RAFA ON CHRISTMAS, FOG AND THE TITLE RACE
Lesley McKinney and Jimmy Rice 21 December 2006
Reds boss Rafa Benitez takes time out to chat to liverpoolfc.tv ahead of Saturday's clash with Watford.
The current run of form is similar to how Liverpool played last season, isn’t it?
Yes, but it is maybe in 10 days we can talk about it again because at Christmas time we increase the number of games we play. I think we need to just increase the confidence, keep doing the same things, and hopefully the team will keep progressing.
Have you noticed a change in Craig Bellamy in the last few weeks?
Yes, he’s scoring goals, he’s making it difficult for the defenders, the understanding with Kuyt is good. The understanding with Kuyt and Crouchie before was good, but now Craig is playing really well and we’ll see if he can continue with this high tempo. You can see the transition today, he’s scored a fantastic goal, he’s trying to do things that before he was maybe worried about. He’s the kind of player we want.
With the game being called off against Arsenal the other night, it obviously puts more of a strain on the resources over the next few weeks?
It was a surprise because you could see while we were training. We were training with the players in three different colours and you could see them in yellow, pink and especially in grey. When you can see players in grey at the end of the pitch it means that you can play. I could see the adverts on the stands at the time of the game! We will have a lot of fixtures now. We are to play against Arsenal twice in three days.
Do you like the Christmas schedule, in a strange way?
I will try to enjoy it if possible. Enjoying it means we need to win. We will play a lot of games in a row now and we need to change some players for sure because we may have injuries or some players will be tired. It’s Christmas time and we know how important it is at Christmas time, so we will try to do our best.
This period has really pushed you back into the title race. Steven Gerrard was saying that we shouldn’t be ruling Liverpool out of it. Do you agree?
I’m not thinking about this. I promise you I am not looking at the table all the time. As I said we need to play these games and then afterwards we will see if we are in a better position or not.
Does it please you to hear the captain saying things like that?
Yes, it means that he has confidence in the team and he wants them to progress. I have the same idea but I cannot say these things because we have to take one game at a time and see what happens.
It’s nice to see Gerrard come back to his best though, isn't it?
I expect now he’s happier that he’s scoring goals, it’s the key for us. If Steve and Xabi play well then the team must play well.
When Momo returns, will you continue to play Gerrard on the right or in the middle?
I prefer to have this problem because it means we will continue to win games and once we have Momo available it will be a nice problem.
So have you made a decision now to keep Stevie in the middle or play him on the right?
No, I’m really pleased with him playing in the middle but also Pennant playing on the right side. If Pennant continues to play well then it will work out very well for me in the future.
With the likes of Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Pennant, they appear to be getting used to Liverpool now and what’s expected of them. Do you feel this is the case?
When they came we were waiting for something like this. A good winger crossing in balls and a good striker hiding behind the defender and scoring goals. They are playing well and this is the key.
How do you see the Watford game turning out this weekend?
They’re a difficult team to play against because I was watching some games and they are a tough team, but maybe they won’t have the confidence that they need. We know that it’s a game where we will need to be passing and play for 90 minutes with a high tempo. It will be difficult if we don’t score early. It will be physical and we need to move the ball at as high tempo. If we move the ball properly it will be difficult for them but normally they will try to play long balls. You don’t know how it will turn out because if they draw, it may not be enough for them, they need to win. I would like to see them maybe going forward, that would mean we would see an open game, more open spaces.
One thing we wanted to ask you about is the suggestion of fast-tracking players to become referees?
It’s a good idea but it’s impossible. I don’t like to name names but if a very famous player has played for Liverpool or Chelsea or United for years and then has to referee a derby, it would be difficult.
It could be open to players who played at a low level though?
Players from a lower level, maybe. They would have the knowledge of the game and the experience.
What would you like for Christmas this year, Rafa?
One thing that is really important to have that you don’t realise until you don’t have it is health. You must be healthy and then you can do the other things. If you have this then you can talk about the best for Liverpool, win the trophies, win everything, but for all the people, especially our supporters, I would say health. Health is the main thing. For Liverpool it’s a very difficult time now but I feel like we have health at this moment in time in terms of the game and how we play, because we are scoring goals and don’t have a lot of problems in defence.
And finally Rafa, can we expect any new signings in January?
For the situation at the moment we just need to wait and see. We’re trying to do our best without any money but we will see what happens. I don’t like to talk about players. I have confidence with my squad and want to keep improving on the players we’ve got. At this moment I am thinking about bringing out the best in my players.
