Rafa Benitez says he expects Ryan Babel to play more and
more as a striker for Liverpool – but admits he has little
intention of including him in the first-team.
The 21-year-old Holland international has spent most of his time
on the wing since moving to Anfield last summer, but he can also
play up front and showed his potential as a forward when he came
off the bench in the 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday.
And, after Spain winger Albert Riera joined the club in
September, Benitez has revealed that he wants to play Babel as a
striker on a regular basis.
“When we signed Albert Riera, we thought of Babel more as a
striker,” he told the club’s official website.
“Ryan is still a young player.
“Some Dutch players come to England for only one or two years –
in this case, this is his second year and he was injured at the
start coming back from the Olympic Games, but he is giving us
something more.”
Benitez believes Babel can make the most impact as a substitute
for the time being, though, due to his pace, and believes his
performance against Chelsea was a perfect example.
“Clearly, there is a massive difference when you are talking
about a player with pace – normally their stamina levels are not
the same.
“To do the same thing 20 times at maximum intensity, it’s not
easy, so they need time to rest.
“For these kind of players to play 90 minutes at this pace and
high tempo is impossible. That is the reason why he can make a
massive difference in 20 to 30 minutes.”
He added: “I was really pleased with him the other day at
Chelsea. I think that was the perfect game for him.
“At that time, we needed pace and power and ability so we could
cope with the two centre backs – he could beat them.
“It was perfect and really good for him.”