Liverpool
Uefa Cup success will save face for Benítez and his domestic failings, but only in the short-run
Winning the Champions League in his first year ensured Rafa Benítez would join the list of great Liverpool managers while also assuring supporters that he was the right man to lead the club in consistently challenging for major honours at home and abroad. In the subsequent two years, just the FA Cup has been added to a bulging but ageing trophy cabinet and even a Champions League final appearance last May failed to satisfy Liverpool fans. After all, they’d been there and done that just a couple of years prior and their yearnings had shifted to Premier League success. Ominously, such success has never appeared probable in the Spaniard’s reign on Merseyside.
Liverpool and Chelsea’s fortunes since 2004, the year when both welcomed new managers into the fold on the back of growing expectations, can be juxtaposed. At the latter, José Mourinho proved his ability at getting the most from his players across a 38-game league campaign as Chelsea stormed to the Premier League title with a staggering 95 points to their name during his first season, and did it again a year later. Liverpool, on the other hand, were plagued by inconsistency in the league but excelled in cup competitions; one of Benítez’s greatest triumphs was in the win over Chelsea in a Champions League semi-final. It seemed in one-off encounters, Benítez could outfox the very best in management - including Mourinho - but his strategy for the Premier League marathon had little effect.
Three years of consistently failing in the league was a major concern, but with new backers and more money than ever before to spend, the current campaign was earmarked as the one where Liverpool would finally get their hands on the coveted Premier League crown.
A promising start following heavy close season investment has since faded from memory as Benítez’s side struggle to find any sort of rhythm or momentum, or the know-how to extract victories from tight matches.
 |
“There are three teams who are playing superior football and achieving superior results, potentially leaving Liverpool to rely on others slipping-up to boost their own chances” |
Liverpool lie six points off Arsenal after 11 matches having drawn six of those games, four at home. Anfield is their citadel, yet they’ve won only once in five matches at a ground where results have been typically difficult to come by for opponents over the last few years. And while they have faced Chelsea and Arsenal, games against the struggling pair of Birmingham and Tottenham were eminently winnable for a side desperate to avoid falling off the pace early doors as has been the case in recent times. Both these teams came away with a point, and Blackburn and Portsmouth have done the same, leaving Liverpool to languish in seventh position.
Although not out of the title race, recent performances indicate ultimate glory is a long way off. There are three teams above Benítez’s in the table who are playing superior football and achieving superior results, potentially leaving Liverpool to partially rely on others slipping-up later in the season in order to boost their own title bid.
Benítez will never admit it, but his decision to continue with the much-maligned rotation system has been the major cause of Liverpool’s slump in form. The momentum from the impressive 6-0 victory against Derby was lost in their next game at Portsmouth as Benítez rung the changes; an uninspiring 0-0 draw was the result and the hosts even missed a penalty. Since thrashing Derby, Liverpool have won just four times in 12 matches including two Carling Cup victories against Reading and Cardiff and one-goal margin triumphs at Everton and Wigan. Unless Benítez can suddenly demonstrate how a successful league campaign is constructed, the chances of Liverpool topping the pile next May are remote.
Such investment as witnessed over the summer brings immediate pressure for silverware, even if Benítez is non-plussed at the furore surrounding Liverpool’s start. If the Premier League trophy is to be ruled out, the next best thing is the Champions League. One area Benítez’s record cannot be disputed is on the continent. Two finals in three years speaks for itself, but this season the Spaniard’s traditional get out of jail free card seems to have gone missing. Three games in Group A, three poor performances, just one solitary point and the prospect of an embarrassing exit from the premier club competition before Christmas.
Yet their European campaign would be prolonged if they were to finish third and so qualify for the Uefa Cup. Liverpool would unquestionably be the strongest of the remaining 32 clubs, ahead of even Bayern Munich and the likes of Lyon and Valencia who could also drop out of the Champions League before next year. Benítez, of course, won the competition in his final year at Valencia and thus there would be an expectation on him to repeat the trick with his current employers. But even if the would-be favourites did succeed, would it be enough to sway over the majority of Liverpool supporters so desperate for the Premier League for another 12 months? It would likely save the club’s season and to a degree vindicate some of Benítez’s spending with the hope his signings from the summer of 2007 would spur Liverpool onto domestic league glory by the summer of 2009.
