http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPQfN7khxCE
Peter Furmedge
Liverpool fought from first minute to last at Stoke City, belying claims that the manager had “lost the dressing room”. That the lack of quality on show is down to Rafael Benitez’s transfer dealings is true only in so far as the financial restrictions upon a club that must sell to remain in business dictate the embattled manager’s transfer policy totally.
Anyone who takes time out to look at the now infamous “facts” would have seen thirteen players in Liverpool shirts on Saturday. Seven of the men in black, including last summer and this January’s “Snoogy Doogies”, cost nothing or the best part of nothing in the transfer market. Three more, including the magnificent Pepe Reina, were bought for under £10 million – the market that Rafa fails to operate in apparently. Just two were in the much vaunted £20m bracket – one of those being Alberto Aquilani, who needs to play for the Reds for five years and meet appearance criteria before the club hands over anything like the quoted transfer fee, the other being Javier Mascherano – who has gone from being Hayden Mullins’s understudy to captain of Argentina since Benitez signed him.
In spite of the “facts” out there on the football pitch, the “he’s had the money” mantra goes on. Yes, Benitez has spent money, in just the same way as someone with a Ford Focus on the drive may have “spent” £45,000 on cars in the past six years - ignoring trade-ins, part exchanges and the big loan outstanding. Nevertheless, cars having nothing to do with the lunacy of the Premier League, in spite of his apparently sizeable outlay, nobody would ever expect the driver of the Focus to compete in a road race against the feller in the big house with the £45,000 car on his drive.
To those touting Jose Mourinho as a worthy successor, ask yourself the question, who would not now be playing for Chelsea if the self-proclaimed Special One had been told to that his first summer’s transfer budget was to be staggered over six seasons? To those pushing Martin O’Neill’s claims to be the Anfield heir apparent, isn’t he now in crisis, having taken just one point from nine as opposed to Liverpool’s seven? Roberto Mancini? Didn’t he quit Inter and have to be coaxed back after home and away defeats to Benitez’s Liverpool, a Liverpool with Lucas in centre midfield.
Benitez has spent the five seasons prior to this one putting the likes of Milan, Barcelona, Inter, Juventus and Real Madrid in their place. Liverpool had not been able to compete with such exalted company for 20 years prior to the Spaniard’s arrival. Along the way he’s managed to pick up a couple of trophies and last time out led Liverpool to their best league performance in two decades. That’s why the fans at Stoke sang his name loud and proud on Saturday and that’s why he deserves the chance to turn around his first bad half season.
To those Reds wishing to see the back of Rafa, when he does go, keep an eye on him and count the number of trophies he collects in subsequent years compared to Liverpool.
