"Emile is happy to be at Liverpool. He may have had a bit of a dip in his form, but I attribute that to his efforts for England during the World Cup.
In a swipe at certain areas of the press and Liverpool websites who choose to knock the Liverpool striker, Houllier said: "Some people like to criticise Emile, but I can produce plenty of facts and figures to back up how important he is to us, and how many goals we have scored that he has been involved in.
"Emile has been extremely influential and instrumental in the success we have enjoyed at Liverpool and he will continue to be. I support him and have faith in him.
"He has scored important goals for us. In fact he scored our most important goal last season, the fourth one in our 4-3 win against Blackburn that put us in the Champions League - I don't forget that."
Houllier added: "I believe in him and have faith in him. He will be ready to show his best form soon, I know that."