They've won it five times. Liverpool have won the European Cup in such glamorous places as Rome twice, London, Paris and Istanbul and now, shamefully, Rafael Benítez appears to have surrendered in Birmingham any chance of adding to that tally for the foreseeable future.
Liverpool's manager has eschewed qualifying for football's grand prize by focusing on the Europa League, the realm of also-rans. How the mighty are falling.
Finding Liverpool concentrating on the Europa League is akin to discovering The Beatles entering the Eurovision Song Contest. They should be above it. Great fans deserve better. Ambitious players such as Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina deserve better. Even Benitez's backers struggle to support him now.
Liverpool may recover, of course, and with talent such as Torres, Gerrard and Reina it would be foolish to dismiss them whatever the frustration with a manager so cautious he probably drives with the handbrake on. Yet for anybody with any affection for England's most successful club it was so galling to watch Benítez withdrawing Torres with 25 minutes remaining and the St Andrew's scoreline showing (and finishing) 1-1.
Chasing victory to cling to the coat-tails of Manchester City and Tottenham in the race for fourth, Liverpool were suddenly deprived of their best attacker. Benítez and friends can talk all they like about the three chances that fell to Torres's replacement, David Ngog, but Torres, even off the pace, might have put one away.
Torres looked surprised at the summons to the bench. So did Gerrard, scratching his head as if bemused by Torres's departure. Benítez appeared to sacrifice his best hope of a goal against Birmingham to give him more hope in the Europa League against Benfica on Thursday. Even a Torres masterclass against the Portuguese cannot provide retrospective validation for the white flag against Birmingham.
What happened at St Andrew's was an insult to the fans who had travelled in numbers, craving the points to keep alive Benitez's "guarantee'' of a return to the cherished Champions League. In the Second City, Benítez seemed to make a statement that he believes Liverpool are second-class citizens in the European class system. What an affront to a distinguished history.
Whichever way Benitez's decision to remove Torres is analysed it lacks logic unless he is planning to leave this summer and wants to bow out with some silverware, however modest, that might be noted by a few European chairmen. In a period of flux among those below the Chelsea-Manchester United-Arsenal triumvirate, any failure by Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League has expensive short-term ramifications, notably the £30 million-plus cheque that now goes to a rival.
Most damagingly in terms of finance, prestige and the chance of retaining or attracting stellar performers, the likelihood of missing out on Champions League football this year has immense long-term significance.
If City, Croesus-rich and already blessed with talent in Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Adam Johnson, Gareth Barry and Shay Given, gain a place in the Champions League, they will invest again, and could become regular diners at Europe's top table. Liverpool are sliding down a costly snake.
Failing to make the Champions League roster ensures a painful summer for Liverpool. It is hard to see such loyal club men as Gerrard and Carragher moving on but Torres will be targeted, particularly if he enjoys a show-stopping World Cup. Ditto Mascherano.
Just as Gerard Houllier's French era at Anfield came to an end, so could the clock be running on Benitez's Spanish reign. Those who know Benítez well talk of the man's warmth and intelligence.
To most people, though, he just seems a stubborn, slightly cold, possibly dysfunctional individual with a knack of buying brilliantly (Torres, Reina, Mascherano etc) or atrociously (Alberto Aquilani). The persistence with Lucas highlights Benitez's reputation as one of football's most quixotic characters.
Yet this is the coach who can set teams up perfectly, particularly in Europe, but the great sadness for those who admire Liverpool is that the Continental assignments are now of the B-list variety. Liverpool deserve better. Liverpool deserve new ideas in the dugout.
Liverpool's manager has eschewed qualifying for football's grand prize by focusing on the Europa League, the realm of also-rans. How the mighty are falling.
Finding Liverpool concentrating on the Europa League is akin to discovering The Beatles entering the Eurovision Song Contest. They should be above it. Great fans deserve better. Ambitious players such as Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Javier Mascherano and Pepe Reina deserve better. Even Benitez's backers struggle to support him now.
Liverpool may recover, of course, and with talent such as Torres, Gerrard and Reina it would be foolish to dismiss them whatever the frustration with a manager so cautious he probably drives with the handbrake on. Yet for anybody with any affection for England's most successful club it was so galling to watch Benítez withdrawing Torres with 25 minutes remaining and the St Andrew's scoreline showing (and finishing) 1-1.
Chasing victory to cling to the coat-tails of Manchester City and Tottenham in the race for fourth, Liverpool were suddenly deprived of their best attacker. Benítez and friends can talk all they like about the three chances that fell to Torres's replacement, David Ngog, but Torres, even off the pace, might have put one away.
Torres looked surprised at the summons to the bench. So did Gerrard, scratching his head as if bemused by Torres's departure. Benítez appeared to sacrifice his best hope of a goal against Birmingham to give him more hope in the Europa League against Benfica on Thursday. Even a Torres masterclass against the Portuguese cannot provide retrospective validation for the white flag against Birmingham.
What happened at St Andrew's was an insult to the fans who had travelled in numbers, craving the points to keep alive Benitez's "guarantee'' of a return to the cherished Champions League. In the Second City, Benítez seemed to make a statement that he believes Liverpool are second-class citizens in the European class system. What an affront to a distinguished history.
Whichever way Benitez's decision to remove Torres is analysed it lacks logic unless he is planning to leave this summer and wants to bow out with some silverware, however modest, that might be noted by a few European chairmen. In a period of flux among those below the Chelsea-Manchester United-Arsenal triumvirate, any failure by Liverpool to qualify for the Champions League has expensive short-term ramifications, notably the £30 million-plus cheque that now goes to a rival.
Most damagingly in terms of finance, prestige and the chance of retaining or attracting stellar performers, the likelihood of missing out on Champions League football this year has immense long-term significance.
If City, Croesus-rich and already blessed with talent in Carlos Tevez, Emmanuel Adebayor, Adam Johnson, Gareth Barry and Shay Given, gain a place in the Champions League, they will invest again, and could become regular diners at Europe's top table. Liverpool are sliding down a costly snake.
Failing to make the Champions League roster ensures a painful summer for Liverpool. It is hard to see such loyal club men as Gerrard and Carragher moving on but Torres will be targeted, particularly if he enjoys a show-stopping World Cup. Ditto Mascherano.
Just as Gerard Houllier's French era at Anfield came to an end, so could the clock be running on Benitez's Spanish reign. Those who know Benítez well talk of the man's warmth and intelligence.
To most people, though, he just seems a stubborn, slightly cold, possibly dysfunctional individual with a knack of buying brilliantly (Torres, Reina, Mascherano etc) or atrociously (Alberto Aquilani). The persistence with Lucas highlights Benitez's reputation as one of football's most quixotic characters.
Yet this is the coach who can set teams up perfectly, particularly in Europe, but the great sadness for those who admire Liverpool is that the Continental assignments are now of the B-list variety. Liverpool deserve better. Liverpool deserve new ideas in the dugout.
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