With his innate modesty and slightly faltering English, Rafael Benitez is not given to self-promotion. He does not seek to create a cult of personality; he eschews cheap gestures to increase his popularity. Yet, in a move few PR gurus could have conceived of, his decision in January to grant Robbie Fowler an Anfield homecoming made a Champions League winner still more liked on Merseyside.
It is starting to look a footballing masterstroke, too. Fowler has scored in three successive games - against Bolton, West Brom and Blackburn - and his return of four goals in seven starts now bears resemblance to his strike rate in a rather lengthier first spell at Liverpool. It has brought expressions of admiration for Fowler's enduring ability to accomplish football's hardest task from both Sam Allardyce and Mark Hughes. He will not be unemployed next season but, with three games of his extended job interview at Anfield remaining, his future remains unresolved. However, if the groundswell of public opinion behind Fowler is yet to sway Benitez; will the visible sharpness that eluded him at Manchester City? The Spaniard's focus may be on the bigger picture as he looks to reshape his forward line. When Benfica ended their defence of the Champions League, Liverpool's four strikers had a combined tally of one goal in 44 games for the club in 2006. It appeared feasible that each could be deemed surplus to requirements. A belated rediscovery of clinical finishing, however, hardly serves as confirmation that all will stay. Indeed, while Benitez has already tied up deals for defenders Gabriel Paletta and Fabio Aurelio and continues his ongoing battle to secure a work permit for Chilean winger Mark Gonzalez, it is a safe assumption that he plans to channel much of his summer budget into striking replacements. Supposed targets range from the fanciful to the predictable, from Raul to Michael Owen via Craig Bellamy, Jermain Defoe, David Villa and Dirk Kuijt. Though only Fowler's contract expires in the summer, someone will, like El-Hadji Diouf and Milan Baros before them, be able to testify that Benitez possesses a ruthless streak. Mention of the Czech brings Djibril Cisse to mind; both seem to have an endless capacity to frustrate Benitez. The Frenchman, lest we forget, was not Benitez's signing. Gerard Houllier's parting gift has been shifted to the right flank where, especially when he has a slow left back in his sights, he can be devastating. Yet confirmation of his unreliability came at Blackburn on Sunday; two presentable opportunities to seal victory were spurned though, as he struck the woodwork on both occasions, the margins could hardly have been finer. But Benitez's non-committal replies about his future after Cisse inspired a turnaround in the Super Cup provided an early indication that his manager will never double up as president of his fan club. Aided by penalties and strikes in the qualifying round of the Champions League, he has spent the season as the highest-placed Liverpool forward in the goalscoring charts - albeit trailing captain Steven Gerrard - yet the attack has been constructed around Peter Crouch; scoring, evidently, is not Benitez's only consideration. Much as Cisse's prolific past suggests French clubs are aware they could profit from a return to his native land, Fernando Morientes surely retains the respect of many in Spanish football. Liverpool represents the sole stain on his otherwise impressive CV and, judging from the competition for his signature when he arrived at Anfield, his availability should spark interest from La Liga.
Whereas Cisse and Baros, each prone to being caught by a well-drilled offside trap and liable to take the wrong decisions in promising situations, lacked the footballing intelligence Benitez seemingly requires, it may defy explanation for the Liverpool manager that a player of Morientes' pedigree and consistent achievement could rank among his most ill-advised signings. Yet he has proved uncharacteristically wasteful in front of goal and, despite his stated intention, has been unable to reinvent himself as a 'number 10', a deeper-lying striker who can link play. Eleven goals in 55 games represents a miserable return and, confined to the bench for a month before facing Blackburn, opportunities are running out. His unselfish assist for Fowler's goal at Ewood Park was a rare reminder of Morientes' quality; indeed the combination of the pair providing the cerebral attributes of the quartet - Crouch's height and Cisse's speed provides much of their value - was unusual in itself; perhaps it was merely indicative that the FA Cup semi-final is Benitez's main priority. And, barring injury, Crouch will start. Though he has struck 12 times since the start of December, Benitez clearly doesn't judge his tallest striker by his goal tally alone. Instead, he is the pivot of Liverpool's attack, a focal point who can provide a foil to more athletic attacking midfielders. That Benitez persevered with Crouch in his lengthy goal drought shows he warmed to the Englishman's ungainly variant of the target man role, offering a selflessness his manager clearly values. That Benitez's Valencia often lacked consistent goalscorers in attack and relied heavily on the midfield for match winners provides an interesting comparison. So, too, does his fondness for 4-4-1-1 or 4-2-3-1. Each, of course, makes establishing a forward partnership harder but, besides guaranteeing the future of Crouch, invariably preferred when he only fields one forward, benefits Luis Garcia. Whether as the supplementary striker or makeshift winger, his versatility provides options. Moreover, while consistent scoring eludes Garcia, his tally of 23 in two seasons exceeds those of all bar Gerrard, and with an aptitude for the big occasion and a fondness for the spectacular, a high proportion have been either memorable or important. To return to Benitez's summer dilemma, it is barely conceivable that Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United would covet Crouch, yet, of the four main strikers, he should be most confident of his future. The success of his combination with Fowler against Bolton may bode well for both, yet while public opinion may play less of a role in the Spaniard's decision as the success of his bids for new recruits, his second coming seems likelier to be extended for another year. And while the £14 million forward, Cisse, and the £6 million striker, Morientes, appear to be headed for the Anfield exit, the man signed for nothing - twice - is making the most persuasive case to stay.
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