I blame internationals - Rafa

Rafael Benitez already thinks the World Cup is too long and demanding but he is now blaming the international break for Liverpool's derby-day shocker.

The Reds are to play PSV Eindhoven tonight in their opening Champions League group match knowing they must find their best form, and quickly, or their carefully laid plans for this campaign will go up in smoke.

Benitez aims to bank on most of his fallen heroes, but will almost certainly bring back Craig Bellamy into his starting line-up.

Bellamy was not even on the bench at Goodison Park and watched the derby at home on television.

It was Bellamy's first experience of what skipper Steven Gerrard highlighted in his recent autobiography: Benitez's treatment of players like cogs in a wheel.

But it is something the Welshman accepts as part of being at a big club.

And although the likes of the returning Jamie Carragher were being blamed for their part in the derby debacle, Benitez will send his players out tonight apportioning the blame elsewhere.

He said: "It is more difficult to find the right team and balance with players returning from injury and from internationals.

"The question over Carragher being just back from injury was that he had trained three days with the squad. I was keeping an eye on him throughout those sessions - he was fine.

"I had more worries about John Arne Riise, who is now injured again. The problem was not that we used Carra, but that we used so many players coming back from international games as well. Altogether, that was a gamble.