[lfc-news] Benítez breathes life into rejects - Guardian

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The Guardian, 5 Nov 2004
Benítez breathes life into rejects
Houllier's duds have been revived and none more so than Igor Biscan
Dominic Fifield in La Coruña

Long after the last disgruntled locals had drifted away from the Riazor,
the remaining Liverpool fans welcomed their victorious players on to the
turf for the warm-down with a chorus of "Igor, Igor". The rehabilitation of
a once-stuttering career is complete.

Igor Biscan has endured much during his four-year stay at Anfield, from
unconvincing spells as a makeshift centre-half, via error-prone if
occasional cameos in his favoured central midfield, to lengthy periods in
the wilderness with the reserves. Like others in Liverpool's ranks, he had
been tarred by the underachievement of the last two years of Gérard
Houllier's reign, making a mockery of Ossie Ardiles's assessment that he
was "the closest thing to the new Ruud Gullit" when selling the Croatia
Zagreb midfielder to Liverpool for £5.5m.

Yet the forgotten man is re-born under new management. Where his confidence
had appeared so fragile, his dozy demeanour tragically comic, the
26-year-old is now displaying the form that once alerted Real Madrid to his
ability. There had been flashes of quality this season before his startling
display against Deportivo la Coruña, though nothing quite as jaw-dropping.

Confidence pepped and faith restored, Biscan dominated last season's
Champions League semi-finalists, mixing crunching tackles with a new-found
awareness on the ball and even the occasional marauding charge forward. The
Spanish team could do nothing to contain him.

"Igor was fantastic," said Chris Kirkland. "He was up and down the pitch,
breaking things up. Xabi Alonso is a world-class player and someone we were
going to miss, but Igor came in and was outstanding. The fans have given
him a bit of stick over the years but he takes it in good humour. With a
performance like that, hopefully a lot of people will get on his side."

Biscan is not the only player who had sunk with little trace under the
previous regime only to be revived by Rafael Benítez. As he did at
Valencia, the manager shows faith in his squad, allowing him to keep his
side fresh. He recognises limitations and asks players to perform in the
positions in which they feel most comfortable. Even the much maligned Salif
Diao has proved himself where once he had seemed incapable even of a
bit-part role.

Discarded after a last- minute error in the 3-2 Carling Cup defeat to
Bolton last December, a game in which he ended up as a centre-half, the
Senegal international's confidence has been restored in midfield.

"I'm not a central defender and I never have been," he said. "It's a very
specialist position and I was thrown there in a game where we were already
under pressure. I was in the dressing room afterwards and the manager came
in and pointed at me, blaming me for the defeat. After that night I never
played for the first team again. I was sure I would have to move on. I'm so
glad I have another chance with Mr Benítez."

Then there is Djimi Traoré. Houllier considered his compatriot to be one of
the most promising defenders of his generation after signing him from Laval
for £550,000 five years ago, yet his development quickly stalled.

Though his physical attributes are clear, Traoré consistently displayed a
lack of poise on the ball, his mistakes infuriating the Kop and eroding his
own confidence. He was shipped out to Lens on loan. Even when Houllier
departed last summer, the left-back was so synonymous with the ancien
régime that he almost moved to Everton for around £1m on transfer-deadline day.

Yet Benítez recognised raw quality. The Frenchman's style has been tweaked
since, his game adapted so that he spends as little time as possible in
possession in perilous areas. He looks to move the ball on swiftly, his
role having been made simple - there is little onus on him to maraud,
allowing him to concentrate on defending. The potential for embarrassment
is nullified.

He suffocated the pesky Víctor and Diego Tristán in Spain, maintaining his
encouraging form since regaining a starting place last month. Another
flailing squad member has found a niche.

"The criticism made me stronger, the person I am now," he said. "When you
take flak, it's sometimes good for you because you think about things and
try to erase the mistakes, but it's nice that things are changing."

The likelihood now is that the rejuvenated Traoré, Biscan and Diao will
progress into the knockout stages of the Champions League, a win in Monaco
or at home to Olympiakos in their final two games being sufficient to
advance. Where the temptation must have been to clear the decks and start
squad- building from scratch, Benítez has instead uncovered options few
believed he had.


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