Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez vows to walk through the storm

Rafa Benitez summoned the spirit of the Kop to answer his critics last night.

The Liverpool manager knows that defeat in Lyon will almost certainly condemn his side to an early Champions League exit, and he is fully aware of the maelstrom that will generate.

Benitez was unmoved by claims of impending crisis, and confronted the suggestion that he might not be the best person to manage Liverpool, by invoking his club’s famous anthem.

“Always when you walk through a storm, you hold your head up high, so that is what I will do. I’m really pleased to be here, and I want to be here for a long time,” he insisted.

While his job is not yet on the line, his long-term future on Merseyside would be brought into stark focus by defeat in this competition, creating massive pressure to produce a successful Premier League season.

He admitted: “Yes, we have problems. But any top side in the world would face the same problems if they had the same injuries. We have been hit by a virus, and that means we have been without maybe 14 players, which is too many for any club.

“But we have some experience with these situations, and that tells us not to panic. Things will change, situations will change. Yes, we want to win, we have to win, and we come here to France to win.

“But if you are nervous about that, you will make mistakes, so it is important to have confidence that we can change things. When you are under pressure you have to show some character, and that is what we will do.”

Benitez is without Steven Gerrard, Glen Johnson, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio, Albert Riera, Martin Kelly, Nabil El Zhar and Philipp Degen, all of whom didn’t travel, and has doubts over Fernando Torres, Daniel Agger, Alberto Aquilani, Andrea Dossena and Diego Cavalieri.

But the Reds boss remains defiant, insisting that Torres is likely to start after responding well to treatment on the hernia problem that could force him to undergo surgery, and that both Agger and even Aquilani - who has played just 17 minutes for the club so far - could be risked.

“It’s hard to find the English words for Torres’ injury, but it’s a sportsman’s hernia - it is clear he has a problem, and we have to manage that problem day to day,” Benitez explained.

“Sometimes he plays with pain, but less pain every time, so we hope if we can manage the situation then he can play without pain and avoid an operation.

“Against Fulham, he felt something, but he feels OK now. So he can play, it is just a question of whether it is more or less time. He is clearly not fully fit, but against Manchester United he was 80 per cent and scored, so we know he can do something important.”

Agger trained last night despite being forced to stand throughout the flight to France, and Aquilani has recovered from a virus, which stalled his comeback from the ankle injury that has prevented him from making his full debut for the club.

But Benitez hinted at a shock start for the Italian who cost £20million, when he said: “We will see how he trains, and then decide with the medical staff, but it is possible he can play from the start of this game - why not?"