Benitez Looks Set For A Bloody Sunday

Tonight saw Manchester United face freezing temperatures, a hostile atmosphere and an awkward surface. The victory, secured by a second string side, would have brought a sense of achievement to the players involved and a tinge of assurance to Sir Alex at the helm. The man who would have felt most affected by United’s result however could not be found in Russia nor in Manchester but down the road in Liverpool, in the Benitez household.

The contrast in situations both managers faced this week makes for grim reading for Liverpool supporters and adds believability to the rumours questioning Rafa's future. Liverpool, fielding a weakened side thanks to a number of injuries and a startling lack of resources, were beaten at fortress Anfield while United's second eleven, still filled with quality thanks to a plentiful youth academy and some inspired signings, oozed efficiency in their win. The outcomes? Liverpool are left desperate for maximum points from their remaining three Champions League clashes as Sir Alex’s men top their group, with maximum points from their first three ties, leaving them with one foot in the knock-out stage and two eyes on their next league fixture, and what a fixture it is. This Sunday will see the Red Devils sail up the Mersey on a wave of momentum with all hands on deck available to the manager to play a Liverpool crew as physically battered as they are mentally bruised. Its hard to fathom whether Liverpool, with their current plague of on and off field problems, will be dreading it as much as United’s high fliers will be relishing it.

There is a good chance come Sunday, when the team sheets are exchanged, that Liverpool fans will be looking enviously at some of the players left out of the Manchester united squad. Giggs, Rooney, Fletcher, Evra, and Park did not travel to the game that Michael Carrick and Johnny Evans watched from the substitutes bench leaving all seven in contention for Sunday. Compare that to Liverpool who lost Glenn Johnson before their game and talisman Steven Gerrard during it, adding to the woe of a debilitated Fernando Torres.

Ever since Rafa Benitez’s press conference outburst back in January, at the preferential treatment allegedly afforded Alex Ferguson by the football governing bodies, the united chief has remained tight lipped, at least where his Spanish counterpart is concerned. One imagines that Sunday will present the Scotsman with the perfect opportunity to exact his revenge without uttering a word in anger. A fourth consecutive defeat for Liverpool, a team at the centre of a boardroom tug-of-war, would leave them 10 points behind the league leaders, with shrinking hope in Europe and questions that desperately need asking. Liverpool are a wounded animal and should Sir Alex be the man to deliver Rafa’s final blow I foresee any blood on his hands being washed away without a second thought, to make way for a nice glass of celebratory claret.