JOHN BARNES will spend the next few days reassessing his priorities after discovering to his cost that nothing lasts for ever.
On Thursday night, as his team mates fought in vain fir survival in the Cup Winners Cup, their 33 year old captain cut a forlorn figure in Anfield's main stand having been dropped for the first time in almost a decade with the Merseyside club.
Barnes refused to discuss his omission after Liverpool had failed to halt Paris SaintGermain's march to next month's Rotterdam final but it is now clear that his career has entered his twilight.
His present contract expires in 14 months time and irrespective of how diplomatically lie deals with his current predicament, it is unlikely to be renewed or extended.
Liverpool manager Roy Evans has displayed remarkable faith in Barnes' diminish ing abilities in recent months but he had no hesitation in leaving him out on Thursday when the need was for quick legs rather than quick minds.
"I made the decision to leave him out on the day of the match," said Evans. "He took it well and in a professional manner which is what I expected. He is not out in the cold; he still has a part to play because we have three League games left.
We felt it was important to keep the tempo up against Paris. The squad system is important, everyone must understand that, players included," he added.
A possible replacement for Barnes, the Israel international captain Tal Banin will arrive at Anfield next week for a short trial. Banin (26), currently plays for Hapoel Haifa but will be available on a free transfer in the summer under the terms of the Bosman ruling. Evans was rightly proud of his team's robust performance en route to a 2-0 victory.
"We had a right go at them; it was an impossible task to come back from a three goal first leg deficit but we nearly did it," he said. Evans must now decide whether to carry the bold tactical changes of Thursday, notably the use of a flat back four, into Liverpool's final three Premiership games or revert to a more familiar, more conservative formation. "We cannot be that cavalier every time we play," said Evans.
