Liverpool need a miracle to win the title, says Benítez

[Cunny]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/de...-rafael-benitez

 

Liverpool need a miracle to win the title, says Benítez

 

Jon Brodkin

The Guardian, Friday 12 December 2008

Article history

 

 

Rafael Benítez has effectively written off Liverpool's title chances even though his team lead the Premier League after 16 matches in which they have lost only once. Benítez's side have defeated both Manchester United and Chelsea during a promising opening to the season as they chase the club's first championship since 1990 but the manager is downbeat about their chances of lasting the pace.

 

"For us to win the league we need Chelsea, Man United and Arsenal to mess up their season," he was quoted by the Sun. "It is very rare that three teams all mess up. So there's no point waiting for our direct adversaries to slip up because it won't happen. They all have a lot greater financial means than us."

 

Liverpool lead Chelsea by a point and enjoy a six-point advantage over United, who have a game in hand. Benítez's comments may be designed to ease the pressure on his squad before tomorrow's game at home to Hull after they managed only goalless draws at Anfield against Fulham and West Ham United in their past two league matches there. They were also held at home by Stoke in September.

 

"For me Valencia and Liverpool are similar - for them to win, the bigger clubs have to do badly," added the 48-year-old Spaniard, a Champions League winner with Liverpool. "When I won La Liga with Valencia that's what happened, Real Madrid and Barcelona were in transition, so it was easier."

 

Benítez, who is close to signing a new contract to keep him at Liverpool until 2013, has tended to be circumspect about his team's chances of winning the Premier League title, a trophy which the club's captain, Steven Gerrard, has described as his No1 target.

 

Yet the manager indicated earlier this season that he believed Liverpool were capable of ending their long search for the championship, which last came to Anfield when Kenny Dalglish was the manager. After Xabi Alonso had given the side a 1-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in October, ending Chelsea's unbeaten home league record after 86 matches, he said: "To win here sends a massive message to the other teams of what we can do and tells our fans what we are about.

 

"To come here with that mentality and showing the character the players showed gives us a big boost for the rest of the season."

[Mike]

what has the manchester guardian got against liverpool?

[Jarg Armani]

he was quoted by the Sun

 

[fred milne]

That sounds like Rafa gearing up for a battle with G&H over funds for the January transfer window.

[Redkop]

Would Rafa really give an 'exclusive' as claimed to the s*** rag mentioned in the Guardian article?

 

That's hard to believe....

 

Exclusive... Benitez: Liverpool won't win the title

Edited December 12, 2008 by Redkop

[Smith]

That sounds like Rafa gearing up for a battle with G&H over funds for the January transfer window.

 

Quite clearly. And I don't feel too good about it.

Edited December 12, 2008 by Smith

[honourablegeorge]

That sounds like Rafa gearing up for a battle with G&H over funds for the January transfer window.

 

 

Sounds like him keeping a lid on things, putting pressur eback on the others, and all that.

[Mike]

bulls*** article

[Smith]

bulls*** article

 

Oh, well, hopefully.

[Stevie H]

i don't see the word 'miracle' anywhere in rafa's comments. there really is some shocking journalism about at the minute.

[Snoeker]

The miracle has a name - Fernando Torres *swoon*

[Spike]

Of course Man Ure, CHelsea and Arsenal have to mess up. Namely against us.

[Cobs]

Rafa wants to build lead at the top of the table

 

 

Make yer mind up Rafa, FFS !!!!!!

[AE]

Rafa wants to build lead at the top of the table

Make yer mind up Rafa, FFS !!!!!!

 

He has started the mind games already.

Rafa 1 Demento 0

[Cooger]

I seem to remember in Benitez's first season at Liverpool Gerrard said we had no chance of winning Europe and Benitez told him that he should only be thinking about winning it. As we know we won Europe that season.

 

I think Benitez should maybe think about only winning the league.

[Maldini]

Aren't those quotes about 2 years old?

[Flasher]

Aren't those quotes about 2 years old?

 

About to say the same. These are definately old quotes

[jimmylibel]

Was reading this in the Irish papers this morning. It's from an interview Rafa did with a French magazine apparently.

