It is a little glib to suggest that Liverpool have a one-man strike force in Fernando Torres.

It seems almost beyond dispute, though, that whenever the Spaniard is unavailable Liverpool look ill equipped to challenge for the title, a situation hardly helped by the sales of Xabi Alonso, Robbie Keane and Alvaro Arbeloa in the past year.

I realise this could come across as heresy to Liverpool fans, but might the answer be to sell Torres too?

Torres is, without question, an exceptional player but he is not irreplaceable. Liverpool have won nothing with the Spaniard in attack because they simply do not have the same in-depth quality that Chelsea and Manchester United can boast.

If Cristiano Ronaldo was worth 80 million when he moved from Manchester United to Real Madrid, Torres should command a similar figure.

With that money Liverpool could buy three, maybe four, top drawer players who would give their squad more balance. Valencia striker David Villa would cost around 30 million and would be a handy replacement for Torres, as would Atletico Madrid’s Argentine frontman Sergio Aguero. Either, or both of them, would leave manager Rafael Benitez enough left over to strengthen in other areas.

Villa’s team mate David Silva would add some creativity in Liverpool’s midfield as would Tottenham Hotspur’s midfield spark Luca Modric or his team mate Aaron Lennon, if they could be prised away.

With Liverpool’s debts unlikely to ease any time soon, Benitez will probably need to sell before bringing in new blood but few of their current squad, apart from Torres, Gerrard and midfield anchor Javier Mascherano, would raise the kind of money that they would require for a major squad overhaul.

Selling Torres might be the one step back Liverpool need to take in order to take two forward because at present they appear to be getting left behind.

PHOTO: Fernando Torres looks on during their Champions League soccer match against Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi Stadium in Florence September 29, 2009. REUTERS/Alessandro Bianchi

A game between Liverpool and Manchester United is one of football’s great fixtures and it has recently been given additional spice by a number of clashes between the managers.

Much has been said and written about the verbal jousting between Rafael Benitez and Alex Ferguson and at the moment the Scot is losing both on and off the field.

Ferguson is by far the most successful manager in the Premier League but Sunday’s 2-0 defeat at Liverpool suggests he is now helpless and out of ideas when he crosses swords with his Spanish opponent, who was calm and collected before the game.

Ferguson said after the match there was a “wounded animal aspect to the game” given Liverpool’s recent poor run but their victory may also have been the result of a growing confidence among Benitez’s side when it comes to meeting United. 

After losing 4-1 at home to Liverpool last season, United needed a different approach when visiting Anfield on Sunday but their display was a case of déjà vu.

The game was won by Liverpool’s team effort, by the passionate Anfield crowd but also by Benitez’s ability to rediscover United’s weaknesses (Rio Ferdinand?).

PHOTO: Liverpool’s manager Rafa Benitez (L) and his Manchester United counterpart Alex Ferguson gesture during their English Premier League soccer match at Anfield in Liverpool, northern England, October 25, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Liverpool’s run of four straight defeats has generated a lot of discussion about what has gone wrong, but precious little about how to put it right, aside from the suggestion that it might be nice to see Kenny Dalglish back in the dugout.

So let’s leave aside for a moment Rafa’s handling of big players and whether he should have kept hold of Sami Hyypia and Xabi Alonso, and consider what the club’s next moves should be.

As many have noted, without Fernando Torres they look impossibly ordinary in attack, and when Andriy Voronin was brought on with a few minutes to go against Lyon it seemed to many fans an indictment of the Spanish coach’s transfer dealings.

Certainly Liverpool could do with another top class forward but with money short the chances of them landing David Villa or someone similar in the transfer window are remote. And in any case, I’m not sure pitching in a player like Villa at the halfway stage of the season would provide the answer.

What Liverpool really need is a player with a touch of gravitas, the sort of performer who can command respect from team mates and opponents alike, can put his foot on the ball, weigh up the options and give players around him a lift.

Arguably the best signing Gerard Houllier made, apart from Hyppia, was Gary McAllister. The Scot was 35 when he moved to Anfield yet he still had a profound effect on the team, playing an instrumental role in the run to the Cup treble of 2000-01 and, more importantly, the club’s first qualification for the Champions League.

How Benitez could do with a player cut from the same cloth. But where should he turn?

David Beckham might have been a solution — well, Michael Owen did sign for United, after all – but the England man seems set for another stint with AC Milan.

He is no McAllister, but in the absence of such a player Liverpool might consider making a bid for Rafael van der Vaart, a player with the same sort of quality on the ball and the experience of leading a team during his time at Hamburg SV.

He is currently warming the bench at Real Madrid and might jump at a chance to show what he can do in the Premier League.

But if not the Dutchman, who would you suggest? They certainly need to find inspiration from somewhere, as they contemplate the possibility of falling 10 points behind Manchester United on Sunday.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez fought long and hard for greater control of the Anfield club’s transfer funds and first through the door since he agreed his new contract is Portsmouth’s Glen Johnson. He didn’t come cheap, either.

