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Benitez not yet prepared to risk Aquilani inclusion
Rafael Benitez admits has no plans to give Alberto Aquilani regular first-team football at present because Liverpool cannot afford to lose games.
Benitez stressed last week that it would be "very dangerous" to drop further points given that Manchester City, Tottenham and Aston Villa are all strongly challenging for fourth place, and he will fully expect the team to secure victory at Wigan on Monday night.
Aquilani, signed from Roma for £20 million in the summer, would have been hoping to start the match as he continues to regain his match fitness, but Benitez has said he cannot afford to risk his inclusion.
"When you have been injured for a while, it's not easy for a player," he said. "Then when you are available and the team isn't doing well, it makes it even more difficult.
"You have to decide if you can afford to give him two or three games when you know he's maybe not at the level he could be, so you could end up losing some of them.
"Alberto isn't stupid. He knows the priority now has to be the team and what's best for that. All he can do is keep training and making sure he is ready when we need him."
Aquilani was left out of the side that drew 0-0 at Wolves on January 26 and there had been suggestions that Benitez was concerned about the pitch at Molineux. However, as they prepare to play on the newly relaid pitch at the DW Stadium, Benitez insists that has never been a factor.
"When I didn't play him at Wolves, it wasn't to do with the state of their pitch," he said. "It was because of the kind of game and because others were available, which meant we could manage in a different way, so whether I play him at Wigan or not isn't a decision that will be determined by the pitch.
"But we have had a conversation about things and he knows the situation. Alberto is a very good professional, who was a big name in Italy, and he wants to show his quality here.
"When you're like that but cannot play for three or four months and then you're available but can't play because the team is maybe doing really well or has problems, it's a difficult situation for any professional."
