Pepe Reina vows to save Rafa Benitez's Liverpool career

Pepe Reina has made many great stops in his career - and now he aims to pull off his best yet by saving Rafa Benitez.

Beleaguered Benitez jets out to Lyon this morning for the biggest game of his five-year Liverpool reign with the pressure on him reaching breaking point.

At stake in the imposing Stade Gerland tomorrow are his long-term future at Anfield and a potential £25million Champions League jackpot.

Ronnie Whelan broke an unwritten rule among former Liverpool players by calling for Benitez's head, following their sixth defeat in seven games at Fulham on Saturday.

Reina is dismayed that Benitez is coming under such heavy fire because of Liverpool's car crash of a campaign and leapt to the defence of his boss.

The goalkeeper claims Whelan and Benitez's other critics have short memories and says they should remember the progress he has made since the shambles he inherited in 2004.

Reina insists Benitez is still the man to steer Liverpool through this crisis and lead them to further success.

"Rafa Benitez is building something special here," he said. "He proved that when he came here. The club was one thing and now it's something totally different. We have grown up and we can still grow up a little bit more."

With skipper Steven Gerrard crocked, Reina has taken on a leading role at Anfield and organised the huddle before kick-off against Manchester United.

The Spaniard is one of Benitez's senior players and most loyal servants and is making it his mission to fight to keep him in a job.

He attempted to sound a rallying cry before the must-win showdown with Lyon by claiming the players must believe in themselves.

"All of us have to keep everyone else's head up," he said.

"In weak moments, strong people have to appear. I want to be one of them and support my team-mates if they need it.

"The key is to stay together and not read the press. Belief is the word we need to use the most - belief in ourselves and our team-mates."

Reina, 27, who says his contract talks to extend his four-year stay at Anfield are a sign of his faith in Benitez, refuses to admit that Liverpool are out of the title race.

He is not interested in such negative statements and his only concern is beating Lyon.

"It's not even close to being over," he said defiantly. "We have to go game by game.

"Now we must focus on Lyon, which is massive for us, and after that Birmingham is a must-win game.

"We were a bit unlucky on Saturday against Fulham. We didn't play as bad as at other times. It was not even close to our worst game.

"It's a tough moment, but we have to stick together and try to sort things out on the pitch and in every single training session. We have pride in wearing this shirt and we have to defend it until the end.

"Any defeat hurts someone with ambition and someone who is hungry for titles. But it doesn't matter how many times you fall down, what matters is how many times you get up and keep trying to be the best.

"That's what we have to do now. We have to go back to our principles, sort out the problems we're having and go back to being the Liverpool everyone wants."

Benitez is prepared to risk Fernando Torres against Lyon in a desperate attempt to save Liverpool's season, even though he admits the striker can't last 90 minutes.

Benitez is trying to nurse Torres through games because of his groin injury and controversially substituted him against Fulham after the hour mark with the sides level.

He claims he must take him to France because he is so short of options and the Spain star is one of a dozen players unavailable or doubtful.

"I was surprised with the critics after the game because Fernando has had problems in the last month after the international games," said Benitez.

"We are trying to manage because he was close to having an operation. Still, a couple of days after the game, he is feeling something.

"He is not comfortable. He has not got the power he had before, so we have to manage and try to protect him. He cannot play well if you keep pushing him. Maybe if you push him he will be injured for a long time.

"When you talk about big names, people just analyse the names and not how the player is when he is on the pitch. He was not 100 per cent fit.

"We have to take Fernando to Lyon because we don't have too many options. We have to keep working with him and the rest of the players."