Rafa Benitez's five-year plan for Liverpool FC is dependent on next five weeks
May 25 2009 by David Prentice, Liverpool Echo
IT'S taken Rafael Benitez five years to close the gap at the top of the Premier League. At the end of his first full Anfield season the Reds were a cavernous 37 points behind runaway champions Chelsea.
Now they're the equivalent of turning a couple of home draws into victories behind Manchester United.
Whether Benitez can close the most difficult gap of all, however, could depend on the next five weeks.
After the competitive action came to a predictably uncompetitive end at Anfield yesterday, attention instantly switched to the identity of the men the Liverpool manager seeks to bring in this summer.
And perhaps even more importantly, who he lets go.
"No names, today, please" he grinned, as soon as the first transfer related query was directed his way after the 3-1 defeat of Tottenham.
But evidence that Benitez was thinking of the future had already been presented in his extended look at the Martin Skrtel-Daniel Agger central defensive axis.
Touted as the club's future central defensive partnership, the pair have not started a match together before.
But with Alvaro Arbeloa injured, Benitez ignored the sentimental claims of Sami Hyypia - and the increasingly insistent demands of The Kop - to scrutinise the young duo for almost the entire afternoon.
It was the 83rd minute before Big Sami was called for his emotional swansong.
Even then, it was Steven Gerrard who was asked to make way, with Agger and Skrtel remaining in situ until the final whistle.
But it was difficult to form too much of an opinion of their future prospects against a demotivated Tottenham.
"Liverpool were a bit end-of-seasonish," said Harry Redknapp. "If we'd have upped the tempo there's a chance we could have gotten something here today.
"I told them at half-time, listen we've got to raise our game here. Fulham are getting beat. But we were a little bit short."
That certainly applied to their forward line.
Spurs turned to all four international strikers during the course of an afternoon that started slowly and picked up pace as the match wore on.
But Pepe Reina only had a couple of long range shots to field before, ironically, it was Robbie Keane who found a way past him for the first time this month.
Keane had taken 17 minutes before he even touched the ball, and his most meaningful moment of the first 45 minutes was an embarassingly miscued volley.
But he finished clinically enough when he found himself clean through in the 76th minute - and after being ignored by the home fans all afternoon - a fate perhaps even more cutting than being booed - his respectfully muted celebrations brought appreciative applause from The Kop.
The most insistent calls from the home fans, however, came in the demands for Sami Hyypia to be introduced.
Rafa's reluctance stressed that his thinking was focused very much on the future rather than the past.
"I was waiting for the last minute," he explained somewhat puzzingly afterwards. "I thought that was best for the fans. I thought the last minute would be perfect, but the fans were pushing, pushing . . . so we brought him on for Gerrard so he could have the armband."
Sami Hyypia most certainly will not be at Anfield next season.
Whether Xabi Alonso follows him out of the Anfield exit door remains to be seen.
The Spaniard had a quiet game yesterday, and his influence on the Liverpool squad is worthy of an article all of its own.
But, for now at any rate, Benitez was adamant that the 27-year-old is not for sale.
There has been plenty to admire in this second half of the season.
An unbeaten home league record for the first time in 21 years was secured; a more adventurous, ambitious attacking policy which saw the season end with 77 goals and the best goal difference in the country - in all four divisions - was completed.
And there were no unecessary injuries to worry about - with fingers crossed now that the pointless Confederations Cup brings no unwanted surprises this summer.
Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard are clearly pivotal to Liverpool's future prospects.
Yesterday was only the 14th time this season the pair have started together.
And Torres' headed finish from a Dirk Kuyt cross was pivotal.
But, so, too could be the next few weeks.
Manchester United have won the last three Premier League titles, but the margin of victory has been progressively smaller.
It was 21 points in 2007, down to 11 last season - now just four points remain between the North-West rivals.
This could be a very interesting summer.
