Rafa's Euro 2008 Coloumn

Jezzman · June 25, 2008

It's quite a job to read up on the whole thing but well worth it. Very interesting reading from our manager.

Would be lots of fun having a bevvy with Rafa during a match, no?

6. June

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez is writing a column in Spanish newspaper El Mundo following the European Championships in Austria and Switzerland, which kick off on Saturday. Here we (roughly) translate his first column….

Welcome to Euro 2008 and welcome to this column. As you may already know, fortunately, my professional obligations don’t allow me contributions of this type during the football season. Therefore, I will take advantage of this opportunity that EL MUNDO is offering me to share across some of my ideas about football in general and this Euro Cup in particular.

In the first place, I will let you know that my idea of good football and my concept of a good team relies on team order, balance on defense and cutting-edge on attack. To accomplish this you need players who are able to read the game well, who know when it’s time to play short or long passes, when you need to attack through the middle or down the flank, when it’s time to keep posession of the ball or when you need to start a quick counter-attack. I’m talking about real footballers, who will take advantage of their abilities to help the team win by playing as well as possible, who will be able to adapt when needed, who will try to impose their style of play, but who can also vary that style for the benefit of the team and to help it win games.

In today’s football, cutting-edge in attack is becoming more and more of a collective or tactical effort, depends more on a group of players or positioning on the pitch than on a single player. This is why a skillfull player tends to draw our attention more often, but we must be able to distinguish between the skillfull player and the cutting-edge player.

The first will dribble or dwell on the ball showing his technical ability; the second wins matches, is a constant threat to opposing teams and the solution for his team-mates when they can’t find their way. With a single touch he can find an open team-mate, he can find an open space when and where he should, makes an effort to do things the right way and always tries to do what will benefit his team the most. In other words, he will play good football in order to win matches, not just for show.

After this explanation, I will give you my views on this competition as an active manager, something that will give you a different perspective on this Euro Cup. I think that for a group of footballers who’ve played so many games during the season – 59 in the case of Liverpool players- , there are too many games in the qualifying stages.

In order to give an opportunity to all the national teams, there are many games that, beforehand, don’t create a lot of interest. As a player or a manager it doesn’t make much sense to coming into a match thinking how many goals they will score on me and leave happy if it’s not more than three. And as a fan it’s not fun when they opposing team’s level is not the adequate. Besides, this accumulation of effort during the season increases the risk of injury. Ryan Babel just got injured for five or six weeks, Cannavaro won’t be able to play the Euro as well. And that’s just scratching the surface.

In terms of the chances for the different teams, I believe that we are all betting on the same teams with little variation. Portugal has the potential and a favourable draw. Germany looks the strongest on their group, not forgetting Croatia. Group C, by far, is the most difficult since the likes of France, Holland or Italy are capable of topping the group. The strength on that group will eventually be bad for Spain, which is the team that most of us are interested in, because if they are able to go through, which they will, they will have to face a very strong team regardless of which one it is.

Despite all this we are all confident that this will finally be the year that at last we take advantage of all the talent and potential that we possess and that we can achieve that sought –after title that we all been waiting for. Good luck and good football.

9. June

Let’s save the offside ruling

The Euro Cup has begun and a lone goal by Czech player Václav Sverkoš was enough to sink the Swiss hosts in the inaugural match. It had been many years since the opening game of this competition was decided by a single goal. I seem to remember the last time, when France beat Denmark with a solitary goal by, the now UEFA president, Michel Platini.

Long gone are the days when the first matches were played very openly and many goals were scored, like that France-Yugoslavia in 1960’s Euro Cup, where the visitors won 4-5. The reason seems evident. In a tournament of this nature, the first match is so important that nobody wants to lose. If you lose, you are forced to win the remaining two games and do so under great pressure. Perhaps, for this very same reason, the first match tends to be a ‘testing of the waters’, to get to know and measure up the opponents and not risk too much to avoid any surprises. The negative thing is, that if both teams do the same, we won’t see many chances.

