[lfc-news] Benitez expects a rougher ride - PA

PA Sport, 6 August 2005
BENITEZ EXPECTS A ROUGHER RIDE

Rafael Benitez concedes that his European champions are facing their
toughest task yet in the defence of their Champions League crown.

So far in their trawl through the minnows in the qualifying rounds,
Liverpool have dispensed with Welsh champions TNS and Lithuanian side
Kaunas, smashing 11 goals in four games and conceding just one without
ever looking in danger of succumbing to a shock.

Steven Gerrard has managed seven of those goals, the first Liverpool
player to net in five successive European ties, but it may be a bit more
difficult to stroll past the Bulgarian champions CSKA Sofia and add to
that tally.

The Liverpool chief knows things will be a lot hotter for the Anfield
men on Wednesday in Bulgaria, against a team beaten only once in winning
their domestic league last season.

Benitez knew as much last week when he had seen a video of the
Bulgarians before naming his side for the second leg against Kaunas at
Anfield, already 3-1 ahead with the tie won.

The Spaniard turned out a side with eight changes from their previous
match, the clash with CSKA firmly in his mind.

The loss of Peter Crouch for at least three weeks with a hamstring
injury will not have helped Benitez's planning, but the giant striker
apart you can expect Liverpool's strongest possible side facing the
Bulgarians.

It has meant much chopping and changing for Benitez, but he won't
countenance any opposition to that.

He said: "It will be more difficult now, the better teams are arriving
in the tournament. We have watched a video of CSKA and we know the next
round will be much harder.

"It was difficult to make too many conclusions because the game was
played on a dreadful pitch, but they looked strong and organised.

"We always need to be careful in qualifying rounds, we have been against
TNS and Kaunas, but it this case more so. The standard is much higher
for the third qualifier."

And now, after resting the likes of Gerrard, Jamie Carragher and Xabi
Alonso against Kaunas, the top men will be back in Sofia.

Benitez added: "All the players understand we must use many players, and
to rest people, if we are to be able to play so many matches in all
competitions.

"They are bright, they understand."

Benitez, who had clearly decided on Crouch as his first choice striker,
must now make other decisions about his front pairing.

Fernando Morientes still looks short of pace and strength, a situation
worrying Anfield fans who expected more from the Spanish star, and this
could ironically be just the sort of game that would suit Milan Baros' pace.

However, Benitez has confidence in Morientes proving his class, adding:
"I believe Morientes will improve. Sometimes he has done okay when he
has played and other times he might have done better, but he will get
better.

"We know that Morientes is a good player and we know what he can bring
to our team. We should see that very soon."

Benitez is expected to stick by his policy of not playing Baros in
Europe, even though possible moves to Schalke, Everton and Aston Villa
have gone nowhere. Monaco are now being mentioned, but they too would
struggle to meet the £7million asking price.

However, with Crouch out for three weeks at least, Baros could well find
himself back in the side for the opening Barclays Premiership games
against Middlesbrough and Sunderland, while key men are rested with the
second leg against Sofia and the European Super Cup final against CSKA
Moscow coming up in a fortnight.

To get to this stage, Sofia sealed a comfortable aggregate victory over
Albanian side Tirana.

The only problem for the Bulgarians in that second leg was that defender
Valentin Iliev was booked for a challenge in the second leg and will be
suspended for next week's first leg against Liverpool.

In the summer, CSKA have added Bulgarian international striker Stoiko
Sakaliev to last season's championship squad.

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