Premier League - Benitez: Torres to return
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has said star striker Fernando Torres is almost certain to make his comeback in the Premier League clash with West Brom at Anfield on Saturday.
The Spaniard has been missing due to a hamstring strain for six matches since the last international break on October 15.However Benitez is confident that the 24-year-old goal-getter will return against the Midlands side.
"I believe Torres will be ready for the West Brom game at the weekend," Benitez, who allowed his player to judge whether he was fit for the midweek draw with his previous club Atletico Madrid, said.
"It all depends on Fernando: he was not happy with his fitness so he did not play against Atletico.
"He said he was not confident, so you cannot take any risks with a hamstring injury.
"I will talk to the player during the rest of the week to see how he is after each training session. But I will also talk with the physio and the doctor for their view.
"But (once again) how Fernando feels will be the key."
Reds captain Steven Gerrard, who grabbed the penalty equaliser against Atletico, cannot wait to see Torres back in action.
"Hopefully Fernando will be ready come the weekend - we have missed him," he said. "He has been training all week and things look hopeful.
"We need to take three points against West Brom, but (Saturday's 2-1 reverse to Tottenham) has been our only defeat this season and we are more than happy with the way the season has gone so far."
If Torres again fails to make the squad to face West Brom, Liverpool must decide whether to give him a run-out in the Carling Cup trip to Spurs next Tuesday, with a tough trip to Bolton on the Saturday, November 15.
Another international break is approaching fast with Spain having a home friendly against Chile at Villarreal on November 19.
Benitez has been in talks with the Spanish FA over Torres's treatment while he is with the national squad and a set of special exercises have been drawn up for him to carry out each day to help the hamstring heal properly.
Just whether Liverpool will tolerate another Spanish call-up for Torres at this time is open to debate, considering he has returned three times in 18 months from international duty with the same injury.
Gerrard rescues Liverpool in Champions League football
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Rafa Benitez admitted he is concerned by Liverpool's lack of cutting edge after his side needed a dubious penalty to salvage a 1-1 draw against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League.
Benitez's team were grateful that Swedish referee Martin Hansson decided Steven Gerrard's theatrical tumble was worthy of spot-kick seconds from full-time at Anfield on Tuesday.
Even Gerrard, who smashed in the penalty to keep Liverpool on course for the second round, conceded it was a harsh decision, and Benitez was unimpressed with the way the Reds laboured to kill off Atletico.
They created the better chances but, in a worrying repeat of their misfiring defeat at Tottenham on Sunday, failed to take them and were eventually forced to settle for less than their build-up play deserved.
Gerrard's last-gasp heroics are a regular part of Liverpool's European campaigns and the England midfielder's latest intervention kept his team on course for the last 16.
A win over Marseille at Anfield later this month would clinch qualification from Group D, but Benitez knows Liverpool will have to sharpen up their act to progress much further.
"We were talking before about the character of the team. Five or six times we have come from behind and that is important but we have to take our chances," Benitez said.
"It makes a massive difference, especially in the Champions League."
With Fernando Torres out with a hamstring injury and Robbie Keane still searching for his best form, Benitez had few options to shake up his forward line.
The Liverpool manager admitted Torres was unwilling to come back against his former club because his confidence is low after several weeks out of action.
But the Spain striker's absence is starting to prove costly for Liverpool and Benitez hopes he will be ready to play against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
"He was very close to playing but he had no confidence so it was better to keep him in the stands," Benitez said. "He could play this weekend. It depends on the confidence of the player, if he is happy and training well and happy with his fitness."
Benitez highlighted Keane's prodigious workrate as evidence that the 20 million pounds signing is earning his keep, but he hauled him off before the end and it would be no surprise to see the Irish forward left out if Torres returns.
"He is working hard. If you talk about strikers you talk about goals but it depends on luck and good deliveries," Benitez said.
"He is doing his job but sometimes you want to change things. We were creating chances so sometimes you change things because another striker can be lucky."
Atletico were within touching distance of the second round after Maxi Rodriguez capped an incisive break by wrong-footed Jamie Carragher and shooting low into the far corner of Jose Reina's goal in the 37th minute.
Liverpool were always the more threatening side but Keane, David N'Gog and Daniel Agger all missed chances before Gerrard collided with Mariano Pernia to win that controversial spot-kick.
Atletico coach Javier Aguirre took heart from his team's mature display and backed them to get the win needed to qualify against PSV Eindhoven.
"We were solid at the back, well organised and played well against a great side at an imposing stadium," Aguirre said.
"We didn't get the reward we deserved but we shouldn't devalue a point. We have done well in the Champions League and that is helping us rebuild confidence in the league.
"We still need points to qualify and the first objective is to get through. Then if we can let's see if we can come top of the group."
