Rafael Benitez believes inspirational liverpool captain Steven Gerrard can lead his team out of slump that has seen them lose three consecutive games.

Now Liverpool face back-to-back Champions League clashes with the French league leaders, as well as a visit from champions Manchester United over the next fortnight.

Mr.Benitez said: “With Steven around, it has an effect on the other players. He is an inspiration to them. Steven is a winner with the right mentality. But we have to see these players on the pitch, they cannot win games when they are injured.”

“The team knows we are not playing at the right level, but they also know that we are good enough. They know we must start playing again at that level, their response in training has been positive and we must repeat that on the pitch. One good result will change everything.”

He continues: “I am confident in my team, we are trying to improve and the response of the players this week has been very good and back to our best. We have gone from winning five on the trot to losing three in succession. We were scoring lots of goals and now we have not scored in three.

“We have Gerrard back now, and we have players who are fresher than they were after the international games. I hope that the Champions League will create a special atmosphere that will inspire the players, as it usually does in games like this at Anfield.

Benitez said: “It is important to have Steven back, we have had some problems with injuries right from the start of the season so it is a big boost for us to have him back. Torres is not ready, so we have to wait a little longer but hopefully he will be okay for the weekend against Manchester United.”

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