Watching Liverpool players in Euro 2008 brings to mind the difficulties any manager faces when bringing new players to his club.

It's fairly clear that the Fernando Torres playing for Spain does not look like the player we see for Liverpool. And it's a common phrase in football: "He just doesn't look the same player." It often happens when a player is taken out of one environment and placed into another.
 
It brings to mind John Barnes playing for England. Exceptional for Liverpool in the late '80s, he just couldn't replicate his form for his country, even against moderate opposition. He wasn't treated the same by the fans, he had less licence to roam, and received far less of the ball.
 
Ian Rush at Juventus wasn't happy, confident and settled. He was a different player. The same is a risk every time a player joins Liverpool. If players as good as Barnes and Rush can suffer in different teams, then any player can.
 
A player is largely a product of his environment, and all the interactions therein; he does not act alone. He is helped to look good, or bad, by his own efforts, but also by his teammates and his manager, and a myriad other factors. Different diet, tactics, lifestyle, training, expectations, home life, teammates, crowd, philosophy, language etc, all impact on the player. All affect his psyche.
 
Torres for Spain is not playing against better defenders than he faced against Chelsea and Arsenal, yet he scored against those teams on three occasions. He is not playing against better defenders than he faced in Champions League games, but after a slow start he scored regularly in Europe for the Reds.
 
How the manager treats a player affects his confidence. When I watch Torres for Spain, I sense that he doesn't feel totally trusted by Luis Aragones, or comfortable in the style of play. It's like he has no idea when, or indeed if, a pass will ever come; his runs off the ball are less assured. The possession is so controlled, so patient, that at times it appears to have no aim other than keeping the ball. Cesc Fabregas has twice come on and been prepared to hit forward passes, but both times Torres has been taken off.
 
But that's not to say that Spain are wrong to play that way. Every team has its own way of playing. When it works for Spain they can take teams apart, and they are having their best tournament for 24 years. It's about what works for the team, and Torres has played a part, all the same, by occupying defenders and trying to make things happen when he gets a chance. He's a threat, a player who cannot be left unmarked. It's not that he's playing badly, just that he doesn't look the player we've grown accustomed to seeing.
 
It's like Steven Gerrard and the issue of his best position –– it's the result that counts, not the performance of a single individual. If Spain do well without getting the best out of Torres, where's the problem?
 
I laugh when I hear that Gerrard is 'wasted' on the right or playing behind Torres as it's 'not his best position'. Since when is a player getting a lot of goals, and creating even more, in a team that's doing well, a waste? In 2005-06 Liverpool were struggling until Gerrard moved to the right wing. Then last season, the best run of results came after Gerrard was moved into a semi-striker role, playing off Torres, for the last few months of the season.
 
In neither case it was purely down to where Gerrard played. But it was clearly a major factor. It wasn't his best position, but at the time, it was the best position for him in the team.
 
In any system, it's impossible to get 100 per cent out of every player. Someone's effectiveness –– particularly if we are talking about creative players –– will always be compromised somewhere along the line if players with similar skills are in the side. For example, play an exceptional right winger and the left winger might not get as many touches. And of course, for England, Lampard and Gerrard have shown that they cannot both play their natural game if they are paired together; one always has to hold off.
 
With Gerrard in his role behind Torres, you lose the box-to-box drive. So part of his game is compromised. But if Gerrard being at 80 per cent effectiveness –– which is still a hugely impressive talent –– enables Torres to be near to 100 per cent of his, then that can have a better overall result. Gerrard and Torres together seem to exceed the sum of already impressive parts.
 
It's all about the balance, and that includes players who are in the team to help others shine. Holland had some hugely talented wingers in reserve, but why did Marco Van Basten, a supreme individual talent as a player, keep picking Kuyt on the right, and keep getting results with him? Kuyt was a big part of the dismantling of world champions Italy and runners-up France.
 
Admittedly, Kuyt didn't last long against Russia, but Holland got a better 'result' -- were unbeaten -- when he was on the pitch. It was no coincidence that Torres said a few weeks ago that Kuyt's efforts for Liverpool were 'sensational' and that he was a player who helped him score so many goals.
 