Champions League - Benitez waits on Torres
Rafa Benitez will make a late decision on the fitness of Fernando Torres ahead of Liverpool's Champions League date with Atletico Madrid.
Torres has missed the Reds' last five games with a hamstring injury, including the first meeting with Atletico in the Spanish capital a fortnight ago.
Benitez accepts that Torres "can change games" but is happy enough with the performances of his other strikers and does not to want to gamble on the 24 year-old's long-term fitness as they seek to bounce back from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.
The Liverpool boss said: "We have been winning without Fernando, not on Saturday of course, but I have been very happy with the other strikers.
"He can win games on his own, so we would want him in our side if he is fit.
"Torres is a fantastic player, he can change games. But we have been playing so well we have not missed him.
"If he is confident and wants to play, he will play. If he is not ready then we will not take a risk."
Torres trained on Monday and Benitez will make an assessment nearer kick-off, although he intimated he is most likely to be on the substitutes' bench if he is involved at all.
He said: "Torres is 70% ready, he has trained today, will train tomorrow and then we will decide. I want to wait to see how he feels.
"It depends on the player, if the player is confident you can take a risk, but if he is not confident you have to wait.
"He has had this problem before, but I do not see it as being a real worry. What we must do is make sure that when he is with the Spanish international team, that risks are not taken.
"We are in contact with the Spanish set-up and hope that in future the fitness coach is more under control.
"If Torres has confidence then he can be involved. If not then it is better to wait.
"Clearly he would like to play against his former club, he has a great relationship with their fans and the whole club. He wants to show them what a good player he is, but we must wait to see how he is."
Benitez clearly believes the setback at White Hart Lane was just a blip and added: "What happened at Spurs will not change how we do things. We will attack, we will try to score goals and be dominant.
"But we need to be more clinical in front of goal. That is the key to maintaining our form.
"I am not worried about what happened at Spurs. Watching the game we were so good, all we needed to do was take our chances.
"When you are playing well, there is no point complaining or worrying. Afterwards we could not believe what had happened.
"We were totally on top of the first half, and for much of the second period. We just had to take the chances and it would have been over.
"We are playing so well, all we have to do is keep doing the same thing. We have nothing to prove, the main thing now is to just concentrate on what we know is right."
If Liverpool win and PSV Eindhoven lose in Marseille, the five-times European champions will be in the last 16.
Benitez said: "It would be a great bonus to qualify at this early stage, but the first thing we must do is make sure we win against Atletico.
"I would think that 11 points should be enough to qualify. I say that because if PSV win in Marseille, it suddenly becomes more difficult.
"We have seven points already, if we beat Atletico it is virtually over but we must not consider such things ahead of playing a very good side.
"Let's just win the games, then we can look at the group table and work out what is needed.
"Since we drew in Madrid, they have drawn 4-4 with Villarreal and beaten Mallorca 2-0, with (Sergio) Aguero returning to score twice.
"Madrid are doing well, but they do have problems. Their strengths and weaknesses are the same, but they do have Aguero back and he is a very good player.
"We have players who have the right mentality to handle this. Nobody is certain of a place, everyone is playing so well so I have plenty of choice."
Benitez accepts that Torres "can change games" but is happy enough with the performances of his other strikers and does not to want to gamble on the 24 year-old's long-term fitness as they seek to bounce back from Saturday's 2-1 defeat at Tottenham.
The Liverpool boss said: "We have been winning without Fernando, not on Saturday of course, but I have been very happy with the other strikers.
"He can win games on his own, so we would want him in our side if he is fit.
"Torres is a fantastic player, he can change games. But we have been playing so well we have not missed him.
"If he is confident and wants to play, he will play. If he is not ready then we will not take a risk."
Torres trained on Monday and Benitez will make an assessment nearer kick-off, although he intimated he is most likely to be on the substitutes' bench if he is involved at all.
He said: "Torres is 70% ready, he has trained today, will train tomorrow and then we will decide. I want to wait to see how he feels.
"It depends on the player, if the player is confident you can take a risk, but if he is not confident you have to wait.
"He has had this problem before, but I do not see it as being a real worry. What we must do is make sure that when he is with the Spanish international team, that risks are not taken.
"We are in contact with the Spanish set-up and hope that in future the fitness coach is more under control.
"If Torres has confidence then he can be involved. If not then it is better to wait.
"Clearly he would like to play against his former club, he has a great relationship with their fans and the whole club. He wants to show them what a good player he is, but we must wait to see how he is."
Benitez clearly believes the setback at White Hart Lane was just a blip and added: "What happened at Spurs will not change how we do things. We will attack, we will try to score goals and be dominant.
"But we need to be more clinical in front of goal. That is the key to maintaining our form.
