Benitez powerless as striker crisis worsens

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez has been left bitterly frustrated at being unable to protect Milan Baros from the injury which has ruled him out for a month.

A recurrence of a hamstring injury forced Baros off after 18 minutes of the Czech Republic’s World Cup qualifier against Macedonia to leave Benitez without his two main strikers, with Djibril Cisse out for the season with a broken leg.

It is a savage blow for Benitez, who faces eight crucial games now in 25 days in the Barclays Premiership, Champions League and Carling Cup.

“There is nothing you can do to stop players being in this sort of international, they get hurt and you still have to pay them,” Benitez said.

“They can be out for three, six or even more months and their national team pays nothing.”

Baros had only just been passed fit to score a hat-trick against Crystal Palace last weekend, playing with a heavily strapped thigh, after just 10 days out with a hamstring injury.

Baros would not have been used by Liverpool in any midweek game because of that injury and the need for a recovery period, and Benitez admits he was even “thinking of taking him off in the second half against Palace to protect him”.

However, Benitez had no say over whether the Czechs used him or not, and the 23 year-old was duly injured again.

“We can do nothing about the rules for competitive internationals, if the player wants to go then he has to be released,” the Spaniard added.

“We had this problem with the Argentina players when I was at Valencia, the manager never talked to us, the players were just called up.

“But we need to protect players, and it is still up to us to pay them. And more important for us is that they are fit to be in the team when they come back.

“But you cannot play a lot of games after being out injured for 10 days like he was. Then you play two games close together, with all the travelling.

“But you can do nothing about it, we all know the rules. If the player is wanted, and he wants to go you have to accept it.”

Benitez believes clubs should have the right to withdraw players from friendly internationals, but knows there is no hope of such a relaxation of the rules for European or World Cup games.

Benitez will have Steven Gerrard back after eight weeks out with a broken foot, but must face Middlesbrough with either Florent Sinama Pongolle or rookie Neil Mellor up front, plus Harry Kewell as a support striker.

He said: “We started the season with four strikers, now we have only two. We now need players and have to work with different players and have new ideas.

“We will need to sign new players but at the moment we just have to make the best of what we have. Losing Milan now is bad for me and the club.”

Benitez is at least able to feel happy about Gerrard’s return, and said: “We do have Steven Gerrard back, which is good for me, for the team, for the fans and for the England fans. It is very important that he is back.

“He can give us more intensity and a stronger mentality, it is definitely good that he is back playing again.

“We know we have a lot of important games in the next month or so and at least in midfield we now have a lot of competition for places.”