At a reported 17 million pounds, Johnson is an expensive acquisition for a player who never quite made it at Chelsea, and has only recently found success in the England team after raiding down Portsmouth’s right hand side last season.

There may be a lot of rebuilding work still to come from Benitez if Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Arbeloa are allowed to leave to join the Real Madrid party (and who knows, perhaps Javier Mascherano along with them).

Johnson is not at all a bad player. His general attacking play is more appealing than his defensive talents, but they can be coached. It is not his capabilities that are in question, it’s his price tag.

Another striker must be high on the priority list, but having always openly admired Barcelona’s Dani Alves and then settling for Johnson, Liverpool fans could expect links with Samuel Eto’o or David Villa and end up with Carlton Cole.

PHOTO: England’s Glen Johnson outjumps Kazakhstan’s Tanat Nuserbayev (R) and Zhambyl Kukeyev during the World Cup 2010 qualifier against Kazakhstan at the Central Stadium in Almaty June 6, 2009. REUTERS/Eddie Keogh

Liverpool reopened the Premier League title race with a 5-0 win over Aston Villa that must have thrilled Anfield, while leaving fans wondering why they haven’t seen similar displays all season.

This was exactly the sort of performance the occasion cried out for. Manchester United’s 2-0 defeat at Fulham, following on from the Old Trafford debacle, had left the door ajar, and Liverpool duly barged it open with another display of absolute self-belief.

For the first time in years, Liverpool look like a team who think they’re in the business of winning titles, not just challenging for Champions League places.

They’re a point behind Alex Ferguson’s side now, albeit having played a game more, and the 13 goals racked up against Real Madrid, United and now Villa are a powerful argument that the title race is not over.

But it might have been so much better for Reds fans.

Where was this level of conviction in the New Year games, when Stoke, Everton and Wigan Athletic all claimed draws? How could they beat Chelsea, and snatch a win at Portsmouth only then to draw with Manchester City? How did they contrive to lose 2-0 at Middlesbrough?

I bet many Liverpool fans feel at least a trace of frustration, even after the events of the past few days. They are candidates again for the title, sure, but by now they might have had the whole thing wrapped up.

PHOTO: Liverpool’s Albert Riera celebrates after scoring against Aston Villa at Anfield, March 22, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

The news that Rafael Benitez has agreed a new deal that will keep him at Liverpool until at least 2014 could not have been better timed for the club.

Uncertainty has stalked the 18-times English league champions for the past few seasons with rifts between co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett, confusion over the proposed new stadium and above all the future of the manager Benitez.

His decision to commit his future to Liverpool could have a calming effect on a city desperate for the club to once again dominate English club football.

There has been a suffocating sense of disappointment at Liverpool in recent months as another title challenge began to fizzle out after a superb start. The tension at some home games has been almost unbearable.

However, a 4-1 victory over leaders Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday to complete a league double over their arch- rivals emphasised that Benitez is tantalisingly close to achieving what the fans most desire. (more…)

Rafa Benitez celebrated a famous victory over his hometown club when Liverpool beat Real Madrid 1-0 in their Champions League last 16, first leg on Wednesday.He outfoxed his counterpart Juande Ramos with an astute tactical display, but anyone linking the Spaniard with a move to the Bernabeu in the near future would be mistaken.

Real Madrid are in limbo. Former president Ramon Calderon sacked Bernd Schuster in December and installed Ramos on a contract to the end of the campaign, and then was forced to resign in disgrace after a vote-rigging scandal at a club general assembly was exposed.

The current president Vicente Boluda, like Ramos, is only in the post temporarily until a new presidential election is held, which is likely to be in June or July.

Until then, decisions over the coach and the buying and selling of players are on hold. Sports director Predrag Mijatovic, a close ally of Calderon’s, is widely considered a lame duck and likely to be dropped quickly when a new president arrives.

Once the date for the election is officially announced, candidates will throw their hats into the ring, and promise to land players and coaches who will appeal to Real Madrid’s demanding ‘socios’ - the 85,000 or so club members.

The candidate with the most appealing package, and mastery of the local media, will win. Benitez could align himself with a candidate, but it is a lottery.

The man touted as the most likely to win at present is former president Florentino Perez, who has yet to declare any interest. He has been linked with Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger in the local media.

Benitez has the right credentials in terms of background and with his record in Europe. At present he is on course to lead Liverpool into their fourth Champions League quarter-final in five years. Nine-times winners Real have not passed the first knockout round since 2004.

But Benitez’s conservative approach would not appeal to Real Madrid fans who demand attacking football and entertainment as well as silverware. Just ask Fabio Capello who was sacked in 2007 after delivering the Primera Liga title.

Benitez is hardly a vote-winner for an election.

PHOTO: Liverpool’s coach Rafael Benitez gestures during their Champions League victory over Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, Feb. 25, 2009. REUTERS/Sergio Perez

We all have those items that we simply cannot afford to lose, your wallet, phone, house keys, mp3 player etc, but for Rafa Benitez he will have to find space in his thoughts, if not on the bedside table, for his priceless Spanish striker Fernando Torres.