This is what happened during Switzerland-Czech Republic; the team that took advantage of the opponent’s mistake won the match. Incidentally, regarding that lone goal, it must be said that it came to be in an interesting situation, to be analyzed from the regulation’s point of view. We all know that there should be more than two players between the opposing team’s player and the byline in order to eliminate the possibility of offside, if the attacking player is in a forward position ahead of the ball. However, with all changes regarding this rule, the most passionate and complex in my opinion, I believe that an enormous amount of confusion is created for the fans and, more importantly and determining, the referees and assistants.

Now they talk about “position plus influence” and, after an innumerable number of mistakes and varying interpretations, I believe that it is time to go back and simplify the ruling so that a player in an offside position, whether or not he participates initially, should be ruled offsides since his ‘illegal’ position could benefit him later in the chance of a clearance. And his positioning on the pitch will always command a defenders and /or keeper’s attention if he is located near the box. Thus, in order to help the refs, who end up getting all the blame, and to avoid further scandals, I believe that, any time an attacking player is ahead of the ball and there are no defenders between said player and the byline, he should be ruled offsides.

At least, in the vicinities of the penalty box. A different story would be if he was standing near a sideline where he’s clearly not involved in the play. In that case, the play should continue. But in the centre, the striker is always a threat and a cause of distraction. Don’t tell me that it wasn’t great to watch that unforgettable Milan team, of the never highly-enough praised Arrigo Sacchi, working on the offside trap…I assure you that for managers and players it would be a relief also, because we would know what to expect and wouldn’t depend on every referee’s interpretation of the rule, whom in the end, are human beings, and thus not infallible.

In other respects, Portugal showed their credentials in a duel that opened up as the game went on and, when the score-line forced the Turks to leave spaces behind, the likes of Pepe and individual details from players like Cristiano Ronaldo or Nuno Gomes were seen. At the end, Meireles secured a win that, like we mentioned on Friday, puts Portugal in good position to continue as one of the favourites.

Meanwhile, Spain’s debut is fast approaching, where they must count on everyone’s support, maintain the good atmosphere and the team unity and avoid as much as possible, the debates over one type of style of play or another or a specific player or another. If we don’t do these things, the smallest of adversity will create division and we will lose energy and cohesion. This would, in prompt, create problems that don’t even exist at present time. Calm and support will the key for Spain.

11. June

Unconditional Support

Before talking about Spain’s uncontested win yesterday in their Euro Cup debut, I would like to say that for me it’s all about unconditional support. Unconditional support for good football, for the style of play shown by Germany, especially in the first half, against Poland. With might and resourcefulness, with the full-backs providing support in attack, and the midfielders creating chances and scoring goals.

Support for Holland’s offensive style, with special mentions to Sneijder and Kuyt. The first scored a goal, gave an assist and was a constant threat with his intelligent moves. The second showed, as always, his professionalism and team mentality, closing down the rival fullback, playing simple passes and adding two goal-assists which confirms that the good players are those that work for the benefit of the group and that, thanks to them, the star players are able to shine brighter because the entire group ends up winning.

Unconditional support for Spain. But unconditional in the good and bad times. It’s not support depending on the result; to criticize in a destructive manner there is always a time, and besides, it’s the easy thing to do. When someone is fully immersed in a competition, the important thing is to have unity, to respect and back the decisions taken by the people in charge and to do everything possible for things to go well. If the people in charge decide to play a certain style and choose the men they deem adequate to put it to practice, we must accept it and not side ourselves depending on the scoreline. It’s more honest to give an opinion based on reasoning beforehand so that you can back it later unconditionally.

I don’t like the pundits or experts who, sitting on their office desks, dedicate themselves to happily criticize a manager’s decisions while never stopping to think for a second why those decisions were made. Nor the fundamentalists with their positions- their mouths become full when they call them “philosophies” or “proposals”- who systematically criticize any idea that is different to theirs. Since I am a manager, it is very clear to me that the person in charge of a team tries to analyze all aspects before making a decision and has an advantage over any outsider: the daily contact with the players. For all these reasons, I insist on: unconditional support first and then constructive analysis until the Euro Cup is over, then there’ll be plenty of time for the summary trials.

