Winning the title isn’t just about winning at Stamford Bridge, as Jamie Carragher and Steven Gerrard have been reiterating since Liverpool won 1-0 on Sunday. Indeed, you only get as many points for ending the Blues’ 86-match unbeaten run as you do for beating Stoke at home, which incidentally was something that the Reds failed to do earlier in the season. Rafael Benitez is all-too aware of the threat posed by Portsmouth on Wednesday night, especially the capabilities of one striker…
Peter Crouch will almost certainly get a good reception from the Liverpool fans, and it wasn’t as though the England striker was a flop at Anfield. He just struggled to get enough first-team starts, despite Robbie Keane finding it a whole lot easier to slip into the team after signing in the summer. The Daily Telegraph reports that the Pool manager was disappointed that the Portsmouth striker didn’t sign a new contract with the club, and knows his team will have to be on their guard against him.
“It is clear that Peter is a better player now than when he came to Liverpool, and we will have to be careful with him,” Benitez said.
“It is clear that he is big, he is good in the air and he is a player with quality.”
Admitting he had not wanted to lose the 6ft 7ins star, Benitez said in an interview with the Liverpool Echo: “It was a pity to lose him.
“We offered him a new contract, but at the end of the day he decided to go to another club where he can play every week.
“That is something that you can understand because at a top side like Liverpool it can be difficult for this to happen, especially when you have a player like Torres who is on fire.”
Are there any Liverpool fans who would prefer to see Crouch in a red shirt tonight, especially with Fernando Torres still unavailable? Should the club have done more to keep him at Anfield, or did they cash in at the right time with someone who would never have held down a first-team place?
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