Sure he’ll make mistakes ( he’s young ) but i really believe that he has shown on occasion a natural ability with the ball and good finishing too and when he’s confident his energy can frighten defenses so if we put him up front more regular maybe he could offer something ?

It’s worth a try and lets be honest what have we got to loose the way were playing at the moment ?

I think it’s fair to say that after five years filled with some success and many, many problems off the field, Benitez and the club are now dealing with their biggest crisis yet. Nothing less than a major injection of resources will make up the gap between Liverpool and the best in Europe.

Last night against Lyon, a good European team, they were well beaten and had a young reservist on the pitch taking the heat.

Promising

Martin Kelly is a promising young player who handled himself well in difficult circumstances but it says a lot about the current state of the Liverpool squad that Benitez had to rely on Jay Spearing against Sunderland and lost, and then another young lad in a big Champions League fixture – potentially a make or break Champions League fixture.

To make the step up to Champions League level requires something special in a teenager. Mostly, it’s not a good idea to put so much pressure on young shoulders.

In Arsene Wenger’s case, he has a squad that have grown up together and have another season under the belts to lean on when the stakes are highest. Lads like Kelly and Spearing are plugging gaps, not just gaining experience from a position of strength.

Alex Ferguson regularly bloods young players in Champions League games if the pressure is off and he feels the opportunity is right, but very rarely has he been forced to throw someone in because he had no other choice.

Wenger pushed high quality and exceptional young players in to do a man’s job over the last few years and now they have the look of a team that might surprise us all and particularly with the Champions League in mind.

Arsenal gave away a stupid late goal against Alkmaar but they are in a comfortable position in their group and can be relaxed enough about upcoming fixtures. Liverpool, on the other hand, are up against it in a big way and to add insult to injury, Manchester United are waiting around the corner after this stinging defeat by Lyon.

If Kelly and Spearing highlight the lack of depth in the Liverpool squad, Voronin really defines the problem for Benitez. Shipped out on loan last season to Hertha Berlin, he was surplus to requirements at Anfield.

He tried to find a club in the Bundesliga and a permanent move when the loan expired but couldn’t, so he came back to Liverpool where his wages were obviously better than anything available in Germany.

All of that points to a player Benitez doesn’t want, yet he’s still involved – and centrally – against Lyon. He replaced Benayoun, Liverpool’s most creative outlet, when the game was still level at 1-1 with Voronin. Some supersub. He brought nothing to the table.

There were boos when Voronin was switched for Benayoun and that’s not something you hear at Anfield very often.

They are a patient lot on the Kop and have backed Benitez to the hilt, but even his most committed supporters must be wondering why, after five years and plenty of money spent, they haven’t got a team that can win at home in a Champions League fixture against Lyon.

They know their football and must have finished last season in an optimistic frame of mind. A run at the title fell short but not by much and they knew that the addition of two or three quality players during the summer might just be enough to bridge the gap between Anfield and Old Trafford.

The natural thing for Benitez to do at that stage was strengthen the squad. Instead, they watched Xabi Alonso walk out the door on the heels of a string of players like Robbie Keane, Peter Crouch and even Craig Bellamy.

Injury problems for Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres have brought the whole thing to a head. Alonso’s absence dilutes Javier Mascherano’s effectiveness and Benitez has no viable alternative to Torres on his bench.

He never wanted Robbie Keane but I’d bet he would take him now and if anyone doubts that, think about Voronin. Bad decisions based on other bad decisions are piling up. Throughout the last five years, Bentiez had shipped players in and out and this is part of a process that began under Gerrard Houllier.

We’ve seen very few lads produced from within and that’s a big change for a club that used to be a conveyor belt for young talent. Maybe Kelly and Spearing will come good, maybe not.

But Benitez needs quality now and with Gerrard likely to be out for a while and Torres struggling, he must be getting a sinking feeling. Even if the rumoured Middle Eastern investment arrives, he can’t do anything until January and by them it just might be too late.

Benitez is not a good manager he’s a lucky one…with a huge EGO. To still be in a job at Anfield is beyond me.

I can’t stand him… His only successes came with a squad which was 95% Gerrard Houllier’s. We can’t win the prem because he doesn’t have the quality.

