Former Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp has questioned Rafael Benitez's management and claims that he manipulates the club's fans.
On the eve of Liverpool's crunch Champions League showdown in Hungary against Debrecen - where they could fail to reach the last 16 for the first time under Benitez - Redknapp offered a wide-ranging criticism of the Anfield boss.
Redknapp believes Benitez should abandon the controversial zonal marking system and questioned whether Fernando Torres will want to stay if Liverpool are only in the Europa League next season.
Redknapp, who played more than 300 games for the club between 1991 and 2002, said: "They have won one in 10 now and fans will be thinking. They are firmly behind him, though, he manipulates the fans, he gets them how he wants them.
"But there comes a time, if they go out of Europe this week and then lose at Everton, that the fans are swayed and will say that we have to look at him now.
"That team is not really going anywhere. The problem you will get is that will Fernando Torres want to play in the Europa League? I don't think so.
"If they don't get into the top four at the end of this season, it will be a major problem.
"You have huge problems going on behind the scenes with the owners, but it is too easy to blame that. On the pitch the players are not playing well enough, that's a fact."
On Liverpool's defensive problems, Redknapp was equally damning.
He added on Sky Sports: "A few years ago zonal marking was the best format because they were one of the best defenders from set pieces.
"But the reason for that was that they had Peter Crouch and Sami Hyypia, two guys who are 6ft 5in plus.
"It doesn't matter how you defend when the ball comes in, zonal or man to man, they will clear it. Now you have a situation where people are not taking responsibility.
"You might have to turn round and say that zonal isn't working, let's go man for man. At the moment he is giving players excuses, teams look at it and think they will score against Liverpool."
Your Comments
unistudent
"Rich, the two trophies won by Mr Benitez since his arrival in 2004 are double the amount of trophies won by Mr Wenger in the same period - so should Mr Wenger be sacked? Also in November 1991 Mr Ferguson celebrated 5 years in charge of Manchester United and had won only two trophies, so should he have been sacked? In September 2001 Mr Wenger celebrated 5 years in charge of Arsenal and he had won only two trophies (mostly with players that were at the club before him i.e. Messrs Seaman, Dixon, Adams, Keown, Bould, Winterburn, Parlour, Wright, Bergkamp) so should he have been sacked? It took Mr Ferguson almost 13 years, plus a lot of money and a lot of luck to win the Champions League in 1999, but that was called skill/passion/never say die attitude, yet in the same circumstances I keep reading about Liverpool being lucky/fluky/undeserving - why do people denigrate the fact Mr Benitez won the Champions League in his first season!? If Liverpool's success is tainted or luck then so is Manchester United's. My reasons: 1) they shouldn't have been in the competition that year (like Liverpool in 2004/5). 2) they only won 5 matches before reaching the final, and that included 3 victories the mighty Lodz (1) and Brondby (2) and a fluky win against Juventus; 3) they were completley out played in the final and only won when two shots were going wide in injury time but were deflected into the net. Hardly a glorious victory! So I think Mr Benitez has done a fair job since coming to Liverpool, after all Arsenal went through the 2003/4 season unbeaten and have yet to win the league again. The fact Liverpool finished 30 points behind Arsenal that season shows how Mr Benitez had developed Liverpool. And let us remember that if Mr Benitez goes I cannot imagine Messrs Reina, Mascherano and Torres would stay, nor some of the other useful players at Liverpool: Kuyt, Skrtel, Agger etc."
topred1
"Just heard Babel has said again he wants to leave LFC . Let him go and lets bring in someone who wants to play for us"
binrobbo
"Leave Raffa alone! He's doing a great job! So near but never quite getting there..just so JUICY!! Heroic failure..it's what Liverpool fans live for!! Sad really but there you go!"
