Rafa Benitez Looks For Return Of Liverpool's 'Winning Mentality'

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez claims that his side's early exit from the Champions League has not placed any extra pressure on him.

But he does admit that his team needs to rediscover a "winning mentality" soon, especially with a view to Sunday's trip to Goodison Park to face local rivals Everton.

"I do not feel under any greater pressure, Liverpool are under pressure in every single game, anyway, whatever the competition. This is nothing new for me," Benitez said, according to Press Association Sport.

"My aim is just to help the players, working and preparing the team.

"The players know we are better than our results suggest, they can see that we could have won in every game, even if not playing well.

"We have played better than many of our opponents in this run, we have had plenty of opportunities to score. They know the situation.

"We have ideas, we have solutions to problems, and plans for matches. The players know we have been a lot better than people are saying.

"We need a winning mentality to return, but we have not planned any differently for matches, just the same organisation.

"Things are still positive, we have players coming back from injuries. We have been positive in recent league games against Birmingham and Manchester City, things have been improving."

Benitez has indicated injuries to key men, in particular Fernando Torres, played a major part in the Reds' Champions League failure.

He does expect to see captain Steven Gerrard back in action on Sunday though.

"Steven Gerrard has started to play 90 minutes again, so there are a lot of things that give us confidence that we are improving," he added.

"Some players are fitter now. So we can manage the team and matches in a different way. If you do not have a strong bench, it is difficult to change games.

"Now with more options it can be easier for us in such circumstances.

"When you have injuries it is always difficult. But it has been worse recently when we have had to contend with two or three injuries during a game."

Liverpool FC Boss Rafa Benitez Says He Feels No Added Pressure

Rafael Benitez insists he does not feel under added pressure following Liverpool's Champions League exit and claims his side are "better than their results".

The Merseysiders had to settle for a place in the Europa League despite their 1-0 win against Debrecen on Tuesday night - Fiorentina's defeat of Lyon meaning they advanced instead from Group E.

"We have not been able to go through to the last 16 of the Champions League, so we must make sure we double our efforts in the league and always do our very best in future matches," said Benitez.

"Then the confidence of the team will be much better, we will be able to approach league matches in a better frame of mind."

Reds chief executive Christian Purslow again backed Benitez to improve the club's fortunes this week - they have won just two of their last 11 games to fall well behind in the Premier League title race - and the former Valencia chief is adamant he does not fear the sack.

He added: "I do not feel under any greater pressure, Liverpool are under pressure in every single game, anyway, whatever the competition. This is nothing new for me.

"My aim is just to help the players, working and preparing the team.

"The players know we are better than our results suggest, they can see that we could have won in every game even if not playing well.

"We have played better than many of our opponents in this run, we have had plenty of opportunities to score. They know the situation.

"We have ideas, we have solutions to problems, and plans for matches. The players know we have been a lot better than people are saying."

Ruud van Nistelrooy Will Snub Arsenal To Sign For Liverpool

Ruud van Nistelrooy is ready reject a move to Arsenal to rescue Liverpool's season.

The Real Madrid striker needs to play regular football to secure his place in Holland's World Cup squad and is expected to be allowed to leave the Bernebau at Christmas.

Rafa Benitez will not be allowed to spend his way out of Liverpool's current crisis, so must raise any funds he wants to splash in the January transfer window - or make loan signings.

Benitez was told his job at the club is completely safe, even after his team crashed out of the Champions League - with a game still left to play - on Tuesday night.

He has also been told that former Manchester United star Van Nistelrooy is ready to turn down interest from the Gunners in a bid to secure a move to Liverpool.

Liverpool's budget planning means they will not make funds available until next summer, when Benitez will have at least £20million to spend on squad strengthening.

The Anfield boss has, however, identified a pressing need to enhance a strike force that has managed just four goals in their five Champions League games so far, a meagre total rendered even less impressive by the fact they have twice played Debrecen, the worst team in the competition.

Van Nistelrooy has already fielded some discreet enquiries from the Emirates Stadium, but he has told his advisors that he would prefer a move back to the north west of England and a switch to Anfield, if - as seems likely - he is allowed to leave Real Madrid at Christmas.

The Dutch striker knows he must play more football if he is to feature in next summer's World Cup finals, and has little chance of doing that at the Bernabeu, where he is behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, Kaka, Gonzalo Higuain and Raul in the Real pecking order.

As back-up to injury stricken Fernando Torres at Liverpool, he would get more opportunities to play, and Benitez is now weighing up his options as he creates a blueprint to sort out his impoverished attacking options.

No money will be available for a high profile signing, but he can raise funds by selling the likes of Andrei Voronin - who has been axed from the squad completely despite the lack of cover for Torres - Ryan Babel and Andrea Dossena.

The flaw in that plan, of course, is that the trio of Anfield fringe players are hardly in demand across Europe, and it may be difficult to offload big money-earners with such a patchy recent playing record.

Instead, Benitez may be tempted to let the three misfits go out on loan, at least creating a gap in the Anfield wage bill to bring in a loan player until the end of the season when he can turn the deal into a permanent signing.

Madrid may be prepared to accept that sort of deal for Van Nistelrooy or Rafael van der Vaart, and Tottenham will consider a similar plan for their out of favour Russian centre =-forward Roman Pavlyuchenko, providing a fee is agreed for the summer.

