Match Prediction: Chelsea vs. LiverpooL

If you take Liverpool's recent away form and Chelsea's recent home record you get a gulf not dissimiliar to the one in the Manchester derby. Yet Manchester United are 1/3 and Chelsea are even money.

Chelsea have won their last five games at home, and they remain unbeaten at Stamford Bridge longer than I can remember. Liverpool haven't won any of their last four games away from Anfield.

It's not as if they haven't had the opportunities either. Their games have come against Manchester City, Middlesbrough, Luton and West Ham. They were well-fancied at the prices to win all of those games.

Rafael Benitez's team have also lost their last four games at Stamford Bridge - including a 2-0 reverse in the Carling Cup as recently as December.

Chelsea have shown remarkable qualities to shrug off the loss of Jose Mourinho and the decimation of their squad through injury, suspension and the African Nations.

The signing of Nicolas Anelka is a major boost to Avram Grant's team and he got his first Premier League goal for them in the 1-1 draw at Portsmouth.

The 13/8 Paddy Power offer about Anelka scoring anytime makes some appeal but not as much as the even money about Chelsea winning their sixth home game on the trot.

Verdict: Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

Match Preview: Chelsea vs. LiverpooL

Chelsea and especially Liverpool find themselves behind Manchester United and Arsenal in the title race, and that is largely because neither have yet managed to beat any of the other ‘big four’ teams. This game represents a chance for Chelsea to end that miserable record and pile the pressure on leaders Arsenal, who do not play until Monday night.

The Blues will certainly be confident of beating a Liverpool side that are low on confidence and without some key players. Fernando Torres, Xabi Alonso and Daniel Agger will miss this clash and all three will be sorely missed.

The Reds are a long way behind the title challengers, and instead find themselves in a battle with the likes of Everton and Aston Villa for fourth place in the Premier League this season, nowhere near what many Liverpool supporters expected at the beginning of the campaign.

Liverpool fans have firmly focused their attentions to the club’s American owners in recent weeks, who admitted that they approached Jurgen Klinsmann about the possibility of replacing Rafa Benitez as manager of the club. Such attention has meant the focus has shifted somewhat away from the stumbling efforts of the team.

The whole situation feels tense, and is similar to the disintegration of Jose Mourinho’s relationship with his superiors at Chelsea. The Blues replaced the self proclaimed ‘Special One’ with the quietly effective Israeli Avram Grant, and since he took charge The Blues have withstood an injury crisis to stay within striking distance of top dogs United and Arsenal.

With Drogba, Kalou, Mikel, Lampard, Terry and Essien all to return to the side, Chelsea are only going to get stronger as the season reaches its conclusion. With both Arsenal and United still to visit Stamford Bridge, it could be argued that the championship is there for Chelsea to win. The Blues know however that they cannot afford to slip and they need to collect another three points against Liverpool this Sunday.

For Liverpool meanwhile, it is imperative that they qualify for next season’s Champions League as the ‘Big Four’ is rapidly becoming a ‘Top Three’ with Liverpool the cast-offs. A win for Benitez at Stamford Bridge - something no Premier League side has done since Arsenal in February 2004.

FORM GUIDE


Chelsea

02 Jan v Portsmouth (A) DREW 1-1 (Prem)

30 Jan v Reading (H) WON 1-0 (Prem)

26 Jan v Wigan (A) WON 2-1 (FA Cup)

23 Jan v Everton (A) WON 1-0 (Prem)

19 Jan v Birmingham (A) WON 1-0 (Prem)

12 Jan v Tottenham (H) WON 2-0 (Prem)


Liverpool

02 Feb v Sunderland (H) WON 3-0 (Prem)

30 Jan v West Ham (A) LOST 0-1 (Prem)

26 Jan v Havant & Waterlooville (H) WON 5-2 (FA Cup)

21 Jan v Aston Villa (H) DREW 2-2 (Prem)

15 Jan v Luton (H) WON 5-0 (FA Cup)

12 Jan v Middlesbrough (A) DREW 1-1 (Prem)



TEAM NEWS

Chelsea

Frank Lampard (thigh) and Ricardo Carvalho (suspension) should make welcome returns to the side. Andriy Shevchenko (back) and John Terry (foot) are definitely missing and Jon Obi Mikel may return from the African Cup of Nations.


