Rafael Benítez finally conceded defeat in the Barclays Premier League title race yesterday. However, the Liverpool manager claimed that it would have been a different story for his club and Manchester United this season had Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres not suffered a succession of injuries that denied them the opportunity to play together for much of the campaign.
Torres has started only 18 of Liverpool's 36 league matches this season, missing large chunks of the campaign with a hamstring injury, and, with Gerrard suffering from a groin problem that has restricted him to 28 starts, the two players have started 12 league games together. Of those 12 matches, Liverpool have won nine and drawn three, but their injury problems, which exposed a lack of quality in reserve, cost Benítez's team.
“United have a strong team and a strong squad, which is important because when you are talking about the league, you are talking about nine months,” Benítez, the Liverpool manager, said yesterday. “But imagine if Gerrard and Torres had been fit all season. Where would we be now? It has been a good season, but you know it could be better.”
Benítez's claim will be dismissed as sour grapes by Sir Alex Ferguson, who has been without Wes Brown and Owen Hargreaves for almost the entire campaign through injury, while Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney have been restricted to 24 league starts, albeit partly through the rotation policy. The reality - one that both managers, with contrasting agendas, would acknowledge - is that, even though Liverpool claimed some notable victories in games that Gerrard did not start, United's squad has proved superior over the season.
Benítez is determined to ensure that Liverpool have the strength to cope without their two most inspirational players next season.
The Liverpool manager is certain to have misgivings about Gerrard's involvement in England's final World Cup qualifying matches of the season, away to Kazakhstan and at home to Andorra in June. However, far more troubling is the prospect of seeing Torres - along with José Manuel Reina, Álvaro Arbeloa, Xabi Alonso and possibly Albert Riera - playing for Spain in the Confederations Cup in South Africa between June 14 and 28, meaning that they will have only three weeks' rest before the club's pre- season trip to Asia in July.
Attacking reinforcements are imperative for Benítez, which is why he is exploring the feasibility of a move to sign Carlos Tévez from United as well as reviving the deal to sign Gareth Barry from Aston Villa.
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