Teamspeed.com - Debate: Has Rafael Benitez Killed Liverpool's Title Challenge?

As the Premier League entered the second half of the season it was surely only a matter of match-days before warring managers began their mind games.

The reaction of Liverpool's Rafa Benitez though could be telling, and have wider implications than the dropping of two vital points after a goalless draw with Stoke City.

Sir Alex Ferguson is just as experienced in plotting title-challenging campaigns as he is at getting underneath the skin of the management staff of his nearest rivals. But while Jose Mourinho and Arsene Wenger have managed in the past to do their talking both off and on the field, Benitez may succumb to the Kevin Keegan syndrome.

Keegan's Capitulation

In the 1995-96 season Newcastle were favourites for the title by January due to an impressive 12-point lead, but Keegan's passion got the better of him and in response to insinuations from Ferguson, he let fly with a now infamous rant: "I will love it if we beat them, love it!" That four-win cushion continued to decrease until, by the end of the season, the Magpies had completely capitulated and Manchester United eventually claimed the crown by finishing four points ahead of the Tynesiders.

Choices a manager makes can be disastrous if ill thought-out. Evidence for this includes Hull City manager Phil Brown's embarrassing centre circle sit-in at half-time during the 5-1 loss to Manchester City.

This was supposed to gee his side up, kick them into gear, knock them into shape, and granted they have only conceded three goals since Boxing Day, but the Tigers are still tame when they play and have mustered only a lonesome point from a possible nine.

There is an obvious gulf in class between Liverpool and Hull though, and there are of course around four months and 17 fixtures left to remedy their separate dramas, so perhaps looking at Liverpool's and Manchester United's upcoming fixtures could give a better indication of where they will be when the league flirts with the business end of the season.

Next 7 League Ties

Date
Liverpool
Date
Man Utd
19-01-2009
vs Everton (H)
14-01-2009
vs Wigan (H)
28-01-2009
vs Wigan (A)
17-01-2009
vs Bolton (A)
01-02-2009
vs Chelsea (H)
27-01-2009
vs West Brom (A)
07-02-2009
vs Portsmouth (A)
02-02-2009
vs Everton (H)
22-02-2009
vs Man City (H)
08-02-2009
vs West Ham (A)
28-02-2009
vs Middlesbrough (A)
17-02-2009
vs Fulham (H)
04-03-2009
vs Sunderland (H)
21-02-2009
vs Blackburn (H)

Manchester United will of course pip Liverpool to the table's head should they win both their games in hand (one of which is contested on Wednesday evening), but what will play in Liverpool's favour is that United's fixture list is mightily congested in the latter half of January, so Sir Alex will need to employ a rotation policy if he is to counter the threat of burn-out.

Not only do they have three league fixtures, but also a Carling Cup leg (that they go into trailing 1-0), together with a fourth round FA Cup game. Another Scouse advantage is that their points are already on the board.

The upcoming fixtures for Liverpool though are the tougher set, with a Merseyside derby and a home tie against old foe Chelsea to be pencilled in for the next few weeks.

The match though that could be the most definining of all is Liverpool's eighth, which is against Manchester United. The former have the upper hand after claiming victory at Anfield earlier in the season without key personnel such as Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres, and if they did the double over their north west rivals then that would be the perfect tonic for the final ten games.

Tactics

In a summer that saw the club acquire Albert Riera and £20 million Robbie Keane, the most important capture has often been cited as former Bolton boss Sammy Lee.

Lee's ex-players at Wanderers have often spoken out hailing the instant influence that Lee has had at Liverpool, and this was highlighted further when Benitez had a kidney stone operation and was missing from the touchline for three games. Lee took charge and guided the Reds to seven points from nine, in games that included the 1-1 away draw with Arsenal, the 3-0 win over Bolton, and the 5-1 demolition of Newcastle.

With rumours that Benitez is still in some discomfort following his previous illness, the onus may be on Lee to continue to help shape the club's season, and if this were the case, it could perhaps be seen as a blessing in disguise if Benitez is going to get involved in a war of words that he perhaps has little chance of winning.

What are your thoughts on this subject? Do you think Rafa Benitez was wise to be so outspoken over Sir Alex Ferguson? In a battle of mind games who would claim the gold medal? Will this have an effect on who will lift the Premier League crown in May? what do you think?

source[www.goal.com]