LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard has urged anxious Reds fans to keep faith with their under-performing players.

The Reds salvaged a point with a last minute equaliser against Spurs yesterday, just three days after losing at home to Marseille in the Champions League.

But Gerrard declared: "I'm asking the fans to trust me when I say there's no crisis here.

"We have fantastic players and a world class manager and we will get things right again, there's no doubt about that.

"We haven't been ourselves of late, that's true.

"The results haven't been good and the performances could have been better.

"We're going through a dip in form which all top teams do at some stage and we just have to make sure we play our way through it. We're not performing to the standards we can do but that will change."

Gerrard was speaking at the opening of Jamie Carragher's Cafe Sports England in the city centre last night.

He added that the players were already focusing on the derby match at Goodison Park in a fortnight's time.

We've got an international break now which will give Rafa the chance to look at things and work with the players who are staying behind. For those of us going away, we have to get the jobs done with our countries and then come back ready for a massive match at Everton.

"If we can turn in a performance in the derby and win the game then things will be looking better again. That's what we'll be aiming for."

STEVEN GERRARD is losing his battle to face Derby County this weekend.

The Reds skipper is still suffering with a broken toe and would require another painkilling injection to face The Rams.

Manager Rafa Benitez admitted today it’s unlikely he’ll risk his captain.

“We’ll train again this afternoon, but I spoke to Steven again yesterday and the news was not very positive,” explained Benitez. “It will be very difficult for him to play on Saturday. The doctor will continue to help him, but maybe it’s too early for this weekend.”

Jamie Carragher is also a definite absentee. He only left hospital on Tuesday and will undergo another scan on his ribs and lung today.

But Andriy Voronin has recovered from a slight thigh strain which kept him out of Tuesday’s Champions League qualifier.

Added Benitez: “Voronin didn’t have a big problem but we decided to be careful against Toulouse.

“We also have Fabio Aurelio and Harry Kewell improving all the time and we hope to be have them back in the squad soon.”

Benitez spent yesterday trying to find defensive reinforcements, but it’s now unlikely Liverpool will be involved in any major transfer activity before tomorrow’s midnight deadline.

“Maybe there will be deals for some of our young reserves, that’s all,” said Benitez. “We were checking some options for the first team squad yesterday, but it’s very difficult to find the right players this late. I don’t think we will be signing anyone now.

“Rick, Foster, Eduardo (Macia) and I looked at some options, but we decided we don’t want to sign a player just for the sake of it. It has to be the right player and not for crazy money.”

Despite ongoing speculation linking Peter Crouch with a last minute exit, Benitez is adamant he has no intention of selling the striker, who made a goalscoring return in Europe in midweek.

“There has been no bid for Crouch, certainly not before this morning anyway,” said Benitez, responding to more speculation today.

“I have the same idea now as I’ve said before. I don’t want to let anyone go. I’ve spoken to the player and he knows we need him.”

Portsmouth are being linked with a last ditch bid for the striker, but Benitez is confident Crouch has no intention of seeking a move.

Whether the player’s representatives see it that way may become clearer over the next 48 hours, but Liverpool will resist any attempt to lure the striker away, especially as it would be too late to replace him.

IT appears everybody's doing it. Chelsea and Birmingham did it on Sunday; Manchester United always do it. Apparently Liverpool are trying it.

Only the likes of Everton and Middlesbrough seem to pooh-pooh it. What is it? Why, playing 'expansive' football of course. Not just plain old 'open' football or even 'attacking' football; 'expansive' is the new black.

How this epithet slipped into football's increasingly bizarre vernacular has escaped me, but no self-respecting pundit would now dare not use it.

Recourse to an on-line dictionary for enlightenment provides encouragement for the proponents of exciting football: "unrestrained, free or open" screams one source, the equivalent of football burning its metaphorical bra. But wait: another, medically-based entry defines it as "indicative of exaggerated euphoria and delusions of self-importance".

Story continues

ADVERTISEMENT

Oops; that's Jose Mourinho in one. So is this latest Premier League fad to be the true way forward for our elite clubs, with fans treated to 5-4 thrillers every week; or is it the surest way to the madhouse for those managers stupid enough to try and slug it out with the opposition regardless of form or talent?

If last Saturday at Villa was anything to go by, then I'm willing to take the chance. For the likes of Birmingham, creditable though their attempt to take on Chelsea was, I suspect reality will soon rear its ugly head and the fear of relegation will gradually gnaw away at the confidence needed to sustain that style of play.

For Liverpool, however, it should mark the realisation that Fulham, Blackburn et al are not Barcelona and should not require two holding midfielders and a withdrawn second striker.

