Get over Gerrard absence, Benitez demands

RAFAEL BENITEZ has challenged his wilting Liverpool outfit to prove they can win without Steven Gerrard.

Manager Benitez has lost his leader, inspiration and top scorer for the Barclays Premiership clash at Charlton tonight, with Gerrard missing the match with a knee injury that after needing a scan this week, could also rule him out of the trip to Wigan on Saturday.

It is the worst possible time for Liverpool to lose the one player who drives them forward. Defeats at Manchester United and Chelsea have finally ended any fleeting hope of the title and put into context what Benitez now accepts is a chase "to reach the Champions League."

Benitez badly needs Gerrard in south-east London after seeing the tide turn against his men as they battle their way through a hugely demanding season that has already seen them play 41 matches more than Tottenham will face in their entire season.

Only a couple of weeks ago Liverpool were setting records by going 16 domestic games without defeat, a run that included 12 clean sheets much down to the abilities of Jose Reina, the keeper who now starts a three-match ban following his daft indiscretion at Chelsea that allowed Arjen Robben to milk the situation.

But now Benitez's side, 21 points behind Chelsea, have just one win in five league games and conceded nine goals in seven matches.

The Liverpool chief said: "Second place I suppose is the target now. But we have to win the games to make that possible.

"When you have experience, you know what to do when you are losing. I have talked with the players and told them to get their heads up because we have done a lot of good things this season.

"We are third, we are better off than we were last season. We are progressing regardless of what has happened.

"Maybe the defeats by Chelsea and Manchester United have changed our targets. The second position is now the target, maybe the top of the table is no longer the target for us."

He added: "Steven's injury is not serious, he needs rest for three or four days.

"He will be rested because we have a lot of games coming up close together.

"We have relied upon him. But maybe this is a situation for the others, if he is injured he cannot score. Maybe we will now see the other strikers scoring instead.

"It is an opportunity now for the rest. Steven has played a lot of games and scored a lot of goals.

"Now there is a need for the other players to show that they also need to score."

And with Robbie Fowler likely to be involved after staying behind at Melwood to work on his fitness at the weekend, Benitez desperately needs his shot-shy strikers to come good.

Fernando Morientes, Djibril Cisse and Peter Crouch have managed only 10 goals between them since mid-October. Gerrard has already scored 18 this season himself.

Benitez would give no hint, though, of Fowler's involvement, apart from saying: "Fowler has improved his physical condition, he has trained really hard. But we have other strikers who have also been trying to impress."