Night of reckoning for Rafa

By Thomas O'Loughlin | 4th November 2009

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Tonight Rafa Benitez is on the managerial tightrope when his side faces Lyon in the Champions League. Liverpool have to win, if Fiorentina and Lyon win then Liverpool can say goodbye to major silverware this season and Benitez can probably say goodbye to his job.

Benitez’s side is decimated by injuries and an awful lot of responsibility is on the shoulders of Fernando Torres tonight if he plays. With no Gerrard, Liverpool will probably be relying on Lucas and Mascherano. Lyon are a young team who will relish the task of putting Liverpool to the sword. This Liverpool team is shockingly short of depth in key areas and the defense is short of pace.

If Liverpool lose and Benitez doesn’t go, he will become the manager everyone knows should not have the job. Players will not respond in the same way to a manager who is only in his position because the club can’t afford to get rid of him. Finally, Benitez’s success with Liverpool has been fortuitous, he has been lucky while he has never built a top class side, instead buying mercenaries from Spain in his early days of management. He has not made major progress with the club and it may benefit Liverpool in getting rid of this defensive minded coach whose decision making is often in doubt.