"He cannot solve the problem when he is sitting on the bench," said Benitez when asked why on form Peter Crouch was subsituted instead of Morientes last Sunday.
"I was hoping to see Morientes score, Crouch managed to get one in the cup against Manchester United and it would have been good for Fernando to also get on the scoresheet. It would have given him more confidence.
"But if you want to see your strikers scoring goals you cannot leave them out. "If you want to support one player then you need to keep him on the pitch, taking him off does not achieve anything.
"Fernando is a good finisher. His career figures show that. He has scored many goals wherever he has played.
"Now he needs more confidence. And if you want to give him that then he needs to play, he cannot change the situation when he is not on the pitch."