Abraham Rajadurai digs into the complicated mind of a Spanish amigo, Rafa Benitez.

The signs of a Rafa Benitez resurrection were no more than a mirage after Liverpool crashed like a house of cards at Craven Cottage last weekend.

One week on from defeating arch rivals Manchester United, the Reds needed to prove that they were on the right track. After failing to do so, it now seems that the United success no more than a one-off, spirited performance.

Benitez's choice to withdraw Fernando Torres may be justified as it has subsequently been revealed that the Spanish forward may need a hernia operation. However, it was nothing short of appalling when the portly Spaniard withdrew his brightest spark, Yossi Benayoun.

The reason was, of course, quite clear as Sam Wallace from the Independent points out: "He (Benitez) did not make the Torres substitution, or even those of Yossi Benayoun and Dirk Kuyt, in order to beat Fulham, he did it in order to keep them fit to play Lyons on Wednesday when Liverpool must preserve their ebbing life in the Champions League."

Others loyal to Benitez might point out that the Reds have been maimed by a string of injuries and an empty coffer. However, there must surely be none other to blame than the Old Spanish Waiter. The board had presented Benitez with a £20 million gift called Robbie Keane. But, Benitez's pride was hurt by the fact that he had no control over his team's signings and he duly sent Keane back to White Hart Lane for half the price.

He may be regretting it now, as Ian Wright points out in The Sun, "A club needs at least two world-class strikers to win the Premier League title. Ideally, they should have three top-drawer players." The other forwards in Benitez's locker are not of the same caliber. Keane has already found the net seven times for Tottenham Hotspurs.

Benitez spent £40 million pounds during the last window, on a fullback and an injured playmaker who is yet to start, now after five league losses and the very lucrative Champions League hanging by a thread Benitez travels to France with a makeshift team. And as Andy Hunter reports in The Guardian: "There is also no weakness more glaring in Liverpool's transfer strategy than the defence that Benítez fielded at Fulham, the cheapest to appear in the Premier League."

Lyon's pacey forwards Sidney Govou and Lisandro Lopez will be sure to exploit the likes of sluggish Sotirios Kyrgiakos and the ageing Jamie Carragher. Lyon may be having their own set of worries however, Liverpool's dependency on their talismanic captain Steven Gerrard and mercurial striker Torres has been too evident to ignore.

It seems that successive unsuccessful seasons have finally caused Benitez to lose the plot. So far, the faith of the loyal Red fans, players and a very lucrative termination contract worth £13million has kept him at the helm. But for all his pride perhaps he should fall on the proverbial sword and save the club from declining into a shambles.