Rafael BenÍtez is not in danger of losing the Liverpool dressing-room because he’s never really won it. He is trying hard to gain the support of the players now, but it may be too late.

A source close to the club has told me that BenÍtez’s attitude to the players has softened recently as results have worsened, but they are not buying the idea of their manager as a friend after years in which he has kept them at arm’s length. His attempts to be ‘pally’ risk backfiring and are a sign of his increasingly vulnerable position, which could become untenable if rumours of player discontent make their way to the boardroom at a time when bad performances have put him under intense pressure.

I’ve seen it happen to others, and to me. One manager didn’t talk to me for six weeks then came over all chatty when an injury meant he needed me. Suddenly, I’d gone from being an employee to a friend. I was professional and did my best, but I didn’t want to bond with him. I saw through what he was doing and felt manipulated.

Footballers don’t mind playing under managers whom they respect more than like if there’s success and trust. But if the team are struggling, you find they’re not playing for the manager but for the club and for themselves, so they’re less sympathetic to his plight. Especially if they detect insincerity - and players always can.

So BenÍtez is casting around for allies and suddenly his door is open and he’s making time for small talk, when for most of his spell at Anfield he hasn’t been interested. It’s a tall order to get players on your side when you’ve been rotating them for so long. BenÍtez’s rotation system in itself has distanced him from his squad because they never know where they stand.

Sir Alex Ferguson is full of admiration for Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney. José Mourinho and now Avram Grant have lavished the utmost praise on John Terry and Frank Lampard. But what has BenÍtez done to build up Steven Gerrard? He’s seemed more interested in keeping his biggest player in check, as if he was almost a threat more than an asset. How many times has BenÍtez declined to give credit to Gerrard and insisted on talking about “the team” instead?

It’s an example of how BenÍtez has not seemed interested in managing personalities or showing genuine appreciation for the players’ efforts. He wasn’t warm enough towards them during the good times, so why should they embrace him now?