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Watching the Reds in action on the weekend without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres was like watching INXS after Michael Hutchence passed away, a poor, sad and ineffective version of what once was.
Calls for Rafa Benitez’s head have grown louder as the season has progressed but right now it’s getting harder to ignore the chorus.
There are things at play that are beyond the Spaniard's control, that’s for sure. The impossible position he faces with the club’s laughable ownership structure is clear. But that gives him a reason for the side (again) failing to win the EPL title, not the seemingly endless series of calamities that have become reality at Anfield.
Fighting Chelsea with one arm behind your back? Fair enough. But the Reds have far deeper pockets and resources than several teams that are usurping its league position as we write. As for the League Cup, FA Cup and a Champions League early exit, this falls at Signor Benitez’s feet.
Yes there have been injuries. But, again, this is a marathon and teams like Liverpool need the depth in talent to cover even the most horrific of runs. Clearly, Liverpool does not.
The team is awash with individuals that are not clicking as a team.
So Rafa’s Alamo becomes the Europa League. The one final thing that his team hasn’t found a way to get itself knocked out of… but that’s because they have not yet been given the chance to, but you suspect they soon will.
Does all this equal a call for Rafa’s head from this pundit? Surprisingly perhaps, no. Because Liverpool needs a replacement of the highest caliber and that appears unlikely in the short term. Could this be the recession Liverpool needs to have? So far its American ownership has enjoyed a reasonably charmed run with relatively little investment. They’ve somehow even managed to replace Carlsberg for next year with a shirt deal more lucrative than rivals Man United.
I can’t help but think that while winning the league might be nice, Hicks and Gillett feel that as long as the team keeps slurping up the Champions League riches and keeps giving the EPL a red hot go, then they’re quite content. But picture 2010-2011 in European purgatory with shirt sales plummeting and everything else attached.
Only then will the bottom line truly be hit and the American pair’s hand forced. And that just might be the short term pain that will lead to ultimate Liverpool gain.
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