Rafa’s Life ‘At Risk’ After Losing Due To a ‘Freak Goal’ At The Stadium Of Lights

By Jigar Shah

Baffled Rafa Benitez says he is going to put up his strongest possible line-up against Lyon after the Sunderland freak goal show. The next two games are probably the most crucial games in Rafa’s life at Liverpool. First –it’s Lyon and next weekend it’s Manchester United, it could either be a blessing in disguise or a double whammy for the Spaniard.

The frustration was easily seeming, as Mr. Tinkerman involved in an ugly spat with Sunderland Boss Steve Bruce after the phantasmagoric goal from the Black Cats striker Darren Bent whose shot that took a deflection past Pepe Reina via a red beach ball thrown on to the pitch by a visiting fan.

This is Liverpool's fourth premier league defeat and this one could hammer their Premier League Title hopes. Football Editorial did their part before the kick-off, predicting an away draw for Liverpool, but the defeat was not in our script.

The Reds are currently eighth on the premier league standing, and it looks that their title hopes are in serious jeopardy after losing to the Black Cats at the weekend. The worst is Liverpool have not scored in their last three games, Fiorentina, Chelsea and Sunderland, which will put immense pressure on the Kop boss, Rafael Benitez.

The Spaniard took over in 2004-05 as Liverpool boss and since then, a number of times there have been concerns over Spaniard’s future at the Merseyside club. The Spaniard has won a Champions League, European Super Cup, FA Community Shield and FA Cup during his tenure, so far, with Liverpool. The last time Anfield faithful saw silverware was during 2006 FA Community Shield, when they beat Chelsea 2-1, since then its chasing shadows for them. However, the Spaniard ended his long running speculation by signing a new five year contract with Liverpool, that keeps him at the club till 2014, during this summer.

The Spaniard is known for his tactical acumen, his especially during European clashes, but also criticized for his rotational policy by Liverpool fans. The Spaniard will be under a ‘serious pressure’ first time in the season and the only silver lining for him is the availability of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres for the mid-week clash against French powerhouse Lyon.

After weekend clash with the Black Cats; one thing is proved for sure that Liverpool attack without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres is toothless and lacks cutting edge. Just Imagine Steve Bruce saying during his post match interview “I thought we deserved it. We had three one-on-ones in the second-half and could have scored more”.

Yes, it’s true Liverpool played badly, and they will surely need to pull up their sleeves if they have to win anything this season. The Spaniard didn’t have much transfer activity due to financial crunch;  and the fact is the squad needs a lot of strengthening. (FYI: The Merseyside club has brought players like Glen Johnson (£18 million) and Alberto Aquilani (£17million) to strengthen their squad. )

A plethora of football experts thought that this season Liverpool can claim a title, but I believe with the departure of irreplaceable Xabi Alonso, the team is struggling a bit, this season, especially in the creative department. Even Mr. Dependable Steven Gerrard hasn’t struck his best form yet.

In the end, I can only say maybe it’s a mixture of bad luck and bad performance, but it is high time Liverpool should raise their game or else face a risk of losing any silverware this season. Liverpool fans believe in Spaniard, and they know that he has a lot of work before their next two games home games.

Please share your thoughts!!!