Liverpool crash out of Champions League – Rafa Benitez must go

Ollie Irish

25th, November 2009

16 Comments

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Liverpool are OUT of the Champions League, failing to make it past the group phase for the first time in six seasons. An unconvincing 1-0 win at Debrecen wasn’t enough to keep them alive, after Fiorentina beat Lyon 1-0 in Florence.

Christian Purslow, Liverpool’s chief executive, says that Rafa’s job is safe, but should it be? Even taking inuries to key men – Torres, Gerrard – into consideration, Rafa has overseen a very poor start to a season that had promised so much in August. Now there is no Champions League, and arguably no Premier League to play for – it’s all very well saying that the Reds can now focus on the domestic league, but the table says different: they are already 13 points behind a Chelsea side that looks almost unstoppable.

The best Liverpool can hope for now is to qualify for next season’s Champions League, and perhaps win the Europa League or FA Cup along the way. That’s as good as it gets, but for most Kopites, it won’t be good enough.

I think most Liverpool fans have been incredibly patient with Benitez, but given the funds at his disposal, and the mistakes he has made – alienating Xabi Alonso, not buying decent cover for Torres, gambling on players who he then doesn’t seem to fancy – I think it’s time for him to go.

Agree, disagree? Vote below and leave a juicy comment…

Posted in Champions League, Liverpool, Opinion

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16 Comments

  1. Paul says:

    Keep him as manager he is doing a fine job!

  2. Anonymous says:

    If we could afford it I think it has almost become necessary to start thinking of replacing Rafa. We would have to definately have a top class manager to replace him with or we would probably see an exodus of players too… Now although I think Rafa has been and still could be a great manager for Liverpool, the recent results and obvious lack of confidence of the players needs something like the new impetus of a big name great manager to get them all performing again – a sad but simple truth I think. I know people will say it will cost us £10M to pay Rafa off but how much will we lose if we don’t qualify for the CL next year??

  3. rowan says:

    Paul are u a manc? I have long been a supporter of Benitez up until last night whereby the performance and tactics were nothing short of peculiar. the thing that really hurt was aquilani’s introduction in the 91st minute…honestly Rafa are you trying to piss us off? Lucas and Kuyt need to follow him out as well. simply not good enough, no matter how hard they try.

  4. Satha says:

    Rafa hasn’t built a team capable of winning the Premier League. Except for Torres and Benayoun all the rest of the players are mediocre. They can play football but can’t strike the ball with power and accuracy. The defence, so called zonal defence, guards zones and not men or the ball while goals are scored by men and not zones. Winning teams play 4-4-2 while Rafa plays 4-4-1-1. What an easy task for the opposition to guard one forward! Rafa has got all these wrong. He hasn’t even trained his players to shoot with power and accuracy!!! Even gerrard side-foots the ball!!!

  5. Paul says:

    Does everybody want aquilani to get injured again??? Rafa is playing him for the right amount of time to keep him safe and fit, there was no need to bring him on any earlier, we were winning and were comfortable! He was brought on to waste some time, it could have been anyone. In Rafa We Trust!!! True Fans anyway

  6. syndex says:

    As an everton fan we love Benitez and the mediocrity he brings to liverpool team, battling for a champions league berth and winning the uefa they have to be kidding they’ll be lucky if they are fighting us for a uefa spot. Roll on january when part one of will he won’t he starts with both torres and gerrard becoming man city targets and finally in the summer when torres leaves for barca or Real and Gerrard ends up at either of the milan side. As crap as our season has been this season watching liverpool disintegrate in such an enevitable and permanent way has made it all much better, see you on the weekend for a dull 0-0.

  7. olivetti says:

    the days are over of beanie and his very questionable decisions ?
    please take your fav son ,lucas and his mortley crue with you , Vorronin, Degen,
    we should fire him after WC , then get GUUS ,

  8. Paul says:

    rowan don’t ever tar me with that brush i would kill myself if i were a manc :| im a born blue mate, looking forward to sunday should be a good game!

  9. Andy says:

    Please Everton, please, please don’t stuff them.

    Rafa to be manager for years to come :)

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  11. rowan says:

    sorry Paul, didnt mean to offend. as someone else said it will probably be a 0-0 draw. Regarding Aquilani Rafa said he was training 1 month ago and just lacked fitness, how is he going to get match fit playing 1 minute. surely the better option would be to give him 30 – 40 minutes so he may be ready for derby on sunday. he was suppose to be out for 6 weeks! we are now out of the champions league, out of carling cup and out of the league and its almost december!

  12. Chringle says:

    I’ve always had a sneaking suspicion that Rafa hasn’t got the slightest clue what he’s doing at any given point.

  13. C says:

    He has just signed a 5 year contract. Giving him the sack will cost alot of money. Money that Liverpool doesnt have. His job is the safest in the world.

    Im hoping he resigns.

  14. Bobbly says:

    They need to find a valuable replacement first

  15. gman says:

    “if you are first you are first, if you are second you are nothing” – bill shankly

    “you don’t need to win trophies to be successful” – rafa benitez

    THAT’S THE DIFFERENCE: Attitude!

    you either have it or you don’t… and rafa certainly hasn’t got what it takes to make us what we deserve to be! the best football team on the planet!!!

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