Bentitez’s willingness to allow Robbie Keane to return to Tottenham after only a few dismal months rather than stick with the Irishman, a proven goalscorer in the Premier league, leaves Liverpool desperately short of striking options, should Torres lose form or fitness in the title run in.

Dirk Kuyt has plugged the gap on the right wing well, but the man who started his career as a striker looked woeful when recast in the old fashioned number nine role during the 0-0 away draw with struggling Stoke.

Ryan Babel has not impressed much lately and youngsters David Ngog and Nabil El Zhar seem some way short of what is required to win a Premier League or Champions League title.

The loss of Steven Gerrard to injury early during the FA Cup replay at Goodison Park (how costly will that prove?) would have been the perfect opportunity to play Keane in his favoured second striker role, but instead we saw Yossi Benayoun come on.

Perhaps Rafa has seen how well arch rivals Everton have been doing recently (one defeat in 11 matches) playing a 4-6-0 formation following injuries to their gaggle of attackers.

Looking ahead to the Portsmouth match on Saturday, and beyond to the end of the season, I expect Rafa to revert back to his tinkering ways. Torres may well play this weekend, but I expect he’ll be in and out of the side for subsequent games. Protecting him from injury must now be the prime concern for Benitez.

How the Spanish coach must envy the striking riches available over at Manchester United, with Tevez, Berbatov, Ronaldo and Rooney, and Arsenal, who now have Arshavin to complement Adebayor, Van Persie and a nearly fit Eduardo.

PHOTO: Fernando Torres kneels during Liverpool’s FA Cup fourth round replay against Everton, Feb. 4, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

For all its great crowd noise, emotion and late drama, Wednesday night’s FA Cup replay between Everton and Liverpool was an shocking indictment of modern football, where stopping the other side scoring has become so important that teams have almost forgotten that there is another, more decisive and infinitely more entertaining way to achieve success.

Throughout the TV commentary there were references to the 4-4 draw when the teams met in the the competition in 1991, and Liverpool’s 3-2 aet final win 20 years ago, but we were never going to get a repeat after an excruciating first hour where both penalty areas might as well have been sealed off with barbed wire.

Everton, at least, have a bit of an excuse in that just about all their strikers are out injured, and the one that wasn’t, Victor Anichebe, seemingly talked himself out of the squad by rowing with manager David Moyes.

In their absence, midfielders Tim Cahill and Marouane Fellaini have toiled manfully and productively upfront in recent weeks but it was tough on Wednesday for Everton to break out of the midfield mire.

Liverpool and coach Rafa Benitez again lacked ideas. They did not manage a single worthwhile effort on goal in two hours. After all Benitez’s talk of rotation and squad resources since he arrived, he has played Steven Gerrard and an unfit Fernando Torres into the ground this season, while allowing others to sit in the stands.

With Gerrard off early with a hamstring strain and the exhausted Torres eventually substituted, Liverpool brought on winger Ryan Babel to lead the line, with predictable results. What Robbie Keane must have made of it all is anyone’s guess.

Everton boss Moyes hasn’t been fooled. “The way you (the media) build that side up, I bet you’re completely stunned tonight,” he said after the game.

And the final insult to the millions watching on TV, or at least those still awake for the closing moments? ITV cut to an unscheduled ad break, returning to show a bundle of celebrating Evertonians, having missed the only goal of the game.

PHOTO: In case you missed it, here’s a photo of Everton’s Dan Gosling shooting past Liverpool’s Jose Reina during their FA Cup fourth round replay, Feb. 4, 2009. REUTERS/Phil Noble

Liverpool are short of goals, short of composure, short, perhaps, of a bit of luck but crazy is in plentiful supply.

Here’s how Benitez described the 1-1 draw with Wigan Athletic that left Liverpool two points behind Manchester United, who have a game in hand:

“I was talking with my players about what to do on the pitch, but there are always things you cannot control in a game like this,” Benitez said. “The players were not nervous - they were working hard and played well in the first half. But things changed in the second half. It was a crazy game in the second half, and when it’s a crazy game you cannot control things.”

It’s not been a great start to the year for Benitez’s Liverpool.

The only team they have beaten in 2009 are Preston North End, the coach’s optimistic attempt to get inside the head of Sir Alex Ferguson has not been a notable success and that first league title since 1990 is starting to look as unattainable as ever.

So is that it from Liverpool? Is their challenge just going to peter out in a haze of missed chances, as Xabi Alonso looks on from the bench?

I’ve argued before that Liverpool will need an additional touch of inspiration if they are to win this title. They don’t, presumably, have the money to launch a bid for Kaka, Leo Messi or David Villa but there is one player with the necessary tradecraft* available for just 15 million quid.

Hijacking Arsenal’s bid for Andrei Arshavin when it’s 90 percent done would be a huge gamble, perhaps even a crazy one, but Liverpool sure need to do something.

PHOTO: Steven Gerrard waits for a corner during Liverpool’s Premier League match against Wigan Athletic at the JJB Stadium in Wigan, Jan. 28, 2009. REUTERS/Darren Staples

* Sorry, been re-reading Smiley