In the short-term, Benitez is praying he has Torres back for the visit to Everton on Sunday, a game he knows he dare not lose if he is to keep a sceptical Anfield support behind him.

The Spanish coach is aware that, even though he has received complete backing from Liverpool's owners and MD Christian Purslow, if he loses the fans, then that support could quickly change.

And defeat at Goodison is unthinkable now, after crashing out of the Champions League in such embarrassing style, because losing to the Old Enemy would put the current crisis into stark context for the silent majority who are beginning to waver in their backing for the current regime.

There have been few murmurings of discontent so far, but Benitez has already twice been booed by his home support this season, and nothing is designed to create unrest more than defeat to Everton, especially at such a sensitive time.

Torres though, has made real progress in his recovery from an abdominal injury, and has trained for much of this week while his team-mates have been away in Hungary, and Benitez is now quietly confident he will have his main striking option back for the absolutely crucial showdown on Sunday.

Rafa Wants Babel Answers

Rafa Benitez has revealed that he will demand an explanation from Ryan Babel when he talks to the forward about his recent comments.

The Dutch international admitted that he could leave Liverpool in January if he fails to win a regular place in the starting XI.

The timing of the outburst will not have pleased the Reds boss having come on the morning of the vital UEFA Champions League clash with Debrecen.

Since signing for £11.5million from Ajax in summer 2007 Babel, who arrived with a weight of expectation, has made just 24 Premier League starts - 15 coming in his first season and only six last term.

The winger has failed to force his way into Benitez's plans this campaign with just three starts to his name despite injuries to fellow wideman Albert Riera.

Babel has stated his unhappiness at the situation in the past but has always insisted that the quotes have been taken out of contest.

Benitez remained guarded on the issue, only stating to the Liverpool Echo: "I have got to talk to the player and I will see what his explanation is."

Liverpool FC Striker Fernando Torres Nets 10 Goal Landmark Award

Liverpool FC striker Fernando Torres has won another honour - and by doing so can support a charitable cause close to his heart.

The Spanish marksman has been presented with a '10 Goal Landmark Award' from Premier League sponsors Barclays.

The award is in recognition of him being the first player this season to reach double figures in Premier League goals.

Despite a stop-start campaign due to niggling injuries, Torres has found the net on 12 occasions so far for the Reds, 10 in the Premier League and two in the Champions League.

Torres will now receive £10,000 to donate to a charity of his choice.

Eintracht Frankfurt After Liverpool Striker Andriy Voronin

According to a report in The Daily Post, Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt have joined the race to secure the services of Liverpool attacker Andriy Voronin in the January transfer window.

Eintracht are eager to add an extra attacker to their squad in the winter due to the predicted lengthy injury absence of Ioannis Amanatidis, and head coach Michael Skibbe has made Voronin one of his main candidates.

The 30-year-old Ukrainian international is finding regular first team action hard to come by at Anfield and is thought to desire regular first team football.

Liverpool are believed to be ready to let go of the striker on a temporary basis.

Bargain Buys May Yet Prove The Worth Of Rafael Benítez

The Liverpool manager has still to be repaid by young signings but they could come of age in the chase for a top-four finish.

The remainder of the season must have been viewed with glazed eyes by Liverpool supporters on Tuesday night even if they did put on a show of boisterousness for 15 minutes. It came while they were held in the Puskas Stadion following the 1-0 win over Debrecen that did not avert elimination from the Champions League.

That was a show of defiance while the cameras and microphones were switched on in Budapest. There is no rebellion but it would still have been dismaying for fans to think of the dullness to come now that the side's interest in the Champions League is at an end. The remainder of the campaign, however, will be absorbing for Rafael Benítez.

The Liverpool managing director, Christian Purslow, claimed after the match with Debrecen that the financial harm need not be severe. He will, all the same, be speaking in wholly different terms if the club does not make up the present five-point gap to clinch its usual top-four finish in the Premier League. There is work ahead for Benítez and it had better be effective.

He himself has a security of sorts. The Spaniard is in the early days of a five-year contract that would make his dismissal breathtakingly expensive. The owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, will feel all the more attached to him when they think of the sums a new manager of the customary high profile would demand as he insisted on reshaping the squad.

The usual verdict on Benítez is that he buys well when spending heavily but flounders when hunting for bargains. Beware the footballer whose fee in millions was not in double figures. At this stage in the accusation it is obligatory to mention the £7m Andrea Dossena, where the argument may have substance.

On the other hand Daniel Agger, for instance, was a bargain at £5.8m and all that is wrong with him is an injury record for which Benítez is not to blame. If fans have not yet taken the £5m Lucas to their bosom, the reasons for taking exception to him are diminishing. Of late, David Ngog, bought for £1.5m from Paris St-Germain, has begun to assume some significance.

His claims were, of course, enhanced when he added the second goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester United this month but there is also a general improvement. In Budapest Ngog showed more confidence and caught the eye with persistent contributions.

He is no prodigy but there are merits. Ngog, 20, regularly turns down interview requests from the French media with the disarming comment that he will speak when he has done something worth talking about. Should the progress of a fairly strong and quick attacker continue, he may soon face the microphones.

