The Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez has criticised the club's American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett for failing to invest heavily in the squad, leaving Liverpool short of depth in a season that has seen them miss out on the Champions League for the first time since 2002-03.
"Always in the past two years the manager here has been taking responsibility for everything. The reality is that, if you compare with other teams in terms of money, power and the option you have in the market, so you can analyse carefully and then you have answers," said Benítez.
"The fans are very clever, they know what is going on. It is very clear that things are like this now and still we have to carry on going forward.
"Next season we have to do almost everything perfect and, if we make one or two mistakes, we don't have the possibility to react so it is more difficult for us."
Benítez, who has been linked with a summer move to Juventus – who were also ruled out of a Champions League spot in Serie A after a 1-1 draw at Catania – once again refused to clarify his future.
"I have four years of a contract [left] so we will see," said Benítez when asked if he would be at Anfield next season. "I was talking about the speculation during the last two or three weeks and I cannot be talking about it all the time.
"We will prepare for the next game [at Hull] and then start thinking about things for the future. The fans want to know [whether Benítez will be in charge next season] but I want to know what is going on next week against Hull.
"Now we have to concentrate on another game and then prepare for the future."
When asked whether he had heard from the new chairman, Martin Broughton, brought in by the American owners to oversee the sale of the club, Benítez added: "Not yet. I will have a meeting with the chairman in a few days."
Benítez rejected the suggestion that the lacklustre post-match lap around Anfield was his farewell to the supporters.
"We have to say thank you to our fans, as always, because they have been very good," he said.
"We approached the game thinking about winning but we are very disappointed because it was a game that was equal and then we conceded the goal and things changed. When we conceded the second goal, against Chelsea that is normally the end."
"Always in the past two years the manager here has been taking responsibility for everything. The reality is that, if you compare with other teams in terms of money, power and the option you have in the market, so you can analyse carefully and then you have answers," said Benítez.
"The fans are very clever, they know what is going on. It is very clear that things are like this now and still we have to carry on going forward.
"Next season we have to do almost everything perfect and, if we make one or two mistakes, we don't have the possibility to react so it is more difficult for us."
Benítez, who has been linked with a summer move to Juventus – who were also ruled out of a Champions League spot in Serie A after a 1-1 draw at Catania – once again refused to clarify his future.
"I have four years of a contract [left] so we will see," said Benítez when asked if he would be at Anfield next season. "I was talking about the speculation during the last two or three weeks and I cannot be talking about it all the time.
"We will prepare for the next game [at Hull] and then start thinking about things for the future. The fans want to know [whether Benítez will be in charge next season] but I want to know what is going on next week against Hull.
"Now we have to concentrate on another game and then prepare for the future."
When asked whether he had heard from the new chairman, Martin Broughton, brought in by the American owners to oversee the sale of the club, Benítez added: "Not yet. I will have a meeting with the chairman in a few days."
Benítez rejected the suggestion that the lacklustre post-match lap around Anfield was his farewell to the supporters.
"We have to say thank you to our fans, as always, because they have been very good," he said.
"We approached the game thinking about winning but we are very disappointed because it was a game that was equal and then we conceded the goal and things changed. When we conceded the second goal, against Chelsea that is normally the end."
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