Babel blames lack of fitness for flopping

(26-11-2010) Ryan Babel claims former Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez prevented him from undertaking additional training sessions. The Dutch international, signed for £11.5m from Ajax in the summer of 2007, has failed to impress at Anfield in his three years at the club. Even under new Reds boss Roy Hodgson, Babel has been used sparingly with many now convinced he will be sold in January. The 24-year-old now blames some of his difficulties on a lack of proper fitness. "I wasn't allowed to train extra under our former manager, even when I wasn't involved," the player wrote on his Twitter feed on Thursday. "I begged lots of times, but it was simply not allowed.” He added: "And during the season you don't train very hard because you have lots of games, so most of the sessions we had were done without sweating."