Note has been taken of the young striker and Paul Le Guen, once the manager of PSG, has begun to argue that an under-used Ngog should have been more patient when at the club. Comments like that will make Benítez feel satisfied with his scouting system.

Ngog may not be on the rampage in the Premier League but he epitomises the sort of option Liverpool crave. Their squad, as it is, lacks the depth of those at Manchester United, Chelsea and conceivably Arsenal. Injuries have trained a harsh light on that fact.

Still, a slow process of evolution at Liverpool might have been applauded if players had not been hurt. Benítez shies away from suggestions that he has been trying to add adventure to the ranks but it is hard to interpret the arrival of, say, Glen Johnson in any other way.

There has been a desire to alter the characteristics of the squad, even if the wish has been thwarted for much of the time. He has been eager, for instance, to stick with the Argentinian Emiliano Insúa, even if the 20-year-old's lack of positional sense led to Lyon's equaliser at the beginning of this month.

The mistake ought to have been covered by Sotirios Kyrgiakos but the Greek centre-back looked exactly like one of those cheap squad players who turn out to be costly indeed. It is in having to resort to such stopgap recruits that Benítez's predicament is apparent.

The easing of Liverpool's load will be to his distaste, with the Europa League campaign unlikely to drain players as the Champions League would, but it could be a help on the domestic scene. Steven Gerrard should regain full match fitness, Fernando Torres will return and one day the £20m Alberto Aquilani could start a match.

Leeds Bring In Trio On Loan Deals

Leeds United have signed Queens Park Ranger winger Hogan Ephraim, Cardiff defender Tony Capaldi and Liverpool goalkeeper David Martin on loan.

Ephraim, 21, will stay at Elland Road until 1 January, Capaldi is due to remain up until 4 January and 23-year-old Martin goes back on 28 December.

Northern Ireland international Capaldi, 28, can play either left-back or left midfield and will not be cup-tied.

Martin provides added cover for injured keeper Shane Higgs.

Ephraim has scored twice in seven games for QPR this season, both in the Carling Cup.

"Hogan is quick and direct," Leeds manager Simon Grayson told the club's website. "He'll give us options and competition for places."

Ephraim started his career at West Ham before making his first competitive start while on loan at Colchester.

He then moved on loan to QPR before making the move to Loftus Road a permanent one in January 2008.

Capaldi began his career at Birmingham City and enjoyed a loan period with Hereford United.

But he moved from Blues in April 2003 to Plymouth Argyle, where he won most of his 22 international caps.

Since joining Cardiff in 2007, he has made 68 appearances for the Bluebirds, including nine this season, but had his opportunities restricted last term with a knee injury.

Martin has not played a competitive match for Liverpool but played 25 times as a teenager for MK Dons before his move to Anfield in 2006.

Since then he has enjoyed loans at Accrington Stanley and Leicester City. And he was again out on loan at Tranmere Rovers earlier this month prior to his latest move.

Duo Complete Accrington Loan Move

Accrington have signed Blackburn's Johnny Flynn and Liverpool goalkeeper Dean Bouzanis on loan until January.

Northern Ireland under-21 defender Flynn, 20, who joined Blackburn from Ballymena in January 2008, has also been on loan at Chester this season.

He is unavailable for Accrington's FA Cup Second Round tie against Barnet on Saturday because he is cup-tied.

Sydney-born Bouzanis, 19, helped Liverpool reach last season's FA Youth Cup Final against Manchester City.

Meanwhile defender Chris King has left the club after his contract was cancelled by mutual consent.

The 29-year-old joined Accrington at the start of last season, going on to make over 30 appearances.

He has been hampered by injury during the current campaign.

Everton FC Look To Convince Liverpool FC On Groundshare

Everton FC face a much bigger battle than Sunday's 212th Merseyside derby, if they are to convince rivals Liverpool FC to ground-share.

Everton FC's plans for a new £400million 50,000-seater stadium and shopping complex in Kirkby, in association with Tesco, are in tatters after being rejected by Communities and Local Government Secretary John Denham on Thursday.

Chief executive Robert Elstone admits Everton FC will now consider all possibilities, including teaming-up with their neighbours across Stanley Park.

On the face of it a ground-share would seem the obvious option with Liverpool FC having put their more advanced plans for a replacement to Anfield on hold due to the current global recession.

However, the Reds’ American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett are opposed to the suggestion as it would severely impact the anticipated revenue streams which come from sole ownership of a 61,000-capacity stadium.

Rivals fans would also not welcome a ground share but Elstone admits, with a club debt of upwards of £36million, they have to explore every alternative.

"It’s certainly one of the options that we will need to cover," he said.

"We are going to look forward and look forward positively. A shared stadium is perhaps an option if it’s affordable.

"We have to look at where we can raise money, because potentially Liverpool will have to obviously contribute to that, and Liverpool City Council perhaps might need to find some money.

"If we are the first major English club to look at sharing then we’re not scared of making those decisions.

"So we’re going to have to start to have those conversations, we’re going to have to be open-minded about solutions."

However, Liverpool FC’s deputy executive director Peter Shaw played down the possibility of the city’s two clubs sharing a stadium.

"It’s not on our agenda at the moment. Liverpool are progressing forward with our own stadium. That is the position we are still in," he said.

