By Soccernet staff
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Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has admitted he faces a tough
decision over the selection of Steven
Gerrard for Saturday's game against Blackburn Rovers.
GettyImages
Gerrard has a abductor problem
Benitez has revealed that his skipper has been struggling with
an abductor problem for a number of weeks which makes it difficult
for him to play two matches in a short period of time.
Should Gerrard face Rovers in what is a must-win game at Anfield
it will place his participation at Chelsea in the second leg of
their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday in serious
doubt.
Benitez was quick to insist that it would not be a case of
prioritising the league over Europe, but simply looking after the
player's interests.
It seems most likely that Gerrard will be named on the bench
against Blackburn and will then start against Chelsea, with a
week's break before the next Premier League encounter. Thereafter
he will have to be nursed through the remainder of the season.
Benitez said: "We were aware of the injury before the first leg
against Chelsea. It is not easy for him to play two games in four
days with the injury he has.
"The decision I have to make is whether I use him against
Blackburn or Chelsea. If we do play him against Blackburn it does
not mean we are writing off the Champions League. But we must
approach each game on its merits.
"If he feels he can play, then he will and we will assess the
situation afterwards. Anything more could be a risk. Maybe we could
keep him on the bench and use him if we need to?
"After Chelsea we have a complete week before our next game
because the Arsenal home game is the following Tuesday. If he gets
injured again he could need more than a week to recover; it is
tough call but we will consider all the risks.
"We have been talking about the fitness of players like Steven
for a long time, do we have rotation or do we keep our key players
on the pitch?
"We have had that problem with Fernando
Torres and now Gerrard. We have two games in four days, both
very important to our ambitions.
"After that, even if we qualify and have a Champions League
semi-final, that is only two more games. We will be playing
virtually one game a week and that makes it easier to manage the
situation regarding Steven's fitness.
"I have spoken with Steven today and we will do the same
tomorrow [Saturday] along with the doctor. If he breaks down now we
could lose him for two or three weeks and that would be a serious
blow. It depends on him and how he feels.
"There is no priority but we play Blackburn first and that
obviously is what we are concentrating on. After that it will be
Chelsea. We will try our best at Chelsea, it is not over yet, but
we want to be top of the table after our game with Blackburn
because that will put pressure on Manchester United.''
Benitez's concerns over Gerrard's long-term involvement in
Liverpool's title chase overshadowed any annoyance he may have felt
with Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce's claims "he loves a moan and a
whinge''.
Benitez would only say: "I would expect to play the game
tomorrow and afterwards just talk about football. I will shake his
hand, no problem there.
"Blackburn are in a difficult position but they have won some
games recently and they have improved. They, too, will have to win
against us, it is as massive for them as us.
"But we know they are a physical team. We will try to play
football but, if we have to fight for the ball, then we will do
that.
"I have seen Sam Allardyce's teams at Bolton and now at
Blackburn. I do not expect the style to change very much but I
believe it is more difficult to manage at the bottom of the table
because every defeat is very negative.
"The pressures there are so much different, losing games there
is not the same as losing games in the top half of the table.
"But we will have our confidence back, the team are ready and
looking forward to this game.''
Meanwhile, Jamie
Carragher believes the clash with Blackburn at Anfield is the
most important league game he has ever played in.
He said: "The Blackburn game is the biggest league match of my
career right now. I'm not just saying that because of what happened
against Chelsea, but the league has always been the priority of
everyone at this club.
"In the 13 years I have been involved in the first team, this
will be the biggest league game I have been involved in, it really
is that important.
"If we win we can go top of the league with just six games to
go, and if anyone had told us at the beginning of the season we
would be in this position now, we would have been delighted.
"This is a massive chance for everyone at the club and I am sure
the fans will create a great atmosphere because they know what is
at stake.''
Xabi
Alonso agrees with Carragher's viewpoint.
He said: "The Blackburn game is very important for us. I hope it
won't be a problem to forget about Chelsea because we are
professionals and this is another competition. We still have a
chance to fight for the Premier League.
"At home this season we have dropped too many points, this time
it has to be different. We have to start very well and play very
well to win the game. It's important to do our job and that is to
win this game.''
He added: "Of course, there is no doubt Manchester United are
still favourites. They have the advantage and we respect that but
our job is to try to go for it and fight.''
