MAY 9
Benitez pride

Liverpool Echo

Rafa Benitez responds to the burst of expectation surrounding his Liverpool team with a combination of confidence and caution.

Benitez's side defied pre-season predictions to register the club's highest points tally in 17 years, and left club statisticians re-assessing the record books on a weekly basis.

This weekend's FA Cup final provides a fitting end to a campaign of colossal progress.

However, despite standing on the brink of another major triumph, the Anfield boss has warned the challenge of turning his side from Premiership wannabes to title winners will be the toughest assignment of all.

Benitez was plotting a glorious path elsewhere the last time Liverpool finished a season with 80 points, but he believes the bitter memories of the post-2002 Houllier era will serve as an appropriate warning of how positions of strength can be squandered.

Houllier spent over £20m in the aftermath of the last World Cup, hoping El-Hadji Diouf, Bruno Cheyrou and Salif Diao would take Liverpool from second to first.

A year later, the club didn't even qualify for the Champions League and his reign never recovered.

There is understandable confidence Benitez won't make the same cataclysmic errors if he's backed with the same financial clout as his predecessor. But he accepts the weight of responsibility when considering his next moves in the transfer market.

"Every summer is important in terms of signing players, but now I know my team better and the qualities of every player, and we know what to do to keep one step ahead," said Benitez.

"This is a time when we must be careful with our decisions.

"When I talk with Rick and the chairman, they know we are closer now than we've been in a long time. They have more experience than me of what's happened at the club and they know we must be careful with new signings. We know the areas where we need to sign the right players.

"I know we can improve. That's the sensation I feel now. With the players we have, and by signing the right play-ers, we will be better. Other clubs will be looking to improve, too, and we need to be aware of what they do to make sure if they improve their squad a little, we improve even more."

Benitez's sober mood after the final Premiership win over Portsmouth was as encouraging as it's been following some of the seasons most significant triumphs.

There were no scenes of jubilation as the club recorded a points tally to sit proudly alongside many of the best.

Instead, the Spanish boss looks over the last eight months with a slight hint of regret to go with the large portions of pride, as he thinks it could have been even better.

Benitez added: "At the final whistle in Portsmouth I felt a mixture of being happy and disappointed. To achieve 82 points is a good total, but we would have liked to beat the record of clean sheets, and the goal we conceded was offside.

"But one of the most important things of the season has been seeing the team develop this winning mentality. Even when we win a game, I see the players are unhappy if we concede a goal.

"This is good for the future. Even though we've managed 82 points, we know we need to improve even more to win the league. We have the mentality to do it, I know this.

"If you analyse the whole season, we've played 61 games and been very consistent. The physical condition of the team is also very good. Our back-room staff deserve credit for this.

"The gap between ourselves and the top was nine points in the end, but that's not a very clear reflection because over the last games it's difficult to say Chelsea would have made the same selections if they'd needed the points."

When the season ends in Cardiff, no matter what the outcome, Benitez, his players and staff can conclude they've taken a huge leap in the right direction.

Next year, the Premiership trophy rather than an impressive points haul will be the target.

"I never had a points target in mind at the start of the season. We just thought of improving with every game and correcting our mistakes," he said.

"Even in our first few games we had a lot of chances. If we do the same things next year, but improve against the teams at the top, that will be the key."

MAY 9
Benitez only a couple of
key signings away from glory

By Mark Lawrenson - Daily Post

Liverpool can reflect on a season of progress in the Premiership this season - and their supporters will now be looking for the kind of key signings that will make the difference in them overhauling Chelsea at the top of the table.

Rafael Benitez's side have made a significant dent in the points difference between the two sides over the course of the campaign.

The manager has got the team playing in the way he wants, something which always takes time for someone new to a job, and has got over his ideas and tactics to the players.

They have responded well and if Liverpool can strengthen in three important areas they can go a long way to giving Chelsea a run for their money.

The priorities are a right-sided midfielder and a couple of strikers to give Benitez some different options.

Liverpool have nothing to lose in granting Robbie Fowler a year's contract as he remains a superb finisher, while Peter Crouch has made a promising start to his Anfield career and his height and ability to hold the ball up or bring his team-mates into a move have been very important.

Fernando Morientes has been a really good player, but the clock is ticking against him while the question mark against Djibril Cisse remains whether he converts a high enough ratio of his chances.

With that in mind Liverpool could add a couple of different strikers in a player like Darren Bent, who is happy to take on the lone striker role when required, and someone who is more of an all-rounder.

