Benitez misjudged and underestimated a spirited and efficient Burnley side, a team that is entertaining genuine aspirations of making the play-offs. A team who in recent weeks had off-loaded their top scorer and captain Robbie Blake to Birmingham ( in fact last night’s result could have been worse had Blake been leading the attack against Bambi and company) yet still went on to out-fight Liverpool’s coveted youth.
Yesterdays FA Cup tie was men against boys. It was a game too far for Benitez’s mixture of fledgling hopefuls and second-string reserves, a game where the pitch, the weather and Burnley’s enthusiasm and desire to earn the scalp of Liverpool in the FA Cup ultimately proved too strong for the Merseyside club.
Benitez will have observed what a great leveller the FA Cup can be, that it is an entirely different proposition to the Carling Cup. He will now understand that playing semi-interested Premiership sides in the Carling Cup is far removed from taking on an organised and committed promotion-chasing team form the Championship that still views playing teams from the top league in the FA Cup as all-important. Especially, as in Liverpool’s case, the Premiership side isn’t up for the ensuing fight in the first place.
The Burnley players and manager no doubt saw Liverpool’s team sheet yesterday evening and smelled blood.
In fact, to say the FA Cup served to level-up Liverpool and Burnley does the small Lancashire club a distinct disservice, for Burnley were far better than their illustrious counterparts last night. Liverpool were found wanting.
Although this morning Benitez has vigorously defended his decision to send out such a weakened team, he will have doubtless learnt that he should never have taken Burnley so lightly, which he clearly did, no matter what he says. Liverpool’s lack of respect was their undoing. Maybe the victories against Middlesbrough and Tottenham made Rafa believe the kids were better than they really were? Who knows.
On the upside, being dumped out of the cup will only benefit Benitez and his understanding of the English game, not to mention the mentality of smaller sides. This is all part of the learning process of the game in England, make no bones about it, Rafael Benitez is an exceptional manager and this result will be firmly filed under ‘experience’.
Plus points from last night’s game are that Benitez will make sure that the complacency which has been creeping in to the Liverpool set-up in recent weeks, most notably since perhaps first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final against Watford, will be promptly eradicated. Next weeks return leg with the Londoners will see the real Liverpool, both in terms of personnel and mentality (Benitez’s great buzz word).
Watford will be really up for that game, buoyed by their performance in the first leg and heartened by Burnley’s FA Cup heroics. Liverpool will have to be at their best, professional and committed, or it could easily turn into another Burnley.
The result against Burnley will also have given the youngsters who were probably starting to think that this first term lark was dead easy, a massive shock. They’ll realise they don’t have to just turn up in the red shirt and the game is won, that they actually have to work harder and harder every game. They will learn from this.
Similarly, Benitez will be beginning to see who really has got what it takes to be a Liverpool player. Mellor, Raven, Warnock, Otsemobor, Welsh, Whitbread and Potter, not all of them will make it as reds.
Let’s also not forget that many of the second-string players utilised last night aren’t really part of Benitez’s plans and will be shown the door sooner rather than later. Their disinterest during the game made the youngsters chances even harder.
Crucially though, Liverpool can now concentrate on achieving fourth place in the Premiership, and going as far as they can in the Champions League
Benitez will do the best he can for the remainder of the season, with essentially Houllier’s squad at his disposal. But it’s going to be tough what with injuries to Steve Finan while Alonso, Kewell and Kirkland will struggle to make it back for more than handful of games this season. Then of course there’s Cisse, who will be lucky to be back in time even for the start of next season.
Despite these absentees, a top-four finish can be Liverpool’s, but they have to take their destiny by the scruff of the neck.
With the acquisition of Morientes, partnered up with Baros, Liverpool will be able to display an array of attacking gusto more impressive than they have been able to do so for a very long time. Interesting times ahead.