Champions League - Benitez gambling on Torres

Eurosport - Wed, 04 Nov 09:43:00 2009

Fernando Torres will carry the hopes of Liverpool on his shoulders against Lyon, with Rafael Benitez praying his gamble to play the injured striker pays off.

2009-10 Premier League Liverpool Fernando Torres (Reuters) - 0

Liverpool face Group E leaders Lyon in the Stade Gerland knowing that only a victory will keep alive any realistic hopes of staying in the Champions League this season.

"Fernando is improving, we do not want him to have an operation so we are managing his fitness carefully," said Benitez.

"But he is getting better. He had some pain after he played, and scored, against Manchester United. But he was better after the Fulham game at the weekend, although he could still feel something wrong.

"I hope that he will be even better for this match. I said recently that 80 per cent of Fernando can win matches, I hope that is the case again."

But it is his own position as Liverpool boss that Benitez knows will come under further tough scrutiny if his walking wounded do lose to Lyon for the second time in a matter of weeks.

He said: "The players are working very hard, they are positive and determined. They know this result is important for the club, for everyone.

"But our fans have not turned. They are clever people, they know the position the club was in when I arrived and they know what position it is in now, they know this is the only way.

"It is important for everyone to see the bigger picture, I am sure things will change in a few weeks when we have our players fit again. When we have our big players available, everything will change.

"I do not accept that we have not signed good players, some may not have settled as quickly, but we are doing a good job."

Steven Gerrard, Martin Kelly, Martin Skrtel and Albert Riera will definitely miss the match while Glen Johnson (calf), Daniel Agger (back), Fabio Aurelio (calf) and David Ngog (ankle) are doubts.

Eurosport

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  1. In my view, it is an insult to Liverpool fans to say­ ''(our fans) know the position the club was in­ when I arrived and they know what position it is in­ now''. Liverpool is not better now and­ Liverpool is not successful because (oir since)­ Benitass came. The guy is doing the George Bush thing.

    From Half A Brain, on Wed 4 Nov 7:57PM

  2. We've seen it time and again. Murphy's Law.­ Torres will eventually get injured and will be out for­ a few weeks. Playing a seriously injured player is­ never a wise thing to do unless it is the last­ game-chance of the season. You don't need a PhD to­ realise that.

    From Half A Brain, on Wed 4 Nov 7:30PM

  3. Liverpool....i used to spit it but the word doesn't­ bother me now.

    I just think of it as some foot of the­ table side....play some really good games but most of­ the time pretty boring.

    How many times can they get­ away with route one football.......always the big hoof­ up field from defence to the opposite box.

    From phil k, on Wed 4 Nov 7:21PM

  4. OH RIGHT !

    From KOP MANIA, on Wed 4 Nov 7:16PM

  5. lIVERPOOL .......ARE THE BEST ...THE WILL EASILY WIN­ THE CHUMPIONS LEAGUE.

    What happened liverpool....one­ good season and suddenly you were going to crush man­ utd and win the league,the european cup.....so what­ happened?

    I tell you what....a friggin reality check­ that what.

    Liverpool have no chance of winning­ anything.Last year was a fluke..your team is weak and­ rather average tbh,certainly not even close enough to­ merit representing Liverpool.

    Whilst you have this fat­ waiter as manager you will always be rubbish.

    From phil k, on Wed 4 Nov 7:09PM

  6. COVER UP FROM RAFA

    From KOP MANIA, on Wed 4 Nov 6:56PM

  7. IF ANYONE IS GOING TO GET LIVERPOOL OUT OF THIS MESS­ IT'S KING KENNY BUT RAFA IS TOO STUPID TO REILISE­ THAT AND I NO THERE ARE SPELLING MISTAKES ..........

    From anfieldroad94, on Wed 4 Nov 6:33PM

  8. bring back souness ha ha

    From ANGELA, on Wed 4 Nov 5:49PM

  9. IN RAFA WE TRUST . WE NEED A WIN TONITE FACT FACT FACT­ FACT FACT FACT FACT FACT

    From anfieldroad94, on Wed 4 Nov 5:38PM

  10. #32 - When one manager cannot do his job well, then he­ needs to be replaced with someone else that can. Look­ at Chelsea with Grant - hopeless. Look at the same­ Chelsea with a new manager. Note the difference?

