Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard has leapt to the defence of Fernando Torres and labelled criticism of him "completely over the top".
Torres, 26, has netted just one goal for the club all season as he has struggled to get up to pace. This return has led to fears about his form and fitness, but the England midfielder was quick to offer his support
"It's all completely over the top," Gerrard told LFC Weekly. "It's easy to watch a football match and, if the centre-forward doesn't score or pull a rabbit out of a hat, say his body language isn't right.
"If a player's form isn't there or he's fighting for full fitness after injuries it's normal that their body language isn't perfect. I'm the same. If I'm not playing at the levels I know I can, or if I'm struggling with an injury, people say the same things about me.
"The only time a centre-forward's body language is 100 per cent right is when they're scoring in every game, that's the way they are. That's why players like that are the best in the world, because if they come off the pitch without scoring or producing a nine out of ten or ten out of ten performance they're not happy. That's what helps to make them so good.
"You only have to look at Fernando's record since he walked through the door to know how good he is. He's had a bad time with injuries of late. He wasn't 100 per cent going into the World Cup and he had a lot of criticism over the summer. But he'll bounce back.
"We all believe in him, he's our top man. He's a top player and he's our goal-scorer. We all need to get behind Fernando and help him to get back to the form he showed in his first season here. On that form he's the best centre-forward in the world."
Manager Roy Hodgson has borne the brunt of the blame for Liverpool's descent into the Premier League relegation zone. Gerrard stated that the playing staff were ready to "accept responsibility" for the poor results along with the coaching staff.
"It's unfair for people to just blame the manager for the bad start to the season," he added. "We're all in this together, everyone at the club, from top to bottom. We've all got to accept responsibility and pull together if we are to turn things around. A good win in the derby would be the perfect way to start doing that.
"We've had some wonderful Champions League nights at Anfield and I'm sure the supporters would agree with me when I say we want all that back.
"Obviously the only way to bring it back is to finish in the top four places. That's the main priority for the club and the players. It's where we belong. Over the last five or six years we've proved that we're one of a number of clubs that deserve to be at that level and we are all determined to get back to it."
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