[lfc-news] Benitez's injury worries worsen - Post

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Liverpool Daily Post, 25 Nov 2004
Benitez's injury worries worsen
By Andy Hunter, Daily Post

LIVERPOOL'S Champions League injury toll rose even higher last night as
Claus Bo Larson added insult to defeat in Monaco by insisting he was right
to allow Javier Saviola's winner to stand.

Luis Garcia and Josemi compounded Rafael Benitez's injury problems on
Tuesday night when they were stretchered off at the Stade Louis II.

But now Djimi Traore has heightened Liverpool's fitness troubles by
suffering a knee injury in the 1-0 defeat.

The in-form defender will miss Sunday's Premiership visit of Arsenal, the
Carling Cup quarter-final at Tottenham and the trip to Aston Villa after
sustaining a medial ligament injury that will keep him out for a minimum of
10 days.

Traore's loss is another damaging setback for Benitez who could be without
Garcia until Boxing Day after scans yesterday confirmed a slight tear to
his left hamstring.

The Spanish midfielder pulled up after only two minutes in Monaco and, like
Milan Baros before him, has been told his recovery will take a month.

Josemi is suspended for the Arsenal game after picking up a fifth booking
of the season at Middlesbrough but is doubtful for next Wednesday's trip to
White Hart Lane after receiving 20 stitches in a head wound.

Antonio Nunez, however, will offer a rare piece of good injury news for
Liverpool when he makes his first appearance in a red shirt tonight.

The Spanish winger, who joined Liverpool as part of the deal which took
Michael Owen to Real Madrid, suffered a knee injury in his very first
training session at the club and aggravated it ahead of his first scheduled
comeback. But he is now considered fit enough to play some part in the
reserve match away to Leeds.

Nunez has already had one false start in his rehabilitation and Benitez
will not take any short cuts with his compatriot's fitness.

"It is a danger to do that, it will be his first game for us in the
reserves, and he needs two more weeks' work to be fit enough for the first
team," the Liverpool manager insisted.

Danish referee Larsen, meanwhile, insists he has a clear conscience over
the goal that condemned Liverpool to a 1-0 defeat to Monaco on Tuesday evening.

Larsen told Sami Hyypia he had seen the handball by Saviola in the build-up
to his 55th-minute winner but did not believe it was a deliberate offence.

The referee yesterday revealed: "I for one have a good conscience about the
decision. In my opinion,

it was the ball that went to the hand, and not the hand that went to the ball.

"And 20 minutes after the goal, the ball hit a Liverpool player on the hand
in the box. I didn't penalize that either because I didn't think it was a
deliberate act."


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