Liverpool

Star striker Fernando Torres (hamstring) is a huge loss to The Reds after he limped out of Spain’s midweek friendly win over France. Cultured midfielder Xabi Alonso is suspended, so expect Gerrard and Mascherano to continue in the centre of the park. Defenders Alvaro Arbeloa and Daniel Agger (foot) are missing along with Ukrainian front man Andriy Voronin (ankle).


PLAYERS TO WATCH

Chelsea - Nicolas Anelka

Anelka got his first Chelsea goal in last week’s draw at Portsmouth and the classy French striker will hope to impress against one of his many former clubs on Sunday. Anelka is the ultimate predator, and will hope to capitalise on a distinct lack of pace at the heart of the visitor’s defence.

Liverpool - Steven Gerrard

After captaining his country on Wednesday against Gerrard will have to be at his best if Liverpool are going to take anything from this testing away trip. In the absence of Xabi Alonso and Fernando Torres, Gerrard will have to provide most of his side’s attacking impetus against the club that he came so close top signing him a couple of seasons ago.

Rafa - Rift To Blame For Slump

Rafa Benitez believes Liverpool lost pace with the Premier League leaders because of the speculation surrounding his relationship with the club's co-owners.

The Reds made a solid start to their Premier League campaign but rumours soon began to spread that Benitez had fallen out with American duo George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

They publicly disagreed over the size of the available transfer budget for January, and Hicks later admitted holding talks with former Germany manager Jurgen Klinsmann.

Supporters have rallied around Benitez and the Spaniard believes he can be excused for Liverpool's below-par displays.

"What is evident is that back at that time we were in a great position and the team was in shape to win many of the games which we eventually drew," he told the News of the World.

"So the entire process is what allowed the gap to open between us and the leaders.

"If I wanted, I have the perfect excuse. The only solution I have is to try to bury myself in my work."

Liverpool are currently 17 points behind table-toppers Arsenal and Benitez accepts that claiming the fourth UEFA Champions League berth is now his now their primary focus.

He said ahead of the game against Chelsea: "What is vital is that we win to enable us to fight for at least the fourth-placed spot."

279 Changes And Rafa Benitez Finally Admits: I Gamble Too Much

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez concedes that sometimes he gambles too much with his rotation policy.

That is a remarkable admission from the Spaniard, who always defiantly defends his system of resting players on a regular basis.

It has meant that from day one of the season he has now made a staggering 279 changes to his line-ups, week on week, and shows no sign of sticking to his best side as critics continually claim he should.

Benitez averages an amazing five changes a match and has only kept an unchanged side once this term.

And as Benitez prepares this time to make enforced changes at Chelsea due to a growing injury list, he said: “If I need to make gambles, then I will make gambles.

“We have been in two Champions League finals and an FA Cup final. That is because we change the side.

“Sometimes it is good and works, sometimes not. But nobody really knows whether what I do is right.

“All I will say is that Liverpool and me have won a lot of trophies doing this.

“Sometimes maybe I take too many gambles. But it is necessary sometimes when opponents have top class, expensive players, and lots of them.

“If they have five players who cost £20m and we have just one, you need to use that player in the right moment. If you don’t win, people blame you.

“If you do win, nobody mentions what team you put onto the field. I accept that.”

He added: “We played against Havant and people said, ’play your best team.’ But you cannot do that against a team like that, if people want that it is because they do not know what it takes to win trophies and trophies and trophies.

“If you cannot do things like that against smaller teams then you will just not be able to compete all the time against Premier League teams. You must change things for games like that.”

Benitez will go into his 18th meeting with Chelsea without top scorer Fernando Torres, who damaged a hamstring playing for Spain in midweek.

The Spanish boss says: “People say I gamble too much with rotation and changes. But the answer to that is to look at Torres, he has played a lot of games for us recently and then he has another game with Spain, and he gets injured.

“He is continuing to play at a high level all the time. Players must rest also.

“We have half a dozen players in this situation, they all need to be changed and to rest. But everyone keeps talking about me playing my strongest team, and then you see what happens.

“I do not like to say what is my strongest team, I must use all the players with the demands we have. If you pick the same team all the time you will find at the end of the season that you cannot win trophies.”

Liverpool now have three key games in 10 days to salvage their season. After the clash with Chelsea they will play Barnsley in the FA Cup fifth round next weekend, and then face the first leg of their Champions League clash with Inter Milan.

And Benitez is still fuming over the injury to Torres that has damaged Liverpool’s chances in all three competitions.