Going back to a player's psyche, it was also no coincidence that Kuyt's form dipped after the death of his father. I wonder how many of us could shrug off such a major life-changing event, and the loss of our biggest supporter, particularly when we are still relatively new to a different country? But the man has character, and eventually he bounced back.
 
But there are still issues with Liverpool in wide areas that will be addressed this summer. From what I've observed, it seems that pace, and attacking verve, from full-back will be a key addition to the style of play next season.
 
With two holding midfielders, the full-backs become important for getting width, while the 'wingers' are then freed to drift infield to create chances or go for goal.
 
While Riise was a good attacking left-back, he was more inclined to drift inside to look to shoot rather than go outside his man. I felt Riise was under-appreciated at times, and certainly in 2005-06 he was extremely solid in the position, while a year later he scored some vital goals, particularly from left-midfield.
 
But he seemed to lose his way a tiny bit last season - and I can't say that I'll miss his free-kicks! After that wonderful one against Man United in 2001, he was sometimes more of a threat to the opposition's wall than its goal, although he did curl in a couple of peaches.
 
His one-footedness was also frustrating –– if only he trusted his right foot in the way he did at the Nou Camp, when he didn't have time to think. However, he gave his all, and I felt that he was, on balance, a very good player over the past seven years. But his exit is a sign of the changes taking place at the club this summer, as Benítez reshapes his squad.
 
Happily, it seems as if all of Rafa's key players are fully committed to the club –– unlike the Reds' three main rivals.
 
All are facing a lot of change this summer. Chelsea have a new manager, while they, Arsenal and Manchester United are fighting to hold onto key players who are looking to play elsewhere. Liverpool don't have that unrest. Some good players may leave, but Benítez will be keeping those he sees as important for his plans.
 
All three rivals will have money to spend as a result, should those moves come to fruition, and of course Chelsea have money to spend regardless. After a series of ins and outs they may all end up stronger. But it could take time, and with Flamini already gone, if players like Ronaldo, Hleb and Lampard follow, not to mention one or two others, it could leave weaknesses in those teams.
 
It took Hleb two years and Flamini three to get into their stride, so replacements won't necessarily slot straight in. But of course, those are their problems; from Liverpool's point of view, I expect a number of the younger players to do as that Arsenal pair did, and grow as players in the coming seasons.
 
While, like most Reds, I'm hoping for some quality additions, I'm looking to see players like Babel and Lucas, who improved as last season progressed, step up another gear, and two or three youngsters from the reserves to push harder for games after making waves last season.
 
The return of Daniel Agger will be like a new signing, too. His passing and movement with the ball from the back adds another dimension to Liverpool's play. I can't express how important I think Agger is, and how undervalued he is outside of the club.
 
And if Torres takes his goalscoring form from the second half of last season into the start of next season, I feel there's no need to get too uptight about what does or doesn't transpire in the transfer market.

Great article as always from the greatest football journalist I know!

What worries me about the start of next season is that we will be without the forces of Mascherano AND Lucas due to Olympic call ups.  Does this mean Rafa should stick with Plessis and Hobbs maybe for the start of next season? or sign another holding midfielder?

Another vital aspect of next season

The return of Daniel Agger will be like a new signing, too. His passing and movement with the ball from the back adds another dimension to Liverpool's play. I can't express how important I think Agger is, and how undervalued he is outside of the club.

Quite right too with his pace alongside Carra or Skrtel we will finally have the key to getting back quickly if needed but with having the rocks Skrtel and Carra have provided in the short space of time they have played alongside each other.

I also think that the fact that the other big 3 losing key players will help out a bit but we have lost key players too and will play a different kind of football too with new idea which in turn will have an effect on the overall season, therefore no one has the advantage and the transfers are not over yet!

Tomkins on our Title Chances

It's become something of a Kop cliché to say 'this is our year'. Equally, the final pieces of too many Liverpool jigsaws have turned out to instead belong to Sunset At Sea or Midnight In Manhattan.

For starters, a missing jigsaw piece suggests a vacant hole – but no football team plays a season with ten men. As soon as you add a new piece to the jigsaw it has to replace one that was already in situ. We saw with Paul Ince's arrival in 1997 that the extra grit he brought to the side came at the expense of John Barnes' calm, composed passing.
 
