"Moneyball"ing the L'Pool? Ask the Spaniard

" Billy ( Beane ) intended to rip away from the scouts the power to decide who would be a pro baseball player and who would not, and Paul ( DePodesta ) was his weapon for doing it. "

                

Philosophy of Oakland A's GM Billy Beane portrayed in Michael Lewis' Moneyball

Luis Suárez and Andy Carroll should thank Rafael Benítez. 


I think they really should.

One of Benítez's signings gave Liverpool ample stack of paper-notes in January, 2011.

Lets be honest, £ 50,000,000 is way more than just cash. It's quite a lot.

I don't know who scripted Fernando Torres' departure (You can blame H&G, Christian Purslow, Roy Hodgson or even, Benítez), but it sure scripted the arrival of two club record signings.

So, thank Torres then? No.

Thank Benítez.

I don't know the Spaniard. And I don't claim to know his philosophy either. 


I've never met the Spaniard nor would I say no to a chess showdown versus the chess playing coach.


But why thank him?


Because, Mr. Benítez's signing of 2007, El Niño, paved way to two new forwards with an average age of 23.


Add to that, one of them is single-handedly conjured a win against Manchester United.


So, win-win-win, innit?


Fernando: El Rojiblanco to El Red to Traitor


Before, he arrived at Liverpool in 2007, Torres was a prolific scorer. 


But his mercurial dash into the world's elite was campaigned in the season of 2007-08. 

Record: The Good, The Best, & The Anon

33 in 46, not bad?


Post his debut season, an injury ravaged second but still notching close to a goal in two games. Not bad either.


In the calamitous season, he still managed 22 in 32 appearances in all competitions.


Post WC '10, injuries, more time on the sidelines, & with Roy Hodgson, Torres went from one super-star phase to one 'I'll let you know when I want to play'.


It's quite envious to say, "It's all Rafa's fault."


When it was clear that service to the younger Spaniard was lacking.


So, when he did leave, he had amassed 81 strikes in 142 appearances in all competitions.


That's a .57 goal per game ratio. 


Great, innit?


But was it that great in financial terms?


Was Torres a huge success?


Success/Bargain/Flop: How would you measure it?


How do you do it really?


Is it this way?

Quite simple, no?


Not that simple. 


There are a few pointers missing.

1) Torres' services weren't available throughout the season

In the 2008-09 season, Torres was an absentee for most of the season (24 league appearances, 14 Cup competition appearances).


In April, 2010 he underwent a surgery to save his World Cup participation.


So the striker was on pay-roll while being injured.

2) Inflation

Biggest mirage creator of all. What costed $1 a ten years ago wouldn't be the same today.

So, the £22.8 million Liverpool splashed out in 2007 isn't of the same value today.

So with wages & inflation involved the picture would look like this. Or sorta?

But on applying inflation correction to transfer fees, it occurred to me, that wages would also be affected by inflation.

After all, money changes in every way, even if it's only relatively.

So, another corrected view could be?

But there's more: Signing-on fees. *

And some more: The money Liverpool splurged out for the medical surgeries and recuperation period when Torres returned injured from international duty along with bonuses. **

( * & ** --> Unknown, or rather undisclosed )

With all other possibilities included it would be safe to say that Torres' transfer was someway between profit & break-even ( Not an all out profit ).

Hence, he was worth the £50m.

Or was he more?

The Price: Rafa vs. Purslow

Rafa Benítez made it known to the world that Torres could have been sold at £70 million.

It would have meant that along with Suarez and Carroll, we would have had another signing.

A bonus, that would should have aided our cause considering our problems on the wing and left back areas.

But what intrigues me more is, that Rafa saying that "It is big money but could [have been] even better." 

So, who made that £20m (or more) difference?

Well, that man is Christian Purslow.

Unos, dos, y £50m?!: Rafa, Purslow & Torres

The damage was done when Mr. Purslow added the £50m buyout clause into Torres' contract.

Otherwise else, we would have been smarting on a trio of signings.

Why Moneyball, then?

It just shows that with the right kind of service coupled with vision and talent, you can strike super-stars.

Torres was a good striker, Rafa made him elite.

The stats show that even an injured Torres scored more under Rafa.

Yes, for every Torres bought to the club, there was a Bellamy and Crouch sold.

But with the return of £50m or more in four years of time, that's quite a magnanimous achievement. ( Considering Torres top-charted to the slot of the fourth highest record transfer in the world )

It doesn't mean Liverpool should be a selling club or sell their stars for £50m after four years of loyalty.

What it means, is to acquire future diamonds of football to ascend the f**king perch.

It's what FSG would be/could be/should be looking into.

It's started with Luis & Andy, lets hope it continues through to summer.

More of the same, PLEASE!

Note: Dispassionate reading is a must.

Sidenote: Congratulations! If you have reached till here without getting irked even at the mention of Torres ( 16 times ), you read through this dispassionately!

