Former Manchester United striker books Atletico's place in final against Fulham
Liverpool's elimination from the Europa League by Atletico Madrid left Rafa Benitez without a trophy for the fourth straight season - and refusing to commit his future to the struggling Anfield club.
While there are no suggestions Liverpool will fire Benitez for also missing out on Champions League qualification, the Spanish manager was noncommittal yesterday over whether he wants to be part of the necessary rebuilding process at Anfield.
Liverpool beat Atletico 2-1 - but former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan's goal, adding to his strike in the first leg, sent the Spanish club through to the Europa League final on away goals.
They will meet Fulham in the final after the London club, who have never won a trophy in more than a century, came from behind for a 2-1 semifinal victory over Hamburg, the club due to host the May 13 decider.
The Europa League offered the prospect of a consolation prize for Benitez at the end of a miserable season. Liverpool are set to miss out on the bigger prize of qualifying again for the Champions League they dropped out of in December as fourth place in the Premier League is virtually out of reach.
"It's a season when everything has gone against us," Benitez complained inside the Anfield trophy room that has not seen any new additions since the 2006 FA Cup.
He blames the lack of cash made available to spend on new players to build on last season's second-place finish in the Premier League amid the financial restrictions imposed by indebted co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett jnr.
And with the Americans trying to sell Liverpool and foreign clubs after his services, Benitez is craving stability - as well as a transfer kitty.
When asked if he wanted to remain at Liverpool next season, Benitez replied: "The future is Chelsea and then Hull" - referring to the remaining league fixtures.
But Benitez, 50, who won the Champions League in 2005 at the end of his first season at the club, knows what is needed for Liverpool to be challenging for trophies again.
"The players were saying we need three, four or five players - I agree with them and that's what we have to do," he said.
"Things have changed in the last two or three years. We are a company and we have to balance the books. We have to manage this way."
What Liverpool had to manage without in the two-legged semifinal was striker Fernando Torres. And the cutting edge provided by the former Atletico striker was acutely missing from the Liverpool strike force.
"It is clear that we had some problems," Benitez said. "We had too many injuries and were lacking forward options."
Liverpool had looked on course for the final when Alberto Aquilani scored to cancel out Forlan's first-leg strike and take the match into extra time, when Yossi Benayoun then grabbed an early goal.
But after Forlan's 102nd-minute goal, Liverpool lacked the resources on the bench to produce a necessary third goal.
Benitez had already replaced his star close-season signing - Aquilani - with Nabil El Zhar, a 23-year-old Morocco forward who has not scored this season.
And in the final 10 minutes of extra time, Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano was replaced with the unimpressive Philipp Degen and Benayoun made way for 19-year-old Spaniard Daniel Pacheco to make just his sixth Liverpool appearance.
- AP
