Only goalkeeper Jose Reina and versatile defender Alvaro Arbeloa have played in all of the previous five games.

So second-guessing the Liverpool manager for tomorrow's home game with Derby is a difficult task.

Benitez said: "The squad is stronger now than last season, you can see the quality of the players and the different things they can bring to the side.

"You can change players, change positions and everything is almost as I want.

"We are thinking about the whole season, if you have problems in one game you know you can change the situation.

"It is something that maybe we did not have before, it means we are more able to take control of a game.

"Our idea has been to improve in every position, to have two players in each position playing well. That means I do not need to talk about one or two players as the most important ones in the team.

"I have different players in each position and all of them can play well."

Derby manager Billy Davies has vowed to walk away from football if it ever puts his health in danger.

The League Managers' Association are concerned about stress levels among their members, though Rams manager Davies has taken personal responsibility to protect his own health.

He said: "The LMA have this programme where they monitor your stress levels and your heart rate, but I have not got time to go and spend however long the doctors need me running on a treadmill.

"I lead a healthy lifestyle and I look after my own health because sacrificing that for football is simply not worth it.

"You can talk about the pressure and managers having heart attacks or turning to the drink because of football.

"But Billy Davies has his family to think of and will have walked away long before anything like that happens to him."

Fulham were handed a boost ahead of tomorrow's game with Tottenham with the news striker Brian McBride could be back in action within four months.

The 35-year-old dislocated his kneecap in the defeat to Middlesbrough earlier this month and travelled to America for surgery.

Head physiotherapist Jason Palmer expects McBride to return before the end of the year.

Palmer told www.fulhamfc.com: "His recovery will be a steady process in the early stages and we are hoping for a return sometime around Christmas."

Spurs have received welcome injury news of their own with Aaron Lennon leading the list of players edging towards full fitness.

Lennon is expected to play some part at Craven Cottage after missing the start of the season as he recovered from knee surgery, while Michael Dawson and Younes Kaboul are also back in contention following respective ankle and hamstring problems.

"He's had three very good days of training after his period of rehab," said Spurs assistant boss Chris Hughton. "He has looked sharp and the priority is that he puts himself in a position to play for us."

Reading manager Steve Coppell admits he will be delighted to see the back of one of his footballing bugbears - the transfer deadline - until January at least.

Coppell has already turned down a £4million bid from West Ham for left-back Nicky Shorey and was hopeful the London club would leave it at that having made an initial approach he regarded as "nigh on derisory".

He said: "In all my days as a football manager no-one - FIFA, UEFA, the FA or whoever - has ever been able to explain to me the advantages of the transfer window.

"It is part of football now but it is an artificial construction that only creates a feeding frenzy among the media."

Coppell was also annoyed that the Hammers - who ironically are tomorrow's visitors to the Madejski Stadium - had made their bid for England international Shorey public.

He said: "I must admit I long to go back to the days when a phone call would be made and business was done in private."

West Ham midfielder Hayden Mullins wants to use last season's thrashing against the Royals as motivation tomorrow.

The wheels fell off for the Hammers with a 6-0 thumping on New Year's Day and boss Alan Curbishley criticised his players, famously saying it was Reading who wanted to be in the Premier League and "drive the Baby Bentley".

It took West Ham another two months to emerge from their slump and they completed their miraculous escape from relegation on the final day of the season.

"It was one of the worst games I've been involved in," Mullins said.

"It was a horrible one to be involved in but it's one which we're going to use to fuel us this Saturday."