IF Rafael Benitez is going out, he’s going out in the right way – if the evidence of Monday night is anything to go by anyway.

It seems the Spaniard is finally ready to forego his principles and actually try to win games for a change.

Hence, a 4-1 thrashing of Portsmouth. Admittedly a poor side but still a side that beat Liverpool three months ago.

Leaving out the likes of DIrk Kuyt and Lucas is a real breaking of tradition for Benitez this season.

But hopefully he’ll see the benefits of having a dressing room of attacking players kitted out and ready for action.

If they are defensive players, you look round and think, ‘well we won’t concede many but where are the goals going to come from?’

But if the team is more positive it makes the players feel more positive about going out and winning a game.

Out goes the ‘protect what you’ve got’ mindset of Wigan and Lille and in comes a team actually trying to go for it.

The worst thing that can happen is the team loses. Manchester United and Chelsea lose games but the point is they try to win them.

And, most poignantly for Benitez. that is what the fans want.

In recent weeks, Liverpool have tested the supporters’ patience to the full – in fact, they became pretty much unwatchable.

So I’m glad to see Benitez thinking, ‘well we hit rock bottom, it can’t get any worse, so let’s just go for it’. And it worked.

Give one of the best strikers in the world some service. Give one of the best midfielders in the world the freedom to play in his favourite position. It’s not rocket science.

And there’s no excuse for not playing Alberto Aquilani now – he is fully fit at last and couldn’t have done any more to convince Benitez to keep his place in the side with that performance against Portsmouth.

The fear I have now is that Benitez will revert to type. And I would urge him not to.

He should keep an unchanged side after a 4-1 win and really take the game to Lille tomorrow. Forget about guarding against an away goal, keeping it tight and playing it patient – go out and hunt down the goals you need to turn the tie around.

It’s not something I would advocate for Old Trafford on Sunday, but that’s a completely different thing. You don’t want to be out of that game in the first 20 minutes by being too open.

But in pretty much all the other games Liverpool have left, Benitez should try to make the most of it.

The proposed takeover that emerged this week could be good news for the club, but not necessarily for the manager.

If Liverpool get the investment to enable them to pay Benitez off, it changes the landscape.

If they doesn’t finish fourth then they may say, ‘thank you and goodbye’; if they do, do you make the decision to back him again or go down a different route?

Either way, Benitez should enjoy it while it lasts – and it’s time for his team selections to reflect that.