Note to Rafa: Leto doesn’t deserve a work permit
Managers tend be to stereotyped into a number of categories. Mourinho and Ferguson have been typecast as the ‘motivational’ types (regardless of the tactical acumen of both managers) while the likes of Rafa Benitez (and to an extent, Juande Ramos) have been categorised as supreme tacticians (regardless of whether they are better in that department than their adversaries or not).
But since we live in a world where black and white is easier to understand than the nuances between Rafa-ball and Wenger-ball (hint: the difference is in execution, not in methods), let’s stick to these stereotypes for a minute and discuss Rafa Benitez’s credentials as a supreme thinker….
Or rather, look at the ridiculous posturing over the refusal of Leto’s work permit:
“I am disappointed and it was a surprise because this is a player who has played in the Champions League and been in the Argentina squad for the Olympic Games.You have managers talking about how good he is, so I think the system needs to change.
We have maybe eight or 10 teams in Spain, Italy and Greece asking about him. When you have eight or 10 teams asking about a player and he’s not playing, it means that he is good.
He has a long contract, and I think he can impress and next year will be a different situation.”
Here’s the thing Rafa – Leto isn’t in the senior Argentina national squad, his passport got revoked (and if you want to raise a fuss, that’s what he should really be talking about), he *isn’t* going to the Olympics and playing 4 games for Liverpool (Toulouse in the CL qualifying round and the CL home game against Marseille that Liverpool lost, plus 2 league cup games against Reading and Cardiff) does not qualify a player for the work permit. The fact that he ends up going to Olympiakos instead of a club with a stronger league competition would suggest that he isn’t in as much demand from the top teams/leagues as you would have thought.
Leto’s good, but he’s not that good, and the system shouldn’t change because you’re not getting your way.
Now if you were to tell me that third-parties owning players was wrong, or that rules should change to give English clubs better access to home-grown talent (thus reducing the need for importing talent – although this one internalises the monopoly instead of removing it, but that’s a different discussion), or at least tell me who’s after Leto apart from Olympiakos, then I might think you’re on to something.
This is just petty posturing. You’re bigger than that Rafa… hell, at the very least you’re much smarter than that.
Topics: English Premier League, Liverpool, Rafael Benitez
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You rae wrong, Leto is not good
August 5th, 2008 @ 12:07I’m not surprised that Leto didn’t get a work permit. And maybe he didn’t deserve it either. But that’s not the problem.
The problem is that the work permit hearings are like a lottery. Some players will get a work permit and others won’t. It’s up to a few former players to decide who get’s a wp or who’s not. As these players change from time to time there are no consistency in their decisions.
There should be a rule that applies to all players, not a lottery.
Btw, Rafa never said that Leto was going to the Olympics. He said that he was in the pre-selected squad for the olympics. That’s a big difference.
August 5th, 2008 @ 12:20So how can you justify poterntial terrorists and asylum seekers who have no hope but living off tax payers benefits living in the country, yet a harmless footballer who would probably get a few games under his belt having to be shipped out the country to play football?
It’s best to think before you write an article like this
August 5th, 2008 @ 12:48Why talk so much s**t.
The fact that a premier league club is willing to pay his wages everyweek says that the guy has potential.
That should be enough!
We have a situation where any Tom, Dick or Harry can arrive from Romania, Bulgaria or other Eastern European country without qualifications or even the ability to speak English.
A guy who has been spotted by scouts as having bags of potential can’t.
August 5th, 2008 @ 13:15@ Coops: Actually I don’t think it’s a good idea to write nonsense even the Daily Mail would be embarassed to print.
@ What a hit son: “Idiot” and “bonehead” are names I’d level at morons in the comment section who can’t form correct sentences, not at the writer of this article.
Leto hasn’t played many games for Liverpool – from what I saw I very much doubt he’d get a look in this season. He’ll have to really step things up at Olympiakos (not that that would mean too much) to make an impact either on a work permit hearing or Benitez’ first team. I’d like to see it but I would be surprised.
I think bids from foreign teams are likely to come in for a player who’s going to struggle to get a work permit – given that he’ll have to be sold off, probably cheap.
August 5th, 2008 @ 13:19@Rob – the point was to contest what Rafa was saying, not defend the work permit system per se. As for the Daily Mail comment, I’m happy that you took the time to think of something clever to say, even if it’s completely off-base
@Coops – because an unrelated process is messed up doesn’t mean that the work permit system should be more lax. Don’t confuse the issue.
August 5th, 2008 @ 13:50yeah, I agree with what’s said in the article as well, certainly. He’s grossly overinflating the case for his player. I remember the Toulouse game, where Leto was fairly anonymous. But to claim Leto has international significance is ridiculous.
Rafa’s a funny one, especially when his back’s up about decisions regarding his players. I don’t like to see managers entering battle in the press at the best of times, but Benitez so often comes off looking like a buffoon.
August 5th, 2008 @ 14:31Did he deserve a work permit? No. Other players have had to spend time loaned out to other Euro teams where the rules are more relaxed (Chelsea’s Alex for one) and in doing so have had the chance to raise their games.
Leto has some skill, there is no question about that. He does need to work on his game and improve especially in terms of pace, but that should come.
Liverpool supporters have spent so long without winning the Premiership that complaining has become the number 1 past-time amoungst a lot of them and they’re getting pretty good at it… it almost second nature. So the fact that the lad is no Cristiano Ronaldo means they want to bury him quickly (alongside the memory of a certain Gonzalez)
But they should remember YNWA. Hopefully, one day he’ll be able to pull on the famous jersey and we’ll all watch in awe and splendor as he terrorises defenses
)
August 5th, 2008 @ 14:36I think that Leto should be allowed a permit. He’s obviously got talent if he’s playing at the best club in the world (my little joke before someone goes spastic at that comment). He has been scouted into Liverpool and now that his permit hasn’t been renewed it means that all the time and money that Rafa and his staff have put into him last year is a waste.
Joel Rhodes agreed with you about Gonzalez but the reason that he was sold off was because he wasn’t getting that much playing time, and they needed funds to afford Torres and Babel. Pretty much the same reason that Crouch, Kewell, and Riise went. So I think Gonzalez actually benefits because now he’s playing first team football.
If Leto was a criminal, or had a criminal record I wouldn’t mind him not being let in, but he hasn’t done anything wrong and he’s got a budding career (which he’s probably been aspiring to get since he was 5 years old), so nobody should be able to take that opportunity away from him. So what if he’s no Ronaldo? So what if he’s no Aguero? It’s his only source of income and he’s got his job up and running.
August 5th, 2008 @ 21:00I wouldn’t be averse to some kind of trial period in these cases. Give him 18 months. If he hits certain criteria, let him stay, if not – he goes.
The main point for me is Benitez posturing. For some reason when he complains like this, it seems to devalue him in a way that doesn’t happen for other, lesser managers. He has natural class and lets himself down here.
August 6th, 2008 @ 15:39leto is not a good player.i am olympiakos fun and i have never seen worst player.he is a bad person and he is only playing for him self.last to months coach prefers a 37 years player than him and finally he doesn’t brake our balls.hope for liverpool (because it;s the biggest club in the world) that he wont get the work permit, your all gonna be surprised!
December 22nd, 2008 @ 04:53