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• It can actually help team spirit, manager says of 24-hour trip
• Fernando Torres unfit even for a place in the stands

Rafael Benítez believes he will send a more united Liverpool into tonight’s Europa League semi-final against Atlético Madrid as a result of the club’s arduous 24-hour journey to the Spanish capital.

On the basis that every volcanic ash cloud has a silver lining, the Liverpool manager last night claimed team spirit had been enhanced by taking three trains, several coaches and one flight to Spain following the closure of UK airspace and Uefa’s refusal to delay the first leg at the Vicente Calderón.

Liverpool arrived in Madrid at 1.30pm yesterday, rested at the team hotel and took part in a light training session at the stadium in the evening. And Benítez is confident the one positive of the trip can outweigh any fatigue against Atlético, who have reached the semi-final despite winning only one of their last 12 European games.

“I don’t think the players have enjoyed the journey,” said the Liverpool manager. “But it has been good to see how everyone has stuck together. It has given them an opportunity to stay together, talk and share some things, and we have to use that as a positive. It has given everyone a better team experience.

“I am sure they will be tired, but it can actually help the team spirit when everyone has something like this in common. If we were on a plane for one or two hours, as we would normally be for a game like this, then everyone would be just watching a film or on their PlayStations. Now they are talking more and doing more things together. At the train stations you could see that instead of simply sticking to their normal groups, they have been talking to each other in different groups and moving around. This can help us.”

Benítez watched Barcelona’s Champions League semi-final, first-leg defeat at Internazionale during an overnight stay in Paris and dismissed the suggestion that travel fatigue played a part in the Catalans’ surprise 3‑1 loss. “I don’t think it was a factor,” he said. “Barcelona had plenty of possession, but they made two or three mistakes and Inter were dangerous on the counterattack.”

He also believes Liverpool have taken precautions to limit the impact of the trip on the players. “Hopefully the journey will not have an effect on our physical performance and will be a positive in terms of the spirit of the team,” Benítez added. “It was important we decided to rest in Paris because that gave the players a night to sleep, and it will help to regenerate them by doing some training in Madrid.”

Liverpool have yet to discover their route back from Madrid, although travel representatives hope to secure a flight to northern Britain after tonight’s game. Fernando Torres, who will again miss an emotional reunion with his former club having undergone knee surgery on Sunday, is not expected to return to Vicente Calderón, even as a spectator. The Liverpool striker has been advised to continue his rehabilitation from the operation in Barcelona.

England’s other Europa League semi-finalists, Fulham, had a 600-mile journey from south London to the German Baltic port of Hamburg, which ended at 4pm. “It was 17 hours [on the road] from leaving Motspur Park [the training ground] to arriving at the Hyatt in Hamburg,” said Roy Hodgson, the manager. “But three hours of that was standing in a queue thanks to a traffic accident on the autobahn.”

The Fulham goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, said team spirit had remained intact despite the testing circumstances. “I’d say the atmosphere has been very good,” the Australian added. “We have a very good relationship anyway in the team. A really long trip can either pull the team apart or to the contrary and I’d say it’s pulled us all together.”

LiverpoolRafael BenítezFulhamUefa Europa LeagueAndy HunterJamie Jacksonguardian.co.uk

• ‘Champions League makes no difference to spending power’
• Believes ‘on-fire’ Torres can steer side to fourth place

Rafael Benítez has issued a veiled criticism of his spending power under the Liverpool owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, by claiming his transfer budget has not benefited significantly from five successive qualifications to the Champions League.

Liverpool are in danger of missing out on a place among the European elite for the first time in the Benítez era, a failure that would cost the debt-laden club more than £20m and, by extension, impact on their transfer plans this summer.

Liverpool are four points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur, having played one game more, and though new investment is being sought before next season, Benítez insists involvement in the Champions League should not affect his budget as qualification has not paid dividends in the past.

The Liverpool manager said: “They told me before that it [Champions League qualification] didn’t make a big difference [to his transfer budget]. Every year that we have qualified for the Champions League it hasn’t made a big difference so if we don’t qualify this time I don’t expect it to make a big difference.”

