Whelan: Benitez has given up title race
Sunday, 1 November 2009Ronnie Whelan launched a sensational attack on Rafael Benitez on RTÉ television last night, suggesting that the Liverpool manager has already given up on the Premier League title and that his days are numbered at Anfield.
Speaking on RTÉ's Premier Soccer Saturday, Whelan was reacting to his former club Liverpool's 3-1 defeat to Fulham.
Asked by presenter Darragh Maloney what had gone wrong at Craven Cottage, Whelan replied: 'It's all gone wrong with the manager. He's shown exactly today where his priorities lie.'
The former Ireland midfielder went on to suggest that Benitez is already thinking of his next job.
'He wants to win the European Cup. He wants to be the man who wins the European Cup so he can get a job anywhere in Europe. I think after winning the European Cup with Liverpool he will get a job in Europe anyway but, for me, now, his days have got to be numbered at Liverpool.'
Whelan reckoned that the team selected by Benitez to face Fulham on Saturday was not strong enough to get a result at Craven Cottage and that he could not understand the Spanish manager's motivations.
'Why after such a great result against Manchester United, do you want to take a huge step backwards after losing to Arsenal in the Carling Cup as well? I don't see where he's coming from now.
'He showed me today that he wants to win the Champions League and that's all he cares about - because of the team he picked today.'
Maloney then asked if Whelan believed that Benitez had given up on the title race already.
'When I saw the team I thought that straight away. He's not really bothered now. And I can't see why he's done it.
'He's taken players off who are the only players who are going to give you a chance of winning the game. And he drags them all off because he's got a game on Wednesday.'
Whelan also condemned Benitez for prioritising European success over domestic results, especially given Liverpool's precarious grip on staying in the Champions League.
'He's putting all his eggs in one basket. If he loses in Lyon, he probably won't qualify for the Champions League for the knockout stages. So, he's out of the Champions League; he's not going to win the Premiership anyway - so he's messed up completely.'
Liverpool travel to Lyon on Wednesday for a vital Champions League tie knowing that anything less than a win would make qualification for the knock-out stages unlikely.