Now yes, now I will focus on yesterday’s 4-1 victory. Spain definitely bet four midfielders who are mobile and have quality and took advantage of the Russian’s individual man-marking. They were losing their positioning and we were able to maintain possession. Once the first goal was scored, the Russians went forward and left spaces behind for the likes of Torres and Villa to exploit with their pace and intelligent runs. We had some problems, this is true, with their runs down the right flank, but the 2-0 on a counter-attack guided the way for us.

The start of second half was a continuation of the end of the first half. With Russia pushing forward and Spain controlling the ball and playing on the counter-attack. The difference was that Luis sacrificed Torres to add another player in-between the lines like Fabregas, trying to take more advantage, if possible, of our quality in midfield. The rest of the substitutions were to balance the team and add fresh legs. We saw a good understanding between Torres and Villa as long as Fernando was on the pitch and even afterwards. The hug on the sidelines after the 3-0 shows that there is good harmony between the two. In conclusion, Spain made a good impression, which could prove important for their self-esteem and, besides, to send a message to their rivals. Congratulations.

15. June

First objective accomplished

Spain are through to the quarterfinals. There was suspense until the very end but Villa’s goal earned Spain a just victory. To the points, we deserved to win the match against Sweden yesterday and seal, at the same time, a place in the next round. I had already discussed on prior entries the importance of winning the first match. At the time, I said how important it was for every team to avoid defeat, but now, increasingly, we’re seeing how determining it is to win the first two matches.

If you’ve already qualified for the next round after two matches, which is the case for Portugal, Croatia, Holland and now Spain, you have a very valuable advantage. For two main reasons. First, because you can change players – I don’t want to use the famous word ‘rotation’-, which will allow you to rest some players after a very long season, first with their clubs and now with the national team, and will allow other players to participate, gain match-fitness and to feel an active and important part of the squad. And then, as a consequence, you will improve the group dynamics, the cohesion and team concept, something that, for the rest of the tournament, could prove to be key.

Regarding the issue between Luis and Torres, I still feel that it was blown out of proportion, fortunately we can now say that it was left at nothing. Fernando admitted immediately his possible fault and, after some time and consideration by Luis, everything was sorted. The fact that Torres started the match yesterday it’s the best indication that everything is fine and we can focus on the action on the pitch and not on these little incidents.

Another aspect to consider is the makeup of the calendar and possible future matchups. I didn’t like it from the start because I saw that the teams were divided into two groups that would not face each other until the end. And the fact that Holland could benefit, in theory, if they don’t earn any points against Romania, and that doesn’t seem right to me.

Back to the match against Sweden, ‘good is that, which ends up well’. Spain went into the match with the same starting XI and the same style of play as in the first match. We had to keep possession of the ball, the fullbacks had to give support in attack in order to add width and the wingers cutting in to create a number advantage in the middle. With this idea, we had control of the game, although we barely managed any chances. After the opportunistic and excellent goal by Fernando, after a corner-kick, the second shot on goal did not arrive, curiously enough, as a result of an elaborate possession. On the contrary, it was a long ball from Sergio(Ramos) and Villa had a shot off a ‘second ball’. From there on, Sweden took control and that’s when they leveled the score. Only at the end of this stretch did we create any danger on a play which ended with a claim for a penalty.

After half-time, the story was similar. Spain had at one point between 65 and 70% of the possession. There were some clear chances, but that superiority was still not being productive and you had the feeling that Spain was going to have a very tough time to score the second goal. Nonetheless, it was the long-ball once again which proved fruitful right before the end of the match. Villa showed once again his great skill as a goal-scorer and was implacable. We must conclude, as a result, that the theory that Spain must depend on a short-passing game of many touches is not necessarily an obligation. It is true that our national team should have a well defined style of play but at the same time it should be open to other alternatives that, facts in hand, can prove effective. In conclusion, we should all agree that Spain’s balance must be a positive one.

