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Liverpool Comment: Despite seemingly inevitable failure to reach Champions League, Rafa Benitez deserves chance to lead Reds next term
One poor season should not spell the end for the Spaniard...
| Bet: | Returns: | Manchester United £18.33 | Draw £35.00 | Liverpool £42.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Manchester United £19.10 | Draw £35.00 | Liverpool £40.00 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Manchester United £18.33 | Draw £36.00 | Liverpool £43.33 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Manchester United £18.30 | Draw £36.00 | Liverpool £43.30 |
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| Bet: | Returns: | Manchester United £18.60 | Draw £33.00 | Liverpool £38.50 |
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12 Apr 2010 09:31:00
By Neil Jones | Liverpool Correspondent
It has become a divisive topic on Merseyside of late: are you pro-Rafa or anti-Rafa? Liverpool supporters, known for their patience and understanding when it comes to football, are being forced to nail their colours to the mast as the prospect of another year in the Europa League becomes reality. It has been that kind of season at Anfield.
Before yesterday's game with Fulham, the talk was of Barclays, British Airways and bright new dawns. But should Rafael Benitez be at the helm of the Liverpool ship as it negotiates its way clear of the choppy waters of this season?
Plenty would say 'No'. The Spaniard's 'failure' to conjure up a team capable of finishing fourth in an increasingly competitive Premier League is hard to deny. Liverpool's draw with Fulham on Sunday leaves them six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, whilst Roberto Mancini's side also retain a game in hand. Benitez has overseen plenty of escape acts in his time at Anfield, but a nine-point reversal with just four games remaining must be a bridge too far.
But whilst the reasons for Liverpool's fall from grace will continue to be debated long and hard, it is worth remembering that nothing in football is ever black and white. Benitez has plenty of mitigating circumstances with which to excuse one lousy campaign.
The ongoing issues at the very top of the club would make any manager's life hard. Benitez has watched the landscape at Anfield change significantly since the sale of the club to Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks in 2007. Promises have been made, few have been kept, and Benitez has found himself juggling like a circus performer.
Liverpool's spending briefly peaked around 2008, but since then the tap has been turned off. Player sales are being used to fund new signings, which puts an incredible amount of pressure on the manager whenever he delves into the transfer market. Whilst the likes of Roberto Mancini and Harry Redknapp can afford to trolley-dash their way across Europe, Benitez knows he simply must get his signings right.
Yes, he has made mistakes. Alberto Aquilani was a massive gamble considering the Italian was recovering from ankle surgery, and would miss pre-season training, when he signed. But Benitez was assured that the former Roma man would be ready to play as early as September, and has been left frustrated as a series of niggles and illnesses have set the 26-year-old back further.
Of course all sides suffer injuries, but Liverpool have been denied the services of Aquilani, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson, Yossi Benayoun, Fabio Aurelio and Martin Skrtel. That is nine players who, conceivably, could all have been considered starters. As Manchester United have found out to their cost recently, no amount of 'squad depth' can compensate for an ill-timed muscle strain or ligament twist.
And is Liverpool's squad as weak as has been claimed? Yesterday's draw with Fulham was immensely disappointing - both in terms of result and performance - but came with Torres, Aurelio and Skrtel all out, and with Benayoun, Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt all on the bench. Liverpool's players have under-performed for too much of this season, but they are still, on the whole, stellar performers.
It is arguable of course that Benitez, six years into his Anfield tenure, should not be so dependent on Torres, but all top sides rely on their best players. Manchester United's failures without Wayne Rooney in the past fortnight are proof enough of this.
The feeling around Anfield has been one of discontent for the majority of this season, with supporters disheartened that a side which finished last season so strongly can go so suddenly, and so spectacularly, off the boil. With the ongoing concerns over the club's ownership - Gillett and Hicks are expected to sell before the end of this year, meaning the likelihood is another summer without serious transfer cash - it has not been a good place to watch football this season. Frustration rules the roost at Anfield at the moment.
But Liverpool fans are, on the whole, a knowledgeable bunch, and they know that a club £237 million in debt, owned by a pair of custodians who are barely on speaking terms, with the fifth most expensive squad and the fifth highest wage bill, cannot realistically be expected to win the Premier League.
And with that in mind, is it not about time that Senor Benitez was cut a bit of slack?
Become a fan of Goal.com UK's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
It has become a divisive topic on Merseyside of late: are you pro-Rafa or anti-Rafa? Liverpool supporters, known for their patience and understanding when it comes to football, are being forced to nail their colours to the mast as the prospect of another year in the Europa League becomes reality. It has been that kind of season at Anfield.
Before yesterday's game with Fulham, the talk was of Barclays, British Airways and bright new dawns. But should Rafael Benitez be at the helm of the Liverpool ship as it negotiates its way clear of the choppy waters of this season?
Plenty would say 'No'. The Spaniard's 'failure' to conjure up a team capable of finishing fourth in an increasingly competitive Premier League is hard to deny. Liverpool's draw with Fulham on Sunday leaves them six points adrift of fourth-placed Manchester City, whilst Roberto Mancini's side also retain a game in hand. Benitez has overseen plenty of escape acts in his time at Anfield, but a nine-point reversal with just four games remaining must be a bridge too far.
But whilst the reasons for Liverpool's fall from grace will continue to be debated long and hard, it is worth remembering that nothing in football is ever black and white. Benitez has plenty of mitigating circumstances with which to excuse one lousy campaign.
The ongoing issues at the very top of the club would make any manager's life hard. Benitez has watched the landscape at Anfield change significantly since the sale of the club to Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks in 2007. Promises have been made, few have been kept, and Benitez has found himself juggling like a circus performer.
Liverpool's spending briefly peaked around 2008, but since then the tap has been turned off. Player sales are being used to fund new signings, which puts an incredible amount of pressure on the manager whenever he delves into the transfer market. Whilst the likes of Roberto Mancini and Harry Redknapp can afford to trolley-dash their way across Europe, Benitez knows he simply must get his signings right.
Yes, he has made mistakes. Alberto Aquilani was a massive gamble considering the Italian was recovering from ankle surgery, and would miss pre-season training, when he signed. But Benitez was assured that the former Roma man would be ready to play as early as September, and has been left frustrated as a series of niggles and illnesses have set the 26-year-old back further.
Of course all sides suffer injuries, but Liverpool have been denied the services of Aquilani, Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Daniel Agger, Glen Johnson, Yossi Benayoun, Fabio Aurelio and Martin Skrtel. That is nine players who, conceivably, could all have been considered starters. As Manchester United have found out to their cost recently, no amount of 'squad depth' can compensate for an ill-timed muscle strain or ligament twist.
And is Liverpool's squad as weak as has been claimed? Yesterday's draw with Fulham was immensely disappointing - both in terms of result and performance - but came with Torres, Aurelio and Skrtel all out, and with Benayoun, Lucas Leiva and Dirk Kuyt all on the bench. Liverpool's players have under-performed for too much of this season, but they are still, on the whole, stellar performers.
It is arguable of course that Benitez, six years into his Anfield tenure, should not be so dependent on Torres, but all top sides rely on their best players. Manchester United's failures without Wayne Rooney in the past fortnight are proof enough of this.
Wounded Knee | Injury woes have hampered Reds
The feeling around Anfield has been one of discontent for the majority of this season, with supporters disheartened that a side which finished last season so strongly can go so suddenly, and so spectacularly, off the boil. With the ongoing concerns over the club's ownership - Gillett and Hicks are expected to sell before the end of this year, meaning the likelihood is another summer without serious transfer cash - it has not been a good place to watch football this season. Frustration rules the roost at Anfield at the moment.
But Liverpool fans are, on the whole, a knowledgeable bunch, and they know that a club £237 million in debt, owned by a pair of custodians who are barely on speaking terms, with the fifth most expensive squad and the fifth highest wage bill, cannot realistically be expected to win the Premier League.
And with that in mind, is it not about time that Senor Benitez was cut a bit of slack?
Become a fan of Goal.com UK's Facebook fan page for all the latest news and insight into everything related to the beautiful game!
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