Failure to land Barry haunts Benitez as Man City loom

LONDON: Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez will get a close-up of the missing piece of his jigsaw puzzle on Saturday when Gareth Barry runs out for Manchester City at Anfield for a match with huge implications for both clubs.

If things had gone to plan for Benitez, Liverpool would have signed the versatile midfielder from Aston Villa at the end of the 2007-08 season and gone onto win a long-awaited Premier League title a year later.

That deal fell through, however, and now England international Barry is a key figure at ambitious City, one of several clubs hoping to evict Liverpool from England's top four.