Time for Ryan to repay faith shown in him

Saturday 22 August 2008
Liverpool Echo
Tony Barrett

When Liverpool were beaten to the signing of Florent Malouda by Chelsea, Rafa Benitez instantly turned his attentions to Ajax's Ryan Babel.

Benitez had been particularly keen to snap up Malouda, believing the French left winger was ideal for the system he was developing at Anfield and reckoned he was at the right age at 27 to come to the Premier League and make a big impression.

Babel, by contrast, was a much greater risk. At just 20 years of age and with no more than 73 games under his belt in his native Holland, a lack of experience made it highly unlikely that he would be able to come to this country and prove to be an instant hit.

But Benitez decided that the raw talent and huge potential Babel possessed made him well worth the risk, even with the £11m price tag he was saddled with.

Last season, Babel's first in England, we saw flashes of that ability as he scored ten goals including memorable strikes against Derby County, Besiktas and Arsenal.

The rich promise was there for all to see but now the time has come for the Dutch international to deliver on that promise.

Football is littered with the memory of players with immense potential whose flame flickered brightly all too briefly before being snuffed out.

Liverpool fans will remember all too well the likes of Anthony Le Tallec and Mark Kennedy arriving at Anfield as teenagers tipped to be the next wonderkids to make the grade.

Over the park, Danny Cadematari and Franny Jeffers both enjoyed the best days of their career when they had only just reached the age when nightclub bouncers don't ask for ID.

Further afield, Darren Caskey and Julian Joachim were both tipped to be massive stars when they helped England under-18s win the European Championships in 2003 but never lived up to that optimistic billing.

While they faded away, Sol Campbell, Paul Scholes and a certain Robbie Fowler graduated from the under-18s with honours and went on to achieve their full potential by becoming solid gold Premier League stars.

They did so by making the most of their talent, something which Babel must also do if he is to become the player which Benitez believed he could be when he signed him last summer.

Babel is now 21 and has the benefit of having been patiently guided through his first season in English football by his club manager.

At times last season he looked like a world beater. At others he looked like a novice one trick pony whose one trick, cutting in from the left and shooting with his right foot, had been rumbled by just about every defender around.

He excited and frustrated in equal measure and divided fans in much the same way as Luis Garcia had done before him.

But what was not in any doubt among those who watched him most regularly was that Babel undoubtedly has something.

It is now up to himself and nobody else to show exactly what he can do. The excuse of youth cannot last for ever, nor can relative inexperience provide a lifetime's protection from criticism.

Babel was signed as a potential star of the future but sometimes you have to seize the moment or else it gets away from you.

Cesc Fabregas, Wayne Rooney and Micah Richards have all lived up to the old adage that if you're good enough, you're old enough in recent years.

Now, having returned from the Olympics, Ryan Babel must do the same and prove that his manager was right to place so much faith in him.