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Fourth Unlikely to Save Liverpool Boss Benitez

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Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has guaranteed that his team will finish in the top four of the Premier League this season, despite recent performances suggesting that the Reds remain off the pace. But as his position at Anfield becomes increasingly unstable, the general consensus is that a fourth-place finish may not be enough to keep Benitez in his job.

Some Liverpool fans, who Benitez praised wholeheartedly after the disappointing 1-1 draw against Stoke at the weekend, seem to have made up their minds that the Spaniard has to go. The team’s progress has stalled over the past five months while Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa have all shown signs of being more legitimate contenders for a place in the top four and a place at Europe’s top table.

Listless defeats against Portsmouth and then Reading in the FA Cup have further weakened Benitez’s position and, of course, the disastrous Champions League campaign has been well documented. Suddenly, the Europa League offers the Reds’ only shot at silverware.

It has been the nature of Liverpool’s struggles that has been most distressing since beginning the season in August with a defeat at White Hart Lane. Not only are the Reds trailing Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal but they are not even close, both in terms of performances and personnel. Bizarrely, Liverpool have thrown away points with some woeful displays but, to some extent, they are playing as well as one might expect given the players available.

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have missed chunks of the season and Jamie Carragher has been patchy with his form but the supporting cast is also lacking that extra bit of quality. The likes of Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt and Fabio Aurelio are talented footballers but there is a school of thought that says they are not going to be difference-makers in a title bid. The squad is not deep enough and the togetherness of the group has been called into question for one of the few times during the Benitez era. Plus, without Xabi Alonso, Liverpool are laboured in possession and too easy to contain. Watching the Reds this season, it is almost impossible to believe that they pushed Manchester United so close last year.

So where does all that leave Benitez?

The answer is far from clear as the campaign heads towards crunch time. Seemingly, the biggest issue for the powers that be at Anfield is the astronomical cost of sacking Benitez. The Spaniard’s contract has more than four years still to run and, according to various reports, a figure in excess of £20M would need to be shelled out to fire the former Valencia manager. Were it not for this, the axe may well have fallen weeks ago. But given the circumstances and the economy, can the club really afford to make that decision, especially with Champions League qualification for next season – and the financial boost that Europe’s most glamorous competition provides – hanging in the balance?

The other alternative – albeit less likely – is that Benitez will decide to bring his spell at Liverpool to an end voluntarily and resign from his post. During the past three seasons, there have been countless suitors for the Spaniard, with Real Madrid being the most attractive among them, and he might feel a fresh start and a return to his homeland are just what he and his family need. After the relentless media attention and his players’ poor form, it is not impossible to foresee Benitez walking away from the club but he is a shrewd character and will be well aware of Liverpool’s weighty financial commitments to him under the terms of the contract he signed back in March 2009.

For now, the push for fourth spot is the immediate focus but his uncertain future is like a lingering dark cloud. Liverpool still have time to salvage something from this season but it is difficult to see where the spark will come from and the supporters’ growing frustration sums up the current predicament.

There are occasions when a manager needs to be given more time to resolve a situation or his players are showing signs of turning things around – but neither apply to the on-going saga at Anfield. Liverpool are faltering big time and, as things stand, it would be a surprise if Benitez is still the Reds’ manager going into the 2010/11 campaign. It just remains to be seen whether he will be the one to make the decision to leave or Liverpool will bite the bullet and do it for him.

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