By Iain Macintosh Your English Kaki

FORMER Liverpool legend Alan Kennedy has urged Rafa Benitez to be daring when Chelsea come to Anfield tonight.

'I'm a big advocate of going for it at home,' Kennedy said yesterday, speaking exclusively to The New Paper.

'The game is there to be won and it's a good chance to beat another one of the big teams, get some momentum and get that title challenge back on track.

'We're not killing games off at the moment. We're getting in a good position and then falling away at the end, getting punished for mistakes.

'I go to almost all of the games and the talk among the fans is that they just want Rafa to be more offensive.

'Maybe he's been a bit too cautious of late. The game against Wigan was a case in point. We took control of the first half, but sat back in the second.

'We need to get goals. I'd sacrifice one of the defensive midfielders and play 4-4-2 with Fernando Torres and Robbie Keane up front.'

Kennedy, who scored the winning goals in the 1981 and 1984 European Cup finals, was quick to defend Keane against accusations that he's been a flop since his arrival from Tottenham.

'People are too quick to look at the price-tag these days and it's sad that no-one gets any time. Managers need time to build teams and players need time to settle into them, but it's rare to see any patience now.

'I'm a big Robbie Keane fan. I always liked him at Tottenham and he can certainly score some goals.

'He's honest and he works so hard as well, but sometimes that's the problem. The deeper he comes to get the ball, the harder it is for him to score. You won't get many set in midfield.'

Backfired

Kennedy acknowledged that Benitez's outspoken attack on Sir Alex Ferguson last month hasn't helped, but he played down suggestions that it had actually backfired.

'I think Rafa wanted to say something about Sir Alex, to express his opinion, but was it the right time to do it? Maybe not.

'He obviously wanted to get it off his chest, though, and it's easy enough to say that he should have kept quiet. But when you're at the top of the table you're there to be shot at.

'Things haven't gone perfectly since then, but nothing's won in January. It's May when they hand out the prizes,' said Kennedy.

Kennedy has been watching Liverpool's rivals closely, but he sees nothing in Chelsea's recent form to make him doubt that the Reds can take all three points.

'In the late 70s and 80s, the mentality at Liverpool was always to go for it and that's what I want to see when they take to the pitch on Sunday.

'We've got a great Champions League draw and we're in a fantastic position in the league.

'We must make sure that we don't fritter it away. But if we do look for that win, if we play to our best, hand on heart, I think we can just about edge it,' he added.

• KENNEDY'S PREDICTION: Liverpool 2 Chelsea1