Lesley McKinney and Jimmy Rice 21 December 2006
Reds boss Rafa Benitez takes time out to chat to liverpoolfc.tv ahead of Saturday's clash with Watford.
The current run of form is similar to how Liverpool played last season, isn’t it?
Yes, but it is maybe in 10 days we can talk about it again because at Christmas time we increase the number of games we play. I think we need to just increase the confidence, keep doing the same things, and hopefully the team will keep progressing.
Have you noticed a change in Craig Bellamy in the last few weeks?
Yes, he’s scoring goals, he’s making it difficult for the defenders, the understanding with Kuyt is good. The understanding with Kuyt and Crouchie before was good, but now Craig is playing really well and we’ll see if he can continue with this high tempo. You can see the transition today, he’s scored a fantastic goal, he’s trying to do things that before he was maybe worried about. He’s the kind of player we want.
With the game being called off against Arsenal the other night, it obviously puts more of a strain on the resources over the next few weeks?
It was a surprise because you could see while we were training. We were training with the players in three different colours and you could see them in yellow, pink and especially in grey. When you can see players in grey at the end of the pitch it means that you can play. I could see the adverts on the stands at the time of the game! We will have a lot of fixtures now. We are to play against Arsenal twice in three days.
Do you like the Christmas schedule, in a strange way?
I will try to enjoy it if possible. Enjoying it means we need to win. We will play a lot of games in a row now and we need to change some players for sure because we may have injuries or some players will be tired. It’s Christmas time and we know how important it is at Christmas time, so we will try to do our best.
This period has really pushed you back into the title race. Steven Gerrard was saying that we shouldn’t be ruling Liverpool out of it. Do you agree?
I’m not thinking about this. I promise you I am not looking at the table all the time. As I said we need to play these games and then afterwards we will see if we are in a better position or not.
Does it please you to hear the captain saying things like that?
Yes, it means that he has confidence in the team and he wants them to progress. I have the same idea but I cannot say these things because we have to take one game at a time and see what happens.
It’s nice to see Gerrard come back to his best though, isn't it?
I expect now he’s happier that he’s scoring goals, it’s the key for us. If Steve and Xabi play well then the team must play well.
When Momo returns, will you continue to play Gerrard on the right or in the middle?
I prefer to have this problem because it means we will continue to win games and once we have Momo available it will be a nice problem.
So have you made a decision now to keep Stevie in the middle or play him on the right?
No, I’m really pleased with him playing in the middle but also Pennant playing on the right side. If Pennant continues to play well then it will work out very well for me in the future.
With the likes of Craig Bellamy and Jermaine Pennant, they appear to be getting used to Liverpool now and what’s expected of them. Do you feel this is the case?
When they came we were waiting for something like this. A good winger crossing in balls and a good striker hiding behind the defender and scoring goals. They are playing well and this is the key.
How do you see the Watford game turning out this weekend?
They’re a difficult team to play against because I was watching some games and they are a tough team, but maybe they won’t have the confidence that they need. We know that it’s a game where we will need to be passing and play for 90 minutes with a high tempo. It will be difficult if we don’t score early. It will be physical and we need to move the ball at as high tempo. If we move the ball properly it will be difficult for them but normally they will try to play long balls. You don’t know how it will turn out because if they draw, it may not be enough for them, they need to win. I would like to see them maybe going forward, that would mean we would see an open game, more open spaces.
One thing we wanted to ask you about is the suggestion of fast-tracking players to become referees?
It’s a good idea but it’s impossible. I don’t like to name names but if a very famous player has played for Liverpool or Chelsea or United for years and then has to referee a derby, it would be difficult.
It could be open to players who played at a low level though?
Players from a lower level, maybe. They would have the knowledge of the game and the experience.
What would you like for Christmas this year, Rafa?
One thing that is really important to have that you don’t realise until you don’t have it is health. You must be healthy and then you can do the other things. If you have this then you can talk about the best for Liverpool, win the trophies, win everything, but for all the people, especially our supporters, I would say health. Health is the main thing. For Liverpool it’s a very difficult time now but I feel like we have health at this moment in time in terms of the game and how we play, because we are scoring goals and don’t have a lot of problems in defence.
And finally Rafa, can we expect any new signings in January?
For the situation at the moment we just need to wait and see. We’re trying to do our best without any money but we will see what happens. I don’t like to talk about players. I have confidence with my squad and want to keep improving on the players we’ve got. At this moment I am thinking about bringing out the best in my players.
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