The dilemma for the manager is whether he has enough time to bring in players of potential, like the exciting Mark Gonzales, or whether he needs players with a proven track record.

The only snag that a manager can hit bringing in someone from outside the Premiership is that it takes time to adapt to the pace and physical challenge of English football.

Benitez will also want to bring his new faces in early so they can take part in as full a pre-season as possible and have the time to get to know their new colleagues both as part of the team and as individuals.

The manager has certainly got to grips with life in the Premiership and has moved away from a defensive-oriented midfield to a more attack-minded set-up which the quality of the players at his disposal has helped deliver.

He has also come to terms with the fact that there are some very physical battles to be won in the Premiership and Benitez has put together a big, strong, athletic squad with a string of six foot players at the core of the team and that is something you need to prosper in the Premiership.

Benitez has also coaxed good seasons from so many of his players, such as Harry Kewell who many people had written off.

Pepe Reina has also performed well in goal behind a solid back four, Momo Sissoko has got better and better, Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher have been models of consistency and the likes of Steve Finnan and John Arne Riise have all played their part in the Anfield improvement.

MAY 2
Summer buys key to Reds' title push

By Ian Rush - Liverpool Echo

Whatever the outcome at Portsmouth next week, this Premiership season has been magnificent for Liverpool.

I'd never have imagined the club would have remained in contention for second place until the final league game.

Given the points gap between Manchester United and Chelsea a year ago, for Liverpool to accumulate 20 more points in one season is a superb effort.

In most years, this side would have done enough to maintain a longer title challenge. It's a tribute to Chelsea that their form has kept Liverpool out of that particular equation, but that shouldn't stop us putting Rafa Benitez's efforts in suitable context.

Liverpool didn't enjoy a good start to their campaign, and at one point around October there were even genuine concerns about finishing in the top four.

The run of results since then has been as good as anything the club has produced since we last won the title in 1990.

In fact, if Liverpool win on Saturday, the points tally will be even better than that.

It's made us all very confident for the future, but we all know how important it is to take the difficult next step and finish first in the seasons to come.

Catching Chelsea, who have shown they can spend £100m a summer, is going to be as tough next season as it is now.

When I look at the Liverpool side I think they are three players from being good enough to win the league. A centre-half to cover for Sami Hyypia and Jamie Carragher, a right midfielder, and a world class goalscorer.

Of course, needing those players is one thing, but finding them is another.

There have been numerous occasions since 1990 when we've felt the side just needed a couple of signings and it all went wrong.

Benitez's judgement when he's spent big money has been good so far. He has not made any big mistakes and, providing money is available, the next recruits will be vital.

One error which the club won't make this time is buying a player just because he impresses in the World Cup.

There have been a lot of recent examples of the club spending big money on someone who did well in that tournament, or the European Championships, but didn't produce it week in, week out on Merseyside.

You can guarantee that someone we've never heard of will shine in Germany, and suddenly his value will rise to £10m.

Playing well for four weeks is one thing, but doing so for 38 games in the Premiership is another.

I know Benitez won't be fooled into scouting players on the basis of what they do in Germany, and he'll want his targets recruited before the tournament begins.

Whoever he signs will join a club with title expectations next season. The identity of those play-ers will determine if they're realistic or not.

APRIL 26
Dalglish hails Rafa revolution

TEAMtalk

Kenny Dalglish believes Liverpool are making such huge strides under Rafael Benitez that next season will see them become title contenders.

The former Liverpool player and manager, who bossed the Reds to league titles in 1986, 1988 and 1990, attributes much of his old club's recent success to the former Valencia boss.

After winning the Champions League last season, Liverpool will face West Ham in this year's FA Cup final, and Dalglish expects the Merseysiders to be an even mightier force next season.

Benitez is expected to make improvements to his squad ahead of a third season at the club, and Dalglish said: "It looks like Liverpool will finish two spots higher in the league than they did last season, and if they manage to do that again next year then they will be champions.

"They are definitely moving in the right direction and although I am not sure whether they will manage to win the league, Liverpool can certainly compete with anybody on the pitch.

"I am sure Rafa Benitez will make some more signings in the summer and that will only make them stronger."

Dalglish's 1990 side were the last Liverpool team to be champions of England, and although Chelsea and Manchester United appear to be one step ahead of Benitez's team, the gap is closing.

Dalglish, 55, said: "I think Rafa has been brilliant for Liverpool and he concentrates solely on the football side of the club which is the most important thing.

"He is only worried about preparing his players for the next match and he lets them get on with their job, so you can't have anything other than admiration for him."