"The LFC stadium is quite far progressed and once the financial markets reopen for business the LFC stadium will progress further."

When asked whether the idea of a groundshare with Everton FC could be a possibility, he said: "That’s not for me to answer."

Finance is at the heart of Everton FC’s problems - as it has been for Liverpool, whose new Stanley Park stadium was scheduled to be open in 2011 but now has no completion date.

Part of the attraction of the Kirkby plan was the tie-in with Tesco, and Elstone admits they need to search out new ways of bringing in the funding.

"The solution is not about finding land - this is a solution that is about finding money; it’s about affordability," he said.

"That was the big attraction to Kirkby, that it was affordable.

"Then it’s about reviewing alternatives and sitting down with partners, all the stakeholders in this region and anybody who can help Everton deliver what it needs - which is a world-class stadium that’s going to secure our future for years to come.

"Anything that we have to do going forward has to be clearly affordable and clearly make commercial sense. So that’s the big challenge."

The knock-on effect of not having a bigger ground generating more income than Goodison Park will be felt in the club’s longer-term planning.

Everton FC hoped the Kirkby project would provide the boost to revenue to help manager David Moyes with necessary funds to invest in the squad and push for a lucrative place in the Champions League.

Elstone accepts those plans will need to be re-thought.

"The motivations were about driving Everton forward and ultimately giving David Moyes a fairer crack of the whip in the transfer market," he said.

"That challenge hasn’t gone away and it’s a challenge now that we’re going to have to pick up and run with and perhaps find another solution."

Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley refused to discuss the possibility of the two clubs sharing a stadium.

Speaking at Wembley, where Liverpool was submitting its bid to be part of England’s 2018 World Cup bid, Bradley said: "I’m not going to even go there on that. I don’t think it’s the time and place to talk about ground-sharing.

"We haven’t had any discussions, real hard discussions, around the future of Everton and Liverpool football clubs, and I think it’s up to the clubs first and foremost to lead those discussions."

However Bradley and Elstone have had a short conversation since the stadium plan was rejected.

Bradley said: "We haven’t resolved everything, in fact we’ve resolved very little at the moment, but it’s about agreeing to come forward and talk about Everton Football Club in the future."

He explained: "As a lifelong Evertonian it’s been very, very difficult through this period but we are where we are and we’ve got to work with them now."

The Kirkby plans could still be revised and resubmitted.

Detailing what must happen next, Bradley stressed: "We need to make sure there’s a lot of trust there.

"There’s got to be trust built between Liverpool City Council, between all the other partners, and Everton Football Club to move forward. Once we’ve established that trust I do believe we can move this forward quite quickly."

Merseyside Could Face World Cup Woe

The possibility of hosting a World Cup in England without a match in Liverpool came into sharp focus as 15 cities put forward their cases to stage games if the 2018 bid succeeds.

Neither Anfield nor Goodison Park would fit FIFA criteria for the tournament, according to 2018 vice-president John Barnes, with Everton's move to Kirkby rejected by the Government and Liverpool's Stanley Park plans hit by a number of delays.

Barnes, the former Liverpool player, said: "They need a new stadium, we always knew that. When the bid was submitted it was on the grounds of new grounds being in place, not Anfield hosting the World Cup in nine years' time.

"I'm sure that would have been the case anyway because neither Anfield nor Goodison would fit the criteria for hosting a World Cup. They would have had to have built a new stadium anyway."

Everton chief executive Robert Elstone was at Wembley for Liverpool's submission to the selection panel of Lord Mawhinney, 2018 chief executive Andy Anson and chief operating officer Simon Johnson.

Elstone afterwards admitted the club would consider a ground-sharing arrangement with Liverpool.

He said: "It's certainly one of the options that we will need to cover. A shared stadium is perhaps an option if it's affordable.

"We have to look at where we can raise money, because potentially Liverpool will have to obviously contribute to that, and Liverpool City Council perhaps might need to find some money.

"Our history is one of creativity and innovation and if we are the first major English club to look at sharing then we're not scared of making those decisions."

Liverpool deputy executive director Peter Shaw, however, added on Sky Sports News: "It's not on our agenda at the moment. Liverpool are progressing forward with our own stadium. That is the position we are still in."

The 15 host cities put forward their cases to Mawhinney, Anson and Johnson, with the panel selecting due to announce between 12 and 18 stadiums on December 16.

The 2018 team itself has previously received negative publicity for in-fighting, being warned by FIFA vice-president Jack Warner for not being aggressive enough - and this week the shock resignation of Sir Dave Richards from the bid board.

Barnes added: "I'm not on the board and not party to the political wranglings or shenanigans going on. It's unfortunate but I'm hoping it will not hamper the bid because the most important thing is the ability to deliver a top-quality product.

"While this is not necessarily helpful, it should not detract from the ability of England to host one of the best World Cup's ever."

Aston Villa chief financial officer Robin Russell, representing Birmingham's bid, feels there is unity in the public wanting the tournament, despite the publicity.

Russell said: "It's slightly depressing to hear that because that is not what is happening on the ground, where everyone is working in the same direction in securing the bid for England and Birmingham."

MK Dons chairman Peter Winkelman added: "The in-fighting that goes on is about the bid being in the best position it can be to help the country win it next year.