All you can hope for from the manager is that, year on year, he strengthens the team and the squad, making it more competitive. There are no final pieces to football jigsaws, but there are players who can improve the team. And in Keane and Dossena, I feel there are two players who immediately do that.
 
As pre-season has gone on, the Italian left-back has impressed me more and more. He looks outstanding going forward: quick, skilful, strong, and with good delivery into the box.
 
I do find it funny when people accuse attacking full-backs of getting caught out of position; if he overlaps, as instructed, and the move breaks down, of course he'll be caught out. The key is that one of the holding midfielders is alive to it.
 
You can't expect proactive runs into space but the same player to also be at the other end of the pitch at the same time. Phil Neal was always told by Bob Paisley that once he went forward, to stay with the attack; it was then someone else's job to fill in.
 
There will inevitably be some negatives along the way this season, such as the irritating loss of three players to the Olympics, while of course, no-one can foretell problems and injuries that might arise. Even so, should there be no serious adverse luck – and all successful teams need good luck – I feel there are a number of reasons to believe that this can be the year when a serious challenge is made.
 
Firstly, Sammy Lee is back. Losing Alex Miller this summer was a blow, but Mauricio Pellegrino, like Lee, can add some fresh ideas and a new perspective.
 
Second, there's the return of Daniel Agger. At Anfield he often becomes an extra midfielder, and he will help break down all those teams that set up to defend. Above all, he's a quality ball-player. It is one cliché that is true: he is like a new signing, and a £20m one at that. Also, the presence of Martin Skrtel means Liverpool now have four excellent centre-backs, when for the first half of last season there were just two fit and available.
 
Third, there's the confidence the quartet of Spanish lads will have gained from their summer exploits. Of course, Torres in particular will be a marked man, and possibly liable to fatigue after a monumental 12 months, but I feel he will actually get better this season, providing he stays fit and can be kept fresh (which may mean more debate on rotation, but he cannot play every single match). The potential for improvement also applies to other young 2007 first-team signings, like Babel and Lucas, and even older ones, like Benayoun.
 
Fourth, the improvements hit upon in the second half of last season. We now know Gerrard, who developed an excellent understanding with Torres, can do the second-striker role to a high level if required, and that Kuyt can be very effective on the right of midfield. It all gives the manager more options.
 
Fifth, there's the quality of the young reserves, and how, one year on, they should be closer to pushing for a place in the first team; at the very least, at this point in their careers, they add serious depth to the squad, rather than merely making up the numbers.
 
And of course, finally, there's the new players signed this summer. As a result, the squad looks a lot stronger. Some good players have left, but on the whole even better ones –– and ones better-suited to the way Benítez wants to play –– have arrived. How quickly they settle will be important, but the blend now appears sweeter. Crouch's height will be missed at times, but Robbie Keane's contrasting style is more suited to partnering Torres.
 
I've come to really appreciate Robbie Keane over recent seasons. While no player is ever a clone of another, he does have aspects of Peter Beardsley in the way he plays these days; cleverness in deeper areas, sharp thinking, excellent movement, quick feet and an ability to weigh in with a very handy amount of goals; it all makes him the perfect second striker.
 
Once I stopped seeing Keane as an Owen-type 'out-and-out goalscorer' and more like Beardsley, his qualities made a lot more sense to me. He can create chances for himself and others, and regularly gets into the mid-teens for goals; he got 22 in total last season, but that included three penalties, and he may not take them at Liverpool. Even so, 19 from open play is a great tally for a second-striker.
 
Excluding the Gerrard/Torres axis that shone for the last few months of the season, it's been a long time since Liverpool have had a brilliant established pairing up front, but Keane has shown himself to be a 'partnership player'. He gives those quick, clever passes that a sharp fellow striker can thrive on.
 
It's not a cheap transfer for a 28-year-old, but sometimes you have to pay for a player who is especially suited to your style of play and meets your specific, hard-to-resolve needs. As with last summer and this winter just gone, Rafa, whilst given money to spend, has also raised funds by selling some of his earlier signings for good profits to keep improving the side.
 