Quick prediction: I don’t think we’ll beat utd on sunday, we’re going out of the champions league and if we dont get rid of Benitez ASAP, we won’t qualify for the champions league next season.

From: a p****d off Liverpool fan!

Is there any other Premier League club playing at home with 2 holding midfield players? Anyone else think that is a bit negative. Who are our creative players, Benayoun? Agger? Is Carra in his last season at the top of his game? Can we afford to change the manager? If Rafa is sacked (and i dont think he should be) look at the Spanish backroom team that has to go too, from Melwood to the Academy. We have no mooney for players let alone afford the compensation package to go with that lot.

An unlikely victory or credible draw against Utd at home (cant believe I’m saying that) on Sunday will only paper over the cracks. The only thing I do know is that we need to get behind the ‘red men’ as they need us now more than they have done since 1987 when we last lost 4 on the bounce!

Rafa Benitez fielded a weakened side against Lyon due to injuries, I personally don’t think the team he put out would be capable of beating half the premier league sides. I’ve supported Rafa non stop through the poor signings and disappointing results, but also through the glory of winning the Champions League and FA Cup etc and right now am really starting to feel like he has took us as far as he possibly can…regardless of a new contract in the summer or not!

Going back to last nights team selection, I really think this showed us all how weak our squad really is, minus Gerrard our best player was Yossi who lets be honest isn’t a world beater and was only bought originally to warm the bench…

Dirk Kuyt gives 150% to the club every single week…but ask yourself is that good enough for LFC or do we need someone who can destroy defenders down that right wing, striking fear into our opponents or should we settle for somebody that will run round like a headless chicken all game?? We need MATCH WINNERS, maybe not 11 but at half the team need to be capable of pulling a result out the bag when it doesn’t look like its going are way?

Lucas & Ngog are not good enough to play for Liverpool and no matter how much time and development is put into them they will never reach the standards we have come to expect from our players!

WHHY DIDN’T RYAN BABEL PLAY?? this makes absolutely no sense, in the absence in Gerrard you bring on Aurelio? For me Babel has not been given a fair chance at Anfield, an I think he is going to go on and be a fantastic player, but more than likely at Arsenal or somewhere the manager will allow him to show off his talent and give him 100% support. I don’t think babel’s style of play suits Benitez’s tactics and this is why he does not play.

The only positive for me last night was Martin Kelly, a player who looks as if he is going to definately make the grade, Rafa would be a fool not to give this lad a chance this season to show his ability, could be a big player for us in coming seasons.

To finish this off, if we do not win against UTD on Sunday Liverpool are in trouble, not to poor doom and gloom over a bad start, but in terms of confidence belief and players capable of getting us out this rut, in order to move forward and keep Liverpool progressing at a pace that all the fans are happy with, we need a new Manager with new ideas and you may think this is controversial but Jose Mourinho is the man to do it!

Thats the end of my rant anyway…..Peace x

if you want to be able to tell if liverpool have a title winning squad you have to ask which of our players would get in the man utd starting 11 even cheelsa arsenal or man city the only players i could think of are gerrard torres glen johnson and macherano possibly dan agger remember i said starting 11

i also think jamie carragher is finished and should be a sub 4 us he is 2 slow

Fiorentina’s coach said that his teams defeat of us was the best he has ever seen his side play and last night, well read above and defeat should not be a huge surprise!!

Crouch was offered an extension and turned it down!!
Degen? He is not on our team submitted to the champs league!
Sami hyypia ? Are you for real?

Carra is having a dip, Masch is totally not interested and must be sold asap, Agger just got back from a legthy inury and admitted he is not 100%, Stevie and The Kid are injured, Johnson is injured, Aurelio just got back from injury, Riera is injured, Ngog is 20 yrs old, Insua is 19 and Lucas is just average and as for Babbel, he is talent with no football intelligence and any manager would have gambled on him with his undoubted talent! Oh let’s not even get me started on the fact that we are without our last seasons best player Alonso and without his 20Mill replacement! We need stability, game pace, creativity and class in midfield most importantly and it will hopefully only arrive with Aqualani!

Stop blaming everything in hindsight and support the Team through this troubled time!!

In RAFA I trust!