Football FanCast columnist Federico Manz cannot understand the restraints put on Rafa Benitez and feels that Liverpool are slowly missing the boat.

I don't think the saying ‘missing the boat' has ever been more apt than describing Liverpool football club at this moment.

After years of transition and many a false dawn, Rafa Benitez finally seems to have assembled the foundations of a squad capable of mounting a title challenge and yet he has been despicably let down and made to do with second best.

It is ridiculous quite honestly and why Rafa is having wheel and deal, at the very time he should just be putting the icing to this squad is simply a joke. The sheer fact that he has to look to sacrifice a player of Xabi Alonso's quality, just to bring in someone who has better defensive qualities in Gareth Barry, is a sad state of affairs. I bet Ferguson would never be put in such a predicament, but I guess that is why they are successful.

They are in far greater debt than us, but they know to win and maintain their position, they mustn't rest on their laurels - their whole midfield of Ronaldo, Anderson, Hargreaves and Nani cost more than our whole team put together; it is a minor miracle that Rafa has got us competing against that level of investment.

I just find it hard to fathom why the club has chosen to implement such a policy this summer. You ask most Liverpool fans if they would rather a brand new stadium or 10yrs of challenging for a Premier League title and I'm pretty sure it will prove the latter every time. We are so close; we loss less games than Manchester United for god's sake and yet we see this as the time to tighten the purse strings. It is utter nonsense in all honesty and I can't help feel it has jeopardised our chances for next season, but possibly the long term future of our manager and this squad.

A new Anfield will be lovely, but I wonder how full it will be, while our only aspiration is to finish in the top4.