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Rafa Benitez: Liverpool Will Improve In 2009
Rafa the gaffer believes his table-topping Reds have even more to give in the second half of the season.
Jan 7, 2009 8:54:57 PM
When Liverpool kicked off their 2008-09 campaign with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Sunderland, many pundits predicted it would be the same old story for the men from Merseyside.
A series of narrow escapes followed during the first months of the season, as comeback wins against Middlesbrough, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Wigan Athletic kept the Reds afloat.
Then, near the end of October, the Anfield giants did the unthinkable: they went to Stamford Bridge and took all three points, ending Chelsea's 86-game home unbeaten run in the Premier League.
That victory also put Rafael Benitez's side on top of the table, a position they have, after some minor fluctuations in the intervening months, carried into the New Year.
And the Spanish tactician has warned his rivals that there is plenty more to come from Liverpool as key players return from injury while others work their way toward peak performance.
The Sun quoted Benitez as saying: “I still believe we can improve and will have more options for the second half of the season — and more competition for each position.
“Martin Skrtel has not been playing, Javier Mascherano has been much better in the last few games, but before that was not at the level we know, and Steven Gerrard is improving too.
“We have Fernando Torres coming back now and then you also look at someone like Lucas, who has done well. Torres just needs minutes on the pitch, while Fabio Aurelio and Skrtel need to play too.
“Clearly we are in a much better position than in past seasons.”
Liverpool travel to the Britannia Stadium this weekend to take on Stoke City, with whom the drew 0-0 at Anfield earlier in the season.
--Mike Maguire, Goal.com
A series of narrow escapes followed during the first months of the season, as comeback wins against Middlesbrough, Manchester United, Manchester City, and Wigan Athletic kept the Reds afloat.
Then, near the end of October, the Anfield giants did the unthinkable: they went to Stamford Bridge and took all three points, ending Chelsea's 86-game home unbeaten run in the Premier League.
That victory also put Rafael Benitez's side on top of the table, a position they have, after some minor fluctuations in the intervening months, carried into the New Year.
And the Spanish tactician has warned his rivals that there is plenty more to come from Liverpool as key players return from injury while others work their way toward peak performance.
The Sun quoted Benitez as saying: “I still believe we can improve and will have more options for the second half of the season — and more competition for each position.
“Martin Skrtel has not been playing, Javier Mascherano has been much better in the last few games, but before that was not at the level we know, and Steven Gerrard is improving too.
“We have Fernando Torres coming back now and then you also look at someone like Lucas, who has done well. Torres just needs minutes on the pitch, while Fabio Aurelio and Skrtel need to play too.
“Clearly we are in a much better position than in past seasons.”
Liverpool travel to the Britannia Stadium this weekend to take on Stoke City, with whom the drew 0-0 at Anfield earlier in the season.
--Mike Maguire, Goal.com
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