Benitez lays down challenge to misfiring strikers

LIVERPOOL are refusing to be complacent about their progress into the next qualifying round of the Champions League.

Manager Rafael Benitez has challenged his strikers to show no mercy when Liverpool face TNS at Wrexham tonight in the first qualifying round second leg.

And new midfielder Boudewijn Zenden has added his words of warning, insisting the tie is not dead despite Liverpool’s 3-0 first leg lead.

Zenden, a second half substitute in the first leg, who could well start tonight says: “We cannot say the tie is over, we are in a good position but we still need to be professional and do the job properly.

“TNS gave a good account of themselves at Anfield. They were well organised, worked hard and restricted us to just three goals, even though we had chances to score more.

“We should be more than three goals ahead but hopefully we can score some more at Wrexham and really finish the tie off.

“They have nothing to lose and so they will look to give us another good game. Obviously we should win because of the position we’re in, but I can tell everyone that we aren’t complacent. There is still work to be done.”

And from Benitez’s point of view, his challenge to his strikers comes at a time when he is believed to be on the brink of clinching the signings of Peter Crouch and Luis Figo.

Benitez says: “Last season our top goalscorers hit 13 goals and that isn’t enough. The strikers always need to score more than that.

“I am confident that if we have better possession of the ball this season and play better football then they will have more chances.”

Liverpool were slick and threatening in their 3-0 win over Bayer Leverkusen in Saturday’s friendly in Austria, with Djibril Cisse netting twice.

Benitez believes the players are learning, and said: “On Saturday morning before the Leverkusen game we were working on our movements up front because Cisse is quick.

“It was pleasing that all three goals were similar because it meant the players were taking what we were doing in training into the game. That’s a good sign.”

Liverpool, despite claims from Wales, have never threatened to put out a reserve side for the second leg if they were comfortably ahead. Benitez has always insisted on respect for opponents and can only use the 25 players originally named to UEFA for the tie a fortnight ago, and that includes all of his front line troops. The first leg of the next round will be played away next week, probably against Lithuanian champions Kaunas, who won their first leg 4-2 away to Faroe Islanders Torshavn and are expected to complete the job tonight.