Melwood Training Ground. The dark clouds in the sky almost touched the roof of the Melwood office building, the tallest structure at the training ground.
The television screen was still showing Luton's celebration scenes, but Benítez sat at his desk, picked up the remote control, and turned off the TV.
Master Ben took off his glasses, placed them on the desk, and walked to the window.
This match secured the victory for Luton and also the League title. The reason Benítez was paying attention to a team from the second division was, of course, because Luton was their opponent in the FA Cup.
This match reminded Benítez of the situation Liverpool was in the Premier League.
Liverpool was certainly not the Luton of the Premier League, in fact, they should be more like Wycombe Wanderers.
This was because Liverpool was six points behind Manchester United, and with only two rounds left in the league, their chances of winning the title were merely theoretical.
In the thirty-seventh round of the Premier League, Liverpool would play away against West Bromwich Albion. Before Liverpool's match began, Manchester United would host Arsenal at home. As long as Manchester United didn't lose at home, they could secure the title, even a draw would be enough!
For Benítez, he knew very well that in such a situation, Ferguson's team would absolutely not lose. When Manchester United only needed a draw to get what they wanted, Ferguson could always guide the game into the rhythm he desired.
Playing at home, Manchester United would not give Arsenal any chances.
Hopes for winning the league title were almost gone. Liverpool fans had been waiting for a league championship for nearly twenty years, yet it remained elusive. Even though Benítez had led Liverpool to a breakthrough in the Champions League, in the league, even in Liverpool's best season, they ultimately lost out to Manchester United in the competition.
Benítez had the nickname 'Cup Master'. His team always performed better against strong opponents and worse against weaker ones. In a single match, Benítez could make several tactical adjustments, and his on-the-spot coaching was highly praised. However, in the long league season, Benítez's team always seemed to stumble against smaller teams.
Perhaps he really was only a coach suited for cup competitions.
This season, Liverpool was stopped by Chelsea in the Champions League quarter-finals and failed to reach the semi-finals, but in the FA Cup, they had reached the final!
Benítez remembered their opponent in the final, which was why he took some time to watch Luton's match.
In fact, Luton's performance in the Epl League 2 didn't offer much reference, as their opponents were too weak. Luton won the League title with hardly any effort!
Now it was Liverpool's turn to face the biggest dark horse in FA Cup history.
Liverpool facing Luton? If they were to lose to their opponents in the final, it would be a complete joke...
However, deep down, Benítez felt a faint unease. For a tactical master like Benítez, he knew he was underestimating the opponent, but... they were really just a team from the Epl League 2.
Although they had beaten Chelsea, and also Manchester City... and later Arsenal...
Perhaps this string of names was what made Benítez feel somewhat uneasy.
Benítez stood by the window and thought for a while. If they could win the FA Cup this season, perhaps it wouldn't be such a bad season...
But if they wanted to make a significant impact in the league next season, Liverpool would likely need to invest more funds in the transfer market. After all, relying solely on Gerrard and Torres was difficult to sustain Liverpool's competitiveness throughout an entire season, Gerrard was injured and missed a month during a crucial period of the season, and it was during this month that Liverpool suffered a series of draws,
followed by being eliminated by Chelsea in the Champions League.
By the time Gerrard returned, they had already been eliminated from the Champions League, and their hopes of winning the league were gone...
Benítez didn't particularly like Gerrard; he even felt a slight aversion to the team's absolute leader. In the dressing room, after Benítez had finished speaking, Gerrard would always add a sentence or two in his capacity as team captain, which made Benítez feel that his authority was being restricted...
However, Benítez had to admit that this team absolutely could not do without Gerrard.
Both in terms of tactics and the team's spirit.
If Benítez and Gerrard were to clash, Liverpool would definitely choose Gerrard over Benítez, whether it was the Liverpool board or their fans.
So, Benítez, who was not very good at socializing and was often criticized for his low emotional intelligence, did his best to maintain his relationship with Gerrard.
The heavy rain had started to pour down by the window. Along with the raindrops, Liverpool's Chief Executive, Rick Parry, pushed the door open and came in.
Rick Parry, covered in wind and rain, grumbled as he took off his coat dotted with raindrops, then walked over to the coffee machine and made himself a cup of coffee.
British people liked to drink tea, but Benítez didn't; he preferred coffee.
"How is the situation?" Benítez put his glasses back on and asked the man who was effectively Liverpool's general manager.
Rick Parry was silent for a moment.
"Not optimistic..." He shook his head. "Our two American owners have now transferred their debt onto Liverpool Football Club, and they have made it clear that next season... they won't have any extra money for transfer budgets."
"These damn Americans..."
Benítez ignored Rick Parry's complaint. He was, of course, aware of Liverpool's current situation. At this time, Liverpool was sitting on a debt powder keg. The American owners had transferred all their debt onto the club. If this debt was not handled properly, Liverpool even faced the risk of bankruptcy...
What if Liverpool went bankrupt?
For Liverpool's two American owners, it would be no big deal; they could just sell the club and run. But for Liverpool Football Club, it would be a fall into the abyss, if not handled well, the entire team would face restructuring, and Liverpool would likely have to start over from the lower leagues...
This was absolutely not something Liverpool fans wanted to see. So now, among Liverpool fan groups, protests against the two American owners were rising one after another. Within the Liverpool board, some board members had also started contacting each other privately, preparing to expel the two major American shareholders...
However, all of this had nothing to do with Benítez for now. Benítez was only responsible for the sporting side of things.
"If we don't bring in new players, trying to achieve something in the Premier League with the current group..." Benítez looked up, his face showing neither joy nor sorrow. "Our squad depth is too thin!"
Facing Benítez's firm answer, Rick Parry was naturally very clear on this point.
Ferguson's Manchester United was still one of the strongest teams in the league, and now Chelsea, backed by Abramovich, had sufficient funds every year to bring in strong reinforcements. Manchester City also seemed to be replicating Chelsea's path to success, and with Arsenal also being a strong opponent, the competitive landscape of the Premier League was unprecedentedly fierce.
Liverpool was currently sitting on a powder keg, and Rick Parry couldn't say for sure what would happen next season.
"Let's talk about this season," Rick Parry said, stirring his coffee. "If we win the FA Cup, it would still be considered acceptable," he asked tentatively. "Beating Luton shouldn't be a problem for us, right?"
"Nothing is one hundred percent certain before the match starts!" Benítez shook his head.
As a football coach, caution had always been Benítez's hallmark.
Rick Parry paused his stirring for two seconds, then continued to stir the coffee in his cup...
The atmosphere in the office seemed to solidify as well.