He said: “We have three big games in 10 days in three different competitions and we have lost out top goalscorer.

“It is difficult to be calm about it, this was another international friendly in a busy period for clubs at this time of the season.

“It is crazy enough that they go away and have different training systems, diets, new ideas. And they get injured.

“We have got some confidence back with a 3-0 win over Sunderland and a very good second-half performance. But then a lot of players are away all over the world and we are left to train with just a few, it makes things very difficult.”

Liverpool will also be without long-term injured stars Andriy Voronin, Fabio Aurelio, Alvaro Arbeloa and Daniel Agger. Xabi Alonso is suspended.

Rafa Benitez Gets Ready To Axe Peter Crouch

Having lifted Liverpool from a dreadful lethargy by scoring the opening goal against Sunderland last week and followed up with a half- decent display for England at Wembley, Peter Crouch ought to be a shoo-in for a starting place at Chelsea today. But in the wacky world of management as practised by Rafa Benitez, Crouch might yet find himself on the bench, even though Fernando Torres is injured and Dirk Kuyt still upset after the death of his father last June.

If former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri was the Tinkerman, Benitez is the Mad Axeman, chopping at least four or five players every game in the name of rotation or just to keep people on their toes. So Crouch responds with a nervous laugh when asked if he is confident of making the line-up at Stamford Bridge.

He says: "I don't know about confident. I started the last game, did well and scored. But with our manager it's not a case of whether you've done well in the last game but how he feels the next game is going to be. So I have no idea."

Crouch tries to present himself as the good professional but he is clearly fed up to the back teeth. He says: "I'm not going to lie, it's frustrating. I feel I've taken my chances when they have come but I'd like to be playing a bit more. I do feel I'm in the manager's plans, though, and will play enough games towards the end of the season to warrant staying."

One may be Spanish, the other Italian. But in the way they handle their team selection and announce it to their players, Steven Gerrard reckons Rafa Benitez and Fabio Capello might have been separated at birth.

Not only did Capello keep his England players sweating almost until it was time to get changed, à la Rafa, when the squad saw the team sheet, there were gasps of: "Blimey, is he playing?" and "I can't believe so-and-so has been left out".

Gerrard, delighted to be Capello's first captain, said: "He is very like our manager in the way he keeps things close to his chest. We didn't know the team until two hours before kick-off. We didn't have a clue and I don’t think anyone in the country would have guessed that team."

Tom Hicks Plans To Get More Involved At Liverpool As Gillett's Son Leaves

Liverpool FC co-owner Tom Hicks last night signalled that he plans to play a more hands-on roll in the running of the Anfield club.

Despite becoming the target of fans’ anger over the £100million-plus debt he and fellow owner George Gillett have placed on the club, Hicks told an American press conference he intends to become more involved at Anfield.

He dismissed suggestions he would be driven to sell up to Dubai International Capital or the growing ‘Share Liverpool’ group which aims to raise the money needed to buy out both Gillett and Hicks.

"I'm anticipating a more active role in Liverpool,'' Hicks told reporters at the Texas Rangers baseball franchise he also owns. I really don't want to comment more at this point.''

Hicks wouldn't be pressed into answering qustions about Liverpool’s financial stability.

Question marks have been hanging over how the Americans plan to run Liverpool FC since Gillett’s son Foster, who arrived to work with LFC chief executive Rick Parry after the takeover last year, went on holiday.

That was a month ago, and the Liverpool Daily Post understands he has not been back since.

The Daily Post understands that Foster Gillett and his wife have no plans to return to the city, despite having recently bought a £1m home in Woolton.

Any plans by Hicks to get more actively involved in Liverpool are likely to upset fans.

Comments by Hicks about approaching Jurgen Klinsmann as a possible replacement for Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez have galvanised public opinion against him.

In a survey carried out by the Liverpool Daily Post last month, nine out of 10 fans wanted Hicks to sell up his stake immediatley.

On the anniversary of the club’s takeover on Wednesday, chief executive Rick Parry urged all sides to start working together again.

But with rumours persisting in the financial press that the Americans may pass more of their debt on to the club’s book, that is unlikely to happen.

Rafael Benitez Admits That It's Win Or Bust At Chelsea

Rafael Benitez has admitted that it is win or bust at Chelsea if Liverpool are going to have a credible Premier League campaign.

