Benitez hoping for more from Gerrard

LIVERPOOL manager Rafael Benitez admits his side’s failings this season have not brought the best out of midfielder Steven Gerrard but he still expects his captain to contribute more to the team.

The England international accepts his form has left him unhappy and that has been obvious watching his body language on the field.

Benitez sympathises with Gerrard because he accepts the season has been a disappointing one but that does not mean he will absolve the player from taking any responsibility.

So often in the past the 29-year-old has produced inspirational performances to get his side out of trouble but those displays have been sadly missing in the current campaign.

But Benitez, whose Liverpool side face Sunderland at Anfield tomorrow, knows the quality Gerrard possesses and hopes to be able to spark that into life in the club’s seven remaining Barclays Premier League matches as they chase fourth place.

“I think more or less in terms of his position and his movement it is similar (to previous seasons),” said the Reds boss.

“The team has had some problems and some players are suffering because we are not giving them too many good balls or options.

“But Gerrard is an important player because he also has to create something for the rest of the team and he knows he has to improve.

“But the main thing for me — and we have had conversations with the team — is that everyone knows we have to improve.

“He is one of the players who is really focused and has a great determination to improve.

“That is the first thing; if you want to improve you have to believe you can do it and work hard trying to do it.”

Gerrard, who was troubled by a niggling injury earlier in the season, has scored only nine goals this season — his worst campaign since 2006-7.

That has prompted questions about not only his form but his long-term future at the club.

However, the player remains confident he can turn things around soon.

“I think it can be better, if you look at my form through the season as a whole I am not totally happy, I have not reached the level I would like to be at,” he said.

“It is not worrying me as I still have confidence that it can switch and turn at any given time to where I would want it to be.

“I have played well this season but I have come out of games when I have not been totally happy.

“I am my own worse critic, I know myself when it is good and when it needs to be stepped up and the challenge for me now in the remaining games is to step up and drive Liverpool into fourth, try to go to the Europa League final and go to the World Cup.”

One player unlikely to be given a chance to do that is winger Albert Riera, who is destined to go out on loan to a Russian club before the close of their transfer window early next month.

The Spain international angered Benitez with his outspoken criticism last week, claiming the manager does not communicate with players and describing Liverpool as a “sinking ship”.

“We are working with different clubs trying to find a solution at this moment,” said the manager.

“We will try to do some business if we can and see what happens.”

Meanwhile, Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is still smarting over the Spaniard’s January pursuit of Kenwyne Jones.

Bruce was furious at persistent speculation from Merseyside during the winter transfer window that the Trinidad & Tobago international would leave Wearside and join the Reds on loan for the rest of the season before completing a permanent switch during the summer.

Jones was clearly unsettled by the rumours and his form dipped alarmingly and, while his manager insists there will be no continued resentment as he sends his team out at Anfield, the saga still clearly rankles.

Bruce said: “Listen, it’s said and done. In management, you have to do one thing, which is look after your own club.

“I couldn’t get away from the speculation and, for me, it did affect Kenwyne.

“He must have read some of the reports thinking I had gone loopy, thinking I was going to let him go on loan.

“It was continuous. I don’t know where the notion came from – I was thinking, ‘Am I going round the twist here? Am I missing the plot?’.

“Kenwyne Jones going on loan — I am sorry, but it was just a non-starter.

“But it kept going and going and going. Obviously, Rafa Benitez must have been getting the information from somewhere.

“I would have thought, out of decency, maybe he would have done the honourable thing and rung me if there was an interest.

“But the speculation kept going and going and, for me, affected Kenwyne and affected the team.

“Thankfully, when the window shut and all the nonsense had gone away, we started seeing the best of Kenwyne again, and it was nice to see.”