Crucially, I see Keane as someone who can help the team exceed the sum of its parts. There's also his leadership skills and infectious personality, which are always worth far more to a side than a more talented but disruptive type.
 
Keane is yet another winner, another team player with great desire and dedication. It is no accident that the squad is filling up with such players, and the spine players –– Reina, Carragher, Agger, Skrtel, Hyypia, Mascherano, Lucas, Alonso, Gerrard, Torres, Kuyt and now Keane –– all possess such traits.
 
Then there's the need to solve a problem immediately. The long-term future may involve the talents of Ngog, Nemeth and Pacheco, who are three very special teenagers, but that trio, who incidentally cost peanuts, will need time to become regulars. While everyone at the club will be patient with them, the manager cannot just wait around until they are ready. If they prove themselves sooner rather than later, that's great, but Rafa has to strengthen the first team now.
 
From the clips I've seen and the pre-season games I've watched, Ngog, like Torres and Henry (both of whom started out slowly as goalscorers), has height, pace and skill, and it will hopefully be just be a matter of time before the scoring instincts that have helped him shine at youth level come to the fore. His pre-season goals could help him settle more quickly, and while raw, he looks a prospect.
 
With pace and skill added to the wide areas in the form of both new full-backs, Babel maturing nicely on the wing as last season progressed, and two lively forwards added, there's every reason to be confident ahead of the new campaign. The main weaknesses in the squad appear to have been addressed, there's more pace in all areas, while Keane can add a new dimension to the Reds' attacking play.
 
Quite where Gerrard will play once the lads are back from the Olympics I'm not sure. But his versatility will be crucial. If it's away from the centre, then the stronger the team is, the less isolated he will find himself. He did very well on the right in 2005/06, when he scored a lot of goals and the team bagged 82 points; with a better side this season, he could really thrive out there.
 
After all, no-one moans about Cristiano Ronaldo being 'wasted' stuck out wide; he roams, just as Gerrard does. This is a fluid Liverpool system.
 
Most importantly, the interchangeability and movement of the supporting front players –– Keane, Gerrard, Babel and Kuyt in particular –– will pose opposition defences innumerable problems.
 
Add Torres, who won't stray too far from a central position but will still offer world-class movement to drag defenders around, as well as picking the ball up in the inside-right and left channels to run at defenders, and the attacking play could easily improve again on last season, when 117 goals were scored in all competitions. The aim has to be to get a higher percentage of goals in the league, and Keane's arrival will help.
 
I'll admit that I'm still not a fan of Keane's various celebrations; call me old-fashioned, but I like to see a simple statement of pleasure and a beaming smile, as seen with Dalglish and Torres.
 
Having said that, I'm more than willing to get used to them. Should his goals, or just his all-round play, help to land that 19th league title, I'll happily consign myself to a hospital ward for the summer by (very foolishly) attempting to replicate his famed tumbling somersaults...

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/NG160862080811-1353.htm

I'll admit that I'm still not a fan of Keane's various celebrations; call me old-fashioned, but I like to see a simple statement of pleasure and a beaming smile, as seen with Dalglish and Torres.
 
Having said that, I'm more than willing to get used to them. Should his goals, or just his all-round play, help to land that 19th league title, I'll happily consign myself to a hospital ward for the summer by (very foolishly) attempting to replicate his famed tumbling somersaults...

I'm sure he won't be the only one!

I really respect this guy and I think the topic should be changed to "The Paul Tomkins Appreciation Thread" he has such a great football mind and reflects alot of my own and I'm sure many other Liverpool's fan's view about the club and the player's who make it happen.  I sometimes wonder why he goes on so much, but it's clear he is very passionate about the club and just wants to air his feelings and is spot on with the comments about N'Gog, Nemeth and Pacheco they will be stars of tomorrow and it will be a joy to watch them at this early stage of their careers.

He makes a good point about Agger too in saying that he is like a new player, just one we missed dearly last season and I hope he can stay fit for this campaign with injuries not being as harsh on his 23 year old body.



+1 to Tomkins, top man!

http://www.liverpoolfc.tv/news/drilldown/NG160956080818-1319.htm


Of course, the return of football is what we desperately desire. We cannot exist without it. But it can feel like a double-edged sword; can't live without it, but can't happily live with it at times, either. It often attracts and repels in equal measure. It makes us smile, but then rids us of our fingernails and turns our hair grey.
 