The Anfield boss believes that if his side suffer yet another defeat at Stamford Bridge, then the best they can hope for is fourth place.

That is why he has described the encounter with Chelsea as a defining moment in his team's season - even though he knows it will take a superhuman effort to win there.

Under Benitez, Liverpool have lost every time they have visited the other members of the so-called 'Big Four'. In nine visits, they have not taken a single point from Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal.

And with away trips to all three coming up over the next six weeks, the Spanish coach knows that if his side are to hold any ambition of closing the gap on third place, then they must start beating their biggest rivals.

With such a tough run-in, they may have to take points of the title-chasers just to remain a distant fourth.

He admitted: "It is clear we have to win at Chelsea if we want to lift our season. It is a big game for us, because a result against a big team can offer real momentum.

"We are fighting for fourth position and if we beat Chelsea we can think about maybe third position.

"But if we lose, then we're running out of games and it would be much more difficult to even think about third place. We know how important it is."

Despite Liverpool's dismal record against the clubs they consider to be their main rivals, Benitez is still confident he can pull off a major shock.

They have taken only two points from their three home games against the top three this season.

But the Spanish coach was in defiant mood yesterday, insisting that he can inspire his men to a famous victory. "I go into the game with confidence. Personally, I feel very good," he said.

"We know we will need to play better than we have to get anything at Chelsea. When you play against the top sides you must play really well if you want to get something from the game.

"I think the players have the confidence now to go and get a result. The players who were not on international duty have trained well, the sessions were really good and the mood fantastic.

"I think we can do it, I really do. We have shown in different games that we are capable of doing it. We have gone to Chelsea before and played well, and deserved more from the game. Maybe this is the time we get it."

Benitez though, will be without his top scorer Fernando Torres, and he admits there is now a major worry about where the goals will come from.

His record against the top teams hasn't been good enough, but he argues that against the very best teams, it is the smallest of details that decide the outcome.

"When you play at Chelsea, it isn't easy. It isn't just Liverpool, nobody wins there, because they are so strong at home.

"So it's important to be focused on not making mistakes, because you know the small details are always important against a top team, especially away from home.

"We have played well, but I've said it before many times, we need to start taking the chances we create.

"How do we do that? I was asked a few weeks ago about why only Steven Gerrard and Torres are scoring.

But now we've lost Torres, we'll see if Gerrard can score!

"Clearly, we need goalscorers from all over the team. I hope the team will be ready, but goalscoring has been a problem for us from other areas, that is clear."

Liverpool will be forced to play Javier Mascherano, even after his long trip in midweek to the United States for a meaningless friendly with the Argentine Olympic squad, because Xabi Alonso is suspended.

Peter Crouch will start up front with Dirk Kuyt behind, and Benitez must also decide whether to continue with his unpopular tactic of employing Jamie Carragher at right-back.

Liverpool are the league's draw specialists with 10 games finishing all square.

Kenny Would Be Ideal For Anfield Role

Kenny Dalglish took to the stage at the ECHO Sports Personality Awards on Monday night and reminded everyone what qualities Liverpool Football Club has been so sorely lacking in recent months.

Class, humility and dignity used to be watchwords at Anfield at a time when dirty linen being washed in public was as rare an occurrence as a season without a trophy.

Far too often during the all too difficult last 12 months the qualities which made the Liverpool Way the route all other clubs in English football looked to follow have been cast aside as personal agendas and vendettas have been put before the good of the club.

And because of that, when Dalglish addressed the Echo Arena his adherence to the old Liverpool way of doing things highlighted just how badly the club has been getting things wrong since it was taken over a year ago.

There were even those in the audience who spoke of a desire to see Dalglish back at the club he still loves so he can help restore the values which have been conspicuous only by their absence of late.

That would be a tall order, of course. Dalglish’s status among Liverpool’s fans means there is a risk that his mere presence could overshadow the manager if he was given some sort of role at Anfield.

Such a situation has occurred at Barcelona, where Johann Cruyff looms large over each and every coach who takes charge of first team affairs at the Nou Camp, even though Cruyff is only an adviser to club president Joan Laporta.

The “ghost on the wall” situation is nothing new, either, as a succession of Manchester United managers who wilted in the presence of the late Matt Busby can testify.

Liverpool managed to avoid such problems when they stopped Bill Shankly from turning up at Melwood after the legendary Scot was succeeded by Bob Paisley, and although it was harsh on Shankly, it was undoubtedly for the good of the club.