18. June

Italy won’t make it easy

Italy will be Spain’s opponent in the quarterfinals. You could argue about aesthetics when it comes to their playing style, but what one could never dispute is their effectiveness. They play to win and that they do frequently. They are very professional and have players with quality and experience. A great goalkeeper, balance in midfield, order, a reference player up front and work-rate, plenty of work-rate. Spain are very confident and they are capable of beating Italy but it won’t be an easy task.

Before that, the first quarterfinal match will be played by Portugal and Germany. I get the feeling that out of this duel, in normal conditions, will surface one of the finalists. If Croatia doesn’t prevent it – because, beforehand, they’re the favourites in their match against Turkey by virtue of their impressive showing so far-, whoever comes out victorious in that Portugal-Germany will have a very good possibility of reaching the final because of experience and potential. The fact that the Portuguese outfit were better than the Turks and the Croatians were superior to the Germans would make you think that those two were the actual favourites. Nevertheless, let’s not forget that we’re talking about football and, like Petr Cech could assure you after his match against Turkey, it’s not over until the ref blows the full-time whistle.

The second matchup in the quarterfinals will square up in Vienna the strengths of Croatia and Turkey. Beforehand, like I already said, we would have to bet on the Croatians. Because of their good performance in this tourney and, to some extent, the social vindication that encompasses their special nationalist sentiment. Experience has shown me that there are some countries whose players feel more intensely, if possible, what it means to defend a country’s flag even beyond the field of sports.

The third game in the calendar is yet to be determined until we know the name of one of the participants. Holland, who qualified brilliantly and in an uncontested manner, will be favourites, whether they play Sweden or Russia. Neither of the two seems like a serious threat for the potent Dutch team, yet we should once again remember that, in football, nothing is written until the epilogue.

I don’t want to pass up the opportunity today to mention, very quickly, the match that will be played on Wednesday between Spain and Greece. If everything goes according to prediction, Pepe Reina, Alvaro Arbeloa and Xabi Alonso will all be part of the starting eleven managed by Luis Aragones. For me, as their manager and for our club Liverpool FC, this is an honour and a great satisfaction. They know that ‘our supporters’ will be unconditionally with them and, as a result, with Spain.

Another good piece of news in this Euro Cup is the confirmation of the good level of the Spanish referees, supported by the excellent performances of Manuel Enrique Mejuto and his assistants, showing good criteria and authority. And most importantly for me, and something that shows their good performance, is that, after many minutes of play, I hadn’t even realized who the referee was in both of the matches he officiated, which says a lot in his favour.

Good luck against Greece for the Spanish national team, and I wish Luis Aragones’s players a good match. And to Pepe, if possible, a new ‘clean sheet’.

23. June

The curse is over

Spain had to rely on penalty kicks last night in order to break their curse and to seal, at the same time, their pass to a semifinal matchup against Russia. Both of the contenders yesterday drew on almost everything until the extra-time was exhausted. Then, the spot kicks from 11 meters out went on our favour.

Earlier, the first half had gone as expected. The absences of Pirlo and Gatusso left the Italians without their most creative player and their workhorse in midfield. Ambrosini, positioned towards the left, and Perrota or Aquilani, to the right, didn’t provide any depth to their team which could only rely on long balls to Luca Toni, broken plays or Cassano’s ability on the left flank. Spain, dominating the possession of the ball near the opposing penalty box, were looking for the key pass at any moment. It wasn’t easy because of the accumulation of players in the same place, but the fouls that were called near the box, and those that weren’t, presented a threat to Buffon. Luis wanted to see more play between the lines, and the positional change between Silva and Iniesta yielded fruit to some menacing long shots. Despite that, we reached half-time with a nil-nil draw that didn’t reward Spain’s best play.