[blago]

The guardian quotes are definitely from a while back. Their news coverage is good but their football coverage has always been biased against us.

[floyd]

"For me Valencia and Liverpool are similar - for them to win, the bigger clubs have to do badly,"

 

Man Utd, are our equal, but the over two teams. Yeah right.

[matty]

I am focused on going and fetching my lunch.

[Dule]

Thats not the entire interview i can almost guarantee it.

[Mike]

rafas press conference today will slaughter the s*n

[Mike]

'you can not trust this paper'

[Maldini]

This is the Irish Examiner's take on the French article. This guy also writes for The Guardian but for some reason they seem to have gone with the rag's version. Note that he is not talking about this season, just in general. Also, I'm pretty sure these quotes are just rehashed from an interview he gave with a Spanish newspaper last season.

 

Rafa waiting for rivals to mess up

 

By Ben Lyttleton

RAFA BENITEZ has admitted that he is reliant on all three of Liverpool’s title rivals slipping up for his side to have any chance of winning their first league title for 19 years.

 

He went on to compare this season’s side to the Valencia team he built which won the Spanish title in 2002.

 

Liverpool go into this weekend’s round of matches one point clear at the top of the Premier League having already played, and beaten, rivals Manchester United (at home) and Chelsea (away) to cement their title credentials.

 

“For me, Valencia and Liverpool are similar clubs,” said Benitez, “in that for them to win, the bigger clubs have to do badly. When I won La Liga with Valencia that’s what happened: Real Madrid and Barcelona were in a period of transition so it was easier. For Liverpool to win the Premier League we need Chelsea, United or Arsenal, who all have a lot greater financial means than us, to mess up their season. But normally it is very rare that three teams will all mess up.”

 

Arsenal are eight points adrift and have already lost five league matches this season, while Chelsea have struggled to kill off sides at Stamford Bridge, following up their defeat by Liverpool with a win over Sunderland, and a draw with Newcastle either side of losses to Burnley and Arsenal.

 

“When I arrived at Liverpool we had to start all over again from zero,” Benitez explained. “To build a team and to model it the way I want takes a bit of time. At Valencia it was different, the club had played two Champions League finals with a block of players who had a lot of understanding.

 

“But when a club gives you the necessary time, you can bring in players who will adapt more naturally to your ideas. Over time, I have been able to build more or less the team that I wanted to see on the field.

 

“Liverpool are a lot like the Valencia side I used to train: rigorous, ordered, and with a great deal of balance. But all of that took time and I managed it by bringing in players capable of taking on my philosophy.” Benitez, speaking to French magazine So Foot in an interview that was published this week, praised his players for their intelligence in adapting to the three different systems he has introduced to the side.

 

“At Liverpool we have three systems: the 4-2-3-1, the classic 4-4-2 and then the 3-4-3. The goal is for your team to be just as consistent with the first-team regulars as with their replacements.

 

“As we say in Spain when you pass your coaching badges, the system is about footballers’ positions and tactics is their movement on the field. If you don’t know how to occupy space, restrict or conquer it, your system is worth nothing. Tactics are the key to everything.” Benitez went on to say that his tactical model is based on the Milan side that was so successful under Arrigo Sacchi, winning Serie A in 1988 and the European Cup in 1989 and 1990. “He had an incomparable spine with Franco Baresi and the Dutch players. They managed to totally close up a game, contain the opponents and at the same time, play attacking football.

 

Tactically it was perfect.” That is the benchmark by which Benitez models this Liverpool side, and as they enter the New Year having finished top of their Champions League group and currently top of the Premier League, the situation is looking rosy for the Reds.

 

Benitez was adamant that his team is not a defensive one. “When people say to me my team is a rigid block or tactically very structured, for me that’s a compliment,” the Spaniard added.

 

“Sometimes people don’t understand that a team which is good in defence is not necessarily a defensive team. What I see is that Liverpool defend very well and attack very well too. Last year we were the team with most number of shots on goal in England, we were not the most efficient but we shot more often than teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona and Manchester United.” This season Benitez can sense the opportunity to emulate those clubs and write a new chapter in the history of Liverpool.

Edited December 12, 2008 by Maldini