Benitez is hanging on by a thread. It's time to snip it

21 October 2009

by Jerrad Peters

Remember Jose Mourinho's speech about eggs, omelettes and not being able to get the best eggs from Waitrose? It was—no pun intended—his "crack" moment. He was sacked as Chelsea manager just days later.

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez had a similar moment last season. With his side poised tighten their grip on first place in the Premier League, he delivered his "Fact!" rant. The Reds went out and played to a 0-0 draw at Stoke City the next day. Manchester United capitalized on the dropped points and didn't look back.

Benitez didn't get the sack—Liverpool finished runners-up, after all—but he showed that he was quite obviously losing his touch. And if there were any questions about his ability to take the club to the next level, they were put to bed when Liverpool opened this season much like they completed the last. They have now lost four matches in a row and are in serious danger of conceding both the Premier League and Champions League before Christmas. If Benitez remains in the job much longer, they probably will.

It isn't just the string of losses that are cause for concern at Anfield; it's the manner in which they've transpired. Against Fiorentina on September 29, Liverpool simply couldn't find a cutting edge. Even with both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres in the lineup, they never really looked like scoring. Neither Lucas nor Fabio Aurelio provided any meaningful service from the midfield, and Benitez didn't have enough quality on the bench to make an effective substitution.

The Chelsea loss was somewhat more excusable. Losses to the likes of Chelsea simply happen on occasion, but Liverpool might have escaped with a draw if Glen Johnson hadn't been absolutely run into the ground by Florent Malouda when the Frenchman replaced Deco in the 76^th minute. Benitez has always struggled to find quality full-backs, and his teams have been consistently week on the flanks—both in defense and attack—as a result.

Then there was the 1-0 loss to Sunderland and the infamous "beach ball goal." No, it shouldn't have stood, but Benitez' lack of emotion about the matter in his post-match press conference was bizarre. Thankfully for him, the controversy surrounding the goal completely overshadowed the fact that he had played three defenders at the back, pushing Johnson and Aurelio up the wings. It was an absurd tactic, but no more so than the decision to hand Jay Spearing his full debut.

More telling, however, was the notion that the match suddenly became quite winnable for Sunderland as soon as Torres and Gerrard were declared unfit. Man for man, Sunderland fielded the better side. They played like it, and they deserved the three points.

Three days later, Benitez risked the long-term health of his captain by deploying Gerrard in a starting role against Lyon in the Champions League. The move backfired big-time, and he limped off the park after just 25 minutes, leaving the likes of Lucas, Martin Kelly and David Ngog on the Park. Liverpool were never going to beat Lyon with a side that included those three. They would have struggled to beat Ipswich.

Looking ahead, it's not going to get any easier. The Reds have United at home on Sunday before traveling to Emirates Stadium for a Carling Cup tie with Arsenal on Wednesday. They play the rematch with Lyon at Stade Gerland on November 4 and also have to travel to Hungary and Everton before the end of the month. They could be well out of everything by then, whether or not Benitez remains in his job.

But that's no reason to keep him around. Neither is the notion that there's simply no one better who could step in and replace him. That logic just doesn't wash. Given the club's recent outings, Gareth Southgate could take the position and get the same results.

At this point, the game plan should be to get rid of the current manager as quickly as possible. If a permanent replacement cannot be hired immediately, Sammy Lee can take the job on an interim basis.

But that opens an entirely new category of questions. Who, exactly, is going to fire Benitez? Will it be Tom Hicks, who knows absolutely nothing about football? Will it be George Gillett, who is trying to sell his stake in the team? Will it be Saudi Prince Faisal, the prospective new owner?

The answer to all three, of course, is "no." That is unless Gillett revisits his previous plan to install Jurgen Klinsmann as manager. Klinsmann is one of Gillett's few contacts in the sport and was the only candidate when the co-owner last considered a coaching change—in the fall of 2007 when Liverpool took one point from their first three Champions League matches. Beyond him, it's hard to see who Gillett and Hicks would have discussed, if anyone.

That's a major problem. Because if they're planning to pink-slip Benitez—which they should—you'd hope they'd have a backup plan. They probably don't, and that turns their ownership into both a long and short-term problem. The long-term issues are obvious and mostly have to do with finances. But the short-term concerns include Liverpool's on-field performance against United on Sunday and the possibility that they'll miss out on European football for the first time in 11 years.

If they keep going like this for another few months, that horrifying prospect will quickly become a reality. Which is why Benitez has to walk the plank, come what may.

Twitter.com/peterssoccer