I APPRECIATE that Liverpool are keen to shake off the image that they rely too heavily on Fernando Torres – but that doesn’t mean he should be frozen out completely.

The Spanish striker has scored 10 in 10 in the Premier League and has to be the most devastating finisher in the world at the moment.

So when you have someone like that in your side you play to his strengths and give him as many opportunities as possible – chances are he will take them, as he proved against Manchester United and Fulham in the last two games.

And that is why I was amazed to see Andriy Voronin paired with him at Craven Cottage.

Torres thrives on the service from behind him so it’s vital that when Steven Gerrard is not in the side, the selection is spot on and tailored to maximise the impact of the Premier League’s top scorer.

In the first half, I made a point of watching Torres and every time Liverpool had possession – whether it was Mascherano, Lucas, Degen or Insua – he was constantly looking to get into danger areas and his movement off the ball was excellent.

Trouble was, he never received it.

And he must have been wondering what he was supposed to do when he’s thinking ahead but other players aren’t on his wavelength.

Yes, he scored one, but it wasn’t enough on the day so ways have to be found of rewarding the threat he poses with some decent service.

And I don’t buy the argument that when Gerrard is out Liverpool don’t have anyone who can drop in behind the lone striker and cause problems.

Has anyone seen Yossi Benayoun play recently?

He is the man who should be stepping in to the Gerrard role – he has the vision, the intelligence, the touch, the skill, the creativity to get the best out of Torres.

His pass against United a week earlier was the perfect example of that.