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RAFA WILL GET IT RIGHT

ABOVE: Reina says Rafa is the right man to lead Liverpool out of defeat

3rd November 2009

By Dave Lyons

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PEPE Reina says crisis boss Rafa Benitez will get it right – and urges Liverpool players to stand up and fight for the club.

The Reds face a make-or-break Champions League tie in Lyon tomorrow on the back of a 3-1 defeat at Fulham on
Saturday.

Benitez will once again be without influential skipper Steven Gerrard, who won’t travel to France due to a groin injury, while Fernando Torres has been told he may need an operation on a hernia.

Glen Johnson, Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio and David Ngog are also major doubts.

Despite the crippling injury crisis, and the fact that Liverpool have lost six of their last seven in all competitions, keeper Reina is adamant Benitez is the right man to stop the rot.

He said: “Rafa is building something special here. He proved that when he came here – the club was one thing and
now it’s something totally different.

“We have grown up and we can still grow up a little bit more. We have to go game by game. Now we must focus on Lyon, which is massive, and after that Birmingham is a must-win game.

“In weak moments, strong people have to appear. The key is to stay together. Belief is the word we need to use the
most – belief in ourselves and our team-mates.

“We were a bit unlucky on Saturday. We didn’t play as bad as at other times. It was not even close to our worst game.

“We have pride in wearing this shirt and we have to defend it until the end,” added the goalkeeper,
who is keen to sign a new Anfield deal.

“Any defeat hurts someone with ambition and someone who is hungry for titles. But it doesn’t matter how many times you fall down – what matters is how many times you get up and keep trying to be the best.

“That’s what we have to do now. We have to go back to our principles, sort out the problems we’re having and go back to being the Liverpool everyone wants.”

Benitez, meanwhile, has defended his decision to sub star striker Torres after an hour at Fulham and revealed he will continue to use him sparingly due to a hernia problem.

He said: “We are trying to manage because Torres was close to having an operation. Two days after the game, he is
feeling something.

“He is not comfortable. He has not got the power he had before, so we have to manage and try to protect him. He cannot play well if you keep pushing him.

“Maybe if you push him he will be injured for a long time.”