Liverpool FC: The End of the Spanish Armada at Anfield?

Rafael Benitez took over Liverpool in 2004 as a highly successful manager, winning the La Liga and the UEFA Cup in his last year at Valencia. 

As soon as he arrived at Anfield, he brought in a Spanish revolution at Anfield, stretching from the staff to the players. 

Luis Garcia and Xabi Alonso were the earliest Spanish players to arrive at Liverpool, both of whom endeared themselves to the Kop as soon as they arrived, and both of them are still loved and respected by all Liverpool fans.

Pepe Reina was signed from Villareal in the summer of 2005, and replaced the Champions League hero Dudek as the first choice goal-keeper as soon as he arrived at Anfield. He remains the only remaining Spanish player in the starting 11 currently.

Rafa overhauled the back-room staff at Liverpool, appointing a number of Spanish people in important positions, including important positions at the Academy.

In 2007, there was the second wave of the signings of Spanish players. Fernando Torres and Alvaro Arbeloa were signed with Luis Garcia moving to Atletico Madrid. 

With the signing of Albert Reira in 2008, Liverpool had a large number of Spanish players on the field—Alonso, Arbeloa, Reira, Reina and Torres. 

Liverpool started becoming Spanish in character led by Rafael Benitez, similar to how Arsenal seemed to have a French character under Arsene Wenger.

The Spanish Revolution seemed to be working, with a great performance in the 2008-09 season, when they were leading at Christmas, only to be pipped to the post by Manchester United. They had scored 86 points on the season, which would have been enough to win them the league in most seasons.

This period also saw the signings of some of the greatest young Spanish talent for Liverpool, obviously buoyed by the presence of Rafael Benitez, and the success of the Spanish players at Liverpool. 

Then it started to go all wrong for the club. Alonso had a falling out with Rafael Benitez, which ultimately caused him to be sold to Real Madrid in 2009. Many people still consider this to be one of the reasons for Liverpool's poor showing in the last two seasons.

Arbeloa, who was not very consistent in the Liverpool shirt, was also sold to Real Madrid the same year. 

Then came the forgetful 2009-10 season. Liverpool were marred by injuries and inconsistent form of its players, managed to finish only seventh in the League, just a year after they ran Manchester United close for the league title.  

Rafa was primarily blamed for the debacle. The same tactics that he had used just a season before to great effect were being questioned by the pundits. The reports that Rafa had lost the confidence of the dressing room did not help matters either. 

A result of all these factors, along with a falling out with the infamous owners of Liverpool, he was asked to leave the club at the end of 2009-10 season.

He took most of his back-room staff with him to Inter Milan, where he had been given a new contract following the departure of Jose Mourinho to Real Madrid.

Although, by that time, Torres and Reina became the mainstays of the Liverpool squad. 

Torres in 2009-10 had recurring injuries which plagued him even during the World Cup. All the fans had pinned their hopes on Torres to revive the current season, as his absence in crucial matches last season led to Liverpool finishing a dismal seventh in the league.

However, with a large number of uninspired displays, he barely was able to get Liverpool off the ground. The form of the other players in the squad did not help him either. And in January, he shocked Liverpool fans by handing in a transfer request to move to Chelsea, a move which was completed in a short span of three days.

Pepe Reina thus remains the only big Spanish player in the Liverpool squad now and he has publically pledged his allegiance to Liverpool. 

However, with constant rumors linking him with various clubs and his recent interview stating his desire to play at the highest level, a move away from Liverpool should not be ruled out. 

One of the reasons that the Spanish players preferred Liverpool was the comfort they experienced due to the presence of other Spanish players at the club. Hence, Reina following his other compatriots out of Liverpool could be a possibility.

However, with two of the most promising youngsters—Pacheco and Suso—being Spanish, one sincerely hopes that they do not follow their Spanish "heroes" out of Liverpool. One would want the Liverpool hierarchy to do its best to keep the two youngsters comfortable at Liverpool.

As a Liverpool fan, I would sincerely hope that Pepe stays. Also, as all fans, I would also like Pacheco and Suso to make a huge impact on the first team in the future. 

Lets hope that the instead of the end, its just the second coming of the Spanish Armada with Pepe Reina marshaling the troops into the new era.