Kevin McCarra
Ambition comes at a cost and often it hits a manager's reputation as hard as his club's bank balance. This has turned into an era where talent is so thinly spread that no side is resoundingly dominant, even if Barcelona may recover from their careworn year. Although Rafael Benítez knows the signings he insists Liverpool must make, footballers have never come with a money-back guarantee.
Gérard Houllier, the previous manager at Anfield, squandered £14m on Djibril Cissé, and Benítez himself failed when he spent £6.3m on the seemingly sensible acquisition of Fernando Morientes. Few managers enjoy the luxury of turning their backs on the transfer market, because there is always a pressing need to plug some gap in a squad, but when elite performers are so scarce each decision comes with a high tariff of risk.
For all their economic advantages the top clubs in Italy, England and Spain struggle to enlist people who will thrive to dramatic effect in the Champions League. Chelsea were utterly mistaken in thinking that the £30m Andriy Shevchenko would be such a figure and the Premiership sides have far more to do before they are seen as undisputed masters of Europe.
Arsenal, like Chelsea, have never been Champions League winners. Manchester United, in addition, must find it galling that their actual record is out of kilter with their renown. Benítez's work, as winner and losing finalist in the space of three seasons, outdoes Sir Alex Ferguson's efforts in this particular competition during 21 years at Old Trafford.
Tom Hicks and George Gillett, the new proprietors at Anfield, may not know a great deal about football but they will appreciate that there are imponderables whenever a player switches clubs. This summer they have to safeguard their investment while also meeting the aspirations in the transfer market of Benítez, a manager they cannot afford to alienate.
It will be tough going. Milan, the victors of 2003 and 2007 who should have won the Champions League in 2005 as well, are as close as the sport has come to a commanding power of late. None the less, they are far from being in complete control. They, like Liverpool, are not quoted by the bookmakers among the favourites to lift the trophy in 2008. Their coach, Carlo Ancelotti, frankly admits that his current side is inferior to the one beaten by Liverpool in Istanbul two years ago. No one's breath will be taken away, either, by the reinforcements being mooted.
There are rumours that Milan will extract Gianluca Zambrotta from Barcelona, but a fine player whom Ancelotti previously managed at Juventus will not exactly transform Milan. Emerson, who is older, can be classed as the same type of target after a solitary season at Real Madrid. And a move for the Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon became less likely when Milan extended Dida's contract.
After Wednesday's final Silvio Berlusconi radiated a replenished power as owner of the Champions League winners and he strove to recapture the glamour of yesteryear. He spoke of buying a present for the fans and although no names were mentioned there was instant speculation that he must have been alluding to Ronaldinho or Samuel Eto'o. Ancelotti's preference would be for the latter, but it will be some undertaking to make the financial commitment to winkle either of them out of Barcelona.
Milan, with their focus on sports science, pioneer the policy that old lags with their old legs can be conditioned to function at the top level well into their 30s. This is not a high-minded commitment to help the aged; they stay loyal to the veterans when there is no one better in sight.
The arrival of Ronaldo was the cause of excitement in January, even though the forward had followed a scratchy World Cup with the sort of contribution at Real Madrid that made Fabio Capello yearn to dispense with him. Since arriving in Italy he has scored seven goals in 13 appearances, but he was looking chubby on the sidelines in Athens. When he becomes eligible to appear for Milan in the Champions League next season he may be as much of an anachronism at San Siro as he became at the Bernabéu.
If Milan have to invest their hopes in him, Liverpool likewise may find it hard to recruit the calibre of individual they crave. How Benítez and his peers must regret not wooing Dimitar Berbatov since he started to show at Tottenham that he is one of the few youngish players equipped to boost the status of a side.
The Liverpool manager has to rule now on topics such as the prospects of a player such as Valencia's David Villa coming to terms with the hurly-burly of the Premiership, assuming a deal could be cut with the Spanish club. If he had his pick of whom he might take to Merseyside, Benítez would opt for Eto'o. All the same, the forward will be standing in a blizzard of offers if he comes on to the market.
Should Gillett and Hicks recognise a general need to stump up, there will be new danger and responsibility to weigh down Benítez.
Guardian Unlimited*Disclaimer - Views expressed within this story are not necessarily the views of this Blog
No comments:
Post a Comment