Having legends hanging around isn’t always good for a club but with Liverpool currently being in so desperate need of the qualities Dalglish has in abundance maybe the time is right to get him back on board in some capacity.

Although, judging by the way he responded to being offered the manager’s job more than 20 years ago, it might not be all that easy to convince him.

Speaking at the awards ceremony, he said: “I got a phone call from Peter Robinson asking could he come up to the house to see me with John Smith.

“The club had only just given me a four-year contract so I didn’t really know what they wanted to see me about.

“Then Peter said they wanted to talk to me about the manager’s job and I said ‘well, don’t worry about that, you can still come anyway’.”

Liverpool has had no finer servant than Kenny Dalglish and if a role was created for him it could only be good news for the club and its fans.

Rafa - Time Is Running Out

Rafa Benitez admits time is running out for Liverpool as they chase a place in next season's UEFA Champions League.

Liverpool face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, a match which can be seen live on Sky Sports 1, and Reds boss Benitez is targeting a rare victory in West London.

The Reds had been touted as genuine title challengers this year, but they now face a battle with the likes of Everton, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Portsmouth just to finish in the top four.

And under-pressure Benitez acknowledges that his side must start to find some consistency in the race to reach a place in Europe's top club competition.

"We are fighting for fourth position and if we beat Chelsea we can maybe think about third," Benitez said in the Daily Star.

"But if we don't we are running out of games. I've said it many times, but we need to start taking our chances more often.

"If we get three points at Chelsea, in terms of confidence it will be good for the team.

"I know we have not won at Stamford Bridge in recent seasons, but nobody is winning there so it is not just for us that it is difficult, it is difficult for everyone who goes there."

Kewell Targets New Liverpool Deal

Harry Kewell is looking forward to getting an extension to his existing deal at Liverpool as he believes Anfield “has the best atmosphere in the world.”

The Australian winger’s contract expires in the summer and as such, he is keen to get back to his best form to prove to manager Rafa Benitez that he can still play at the highest standard.

"I want to stay at Liverpool and I'm going to be working hard to get another contract," Kewell told The Guardian.

"I think this is a great club. I was out on the pitch the other night and I said to Yossi (Benayoun) that Anfield has the best atmosphere in the world. Why would you want to leave?"

The 29-year-old, who has been with the Merseysiders since 2003, has faced a lot of injury problems for last two years and is aiming to put the troubles behind him for good. Benitez too is an admirer of Kewell’s talent and had said earlier this season that the attacker could get a new deal.

"I'm one to face up to my problems,” added the former Leeds United player. “I'm not afraid to turn around and say I have got some problems and I need to work at them.

“It is hard getting back to the top level after being out for so long but I'm getting there slowly. I'm showing glimpses but I would like to be more consistent.”

On speculation of Italian and Spanish clubs interested in him, he said: "You can't help talk but the truth is that I haven't heard anything, my agent hasn't heard anything and Liverpool haven't heard anything. So I just continue playing."

Crouch: We Can Beat Chelsea

Peter Crouch returns to the home of his boyhood heroes believing that Liverpool's brittle confidence is being repaired.

The Liverpool front man, born in Macclesfield but brought up in west London, was a regular visitor to Stamford Bridge as a youngster.

He is relishing the chance to help Liverpool finally get a Barclays Premier League win on a ground of a top three club for the first time under boss Rafael Benitez.

Liverpool have had a wretched month but still find themselves in fifth spot, a point behind Everton with a game in hand, ahead of Sunday's game.

They have lost only one of their last 11 games, but that hardly tells the true story of a side with their confidence shredded.

Five of those games were drawn and produced depressing performances against Wigan, Derby, Middlesbrough, Luton, and Aston Villa before losing at West Ham.

Last weekend's 3-0 victory over Sunderland, with Crouch returning to the side for a starring role, was much needed with Chelsea next on their fixture list.

Crouch, sent off in his last visit to Chelsea in the Carling Cup fifth round in December, said: "It's a big game next for us at Chelsea, and we were more interested in taking the points against Sunderland to give us confidence for the next match at Stamford Bridge.

"We will go into that game with more confidence now. We are good enough to beat Chelsea, we have done it before and I am sure we can do it again although it will be a difficult game.

"We have beaten Chelsea in big, big games before, and this is a big one for both of us. They want to challenge Arsenal and Manchester United and we have got to make sure we keep our momentum going, so it is important for both sides."

