Peter Crouch: I'll fight to keep myself in the frame

Aug 29 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

PETER CROUCH vowed to continue making life difficult for Rafael Benitez after helping Liverpool to the group stages of the Champions League last night.

The striker sent the Anfield side on their way to a 4-0 victory over Toulouse in their third qualifying round second leg tie with his first goal of the season in the 19th minute.

It was Crouch’s eight goal in 10 Champions League starts, and came in only his second start of the campaign having so far been handed only seven minutes of Premier League action by Benitez.

And the forward hopes his strike has given the Anfield manager food for thought.

“I suppose it is going to be difficult [to be picked] but as long as I get as many games as I like and keep scoring, then who knows?” said Crouch. “I suppose it’s going to be difficult for the manager to keep everyone happy.

“I am pleased to play and get a goal and hopefully I can continue to do that when called upon.”

Benitez said: “Peter could have scored one or two more. But it’s okay if the team keeps winning and playing well, I am pleased if he scores or any of the other players scores goals.

“For a striker it’s important to be there and I’m sure he will have more confidence.”

Liverpool’s win ensured a 5-0 aggregate triumph and put their name in the hat for tomorrow’s group stage draw in Monaco.

And Crouch said: “It is important to reach the group stages. Personally, it was good to get my first of the season in a good team performance.

“We are looking good. It was important to start well this season and it seems to have gone that way.

“If we continue to progress the way we have started then we have a great chance.”

Stand-in skipper Sami Hyypia put Liverpool further ahead four minutes after the break before Dirk Kuyt’s late brace confirmed a dominant performance from the home team.

Benitez declared himself pleased with his team’s display, and said: “It was a good game for us. We needed to control the game in the first half but we had problems when we were giving the ball away, but after that we played well.

“You could see the competition for each position because you could see each player trying to play well until the end and trying to score. That was the most positive news for me.”

Benitez made seven changes from the team that won at

Sunderland at the weekend, and handed a first Anfield start to Yossi Benayoun and debuts to Argentine winger Sebastian Leto and Brazilian midfielder Lucas.

And the Spaniard believes Liverpool’s emphatic victory – their 50th home win in the European Cup – underlines the strength in depth of his new-look squad.

“I wanted to use Leto, Benayoun and Lucas because they weren’t playing too much,” said Benitez.

“You could see Kuyt creating chances and giving passes and scoring goals. We changed a lot of things but everything was okay. That’s a big positive.

“This squad is stronger than last season. It’s early but you can see the qualities of the players, different things. We are changing players and positions and it’s still good.

“Thinking about the season, it’s good for us. If we have problems in one game we can now change things, and that’s something we couldn’t do last year.”

Anfield paid a touching tribute to the murdered 11-year-old Rhys Jones before last night’s game, while Liverpool wore black armbands in tribute to the youngster.

Benitez, who embraced Rhys’s family following the playing of the theme tune to Z Cars, also paid his respects to Antonio Puerta, the Sevilla wing-back who died yesterday after suffering a heart attack during his team’s game with Getafe at the weekend.

“I want to give my condolences to the Jones family and also to Puerta’s family and Sevilla FC,” he said. “They were two pieces of bad news this week.”