Serious small note: Facts and figures were sourced, calculations have been re-checked. I flunked in Math once ( 1st semester, B.Tech ), not twice.

Why do we love Lui7 7uarez?

"Luis is going to bring the place alive because he is a street fighter." 

Ajax managing director Rik van den Boog

Luis Suárez lives in the future.

Believe me, he does.

Because if he didn't, he wouldn't have beaten Rafael da Silva, Michael Carrick, Wes Brown, Edwin van der Sar, & last but not least, Patrice Evra singlehandedly.

You can call it vision, skill, or God-given talent, but there's one eerie fact attached to that move.


Suárez expected every challenge/tackle that was dished out on him.


It's no wonder he evaded all of them.

1, 2, 3, 4 & I've got the ball thru' your back-4: Liverpool 1-0 Manchester United

And it's all because of those streets.


Streets where little Luis grew up playing, evading everyone ( failing here, and there ) but eventually doing what he does best, scoring.


Even if he's not scoring he's asking for possession, getting furious for letting an opportunity slip away, or just  running to salvage even the 1/100000th opportunity.


Suárez, in short, keeps fighting.


That's why Suárez and Liverpool connect, because they are fighting.


Liverpool, the City, fought Thatcher and won.


Liverpool, the Club, fought two merchants of debt and won.


And Liverpool Number 7, Suárez, is fighting for the club on the pitch.


Liverpool's hard-working class ethics and Suárez's fighting spirit are like twins being re-united after several years.


That's why Kopites immortalize players like Carragher, & Kuyt.


100 per cent, and wait, there's some more.


Suárez, since his move from Ajax, has typified himself into that class.


No wonder he's got us singing the song.


And we can't get enough of that, can't we? 

I came, I saw & I scored without Beach ball help

Glen Johnson is the answer to our left back problem against Benfica

Left or Right, you name it & he will play: Glen Johnson

If Rafael Benítez was thought to be experimenting with Glen Johnson during the pre-season, then boy what an experiment it's turned out to be.

Throughout the pre-season, the Reds new signing proved his versatility by playing across the defence, most notably in the left-wing back position.

So, if Albert Riera is not allowed (& rightly so..) to feature against the return leg with S.L. Benfica at Anfield, with Yossi Benayoun getting the nod - Rafa can opt to shuffle his defence by having the more-right footed Jamie Carragher as right back and Glen on the left. (In the absence of Emiliano Insúa for the return leg of the Europa League quarter-final second leg at Anfield)

Sotirios Kyrgiakos, if he has been registered for the competition, can join Daniel Agger in the heart of the defence.

Even if Carragher is asked to play left-back, (and if Glen gets injured in the most unfortunate circumstances at St. Andrews on Sunday) then you have always got Javier Mascherano for defending on the right side.

Red News: Redknapp Jr speculates Rafa-Gerrard rift as Rafa looks to future

Can you spot the difference?: Sealing the connection, Jamie and Harry Redknapp

Jamie Redknapp is fast proving two things.

Firstly, that he is worst off as a pundit.

Secondly, that his father Harry Redknapp gets all the favour by pouring misery on Liverpool.

Needless to say anything more, he is fast losing his respect amongst the Anfield faithful.

Meanwhile, Rafael Benítez is looking towards the Reds future.

And the manager's pre-match chat, seemed quite positive.

Also, the boss has had a talks for a possible takeover with Rhone Group.

Media Article in Inspection: Rafael Benítez fudged the challenge against Manchester United by Louise Taylor

What Me Worry?: Fernando Torres opens the deadlock inside the first five minutes against United

The probability of better, or even good, journalism being shimmered regarding Liverpool's deranged (/ing - as the campaign is yet to end) season of 2009-10, is akin to finding a water storage tank amongst the sands of Sahara.

And Louise Taylor, the Guardian's north-east correspondent, has joined the swelling (yet annoying) list of babbling journalists - who prove their worth equivalent to 5-year-olds toying with (a new found device) keyboard.

It's not from sheer patriotic 'Red' zeal but reading a wall-writing twice gives a better picture.

With the boon of internet media, you can go over the writing for the 'gazillion'th time and no one's complaining.

Except when you have got a head over heels situation.

Like entering the second paragraph, after trying to grasp the situation of first - as if all are naive to the importance of a North-West derby - we are delivered a delusional and crocked Liverpool.

Hapless and bearings falling around, with their star-striker so disillusioned by the club's direction that he may bid adieu to Anfield and head to Eastlands.

Interesting. In it?

However, let's shed some light towards Fernando Torres' loyalty, shall we?

Or rather let's direct Mrs. Taylor to some classic journalism?

She need not go far but search the archives of her Guardian colleague, Sid Lowe, who had covered the success of Torres during his Premier League debut season with Liverpool.

As one line strikes perfect chord to Torres loyalty issues with his former club, Atlético Madrid.

Better still for Atlético fans, he was one of them - a rojiblanco born and bred, ever since his granddad introduced him to the Calderón - and had resisted the advances of the league's best clubs, sticking with his team through thick and thin.

