Given Rafael BenĂtezâs meticulous attention to detail, it is little wonder that the Liverpool manager is an avowed admirer of Arrigo Sacchi, the legendary former AC Milan coach who once confessed after a 4-0 victory that he âhad made two pages of notes on the errors that we had madeâ.
If BenĂtez, another of footballâs scribblers, made his own list of failings after the 3-1 defeat at home to Aston Villa on Monday night, the chances are that he would have run out of ink.
Page three would be left blank. Not because BenĂtez had run out of things to say, but because no analysis of Liverpoolâs problematic start to the season would be complete without mention of the clubâs American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. As it is, the Spaniard is well aware that further criticism of his employers could place his job in jeopardy, no matter how much frustration he feels at what some view has been insufficient backing in the transfer market since the end of the 2008-09 campaign.
So many problems and â with a tricky assignment away to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday and the impending closure of the transfer window unlikely to be preceded by any significant additions â so little time and opportunity for BenĂtez to resolve them. How Liverpool got to this point after ending the previous season as the most genuine of contenders to unseat Manchester United is a matter for debate. Certainly, the owners have again been an issue, providing neither sufficient funds nor conspicuous stability in the boardroom.
Some sources at the club insist that BenĂtez has spent a net ÂŁ18 million on players this summer, but that figure can be reached only by taking into account the pay rises awarded to Reina, Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt, Daniel Agger and Yossi Benayoun. According to available figures, the Liverpool manager has, at the very least, balanced the books this summer. With a growing feeling that BenĂtezâs squad reached its potential last season â an appraisal that was laughed off by some when it was made by Sir Alex Ferguson before the new campaign began â the ownersâ unwillingness to invest heavily over the summer looks increasingly like a missed opportunity.
But it is those who are missing on the pitch that are hitting Liverpool hardest, with the absence of the three Aâs â Xabi Alonso, Alberto Aquilani and Daniel Agger â upsetting the team balance and rhythm. Alonso was Liverpoolâs metronome and his departure to Real Madrid was always going to be keenly felt in the short term.
BenĂtez gambled on Aquilani as his replacement, even though the Italian is injured and is unlikely to return until October, and at present Liverpoolâs midfield is failing to function with anything like the same levels of fluency witnessed during Alonsoâs time at the club. The situation has been exacerbated by Aggerâs back problems because, without the Denmark defenderâs ball-playing abilities from the back, Javier Mascherano and Lucas have been guilty of dropping too deep in an attempt to reprise Alonsoâs quarterback role, a task that neither is equipped to perform.
With the obvious shortcomings of BenĂtezâs squad meaning that there is no Plan B to be reverted to when Plan A fails â apart from the underwhelming Ukraine forward, Andriy Voronin, and the desperately disappointing Ryan Babel â it is little wonder that Liverpoolâs title credentials are being questioned even though the season is still in its formative stage.
Benayoun, though, firmly believes that Liverpool, despite having lost as many matches in the Barclays Premier League this season as they did throughout all of the previous campaign, have the necessary quality and the time to turn the situation around. âAt a club like Liverpool, if you lose two or three games, people will ask if we are strong enough to win the league,â the Israel midfield player said. âBut there is still a long way to go, everything can change. We still think we can win the title.â
With 35 games to play, there is little question that Liverpool have time on their side, and it is worth highlighting that United made a similarly inauspicious start last season, collecting only five points from their first four fixtures before going on to beat BenĂtezâs team to the title.
But when the only silver lining to the clouds gathering over Anfield is provided by the problems of their great rivals from the opposite end of the M62, it is clear just how many problems Liverpool have. BenĂtez probably does not have a notebook big enough to cover them all.
The Times 
