Rafa rated Gerrard as Europe’s top player

RAFAEL BENITEZ has sent Steven Gerrard and Liverpool on a mission to regain ground on their Barclays Premiership rivals, certain his skipper is “one of the best players in the world.”

Anfield boss Benitez made his bold statement the day after Gerrard was voted third in the European Player of the Year award, behind Barcelona's Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard of Chelsea.

Gerrard will lead the Champions League holders against Sunderland tonight, the Premiership's bottom club, knowing his manager expected him to win the top European crown, rather than finish third.

Benitez said: "I was waiting, maybe expecting, to hear that Steven Gerrard would win the European Footballer of the Year award, but to be in the top three is still a great achievement. Maybe next time he will be the number one.

"I felt he could have won it this time, he played in the Champions League final in three different positions and was our inspiration to winning.

"He played well in every position and for me he is one of the best players in the world. But Ronaldinho and Frank Lampard are both really good players too.

"It says something about the standard of the Premiership that three of the top four were from clubs in England. Thierry Henry was fourth, and that means the level in the Premier League is really high.

"And that will continue because next season you will see even more top players here. There are already many, many good players here and that will only grow."

All Benitez wants now from Gerrard and his team-mates is to maximise the advantage of finally playing one of their games in hand.

Victory against the Black Cats will take them into fourth spot above Wigan, with Saturday's Anfield clash against Paul Jewell's side next on the list.

Liverpool are having their best defensive run since 1997, the last time they went six games without conceding a goal. And after winning their last four Premier League games on the trot, Benitez knows they must take full advantage of their best form of the campaign.

He added: "I know we have done well, but I want to think only of the future. It is good to have such statistics but all I aim for is for them to be better and better.

"It is important for us that we continue this run until we go to Japan next month for the World Club Championships. We have three more league games and one in the Champions League and I want us to still be unbeaten before we leave.

"That will mean that we will be higher in the table, certainly in the top three or four and the league will have a more realistic look about it because right from the start of the season we have played less than our rivals.

"We want to go to Japan in as strong a position as possible. Then I hope we will win there and come back for the Christmas period when we play four more games in eight days two at home and hopefully maintain our form and this run.

"It will be fantastic for us to go to Japan with three more league wins. That is my aim."

Benitez hopes to have Luis Garcia back from a hip injury but still has doubts over Xabi Alonso's ankle problem.