Liverpool's title hopes hanging on a thread

Sports - Football - Premier League

Liverpool-Manchester United: Pre-Match Thoughts

For those who need reminding ahead of the big Sunday clash at Anfield: Liverpool are on their worst run since 1987 with four consecutive defeats.

After their 2-1 defeat by Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday manager Rafael Benítez was quick to blame the injuries to their main players for the bad run . Fernando Torres and Glen Johnson were ruled out before the match and Steven Gerrard had to be taken off after 25 minutes due to a recurrence of his groin injury. All three players are doubts for the match against Manchester United, with Johnson reportedly making the most promising progress in his recovery.

At the beginning of the season Liverpool’s weak bench and lack of depth was immediately apparent, especially compared to the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea, without replacements for their top players like Xabi Alonso. Benítez’s has made his frustration quite public and blamed the turmoil behind the scenes, as their owners George Gillett’s and Tom Hicks’ financial shortcomings and lookout for reinvestment has left Anfield everything else but settled and begins to take its toll.

However, that is a too easy excuse for Liverpool’s faults and failures on the field. Four out of their six defeats so far this season have come WITH their star players and most of the main squad available, which makes the situation the more worrying. One week they thrash their opposition by four or more only to falter the next.

Many have been calling the current run the last straw for Benítez and he may be lucky to survive until Christmas. Liverpool's title hopes and chances and with them Benítez's job, are hanging on a very thin thread. It has been 56 years since Liverpool last lost five games in a row and with Manchester United due at Anfield, the weight of pressure is stretching that thin thread to breaking point.

However, the question is who is good enough to replace the Spaniard? José Mourinho and Martin O’Neill have been mentioned as possible replacements - however, they have jobs and neither is a magician. Who is to say that either would be able to steer the Reds' season around without time and money, neither of which Liverpool have. They would encounter the same problems and frustrations as Benítez.

The only encouragement Liverpool can take into the next match is that Manchester United and Chelsea have had their moments and have shown their weaknesses too this season, with both everything else but at their best. Accurate predictions are hard to come by this season, as Phil Thompson should have noticed after Tuesday, but there can be little hope for Liverpool.

My prediction: Liverpool 0-4 Manchester United