Benitez taking no risks on starsJul 31 2006
By Neil Johnston, Daily Post
RAFAEL BENITEZ is ready to save Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso for the start of Liverpool's Champions League campaign rather than risk the duo in this week's friendlies.
Benitez had wanted to give the midfield pair a runout in one of the two games against Grasshoppers of Zurich tomorrow and FSV Mainz on Friday.
But the Liverpool manager looks set to change his mind in the wake of Luis Garcia's neck injury during Saturday's friendly with Kaiserlautern.
Garcia failed to finish against the Germans after sustaining the injury after scoring in his first appearance for the club since returning from the World Cup with Spain.
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Benitez does not want to risk any more injuries to senior players on the eve of the season.
With that in mind he's likely to save Gerrard and Alonso for next week's Champions League third qualifying round first leg tie with Israel's Maccabi Haifa, although Peter Crouch and Jamie Carragher may play some part in this week's games.
"We must be careful with the rest of the players after what happened to Luis," said Benitez, following the 3-2 defeat in Liechtenstein.
"He has a neck injury and has been complaining of a sore neck in training three days ago.
"The most important thing now is that we keep the rest of the players fit."
Benitez has every right to be cautious after Garcia's injury towards the end of the game resulted in the bizarre spectacle of goalkeeper Jose Reina playing in midfield. Liverpool had used up all their outfield substitutes and with Jerzy Dudek starting, Reina was the only player left on the bench.
As well as Garcia's injury, Brazilian newcomer Fabio Aurelio also picked up a knock although both are expected to recover in time to feature when the season gets under way for real next week.
Despite going down to defeat there were positives for Benitez to reflect on three weeks before the launch of the new Premiership campaign. None more so than Jermaine Pennant's eye-catching debut performance.
The £6.7m signing from Birmingham marked his first appearance by climbing off the bench to play a part in both his side's goals.
Pennant admitted afterwards, he cannot wait for the season to begin for real.
"As a player you cannot ask for more than playing in the Champions League and it is something that really excites me," he said.
Kaiserslautern 3, Liverpool 2 (D, Post)Jul 31 2006
Neil Johnston At The Eschen Mauren Stadium
LIECHTENSTEIN, it is fair to say, has not witnessed too many exciting moments in football down the years. Yet Jermaine Pennant's highly encouraging debut performance in the tiny European country left Liverpool's band of travelling supporters with plenty to be optimistic about for the future.
Forget the result. Yes, Rafael Benitez's men suffered defeat at the hands of a team relegated from the Bundesliga at the end of last season. And yes, Liverpool's defending at times left a lot to be desired.
But in Vaduz on Saturday the positives outweighed the negatives, none more so than Pennant's dazzling second-half display during which Benitez's latest recruit set up both goals and produced some powerful bursts of pace.
The true test of whether Pennant is indeed the right man to fill Anfield's right-sided midfield void will not come for another few weeks.
However, so far so good. Pennant thrilled the crowd inside the compact Eschen Sportpark by providing the ammunition for Craig Bellamy and Luis Garcia as the German defence struggled to cope with his sporadic darts of speed.
Despite only being 23, this is a man who has a habit of making history whether it is for right or wrong reasons.
He became Arsenal's youngest ever player (16 years, 319 days) when he played in a League Cup tie in 1999. Far less gloriously Pennant was at the centre of another 'first' by becoming the first professional to play with an electronic tag around his ankle after serving a prison sentence for drink driving while banned last year.
Pennant does not pretend to be a prolific goalscorer and nor does he intend to be. Indeed, nothing would please him more than to write his name into Liverpool's history books by providing more goals than anyone else has managed at Anfield.
Certainly if Saturday is anything to go by, Pennant could well achieve his aim after a performance bubbling with hope and promise.
"Setting up goals and scoring goals are the same thing to me," the former England under-21 man said.
"It's always nice to score, but I get just as much pleasure setting up goals for others.
"Hopefully there will be many more assists credited to my name while I'm at Liverpool."
While all eyes were on Pennant, Benitez left Liechtenstein clinging to further positives.
With Liverpool's season about to begin for real next week against Israel's Maccabi Haifa in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, Gabriel Paletta produced another eye-catching performance alongside Sami Hyypia in the centre of defence.
For years players have been coming to these shores from Argentina to try their luck in the Premiership. Few have succeeded. Yet Paletta is already proving to be a strong character and is clearly determined to make his mark.
While others might have seen Saturday's exercise as a gentle warm-up, Paletta produced another no-nonsense display in which his tackling was as fierce as the heat.
More positives came in the shape of Bolo Zenden, Liverpool's best attacking threat in a lacklustre first half. The Dutchman continued his return from injury with another useful 90 minute work out.
Then there was Bellamy. Benitez wants his £6m signing from Blackburn to score at least 15 goals this season and the Welshman looks set to oblige after making it two in three outings for his new club.
Benitez also continued with his pre-season policy of blending youth with experience. While Craig Lindfield impressed by scoring the winner at Crewe seven days earlier, it was the turn of youngsters Jack Hobbs, Lee Peltier and Paul Anderson to demonstrate their potential against Kaiserslautern, Hobbs emerging as the most assured of the three.
Yet, as the scoreline suggests, Liverpool's third pre-season work-out did not all go according to plan.
Indeed, Garcia failed to finish his first game back from the World Cup after suffering a neck injury soon after scoring in the 68th minute.
By then Benitez had already used all his out-field substitutes and was left with no choice but to throw keeper Jose Reina into midfield for the remaining minutes.
Back in May when his penalty shoot-out heroics against West Ham helped win the FA Cup, Reina could never have envisaged that his next club appearance would be in the engine room alongside Zenden.
Quelle:
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