RAFAEL BENITEZ has claimed national associations wield too much authority over clubs after Liverpool’s preparations for a “crucial” trip to Sunderland were left in disarray by international injuries and delayed returns.

Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres will miss this afternoon’s game at the Stadium of Light with groin problems collected with England and Spain respectively.

It will be the first time Liverpool have started a Premier League game without both their leading lights since beating Manchester United at Anfield on September 13th last year. They are accompanied on the sidelines by Sotirios Kyrgiakos, who damaged knee ligaments playing for Greece, while Javier Mascherano and Emiliano Insua joined the squad in Sunderland only last night having travelled from Argentina. Lucas Leiva, who played for Brazil in midweek, arrived back yesterday morning.

Benitez refused to blame the FA for losing Gerrard, after the Liverpool captain elected to stay with the England squad on their return from Ukraine on Sunday despite injuring his groin the previous night. “He’s injured. I cannot play him. That’s it,” he said on the midfielder’s situation.

The Liverpool manager was similarly circumspect over Torres, although it is Spain, who played the striker against Armenia last Saturday after he first reported an adductor injury, with whom he appears more aggrieved. “I have my opinion but I prefer to think about Sunderland because it’s the only thing I can do now,” Benitez added.

“They have more or less the same problem with the adductor of the groin. It’s not a serious injury but it’s too early for them. It’s not a question of being able to risk them. They cannot play. I think they will be okay for Tuesday [against Lyon in the Champions League] but it depends on their rate of recovery. They are very close but they still have some problems.”

Guardian Service