Rafa Benitez took five minutes out of Sunderland preparations to chat to Liverpoolfc.tv about pride, Mascherano and the return of Daniel Agger....
Rafa, you've said today that you want to give something back to the fans...
Yes, really for me the most important thing now is to win, to play well and give something for the supporters to be happy, because they are fantastic, always with us, with me and the team. When you see our supporters away and you lose, you are so frustrated, so disappointed. We must try to do our best at home and give our supporters a good game.
Are you getting the best out of the players right now, with confidence appearing to be so low?
Yes, confidence is low but I don't like to criticise the players. If you must say something to them you must do it in the dressing room. We know that we need to improve, we need to take our chances, we need to create more chances if necessary and we need to be stronger in defence. We, the staff and the players, must do our best every day, every training session, because I think that our supporters deserve more.
Sunderland like to play long, high balls into the area and make the most of set pieces. How much of a concern is that, given the problems that Liverpool have had defending set pieces recently?
Yes, it's true we have had some problems. We are working in this particular area and trying to improve. I think that the key for us is if we can score an early goal, then after that we can kill the game.
How much of a threat do Sunderland pose and do you feel they have the quality to avoid relegation?
Yes, I think so. The last game they were pretty good, so they will come here with confidence.
Given the results recently, do you feel that your big players or your experienced players are doing enough for you?
I think that everyone must improve - the staff and the players. We are talking about this, how to improve and work hard.
Is it individual performances at the moment or is it a question of the team itself?
I think we don't have enough confidence - confidence wins you games. So, we need to play better and work harder in every game from the first minute to the last. As soon as we win one or two games in a row then the confidence will come back.
Do you sense that the players have lost confidence in themselves, in their own ability or ability within the side?
When you are not winning, especially for three or four games, people can talk about players, managers or the staff. In these situations you must be calm. When I say calm, I mean to analyse things and work harder. The players need to see themselves and think how they can improve. Each one must improve.
The situation now is that clubs who might have been apprehensive or even frightened of you now think they can get something from you...is that fair?
I think that we have two more competitions: the FA Cup and the Champions League. We were thinking about being contenders in the Premier League and maybe now we cannot be. So, we need to think about Sunderland, get three points and see what our position is in the table. How can we change the situation? By working harder - the commitment of the players and the staff must be more.
How much has it taken you by surprise: you were doing so well and now it all seems to be unravelling?
We started really well this season and after we had some bad results. We won against Besiktas 8-0 - that's a record in the Champions League; we won 4-1 against Porto; we won in Marseille 4-0, at a stadium where English teams don't win. We showed that we have quality, we have character - we need to show this again. We must do the job.
Is it a must win game this weekend?
We must win. It is clear that we are a better team if we play our way. It will be difficult but we must win, for sure.
You've drawn a lot of games this season, particularly at Anfield where you are expected to win. Goals win games and with that in mind, should the fans be seeing more of Peter Crouch?
For me it's not a question of one player. The question for me is the team - everybody must improve and if you pick one player over the other one then it should not make a big difference.
Is the midfield scoring enough?
If you want to score more goals it depends on the accuracy of the strikers, or if you can create more chances.
Can you bring us up to speed with the Mascherano situation?
Mascherano is our player until the end of the season. It's not a problem if we finish the deal or not. Everything is progressing and I think that it will be done in a few days.
Will you be able to sign him permanently in a few days?
Yes, I think so. We have everything ready, so I think it will be sorted.
We understand Daniel Agger is back training with his teammates – could he play this weekend?
Arbeloa and Voronin are the same and Agger is back training with his teammates but it is too soon for him.
Rafa, you've said today that you want to give something back to the fans...
Yes, really for me the most important thing now is to win, to play well and give something for the supporters to be happy, because they are fantastic, always with us, with me and the team. When you see our supporters away and you lose, you are so frustrated, so disappointed. We must try to do our best at home and give our supporters a good game.
Are you getting the best out of the players right now, with confidence appearing to be so low?
Yes, confidence is low but I don't like to criticise the players. If you must say something to them you must do it in the dressing room. We know that we need to improve, we need to take our chances, we need to create more chances if necessary and we need to be stronger in defence. We, the staff and the players, must do our best every day, every training session, because I think that our supporters deserve more.
Sunderland like to play long, high balls into the area and make the most of set pieces. How much of a concern is that, given the problems that Liverpool have had defending set pieces recently?
Yes, it's true we have had some problems. We are working in this particular area and trying to improve. I think that the key for us is if we can score an early goal, then after that we can kill the game.
How much of a threat do Sunderland pose and do you feel they have the quality to avoid relegation?
Yes, I think so. The last game they were pretty good, so they will come here with confidence.
Given the results recently, do you feel that your big players or your experienced players are doing enough for you?
I think that everyone must improve - the staff and the players. We are talking about this, how to improve and work hard.
Is it individual performances at the moment or is it a question of the team itself?
I think we don't have enough confidence - confidence wins you games. So, we need to play better and work harder in every game from the first minute to the last. As soon as we win one or two games in a row then the confidence will come back.
Do you sense that the players have lost confidence in themselves, in their own ability or ability within the side?
When you are not winning, especially for three or four games, people can talk about players, managers or the staff. In these situations you must be calm. When I say calm, I mean to analyse things and work harder. The players need to see themselves and think how they can improve. Each one must improve.
The situation now is that clubs who might have been apprehensive or even frightened of you now think they can get something from you...is that fair?
I think that we have two more competitions: the FA Cup and the Champions League. We were thinking about being contenders in the Premier League and maybe now we cannot be. So, we need to think about Sunderland, get three points and see what our position is in the table. How can we change the situation? By working harder - the commitment of the players and the staff must be more.
How much has it taken you by surprise: you were doing so well and now it all seems to be unravelling?
We started really well this season and after we had some bad results. We won against Besiktas 8-0 - that's a record in the Champions League; we won 4-1 against Porto; we won in Marseille 4-0, at a stadium where English teams don't win. We showed that we have quality, we have character - we need to show this again. We must do the job.
Is it a must win game this weekend?
We must win. It is clear that we are a better team if we play our way. It will be difficult but we must win, for sure.
You've drawn a lot of games this season, particularly at Anfield where you are expected to win. Goals win games and with that in mind, should the fans be seeing more of Peter Crouch?
For me it's not a question of one player. The question for me is the team - everybody must improve and if you pick one player over the other one then it should not make a big difference.
Is the midfield scoring enough?
If you want to score more goals it depends on the accuracy of the strikers, or if you can create more chances.
Can you bring us up to speed with the Mascherano situation?
Mascherano is our player until the end of the season. It's not a problem if we finish the deal or not. Everything is progressing and I think that it will be done in a few days.
Will you be able to sign him permanently in a few days?
Yes, I think so. We have everything ready, so I think it will be sorted.
We understand Daniel Agger is back training with his teammates – could he play this weekend?
Arbeloa and Voronin are the same and Agger is back training with his teammates but it is too soon for him.
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