It is expected that Crouch's partnership with Fernando Torres will be curtailed, now the Spaniard has picked up a hamstring injury while with Spain this week.

It means that Dirk Kuyt is expected to get a recall. Liverpool will be without the suspended Xabi Alonso plus long-term injured players Andriy Voronin, Daniel Agger, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fabio Aurelio.

Crouch hopes to be re-united with Torres soon, adding: "I enjoyed the partnership with Fernando, We have not played that many times together this season and against Sunderland we did and I felt it went well.

"Fernando played well and I was obviously pleased to get a place in the starting line-up and to play myself. It worked well."

Torres Faces Ten Days Out

Liverpool have confirmed that striker Fernando Torres faces up to ten days on the sidelines through injury.

Torres underwent scans on a hamstring injury he picked up in Spain's 1-0 win over France on Wednesday.

Reds boss Rafa Benitez lamented the injury to Torres ruling him out of this weekend's clash at Chelsea.

Scans have confirmed the full extent of the injury with the former Atletico Madrid ace suffering a tear to his hamstring.

A statement from club spokesman Ian Cotton on the club's official website, said: "Fernando was examined by medical staff when he returned to Melwood.

"A scan later confirmed their diagnosis that he suffered a hamstring tear in his right leg. Fernando is expected to be out for approximately 10 days."

It means Torres will miss the clash at Stamford Bridge as well as the FA Cup tie with Barnsley on 16th February, but Liverpool are hopeful he will be back in time for the UEFA Champions League game with Internazionale on 19th February.

Rafa Benitez Attacks International Friendlies

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has launched a scathing attack on the current international football schedule in light of the injury picked up Fernando Torres.

The striker, 23, tore his hamstring while representing Spain in a friendly international with France in Marbella on Wednesday night and is now likely to be out action for up to 10 days, so missing the Merseysiders' crucial Premier League trip to Stamford Bridge on Sunday and also making him a serious doubt for the first leg of their Champions League tie with Internazionale at Anfield on Feb 19.

Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano will only return from featuring for Argentina's Olympic side in a friendly with Guatemala that was played in Los Angeles at some point today, leaving Benitez little time in which to prepare his misfiring team to face Chelsea.

And, like Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger yesterday, the Spaniard has laid the blame squarely at the door of the respective international football federations for organising such friendlies at such a vital time of the season for domestic clubs.

"We should not have international friendlies this week. We have lost Torres and Mascherano is not due back until Friday after playing for Argentina in Los Angeles. It is a busy period for the clubs, so it is not fair," he said.

"It doesn't matter if the national associations pay money if you have a player injured. We have three important games in three different competitions in 10 days, and we have lost Torres and maybe other players. It's not fair on the clubs. I don't just mean Liverpool, I mean everyone, especially the top teams."

In reference to Argentina's match on Wednesday, Benitez was scathing, asking: "Why do they have to play in Los Angeles? Just money. Javier will fly back to Manchester and will arrive here on Friday. With the change of continents and the danger of jet lag, I will have to wait and see if I can use him against Chelsea."

Benitez's frustrations are understandable, especially given the fact he has already lost Torres to an injury picked up while on international duty once before this season, while yesterday's news that the Premier League are planning an extra round of fixtures in foreign destinations from the start of the 2010-2011 season will hardly have brought a smile to his face either.

Liverpool Boss Slams Offside Rule

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has blasted the offside law as "a mess, a disaster".

The Spaniard launched himself into the debate over the law when asked today whether he understood the new interpretations.

He said: 'I understand the offside law is a mess, it is a disaster. That is very clear.

'I have explained 100 times to people, if they will listen, that we need to go back to the old rule.

'The offside rule is a good one, but the key should still be that if the player is in an offside position, he is offside. Finish.'

Benitez added: 'It will be easier for the linesmen and referees. But we have someone in an office who wants to invent something and they have created a mess.

'Phases of play is confusing. We see things in every game now that people cannot understand. So it should be simple again, if someone is offside, that is the end of it.

'When I was a player, a long time ago, it was not difficult to understand. Now it is.

'Then if a player was way out in the corner, then he is not interfering with the game, but now we have players in the middle of the box who are considered not interfering.

'That is nonsense. They are being watched by the goalkeeper, they are being watched by defenders, that is interfering.'