"I think it's a positive sign, not a negative sign, which people are working so hard to make sure the situation is right. You have to go through those processes because it is important and people are prepared to fight about it."

Winkelman represented Milton Keynes' bid along with his manager Paul Ince, while Olympic diver Tom Daley showed his support for Plymouth.

Daley, 15, said: "It's a beautiful city and it will be amazing for the west country to see a sporting event so prestigious.

"Everything is normally based in London or the north and I think it's a good opportunity to have it in the west country."

In London, Wembley will host the opening match and final, with Arsenal, Tottenham and the Olympic Stadium their other possible venues.

Newcastle and Sunderland both put in bids. Alan Shearer is hoping the ridicule after Newcastle renamed their ground sportsdirect.com@St James' Park Stadium will not be affect the decision.

Shearer said: "We don't think there will be negativity. We know it's St James' Park and that's how it will stay."

Paul Gascoigne added: "There were odds of 500-1 on it being called The Paul Gascoigne Stadium, you heard it might go to Tesco or a settee company. It will be called St James' for life, it doesn't matter what it's officially named."

Chelsea's Stamford Bridge is not one of London's stadiums, although London United chairman Simon Greenberg said: "We are included as a showcase training venue, as is the Cobham training complex, so Chelsea will play a full role in the World Cup but won't be hosting matches.

"Unfortunately the stadium is not quite big enough and the nature of the site is not technically correct for hosting World Cup matches."

Match Report: Debrecen 0 - 1 Liverpool

Liverpool crashed out of the Champions League after a bitterly disappointing victory in the Hungarian capital.

They needed to win to give themselves any chance of reaching the last 16, but events in Florence ended those dreams with Fiorentina achieving the victory they needed to qualify.

David Ngog scored Liverpool's early winner, but they struggled painfully to produce a convincing display, the damage having been done in two games against Lyon that cost them four points.

The road to Madrid, where the Champions League final is due to be played, now becomes the road to Hamburg - where the new Europa League will reach its conclusion - with Liverpool in with the likes of Valencia, Benfica and neighbours Everton.

The Reds' reliance on Lyon to make a game of it in Florence proved misplaced and they failed for the first time in six seasons under Benitez to reach the last 16.

It was the end result everybody expected on the night but Liverpool left the Hungarian capital deflated.

The cost is little more than a couple of million pounds this season for Liverpool, who continually stress that they never budget for anything but the group stages.

But it is a severe blow to the esteem of a true European power who have suffered a fall from grace few would have predicted when the competition started in September.

The true damage comes next season if they fail to finish in the Premier League's top four, something they are far from certain of. That would see them lose a cool £10m immediately and put further question marks over the financial direction the club is facing.

Liverpool had Glen Johnson and Fabio Aurelio back from injury, otherwise it was the same side that drew with Manchester City on Saturday - with Ryan Babel out with an ankle injury and Yossi Benayoun on the bench, suggesting that his hamstring injury is still not completely healed.

Debrecen made eight changes from the side that beat Honved in the Hungarian league at the weekend, and included seven of the side that lost 1-0 in the opening group match back in August at Anfield.

And Liverpool could not have asked for a better start to settle any nerves as they went ahead after just four minutes with the Hungarians having barely touched the ball.

Aurelio's cross from the right curled to the far post for Jamie Carragher to head back across goal, where Ngog guided the ball with the outside of his right foot in off the keeper and the far post.

Twice Dirk Kuyt narrowly failed to get on the end of close-range crosses as Liverpool sought a second.

But they began to get sloppy, giving the ball away with over-ambitious passes which wasted the impressive movement that had Debrecen struggling.

Debrecen also gave away a lot of early free-kicks as they struggled to contain Liverpool, and Dutch referee Bjorn Kuipers lost patience and booked Zoltan Szelesi for a foul on Gerrard.

Vukasin Poleksic twice saved well from Ngog, with Liverpool having 70 per cent of the possession.

But news of a Fiorentina goal against Lyon was enough to silence the travelling support and change the mood.

Debrecen's first opportunity soon followed with Gergely Rudolf heading wide when unmarked in the area. Liverpool needed, at least, to settle the issue with a second goal in this match as Debrecen continued to grow in confidence.

Poleksic made another fine save to turn away a close-range Gerrard effort after he was set up by Johnson.

Debrecen then sent on striker Adamo Coulibaly in place of Peter Szakaly. The big Frenchman had caused Liverpool plenty of problems earlier in the season.

Now nerves were getting to the Liverpool men as they toiled to clinch the match.

Emiliano Insua lost possession to Rudolf on the edge of the box, regaining the ball as the forward threw himself down in the box.

Agger's run set up a chance for Gerrard but he drove high over from the edge of the box.

Debrecen players were going down at every opportunity now, drawing howls of anger from the home fans.

Benayoun came on for Ngog after 77 minutes, with Debrecen replacing Marcell Fodor with Tibor Dombi a minute later.

Carragher headed an Aurelio corner just wide but the second goal remained elusive for Liverpool.

Kuyt was now the central striker with Benayoun on the right, but it was Liverpool on the defensive as Rudolf forced Jose Reina into a save from a fierce angled drive.

Liverpool sent on Andrea Dossena for Aurelio with a couple of minutes left, Alberto Aquilani replacing Gerrard in injury time.

