Liverpool Football Club News

• Nickname:Reds
• Founded:1892
• Manager:Kenny Dalglish

• Ground:Anfield
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Torres: Gerrard vital for Reds

09 Feb 2009 - 08:26:40

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Liverpool striker Fernando Torres has admitted injured captain Steven Gerrard is vital to their hopes of winning silverware this season.

Torres' stoppage-time winner secured a 3-2 victory over Portsmouth on Saturday to keep the Reds in the Premier League title hunt.

But for long spells at Fratton Park without Gerrard, who is nursing a hamstring problem, the Merseysiders struggled to impose themselves and Torres believes his return to fitness is vital.

"He is irreplaceable," said the Spain striker. "Every great team has a model player, one whose home is there, one who stays there for life.

"People come and people go and he always stays. Here that's Gerrard. Liverpool is him and ten others. He is everything for us.

"They're saying he'll be out for three weeks, let's hope it's less. I hope and would love his lay-off to be shorter."

Meanwhile, Torres has urged everybody connected with the club to remain positive as they battle on two fronts this season looking to win the Premier League and Champions League.

"We began very well and at the moment we're going through a period which isn't the best," he continued.

"But we're not bad, maybe it's just that we're stifled by lesser teams who are happy with a draw.

"It all depends on how you look at things. You can be pessimistic and think that we have been knocked out of the cup and that it was tough for us to win, or you can think positively, which is what I do, and see that we are fighting for the league, that we're in the last 16 of the Champions League, that on the whole we are better than previous years."