Mascherano backing for Benitez
Liverpool’s 2-1 home defeat against Lyon in the Champions League on Tuesday night has left manager Benitez under intense pressure with his team struggling to reach the knockout round in Europe and struggling in the Premier League.
The sight of Steven Gerrard limping off after 25 minutes, having been rushed back prematurely from a groin injury, heightened the sense of crisis — especially as Alex Ferguson opted not to risk Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra or Darren Fletcher for Manchester United in Europe and expects all four to be fit for Sunday’s big game.
Midfielder Mascherano has sought to defend Benitez from a barrage of criticism but admits a crisis of confidence is developing at the club after so many set-backs.
“This is club is not used to losing and we have lost six games already this season, it’s very difficult for us,” he said.
“I think the team is not playing well so maybe a lot of players are not in the best form. We are losing confidence.
“But we have to keep going, keep working very hard to try to win the next game against United. It will be a massive game for us.
“We need to think that we have to win on Sunday and try to start winning and bringing back the confidence.”
Mascherano is aware of the pressure building on Benitez, not least because of the boos that rung around Anfield when he substituted crowd favourite Yossi Benayoun late on against Lyon, not to mention the dozens of column inches dedicated to Benitez’s future in yesterday’s newspapers.
He said: “Everyone is talking about the manager but the truth is we are the ones who play on the pitch and if we don’t play well it’s not his fault. We have to take responsibility. He can say how to play but on the pitch we are the ones. We need to work harder and try to win games.
“We know the people are disappointed but the supporters are still behind us. They come to watch Liverpool win and we couldn’t do that, but on Sunday I’m sure we will have all of them behind us and it will be great for us if we can give them a victory.
“It’s too early to say it is a game that will decide our season but it’s true that for our confidence it’s a massive game. Maybe if we can win it will be totally different on Monday.
“That’s why we are not thinking about losing to United. I believe we can win.
“We have done it before, we need to remember that.
“I still believe it’s possible for Liverpool to win the league this season. If we start to win and keep winning it’s possible. But we cannot afford to drop more points. We have to start Sunday and don’t stop.”
The big problem for Liverpool is that both Gerrard and Fernando Torres face a race against time to be fit to face United because of groin injuries and it’s quite clear that without them Liverpool look vulnerable.
Mascherano said: “We need Fernando and Stevie back. I don’t know how bad Stevie’s injury is but we need both of them. We have won a lot of games last season without them but in this situation now we want to have them because they are very important for us. They are key players for us. If they can be fit to play United it would be great for us because right now it’s not a good situation for the club. We need to win on Sunday.”
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