Benitez backs Sissoko

Rafa Benitez has backed underfire midfielder Momo Sissoko to come good. The Malian international has been in a spell of bad form of late for Liverpool, and was dropped after their defeat against Marseille for the game with Spurs. However, Benitez has urged Sissoko to fight for his place in the side.

Benitez said: "I see he is giving everything to play well. For our supporters that is the first thing any player must do."

Talking to liverpoolfc.tv, Benitez added: "Momo was a key player when we won 82 points in the Premier League. Now we need to give him time to allow him to regain his confidence.

"I spoke to him after the Marseille game and said 'keep going'. He knows how I work because I managed him when he was 18 at Valencia, where he won the league and UEFA Cup with me.

"He knows I have a lot of confidence in him. I will push him and I will try to improve him."

Benitez has urged his stars to come together and try to grind out some results as a team unit: "Football is a sport of the group, so we win and lose as a team. I was really disappointed and angry after we lost to Marseille, but being angry doesn't change anything.

"You have to analyse why we've played so bad some days and why we were so good at the beginning of the season.

"To play for Alex Ferguson or Arsene Wenger you need a special mentality and it's the same for us. At Liverpool players know they must have quality, must work hard and have a strong mentality. That's the only way to win trophies."