Benítez believes Harry Redknapp’s team are favourites for the final Champions League berth but that Liverpool’s greater experience could prevail. “Everything can change in one or two weeks. You have to be calm and try to do your job,” he added,” he said. “For us our experience could be key. It depends on each team. Spurs are in a good position now and maybe City will be if they win one game, so it will be close. It could go to the very end.”

The Spaniard is also enthused by Fernando Torres’s record of five goals in his last three appearances and believes his compatriot can inspire the team’s pursuit of fourth place, starting at home to Sunderland tomorrow: “People are talking about his frustration but I will talk about his accuracy,” said Benitez. “He is doing really well and if he can keep on doing the same we can win against anyone.

“He is on fire. I think he can carry on like this until the end of the season. He has no physical problems and he can score goals. Also, the team is stronger now. We played against United at the top of the table and there wasn’t a big difference.”

Rafael BenítezLiverpoolPremier LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk

• Liverpool’s manager expects more from ‘top-class’ players
• Anxiety about fourth-place finish leads to desperate call

Rafael Benítez has called on Liverpool’s “big names” to provide the leadership the club needs if they are to qualify for next season’s Champions League. The manager’s challenge came after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat by the leaders, Manchester United, a match in which Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard cut frustrated figures. The result meant that Liverpool lost ground in the race for fourth place.

Benítez says that a top-four finish is not beyond Liverpool, who suffered their 10th Premier League defeat of the season at Old Trafford. That left them behind Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in the table and one point ahead of Aston Villa, having played two more games. The Spaniard is now reliant on Liverpool’s rivals dropping points but all of them face a more demanding run-in. Liverpool have only Chelsea among the leading clubs to play in their remaining seven matches.

With Gerrard struggling for consistency and Torres having been driven to distraction at Old Trafford, Benítez wants more inspiration from such senior players.

“Sometimes when you talk about big names, top-class players, you are expecting something from them when the team is not doing well,” Benítez said. “You expect them to say, ‘It’s OK, follow me.’ We have had this conversation with Fernando and the rest of the team. It was something we were expecting from Torres and he was really good the other day [scoring twice against Portsmouth and Lille].”

Torres continued his scoring run against United, opening the scoring with a superb header, but he displayed petulance as Wayne Rooney equalised with a controversial penalty and Sir Alex Ferguson’s team assumed control of the match. As he did earlier in the season, when the Spanish striker was unsettled by a lack of protection from referees, Benítez has told his compatriot to improve the mental aspect of his game.

The Liverpool manager said: “Fernando knows he has to focus a little bit more. We were talking about this at half-time [against United] so that is something that will be better for him and better for the team. He can score more goals by concentrating on football. All strikers, especially top-class strikers, they are marked a little bit more closely than others and that is normal. It is not easy every game. People don’t understand when you are a player on the pitch and you are fighting and sometimes you cannot understand these things.”

With City still to play Tottenham, Villa, United and Arsenal, and Harry Redknapp’s Spurs having to face the current top three, there is scope for Liverpool to haul themselves back into qualification for the Champions League. Their success or failure will have a major bearing on the club’s financial situation this summer.

“It is difficult but there are still seven games to play,” said Benítez. “We have to keep going because still it’s a long race. We know we have to perform and win our games and it’s clear that the other teams will drop some points and lose some games. How many they drop is the key. We have the belief we can finish in the top four but we have to keep going. Every game is important for us.”

Benítez confirmed he that he expected the defenders Martin Skrtel and Fábio Aurélio to return from injury early next month. Aurélio suffered a thigh strain against Blackburn last month, increasing the demands placed on the young Argentinian Emiliano Insúa at left-back. Skrtel has not played since breaking a metatarsal against Unirea Urziceni on 25 February. Benítez said: “Both are still injured and will need some time but it’s only a question of a couple of weeks. It depends for each one.”

Jay Spearing, the 21-year-old Liverpool midfielder, has joined Leicester City on loan until the end of the season.

Rafael BenítezLiverpoolPremier LeagueAndy Hunterguardian.co.uk