There was still time for Coulibaly to have a shot kicked clear by Reina as Liverpool clung onto their lead.

Benitez Keeps Focus On Top-Four Finish

Rafael Benitez has confirmed Liverpool will prioritise their bid to make a swift return to the Champions League over a tilt for Europa League glory.

Being winners of Europe's most-prized club trophy in 2005 and finalists in 2007 counts for little now in the wake of an exit in the group stages for the first time in six seasons under Benitez.

A 1-0 win in Budapest against Group E whipping boys Debrecen could not rescue Liverpool, and although they will be considered one of the favourites to win the Europa League, clinching a place in England's top four is Benitez's main target.

After seeing Liverpool's disjointed victory in Hungary and watching helplessly from afar as Fiorentina confirmed their path into the last 16 with a victory over Lyon, Benitez said: "The key now is to finish in the top four to make sure we are in the Champions League group stages for the next season.

"We must concentrate on the next game, and that is the Premier League. Afterwards, if we progress in the Europa League, okay, we can still win a trophy.

"But we have to change our target. We have to think about the league and finishing in the top four. Only then can we also think about the Europa League and the FA Cup."

Benitez maintains that Liverpool would not be in their current position had striker Fernando Torres - still struggling with a serious groin injury - been fit all season.

He said: "I have been talking with two or three senior players, they realise that to be in the final stages of the Champions League every season is not easy.

"However, I do believe that with Torres fit, we would have got through into the last 16. It is the same with Steven Gerrard, he has been injured, but when you see him back on the pitch you know that with him (fit) also we would not now be in this position."

Benitez knows the financial implications of not returning to next season's Champions League.

Currently seventh in the Premier League, their position as part of England's 'big four' is under serious threat from Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester City.

Benitez said: "We want to be as high as possible in the league so we have to start by winning the next game. And that's at Everton on Sunday.

"I can say to our fans that we will improve in the league. We can see Gerrard playing again, we have (Yossi) Benayoun also coming back from injury.

"We have (Alberto) Aquilani who is fit now. We can use him when before it was not easy because of his fitness and injury.

"We have had problems with injuries to our centre-backs, but we now have four who are fit for the first time for a long while.

"For me these are the positive things that we can look forward to for the rest of the season."

He added: "If I could change anything, it would be to have our big players fit. For a change it would be good to have a problem of who to select, before this has not been the case.

"It has been difficult with Aquilani. He has not been fit so he has no match fitness, therefore I cannot use him.

"Then if he doesn't play games, he cannot get the match fitness. That has been the difficult circle of events for him and for me to overcome.

"It was difficult again against Debrecen. Early on we could have scored two or three more goals, but towards the end we were under pressure and I could not risk bringing him on in such a situation, he would have needed time to settle.

"I have talked to him and explained. He has to keep working hard in every training session. His chance will come."

The damage to Liverpool's Champions League campaign was done in two games against Lyon that produced just one point.

Benitez said: "In the end we could not control events elsewhere. But we won (against Debrecen) and that is good, now we must concentrate on doing the same against Everton.

"I do not know whether Torres can play against Everton. He has been working and training all week, but when his injury was assessed we were told that he would need three weeks of treatment.

"At the moment he has had just over two weeks, so we will have to see how he is nearer to the match."

Graeme Souness: Rafa Benitez Is Living On Past Glories At Liverpool

Liverpool legend Graeme Souness blames the American owners for the current problems at Anfield, but also insists that manager Rafa Benitez is relying on past glory to keep him in his job.

The former manager also believes that Fernando Torres will be sold should the Reds not manage to qualify for next season's Champions League.

"If you ask me about any managers, particularly Liverpool managers because I know how difficult that job is, I'm not going to tell you 'this one should go or that one should stay', but I think he's very fortunate that he's managing Liverpool," Souness told Sky Sports.

"At Liverpool you get more of a chance than any of the other big clubs out there. He's very lucky that he won that European Cup so early on in his reign.

"I think that's bought him a lot of time, and there's still a great deal of affection out there for him with the people in Liverpool.

"But if they lose to Everton on Sunday and I think that would be another hard blow for the red side of Liverpool to take.

"It's a hard business today managing at the highest level, but again I'm trying to look beyond personnel. I worked for them for a long, long time and some of the best days of my footballing career were at Liverpool, and I worry about the bigger picture.

"I'm not worrying about the present players, the present management, the present owners. They're only custodians.

"When you own a big football club, a club that's steeped in tradition, you're there to look after it and hopefully pass it on in better nick than when you got it.

"I don't think those two Americans will be doing that this time around. I think Liverpool's crying out for somebody from the Middle East to come with a big fat cheque that allows them to take care of the debt and allows them to move forward.

"As long as they've got that debt hanging round their neck they're going nowhere. They are going nowhere fast, and the big danger for me is that they drop out of the Champions League places this season now and they can no longer attract the best players.

"All of a sudden they're having to unload some of their biggest assets.

"If they're not in the Champions League next year I think that will cause Liverpool major problems.

"I would suggest that if that is the case then anything could happen in terms of people leaving Liverpool.

"And the biggest asset they have is Torres.

"If you're not in the Champions League you're not going to attract the best players."

