THEY say Rafael Benitez's time at Anfield was up.

Leading bookmakers even suspended betting on the Spaniard remaining at Anfield next season.

Then, the Spaniard performed the unthinkable.

Against a rampant Real Madrid side which has won nine league matches in a row, they won the first leg of the Champions League round-of-16 match 1-0 at the Bernabeu.

Real Madrid were the odds-on favourites to clinch the tie.

That was, until Yossi Benayoun came to the fore and thundered a winning header past goalkeeper Iker Casillas in the dying minutes of the game.

What a great escape by the Reds.

Without their talisman Steven Gerrard, and the team looking decidedly off-form, few thought Benitez was capable of pulling anything out of his hat.

Yet, Benitez once again defied the odds.

And it wasn't for the first time.

It is in Europe that he has found his winning touch.

No one gave Liverpool a chance in the Champions League in 2005, but Benitez somehow conjured up a victory in the final over AC Milan in Istanbul.

Two years ago, he again led them to the final, only to lose to the same opponents.

On Wednesday, he performed another miracle of sorts by beating Real Madrid.

So, why is it then that there are still plenty of disgruntled fans out there who want his head?

Baffling.

Most of them couldn't live with the fact that Benitez has yet to bring them the Premiership title they so crave.

Since 1990, the Reds have yet to deliver a league title.

On most occasions, they did not even come close.

But this season, they have made a real push for it.

Not since the 1996/97 season have they had a proper sniff of the Premiership crown in the latter stages of the season.

This time, they looked like the real deal, but recent results have left them seven points off the pace.

Now, this season has been an improvement for Liverpool, hasn't it?

Already, Benitez is stalling on the contract extension negotiations.

He insisted that rumours linking him with a move to Real Madrid next season is untrue, and at the same time, stressed that he will open talks with Liverpool soon.

The next game is his priority, he said.

Impatience among the Liverpool fans has crept in.

They want him out. They want him sacked.

High calibre

But if he goes, who's to take over?

I'm struggling here.

I mean, how many Guus Hiddinks or Alex Fergusons are there around?

There are not too many high-calibre managers like them in football these days, and even if there were, most of them look unlikely to leave their current clubs.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but is there any point in appointing a new manager who is not better than the incumbent one?

Chances are, Liverpool will end up with the likes of Alan Curbishley, Martin O'Neill, Sam Allardyce and Sven-Goran Eriksson on their name list. Or even old boy Kenny Dalglish.

Does any of them look remotely capable of lifting Liverpool to another level?

Seriously, I don't think so.

And if that's the case, why are we even asking for his head?