Liverpool: If Benitez goes, players may follow
A great deal has been written about Rafa Benitez’ contract dispute with Liverpool’s American owners and I find myself disagreeing with much of what has been published. However, one piece in particular, written by the excellent Martin Samuel, stands out above the rest.

As we have come to expect, Samuel offers an incredibly insightful analysis on the situation at Anfield and while we may not always agree, his words challenge us to think. On this occasion I find myself agreeing with him more often than not and I’d like to add my own thoughts to his words…

Martin Samuel, writing in the Daily Mail: “To stay at Liverpool, Rafael Benitez, the manager, does not require a team of lawyers working overtime to insert unworkable clauses into his new contract. He needs something altogether more decent, simple and old fashioned. Trust. A mutually sincere relationship between a senior employee and his employers is what separates Benitez from Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, Arsene Wenger at Arsenal, Martin O’Neill at Aston Villa, even David Moyes at Everton.”

Martin Samuel is absolutely correct on two counts here. On the question of trust, if Rafa Benitez cannot earn the trust of the Liverpool board now, then the question must be asked: will he ever?

If Parry and co. are not prepared to trust the judgment of a coach who has steered the club to the top of the Premiership table with a forward line worth around two thirds that of United’s and his most expensive defender costing around £27 million less than Ferguson paid for Rio Ferdinand; and if they are not prepared to back the judgment of a coach who has led their club to three Champions League semi finals in four years, two Champions League finals, while adding four more trophies to the cabinet – then it does not look as if they ever will.

And when Martin Samuel refers to how other clubs are run, he leads me to a real concern I have at the moment; because it appears that nobody at Liverpool is looking beyond what is going on under their noses at Anfield. I am not just talking about the fact that Rick Parry and the board are unwilling to relinquish control and acknowledge the potential in a managerial structure that has brought so much success at Old Trafford; but also about the fact that while they remain determined to dig their heels in over this internal power struggle, there are external forces preparing to exploit these divisions for their own ends.

The interest in Benitez from other clubs is very real and I am convinced that an approach from at least one of the presidential candidates at Real Madrid is inevitable.

Rafa would like certain assurances in writing that the club are willing to back his judgment, yet the club is not willing to grant him that show of faith. If a club is not prepared to trust the coach, then nobody should be surprised if that coach were to leave. That would break Rafa’s heart and it is the last thing he wants, but if he knows that - no matter what he achieves - his employers will never be willing to place their trust in him, then he may be left with little choice.

“Fernando Torres, Liverpool’s record signing, said at the weekend that as many as six players would consider their options if Benitez left, so this current dispute must be taken seriously. “

That warning is perhaps one of the most important lines in Martin Samuel’s piece and it has been dismissed in certain quarters. One can only speculate, but if Rafa were to leave, then I think it inevitable that the likes of Arbeloa, Reina, Agger, Mascherano, Kuyt and maybe even Torres – all players who have flourished under Benitez and signed up to his vision of building a dynasty at Anfield – would be forced ‘to consider their options.’

“Losing Rafa would mean abandoning the Rafalution and Liverpool would move, in an instant, from a point where the mission is on the point of accomplishment to one where it is starting again from scratch. In the circumstances, then, it should be imperative to keep him: but not at any cost.”

Liverpool Football Club has changed and moving fast towards becoming a modern pioneering organisation. It is at the moment being driven in two directions. Some people want to preserve the Liverpool way (and protect their own self interest) and others want to make it a competitive club less entrenched in abstract philosophy and with more executive decisions. If Rafa goes, then the club will have to start again, from scratch, at all levels. The manager is five years in to a long term plan that is not yet complete; it is his plan and his vision and without him, it is meaningless. It is like spending five years laying the foundations, only to tear up the plans and bring in a new architect. What a waste.

As Martin Samuel suggests, Rafa should be allowed to see this project through, but not at any cost. Yet what the Liverpool coach is asking for is so easily affordable: in fact it will not cost the club a penny. Rafa is not demanding more money – merely asking to be allowed to decide how to spend the money they are willing to give him.

“The stance of the club is unhelpful because the transfer market has never been an exact science and even the greatest managers make mistakes. Benitez would have paid £18m for Barry with no guarantees, yes, but the executive who killed that deal but agreed Robbie Keane was value for money at £20m from Tottenham is hardly looking the sharpest tool in the box, either. The difference is that few depict the signing of Keane as a boardroom blunder. He is the mistake of Benitez alone. Maybe shouldering the blame has driven the manager to demand full responsibility.”

I applaud Martin for making this point, when so many have been quick to criticise Rafa for spending £20 million on Robbie Keane. We will never know what Rafa – if left to his own devices – would have paid for the Spurs striker. But what we do know is that it was not Rafa’s decision to spend £20 million on Keane as he does not negotiate the deals – while at the same time it was the club that decided not to pay £18 million for Gareth Barry. And that is the point. Martin does not mention that, perhaps, if it had been up to Rafa, he would not have bought Keane at the first time of asking, that he may have held out and negotiated the price down.

And what of the owners themselves? If they are trying to sell the club, would it not be better to have a successful coach tied down to a long term contract? Is that not of greater value to any potential buyers?

None of the above bodes well. The club needs to move forward as quickly as possible and I sincerely hope that it takes a positive step in the right direction. Now is not the time to allow five years of hard work to unravel and all of this negative publicity can only do harm to Liverpool’s aspirations and ambitions.