Let's look at the other side of the Rafa coin. Last season there was talk of the American intervention having a negative bearing on our campaign. I don't recall Bill and Ted coming into the dressing room and deciding that Voronin and Kuyt were the right players to lead the line in September much as I don't remember them ordering to rest the greatest striker in the world after the hardship and toil of three weeks of football.
My feelings towards Rafa tend to fall between worship and treading through oceans of confusion. As we were huddled onto the concourse of the Britannia (it makes Woodison look like the Maracana) the team news was greeted with baffled expressions. Torres needs games and Keane needs to get his mind right after Preston so why play Dirk. Our two main strikers have a history of goals while the trying Dutchman has a history of right wing leg work. It transpires that Dirk was actually needed on the right as Yossi, still trapped in his act of being amazing or atrocious - never average, was lost in the first half and needed help. Eventually the game played out. It was everything I expected and less. Big hoofs into the box to disrupt our centre backs while we showed no cutting edge or endeavour. By the time Torres came on we were staring at a point as their tails were up and, as ever, we panicked. A poor selection, yes. A poor performance based on a press conference? Well, how could it be? Gerrard didn't hit the post twice because he was worried about the effect of his manager's words.
If there's a criticism to be levelled about the press conference it lies with its futility. The media's tale was all about who won the war and Fergie supposed laughing into his wine without any comment into the veracity of his claims. Whether they like to see the panto rather than discuss the issues is open to debate, albeit a useless one. Now the mind games are apparently won. 'Fergie says Liverpool are shit' - ooh, he's so subtle. 'Man U bully referees' - Rafa's lost the plot!
Back to the football. The derbies are going to be huge and we're capable of taking them apart with the right performance and team. We've let United back in this weekend but we've got an opportunity to make it an Us and Them battle when Chelsea come in February. Incidentally, f it was a bad week for us then where does it leave Chelsea? One point in four games against the top three teams and probably third by next week, that's where.
Finally: Hasn't the Gerrard story gone quiet over the last few days?
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