Originally posted by asromacalcio
How can a team with a benefactor worth $1bn compete with a team with one worth $30bn?
It's all academic.
Chelsea didn't spend big this year because they thought they had enough quality in the squad to do the job. OK, they had plenty of warnings to the contrary and paid the price, but if Liverpool start spending big you'll be more than matched by A ...[text shortened]... , and the few good players on offer are not good enough to do the job you need them to do.
For a while I thought you could not compete against Chelski, I now realise that you can but you need to follow this model:-
- A really top class manager who can develop young talented players into world class players
- A transfer budget of about 30m a year
- Buy 1 or 2 expensive (7m to 15m rated) YOUNG talented players who the manager can develop, each year
- Buy one top class player (still no older than 27) if you can balance the 30m budget
- Try and keep the heart of the team English
- You need at least about 2 or 3 years to develop the side
Sir Alex has proven this, the Champions are now more than a match for Chelsea and are continuing to develop.
Wenger if he adds a top class midfielder and striker, Van Persie, Fabregas and the other young names I could never spell at Arsenal continue to develop.
They could easily be back up there.
Both Sir Alex and Wenger have proven they can spot, buy and develop good talent into world beaters.
Liverpool could do the same but and they have made a start in the right direction by re-signing some of thier best players on long term contracts.
What Liverpool and Rafa have to prove now though are the following to catch the Champions and Chelsea:-
- They have 30m+ a year to spent, thats all they need
- Sell the deadwood like Bellamy, Cisse, Kewell etc... and raise another 20m
- Buy 1 really top YOUNG talent that you can develop and is a guaranteed sucess, I would say do everything you can to buy either Tevez, Berbatov or Robhinio
- Rafa has still to prove IMHO that he can develop a young player, he needs to buy 2 real talents in he 6m to 12m range (each year) and develop them, for example players in England he could buy NOW (or could have bought) include Bale, Downing, SWP, Defoe, L.King, Sidwell, Lita. I also am greatful, but don't understand why Liverpool didn't compete for Bale, Nani or Anderson, Spurs did try to get Nani and signed the amazing talented Bale.
- Rafa needs 3 more years to follow this model, he should not go for quick sucess and spend big on 2 30m players, big mistake, players like Eto are a gamble and what happens if your big money player gets injured, look at Newcastle with Owen?
The myth that Chelsea are unstoppable in the market has been broken.
They can buy the best if they want to but you need to study how Wenger and Ferguson have patiently build up teams over the years.
Also Chelsea have learned a difficult and confusing lesson from the buys of Ballack, Schevchenko and SWP. They will be more cautious from now onwards I think, which will open the opputunity window even more for teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham.
The situation at Liverpool though is very confusing.
Maybe they have players ligned up in Spain and can't talk about it until the Spanish season is over?
I don't think this is the case though because Liverpool are saying conflicting things like:-
- Rafa saying I want a big signing before I get back from my holiday (he has been back 1 week)
- Parry saying there will be a big move this week (that was almost 2 weeks ago), maybe he's still delerious from the 0.5m bonus he go from selling LFC to the Americans
- Liverpool not competing/trying for Bale, Nani, Anderson, SWP? and even Bent
- Rumours of a showdown meeting arranged for this week with Rafa and the board
- Tevez is the really confusing one. He is so obviously what Liverpool need. Hicks and Gillette said you can have Snoppy Dogg if you want him. Mr Hicks you want Tevez (he has a friend called Macherano on your books), go and buy him. His numerous owners will sell to the highest bidder NOW. If Liverpool bought just one big name in Tevez and sold the deadwood and brought in talent to develop around him you could be a big 85+ point team in the league within 2 or 3 years
Who knows what is happening at Liverpool, I'm watching as a curious Liverpool hater.
I will say though that Liverpool have the potential to challenge I think it all rests on if the club has what it takes to buy Tevez and Rafa needs to starat showing he can develop a raw young player into a world class player like Sir Alex did with Ronaldo and Wenger is doing with Van Persie (as recent examples).
Forget about Eto, Torres - too risky.