Most worryingly, however, is the prospect of Liverpool ending the season no closer to winning the title than in any of the previous three campaigns. In fact, there is a very real possibility that Benítez’s side will have regressed rather than advanced come the season’s end. If they fail to progress from the group stages of the Champions League, fall a long way short of the eventual Premier League champions and end the season without any of the aforementioned pieces of silverware, would that constitute any genuine progress in the three years since that famous night in Istanbul? If the unanimous verdict is ‘no’, Benítez will be on the brink.
Is Benítez good enough to guide Liverpool to the Premier League crown? Share your views by leaving a comment below.
Sphere: Related Content
Tags: Rafa Benitez 
Related Articles
Discussion
9 comments for “Uefa Cup success will save face for Benítez and his domestic failings, but only in the short-run”
Post a comment
Welcome to Footballing World
Recent Posts
Sponsor
Every jackpot in casino games is like a goal in the Premier League. Enter the gambling world at 777.com, the leading gaming guide, where you can find all the best online casinos in the world, plus reviews, tutorials, articles and more.
Loading ...
Being 6 points behind the league leaders with a game in hand and playing so poorly at the moment doesnt necessarily mean liverpool are out of the title race. With the way Utd started the campaign did anyone believe they would be where they are now. With the likes of Torres, Alonso & Agger all being injured not to mention injuries to Gerrard resulting in a loss of form and loosing Pennant when he was showing signs of improving, shows that the current position liverpool are in is not as bad as many pundits like to make out. As for the champions league, it would be a massive loss to be out of the competition at this very early stage but one that may be a blessing if we also miss out on the UEFA cup as I dont see the point of being in that competition. Less games to play means fresher players for the league which is by no means out of our reach just yet. Bring back our attacking force in Alonso and Torres and our defensive pairing of Agger and Carra and we will see the true Liverpool FC!!
I started reading your article then stopped when you starting comparing Mour Vs Ben without mentioning the money that was spent, you cant compare the two.
Matt you are not a real soccer supporter are you because is shows
Fans have too much to say these days and are just glorified doom mongers. This article is a perfect example of football writing for the sake of it, with opinions changing according to direction wind blows.
Typical anti-Liverpol & anti Benitez article. For some reason, Liverpool only appear to be in the spotlight when things seem to be going wrong and then the media and other supporters get on the same bandwagon of ‘rotation’ or whatever else they can use to make things seem a lot worse than they are.
So let’s review this properly.
1. Liverpool are 6 points from the top with a game in hand.
2. They have drawn many games, but are as yet unbeaten in the league.
3. The spine of the team has not had a chance to play for the majority of the season for one reason or another (Agger, Alonso, Torres at present, and Gerrard, Carragher at the start of the season).
Did Chelsea look solid when they lost Drogba, Lampard and Terry at the start of the season? Did Man Utd not draw away to Portsmouth also? Would Arsenal be as good as they are right now if Fabregas had been injured for a handful of games?
What everyone needs to remember is that this is a marathon, not a sprint. Liverpool should be judged over the course of 38 games, next year and NOT now with only 11 games played.
As a fellow writer on footballing world, and despite my huge respect for the way Matthew Day writes, this article is way off the scale. Neither the research or the points made are valid.
And in response to Jay who questioned Arsenal without Fabregas - you can tbe ficticious and imagine us without him, because their hasnt been a game where we have not had him, so were you judge Matthew’s speculative claims of Liverpool after 11 games, you cannot then do the same for Arsenal.
Ravin - my point was that Liverpool have had injuries to key players which have led to them dropping points. I think it is safe and accurate to say that Arsenal without Fabregas for say 5 games would not have benefitted from his goals and the excellence he has shown so far this season. Even the most ardent Arsenal fans would surely agree with this. Stating that Arsenal would be less successful without Fabregas would be fair judgment for this moment in time, however stating that Liverpool are no better off than they were last season is innaccurate, and to say they won’t win the league when there is another 28 games for them to play is ludicrous. However, let’s judge this at the end of the season.
Jay - i agree, we must wait till the end of the season, and in agreeing to do so, i think Matthews article loses its credibility, because this is a analysis after only 11 games
a league title can only be lost before christmas and not one, as liverpool proved last season being way off the pace by mid october. If they can stay within 6 points by January they will be in with a great chance of a 1st prem title when chelsea and arsenal lose key players to african nations cup. The reds must get 2 results against Man Utd to keep hopes alive.