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When Rafa Met Parry
Anyone who has ever seen the masterful piece of film-making that is Speed may or may not remember Sandra Bullock's line to the immortal Keanu Reeves, when she says, "Relationships that start under intense circumstances, they never last." What's more intense than clawing your way out of the Champions League group stage, past a series of 'superior' teams in the knockout rounds and then, after going 3-0 down at half-time to one of the greatest teams of the last decade in the final, coming back to tie the game 3-3 and win on penalties? It was their fifth, it meant they could keep the trophy; all the more amazing when considering they had not even won a league title in 15 years at the time.It was all too much, and all too soon for Rafael Benitez at Liverpool. He was forgiven for finishing fifth in the Premier League only for his triumph in Istanbul. Development since has been stunted and insufficient, much like the excuses made by the man himself. Rafa is under pressure now, after this topsy-turvy engagement period, to tie himself down, take the plunge and marry himself to Merseyside. It seems he's not quite ready for that kind of commitment. The Spaniard is still wrangling over prenuptial agreements and trying to have it all his own way. He's good, but he's not that good. And in this day and age, you really do have to be that good to command that kind of power.Rafa wants it all his own way, and has already seen off chief executive Rick Parry, who announced he will be leaving the club at the end of this season. Nevertheless, the powers that be are unwilling to hand over complete control to Benitez, and nor should they. This is not a man to whom it should be a foreign concept for affairs in the transfer market to be handled by those above him. He's from Spain, where it is regular practice - where he won the league under such a system - and there is an air of selfishness surrounding his demands.Understandable, maybe. Everybody has their own best interests at heart, but let's look at this from Liverpool's point of view. The owners still look fairly likely to sell, and perhaps a manager on a long-term contract running his own ship would not entice many of the most attractive potential suitors.So what does Rafa really have in his corner when going into these negotiations? Despite many a miraculous result during his four-and-a-half seasons at Anfield, he has yet to convince that he is capable of being the best. He only knows how to win as an underdog - he cannot outplay his opposition - and that is not enough for Liverpool.There can be no doubt that they can and will continue to scrape past top opposition under Rafa's leadership, but they will not become anything resembling a great side until they learn to beat one and all comers. They don't need to be able to batter the Barcelonas and Inters of this world - fans have, and will, continue to forgive the defensive dirges if they could at least be promised the three points against the likes of Stoke City and Middlesbrough - but when Rafa has to attack a side, he ends up as impotent as Luiz Felipe Scolari's Chelsea.The Blues stuck their neck out - doing what they had to do - and soon, even supporters as loyal as Liverpool's will surely see that there is life after Rafa. It seems this unhappy couple are currently willing to settle for the odd moment of magic amid the monotony, purely due to the paralysing fear that they worry about whether they can find anybody better in the aftermath of parting ways.It is time for that leap of faith. Given time and money in equal measure, Benitez continues to make the same mistakes he did from the beginning and seems incapable of change. I said just last week that the Spaniard needed the Champons League to save his job, but just seven incredible days later, it seems as though not even that will do. Even if they win it, they will not be the side they need to be.The owners must be brave and the fans more far-sighted and understanding in seeing that the time is right to part ways, instead of handing all power over to a man who has still yet to do as well as he should have and is showing no signs of wanting to change his ways. Yes, it is now beyond beating a dead horse. This dead horse has already been beaten, decapitated by one of Vito Corleone's confidants and had its head left in George Gillett's blood-soaked bed. It's over. Both Liverpool and Rafa must move on.
Sulmaan Ahmad, Goal.com
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