However, if the dark days of mid-season can end up resembling the humdrum routine of a bad marriage, with regrets of missed opportunities and little to look forward to, the opening day is the time when the possibilities are endless. This, we tell ourselves, could be the one.
 
With minutes to go until the moment of truth, the questions continue: Am I feeling strong enough for the rejection, the despair and, at times, the downright humiliation? Will I be let down? Will they turn up? Stress levels rise, nerves jangle, saliva fills the mouth and, in my case, the last few hairs ease themselves from my scalp like the pine needles from a Christmas tree at New Year.
 
But we never shy away, do we? The moment comes, and whether in person or purely in spirit, we are there.
 
And while far from pretty, and not exactly enjoyable – not to mention the 83 minutes of patient waiting to score – it wasn't that bad at all, was it? As the saying goes, I've seen worse...
 
At this stage it has to be noted that an away game to start each campaign is becoming a joke. It invariably means a home league game is postponed when the Champions League qualifier second-leg comes around, and Liverpool are already playing catch-up.
 
It's not an insurmountable hurdle, but it doesn't help, either. Nor does what I feel to be the nonsense of big players away at the Olympics. If top players must participate, have it as part of the football calendar, and cancel league games. Thankfully Ryan Babel is on his way back.
 
Ideally you want to go to noisy places like Sunderland after they've lost a few games, and also lost a bit of their inevitable early-season momentum; even if they'd won ten in a row, a place like that won't be bouncing more avidly than the opening day of the season. Home on the first day is the one fixture when every fan is in ebullient mood. In his five season openers, Rafa's yet to start at Anfield.
 
It wasn't the most attractive, but in the circumstances it was a very good result. After the Standard Liege game, when the Reds looked ragged and conceded some gilt-edged chances, it was a return to grinding out a result in a tough arena.
 
Make no mistake: Sunderland are much improved, having signed good Premiership players this summer, with several from Spurs, which can only help them settle more quickly. They played at a high tempo, but despite a bright start, Pepe Reina was barely worried.
 
The game came just three days after a frenetic Champions League qualifier on the continent, in which Alonso picked up a dead leg. It was played without Mascherano and Babel, two players who'd also be in everyone's strongest XI, and Lucas, another option in midfield.
 
And it was also played with Gerrard not 100% sharp after a stop-start pre-season, and the Spanish lads a little rusty having not played full matches since June. All of these things will be rectified in the coming weeks – players (from Beijing and injury) and sharpness will return.
 
In the circumstances, it was about keeping it tight, fighting for the right to play, and creating chances as the game wore on.
 
There was also Robbie Keane trying to fit into a new team pattern. His touches looked a little sharper, and I've no doubt he'll be an important player. But right now the spotlight is on him, and that can be tough. If the team starts winning games, he only has to keep contributing as part of the collective and then his own form, and goals, will come, as the pressure abates.
 
However, I do worry that the obsession with #19 is going to drive everyone insane this season.
 
I think it's crucial to not see the first bad result as an end to the title chances. But of course, I know that's exactly what will happen.
 
If Liverpool cannot afford the occasional slip-up in order to win the title, and even just one defeat will instantly doom the club to failure, then of course a 19th championship will be out of reach; because the pressure would be unbearable. And of course, that would mean whoever wins it is going to rack up 110 points, which isn't going to happen. All teams drop at least 20 points in a season. The key has to be to aim for a realistic nine or ten points out of every twelve.
 
I am already dreading the ‘game we should be winning to challenge for the title' mantra, trotted out after every slip-up as evidence of inferiority. It seems plenty of people would only exclude visits to Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and the Emirates from that statement. And yet the other 35 games Liverpool ‘should be winning' would result in 105 points if that proved correct. Which is ludicrous.
 
The truth is that all champions drop ‘silly' points, or have bad days at the office, or experience those afternoons and evenings when the play is great but the luck doesn't flow.
 
