RAFA BENITEZ MUST DELIVER
Even King Fergie would agree football is the winner
In defeat at Burnley, Ferguson saw why he's besotted with the game.
NO doubt mindful of these trying economic times, Rafa Benitez has trimmed his squad. It's now down to a streamlined 57 players.
Worryingly thin. Of those 57 players, only two were on the Anfield payroll when Steven Gerrard lifted the European Cup in Istanbul four years ago.
The captain himself, of course, and Jamie Carragher.
It is a fact discussed by Gerrard with my colleague Chris Bascombe in an interview which appears in today's Score pullout.
Understandably, Gerrard uses the statistic to highlight the rebuilding job Benitez feels has been necessary to undertake. But what it really highlights is Rafa's appetite for change.
From season to season, week to week, day to day, game to game, minute to minute.
Not so much the Shankly Gates as the Shankly Revolving Doors.
Since taking over five years ago, the Spaniard has recruited 46 players for first-team duty and sold 42 - 16 of whom were originally bought by Benitez.
He has laid out something in the region of £240million and recouped around £135m.
The net spend of more than £100m would not turn a Sheikh's hair.
But this is now a Liverpool team that has been five years in the making. Half a decade of wheeling and dealing.
It's time for it to deliver, time for Benitez to be judged.
Despite their proximity to Manchester United last season, the signs are not hugely encouraging for the Liverpool fans.
Three players out and two in make it a summer of remarkable stability by Rafa's dizzying standards of rotation. But after selling Alvaro Arbeloa, are you getting £13.5m more of quality full-back in Glen Johnson? Not on the grisly evidence of events in Amsterdam last week.
For £12m less than Real Madrid paid for Xabi Alonso, Liverpool may have found a bargain in Alberto Aquilani. But you'll have to wait until October to find out. And unless his dismal appearance record is transformed, you might be waiting a lot longer.
This remains a team heavily dependent on two men - and a team dependent on two men cannot compete on all fronts. Benitez has not shared the pervading view among supporters that the Premier League should be an overwhelming priority.
And until now, I have tended to agree.
But the implications of a Liverpool title triumph are now too significant for surely even Benitez to ignore.
Not just for a club that has gone 19 years without league success but for how football history - and Anfield history - chronicles Benitez.
At present, it will be for one freakish night in Istanbul and one long political scrap with various boardroom factions.
That is not how Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger will be judged.
Wenger's failure to win a Champions League has been compensated not only by his Premiership success but by the creation of an Arsenal way. An ethos, a set of principles by which the team plays and the club operates.
Ferguson has created a Manchester United way and won everything. Benitez remains in the shadow of these two modern giants of management.
And only when he shelves all other distractions and ends Liverpool's two decades of domestic torture will that end.
Picked up the paper and read this headline. 'David Bentley car crash'. And thought how very appropriate.
Now get the News of World print edition for more from Andy Dunn
This article has 10 comments
I can understand some frustration due to the poor start to the season, but to talk about losing the league in August is absolute nonsense.
If we turn half of last years draws into wins we can afford to lose another 3 games and still win the title, because it wasn't losing that cost us the title last season, it was drawing the games we should have won. Man U have lost TWO of their best players, been beaten by a team that are classed as relegation fodder (Burnley), and were very very lucky to get out of gaol against Arsenal, but I don't see anyone saying that cracks are appearing there.
Our team is basically the same as last year, with the exception of Alonso, who did have a very good season last year but don't forget he had 2 poor seasons before that.
We couldn't turn down £30 million, especially as he has admitted that his mind was made up about leaving.
One thing we mustn't lose sight of is that we were poor against Spurs and even though by our standards we played very poorly against Villa, we could and should have been out of sight before they got their first shot on target.
So could all those "plastic reds" from around the world who don't go to the game (and therefore don't contribute to the upkeep of the team, but have pleanty to say on the matter) either get behind the team you are supposed to support, keep your negative comments to yourself or better still go and watch Capetown United you morons.
By Alan Fitz. Posted September 7 2009 at 12:47 AM.
Last nights performance was a DISGRACE..Rafa needs to wake up..I saw bunch of immature Amateurs playing..they lost the League last night..I am full on RED..and last night you embarrassed me on front of friends and family.Rafa STOP buying rubbish..'' Has beens" ..how could you buy the player from Roma - He was Injured the entire season..he is useless..your arrogance is going to demoralize the team and supporters..LUCAS MUST GO..For the love of me..why did you buy the Greek..he is not fit.
I can't accept your excuses...they playing like Newscastle of last season.Gerrard you need to let go of what's bothering you and you must be the LEADER that you are DESTINED TO BE..
Rafa quality....there are 4 cups to play...and we don't have the Players to WIN the League Cup..what a joke..I hope that Rafa reads this..
Buy Quality...
By Carlo Naidoo - Florida South Africa. Posted August 25 2009 at 7:12 AM.
how has he spent 40 mill every season buying and selling = 104 mill over 5 seasons 20 mill a season man u/chelski spend more than that on one player we got no money but we hanging on in there
By kopkid31. Posted August 23 2009 at 2:46 PM.
Lets face it....Liverpool as a team are a loser!!! They may have a few outstanding players but the rest are rubbish. Time is running out for Benitez. This is the season he has to win some silverware or he is out!!!! Mark my words, Liverpool fans.....
By bOROi Malaysia Boleh. Posted August 16 2009 at 4:42 PM.
Funny Alonso is now at Madrid and he is Liverpool's best player according to the media, Why then did The Football Writers Association vote Gerrard as player of the year?. I love it that the media hate us and it drives us on every year as we get closer and closer, I look forward to slaughtering the mancs again in our usual walkover against them. Michael Owen has still only scored against' Chinese Takeaways' and the mancs think he will save their season HaHaHa.
By Tgan. Posted August 16 2009 at 10:54 AM.
Whichever way you look at it there's no escaping the fact that FSW is frustrating, frustated and long may he reign!! 20 years and counting.
By John Schembri. Posted August 16 2009 at 10:11 AM.
Go ask Arsenal fans if they are happy that they have never won the Champions league in their history! It haunts them and it haunts Wenger.
Funny how Liverpool are a 2 man team but now we have sold Alonso our title chances have been wrecked. Maybe we were a 3 man team all along but the biased media forgot to tell us!
By David. Posted August 16 2009 at 10:02 AM.
£30 - 40m as season? This is his 6th pre season and according to the figures above a net spend of £105m or £17.5m a year.
City have just spend £100+ in 6 weeks, Chelsea did in Romans first year, Madrid spent £40m more than that in 6 days on 2 players!!
Like it or not these days Liverpool are considered wheeler & dealers and are firmly in the second tier or third tier of spenders.
By Chris. Posted August 16 2009 at 8:30 AM.
Liverpool a 2 man team, Really?. Torres and Gerrard played 14 league games together last season yet we finished top scorer's, How did we do that then?, Because we have goals all over the pitch that's how!. Yossi and Kuyt are class acts and cause havoc behind the strikers, Johnson will rampage down the right like winger with Riera doing the same on the left. You sniff at Aquilani yet you know nothing about the lad?, Everybody in Italy suggest he is a very good signing for Liverpool and a class act. We will see today at Spurs how we do and im very confident.
By Tgan. Posted August 16 2009 at 8:23 AM.
You call spending 30-40million a season wheeling and dealing? Think you need to review the definition of the phrase.
By Alex. Posted August 16 2009 at 7:08 AM.