"I can say to our fans that we will improve in the league. We can see Gerrard playing again, we have (Yossi) Benayoun also coming back from injury.

"We have (Alberto) Aquilani who is fit now. We can use him when before it was not easy because of his fitness and injury.

"We have had problems with injuries to our centre-backs, but we now have four who are fit for the first time for a long while.

"For me these are the positive things that we can look forward to for the rest of the season."

He added: "If I could change anything, it would be to have our big players fit. For a change it would be good to have a problem of who to select, before this has not been the case.

"It has been difficult with Aquilani. He has not been fit so he has no match fitness, therefore I cannot use him.

"Then if he doesn’t play games, he cannot get the match fitness. That has been the difficult circle of events for him and for me to overcome.

"It was difficult again against Debrecen. Early on we could have scored two or three more goals, but towards the end we were under pressure and I could not risk bringing him on in such a situation, he would have needed time to settle.

"I have talked to him and explained. He has to keep working hard in every training session. His chance will come."

The damage to Liverpool’s Champions League campaign was done in two games against Lyon that produced just one point.

Benitez said: "In the end we could not control events elsewhere. But we won (against Debrecen) and that is good, now we must concentrate on doing the same against Everton.

"I do not know whether Torres can play against Everton. He has been working and training all week, but when his injury was assessed we were told that he would need three weeks of treatment.

"At the moment he has had just over two weeks, so we will have to see how he is nearer to the match."