Liverpool Need To Let Their Football Do the Talking

After such a promising start, Liverpool are starting to fade. They have looked the real deal for much of this season, winning games against the big four and maintaining an impressive away record, but after failing to win any of their last three games, times are beginning to look worrying for Rafa Benitez and his men. 

The Spaniard can criticise Sir Alex Ferguson, Everton’s negative tactics, and his own board as much as he wants, but no amount of complaining will detract attention from the club's poor results. It is time Benitez started concentrating on the football.

Ever since he had that sudden outburst about how Ferguson is the only manager in the country who is allowed to get away with slating referees, things have just gone downhill for Liverpool.

Benitez would have been given some stick for just the recent slump in form on its own, but his series of complaints against other people in the game have given the media even more reason to criticise him.

He really hasn’t helped his own cause.

So with crucial fixtures lying in wait for Liverpool, Benitez needs to start focusing on the thing he is good at: managing a football team.

With the FA Cup replay against Merseyside rivals Everton, the top of the table clash against Chelsea, and the critical Champions League knockout match against Real Madrid all coming up for the Anfield club, Liverpool’s entire season rests on how successful they are in the next few weeks.

If Benitez and his players don’t turn their form around soon, it will be another trophy-less campaign for The Reds.

The last three matches, against Stoke City and Everton twice, have yielded only two goals for Liverpool—both from Steven Gerrard. The amount of chances created has been embarrassingly low, and the defending from set-pieces has been laughable. It has not been good.

So it is funny that it was all going so well for them before then. Their previous three games were a 3-0 win over Bolton, a 5-1 thrashing of Newcastle away from home, and a 2-0 FA Cup win over Preston.

The fact that Liverpool have played badly since then has coincided horribly with the return of Fernando Torres, giving him no real opportunity to flourish or work his way back to fitness and regain confidence. Or could his lack of sharpness possibly be the reason as to why Liverpool have struggled lately?

The thing that is for sure is that Liverpool need to go back to the performances that they were producing prior to the last few weeks, when they passed the ball accurately and decisively and created plenty of goalscoring opportunities, many of which they took.

For this to happen, Benitez will need to stop slaughtering others and take a look at his own club’s situation.

Benitez must field his strongest side against Wigan in the league on Wednesday night, not including the weaker links like Ryan Babel or Lucas. He should play the system that is tried and tested, with Gerrard playing off Torres in front of four midfielders, which should be Dirk Kuyt, Javier Mascherano, Xabi Alonso, and Albert Riera.

There must be a real hunger for the players to succeed at the JJB, because otherwise Steve Bruce’s in-form side will flatten them. Confidence will be severely low then, and that is not good when a team is entering the most critical stage of the season.

Liverpool could be out of the running for all three remaining trophies if they do not get their act together soon. It’s time for the football to do the talking.