Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez would appear to have relinquished his 'guarantee' that the Reds will finish in the Premier League's top four this term.
Despite his side enduring a pretty awful campaign by the club's high standards, Benitez has vowed for some months now that they will beat off competition from Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa to join Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea in the Champions League places.
However, (on the back of another bad wek when they lost 1-0 at Wigan Athletic and were also beaten by the same score by Lille in the Europa League) he was less committed to that vow ahead of Monday's must-win game at home to bottom side Portsmouth, the Reds manager quoted by the People as saying: "I think I will have to guarantee now that we will work as hard as we did against Lille.
"At home against bottom team Portsmouth people will not just want a win, but a lot of goals.
"If we play well, 1-0 would be fantastic. You just have to win. It is an important week and Portsmouth have nothing to lose, so they are dangerous.
"We were doing so well in the past, and it is sometimes difficult to keep this level. We were pushing and trying and every year improving in different areas.
"The Champions League, FA Cup, league - it's not easy to keep this level if you do not have the money that maybe other teams have. We cannot win the title, so we have to be ready for one game at a time and see if we can finish in the top four. It has been a disappointing season, but we can still fight and improve."
However, some additional quotes from Benitez highlight just how disastrous the failure to finish in the top four would be as he knows that star player Fernando Torres needs to be at a club playing in the Champions League.
"Finishing fourth in the Premier League would mean a lot to Fernando," the manager added on his fellow Spaniard.
"People talk about money with Fernando but I can tell you his main motivation is winning trophies. That is what drives him. That is always the main topic in any discussion between us.
"Fernando's only thought is to be challenging for honours, it's all that concerns him. He wants to be playing in the Champions League."