Trouble was, it was mostly thin.


Torres stuck out with the lesser known ( and less glamorous) Madrid side because, well he was a fan of the club.

One of the reasons why Fernando has hit an analogous frequency with Liverpool and orbited to dizzying heights( as a world class striker ), is Rafael Benítez.

As Lowe's article points out:

Rafa Benítez's assumption that the rut into which he had run was Atlético themselves has proven justified. 


As Torres recently admitted to FourFourTwo, there were too many people at Atlético who hid behind him, too much responsibility laden onto his shoulders. 


The English game, he added, suits him. It is faster, looser, more direct, the defences are more open. He is not asked to play such a part in building moves, just be ready to finish them off; his physical presence suits the Premier League. 


It has enabled him to become a better player.


Torres loyalty to Benítez and Liverpool is unquestionable, if we are to go by history.

And history has a kind habit of repeating itself.

But the rut does not stop here, does it?

Benítez had pulled out a white flag ( God knows from where) with his team selection - considering that minus Maxi Rodríguez ( Albert Riera ), Glen Johnson ( Jamie Carragher on the right ), Emiliano Insúa ( Fábio Aurélio ) and Daniel Agger ( Sami Hyypiä ) from the line-up and spell the player names in brackets - voilà you have got the 4-1 winning team ( at Old Trafford ) against Manchester United.

Since, every payer ( with the exception of 21-year-old Insúa ) looked worthy enough to do a repeat of last season's scoreline.

But what Mrs. Taylor has failed to take note of, was Liverpool were well on course of a winning scoreline until Howard Webb's penalty decision.

Such was the frustration, that Torres even scuffed the penalty spot.

Summing up the series of decisions that have gone against Liverpool.

Tempo and confidence was lost, so was the game.

In the midst of such absolutely simple logic, the point of the self deception of the Champions League and Primera Division winning manager is quite paltry.

Daring? Well, you can't go all guns blazing.

Start of the season was totally morbid - One game 4-0 next game 1-3 or even worse.

The match against Aston Villa was a perfect example of shooting yourself in the foot.

Liverpool chasing the match spun into a real-attacking intent after Fernando Torres scored a 72nd minute goal.

But three minutes later, Steven Gerrard made one of the most uncharacteristic tackle to down Nigel Reo Corker in the box, only for Ashley Young to score from the penalty spot.

Game over.

With confidence and morale such fragile, it's quite sane to be cautious.

And Benítez's tactical judgement do go wrong, but as far as I can remember they have been plenty right.

The manager accepts blame for defeats and as far as I know, he isn't a small boy trying to hide in a 'Harry Potter Invisibility Cloak'.

Benítez is stubborn, that's why he's at Liverpool. His vision carried Liverpool to a 86-point haul last season, two Champions League finals, a Carling Cup final, an FA Cup, and the Champions League.

Against irritating odds, his vision and stubbornness is driving Liverpool.

And should Liverpool end up with the Europa League and a fourth place, that self-deceiving boy would be proven right.

Parlance or no parlance, on any day a Champions League winning manager will drive the club not a random piece of blab from a north-east correspondent.

That is what Rafael Benítez and Liverpool are all about, Mrs Taylor.

Benítez admits to keeping up morale

Another late 'ne: Fiorentina's Alberto Gilardino scores a late winner against Liverpool

Rafael Benítez has admitted that he has had to motivate and keep up the morale of the players after defeats in what seems to be a disappointing campaign.

Late goals, injuries to key players, poor results and controversial decisions have had detrimental effect on the squad.

After their 10th defeat of the season at Manchester United, the Reds' boss has admitted that following a defeat the morale of the players reaches a new low.

However, with Manchester City losing and Aston Villa drawing means Liverpool can afford no more slip-ups with Sunderland at the weekend.

And Benítez has taken note of Sunderland's main threat Darren Bent, who has had a good season with 20 strikes to his name in 31 league outings.

"Bent is a good player. He's always thinking about scoring and it could be a problem for us," said the Spaniard. 

"Twenty goals in the Premier League is a fantastic achievement. 

"They have some other good players and they showed good team spirit in the game in October. 

"I think they're improving a little bit now so it will be dangerous. 

"They will be working hard, they'll try to be organised and push and press and play counter-attack. 

"But playing at Anfield makes a big difference for us and we'll have to play well in front of our fans. 

"We have to get three points and then think about the next one."

Masch commits to Liverpool

Easy Target for El Monstruo: Mascherano seen here doing what he does best against Frank Lampard

Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano has committed himself with the Merseysiders after stating that he is happy at the Merseyside with a new deal imminent. 

The Argentine international, who has a reputation of making tough tackles, is touted as one of the best holding midfielders in the world.

And with such popularity, FC Barcelona were sniffing around to secure the services of the former West Ham United player during the summer.

However, the Catalonia giants could see their plans come to naught with Mascherano admitting that he is keen on extending his stay with Liverpool.