Rafael Benitez insists Liverpool possess the
quality which means they can cope without Steven Gerrard and
Fernando Torres. But privately the Reds boss is
fuming that his star men have returned from international duty with
injuries.
The Spanish manager has had to revise his plans for the match at
Sunderland on Saturday, with the unavailability of Gerrard and
Torres coming at a bad time as Liverpool try to re-ignite their
season.
Defeat at Chelsea in their last outing was a third of the season
in the Barclays Premier League for Liverpool, and Sunderland will
be determined to cause more misery for their visitors at the
Stadium of Light.
Benitez will not go public with any criticism, but there is
little doubt he feels the pressures of international football, with
the World Cup finals only eight months away, are telling.
Benitez said: "I cannot change the situation, so I just prefer
to concentrate on the players I do have and to prepare for the
matches. "What we do not have is control in such a situation. It
does not matter whether teams have qualified or not, they will
still insists that their players are released.
"The World Cup is coming, so we must wait and hope they all
return. There is still one more international date next month so
the same thing will happen again."
Liverpool have discovered with their own scan that Gerrard's
groin injury is worse than England realised. Torres has a similar
problem. Benitez hopes the pair will have recovered to face Lyon at
home in the Champions League on Tuesday, but clearly that is also
in doubt.
The Reds manager said: "Both are not ready yet, but hopefully
(they will be available) for the next game against Lyon. The
physios are working very hard on them. "We have quality in the
squad and we will have to manage with different players and a
different style.
"It is always difficult to keep all of your players fit in
international breaks, but there is nothing we can do about the
situation, we have to cope with the outcomes. "I would prefer to
see internationals played on a Tuesday to give players the chance
to get back for the next Saturday, or if it is a double-header the
games should be on Wednesday first with the second game on the
Saturday. That gives everyone more chance."
Dirk Kuyt, recovered from an ankle injury he sustained on
international duty with Holland in Australia, will probably lead
the attack in Torres' absence, with compatriot Ryan Babel and
Ukraine striker Andriy Voronin also in line for roles in the
side.
Benitez believes Liverpool can handle the problem, saying: "We
can win without them [Gerrard and Torres]. "We have good players in
the squad who can come in, but we must show spirit and character
now to overcome the problem.
"There are players who have been training well and waiting for
their opportunity. Well now it has come and they can take their
chance."
Less than 24 hours before the Sunderland match, Benitez was
still waiting for South American trio Javier Mascherano, Lucas and
Emiliano Insua to return from their internationals. But with
Argentina now confirmed as qualifiers for the finals, Benitez hopes
that Mascherano's club performances will improve.
He said: "I feel that it will be good for Javier Mascherano now
to know the Argentina have qualified. It is always difficult when
you struggle and the whole country is watching, but now he can
concentrate on Liverpool.
"Javier was under pressure as captain, and with Diego Maradona
saying Argentina were Javier and 10 others. "For the players who
have now qualified, it is a weight off their minds."
Benitez also believes under-fire defender Jamie Carragher will
also prove his critics wrong after a worrying start to the season.
Benitez said: "Jamie Carragher is fit, it is not a question of his
physical condition, people talk about his age or his 'legs' but it
is not a question of that.
"It is a question of confidence. When you make a mistake and the
team is not doing well in defence then the centre-backs and the
'keeper suffer more than the others. "I am sure that now with more
competition in this position, with Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel
too, it will be better for the team.
"He has character and thrives on pressure, so the only way to
change things is to be on the pitch and prove that you are the
right man for the job."
Sunderland: Gordon, Bardsley, Ferdinand,
Turner, McCartney, Malbranque, Cattermole, Cana, Reid, Jones,
Bent.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Carragher, Agger,
Skrtel, Aurelio, Benayoun, Mascherano, Lucas, Kuyt, Babel.
