Rafa Benitez Putting Faith In Liverpool FC Defender Glen Johnson

There is an irony attached to Rafa Benitez’s signing of Glen Johnson, if you are willing to believe the chatter in some parts.

It goes like this. The manager who is more preoccupied with defending and making sure the back of his team is in order actually weakened his rearguard by selling a player who could occupy a number of positions for someone who struggles to do his main job.

Nothing, of course, could be further from the truth. Yet ever since he played for England in Ukraine on October 10, Johnson has found his positional sense and ability to help Liverpool keep clean sheets called into question.

Never was that more apparent than after last Sunday’s alarming 2-1 defeat at home to Arsenal as Johnson put through his own net to give Arsene Wenger’s side a route back into the game before having his pocket picked by Arshavin for their winner.

Every player, at some point in their career, experiences a 45 minute spell when nothing goes right, but for there to be suggestions that Johnson has struggled since swapping Portsmouth for Liverpool in the summer would be grossly unfair.

Fast, skilful and decisive in the tackle, Johnson has made an assured start to life on Merseyside; yes, there has been the odd lapse, but ask Benitez about the man he bought to replace Alvaro Arbeloa and you are left in doubt about the manager’s views.

Having shaken off the problem which forced him to miss Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Wigan, Johnson will take his place alongside Jamie Carragher, Daniel Agger and Fabio Aurelio at a ground he knows well.

An FA Cup-winner during his time on the south coast, Johnson is sure to get a good reception at Fratton Park, but all Benitez is bothered about is the 25-year-old making a key contribution to another Liverpool win.

“When we looked at Glen, we knew we were signing an attacking full-back,” Benitez explained. “Everybody knows he is really good going forward but, at the same time, we know he can improve in defence.

“It’s too early to talk about how he has done for us so far, but we have seen him take good positions on the pitch and he does well in certain situations; sometimes he makes a mistake, but generally he is doing very well.

“But he has an attacking mentality and that is good. He is improving and he will keep improving; it is all a question of time, but, clearly, we know he is going to be a good player for Liverpool.

“Last Sunday was just a bit of bad luck. First the cross took a deflection off Fabio then another off Carra and it was really difficult for him to get out of the way; but the main thing always for me is the reaction.

“This week we have watched Glen and he has been very good. He has a good mentality and he is keen to learn; at this moment he is showing that he can become a key player for us for a long time. He just needs to keep improving the little details.”

What will help him achieve that aim is if Benitez can get Carragher, Agger and Aurelio alongside Johnson on a regular basis – it is no surprise Liverpool have conceded more goals this season than usual, given how much shuffling the manager has had to do.

Agger and Aurelio may have had more injuries than most, but Johnson has suffered his fair share and Benitez is hoping the former Chelsea and West Ham can put those niggles behind him to play one week after another.

“The injuries have been very important,” said Benitez. “Glen has had problems, but we have also had other problems with too many players having injuries at the same time and they (the back four) haven’t been able to play together regularly for a while.

“But if we can change that, I think it will be much easier because the understanding between defenders is very important. Glen was Portsmouth’s best player last season and I’m sure he will get a good reception.”

Johnson was in opposition back in February when Liverpool staged one of their most dramatic comebacks of the season, scoring twice in the last five minutes to snatch a 3-2 win when it seemed like they were going to return empty-handed.

“We showed there last year that we have got a very good mentality,” said Benitez. “We were able to win a lot of games at the end and we have shown we can do it; the mentality we are looking for now is this one.

“When you have some problems you have to show character and I think the players are ready. Hopefully we can play well and we will not need to win in the last minute, but if we have to that’s fine, too. We have got to keep the momentum going.

“We needed to win on Wednesday and that was the main thing. We had a situation with which I was furious – it should have been a free-kick when Pepe Reina was trying to catch the ball but the referee allowed them to play on and they hit the bar.

“I was really disappointed because it would have meant us having to score another goal when we were nervous. But still the performance was good.”