Phillip Buckley

Should Rafael Benitez be given more time, and, importantly, money, to transform Liverpool into genuine title contenders next season? This is a question that every Liverpool fan, even those who are most staunchly pro-Benitez have asked themselves, particularly in light of yet another loss to one of their title rivals. Due to the unprecedented coverage, and, strangely for Liverpool, leaks from all manner of people connected with the club, we know this is a question that has also been asked by those with the power to make a decision on the future of the Spaniard.

Yet the question of whether Benitez will begin next season at Anfield is not nearly so important of the question of whether he should. Benitez may remain in situe due to the power struggle being waged for control at the club, and his performances on the pitch would have little impact on that should the club limp into that 4th Champions League spot.

The situation is split into two halves. No longer are Liverpool the domestic force they once were. Many managers have tried and failed to recapture the league title that was last won in 1990. Ordinarily, Benitez’s league form would have meant his exit at the end of this season and another manager appointed to have a ‘crack at it’. But this situation is all the more complicated by the fact that “Rafa” has transformed the club into a European powerhouse.

When Benitez took over Liverpool’s name still meant something in Europe. Yet, the club were no powerhouse. Under Roy Evans the team only progressed to the latter rounds of European competition once, and suffered the ignominy of a comprehensive defeat at Paris Saint Germain when they did (Cup Winners’ Cup Semi-Final). Under Evans successor, Gerard Houllier, the club competed in the Champions League more often than not, but again, never seriously threatened to actually win the competition. A quarter final exit to German side Bayer Leverkusen was the closest Houllier came, and a group stage defeat inflicted by Swiss side Basel, to send them spiralling out, was an embarrassment. Further shame was wrought by a UEFA Cup defeat at Anfield, by Celtic.

Fast-forward to life under Benitez and everything has changed. Liverpool live up to their reputation in Europe. They are feared once more, and at UEFA Headquarters in Nyon, are rightly grouped alongside Real Madrid, Barcelona and AC Milan as not just legends of the competition, but living legends that no team would choose to draw. Teams such as Barcelona, Juventus, Inter Milan and Chelsea have all seen their European ambitions terminated by the Reds. These clashes of the titans have made football fans drool with anticipation. Say what you will about teams such as Arsenal and Chelsea domestically, but in Europe there are two names from England that really mean something to sponsors and fans alike. Liverpool and Manchester United.

In European Champions League campaigns, Benitez has taken Liverpool to two finals, both against AC Milan. Whilst he was the beneficiary of much luck in the earlier final (Istanbul) and triumphed against the odds, it must be the Athens final that truly represents his European Liverpool side. A team that had thrashed Manchester United at the San Siro were outplayed by Benitez’s Liverpool, and only through lack of firepower did they contrive to lose the game. The rampaging Kaka who so cut through every other European side was seemingly in Argentine midfielder Mascherano’s pocket. Only when Liverpool were forced to chase the game and brought the anchorman off, did Kaka have a somewhat freer hand.

Domestically of course, it is another story. Benitez has never got to grips with the Premier League. Rotation is oft sited as the cause of the problem, yet this overlooks the fact that Manchester United and Chelsea (particularly under Mourinho) both rotated in comparable amounts. The root of the trouble actually stems from Benitez unwillingness to unleash his side against lesser opposition, due to his inherently cautious nature (a pre-requisite for Champions League success). The Spaniard has yet to realise that controlling the game against these teams is not something Liverpool need to work on. Instead they must cut into them with attacking impetus, throwing caution to the wind, especially at Anfield, and only then when they are two goals to the good, should they look to control the game in midfield, and, as Liverpool sides of the 70s and 80s did, kill it.

The most frustrating thing for Liverpool fans is that they can destroy teams. When Benitez unlocks the shackles they retain the capability to annihilate opposing sides. Witness the 3-0 and 4-0 recent drubbings of Newcastle United and West Ham respectively.

Just as Liverpool’s manager looks like curing this problem, another perhaps even more worrying one arises. Under his leadership Liverpool’s players are beginning to develop a psychological problem when playing against other members of the so called “big four”.

This problem has become all too more apparent given Liverpool’s recent game against rivals Manchester United. Amazingly, out of the 8 times Benitez has met Ferguson’s men in the Premier League, he has yet to win a single encounter, losing 7 and drawing 1. Liverpool have actually failed to score against United in their last 7 league meetings, a shocking statistic that points to the ineptness of every attacking formation Benitez has deployed against them.

Not beating your fierce rivals in the league for 8 games is a surprising statistic for Liverpool, but even worse is that failure to score. The really worrying thing for Benitez though is that the situation may have gone beyond tactics and form, and progressed to psychology. His players are in serious danger of having mentally accepted defeat against Manchester United before they even set foot on the pitch. Chelsea too have only been defeated once since Benitez took the reigns at Anfield.

These games often have a significance that goes beyond the 3 points at stake. Many times they end the winning run of a rival, as in the case of Manchester United against Liverpool recently, (Liverpool had won their previous five Premier League games) and in doing this can disrupt an opponent’s form.

In the 2005/06 season Liverpool went into the fixture at Old Trafford on a run of 11 victories and 1 draw in the Premier League. After surrendering 1-0 to United, they then went on to draw at home with Birmingham, then lose away to Chelsea and Charlton. A run of supreme form in the league had been halted and the repercussions of the defeat went beyond just the loss itself.

The effect of course is not confined to Liverpool. It’s easy to point to the example of Arsenal this year, who, when they visited Old Trafford in the FA Cup, sat comfortably on top of the Premier League table. Arsene Wenger may not have fielded his ‘best’ eleven, but the 4-0 defeat sent shockwaves through the club. This game was followed up by four successive Premier League draws, against Birmingham, Aston Villa, Wigan and Middlesbrough. It is these games, and not the recent defeat to Chelsea, that has put the nail in the coffin of Arsenal’s title charge.

For as long as Liverpool are unable to gain positive results against their title rivals they will not only be at an obvious points disadvantage, but perhaps more important they will continue to be susceptible to this knock on effect.

For all the obvious signs that Benitez is a quality manager, the facts will show that, barring a miracle that sees Liverpool finish 3^rd, the team is actually regressing in the Premier League. A 3^rd placed finish with a massive 82 points, achieved in the 2005/06 season, is looking like the Spaniard’s high watermark.

All but the most anti-Benitez Liverpool supporter would probably feel that he has earned another season. The signing of Fernando Torres has been an undoubted success, but having a lethal striker is no guarantee the league title will return to Anfield. Two deadly marksmen in Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen both lack championship winners’ medals.

Regardless of results in the Champions League, which are remarkable, if Rafael Benitez cannot reverse the mental block his players develop when facing their rivals, then his Anfield career is likely to end in domestic failure. Gorging on European success will only satisfy Reds’ supporters’ palates for so long. The dish they crave is the Premier League title, and if the Spaniard can’t cook it up, his days are numbered.