"I am not worried about what happened at Spurs. Watching the game we were so good, all we needed to do was take our chances.
"When you are playing well, there is no point complaining or worrying. Afterwards we could not believe what had happened.
"We were totally on top of the first half, and for much of the second period. We just had to take the chances and it would have been over.
"We are playing so well, all we have to do is keep doing the same thing. We have nothing to prove, the main thing now is to just concentrate on what we know is right."
If Liverpool win and PSV Eindhoven lose in Marseille, the five-times European champions will be in the last 16.
Benitez said: "It would be a great bonus to qualify at this early stage, but the first thing we must do is make sure we win against Atletico.
"I would think that 11 points should be enough to qualify. I say that because if PSV win in Marseille, it suddenly becomes more difficult.
"We have seven points already, if we beat Atletico it is virtually over but we must not consider such things ahead of playing a very good side.
"Let's just win the games, then we can look at the group table and work out what is needed.
"Since we drew in Madrid, they have drawn 4-4 with Villarreal and beaten Mallorca 2-0, with (Sergio) Aguero returning to score twice.
"Madrid are doing well, but they do have problems. Their strengths and weaknesses are the same, but they do have Aguero back and he is a very good player.
"We have players who have the right mentality to handle this. Nobody is certain of a place, everyone is playing so well so I have plenty of choice."
Carra demands reaction from Reds
Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool are now facing their biggest test of the Premier League season as they aim to bounce back from a first loss.The Reds slipped off the summit of the table with their 2-1 defeat at White Hart Lane on Saturday, Carragher's own goal letting Tottenham back into the match.
Chelsea responded to last weekend's home defeat to Liverpool by putting eight goals past Hull and Sunderland, and Carragher wants a similar response from his team-mates.
"Look how Chelsea have reacted since we beat them and how Manchester United reacted when they lost to us," he said.
"They've been on a great run since. It's how you come back from your setbacks that counts. This will be a test for us now.
"If you want to show you're championship contenders it's how you bounce back that matters.
"Before Jose Mourinho came to Chelsea you could get away with losing five or six but now it seems to be three or four.
"The standards are so high. You can't afford to lose too many."
Fixtures against the likes of West Brom, Bolton and Fulham mean Liverpool face, at least on paper, a kind November but Carragher is taking nothing for granted.
"It's a different test in itself playing against the teams lower down," he said.
"Portsmouth was a very difficult game and we didn't score until late on.
"If we play as well as we can we should go on to win the next six games but in the past we've come unstuck in those matches and it's important we get maximum points now."
Fernando Torres should be back for Tuesday's Champions League clash with Atletico Madrid after recovering from a hamstring injury.
Carragher admits Torres has been missed but insists the squad should be able to cope in his absence.
"You'll always miss Torres. He's probably the best striker in the world of his type," he said.
"Even if we'd won here we would have still missed him because he's such a great player. That's what squads are for.
"That's why the manager talks every year about big squads and good benches.
"Everyone misses players. Chelsea are without Didier Drogba at the moment. You've just got to adapt to it."
Liverpool could have done with Torres' clinical touch as they let a series of chances go begging against Spurs before Carragher's own goal changed the match.
"That's the Premier League for you. Credit to Spurs but we were in total control," said Carragher.
"We should have got a second or third goal but if you don't do that Spurs have definitely got quality going forward.
"I'm disappointed to score the own goal. I don't know what happened. I don't know if I was unlucky - I'll have to see it again.
"Even then 1-1 isn't too bad at Spurs. It's not an easy place to go, even though they're in a bad situation.
"We're more than disappointed to concede a goal in the last minute. We missed a couple of chances we would normally score.
"Normally when you're in such control you go on to win the game but you have to give credit to Tottenham for showing character and sticking in there.
"Harry Redknapp is having quite an effect there."
Rafa wants to resolve Reds future
Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez is eager to avoid a repeat of the contract problems that forced him to quit Valencia for Anfield.Benitez won a second La Liga title and the UEFA Cup with Valencia in 2004 and had compiled a list of targets including the likes of emerging talents Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba.
But the Spanish boss walked out on the final year of his contract to take charge of Liverpool after broken promises over a new deal.
With 18 months now left on his Liverpool contract, Benitez does not want to walk away from another work in progress.
"I left Valencia because there were problems with my contract and other situations that meant I decided to leave," he told the Sunday Mirror.
"It wasn't my idea to leave because I had a list of names in place that would have improved the team. I believe Valencia would have gone on to win more trophies."
Benitez has led Liverpool to two Champions League finals, winning the top European crown in 2005, and this season the Reds look like genuine Premier League title contenders.
The 48-year-old feels Liverpool are on the verge of creating a dynasty at Anfield and he is eager to commit his long-term future to the club now that co-owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks claim to have healed their boardroom rift.