Away games at Old Trafford and Stamford Bridge are a different matter of course, but Villa Park, the Riverside and even the Reebok should be seen as venues fit for the confident, pacy and aggressive football that this new squad is undoubtedly capable of.

And so it was last Saturday. Of course, if Gerrard had not hit that spectacular free-kick then the moans on the phone-ins would have rung to the tune of 'same old, same old'. But even if that superb shot had somehow rebounded from the woodwork, it couldn't have disguised that this was a different performance than that which characterised many away games last season.

Where last season's travels were typified by a reluctance to commit men forward, a trait which led to counter-attacks stalling and then faltering against regrouped defences, here we saw slick passing movements at speed as we strove to get to the byline for the 'killer' ball pulled back to onrushing forwards.

Had we failed to take three points, then on this occasion it would have been down to inspired goalkeeping and, on one occasion in particular, brave defending rather then the profligate finishing that marked last season.

To his credit, Rafa picked a team that would be no stranger to the Premier League.

While it was initially frustrating to see Pennant and Riise in the team rather than Benayoun and Kewell, Rafa undoubtedly got it right - and restoring Gerrard to his rightful position produced a display that did nothing to shift my conviction that this will be his best season yet.

Refreshed by a decent summer's rest, inspired by the increasing quality of those around him, get your money on him now for Footballer of the Year.

There's no finer player in the Premier League, and comparisons with Frank Lampard this Sunday will confirm that, while the admittedly impressive Chelsea player is on the wane, Gerrard is about to scale new heights.

STEVEN GERRARD wants Liverpool to follow the example of European Cup winners AC Milan when they resume Champions League action this afternoon.

Rafael Benitez’s side can take a significant step towards the lucrative group stages with victory in France against Toulouse in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie.

It’s the Anfield outfit’s first outing in the competition since they were beaten in the final by Milan in Athens less than three months ago, the Italians exacting revenge having lost in dramatic fashion to the same opposition two years earlier in Istanbul.

And Gerrard believes Liverpool must regard Milan as the benchmark as they aim for a sixth European crown.

“Athens can be a spur,” said the Anfield skipper. “It was a big blow for everyone involved but good players and big clubs bounce back.

“You only have to look at AC Milan and how many finals they’ve reached over the years. We’ve got to use their attitude. They lost in Istanbul but bounced back.

“I’ve seen highlights of the [Milan] game but I don’t need to watch it back. You know as a player what’s gone wrong or right.

“I know what I did wrong and right, and what the team did wrong or right, but it’s time to move on.”

With Toulouse making their first appearance in the Champions League, Liverpool are firm favourites to progress to the group stages for a fourth successive season.

But Benitez believes his players are well-versed in European football to cope with such a level of expectancy.

“We are under more pressure than them, but we understand why it’s like that,” he said. “We need to manage the pressure by playing well and winning if possible.

“But I don’t think the pressure will be a trap for us. We were under pressure in the semi-final and final last season and we managed it well then.”

Liverpool have twice in the last three years secured their passage to the group stages by winning the first leg away from home, despite going on to lose the return against Grazer and then CSKA Sofia.

And Benitez has called on his players to take a huge step towards progress by winning at the Stade Municipal this evening.

“We’ve won away in this round in the first leg a few times and the second leg was at home and people were more relaxed, and maybe that’s why we lost,” he said.

“We want to ideally find a solution in the first game but we know Anfield is still important for us.”

LIVERPOOL could have spent hundreds of millions on new signings during the summer, but it still wouldn’t have changed the identity of their most important player.

Steven Gerrard is the main reason why I believe Rafa Benitez’s side can compete for the title this season, and he proved it against Aston Villa.

He’s a special talent, and I truly believe there isn’t a better central midfielder in the world.

I’m sure Liverpool will have a better season because Benitez has brought in players who can ensure Gerrard plays in the middle far more.

Story continues

ADVERTISEMENT

He’s a great player on the right, a good player on the left, and an effective player everywhere else he’s used. But in the centre, he’s the best. That’s the difference.

It pleases me to see Jermaine Pennant continuing to improve, while Ryan Babel can play either flank and Yossi Benayoun can do the same.

This means, for the first season Benitez has been here, he has the option of using Gerrard in his most dangerous role without upsetting the balance of the team.

Not only did he score the winner, it was his driving run through the middle which led to the free-kick.

The threat he gives from that position is pivotal if Liverpool are to take that extra step, and with better players around him I see Benitez’s side getting stronger.

It would be ridiculous to judge the importance of Saturday’s winning goal in the context of a season which has barely started, but psychologically there’s no question what it meant to the players.

