It
might be worth a dollar. The bookies are offering 100-1 odds that Liverpool will win the league
this year. And while the virtues of gambling are few and far between, this prospective wager is a case-study in changing
fortunes – the kind of reality-gauge for which the book-makers are occasionally good for. Oh how the mighty have
fallen.
It's been
seventeen years since the trophy was last seen at Anfield. Over the past decade, the Reds have secured the runners-up
position only once, finished fifth twice, and wound-up a mere seventh in 1999. Sure, the occasional Cup has held off
the nay-sayers and cynics and the odd gloomy-Gus from amounting into anything resembling the angry mob which, one would think,
should have stormed the ramparts ages ago. While running on luck in the odd Cup competition is far better than a barren
trophy-room, try to find a Scouser who wouldn't trade it all to have knocked off Chelsea or Arsenal or Manchester United just once, once
– for crying out loud, in the past seventeen years.
And here
we arrive at the heart of the matter. Deep down, and a-way deep down for some, Liverpool supporters are scared witless that the European triumph of
two years ago was a blip on the radar. A fortunate, chalk-it-up-to-a-bit-of-luck kind of blip. A worrisome blip.
An entertaining run, sure – of that there is no doubt; but a run so dependent on chance and out-right accidents that,
had the official ruled correctly on the non-goal against Chelsea in the semi-final, it wouldn't have happened at all. And Rafael Benitez would be out of a job.
It says here that he should be anyway. You can only hold onto a lucky bounce for so long. Even if that lucky bounce
happened to land you the European Cup.
That European
Cups and UEFA Cups and F.A. Cups are meaningful and significant goes without saying. Of course they are. They
are also knock-out competitions. They can be won by a good streak of luck or by playing to a style more befitting Continental
opposition.
The domestic
league is the only measure of a club's true colors. There are no play-offs at the end of a long, 38-game season –
just results. And those results are the proper evaluation of a club's accomplishments and abilities. While success
in the Cups are a valuable source of pride and income, it is all worthless unless it comes with a good result in the league
from time to time. A Cup-winner with a solid domestic pedigree is an able, creditable side. They are worthy Champions.
Conversely, a Cup-winner with a shameful league record is neither creditable nor worthy. They are lucky. And it
is a flash in the pan.
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Which is
why Rafa Benitez is the wrong man to be managing Liverpool. While his tactics
and selection rotations are tailor-made for Cup-runs here and there, he has never given due consideration to his side's success
in the league. For a big club such as Liverpool, this is a travesty. In fact, while Benitez surely is a competent manager, he would be a poor fit at any of Europe's top clubs.
The giants
of the continent – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester United among them – have secured their status, first and foremost,
by dominating the domestic game. It is one thing to win in Europe. It is another, entirely, to do it without the plaudits of the domestic league. For without
the respect and reverence of rival clubs and their supporters at home, continental success is hollow and empty.
In this
regard, Liverpool are in
danger of being lead down a dangerous road. They would not be accustomed to what lies at the end of it – though
they are gradually becoming more so. It is a place where league success is jeopardized, not only for luck and occasional
Cup-runs, but simply because the club is not good enough to challenge for the title. It is fine and dandy to be in that
position if you are Athletic Bilbao or Hearts or Middlesbrough; but Liverpool are none of the above. At least they should not be. Benitez might beg to differ.
The manager
of Liverpool must understand
this. He must, above all else, seek to unseat the Chelseas and Arsenals and Uniteds; and he must buy the players to do it. Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia, and
Fabio Aurelio are fine players, as were Josemi, Mauricio Pellegrino, and Fernando Morientes. However, with all due respect,
none of that type of player will bring the trophy back to Anfield. Not when the men in their way are Frank Lampard,
Thierry Henry, and Wayne Rooney. It's a simple formula, really. To win a British title, you must buy players who
play a British game.
But maybe
this is all a lot of worry. Maybe Liverpool's roll-over performance at Old Trafford at the weekend was the real blip on the radar.
After all, Rafa Benitez seems to know how to get his side out of the rut – by "training hard and winning games."
Profound. On second thought, maybe hold onto that dollar.
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