Football - Liverpool FC: We need perspective over our awful form, Glen Johnson

Nov 11 2009 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

Football - Liverpool FC: LIVERPOOL right-back Glen Johnson has pulled out of the England squad to face Brazil on Saturday after picking up a slight injury in his club’s Barclays Premier League draw against Birmingham.

The 25-year-old played the full 90 minutes at Anfield on Monday before joining up with his international team-mates the yesterday, where he underwent a routine recovery session while the rest of Fabio Capello’s squad trained at Arsenal’s London Colney complex.

It was during this session that his knock became apparent and he will now return to his club for treatment, with Capello at this stage not planning to call up another player for the trip to Qatar to face Dunga’s team.

It leaves Wes Brown as the only out-and-out right-back left, although James Milner or Shaun Wright-Phillips could drop back from midfield.

David Beckham is unavailable due to Major League Soccer commitments in America but Capello’s other 22 players from his original squad all trained ahead of the friendly in Doha.

Meanwhile, Johnson admits Liverpool are in “awful” form – but believes their current malaise is being blown out of proportion.

The controversial 2-2 draw meant Liverpool have won only one of their last nine games, a spell during which they have slipped out of the Carling Cup and moved to the brink of Champions League elimination.

Rafael Benitez’s side are also down in seventh place in the Premier League with their hopes of another title challenge seemingly over given the 11-point gap to leaders Chelsea.

And Johnson said: “The record sounds awful and it is awful for a club like Liverpool. But things like this happen in football. You stick together and keep fighting.

“We have seen in the league that everyone can beat everyone; if someone had told you at the start of the season that we’d win one in nine, you’d have laughed your head off. We will just look to get as many points as we can as quickly as possible then have a look at the end of the season.

“When it’s a club like Liverpool out of form, it can get blown out of proportion.

“It’s good to see influential people like Kenny Dalglish backing Rafa and the team because it proves that everyone is together.

“Rafa’s done a fantastic job here and will continue to do so. A couple of bad results does not make him a bad manager or us a bad squad. To say that his job is on the line is ridiculous.”

Johnson has joined up with the England squad at Arsenal’s London Colney complex ahead of the trip to Qatar to face Brazil on Saturday, although the defender underwent a separate recovery session yesterday.

And on Monday’s draw with Birmingham, the right-back said: “We want to be winning these games and I felt we did more than enough to take three points but it just wasn’t to be.

“As long as we keep showing the togetherness and passion that we did here, then I am sure we will come through with a smile on our face. We’ve got a fantastic group of players here.“