by Batman Sun Nov 16, 2008 2:03 pm
Babel unhappy at Anfield
Ryan Babel admits he is getting frustrated with life at Liverpool. The Dutch forward has been restricted to bit-part roles this term and has largely made his impact from the substitutes bench. Babel sprung from the sidelines to score the winner as Liverpool beat Manchester United earlier in the season and also came from the bench to change the game as Liverpool overcame Arsenal in the Champions League quarter-final last season.
But a cameo role, or a place on the wing, is not what Babel wants.
He told The Guardian: "I'm satisfied with my level of performance but the situation is clear - that I'm not going to be one of the regular 11 starters.
"It's difficult. I do get frustrated. I can tell myself that I'm still only 21 and at the start of my career.
"But it is making it hard for me because, as time goes on, they keep telling me that I'm young and that my time will come. Well, OK, but I'm not a player who wants to wait. I want to be involved now rather than in three or four years' time."
With Robbie Keane and Fernando Torres the preferred strikers at Anfield, boss Rafa Benitez has deployed Babel on the wing, but the 21-year-old prefers to go through the middle.
He added: "I have always said that I want to play as a striker.
"Of course, it would not help me improve if I wasn't able to play, or train, in another position a couple of times. But all the time?
"I used to play as a striker in Holland. I grew up as a striker. That's the position I want to play.