It is an anguished and oft-used chant from football fans: "You're not fit to wear the shirt". Well, I'm sorry, but I found myself humming the same tune when I watched Liverpool lose 2-0 to Fiorentina in the Champions League in Italy.
I'll name names, too: Lucas Leiva, Emiliano Insua, Fabio Aurelio, Martin Skrtel. Are they really fit to wear the Liverpool shirt? Are they really up for it or up to it? Not from what I saw on Tuesday night, nor from what I've seen previously.
Up for it? I suppose possibly, marginally. I don't think I could question their comittment or attempts to fight for the cause. But up to it? I don't think so. They're just not good enough, especially Lucas.
The Brazilian is probably one of the most un-South American players I've ever seen and his impact in midfield, at best, appears negligible. If Steven Gerrard is off the boil, others have to step up to the plate. Lucas disappears; responsibility is not his forte. Not that Aurelio, another Brazilian, gave him much support. He was similarly woeful.
Insua, the left back, cannot defend for love nor money and Skrtel, all 6ft 4in of him, was given the runaround by Stevan Jovetic. OK, the Montenegrin is being billed as the next wunderkind of European football but, for goodness sake, Skrtel should be able to handle him. Allowing yourself to be bullied by a 19-year-old kid is simply embarrassing.
This foursome is just gruesome and I fail to comprehend why Rafa Benitez bought them. I don't see Manchester United, Chelsea or Arsenal having four first-team players not good enough to slip on the jersey. Those teams don't carry passengers.
While I'm at it, is Glen Johnson really a £17 million right back? Yes, he's good going forward. You get your £17 million-worth then. As a defender, though, he plays like a £500,000 Portsmouth reject. When he gambles along the right flank, Liverpool have no protection, no cover, no safety net. Along with Joleon Lescott, at £22 million, Johnson is the most overpriced of the summer signings.
Gerrard, on song, is superb. Javier Mascherano also and Fernando Torres is in a class of his own. Yossi Benayoun is a decent player, though it's always him who seems to be sacrificed after a defeat, while Alberto Aquilani could provide a boost when he recovers from injury. But when Liverpool are bad, they are really bad, like they were against Fiorentina and against Tottenham and Aston Villa in the league.
United, Chelsea and, occasionally, Arsenal can do ugly. They find ways to win when they are not playing well. They have other players who can lift their game when the superstars are struggling. What or who can Benitez call on? Not a lot. I see grim times ahead for Liverpool. Tuesday night might not be a one-off.
Tony Cascarino
