Liverpool supporters rarely go for open dissent towards their managers. The man at the helm can sell a heart-op story to The Sun or slip a team into reverse when 10 games from greatness and suffer only simmering discontent from the Kop instead of banners demanding his head (such banners are reserved for owners). It was against this backdrop that 08/08/08 witnessed an extraordinary night at Anfield and left no one – least of all Rafael Benítez – in any doubt as to Xabi Alonso's place in Liverpool affections.
It was only a friendly against Lazio. Andriy Voronin scored a fine late winner and the new £7m signing Andrea Dossena looked promising at left-back. Even with hindsight, these were not the greatest surprises of a night when a remarkable crowd of 43,062 subjected Benítez to arguably the most awkward personal experience he has faced in the Anfield dug-out. The stadium erupted whenever Alonso went to take a corner, sprayed one of his trademark 80-yard passes cross field or simply hadn't been regaled in song for a few minutes.
The Alonso love-in was matched in its intensity only by a chant for Gareth Barry, the man Benítez had ear-marked up to replace his first Liverpool signing in midfield and still wishes to install this summer. Providing Manchester City don't get him first, of course. The ditty suggested a place for the Liverpool manager to stick his Gareth Barry and, without going into details, it would have made for a stomach-churning disappearing act.
It was only a friendly against Lazio. Liverpool had won. Yet Benítez was livid afterwards. Rarely, if ever, had his decision-making been subject to such an interrogation at Liverpool. It is possible to see the lessons of that night in his handling of the thorny issue 10 months on. The Liverpool manager has made it repeatedly clear that Alonso is not for sale this summer, even picking out a line the midfielder gave in a recent interview with the club's official media – in which he looked forward to his sixth season at Anfield – as reason yesterday to ward off an impending bid from Real Madrid's new president, Florentino Pérez.
As Pérez, Benítez and Alonso are well aware, however, the midfielder's position is far more complex. The only clarity at present, thanks to the manager's declarations, is that Alonso will have to announce an intention to leave Liverpool to make it happen.
Economically, accepting a bid of around £22m from Real for Alonso does make sense. Last summer Benítez placed an £18m price-tag on his £10.5m signing from Real Sociedad and would have accepted less as the transfer deadline approached with Juventus and Arsenal unwilling to meet his valuation. Now, after five years service from Alonso and knowing he must sell to meet all his transfer requirements, a deal that, for example, might include the Almeria striker Alvaro Negredo and leave enough profit to capture Barry or AN Other midfielder, answers many of Benítez's needs.
But it is on the pitch where Liverpool supporters' needs lie and selling one of the club's finest players – second only to Steven Gerrard in the man of the match awards as voted for on the club's official website this season – is harder to fathom when expectations are firmly on the Premier League title next term. This has been Alonso's finest season in a Liverpool shirt since his debut campaign ended with victory in the Champions League. His distribution, if not his versatility and mobility, is superior to Barry's and his contribution to this season's title challenge is matched by his popularity at the club. Yet the events of last summer have taken a serious toll on his relationship with Benítez and there are no signs of reconciliation. Should City steal Barry from the Liverpool manager's grasp – and they have financial might to do so – he may be duty-bound to rebuff Real's interest and, crucially, repair the damage with Alonso. Especially before the next Anfield friendly.
