Liverpool FC: Bringing Back Rafa Benitez as Manager Would Be Awful Move by Reds

With Kenny Dalglish out of the picture as Liverpool manager, the Reds have begun their search for his successor. Rather than aiming to bring in a fresh perspective, however, Liverpool may be going back to a well it tapped before in the form of Rafa Benitez.

According to Mirror Football, the club has reached out to Benitez, who guided Liverpool beginning in 2004 until a tumultuous exit in 2010. Benitez's contract was terminated following a disappointing seventh-place EPL finish in 2009-10, but Fenway Sports Group has since bought the club and is said to be very interested in bringing Benitez back.

There is no doubt that Benitez had his moments at Liverpool as he led them to a Champions League title in his first season as manager, but things seemed to decline steadily from there. Benitez also steered The Reds to an FA Cup win, but he was never able to win a Premier League title.

Liverpool fans were obviously enamored with Benitez at the start of his tenure, but he was never able to reach such lofty heights again. He failed to rebound with his next club as his short tenure with Internazionale was largely a disappointment. Benitez hasn't managed since leaving Inter in 2010, and there is likely good reason for that.

Benitez had been praised often for his tactical prowess while with Liverpool, but his ideas and demeanor had grown stale by the end of his tenure, so it's difficult to understand why he appears to be a leading candidate. The fact that he has won a Champions League title is attractive, but his time with the Reds ended in disaster.

Liverpool has become quite stale as it finished eighth in the Premier League this past season, and there is no doubt that it is in need of some excitement. Bringing in a new manager with a winning background would likely get fans talking again, but the limitations of Benitez are already well known and it simply doesn't make sense to give him another chance.

The roster has clearly changed a lot since his departure so he would be a new voice to most, but his managing had fallen upon deaf ears back in 2010, and with leaders like Steven Gerrard and Dirk Kuyt still in the fold, one would think that it would be awkward for them to be led by Benitez once again after the way things played out last time.

Liverpool's new ownership seems to be enamored with pass successes, but the key is to look toward the future. The Reds' title in 2004 might as well have happened 100 years ago because things have changed so much since then. Benitez proved that he could no longer handle the high-profile position, but because of one great season he may get another chance.

There is a reason why Liverpool is no longer the EPL power it always had been, and poor decision-making is a huge contributing factor. Benitez probably deserves another chance to be manager somewhere, but his time with The Reds was clearly up two years ago and there is no need for a reprisal.

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