Say what you like about Rafa Benitez's rotation system but you could never accuse the Liverpool manager of not being single minded.
While pretty much every single Liverpool fan and every media commentator (expert?!!) is calling for Fernando Torres to start each and every league game, Benitez has stuck to his guns, tailoring his team selection for the needs of each particular game.
In fairness to him, it's not as if his philosophy has let him down since he took over the Anfield hot seat. One European Cup, one FA Cup and runners up in last season's Champions League is anything but a record of failure.
So a bit of perspective is undoubtedly needed here. One goalless draw at home to Birmingham City should not see rotation condemned as a no good continental invention which will never work in English football.
In the last three years, rotation has been employed to good effect at Anfield so we should not lose sight of that now.
But, and this is a big but, questions have to be asked about the use (or non-use) of Torres.
At the start of the season he was the main reason why many of us thought that maybe, just maybe, Liverpool might finally be ready for a title challenge.
His goals, movement, pace and ability marked him out as perhaps the most exciting Anfield arrival since John Barnes and his excellent form corresponded with the team's.
Then, all of a sudden, he is taken out of the starting eleven at Portsmouth and the team struggles. It was the same again against Birmingham on Saturday.
If he is being left out because he is lacking sharpness in training or because the helter skelter of English football is taking its toll then fair enough - only the manager can make these decisions because he is the one who sees Torres in training every day.
But if he is being saved for Europe or if he was picked for tomorrow night's game at Reading that would seem very strange to those of us who believe he was bought to improve our league form, not to help us to have a decent Carling Cup run.
The team sheet at the Madjeski should make for very interesting reading.
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Reg Edwards wrote...
I understand Rafa's 'reason' for leaving him out(no space to get behind compact defending) and there is logic there but Torres is not a one-dimensional player. He frightens the life out of defenders he runs at as well as behind, and he is capable of coming up with something spectacular and unpredictable (look at the overhead kick!).
The other concern is that Birmingham will not be the last team to come to Anfield to defend. Why give their defenses a lift before kick off by leaving out Torres AND Crouch - the two players nobody enjoys defending against?!
Posted by: Reg Edwards | September 24, 2007 2:36 PM