Kuyt Reveals Reds Pain

Dirk Kuyt has admitted his performances for Liverpool have not been good enough this season but has vowed to turn his form around.

The Dutchman has scored just three goals in 21 Premier League appearances but he has now revealed what he believes to be the main reason for his struggles on the pitch.

Kuyt's father, Gerrit, died of cancer last June and he admits it has resulted in a loss of confidence.

"I'd be lying if I said it hasn't affected me, because obviously it has," Kuyt said in the Daily Mirror.

"He was my biggest supporter and someone I always turned to for advice. I know if he was here right now he'd help me with the difficulties I've been having on the field.

"Naturally it's had a major impact on my life but at the same time my performances just haven't been good enough."

Kuyt is aware of his responsibilities as a striker at Liverpool and feels he can return to his best over the coming months.

He said: "It's my job to score goals and I haven't done that on a regular basis.

"Now I've got to keep going and turn this situation around."

Finnan: Chelsea The Same Under Grant

Liverpool's Steve Finnan is relishing a rest this week after retiring from the Republic of Ireland set-up. Turning his thoughts to the upcoming visit to Chelsea, he insists that the difference between the Blues since Jose Mourinho left is negligible.

Liverpool’s veteran right-back Steve Finnan is able to enjoy a rest this week. While his Republic of Ireland countrymen prepare for Dunga’s Brasil, Finnan is enjoying his first taste of international retirement.

However, the 31-year-old just can’t keep his mind off football. He insists the hard-fought 3-0 win over Sunderland at the weekend has raised spirits around Anfield.

“A good win like that can only give us confidence for the next game,” Finnan told Liverpool’s official website. “It's just about trying to get in and stay in that top four.”

“It gives everyone a lift and the fans a lift, especially at Anfield.”

A stiffer test looms this weekend at Stamford Bridge against resurgent Chelsea. Finnan, though, is optimistic about his team’s chances, whilst pondering the difference between the Chelseas of Jose Mourinho and Avram Grant.

“We've done alright there a few times and not got the results that we should have,” he admitted.

“But now is a good time to change that. Playing a team like Chelsea can bring the best out of us.

“There was a lot of rivalry when Mourinho was there, with both managers and both sets of players, because we'd met each other so many times in the league and Europe. We knocked them out of Europe twice, so there's a competitive edge to that game.

“[Mourinho] was good for English football and a lot of people might miss him. Obviously there's a lot of people outside Chelsea who didn't like him but he was good for football.”

If there’s any new threats under the Grant regime, Finnan is oblivious.

“They've done well under [Grant], though it's pretty much the same players,” said Finnan.

“Maybe our staff here have seen something different. Maybe they'll play a different formation, but we know what to expect: they've got good players and it will be a difficult game.”

As faltering Liverpool’s title challenge becomes the stuff of fiction, Finnan knows that fourth place is the minimum requirement. As he attempts to shake off a knock that is keeping him from training, he refused to name a main rival for that crucial Champions League spot.

“I wouldn't say one team in particular. Those around us – Everton, Man City and Villa – all pose a threat. They've all done well and are capable of putting runs together. It's just down to ourselves.

“Hopefully I'll be training in a couple of days – it’s just something I aggravated the other day.”

Gerrard - Long Way To Go

Steven Gerrard admitted that England still have a long way to go after the Fabio Capello era started with a victory.

The Liverpool midfielder skippered the national side as they defeated Switzerland 2-1 at Wembley, with Jermaine Jenas and Shaun Wright-Phillips on target.

England were nervous for much of the opening period and Gerrard knows it will take time before the players can put Capello's ideas into practice.

He told Sky Sports News: "There's still a long way to go and there still's a lot of improvement before we get to where we want to be.

"I think we kept the ball a lot better in the second half and we were a lot more patient.

"Once the players get used to the new manager and the way he wants us to play, I'm sure we'll improve. It's all about adapting to his ideas.

"We've only worked together for a couple of days. We've worked really hard in training to take in as much information as possible, but this team has still got a lot of improving to do.

"We'll get there if we work hard and listen to what he wants us to do."

Gerrard was proud to lead his country out, and would be more than happy to keep the armband when Capello names a permanent skipper for the World Cup qualification campaign in September.

He added: "For a manager of Fabio Capello's stature to give me the captaincy was a big boost.

"I've said many times before I don't want to blow my own trumpet or put my name forward. John Terry is still our captain and until that changes I'm happy to be the stand-in captain.

