RAFA PRAISES DEBUT BOY DAMIEN
Jimmy Rice at the Emirates 05 April 2008
Rafa Benitez was full of praise for debutant Damien Plessis after watching his side come close to a first ever victory at the Emirates.
The 20-year-old midfielder was a surprise inclusion against Arsenal as Benitez made eight changes from Wednesday's Champions League encounter.
Up against Cesc Fabregas, the Frenchman put in a composed display to stake his claim for a regular place in the squad.
Benitez said: "Today was the debut for Damien Plessis. We knew when we signed him that he was a good player. He's played really well for the reserves, and to play as well as he did today in this stadium, it shows we are going in the right direction."
The game also brought a recall for Peter Crouch, who scored the Reds goal during a man-of-the-match display.
"Crouch played really well, as did Benayoun, Lucas and Riise. A lot of players who don't normally play played well," said Benitez.
"Arsene Wenger also kept some players for the second leg. You could see some players were tired but the majority played the game with a lot of passion.
"It was an open game at the end. We knew we had to work hard and we did that for a long time. We were well organised and scored a good goal.
"We could have lost because they had chances, but we could have won because we had two or three opportunities as well.
"At the end I was a little bit disappointed because we could have won. Torres, Gerrard and Riise had some attacks."
On the prospect of Crouch signing a new contract, the Anfield boss said: "He is a very good professional, that's why we've offered him a new contract. I have confidence. I know he is happy here but I also know he wants to play. We have offered the contract and now we need to wait.
"We are playing at the moment with one striker, but we've played a lot of the season with two. We are a team that is winning trophies and he can be an important part of that."
Next up for Liverpool is the third part of this week's Arsenal trilogy, with the Gunners visiting Anfield on Tuesday for the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final.
The first leg ended 1-1 three days ago, meaning the sides have now been inseparable during 270 minutes of football this season.
On what could ultimately separate the sides, Benitez said: "We have confidence but we know they have quality and can play well away from home.
"The small details can be the difference. A mistake or a top-class player will be the difference between whether we win or lose."
A goalless draw would be enough for the Reds to progress but Benitez added: "It's very, very difficult to play for a 0-0. I do not know how to do it!"
Last year's Champions League semi-final against Chelsea was decided on penalties, a very real possibility this time round.
Not that Gerrard and co will be spending hours honing their skills from 12 yards over the next few days.
"I don't believe too much in practicing penalties," Benitez explained. "I am a believer in the heart and quality of the players. We have some good players to take penalties. We practiced before the Chelsea semi-final but not too much, because when you are walking from the halfway line to the box it is just about being calm.
"Sometimes an 18-year-old player can be really good, sometimes a 31-year-old can be not so good.
"But I will try not to think about penalties. We will try to use our experience during the game."
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