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Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has denied that he is cracking under the pressure of the title race and dismissed claims that his widely perceived cautiousness is costing the club their best chance of winning the league for almost two decades.

Benítez has been forced to fend off questions about his state of mind in recent weeks, Liverpool’s slump in form — they have drawn seven of their past ten matches in the Barclays Premier League — coinciding with a series of bizarre and unexpected outbursts from the manager.

As well as making public his contract dispute with the club and embarking on an astonishing rant at Sir Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager, whom he accused of wielding an unfair influence over match officials, Benítez attempted to defend Liverpool’s disappointing 1-1 draw away to Wigan Athletic on Wednesday by claiming that the second half was “crazy”, without offering any explanation as to why.

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The Spaniard received some welcome support from his compatriot Fernando Torres, who issued a veiled warning to the club’s American owners that it is not only Benítez who they risk losing if they do not sort out his contract dispute.

Speaking to FourFourTwo magazine, the Spain striker said: “He’s one of the coaches you learn the most from. He’s given a lot to the club and brought in some great players. Some of us wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. If you ask the other players, they’d tell you the same thing. Letting Rafa go would be a mistake.”

After a run of three successive draws, Liverpool will be desperate to beat Chelsea at home tomorrow and keep alive their hopes of winning a first championship since 1990. Benítez was especially keen to emphasise that he is not losing the plot and urged supporters to trust him.

“When you play to avoid relegation you are under pressure, but when you play to win the Premier League, or to progress in the Champions League or FA Cup, I am pleased to be in this position,” he said. “I don’t feel under any more pressure than when I was at Valencia trying, for example, to take on Real Madrid and Barcelona. People need to trust the team.”

Benítez was criticised for substituting Steven Gerrard, his captain, moments after Wigan equalised, but the Spaniard is adamant that he would not have won six leading trophies with Valencia and Liverpool if he was overly cautious.

“We scored 119 goals last season, we had 82 points [in the 2005-06 season], the record number in the club’s history, we’ve won four trophies and been in seven finals, you can’t be cautious and have all this,” he said.

Benítez’s confidence does not appear to be shared by Javier Mascherano, however, with the Argentina midfield player insisting that Liverpool can ill afford to surrender any more ground in the title race and suggesting that the club may have to win their remaining 15 league games to capture the title. Liverpool could trail United — who face Everton at Old Trafford this evening — by five points by the time Chelsea visit Anfield.

“The players are very angry about the draws against Everton and Wigan — these points are always crucial and, after a great season, it’s a shame to drop off,” Mascherano said. “The road to the title is not lost, but certainly we have given chances to United to take advantage. The game against Chelsea will be like a final for us. It’s win or nothing. A draw would be a disaster.”