Manchester City v Liverpool preview: Liverpool can’t just rely on star duo

Dec 29 2007 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

IT could be construed as something of a back-handed compliment. Having been regarded by many as a one-man team for much of Rafael Benitez’s reign, the accusation that Liverpool are becoming over-reliant on two players may be an indication of the progress at Anfield this season.

From Cesc Fabregas at Arsenal, Didier Drogba at Chelsea and Cristiano Ronaldo at Manchester United, every championship contender has their own talisman.

But after shouldering a similar burden at Liverpool in recent years, Steven Gerrard has found the weight eased by the summer arrival of club record signing Fernando Torres.

Between them, the pair have struck 27 of the 60 goals netted by Benitez’s side this season.

Indeed, the last game in which Liverpool scored and neither Gerrard or Torres were on the scoresheet was the 2-1 derby win at Everton on October 20.

The dramatic Boxing Day victory at Derby County encapsulated the influence of the duo with Torres’s expert opener was followed by Gerrard’s last-minute winner.

But Benitez doesn’t buy into the growing belief that Liverpool’s goalscoring threat begins and ends with the much-feted pair.

“I remember two months ago people were talking about us scoring goals from all over the team,” says the Anfield manager. “Now it’s a different situation. If Gerrard and Torres continue scoring goals, I will be pleased, but if the others score then it will be better.

“We have enough quality players to score goals, and I think we will see all of them scoring goals. But if you say to me Gerrard or Torres will score the winning goal every game, I would sign right now.”

While other attacking areas of the team are chopped and changed – “not rotated!” insisted Benitez yesterday – a glance at the Spaniard’s team selection reveals his growing dependence on the pair.

Gerrard has started 18 of Liverpool’s last 19 games with his one absence, the Carling Cup quarter-final defeat at Chelsea last week, also the only game Torres has failed to begin since returning from injury as a goalscoring substitute against Fulham on November 10.

For Benitez, the increasing danger of Torres is vindication of his decision to ease the Spaniard into English football earlier in the season.

“If players like Gerrard and Torres are fit, then we can use them,” he says. “When we were talking about Torres earlier in the season, I was saying we couldn’t use him then if we wanted him to be fitter now.

“In the last two months of the season, you want your players with fresh legs. We can use them now because we have three or four days between games, it’s not a problem.

“But it depends on the player. Sometimes 80% of the level of one player is better than 100% of another. But if you have players 100% fit they will give you more than a player who is less than 100% fit.”

Benitez adds: “Torres is showing character and quality and is settled down well in England. He is playing well but can get better, he is only 23.

“Torres was injured for one month and we had some problems in that time. If Torres was fit and could play every game, then maybe he’d have scored one or two goals in that spell and we’d have reduced the gap even more. Sometimes you need a little bit of luck.”

Both Gerrard and Torres will again line up tomorrow afternoon as Liverpool travel to Manchester City with just a point separating the teams in the table, although the fourth-placed visitors have a game in hand on their fifth-placed opponents.

Benitez expects a tough game at Eastlands, where Sven-Goran Eriksson’s men surrendered their 100% record with a 2-2 draw against Blackburn Rovers on Thursday night after previously recording nine straight Premier League home wins.

“City have a lot of confidence at home, which has grown from good results,” says the Spaniard. “Eriksson is a manager with experience, he knows the league and the players. Their situation is really positive.

“Everybody knows from reading the papers that they have some money they are looking to spend in January, and they will be hoping to be closer to the top four.

Meanwhile, Liverpool have further bolstered their youth ranks by signing 16-year-old Alex Cooper from Ross County.

The Scottish under-16 international has been pursued by a number of top clubs and Jose Mourinho was determined to take the winger to Stamford Bridge before he left Chelsea.

But Liverpool have secured Cooper's services after agreeing a £100,000 fee with County and awarding the youngster a three-and-a-half year contract.

His father, former Aberdeen star Neale Cooper, said: “All his family are delighted Alex has been given the opportunity to sign for Liverpool.

“He could have gone to one or two other clubs but he just loved the way he was treated by Liverpool when he was there.”

Young Anfield defender James Smith has re-signed on loan at Stockport County and will remain at the Coca-Cola League Two club until the end of the season.