Maxi Rodriguez to spark Liverpool FC goalrush hopes Rafa Benitez

Maxi Factor to spark a Reds goalrush hops BenitezLIVERPOOL have found goals hard to come by in recent months but Rafa Benitez believes Maxi Rodriguez can provide an answer to their problems.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.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.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.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.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.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.'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.'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.'He is not really, really quick like some wingers who go on runs and beat players.'But he is someone who is very clever, technically very good and can keep the ball.

Source: Liverpool_Echo