Anfield’s six shooters put Liverpool's critics in firing line

by Tony Barrett, Liverpool Echo


HAVING derided them as a one-man team for much of the past decade, Liverpool's detractors have now got them down as little more than a Steven Gerrard-Fernando Torres double act.
Such has been the deadly duo's wondrous form this season it is easy to paint a picture of a team which owes its every victory to them.
But should Liverpool's critics be interested in allowing the facts to get in the way of a good story a glance at the goalscoring charts would be enough to disabuse them of this misleading notion.
For the first time since the double winning season of 1985/86, no fewer than six Liverpool players have hit double figures in all competitions – a figure which no other club in the country can boast.
Ryan Babel's late strike against Chelsea in midweek meant he joined Dirk Kuyt, Peter Crouch, Yossi Benayoun, Gerrard and Torres as one of Liverpool's six shooters.
Chelsea themselves can boast four players on 10 or more goals, with Manchester United, Everton and Arsenal having three each.
On top of that, with just two league games to go, Liverpool are English football's leading goalscorers, having struck 116 times at home and abroad.
Arsenal, whose legion of media friends would have the world believe are the greatest entertainers since entertainment was first invented, are next best, having scored five fewer goals.
For Rafa Benitez, such weighty statistical evidence backs up his often ignored opinion that the quality of his Liverpool squad is improving all the time.
"These statistics show that we are going in the right direction," he said.
"We have scored more goals than anyone else, kept more clean sheets than anyone else and we have six players who have scored ten or more goals.
"We are disappointed that we have not managed to win a trophy this season because that is what we always set out to do, but achievements like these are very positive."
The ongoing quest for improvement will continue tomorrow when Manchester City visit Anfield in what is a relatively meaningless fixture as far as the Premiership table is concerned.
But with precious little at stake the meeting with Sven Goran Eriksson' struggling side is likely to allow Benitez to give a couple of promising youngsters from Gary Ablett's reserve side their Anfield debuts as the Reds boss plans for next season.
Left back Emiliano Insua and midfielder Damien Plessis will both come into the reckoning for a place in the Liverpool starting line-up, having impressed away at Birmingham last week.
Plessis, in particular, is hugely excited at the prospect of making his bow in front of the Kop.
"It would be a dream come true to get a chance to play in front of the Kop in a kind of mythical, famous stadium known all over the world," he said.
"Since I first saw the stadium when I signed for the club, I've always had a desire to play in front of that crowd. It's something I'm preparing for.
"I'm hoping I get the chance. It would be great to play against City or the final match of the season away to Tottenham. But I've got to wait and see."
Having come off injured during Liverpool's Champions League exit at the hands of Chelsea in midweek, Fernando Torres and Martin Skrtel both returned to training at Melwood yesterday and are back in contention.
The Spaniard has told his players that he wants them to keep their focus until the end of the season, a message his Swedish counterpart at Eastlands has also delivered to his own squad.
Like just about everyone else in football, Eriksson has no idea what side Benitez will pick tomorrow, but the boyhood Liverpool fan is still expecting a tough test at Anfield.
"Having not reached the final maybe they will think the season's over because they are sure to finish in fourth.
"But, knowing Liverpool, they will be up for a fight against us whatever players they pick."
Having seen his own position as manager put under pressure by foreign owners earlier this season, Benitez has sympathy for Eriksson, who is believed to be on the verge of being sacked by controversial City owner Thaksin Shinawatra.
He said: "It's difficult because you don't know what is going on there, but what I can say is they were having a good season.
"They lost a couple of games which was disappointing for them because it meant they could not get into a European position but they were doing a fantastic job as far as I am concerned.
"Stability is the key to being successful and not just for one year, for many years in a row."
The chances of long term stability returning to Anfield in the near future appear slim.
But that hasn't stopped progress from being made in the last season, as Benitez's six shooters show.