Both players will be absent at this afternoon – Torres is unlikely to be seen for another six weeks – and Benitez admits his team’s problems may not be down to just talent and confidence.

“In the games it has sometimes been down to character – everyone has to take responsibility. If I was worrying about the future I wouldn’t be concentrating on the next game, and we have to do that. We know the only way is to carry on and to push the players.

“The manager is the first one who has to have the belief, but we do have a good team. If we can play at the same level as in the past – with the majority of the same players – it will be different.

“This year has been difficult from the beginning and we know we have to show character. I said before that the top four was the target but changed the message a bit – we can’t talk long-term, just about the next game.”

That next game comes at Stoke this afternoon, an intimidating venue for many visiting teams and where Liverpool struggled to a goalless draw last season that did much to undermine their title aspirations.

Sights have been significantly lowered since then, and Benitez admits his players are desperate to resume a winning Premier League run that saw them win both top-flight games over the festive period.

“You have to think of the positives,” he says. “If we win against Stoke and Tottenham we’d be closer and everything would look different. I was guaranteeing the top four because I have belief and I still have the belief because we have to win our next one.

“If you look at who’s won things in the past, it’s been the richest clubs – yet Liverpool has won four trophies in that time. So we are progressing, just going through a bad moment. Every club has problems at times, we just have to try our best from now.”

Benitez adds: “We knew the expectations were too high and we have to manage them now. I think we can do it but everything has to be right. I was criticised when Torres was injured but people don’t know the situation. Players have carried on when they were not fully fit.

“If you took of the best players out of any top side they would have problems, but maybe even more for us because we need those players.

“As a manager for 26 years or so, we have had problems in the past. But it’s a bit different these days, when everyone has an opinion, everyone has a say.

“We were doing well for years and have good memories of scoring a lot of goals. But now maybe those memories are against us because we’re not at the level we can play at. We have still got more goals at home than last year but have conceded late ones in a lot of games, which makes a massive difference.”