No Guarantee: Rafael Benitez Admits That Finishing Fourth Will Be Difficult

In November of last year Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez guaranteed that his side would finish in fourth place and take the last available Champions League spot.

Four months on and after losing to Portsmouth, Wigan, Arsenal (twice), and most recently Manchester United, Rafa Benitez has changed his tone.

After suffering a 2-1 defeat to bitter rivals Manchester United, Rafael Bentitez admitted that finishing fourth in the Premier League "will be more difficult."

This was the Reds' second loss in the space of three league games. As a result, Liverpool find themselves sitting in sixth position with seven games remaining in the season.

Tottenham are currently occupying fourth place, four points ahead of Liverpool with one game in hand over them.

Manchester City are the buffer between Liverpool and Tottenham. They have two points more than Liverpool's 51, while holding a potentially huge two games in hand over the Reds.

Aston Villa are in seventh place looking up at Liverpool and Co., a single point behind Benitez's side. They also hold two games in hand over the Merseyside team.

Benitez admitted that his team will find it difficult to finish in fourth before adding that Liverpool now need their rivals to slip up if they are to find themselves playing in the Champions League next year.

Talking after the defeat to Manchester United, Benitez said that he did not see his side's loss against the champions as a setback.

"The team was not fantastic but it was not worse than United. I don't think it is a setback."

After literally Walking through a storm," Rafael Benitez and Liverpool can find a glimmer of hope in the upcoming fixtures. Four of Liverpool's remaining seven games will be played in front of the Kop at Anfield.

The Reds also have the added benefit of playing just one game remaining against a team in the top eight.

Importantly, Tottenham Hotspur will play half of their eight remaining games away from the home comforts of White Hart Lane. Harry Redknapp's side still have to face each of the top three teams, two of which are local derbies. Spurs also have to face Manchester City away in their penultimate game.

Aston Villa will have to play five of their final nine games away from home. Three of Villa's remaining games are against teams in the top eight of the league and they will also have to host a local derby against Birmingham City.

Manchester City have a much less removed run, as they host six of their remaining nine games at the City of Manchester Stadium. However, the real kicker for City is that six of their remaining games are against teams in the top half of the table.

Liverpool have to hope that their fourth-place rivals slip up and some of them most definitely will.

The main concern for Rafa Benitez is to ensure that his side don't drop any more points.

They will need to obtain the maximum of 21 points from their last seven games if they are to salvage their season and finish fourth.

Difficult is an understatement to say the least, and if Liverpool fail to secure Champions League football for next year, not only will Benitez find himself eating his own words for the second year in a row, he could be forced out of Liverpool too.