Rafa must end the squabbles

A new season has started and yet we are still talking about the same issues at Liverpool. The problems between the manager Rafa Benitez and the board have got to get sorted for the sake of the club. There's even been talk of Rafa quitting if he doesn't get the money to buy Gareth Barry from Aston Villa and that's disappointing. The board say the midfielder is not worth £18million (Dh123m) and I agree, but, then again, that seems to be the going rate for the top players and Rafa (above) is trying to push the bosses to back him and spend.

That might be a mistake and the rows and tension is becoming a distraction at Anfield, with Dubai Investment Capital still waiting in the wings with a bid for the club. Barry would be a great asset for Liverpool, but if the board don't want to pay that much then Rafa has to go and get someone else; simple. The board still seem willing to give him funds to buy players, they spent £20m alone on Robbie Keane this summer.

Of course, if they do buy Barry at that price then Rafa will be under pressure as he will have to be judged purely on results. At the moment it's a grey area because Rafa will say he's not getting the support he needs and is digging his heels in. Xabi Alonso could be sold to make way for Barry, but what is the point of losing one quality player to bring in another? I know Xabi would love to stay and letting him go would be a mistake. He had a bad season last time with injury, but maybe it was a kick up the backside he needed. He should stay and another, Barry or someone else, should come in.

Talk of quitting won't help and I would be very disappointed if Rafa left. The fans have got behind him and it would be a let-down for them, especially with no one ready to take over. Rafa has to fight and do the best with what he has got. Not every manager has had the financial support he has had and he should look down the road at Everton as an example. They finished fifth last season but David Moyes has lost one of his best players, Andrew Johnson, and not spent a penny. It's a big week for Liverpool with the Champions League qualifier against Standard Liege next Wednesday and they cannot miss out on reaching the group stage. The first leg will have been enough of a warning for them to get their act together. Yes, they were sloppy and lucky to draw 0-0 in Belgium, but I don't think it will be the same at Anfield.

The opening Premier League games last weekend showed the gulf in class between the top four and the rest. A lot of people thought Portsmouth could have a chance of breaking into the elite, but not on that performance at Chelsea. Everton were beaten at home by Blackburn while Tottenham, for all their millions on new players, lost at Middlesbrough. Chelsea were brilliant; I was very impressed by them.

Manchester United didn't get off to the winning start they probably expected, but without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez it left them short on firepower up front. Sir Alex Ferguson knows that and it looks like he will bring in Dimitar Berbatov. He will make them even stronger. Unstoppable? No, but imagine they had a Torres. United have set the standard for others to follow and will do so again. The team that finishes ahead of them will win the title.

If Liverpool are to have any chance of doing that, they need to work together, end the arguments and focus on the football. @Email:[e-mail]