Rafael Benitez has questioned his side's character after the 2-0 loss to Manchester United on Sunday which left Liverpool 11 points off the Premiership summit and effectively out of the title race before the clocks have gone back.
The Liverpool manager is convinced his expensively assembled squad can prosper, but after a disjointed performance at Old Trafford - the opening 25 minutes aside - he conceded that too many of his key players are having crises of confidence. That has left the team in the bottom half of the table, with the bookmakers offering odds of 100 to 1 that the title can be won for the first time in 17 years.
"I said to the players straight after the game that there's nothing they can do about what happened now, but they have to show everyone they have character," said Benitez. "We know they have the quality, but maybe sometimes you need even more than this. The players worked hard, but it's clear we need to recuperate their confidence now.
"We can only do this by training and winning games. It's not going to happen in two games, but over a longer period. Key players are not at their level. We have a strong spine to our team, but if you analyse things you can see where we need to improve."
Benitez signed six players during the summer for £25 million (€37 million), yet none has truly settled, with their indifferent form partly the result of established personnel also being out of sorts.
Xabi Alonso's goal from inside his half against Newcastle last month masked some sluggish midfield displays, and Jamie Carragher, Sami Hyypia, Steve Finnan and Jose Reina have not formed as convincing a defence as last season, when Liverpool had 33 clean sheets.
Benitez's rotation policy - it is 97 matches since he fielded the same line-up twice in succession - is being questioned, even if a similar strategy proved effective at his previous club, Valencia. His continued deployment of Steven Gerrard nearer the flank than the centre of midfield, has also been queried.
"Stevie's looking as if it's difficult to take at the moment," said the former Liverpool player and assistant manager, Phil Thompson. "Rafa rotated at the beginning of last year and things didn't go as well as they might, but once he went for a settled midfield - with Stevie on the right - things started to happen.
"But this year, certain players aren't playing. I'd like to see Stevie playing in the middle alongside Momo Sissoko. I don't think that pairing has had a sustained partnership.
"I've been a party to rotation so I can't say it shouldn't happen, but it's maybe happening with too many players each game. I don't think Rafa knows his best side."
Former players were quick to criticise when Gerard Houllier's regime began to unravel, and while the current discontent is not yet so pronounced, there is clearly a desire for regular selection. Peter Crouch, for example, may not have developed his ability to hold up the ball as much as Benitez would have liked, but he has scored six times, including in Bordeaux last week. He warranted only 19 minutes as a substitute on Sunday.
The only thing all observers can agree on is that the title will remain elusive for another year.
"Now is the time for the manager, the captain and all my staff to work together to help all the players," said Benitez. "We must try even harder."
Guardian Service
