Source: Liverpool_Echo
Maxi Rodriguez to spark Liverpool FC goalrush hopes Rafa Benitez
Maxi Factor to spark a Reds goalrush hops Benitez[LNB]LIVERPOOL have found goals hard to come by in recent months but Rafa Benitez believes Maxi Rodriguez can provide an answer to their problems.[LNB]Having started the campaign with a flurry, putting six past Hull City as well as hitting Stoke City and Burnley both for four in the opening weeks, the Reds' play has lacked a killer instinct during a winter when their ambitions have come off the rails.[LNB]Given they were the sharpest shooters in the Premier League last season - their tally of 77 dwarfed the final totals of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal - their inability to convert chances into goals has, not surprisingly, given Benitez a headache.[LNB]Not since September 26 have Liverpool scored more than two in a game and if they are going to resurrect their push for a place in the top four, Benitez is well aware possession must be turned into something tangible.[LNB]That's why he hopes Rodriguez - in the absence of leading scorers Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun - can take over the mantle, starting in tomorrow's crucial Anfield showdown with Tottenham Hotspur.[LNB]Rodriguez, of course, is no stranger to scoring in front of The Kop - he rifled in Atletico Madrid's goal in a 1-1 Champions League draw in November 2008 - and a glance through his career statistics show he has a healthy goals to games ratio.[LNB]So with Liverpool in need of a boost, Benitez wants to see a player he expects to prove himself a fans' favourite take the first step towards that prediction by doing what he does best against a Tottenham side intent on causing problems.[LNB]'We were working hard (in the transfer market), looking for solutions in some areas and we were also looking for someone to give us a lift and that's why we went for Maxi,' Benitez explained.[LNB]'Maxi knows Javier (Mascherano) and Fernando (Torres) and the big positive from that point was they have a very good opinion of him. He is a player who knows about the game.[LNB]'He is not really, really quick like some wingers who go on runs and beat players.[LNB]'But he is someone who is very clever, technically very good and can keep the ball.