After half-time, the Italian play was much improved. Specially with the addition of Camoranesi, Italy had their chances. And Spain also had theirs thanks to the added depth provided by Cesc’s play. But nothing prevented that both teams were doomed for extra-time. Once there, the tiredness on both teams was quite evident. Finally, the penalty kicks decided the contest.

The favourites fall

In the rest of the games, curiously, all the favourites lost. Germany, playing simple and effective football and taking advantage of the set pieces, left Portugal on the curb. Scolari’s men, with lots of quality, were not able to surpass the well-ordered German team. They paid for their defensive mistakes and now the departure of Scolari to Chelsea and Madrid’s interest on Ronaldo will once again be the main headlines related to Portugal. Ballack pointed to the change in the system as the key to the improvement of this team’s performance. His position, behind the striker and the protection of two midfielders at his back, gave the team more solidness.

The match between Croatia and Turkey was, once again, an epic for the ottomans. They made another comeback in the last minute, leveled the match, to win, after extra-time, on penalties. In a very tense duel, with both teams well-organized and, later on, disorganized, many players surfaced on both sides, to show their individual quality and, above all, showing effort, great effort and passion. Fatih Terim highlighted the confidence and determination of his men as the keys for the victory. I completely agree with him.

And to confirm the revolution of the modest teams, Russia finished off one of the best teams in the tournament: Holland. Displaying a good play on attack, and especially on the counter-attack, the Russians created many chances and at the end justice was made. The better team, won. The match was very open, both teams reached the opposing goal rather easily but Hiddink’s men attacked with more clarity and frequency. They deserved to go through. The ‘oranje’ offensive system, with two wingers and a striker, was very weak on defense. Good luck in the semifinal.

Translated by Anotherspanishfan on RAWK. Thanks for that !

mooks · June 25, 2008

Ballack pointed to the change in the system as the key to the improvement of this team’s performance. His position, behind the striker and the protection of two midfielders at his back, gave the team more solidness.

cymrococh · June 25, 2008

In the first place, I will let you know that my idea of good football and my concept of a good team relies on team order, balance on defense and cutting-edge on attack. To accomplish this you need players who are able to read the game well, who know when it’s time to play short or long passes, when you need to attack through the middle or down the flank, when it’s time to keep posession of the ball or when you need to start a quick counter-attack. I’m talking about real footballers, who will take advantage of their abilities to help the team win by playing as well as possible, who will be able to adapt when needed, who will try to impose their style of play, but who can also vary that style for the benefit of the team and to help it win games.

Which makes us winning the CHampions League with the squad we had even more wonderous.

Koogan · June 25, 2008

A very interesting read indeed. Kudos to the translator!

Hassony · June 25, 2008

A very interesting read indeed. Kudos to the translator!

No need to bering Mourinho into this

June 25, 2008

I'm not surprised by this comment:

"I don’t like the pundits or experts who, sitting on their office desks, dedicate themselves to happily criticize a manager’s decisions while never stopping to think for a second why those decisions were made. Nor the fundamentalists with their positions- their mouths become full when they call them “philosophies” or “proposals”- who systematically criticize any idea that is different to theirs. Since I am a manager, it is very clear to me that the person in charge of a team tries to analyze all aspects before making a decision and has an advantage over any outsider: the daily contact with the players. For all these reasons, I insist on: unconditional support first and then constructive analysis until the Euro Cup is over, then there’ll be plenty of time for the summary trials."

The Hitman · June 25, 2008

Rafa loves Dirk!

Conor · June 25, 2008

Luis Garcia came to mind when Rafa was talking about the players having the cutting edge to do something special in a game..

Koogan · June 25, 2008

No need to bering Mourinho into this

Sorry... But since I'm a translator myself (albeit not a special one), I know how seldom we get thanks for our efforts.

Hassony · June 25, 2008

Sorry... But since I'm a translator myself (albeit not a special one), I know how seldom we get thanks for our efforts.

thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks, thanks,