Source: Daily_Mail
Stoke boss Pulis expects Rafa to start Liverpool backlash at the Britannia
Stoke boss Tony Pulis today defended under-fire Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez as he prepared for a Reds backlash.[LNB]Liverpool's shock FA Cup exit at the hands of Reading on Wednesday night has placed Benitez firmly in the firing line of his critics, who are demanding he be sacked.[LNB]Ahead of Saturday's Barclays Premier League clash with Stoke at the Britannia Stadium, the scenario for Benitez could not be worse after losing influential skipper Steven Gerard, star striker Fernando Torres and key midfielder Yossi Benayoun to injury following the game with the Royals.[LNB]With Liverpool out of the Champions League, FA and Carling Cups, and 12 points behind leaders Chelsea in the title race, Benitez's season is fast crumbling around him and the knives are out.[LNB] Roaring support: Tony Pulis sympathises with Liverpool's injury woes[LNB]Yet Pulis feels Benitez is being harshly criticised due to extenuating circumstances which any manager would struggle to counter.[LNB]'With the result on Wednesday there's added speculation about what's happening and what's not happening at that football club,' assessed Pulis.[LNB]'But I think Rafa has been a little unfortunate this year in the respect that his best players have either been injured or not really on top form. They've not performed like they can do.[LNB]'Against Reading, (Pepe) Reina didn't play, and he is arguably the best goalkeeper in the Premier League. [LNB]'(Javier) Mascherano was missing, and he's the best holding player in the Premier League, and then you've Gerrard and Torres who have played with injuries and who have come off. You also had a quality right-back in (Glen) Johnson who didn't play through injury.[LNB]'So there are five players who, if they were available and playing to their maximum, would make Liverpool a completely different team.[LNB] Royal Blue: Reading's win at Anfield plunged Liverpool's season to new depths[LNB]'Do you make the excuse that because it's Liverpool they should have enough back-up? I don't know. [LNB]'There are all these arguments for why they should be doing better, but I don't think he has been as lucky as he could have been with his team and the selection he could have made all season.'[LNB]Despite the calls for Benitez's head, as a manager Pulis knows much now depends on how all within Liverpool rally, on and off the pitch. [LNB]'Because Liverpool are one of the biggest clubs in world football, not just this country, the spotlight is naturally on them,' added Pulis. 'He (Benitez) understands that, he's been there long enough to understand that.[LNB]'But it will be how the people within the club react, the chairman, the board of directors, the supporters, the players, everybody.[LNB]'After such a really disappointing night, and I was at the game, the reaction he gets from his players and the supporters here at the Britannia will be massive.[LNB] What now? Benitez has lost the support of many Anfield legends[LNB]'They will have been stung by the criticism I'm sure, and a backlash is what I'm sure Rafa will be hoping for.[LNB]'Their players will be fired up, which will make it a more competitive and difficult game for us, and we have to be ready for that. [LNB]'We're going to have bring our A-game to get a result because we know they will be up for it.'[LNB]Pulis had been hoping to sign former Liverpool goalkeeper David James in time for the game, but has now pulled out of the potential loan deal for the 39-year-old currently with Portsmouth.[LNB]Thomas Sorensen, who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich that will not go through unless Pulis finds a replacement, looks set to return after a finger injury saw him miss the club's last outing 10 days ago, a 3-2 home win over Fulham.[LNB]Striker Tuncay Sanli remains Pulis' only doubt with a hamstring injury sustained against the Cottagers.[LNB] THE FIRING LINE: Rafa Benitez should really be scared now - the Liverpool boss tops our table as the next for the chop!Stoke City pull out of deal to sign wantaway Portsmouth goalkeeper David James Liverpool crisis: No Torres for six weeks as Gerrard and Benayoun outALL THE STOKE CITY FC