Places like The Stadium of Light and Fratton Park are often ones where a draw will actually do nicely. And believe it or not, sometimes this season a draw will do nicely. If we accept that now, then it will stop the lunging from optimism to despair. While I expect Rafa to try and win every game, I am already prepared for those days when it just doesn't happen.
 
Last season both United and Chelsea started very slowly, dropping plenty of points. But they found consistency from autumn onwards, and that's what Liverpool have to do. It's not about winning it in the first few weeks – or losing it. And even then, United slipped up as the season progressed, such as when losing at Upton Park over Christmas.
 
This Liverpool side can get more than 80 points, but more than 90 would mean a big jump. So if anything it needs to be a case of continued steady improvement, rather than blitzing the field. Being behind other teams isn't a problem, so long as the gap is not substantial.
 
Key summer signing Robbie Keane also has to be given time adjust. He is a clever player with natural confidence, and understands the league. But he now has a big price tag and a lot of expectations to carry; too much, if I'm honest. While I'm confident he will help the team improve yet further, he doesn't deserve to be called ‘the final piece of the puzzle' or ‘the man to land the title'.

After every player moves, he has to grow into his new environment. At his previous club he will have built up his confidence and authority over a period of time; in some ways, a change of club puts him back at square one, with a reputation to rebuild in a new context. It's also about growing more comfortable with team-mates, the coaching staff and the tactics, and getting on a roll.
 
I am bracing myself for yet more ‘rotation' nonsense in the media, too. In recent seasons Benítez has rotated no more than Alex Ferguson, and has also kept a strong core, despite what others suggest. If fit, key players play over 90% of Liverpool's league matches.
 
On Sky's Sunday Supplement, there were further mentions of Torres being left out of two games last season; using the games as examples, when in fact they were the only examples. Without irony, the journalists also admitted ‘well, he can't play every game...', without enlightening us to which kind of games they can't play. Their point seemed to be that Portsmouth away and Birmingham at home, at a stage when the Reds were playing well, was not the time.
 
But I might ask, when is the time? When the Reds are struggling? Er, no. Or against the best opposition? Er, no. Or in the run-in to the season? Er, no. Or when Torres, who'd just played two internationals prior to the Portsmouth game, hasn't just had a gruelling schedule? Er, no.
 
Looked at like that, and with his form later in the season aided by not being overplayed initially, it was the best time to rest him; unfortunately, the results didn't work out. But that's not when the title was lost. And I still maintain a point at Portsmouth was a good result; it's the sum total United have achieved there in their last two visits.
 
So with the new season comes the old bugbears and irritants (and for some people, that includes me). Am I ready for it? Well, as much as I'll ever be.
 
And is this 'the one'? We'll see. But for a first date, you can't ask for much more.

It seems the first paragraph is missing from your post...

TOMKINS: HEROES AND VILLAINS


Unfortunately, much of a Sunday as a football fan has to spent in front of a certain TV station. But to listen to the views expressed on Sky this weekend, you'd think Liverpool weren't in fact sitting second in the table, as the only title contenders to have faced two away games so far.
 
I'm actually far from Andy Gray's biggest critic amongst Liverpool fans. He talks some sense about many of the general truths of football, and does offer some insight – such as when noting how Liverpool's centre-backs dropped off Carew so that they could focus on the 'second ball'; this was excellent punditry, and not just because it was a positive point. But on Sunday it was the almost incessant drone of Gray's critical co-commentary, particularly in the first half, that was so offensive to my ears.
 
Later on in the day, Gray even managed to write off Benítez's European Cup win as 'irrelevant', suggesting anyone can win it. It was that kind of Sunday.
 
Although I mention my illness from time to time, the worst thing about not being able to go regularly to places like Villa Park (where I’ve been almost a dozen times over the years) is that the 'enjoyment' of a steady (but admittedly uninspiring), containing away display where the home team are kept at bay for the first 45 minutes is decimated by the constant harping on about every last detail of Benítez's management.
 
Villa, the home side who'd just spent £50m this summer, and who had no major players out injured (unlike Gerrard, and then Torres after 25 minutes), were doing nothing constructive with the ball, but all we heard was criticism of Liverpool. Had it been at Anfield I'd have said "sure, spot-on"; but at Villa Park?
 