Reina Expects Liverpool Fans To Keep The Faith As Reds Are Dumped Into The Europa League

Goalkeeper Pepe Reina expects Liverpool fans to keep faith with the Merseysiders despite the five-time European champions crashing out of the Champions League on Tuesday night.

Liverpool's 1-0 victory over Debrecen, their first win in a month and only their second in 11 outings, was rendered irrelevant after Fiorentina edged past Lyon by the same scoreline in the other Group E match.

It means, regardless of results in the final round of matches next month, Rafa Benitez's side will enter the knockout stages of the far less prestigious UEFA Europa League in the new year.

Reina has already shifted focus to securing victory in the rebranded UEFA Cup and is sure the weary Liverpool fans can do the same.

'They will trust us, they will support us, they will be behind us and that's why they are Liverpool supporters,' said the 27-year-old. 'I don't need to tell them anything because they already know we always play 100 per cent.'

Failure to progress from the group stage heaps more pressure on beleaguered boss Benitez, although he was assured of his future last night by the club's managing director Christian Purslow.

The Spaniard faces an almighty battle to secure Champions League football next season, with Liverpool already 13 points adrift of Premier League leaders Chelsea.

However, Reina is confident that adding silverware of any form will be a huge filip for the club come the end of the season.

'Of course we're disappointed because the Champions League is a big competition that we've done well in for the last three or four years,' added the stopper. 'Now we're out, though. It's a tough competition and it's not always possible to get out of the group stage.

'The Europa League is another competition for us and we want to win it. It also has strong teams and it will be nice to play in it. It's already become a target. It'll be tough because there are so many good teams involved.

'We have to look forward and keep trying to win. We haven't had too many of those recently. We have to move on and keep fighting.'

Next up for Liverpool on Sunday is a trip to rivals Everton, themselves struggling on the domestic front. The Reds won the corresponding fixture 2-0 last season and have enjoyed the lion's share of the points up for grabs at Goodison Park in recent years.

And for Reina, there would be no better way to forget about Liverpool's European travails than with victory over the Toffees.

'To beat Everton is always huge, especially for the fans. We'll be trying because we also need to win in the league and in the race for fourth place.'

Liverpool Could Be Counting The Cost Of Early Exit For Years

It is impossible to calculate precisely the financial cost to Liverpool of their dire failure to qualify for the Champions League knockout stage but it is safe to assess it as several million pounds the club could have seriously done without losing.

Uefa has secured a significantly improved TV deal this season, from €820m (£740m) overall to €1.05bn (£948m), and dishes the money out according to the stage each club reaches and how far other clubs from that country advance too. The earlier other clubs go out, the greater the share of the TV "market pool" which accrues to the clubs left in the competition.

If, as is unlikely, England's three other clubs are knocked out in the next round, Liverpool's loss will be lessened. Last season, when Liverpool were eliminated in the quarter-final by Chelsea, and Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all reached the semi-final, Liverpool earned €23.2m from Uefa for their participation in the Champions League, which included around €8m for the knockout stage.

In addition to the Uefa money they will not earn, the club will also lose the bounty from guaranteed full houses on knockout-stage nights at Anfield; they may have to consider dropping ticket prices to bring in the crowds for Europa League fixtures.

It is difficult to avoid the sense that last night's exit represents more than a drop in form for Liverpool, partly explicable by injuries. There is a feeling that the club's hold on its place among English football's elite is weakening, with failures on the pitch married damagingly to the mess off it, where the two North American owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, could hardly be less loved.

They saddled the club with the £174m cost of their own takeover, which was completed so they could build Liverpool a new stadium of which there is no sign. In the year to 31 July 2008 the Anfield club, previously considered too careful at times with money, had passed £300m in debt, and more than a year on, that financial position will look no prettier.

By May we will know how much last night's elimination from the Champions League cost Liverpool in lost euros as well as wounded pride. The club cannot make the outdated claim that they can now concentrate on the league but they do need to dedicate themselves to retaining their precious place in the Premier League's top four.

A failure to qualify for the Champions League at all will cause a truly serious financial loss next season. Then, they could begin to fall terminally away from United, Chelsea and Arsenal and the other big city pretenders finally closing in on that fourth place, the gateway to euro-riches.

Manchester United And Liverpool Set For Further Asian Exposure

Goal TV, Asia’s pan-nation soccer television network, is to be broadcast in Indonesia for the first time, allowing fans of European soccer clubs in the country to see more of their teams. The two channels, Goal TV 1 and Goal TV 2, will particularly focus on English Premier League clubs Manchester United and Liverpool, the two European clubs with the strongest following in the region.

The channels will feature delayed coverage of games plus highlights from the English Premier League and the Uefa Champions League as well as showing Spanish football and the German Bundesliga. Dedicated club programming will also feature heavily, as will live coverage of games from the Scottish Premier League, Dutch Eredivisie and the Championship, England’s second-tier league.

The channels will be broadcast via the First Media platform in Indonesia, the latest of 12 Asian countries to take the channel since its launch in 2004.

English champions United are particularly popular in Indonesia. The club had planned a lucrative pre-season friendly in Jakarta in July before a terrorist attack forced the team to cancel a 100,000 sell-out game against an all-star team from the Indonesian Super League, a move which cost the club an estimated US$2 million in revenues.

