Already contending with dire form and injuries to key players,
Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez's troubles mounted Friday when his
authority was openly challenged by winger Ryan Babel.
The Netherlands forward's Internet tirade came as Benitez
resisted calls for his resignation after reaching the lowest point
of his Anfield tenure.
Amid all this, Benitez is struggling to strengthen his squad
as he works with financial constraints set by the club's Americans
owners as they search for new investors.
The urgency for new talent was highlighted Wednesday. After
the joy of signing Argentina winger Maxi Rodriguez, Fernando
Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun were all injured in the
loss to Reading. Torres will require surgery on his right knee that
will sideline the striker for six weeks.
The 23-year-old Babel is one of the players Liverpool is
willing to sell to raise funds for squad additions, but the
Netherlands international has been determined to force his way back
in the team despite interest from Birmingham and being linked with
Marseille.
Babel started his diatribe Friday by saying he had "got some
disappointing news" stating on Twitter: "The Boss left me out the
squad. No explanation."
After Babel leaked news of being dropped, Benitez complained
at a news conference that "it is impossible to stop people talking.
It is not like in the past."
"It is more than just football," Benitez said. "Agents,
money, TV, radios and internet, everyone needs to talk. Everyone
has a Twitter or something like that."
But about an hour after Benitez's news conference, Babel
turned to his Twitter feed again to complain about his lack of
first-team opportunities.
"What happened after a first good season?" Babel asked.
"Scoring 10 goals, being young talent of the year, and then second
and this season don't play at all?"
Babel, who joined Liverpool in 2007 from Ajax, insisted that
he has never had "a fight with the manager ... I always kept
quiet."
"Where did it go wrong???" he asked a minute later. "You have
people who support me and don't support me ... And one day, you
will see what I'm capable off, will it be at LFC or somewhere else
... I have faith."
As dozens of people posted messages of support, Babel
insisted: "I'm not scared to share this with you guys. (Be)cause
it's the truth. And there r no secrets."
As do managers, with Benitez fighting to rescue Liverpool's
miserable season, while seemingly retaining the owners' support.
"We are not playing well and we feel sorry for our fans,"
Benitez said as he read from a statement of "facts," a lighthearted
reference to a tirade he launched almost exactly a year ago against
Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson.
Benitez's priority is securing one of the four Champions
League spots, but Liverpool is languishing in seventh, five points
behind fourth-place Manchester City and 12 adrift of leader
Chelsea.
"If I am worried about my position or the future of the club
at this moment I will lose my focus," Benitez said. "If I decided
to stay here and signed a five-year contract (last year) it is
because I wanted to fight."
Benitez needs reinforcements, though, and must fund new
signings by selling players.
"We are still working hard to find good players," Benitez
said. "In this market it is very difficult but we have to keep
looking to see if we can find someone."
Torres is urging co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr.
to find the cash after failing to build on last season's runners-up
finish.
"It's now the owners' turn," Torres said. "They have to sign
players so that this does not happen again. If we want to compete
with United and Chelsea we need a much, much more complete squad.
"We need more genuinely first-class players and we can't let
our best players leave."
Losing Babel, though, now seems more likely.
