How Benitez conjured up a masterpiece of deception at Liverpool

In last week’s Guardian Unlimited Football Weekly Podcast, journalist Paul Doyle revealed that Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, currently working sans assistant, vetoed the appointment of Paul Jewell as his new number two.

Since Rafa parted company with Pako Ayesteran earlier this season, many people believe that the Spaniard’s aloof and cold style of management has been lacking a warmer and more personable assistant.

Rumours were rife that the once close relationship between Rafa and Pako had turned sour Benitez, like a jealous partner, was becoming paranoid that Pako was going to leave him. Other whispers concentrated on the fact that Pako was rumoured to be close to Mourinho, and that Rafa was also jealous of his close relationship with the players.

That many so-called experts tipped Liverpool to be title contenders this year before the season began shows in what high esteem the Anfield squad was held, but while predictions of League glory for Liverpool were plentiful and Rafa’s claims that, with a little bit of luck, this could be their season, it now look like deluded optimism.

Liverpool have blown hot and cold this season, getting beaten at the hands of Barnsley one minute and beating the runaway Serie-A league leaders the next. It is no good sewing seeds in the minds of optimistic fans minds that Liverpool are just concentrating on the Champions League because because that is the more important competition.

In fact, such are the levels of inconsistency from Rafa’s men this season that even when they win (as with yesterday’s 3-1 romp away to Bolton) questions are still asked; how can we beat Inter but lose to Barnsley? And in the League beat Derby 6-0 but lose to Reading?

Rafa can be thankful that he is still sharing the limelight with Messrs Gillett and Hicks, who botched their management of Benitez by admitting that they were sharpening their knives whilst also courting Jurgen Klinsmann. The level of disgust at Rafa’s American paymasters is so high that it has drowned out the discontent with Rafa himself who, so far, has turned in a diabolical tally in the league.

The whispers surrounding Gillett and Hicks are that they are unwilling to sack Rafa at this juncture, so on top of focusing the attention away from Rafa’s dismal Premier League performances the Americans have also added a modicum of job security for the Spaniard – and everyone thinks that they are somehow doing Rafa a wrong!

The policy among ropey medieval kings was to always have some publicly visible ‘advisors’ around, so that if the going got tough, the monarch could blame them. Gillett and Hicks are used in a similar fashion by Benitez, and they seem to be lightning rods for blame.

Even if Benitez does win the Champions League that won’t be his most remarkable achievement this year – that accolade will be reserved for his smoke and mirrors piece de resistance – amid disastrous tinkering, appalling FA Cup results, and rotten league form, as well as arrogantly dismissing Ayesteran and rejecting Paul Jewell, somehow with mendacious Keyser Söze style brilliance he has convinced us all to blame the Yanks…