Tom Oldfield


Liverpool have now lost as many league games this season as in their entire 2008/09 campaign – and Rafael Benitez is looking seriously rattled.

Having pushed Manchester United close last season, despite facing spells without Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard, much is expected of Liverpool. Signs of progress have been clearly visible over the past few years and some predicted that 2009/10 might be the season when they finally returned to the summit of English football.

But a limp 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Monday said otherwise. So did their 2-1 loss at White Hart Lane on the opening weekend. Frailties are becoming apparent and Benitez and his players already find themselves a worrying six points off the pace. Where has it all gone wrong?

Much will be made of the sale of midfield maestro Xabi Alonso, who joined Real Madrid over the summer – and with good reason. Alonso’s ability to calm his team-mates with measured passing and break up play has been sorely missed thus far. It is too early to condemn Benitez for agreeing to the transfer – after all, £30M is a lot of money, even in today’s inflated market – but the signs are not good if you are a Liverpool supporter.

Furthermore, Javier Mascherano looks a less formidable proposition without the Spaniard alongside him and Benitez cannot have failed to notice how laboured his side were in possession on Monday night. Normally, Alonso would have been buzzing around, collecting the ball from the centre backs and finding a way to unpick the opposition defence. But without him and with Villa taking a shock two-goal lead, Liverpool could not get going..

But Alonso’s absence alone does not explain why the Reds appear incapable of mounting a title defence – if it is not too early to make such a harsh assessment. Liverpool will struggle to compete with Manchester United and Chelsea over the coming months for two main reasons. Firstly, they rely too heavily on Gerrard and Torres. On Monday, the Liverpool skipper had one of his rare off days and there were no other players stepping forward to take responsibility. Similarly, where would the goals come from if Torres suffered the misfortune of another serious injury?

Yes, Manchester United rely on Wayne Rooney and Chelsea rely on Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba but the supporting cast are far more willing to answer the call when required. Their balance is better and those two sides are less likely to be stifled by stubborn, organised opponents. While Dirk Kuyt, Albert Riera and Glen Johnson all possess real quality in the final third, they are not game-changers in the mould of Gerrard and Torres – though admittedly few are.

The second key point is squad depth. This criticism has been levelled at Liverpool for several seasons but no solution has been forthcoming as yet. Injuries, fatigue and loss of form are unavoidable issues over a nine-month campaign and the substitutes’ bench needs to be stocked with willing and able replacements.

But when Curtis Davies put Villa two goals to the good, Benitez could have been forgiven for looking at his bench and then to the heavens. The fact that he threw on Andriy Voronin with his first roll of the dice was evidence enough that things are not quite right. The Ukrainian was shipped out on loan to Hertha Berlin last season but he and Ryan Babel, who also made a second half appearance, are the two main attacking options currently if Liverpool fall behind. Similarly, seeing Lucas Leiva in the starting line-up is a concern as he seems low on confidence and limited in possession.

Of course, Villa rode their luck at times, relying on the brilliance of keeper Brad Friedel and a well-marshalled back line. On another day Benitez’s side might have been put the game to bed within half an hour – but they didn’t. And so the pressure mounts.

It is easy to forget that a 4-0 demolition of Stoke was sandwiched between Liverpool’s two defeats. That night Torres and Gerrard were in inspired form, seemingly determined to banish memories of their disappointing 0-0 draw with the Potters last season at Anfield. The football was stylish and the swagger was back. The defeat at Tottenham was just a blip, some said.

But here we are a week later, digesting another Liverpool defeat. Since Jose Mourinho transformed Chelsea into a title-winning machine five years ago, the bar has been raised in terms of the number of points required to win the title – and certainly the number of games a title contender can afford to lose. Margins are finer than ever, especially considering Liverpool lost just twice in the league during the last campaign and still finished adrift of the champions.

While the Reds seem to thrive on playing under pressure, their self-made problems could well hurt them badly. With six games against the rest of the big four to come plus testing fixtures with the likes of Manchester City and Everton, Benitez will be having plenty of restless nights. Alberto Aquilani, signed from Roma, should make a difference when he is added to the midfield but it should be noted that he is not in the same class as Alonso.

Liverpool travel to Bolton next, in need of a big performance to restore some pride to the club. Two defeats will not derail their season, whatever their critics say, but Benitez will know it is an uphill battle from here – and his players need to show they have the stomach for that fight.

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