    LFC­ should have won the 2008/2009 Premier League, but they­ didn't. The reason is not that LFC wasn't good­ enough, it was a case of the manager being too clever­ for his own good. LFC won all the big matches against­ the top teams when fielding their best players. LFC­ drew all the lesser teams with a second string squad.­ Whose decision was it to field such a squad? The­ Manager! Why did LFC end up with just a few core­ players? Because the Manager did not get enough good­ players. Lucas, Itandje, Ayala, Degen, Dossena,­ Plessis, Spearing, Babel, Eccleston, El Zhar, N'Gog­ and Voronin are typical examples of money drown the­ drain.

    From GI Joe 323, on Wed 4 Nov 5:25PM

  11. Ian t. For the same reason you sold ronaldo-p.s. You­ can't just say you're a utd fan.

    From gglynes, on Wed 4 Nov 4:45PM

  12. Ian t. For the same reason you sold ronaldo-p.s. You­ can't just say you're a utd fan.

    From gglynes, on Wed 4 Nov 4:44PM

  13. From a Man Utd fan; why did you sell Alonso???­ Unbelievable!

    From IAIN T, on Wed 4 Nov 4:33PM

  14. IF we lose and then again at home to­ Birmingham...............................HE'S­ SACKED...................well he would be in the real­ world.............................trouble is the YANKS­ canna afford to sack him as £20M to him then his back­ room staff etc

    LFC have faith in­ RAFA.......................but its getting thinner all­ the time!!!

    From Richie, on Wed 4 Nov 4:12PM

  15. i hope he stays i would hate liverpool to get a manager­ who could win the league

    From stuarty2877, on Wed 4 Nov 3:02PM

  16. I have always maintained that Benitez knows tactics,­ reads his opponents well, and generally understands­ matches. His problem is that he has always been too­ conservative in buying players and in utilizing them.­ He refuses to keep two quality players per position,­ and prefers to maximise the few he has. The result: An­ over-reliance on a 15-player squad year in year out,­ and an even more dependence on a core group of players­ (Gerrard, Torres, Mascherano, Reina, Carragher). This­ means that he has to pick and choose matches where he­ will be able to play his best players in his best­ tactical formation. Final outcome: A manager who aims­ for cups (UCL, FA, etc) because he does not have the­ resources to maintain a challenge for a drawn out­ league competition. Liverpool have a history of­ domestic and European glory, it is a wonder why they­ are putting up with a manager who limits himself to­ only cup victories. Such a shame.

    From Hotshot, on Wed 4 Nov 2:32PM

  17. PHINI, drop being crass.
    LFC are always playing­ catch-up thus LFC = followers due to insipid Benitez­ management.
    I would like to see LFC, the leaders as LFC­ was in the 80's.
    As per another comment, Benitez­ won the CL with the squad of another manager.

    From kristennaicker, on Wed 4 Nov 2:12PM

  18. Benitez shouldn't be sacked...after all, he did­ make some major contributions to LFC like the 2005 CL.­ He's doing his best already to help the team, so­ why sack him and aggravate the situation?Wouldn't­ the players' morale be dented even further?

    As­ they say, after the storm tranquility returns.I'm­ sure LFC will pick up last season's hot form sooner­ or later.

    From Phinl, on Wed 4 Nov 1:49PM

  19. Lmao, i remember a couple of weeks ago u Liverpool fans­ had the most talk, comming on Man U page and spewing­ their shizzle, but now u lot are nowhere to be seen­ LOL, your team is weak and NOWHERE near winning the­ title, Lol, whats even funnier is now your placing your­ seasons hopes on Aquilani, who's been injured for­ how long and has never played a premiership game....

    From j.fuller5, on Wed 4 Nov 1:46PM

  20. Sorry should be be #19 clutching at straws!

    From screwloose.computers, on Wed 4 Nov 1:46PM
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