With the Gareth Barry saga stoking the Villains, it was a far more hostile atmosphere than usual for this fixture, and in many ways a game that needed to be treated like a European away tie. An early goal for Villa would have ramped up the noise and made it very difficult to even get a point. I don't see the problem with containing the opposition for the first half, and quietening the crowd, when they are a good team playing at home with a distinct edge to the game; then, as the game opens up, exploit the space in the second half.
 
Maybe I'm a pessimist, but I just don't see that Liverpool have to win every away game bar Arsenal, Chelsea and United. When did drawing away at clubs with ambitions to break into the top four become a bad result? It was certainly a far better result than drawing at home to Newcastle or a struggling Spurs side, as United and Chelsea have already done, or losing at Fulham, like Arsenal have.
 
Villa rested six players against hugely inferior opposition in the UEFA Cup on Thursday, but Liverpool had to play 120 minutes against 'proper' opposition the night before that. So this was never going to be an easy game. In fact, I felt it was one the Reds could easily lose, and with this in mind, I was obviously fairly content at the end.
 
Performances have to improve, everyone can see that; but the quality of this team is not defined by what we've seen so far. We know that. Once again an international break disrupts the flow of a stop-start season, although for once the timing might not be too bad. And this time all other clubs are in the same boat, after the unfair Olympic situation.
 
Obviously getting the two key players fit is imperative. Torres and Gerrard are possibly the best in their respective positions in the world; you can't but help miss such attacking quality. You don't just have another couple like that lying around in the reserves – they don't even exist in other top clubs' first teams.
 
In that sense, the international break could be a blessing. Ryan Babel, whose fitness still doesn't look 100%, is another who may benefit from an extra couple of weeks of training and some games with Holland.
 
However, despite the validity of Gerrard's injury, a certain Sunday morning football chat show lambasted Benítez for the timing of the operation; how could he do so with important World Cup qualifiers looming, the guests asked, as if Liverpool should have timed it so that he instead definitely missed the Manchester United match.
 
It was agreed, with baffling unanimity, that Liverpool had acted improperly. I was flabbergasted.
 
Let's get some facts straight. Gerrard had already missed two stretches of preseason with the injury, which precluded him being able to start in Liege – a very important game for the Reds. As the employers who pay his wages, which are indirectly funded by Liverpool fans (not England's!), Liverpool have the right to decide when to put their captain under the knife for an essential operation. It's a no-brainer.
 
Why wouldn't Benítez chose a time that is most beneficial to him? And it's not like Liverpool themselves weren't going to pay some kind of price, with Gerrard forced out of the Villa game, if not more. Any injury needs treating sooner rather than later, so why should the club pay the potential price of the injury worsening just to benefit England? It's insane.
 
But what sickens me is that the club is being criticised for keeping a player out of international games when 50% of the Reds' senior midfielders – Mascherano and Lucas – were off in Beijing until this week. So Liverpool were hardly going to countenance an operation when two players who play in the very same position were away with their countries. It's illogical.
 
I'm in no doubt that International football has decimated Liverpool's preparations to the season. Four key players missed most of preseason because of their wonderful exploits with Spain; no other Premiership club lost that many players for that long, as Liverpool are the only 'Spanish' team.
 
It was a great achievement, and one I totally salute, but it also means that those players lost their sharpness at a later point in the summer with their break, and thus it'll be later to return. (The one exception is Pepe Reina, who has been superb so far, but as a goalkeeper it's a different story regarding fitness.)
 
Three further first-team players then went to the Olympics. I don't recall any other top club losing even two important players, let alone three. Add to that the injury that Ryan Babel picked up playing for Holland at the start of the summer, and how to me he didn't look fit enough to even be in Beijing, and it's added a significant handicap.
 
I have no problem with the international game. But it should never override the club game because clubs are the ones who employ the players, and whose fans generate the finance over ten months of a long season. That seems lost on some England-centric journalists.
 
With everything taken into account, the Villa game was always going to be tricky. A lot of fans rightly talk about the importance of the league, but some seem to have this misconception (as does Andy Gray) that Benítez favours Europe. You only have to see games like Wednesday's, and how hysterical the reaction would have been had the Reds not overcome the Belgians, to know how difficult the balancing act of a Liverpool manager needs to be.
 
