Former Liverpool defender Stephane Henchoz says the Reds are too reliant on Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres to challenge for the Premier League.
The 33-year-old, now at Blackburn, won three trophies with Liverpool in 2001 but was one of the first to leave the club when Rafa Benitez joined in 2004.
"If Gerrard and Torres are not playing at their best, you hardly see where the goals are coming from," Henchoz said.
"They probably need two or three very good players if they want to compete."
Gerrard and Torres have scored 30 of Liverpool's 55 league goals this season.
Their title hopes were effectively dashed against Manchester United last Sunday when a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford put them 14 points behind the reigning champions with seven games left.
Henchoz left Anfield in January 2005 - just seven months after Benitez took over - and the defender made no secret of his anger at the way he had been treated by the Spaniard.
The 33-year-old has not been impressed by Benitez's squad rotation policy this season.
"The rotation system sometimes in the league was not the best," said the Swiss speaking at the Liverpool leg of BBC Your Game.
"They drew too many times and if they kept their best XI, they would have won a few more games."
On a personal level, Henchoz is on the verge of a comeback from a disrupted season at Ewood Park where he has had two operations on an injured knee.
But with his contract up at the end of the season, he has already begun planning for the future.
"I've been injured since September, (I've had) two operations and it did not go well at all," he said.
"I'm hoping to be back in first-team training next week, and then it's nearly the end of the season so I will try to get back and play a few reserve games in April and then see what happens.
"But I'm starting a coaching badge next week with some lads at Blackburn, but that takes a couple of years to do that. Then maybe, if the opportunity comes, why not try management?"
Stephane Henchoz attended Your Game in Liverpool as a guest of the Swiss Embassy in London. The Swiss Embassy are supporting Your Game by taking the 2008 Your Game All Stars to Switzerland during the European Championship.
The 33-year-old, now at Blackburn, won three trophies with Liverpool in 2001 but was one of the first to leave the club when Rafa Benitez joined in 2004.
"If Gerrard and Torres are not playing at their best, you hardly see where the goals are coming from," Henchoz said.
"They probably need two or three very good players if they want to compete."
Gerrard and Torres have scored 30 of Liverpool's 55 league goals this season.
Their title hopes were effectively dashed against Manchester United last Sunday when a 3-0 defeat at Old Trafford put them 14 points behind the reigning champions with seven games left.
Henchoz left Anfield in January 2005 - just seven months after Benitez took over - and the defender made no secret of his anger at the way he had been treated by the Spaniard.
The 33-year-old has not been impressed by Benitez's squad rotation policy this season.
"The rotation system sometimes in the league was not the best," said the Swiss speaking at the Liverpool leg of BBC Your Game.
"They drew too many times and if they kept their best XI, they would have won a few more games."
On a personal level, Henchoz is on the verge of a comeback from a disrupted season at Ewood Park where he has had two operations on an injured knee.
But with his contract up at the end of the season, he has already begun planning for the future.
"I've been injured since September, (I've had) two operations and it did not go well at all," he said.
"I'm hoping to be back in first-team training next week, and then it's nearly the end of the season so I will try to get back and play a few reserve games in April and then see what happens.
"But I'm starting a coaching badge next week with some lads at Blackburn, but that takes a couple of years to do that. Then maybe, if the opportunity comes, why not try management?"
Stephane Henchoz attended Your Game in Liverpool as a guest of the Swiss Embassy in London. The Swiss Embassy are supporting Your Game by taking the 2008 Your Game All Stars to Switzerland during the European Championship.
1 comment:
I think Henchoz should be nicknamed "Captain Obvious" hehehe Everyone knows that Stevie G & Torres are the only world class players down at Anfield.
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