Benitez maintains faith in Morientes
Oct 19 2005
By Ian Doyle In Brussels, Daily Post
AMID all the hullabaloo surrounding strikers at Anfield this season, one name has been in danger of slipping under the radar.
Peter Crouch arrived, Michael Owen didn't. Milan Baros departed and Djibril Cisse threatened to. But for Fernando Morientes, things have been quiet.
And that's been the problem for the Spaniard since his much-trumpeted £6.5million arrival from Real Madrid in January, with the 29-year-old enduring a hugely underwhelming start to his career in English football.
Ineligibility left him a frustrated observer of Liverpool's triumphant Champions League run last season and hopes of making an impact domestically were hampered by niggling injury and the team's hopelessly inconsistent Premiership form.
Even this season, any momentum gathered by Morientes's two goals in Sofia in August ground to a shuddering halt with the hamstring injury suffered while training with Spain early last month.
It meant recent reports from his homeland linking the forward with a January move to Champions League group rivals Real Betis in exchange for in-demand winger Joaquin were not met with the usual scepticism or any genuine surprise.
However, Rafael Benitez maintains faith in his man and has told Morientes to ignore the tittle-tattle and rediscover the form that marked him out as a potent goalscorer during his time at the Bernabeu.
He's determined for sure to prove himself in England," said the Liverpool manager. "I don't know why people keep talking about Joaquin - we've never talked about him, and we've certainly never talked about Morientes or (Djibril) Cisse (going the other way).
"I read the things in the Spanish press and I talked to Nando and said to him 'Forget about all that'. I know he wants to make a success of it over here. That is clear. They've been talking about him going back to Spain in the press over there and I know he has friends who read the papers and talk to him, so I needed to speak with him.
"He understands the game better here now, but we need to under-stand his game better and he needs to know his team-mates better still."
Morientes made his return from injury as a second-half substitute in the victory over Blackburn Rovers on Saturday, and this evening against Anderlecht is likely to be handed his first start in the Champions League proper since appearing on the losing side for Monaco in the 2004 final.
Spurned chances at the weekend were dismissed as a lack of sharpness by Benitez, who bristles at the suggestion they were further evidence Morientes cannot adjust to the unique demands of the English game.
"I was surprised the other day because, in 20 minutes, he had three chances and it wasn't normal that he missed them," adds the Spaniard. "I don't think they had anything to do with the English style of football. They were clear chances. He's a good finisher so it wasn't normal that he should miss them.
"He's playing well and working hard in terms of his physical condition. I think match fitness will come.
"You can see him in training and improve his physical performance, but you need to play in the reserves or the first team to get rid of the rustiness."
The Champions League has certainly proven profitable for Morientes, with three winners medals and 28 goals to show for his efforts. And with Liverpool having struggled to billow the onion bag this season, a return to such form would be warmly welcomed by Benitez.
"We need to score goals," he admits. "But now, with Cisse more confident, Morientes coming back, Harry Kewell another option and Crouch working hard, I think that we will have more possibilities."
The availability of Morientes means Benitez may choose to remove Crouch from the firing line after a week to forget for the £7m man. Sarcastically cheered and then jeered while on England duty, he appeared out of sorts against Blackburn and was replaced by the Spaniard having failed to end his goalscoring drought.
Crouch cut a forlorn figure as he trudged off the Anfield pitch, but Benitez remains unconcerned of any long-lasting effects.
"I don't think Crouch's confidence has taken a knock," says Benitez.
"He's playing really well. He cannot play 100% fit every game because he's playing a lot of games in a row at the moment as well, but now we have Morientes and Crouch fit things can get easier. He can be rested.
"The players around him need to know how to play with him, though. When you see the statistics, he wins a lot of balls in every game but we need to be around him, supporting him.
"He's playing well, but the others around him are still getting to know him. He looked down when he was substituted on Saturday because it was a tough game and he wasn't given much space in which to play.
"I think it'll make a big difference when he scores his first goal. All strikers want to score. The first goal is always the most difficult because, once you've got it out of the way, noone talks about it any more.
"For me, it would be fantastic if he scored eight goals but made a lot for his team-mates. He set one up at Birmingham for Steven Gerrard. It's not important if he scores 15 goals and another striker scores 14 - if Cisse scored 25 goals and Crouch only three, but made plenty for his team-mates, then I'd be happy.
"But they won't score many if we don't play well. If we continue as strong as we are at this moment, and play more in wide areas, I expect our strikers to score a lot of goals because they have quality."
Helping Liverpool move nearer the knockout stages in his favourite competition this evening would be the perfect way for Morientes to remind everyone of those talents.