Europe is seen as having less importance by some – but only until the club are faced with elimination. Then, all of a sudden, it's the most important thing in the world. As such, the manager had to give that game his full attention, and that won't have helped preparations for the trip to Villa Park. Ideally the tie would have been won in Belgium, but it wasn't to be after a bad night.
 
For the second leg Liverpool had to be slightly cautious because one goal conceded on the break would be costly. It was hard to go gung-ho with that in mind.
 
Rafa took a lot of stick for being negative, but he had two strikers up front, and a midfield comprising three attacking players –– Kuyt, Gerrard and Benayoun –– who scored over 40 goals between them last season, while Xabi Alonso nets more than almost any other sitting midfielder. (His record is almost twice as good as Didi Hamann's was during his stint at the club. And of course, Alonso even scores directly from the holding midfield area of the pitch.)
 
The start of the season is never about strutting about in style and winning plaudits not points, but getting results and gaining that extra sharpness; creating a solid platform to build on for when the team hits its stride. Excuse me for thinking it's a good start to see Liverpool in the group stages of the Champions League for the fifth successive season under Benítez, whilst having gained seven points from the opening three league games.
 
Like others I look forward to greater style and more goals arriving in due course – and I see no reason why it won't come when everyone's fit and sharp – but for now the ends totally justify the means.

Spot on as always 

My favourite writer on Liverpool fc,  he always seems to have an astute way of describing our club's state of affairs.

He is releasing a new book in october, which you can see if you visit his website, it's called "Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool". He will be analysing each manager since Shankly, and I'm sure giving the reader a balanced point of view. I will be buying it when it comes out. 

Brilliant read.

Should be posted in that daft 'Rafa will never win the league' thread.

A brilliant piece of writing by Mr Tomkins, certainly makes you think about things...........

My favourite writer on Liverpool fc,  he always seems to have an astute way of describing our club's state of affairs.

He is releasing a new book in october, which you can see if you visit his website, it's called "Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool". He will be analysing each manager since Shankly, and I'm sure giving the reader a balanced point of view. I will be buying it when it comes out. 

I received my copy in the post today, special pre-ordered signed copy  Can't wait to read it, it looks awesome. 

Clear and precise journalism to put Anti-Liverpool propagandists and Raffa haters firmly in there place..

I tip my hat to you sir..

He doesn't hide from the fact that we're not a "well oiled machine" yet and that improvements are needed, he makes his views on that particular point very clear. I just like the way he rightly highlights our current position of which no true fan can complain..
I for one am greatfull that we're 2nd in the EPL and through to the CL considering the recent circumstances..

Class...

Perspective is the key word. An accurate dissection of the pre-season and first matches, as well as the result against Villa, without any panicking or knee-jerk reaction.

Cracking stuff!

fantastic read that...the man has got it spot on....again.

Sorry AJ don't agree, keep our football journalists Scouse! Brian Reade or Tony Barrett for me

I e-mailed Paul earlier and he replied in quick succesion. He's a top fella and im looking forward to reading the two books i've just ordered:

"Above Us Only Sky: Liverpool FC's Global Revolution"

and

"Dynasty: Fifty Years of Shankly's Liverpool"


Can anyone give me a review on the Above Us Only Sky book? I would appreciate that a lot!

Also..

Huyton Red, why keep authors Scouse?? Paul talks with pure passion for the club he loves and he writes some very sound stuff. Your of course entitled to your opinion, but wether it's a good one or not i dont know!


Matt

Was a joke, chill!

I heard that one of his columns was pulled from the official website because he had a go at the owners?

I heard that one of his columns was pulled from the official website because he had a go at the owners?

It was his new book, Dynasty. The club are supposed to let his books be plugged on his column as they don't pay him, but someone at the club panicked about part of his new book relating to the owners and the mess.

There's an interview with Paul here:

http://www.lfchistory.net/redcorner_articles_view.asp?article_id=2392

Was a joke, chill!

I heard that one of his columns was pulled from the official website because he had a go at the owners?

I know mate, i know . Im pulling ya leg. To be fair, scouse authors are fantastic, Brian Reade is most definitely!


Matt