Mascherano - Reds Will Bounce Back

Javier Mascherano is confident Liverpool will bounce back strongly from their early exit from the Champions League.

Tuesday night's win in Debrecen was not enough to save their flagging European campaign as Fiorentina's defeat of Lyon ensured Liverpool's demise.

Critics of Rafa Benitez have been given further fuel to throw on the fire in light of the most crushing of eliminations.

With Liverpool also badly underperforming in the league the pressure is mounting on everyone associated with the Merseyside outfit.

But midfielder Mascherano insists Liverpool will be strong in the face of adversity and not let this latest setback ruin the rest of their season.

"It's a strange feeling for everyone at the club," he told the Liverpool Echo.

"The Champions League is a special competition for us but it's gone and we must keep going.

"Now we are in another competition and we will do all we can to win that. There will be no problem with motivation. The motivation is simply to play for Liverpool.

"Liverpool deserve more from us and that is why we will do our best to win the Europa League."

The Argentine believes Liverpool can soon get back on track, starting with Sunday's crunch derby with Everton.

"We know it is going to be very difficult on Sunday but this is a really important game for us and for our supporters and we have got to start winning in the league again by beating Everton."

Rafa 'Under No Threat' - Purslow

Liverpool tried desperately to put a brave face on their first Champions League exit at the group stages for six years.

Chief executive Christian Purslow insisted manager Rafael Benitez's position "is under no threat" and skipper Steven Gerrard vowed that Liverpool would win the Europa League.

Benitez, meanwhile, claimed he was "more disappointed for the players, the staff and the fans" than for himself.

But in the cold light of day they will no doubt review the 1-0 win over a poor Debrecen side - with Fiorentina securing qualification by beating Lyon by the same scoreline - as a bitter pill to swallow.

Purslow made a point of doing media briefings after the game, and said: "You can never predict last-minute goals, which have cost us dear in the Champions League. That's no basis to make managerial decisions.

"We don't run our business in that respect. I'm on the record as saying Rafa's signed a new five-year contract, he's four months into that contract so to discuss that is not appropriate. He is under no threat."

Referring to the financial damage of missing out on qualification from the group phase, Purslow added: "It's limited actually. Assuming we have a reasonable run in the Europa League then we are financially neutral for this year."

And after David Ngog's early strike had secured Liverpool their win in the Ferenc Puskas stadium, Gerrard said: "Of course it's disappointing, we played fantastically well tonight and despite getting three points we don't progress.

"Now we'll be in the Europa League so we'll try to win that. The main prize has gone and to be playing in the Europa League is disappointing but we have to accept that, move on and try to win that competition.

"The only consolation for us now is if we go on and win the secondary one."

Benitez turned the focus onto Sunday's Merseyside derby at Everton, and said: "It was our own fault in the end, the late goals we have conceded along the way have cost us. We have been so good in the last few years that maybe people think it is easy to qualify in all competitions.

"Because of that, people think we can do it every season. But you cannot always, now we have a massive game on Sunday at Everton and we have to be ready for it.

"We have to be disappointed, we knew we had to win and we did that. You cannot change what happened in Florence, but at least we did our job.

"If you analyse the other group games, losing two late goals in two games with Lyon has been the massive difference. It has cost us four points from goals conceded in injury time.

"I like to win every game, I like to be as high as possible in every league table. But I have to be positive because you could see the players working so hard on a very difficult pitch.

"In this situation I think more about the players, the staff and the fans. I am disappointed for everyone.

"Now we have new targets. We are in a very bad position because now we cannot win the Champions League again, we know that, so the next game has to be won."

Liverpool Legend Tommy Smith Slams American Owners For Cutting Rafa Benitez Adrift In Europe

Liverpool legend Tommy Smith has put the blame on the club's American owners for the failure to make the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Last night's 1-0 win at Debrecen was not enough because Fiorentina beat Lyon by the same score to ensure Rafael Benitez's side will be contesting the Europa League after Christmas.

And Smith, who won two European Cups with Liverpool during a 16-year career at Anfield, is pointing the finger not at Benitez but George Gillett and Tom Hicks.

Tough-tackling defender Smith scored when Liverpool 3-1 to beat Borussia Monchengladbach in 1977, and admits he is heartbroken at their not reaching the last 16.

He said: 'Europe’s upper echelons is where Liverpool Football Club belongs. So being dumped out of a Champions League group which any Liverpool side should ordinarily have been able to conquer, is not good enough.

'Liverpool supporters are magnificent and unique - and the reason why Rafael Benitez and everyone at Anfield knows they deserve far better than they’re suddenly getting this season.

'And the question is, will the owners, who hardly ever turn up to watch a game, either sell up or somehow give him the money he needs to ensure this stuttering and deeply frustrating season is not repeated?'

Smith added it was 'bitterly disappointing' to slip into Europe's second-tier trophy and paid tribute to the Anfield fans.

He added: 'My thoughts last night went out to those magnificent Liverpool fans who stood in the rain in Hungary at the end on a cold November night singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”

'They weren’t booing, screaming at players or calling for the manager’s head. No. They stuck with the team and shared the deep disappointment, singing their hearts out to try and lift everyone’s spirits.

'Certainly those fans will give the manger time to sort it out.'