DON'T PANIC! Rafa: There's no Kop crisis.. we're always slow starters but we WILL bounce back.

Byline: DAVID MADDOCK

WITH the storm clouds gathering over Anfield, it may have been a surprise to some to see manager Rafa Benitez so relaxed yesterday.

He does, after all, face a week that could define Liverpool's season and his own future on Merseyside.

Defeat tonight against Lyon would make Champions League qualification difficult, while a repeat against Manchester United at the weekend would surely end their title hopes.

But this is hardly the first time Benitez has been in trouble. Last season, defeat at Middlesbrough and a run of draws led to questions about his future. Liverpool responded by almost winning the title.

The year before, a home defeat by Marseille in the Champions League was followed by the same result when United visited. Three wins in Europe preserved his job.

So when Benitez says he has experience in steering his side through troubled waters, you know he's right.

He explained: "I have some experience in difficult situations. The important thing is to remain calm and positive.

"We have lost four games and people are talking about the quality, the depth of the squad, everything. But again, like last year and the year before, the main thing is to be calm, work hard and find solutions to the problem.

"Last year we were talking about far too many draws and then we got 86 points. My obligation is to be positive because we have more quality than we are showing now.

"As soon as we play well twice, hopefully this week, people will start saying maybe I am right." Benitez accepts Liverpool have struggled with injuries this season.

But he maintains he has the strength of squad to cope with absences, even one as important as Fernando Torres, who will again be missing against Lyon. The problem, he insisted, is not the quality of his players, but simply the lack of confidence generated by injuries to key defenders at the start of the campaign, which placed the Reds under pressure from the start. And he is not about to panic.

"Look at last season. Every time we drew, it was we were out of it, we were not good enough, blah, blah, blah - but at the end we were four points off," he said.

"So the lesson is to have confidence and believe in the team and the players.

"Lyon is a chance to change things for us. We know if we can win this game, then it will make things better for the next game. And if we win against United, we will only be four points behind at the top, which won't look so bad.

"We have to look at the positives. We know we always do well in the second half of the season so yes, we have to get as close as possible. I'm sure we'll improve as the season goes along."

Not that Lyon will offer the easiest of tests.They have a long European pedigree, frequently reaching the latter stages of this competition.

They arrive at Anfield knowing victory, or even a draw, would leave Liverpool with a mountain to climb.

Benitez is confident, though, that his players will respond.

"The last couple of training sessions, I have seen a very positive mood. They know there is a chance to change things," he said.

"This week we have an opportunity to change everything. And we are ready."

LYON'S KEY MAN MIRALEM PJANIC

The 19-year-old attacking midfielder has been Lyon's star this term, scoring three in Europe already and playing a major role in taking Bosnia to the World Cup play-offs. He is fast and dangerous from setpieces as well as open play and could test Jamie Carragher's lack of pace.

CAPTION(S):

STEVIE CAN-CAN Gerrard proves his fitness to face French side Lyon