LONDON - LIVERPOOL captain Steven Gerrard has dismissed talks of a crisis in the club.

'Trust me,' he said. 'There is no crisis.'

Fans, however, can be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

The Reds have been lacklustre since the previous international break last month.

They drew 0-0 with Portsmouth and Birmingham, lost 0-1 at home to Marseille in the Champions League, and needed a stoppage-time goal from Fernando Torres to snatch a 2-2 draw against Tottenham on Sunday.

Since thrashing Derby County 6-0 to briefly top the Premier League table, Liverpool have won just two from seven matches.

Said Gerrard: 'We haven't been ourselves of late, that's true.

'The results haven't been good and the performances could have been a lot better.

'Believe me, that will change. We have got an international break now, and that will give the manager the chance to look at things, and work with the players who are staying behind.

'For those of us going away, we've got to get the jobs done with our countries, then come back ready for a massive match at Everton.

'If we can win the derby and turn in the right performance, things will be looking better again. That has to be the aim.'

Gerrard is far from immune from criticism, having struggled to reproduce his best form since playing with a broken toe for both Liverpool and England last month.

Similarly, Jamie Carragher and Steve Finnan, arguably the two most consistent players at the club, have suffered rare dips in form.

Much of the problems have been blamed on manager Rafael Benitez's rotation policy, which has seen an average of more than five changes per game.

Worryingly, the portents do not point towards a more settled team, reported The Times.

Many of his players are playing two international matches over the next nine days, some in far-flung corners of Europe, Africa and South America.

Benitez is already giving a lot of thought to his team for the match away to Everton on Oct 20, four days before a must-win Champions League tie against Besiktas in Istanbul.

He is hopeful that midfielder Xabi Alonso will be fit to return to action, having been sorely missed since suffering a fractured foot a month ago.

Danish defender Daniel Agger also hopes to step up his rehabilitation in the next fortnight, having been sidelined by a similar injury.