Even the most diehard Liverpool fan has to concede that the title is now too far out of reach this season. A combination of the top teams dropping points and a Liverpool surge was required and would have evened things up at the top.

The slip-ups happened for Manchester United lost at Bolton and West Ham and drew at Reading. Arsenal faltered twice in the North East and drew with Liverpool and United. But Liverpool couldn’t put a run of form together. Opportunity gone! Some would say they shouldn’t have to wait on opportunity but forge ahead under their own steam. Anfield fans have been brought up on league success and expect it no matter how difficult it is to remember what it was like. The shortcomings have provided substance to the criticism, all be it delivered in an “I told you so" fashion.

Is it that the payers are not good enough? The squad weak? The sum of the parts not adding up? Some players thinking they are better than they are? I think the squad depth is generally as good as any side but the first 11 -  whatever that may be from week to week (who knows with Rafa) is missing one or two quality players.

'Are Liverpool weighed down by one player - Steven Gerrard - his divine right to play every game affecting the position or role of players around him, much like Thierry Henry was at Arsenal?'


Are Liverpool weighed down by one player - Steven Gerrard - his divine right to play every game affecting the position or role of players around him, much like Thierry Henry was at Arsenal? Confidence also looks to be an issue, but you can’t build that if you win one, draw one, lose one. For me Rafa Benitez tries to outwit other teams, other mangers, and in doing so confuses his own players and bemuses the fans. Instead of playing a strong team, getting into a winning position and then resting his stars, he tries to rescue games from the bench. Even the biggest fans have doubts about it all now.

If you look at the team, Pepe Reina,  Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger, Steve Finnan, Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Javier Mascherano and Fernando Torres are the quality members. The rest are players either “past it" (Sami Hyypia and  Harry Kewell), players “never good enough” (Andriy Voronin, Dirk Kuyt, Momo Sissoku and Yossi Benayoun) and players that have “potential to be quality” like Arbeloa, Lucas Leiva and Ryan Babel.

Not enough of the right stuff – but enough to make a good team that should be able to keep pace with the top two teams up to the last few weeks of the season. Neither United nor Arsenal have a star-studded first team numbered 1 to 11. Both have their bit-part players, both have their players that fall into the three categories above. So if quality is not the big issue then direction and leadership must be. Tactically Benitez is well respected, so is he lacking in the “bad cop” department?

Would Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, or Arsene Wenger get more out of this current Liverpool? In some respects I think yes. Rafa has improved the squad a lot from the one Gerard Houllier left. But for all his knowledge of European football, the league is something he has had difficulty with for whatever reason. The Premier League is unique, and  comparisons to his success with Valencia are not solid. Arsenal and Chelsea have been fortunate to have had mangers win the league very early on in their reign with squads not much different to Liverpool's. Ferguson had a long rebuilding job before winning the league. Liverpool’s fate sits somewhere in between.

Liverpool’s “should have done better” half term report makes depressing reading. They took only six out of a possible 24 points from games against Portsmouth, Birmingham, Arsenal, Blackburn, Reading, Manchester United, Manchester City and Wigan.

So what next? Sack the boss get someone in before the end of the transfer window? See how the season finishes, another Champions League final maybe? But this would still not change the direction of the team.  Managers have a style of play and a tactic. This will not change, regardless of players. The most worrying aspect is, if the Spanish chief leaves or is sacked, will the Indians follow, and in turn the rest of the quality players, Gerrard for starters. Although he hasn’t punched his weight much this season for club or country.

Do the owners and fans have faith that if he is given time and the finances to get the players he wants that will eradicate the tinkering, the wholesale changes, the one-up-front-at-home formation? No amount of money or game expertise can instil belief in players – which I am afraid is all too obviously missing. I support my team passionately and know my football, but sometimes the head has to overrule the heart.

So what has gone wrong at Anfield? And are the fans losing faith in Benitez? Post your comments below or submit an article to Sportingo.