Sunday, December 06, 2009

Blackburn Too 'Physical' A Place To Risk Alberto Aquilani


Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez admitted his disappointment with Liverpool's goalless draw at Ewood Park but defended his decision not to bring on Alberto Aquilani.

He said: "We did not play well in the first half, but after the break we were much better. We were certainly better in possession than we had been in the last game when we won at Everton.

"We need to win, though, in these situations. We are getting better but we know we have to do better."

Benitez revealed that Liverpool are likely to have Fernando Torres fit for the Champions League match on Wednesday against Fiorentina, with Alberto Aquilani also expected to start the match.

Of his decision to keep Aquilani on the bench at Ewood Park, Benitez said: "He is fit now, the ankle injury has healed. But I feel this was a difficult, physical place to come and not the right time to throw him on.

"He will be better getting his chance in a home match with our fans behind him. It is a difficult decision when someone is not fully match fit, he could make a mistake and it would set him back."

Blackburn boss Sam Allardyce revealed that he couldn't resist a return to the dug-out on his first game back since undergoing heart surgery.

Allardyce had spent much of the match in the directors' box following his heart surgery last week, but he ventured down to the dug-out for the closing minutes.

He said: "I felt okay until the last few minutes, they were a heart-stopper.

"But in those minutes we could have won it. Nikola Kalinic was through, and should have at least got his effort on target. He was flattened by (Jose) Reina just outside the box, but he still should have rolled the shot on target. "

No comments: