Fatigue to blame for derby defeat -
Benitez
Rafael Benitez already thinks the World Cup is too long and
demanding but he is now blaming the international break for
Liverpool's derby-day shocker.
The Reds are here to play PSV Eindhoven tonight in their opening
Champions League group match knowing they must find their best
form, and quickly, or their carefully laid plans for this campaign
will go up in smoke.
Benitez aims to bank on most of his fallen heroes, but will almost
certainly bring back Craig Bellamy into his starting line-up.
Bellamy was not even on the bench at Goodison Park and watched the
derby at home on television.
It was Bellamy's first experience of what skipper Steven Gerrard
highlighted in his recent autobiography: Benitez's treatment of
players like cogs in a wheel.
But it is something the Welshman accepts as part of being at a big
club.
And although the likes of the returning Jamie Carragher were being
blamed for their part in the derby debacle, Benitez will send his
players out tonight apportioning the blame elsewhere.
He said: 'It is more difficult to find the right team and balance
with players returning from injury and from internationals.
'The question over Carragher being just back from injury was that
he had trained three days with the squad.
'I was keeping an eye on him throughout those sessions - he was
fine.
'I had more worries about John Arne Riise, who is now injured
again. The problem was not that we used Carra, but that we used so
many players coming back from international games as well.
Altogether, that was a gamble.
'We had Sami Hyypia, Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Peter Crouch, Luis
Garcia, and others, all back from a very busy international period.
Could we afford to leave all those players on the bench? I don't
think so, not for a game like that.
'They all had very hard periods away with their countries, playing
two games. They are all big names and we decided to mix things up
with players who had not been away and those that had.
'With smaller clubs, it is easier. They may only have two or three
internationals but we have 10, sometimes 14. It is not easy to
select a side.
'We have more possibilities now with Daniel Agger and Gabriel
Paletta - we must look at the options.'
He added: 'For me we must improve in defence. That means that when
you are strong there you have more possession, chances and the
opportunity to play on the counter-attack.
'We must become a very solid and consistent team and then, with the
quality we have up front, I know we will score plenty of
goals.
'PSV are strong, experienced and with an experienced manager. Our
former player Jan Kromkamp will be playing, and also I remember
Benfica when Ronald Koeman was there then. They beat us last season
and we need to rectify that memory.
'The group is dangerous, Bordeaux and Galatasaray are both good
sides. If we play like we did last season that qualification is
achievable but we need to solve our problems.'
On Bellamy's absence on Saturday- he will surely lead the attack
tonight alongside Dutchman Dirk Kuyt - Benitez said: 'The decision
over Bellamy was clear to me. Having four good strikers, and if I
leave anyone of them out then people will ask why.
'But with just 16 players, including substitutes, one of those
strikers must be left out. This time it was Craig.'
benitez sure know how to push the blame
onto the international duties
