Rafael Benitez goes into European combat tonight insisting he still has confidence in his Liverpool squad, despite three successive defeats.
Manager Benitez will have skipper Steven Gerrard back from a groin injury against Group E leaders Lyon at Anfield in a crunch Champions League clash, but he is still missing striker Fernando Torres with a similar injury.
Benitez maintains, however, Liverpool can cope without one or both of their two best players, but he also knows another defeat tonight will send the Reds' season into crisis.
Benitez said: ‘We have been criticised, but I am happy with the squad. The vast majority of them were here last season when we won 86 points, very little has changed.
‘People say we cannot play without Gerrard and Torres. I was not worried at the weekend even though we lost at Sunderland when we were without both of them, so now with one back it is even less of a problem.
‘Lyon are experienced, they have a good team and they are well organised. It will be tough for us, but we would prefer not to think about defeat but be positive.
‘It is better to say that both will progress from this group and both of us can be a problem for anyone.’
Benitez added: ‘The trouble is not that we lack depth and quality. We must manage with the situation we have, which is made more difficult with several players out injured.
‘We worked hard in the summer to keep the players we wanted, and to add to that. But the troubles have arisen because of the amount of injuries to key players.’
And fit-again defender Daniel Agger has vowed Liverpool will get things right and drag themselves out of their current slump.
‘Having Steven Gerrard back from injury will be a real inspiration. But the results have not be right. We know what we are capable of and we know that only hard work will get us the results we need.
‘Confidence is still there, we know we are a good team and we just need to show it on the pitch.
‘It is difficult to say what has changed, but as defenders we definitely need to work a lot harder, get the team spirit up and prove what we can do.
‘We must stick together, then the luck and confidence will come back. Then games will start to go our way.’
