League a long race, Rafa warns high-flying Bolton

RAFAEL BENITEZ’S already strained relationship with Sam Allardyce fractured entirely after the Liverpool manager effectively accused his Bolton Wanderers counterpart of building his success on dirty tricks.

Benitez may have earned a reputation for erring on the side of caution with his public utterances, but there is clearly something about Bolton which prevents him from biting his tongue.

He had already enraged Allardyce by labelling Wanderers a team of bully-boys in the build-up to the clubs’ Premiership meeting in October, but this fresh attack ahead of today’s re-match at Anfield is far more vicious.

Benitez openly casts doubt on Bolton’s ability to sustain their surprise challenge for a place in next season’s Champions League and also branded El Hadji Diouf, the striker he sold to Bolton in 2005, “a diver”.

The former Valencia manager then heaped pressure on Graham Poll by urging the referee to crack down on Bolton’s physical style.

Benitez’s calculated assault on Wanderers’ credentials will infuriate Allardyce, who has long claimed that his side are not given enough credit by the Premiership’s elite clubs.

The Spaniard’s last broadside prompted his rival to photocopy his comments and pin them up in the Reebok’s home dressing room, with an inspired Bolton duly beating their detractors 2-0.

“Bolton are doing a good job now but the league is a long race,” he said.

“They are near the top of the table but we will see what happens by the end of the season.

“I don’t think they could play the way they do in Spain. There, fouls are given at every free-kick, every corner and every throw-in but here they are not. Bolton know this and they take advantage but I know that we have players who can deal with it.

“It is up to them to show character in these situations and also a lot depends on the experience of the referee.”

The mention of Diouf prompted an even more venomous reaction.

The decision to sell the Senegalese may have been taken before Benitez arrived on Merseyside but his admission two months ago that he occasionally dives to win penalties “because the best footballer is a footballer who is very clever” has clearly touched a nerve with his former manager.

“He is a good player but he is really proud of diving and I don’t like this,” Benitez added. “If someone says he is proud to dive because it is good for him and his team, then we cannot support him. But, as I said before, it all depends on the referee. He must be aware of this and try to stop it.”

Benitez’s exasperation with Bolton’s tactics has been exacerbated by the fact that they are now bona fide rivals for a place in next season’s Champions League. Wanderers currently sit third, two points clear of Liverpool, a position which makes Saturday’s scrappy victory over Tottenham Hotspur all the more valuable.

This was hardly a vintage performance from the Merseysiders. In torrential rain and a swirling wind, Liverpool made heavy weather of a curiously lacklustre Spurs but Luis Garcia’s goal was always likely to prove enough.

The only sour note was struck by Gerrard, who angrily confronted Callum Davenport after the final whistle following an alleged elbowing incident. “Steve was a little bit disappointed with the incident but, when players are nervous and they want to win, it’s not easy when there’s contact,” Benitez added.

Opta Fact: Spurs have not won any of the last six meetings with Liverpool in the Premiership and have failed to score in the last four

Opta Fact: Liverpool have kept more clean sheets than any other side this season – 11