Rich
"All those Liverpool fans/supporters who back Rafa Benitez as manager of LFC are disgrace to the club. Rafa has clearly failed! Two major cup wins in 5 years is rubbish! And even then we were lucky to win both. All I see is a small brigade of loyal Liverpool fans who want Rafa out as we can clearly see he is an arrogant, sneaky, deluded, overrated manager who plays mind-games with his fans and and his players. The fans who back him have blind faith in a manager who has failed time and time again and the sooner he goes the better for all TRUE LFC fans. But it will be fan power that sees him leave, because he won't quit! Only when LFC are in serious trouble will the 'In Rafa we trust brigade' see sense and call for him to be sacked. And you can't entirely blame the owners, Rafa has spent plenty of money and still failed. The fact is Rafa Benitez should of been sacked long long ago. He's the manager and he's responsible for how the team plays and performs and as a result he should be fired as soon as possible. And there are plenty of Ex-Liverpool legends who don't have the guts to call for him to be fired as well the gutless cowards. "
unistudent
"Since the summer of 2003 Chelsea have spent more than £420m buying players and Liverpool have spent around £250m, of that Mr Benitez has spent about £230m on players (and recouped approx £140m). Now, Liverpool have a squad which is weaker than Chelsea for the simple reason that Chelsea can buy players for £15m+ e.g. Messrs Mutu, Crespo, Veron, Makelele, Duff, Carvalho, Drogba, Wright-Phillips, Essien, Shevchenko, Mikel, Anelka, Boswinga - 13 players. Whereas Liverpool have only brought 5 players for £15m+ Messrs Torres, Mascherano, Keane, Johnson and Aquliani. In addition Liverpool had to sell Messrs Bellamy, Cisse, Garcia, Pongolle, Gonzalez and Paletta for approx £26m to fund the summer 2007 spree and the purchases of Messrs Johnson and Aqulani were funded through the outstanding debt on Mr Crouch and the sale of Mr Alonso for the later (with an additional £13m denied to Mr Benitez!). So if Liverpool could have done a Chelsea i.e. buy without needing to sell and thus kept players like Messrs Bellamy, Crouch, Sissoko, Carson, Garcia, Keane etc it would give Liverpool a stronger bench, but Liverpool have to balance the books. If Chelsea had to balance the books then their trophy cabinet wouldn't contain the Premier League titles of 2005 and 2006 and its debatable they would have won the FA and League Cups in 2005, 2007 and 2009. In additon if Mr Benitez had got his 1st choice targets e.g. Messrs Wright-Phillips (2005), Evra (2005), Vidic (2006), Alves (2006), Malouda (2007), Heinze (2007), Barry (2008) etc Liverpool may be in a better position, but Liverpool are hindered by financial constraints! Mr Benitez has won Liverpool the Champions League and FA Cup, in addition Liverpool have reached the an additional Champions League final, a League Cup final, a World Club Cup final, finished 4 points off being Premier League champions. What has Master Redknapp done?"
Manc_e_doodle
"should be Rafa manipulates the 'fans'."
BIGREDBOY
"I've supported Liverpool from the Kop since 1964 and we appear to be going nowhere fast. As Jamie said zonal marking is a big mistake now that Sami has gone, even when he wasn't playing, his presence at the club was a massive plus with his experience. It's a pity we can't get someone like him now for the price we paid, "WHAT A BARGAIN". Adebyour only had to stand in an open space and the ball was in the net. Another problem is that when Rafa used to play it tight we were negative, but didn't loose many games, now that he has given them a free hand we are wide open. The big problem is that Rafa is a tactician and not a coach, and why was Aqalani not given ago on Saturday, it was a must win game. "
iredave
"Is there a more irritating tv pundit than Jamie Redknapp? If there is then I haven't seen him. He underachieved as a player and now he shows week in and week out that he knows very little about football. If I was Rafa I would be worried about a lot of things but not what that nobody thinks"
jalebicartel
"red_til_i_die-- "Rafa since he's been at the club has completely overhauled the youth system to get more young talent coming into the first team" really?? The last exciting prospect I know of to come from the Liverpool Youth Academy(if one does exist) was NEIL MELLOR. And we know how that one went..If the waiter has indeed overhauled the youth system then surely all of "that" talent is being smuggled abroad under our noses.."
red_til_i_die
"Yes mike_christie and that side also finished 5th in the league. That squad was absolutely dreadful he had some good players in it but that side basically over achieved on what it should have been. Chelsea have had an open cheque book since Roman the Red came in and they were able to spend a fortune on players to get a brilliant squad together without having to worry about balancing the books. City are starting to do the same thing. Chelsea now have a settled squad and can just add the £15-£30m additions every year to maintain that squad. United are the same whereas liverpool can't do it. Chelsea knowing they've got a transfer ban approaching are apparently getting ready to spunk £100m because they won't be able to spend it over next season. Rafa will never be given £100m in one season to strengthen the squad but people expect him to be able to do it with receiving nothing"
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