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.
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