Rafael Benitez has warned Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard he
cannot expect to get his own way by claiming a central midfield
berth for the Reds.
Although Gerrard has made it clear he would prefer to be in the
heart of the Liverpool midfield, so far this season Benitez has
played him on the right, and then on the left, where he appeared
against Chelsea on Sunday.
With Xabi Alonso and Mohamed Sissoko forging an impressive
partnership in the Liverpool engine room and Jermaine Pennant
supplying pace down the right, Gerrard may be stuck out wide again
when Newcastle visit Anfield in the Barclays Premiership on
Wednesday night.
But Benitez has pointed to the examples of Zinedine Zidane and
Ronaldinho as evidence Gerrard is not the only talented player to
be asked to sacrifice himself for the good of the team.
"Steven is happier playing in the middle and we know that but I
cannot put Xabi or Momo on the wing," observed Benitez.
"If they are playing well, we know Steven has a lot of quality and
we can use him in another position, on the right, the left or
behind the main striker, that will benefit the team.
"Zinedine Zidane played on the left many times even though he
preferred to play just behind the strikers and Ronaldinho plays on
the right, even though he would prefer to be behind the strikers
too.
"That's how it is with good players. They can play in any position.
Steven is our captain and he knows that."
With no fresh injuries from the unlucky defeat at Stamford Bridge,
Benitez is pondering whether to field an unchanged team for the
first time in 92 games.
No matter what side he chooses though, the Spaniard will be
desperate to pick up three points after a poor start which has seen
Liverpool slump to 15th spot in the Premiership.
Having begun the campaign with high hopes of mounting a sustained
challenge to Chelsea, Liverpool's title aspirations are already
being written off in some quarters.
Yet Benitez is refusing to be deflected from the bigger picture and
insists his side will eventually come good.
"Yes, we would have liked more points but there is no sense of
panic," he said.
"I know the qualities in this squad and I know we need to remain
calm.
"We all want to win every game and be at the top of the table from
the beginning until the end.
"But we also have to look at the big picture. We want to win
trophies and you cannot win the league in the first week of the
season, you need to wait until the end."
