<p><br /> Rafael Benitez has launched a cryptic attack on Liverpool's ousted owners and current managing director Christian Purslow.<br /> </p><p><br /> Benitez, whose six-year reign as manager ended in the summer, hit out at former co-owner Tom Hicks' claim that he was largely to blame for the Reds' worst ever start to the Premier League this season.<br /> </p><p><br /> Hicks pointed the finger at Benitez for wasting much of the money he was given to spend during the latter half of his tenure.<br /> </p><p><br /> But a clearly irked Benitez insisted the Americans were to blame, citing their appointment Purslow in the summer of last year as the beginning of a downward spiral that ended in the Spaniard's exit.<br /> </p><p><br /> In an outburst reminiscent of Eric Cantona's famous quote featuring seagulls and trawlers, Inter Milan boss Benitez compared events leading up to his departure to a bottle of milk.<br /> </p><p><br /> "I prefer not to talk too much about Liverpool," said Benitez, who watched his former club's Merseyside derby defeat on Sunday which left them second bottom of the table.<br /> </p><p><br /> "I prefer not to talk about this because I feel really sorry for the fans.<br /> </p><p><br /> "I was watching the fans and I was really sad after the defeat the other day.<br /> </p><p><br /> "We have a saying in Spanish, which is: 'White liquid in a bottle has to be milk'."<br /> </p><p><br /> Benitez, who led Liverpool to second place in the Premier League in 2009 but could only manage seventh last term, added: "What does this mean? It means that after 86 points and finishing second in the league, what changed?<br /> </p><p><br /> "The Americans, they chose a new managing director and everything changed.<br /> </p><p><br /> "So, what changed?<br /> </p><p><br /> "The managing director is involved in all the decisions: new lawyer, new chief of press, new manager, nine new players, new medical staff, new fitness coaches - they changed everything.<br /> </p><p><br /> "At the beginning, they changed the managing director who was talking with some players, and they changed everything that we were doing in the past.<br /> </p><p><br /> "So, if you want to ask again what was going on, it's simple: they changed something and, at the end, they changed everything.<br /> </p><p><br /> "So, white liquid in a bottle: milk. You will know who is to blame."<br /> </p><p><br /> Pressed further on the matter, Benitez would only say: "White liquid in a bottle. If I see John the milkman in the Wirral, where I was living, with this bottle, I'd say, 'It's milk, sure'."<br /> </p>