I don’t see many clubs winning at Aston Villa this season. Martin O’Neill is a top manager, and I see them getting better and better.

They’ll probably make a few more signings, so by the time United, Chelsea and Arsenal go there, they’ll find it difficult to get a result.

It wasn’t all about Gerrard, of course. As we’ve seen over the years, no matter how good he is, he needs quality around him to produce moments as he did at Villa.

So I was really pleased with Fernando Torres’ debut.

As a striker, obviously I watch him as closely as any, and what struck me first and foremost was the intelligence of his movements.

He possesses a natural football brain and seemed to make runs in the right areas, getting himself into good positions.

He was unlucky not to score, but at least he worked the goalkeeper in the build-up to the first goal, which ultimately contributed to Liverpool scoring.

If he continues to play as he did, he’ll get plenty of chances and I’m sure he’ll score a lot of goals.

There was a lot to be happy about. Liverpool have got to start converting more chances so they don’t have to rely on last-gasp winners all the time, but it’s the sign of a good side when you can find a way to win late in a game. That was the basis of United’s Premiership win last year.

The side which finishes top at the end of the season always deserves it, but strokes of luck along the way always play a part.

With Liverpool winning late and United losing Wayne Rooney for a while, let’s hope this is a taste of what’s to come when good fortune is being handed out.

STEVEN GERRARD today acclaimed his first goal of the season as potentially the most important.

Gerrard’s match-winning free-kick handed Liverpool the win they craved as they seek early momentum for an improved Premiership campaign.

And the skipper says the celebrations which followed the 2-1 victory at Villa Park underlined how much it meant to all the players to claim an elusive first day success – a feat Rafa Benitez hadn’t enjoyed since arriving at Anfield.

“I was getting flashbacks to the Middlesbrough game two years ago both from a personal and team point of view,” said Gerrard. “ I had a load of chances to score, just like in that game, and the one worry when all the celebrations died down is we know we should have had the game won earlier.

“But the main thing is we did win and deserved it. The performance was, at times, very good.

“I know it’s early but I hope it turns out to be one of the most important goals this season because all the lads have been saying through pre-season how much we wanted a good start.

“To have not won that game would have been devastating for us after the way we played, but now we feel we can build some momentum, and that’s been shown to be so important in this league.

“You just can’t afford to fall behind to the leaders like we have in the past.

“That’s why you could see how much it meant to us to win and we were buzzing in the dressing room afterwards.

“It was pleasing to see so many good all-round performances on Saturday. Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel did really well.”

Gerrard’s midfield role has been the subject of much discussion already, but he believes Benitez will continue to get the right tactics when it counts, no matter where he plays.

“To be honest, I don’t think all the focus on whether I play in the middle is fair on me, the team or the manager,” he said. “Whether I play in the centre or on the right, I’ll always continue to work as hard as I can for the team. What’s most important to me is the manager trusts me to play in the middle, and we all trust him to make the right choices for the balance of the side.

“I know there will be times when he’ll think Xabi and me playing together is the best option, and occasions when he’ll use others there and may ask me to do a different role.

“The manager has said we’ll be more positive, but we know that may make us weaker at the back, so we have to be careful.

“It’s not just about going all out attack every week against every team, but getting the balance right.

“A different system will suit different teams. Everyone understands that, so different personnel will be used throughout the season.”

Benitez is likely to ring the changes for the Champions League qualifier on Wednesday, with Peter Crouch and Yossi Benayoun expected to be involved.

JUST after Gareth Barry scored that dubiously awarded penalty on Saturday - Martin O'Neill please note - I think all Liverpool supporters were probably thinking "here we go again".

We'd played well, had most of the possession and missed a host of chances and here we were back at 1-1.

Thankfully, up steps Stevie G to hit home an excellent free-kick and ensure we got the three points the performance deserved.

O'Neill later griped that Gerrard had played for the free-kick but failed to mention that Petrov could be seen holding Gerrard back. An obvious foul and rightly punished.

Villa is a difficult place to go at the best of times but especially on the opening day of a new season.

Last season, only United got three points there and recently Villa trounced Inter Milan in a friendly.

To come away with the three points and a very encouraging overall performance was as much as we could have hoped for and we got both.

Kuyt and Torres seem to be developing a real understanding. Torres is very quick for a big man and has deft skills and quick feet. The signs look good. As they also do for Babel, who made an immediate impression with his skill and shooting.

The fact that Crouch, Mascherano, Kewell and Benayoun did not even travel shows the depth the squad has, with maybe more signings to come.

Gerrard's joy as he ran to the visiting fans after his free-kick was plain to see and hopefully we will see that smile a lot more this season as the Reds march towards the Premiership and on to Moscow.