"I'm sure if you asked any player in that dressing room if they wanted to lead their country out on nights like this, they'd say 'yes, of course'."

Torres Forced Off With Injury

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres lasted just 23 minutes of Spain's international friendly against France on Wednesday before being replaced after suffering what appeared to be a right hamstring injury.

It was not immediately obvious when Torres sustained the problem, but Spain coach Luis Aragones was quick to replace the frontman with Daniel Guiza when it became obvious he was struggling.

Liverpool, who are away to Chelsea in the Barclays Premier League this weekend, will be keeping their fingers crossed that the injury to Torres - their top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions - is not serious.

Liverpool May Be Responsible For £350m Debt

Despite an appeal from chief executive Rick Parry for everyone associated with Liverpool to stop washing dirty linen in public, there is still great unease within the club over exactly where the liability for the new £350 million refinancing resides.

Exactly one year on from their £220 million takeover of the club, a spokesman for American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. insisted yesterday that there was no intention to load all the debts on to Liverpool's balance sheet.

While they have admitted the £30 million-a-year interest payments will be serviced by the club, they maintain Liverpool will be liable only for £105 million of the new loans with Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia.

The Americans insist a further £245 million of new borrowings taken out by parent company, Kop Football, are secured by their personal guarantees and cash.

But there is uncertainty within Anfield about the implications of an inter-company loan set up to ensure the interest payments can be paid by club income. Some sources believe it makes Liverpool legally responsible for the full £350 million.

If that is the case, then the move would seem to run contrary to a commitment given by Hicks and Gillett in their official offer document to shareholders last year.

At that time they said: "The payment of interest on, repayment of or security for any liability (contingent or otherwise) due under the facilities [loans] will not depend to any significant extent on the business of Liverpool."

If they were to go back on that commitment, the move could attract the interest of City regulator, the Takeover Panel, and embarrass Rothschilds, the bankers used by the Americans to do the deal.

With Liverpool's future still unclear and Dubai International Capital still trying to launch a takeover bid, Parry yesterday called for the club to pull together.

"This is not the Liverpool we all know and love," he said. "It has never been our style to wash our dirty linen in public. The sooner we can put all of this behind us and get back to the Liverpool way the better."

Almost £60m Pledged By Liverpool FC Fans To Buy-out Club

Nearly £60m has been pledged towards a fans’ buy-out of Liverpool FC during the first four days of canvassing for supporter opinion.

A total of 11,892 fans have indicated they will buy shares in the club on Share Liverpool FC’s website – the group which has outlined proposals for 100,000 fans to buy the club by purchasing a single £5,000 share each.

This amounts to £59.46m towards the £500m total needed for the proposed buy-out.

The first statistics show just under 50,000 people visited the site from 149 countries, between February 1 and 4.

Organisers say the website crashed within minutes of opening last Thursday, due to the sheer weight of numbers trying to reach the site, and re-opened the next afternoon.

Analysis by Google reveals that during the weekend the site received 11,892 “count me in” responses, 5,394 responses praising the idea but saying they want more information, and 7,930 responders saying they could not afford the step.

The four biggest countries of origin were the UK, with 25,177 hits, Norway, with 6,138, the USA with 3,071 and Ireland with 2,053.

Only 128 fans ticked the “you’ve got no chance” option on the site.

Many Anfield fans are furious a £350m loans package secured by US owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett will saddle the club with interest payments of up to £30m a year – fuelling the desire for a supporter controlled club.

Rogan Taylor, Share Liverpool FC’s spokesperson, said: “These are pretty impressive numbers for just a few days with www.shareliverpoolfc.co.uk live on line and we’re very encouraged.

“We undoubtedly lost a big spike when the site crashed on Thursday, but I think these numbers reveal that most fans were patient and came back when it returned.

“The stats also reveal we have a lot of work to do to present more detailed information, and also to address the affordability issue many fans flagged up.

“We will be underlining that group membership will be possible – even a group of pub regulars could get together – and we hope soon to be able to announce a loan scheme which would enable fans to spread the cost over a number of years.”

“What they will be buying is something that lasts forever – a share in Liverpool Football Club which cannot be disturbed.

“The member shareholder will be able to pass it on, down through his or her family generations; to sons and daughters, and grandchildren. You will sit in that new stadium and think: ‘This belongs to us . . . and so does the club that plays here!’”