"I spoke with George Gillett in London last week but there was nothing about a new contract," Benitez added.
"That is OK because I want to concentrate. But if the owners ask to talk about a new contract that would be good also.
"If not, I will continue to do my job for as long as I can and then we will see. I really want to stay at Liverpool and hopefully in the future the squad will be even better.
"I would like to be here a long time so I am waiting. After improving the squad for the last five years I know we are very, very close to having a fantastic team and I want to be part of their future.
"I am also sure that this Liverpool team, with the staff I have also, will get better every year.
"The contract situation does not put me under more pressure to win either the title or the Champions League because in my mind I am just thinking about winning every game.
"I think we are close to having the team I want, but if I start thinking 'we have to win this trophy' it is possible to lose focus."
Match gallery - Tottenham vs Liverpool
Premier League - Dramatic Spurs dent Liverpool
Tottenham grabbed a second late goal in as many games as Roman Pavlyuchenko dented Liverpool's title aspirations with the winner in a 2-1 come-from-behind victory at White Hart Lane.
Robbie Keane marked his return to Tottenham after his summer move by setting up Liverpool's third-minute opener for Dirk Kuyt, who produced a brilliant finish from a tight angle.
After the visitors had twice hit the woodwork in search of a second, Jamie Carragher headed past his own keeper at a 68th-minute corner get Spurs level.
And Russian international Pavlyuchenko turned home from close range at the near post with just a minute remaining to earn Spurs their seventh point in three games since Harry Redknapp took over from Juande Ramos late last Saturday night.
The result comes just three days after Aaron Lennon had earned his side a point with an injury-time leveller against north London rivals Arsenal.
Just two minutes had elapsed when Keane made his presence felt at White Hart Lane - with disastrous consequences for Tottenham.
The Republic of Ireland striker continued some slick build-up play by finding an unmarked Kuyt down the right and the Dutchman hit the net from a tight angle with a brilliant finish
Spurs' best attempt of the first half came when an under-worked Reina was forced to push aside Luka Modric's impressive effort from the edge of the area just before the break.
Steven Gerrard twice hit the woodwork at the start of the second half as they pushed for a second goal to seal the match. On 49 minutes, his shot bounced down off the elbow of Ledley King and needed to be touched onto the post by Heurelho Gomes.
But the much-maligned keeper was almost the architect of his own downfall a few minutes later when he carelessly gave the ball straight to Gerrard just outside his own box, although the Liverpool skipper could only chip his effort onto the crossbar.
Spurs made the visitors pay for not extending their lead when Carragher rose highest in a group of players contesting a near-post corner, only to see the ball deflect off his head and past the helpless Reina.
Both sides pressed for a winner as the game finally opened up in the final ten minutes, with substitute Lennon sparking the home side into life with some jinking runs.
And the winner came with just a minute of normal time remaining when Reina pushed David Bentley's drive away, only for Darren Bent to turn the ball back to the near post where Pavlyuchenk turned the ball home.
After the visitors had twice hit the woodwork in search of a second, Jamie Carragher headed past his own keeper at a 68th-minute corner get Spurs level.
And Russian international Pavlyuchenko turned home from close range at the near post with just a minute remaining to earn Spurs their seventh point in three games since Harry Redknapp took over from Juande Ramos late last Saturday night.
The result comes just three days after Aaron Lennon had earned his side a point with an injury-time leveller against north London rivals Arsenal.
Just two minutes had elapsed when Keane made his presence felt at White Hart Lane - with disastrous consequences for Tottenham.
The Republic of Ireland striker continued some slick build-up play by finding an unmarked Kuyt down the right and the Dutchman hit the net from a tight angle with a brilliant finish
Spurs' best attempt of the first half came when an under-worked Reina was forced to push aside Luka Modric's impressive effort from the edge of the area just before the break.
Steven Gerrard twice hit the woodwork at the start of the second half as they pushed for a second goal to seal the match. On 49 minutes, his shot bounced down off the elbow of Ledley King and needed to be touched onto the post by Heurelho Gomes.
But the much-maligned keeper was almost the architect of his own downfall a few minutes later when he carelessly gave the ball straight to Gerrard just outside his own box, although the Liverpool skipper could only chip his effort onto the crossbar.
Spurs made the visitors pay for not extending their lead when Carragher rose highest in a group of players contesting a near-post corner, only to see the ball deflect off his head and past the helpless Reina.
Both sides pressed for a winner as the game finally opened up in the final ten minutes, with substitute Lennon sparking the home side into life with some jinking runs.
And the winner came with just a minute of normal time remaining when Reina pushed David Bentley's drive away, only for Darren Bent to turn the ball back to the near post where Pavlyuchenk turned the ball home.
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