Experienced players have not delivered, admits Carragher

Jamie Carragher has blamed Liverpool's senior players for the plight which sees them fighting to avoid Champions League elimination on Tuesday night.

With pressure building on manager Rafa Benitez, they must take maximum points from their three remaining group games — starting against Besiktas at Anfield — or the 2005 European Cup winners will not make the knock-out stages.

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Carragher said: 'If the finger is to be pointed anywhere, it should be at the experienced players who have been there before and know what it's all about. There are enough players in the squad with a wealth of European experience and maybe we should have done more.'

Some of Benitez's summer signings such as Andriy Voronin, Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun and Sebastian Leto have struggled to make their mark, but Carragher sprang to their defence and insisted that it was the survivors of Liverpool's epic triumph in Istanbul who had been found wanting.

'If some of the new lads haven't got as many European games under their belt, then it should have been up to us to help them out and make sure they got through all right. It's not their fault, it's ours.

'It would be very unfair to try and blame the new arrivals. Now, there is no room for any slip-ups but that should be an extra motivation.

'For me, the Champions League is the best competition in the world and the fear that we might go out tomorrow night will drive me on, not make me nervous. There can be no holding back. We've got to grab this opportunity by the throat.'

Skipper Steven Gerrard sounded just as rousing a rallying cry, as he said: 'We know that our hopes are finely balanced and that one more slip will end our interest in the tournament so we must go for the jugular from the first whistle.

'It is hugely important that we make a fast start and rock Besiktas early.

'I firmly believe that we can get the job done and send a message to the rest of the group that we are back in business.'

Benitez is considering an early recall for striker Fernando Torres, after an adductor muscle injury, but is likely only to name him among the substitutes.