Unhappy Kop stars should learn that actions speak louder than words
News of Albert Riera wanting to quit Anfield, and his criticism of manager Rafael Benitez in an interview on Spanish radio, had a real hint of déjà vu about it.
Riera's broadside at Rafa's 'sinking ship'
Fans of Espanyol, his former club, have long claimed that the 27-year-old is disloyal and very prone to outbursts, like the one he gave on Radio Marca. It has also been alleged that his agent shamelessly tried to tout the winger to European champions Barcelona last summer.
Riera knows he will ultimately be shipped out during the close season, especially after failing to build on his sometimes convincing performances last term. No doubt he was hoping to go out in a blaze of publicity, which the media in both Spain and England have granted him.
This is not the first time a Liverpool player has spoken out against Benitez this season and it appears that some supporters have short memories in relation to Ryan Babel's constant media misdemeanours throughout the current campaign.
Last summer the 23-year-old voiced concerns about seeking opportunities away from Anfield because of broken promises made by Benitez, something which Babel claims was an inaccurate translation once the British press had picked up on it.
On the eve of Liverpool's decisive Champions League trip to Debreceni last November, another interview with Babel surfaced in the Dutch media accusing Benitez of failing to communicate with the club's players. Again he denied the claims.
But two months later Babel hit the headlines again - this time for various outbursts he made on his personal Twitter profile. He publicly called on owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks to provide funds for the club in the summer transfer window which earned him a reprieve from the Kop.
That good-willed statement, however, was well and truly undone just five days later when he embarked on a tweeting frenzy after being dropped from the side that travelled to Stoke, claiming that he would one day prove his worth - whether that be at Anfield or elsewhere.
After being fined a fortnight's wages, Babel was back in favour with Benitez and has gone on to make a handful of impressive performances for Liverpool, most notably in the 4-1 hammering of Portsmouth on Monday night.
No-one can fault his response but, after so many stories attributed to him have emerged throughout this season, questions are being asked as to how much of what the Holland international said before those reports reached these shores was true compared to his responses to the claims.
Either journalists are becoming far lazier with translation and completely disregarding their Code of Practice or someone, namely Babel, is lying. Riera has rightly been criticised for his remarks but those who are castigating him would do well to remember that anything he has done, others have also done.
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