Dalglish also welcomed captain Steven Gerrard's move to commit himself to Liverpool, after Real Madrid announced he was on their list of summer targets.

"There is no team in the world that wouldn't like Steven Gerrard, but unfortunately for them there is only one team that has him and that is Liverpool," said Dalglish.

APRIL 20
Parry praises the Rafalution

By Chris Bascombe - Liverpool Echo

Rick Parry today hailed Rafa Benitez for closing the mammoth gap between Liverpool and Chelsea this season.

But the Anfield chief executive insisted no-one at the club will be fully satisfied until the Reds topple their FA Cup semi-finalists from the Premiership summit.

Benitez has masterminded a vast improvement in Liverpool's league form, and Parry was eager to register the club's approval of the team's performances this season as they secured a top three finish three fixtures before the end of the season.

"The last time we qualified for the Champions League was just prior to our last game, but we were sweating on it for much of the season," said Parry today.

"It was more comfortable in 2002, but in 2001 we also had to wait for the last game.

"Clearly there's been a huge improvement on last year in achieving qualification so early, but also more importantly by narrowing the gap to Chelsea.

"We've been 30 points adrift for the last two seasons, and although there are still three games to play, it's clear for everyone we're a lot closer now. Although third is secure, we've not finished going for second yet.

"It should also be noted how finishing in the top three has been far more significant this season due to Arsenal's run in the Champions League.

"It would have been the ultimate irony if we'd finished fourth, but Arsenal came fifth and won the Champions League and took our place, given what happened last season.

"Our league performance has been a mark of real progress. We will only be happy when we start winning league titles, and there is still some way to go. But when we appointed Rafa we knew it would take time.

"This has been a year of solid progresss and it's been very gratifying for all of us. However, we won't be sitting back. We're all working as hard as possible to make it even better."

The Reds received some criticism for not being active enough in the transfer market last summer, but Benitez's purchases have had a major impact.

"Others may have been panicking in August, but we never were," said Parry.

"We always felt this season would be better, and now the target is to improve even more. Rafa learned a lot from his first season in England, and that was shown in the players we brought in. There have been been two tremendous league runs, and if anything the second has been most impressive.

"We suffered a demoralising week when we lost away to Arsenal and in the Champions League against Benfica, but the response since then has been tremendous.

"The players deserve a lot of credit because this has been a particularly punishing schedule."

Now Parry is predicting the club has the foundation to push on to greater heights.

He added: "We have learned a lot from what happened in 2002 and I'm sure we will improve again next season. We have shown we are capable of putting together consistent league runs and our defensive performances have been outstanding, so there's every reason to believe we're going to get even better.

"Players such as Momo Sissoko and Pepe Reina have settled immediately, when often it can take a year to get used to English football. We also have high hopes for Daniel Agger, Gabriel Paletta and Mark Gonzalez."

APRIL 5
Rafa reveals transfer hopes

Kop Talk

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is hoping to make progress in the transfer market before this summer's World Cup finals.

The tournament gets underway on 9th June when Germany kick off against Costa Rica and then runs until the final on 9th July.

During that time any players that Rafa may be interested in could perform well and their transfer fees will rise as a result which is why the boss has already discussed his targets with the club's chief executive Rick Parry.

Rafa said: "If it is possible to prepare the squad before, it will be better.

"You know if you are trying to sign a young player before the World Cup, the club might wait to see if he's playing well, then the price increases.

"We have signed Mark Gonzalez and Gabriel Paleta. We're trying to be ready but if we need to wait then we'll wait and try to target the best players."

With the club still looking for new investors, Rafa admits more money will help him but until something is signed, sealed and delivered, he'll continue bargain hunting.

Rafa added: "We are not thinking about the money, we are thinking about finding the best players for us for as cheap as possible. Of course if there's more money it makes it easier."

APRIL 5
Benitez focused on winning title

By Tommy Smith - Liverpool Echo

Just as much as he will be plotting for a big finish to the season, hopefully culminating in an FA Cup win, Rafa Benitez will have been devoting some time in recent months to the future.

Liverpool's league campaign has been a great improvement on the previous season, but I believe the Reds boss will still be dissatisfied that they have not been able to keep pace with Chelsea at the top.

Benitez knows that the next few months will be crucial to the team's long term future - who goes, who stays, who comes in - and I feel he has that ruthless streak in him that all top managers need to be successful.

While fans enjoyed European success last season and, hopefully, an FA Cup triumph this, his number one priority is to bring the Premiership to Anfield.

His determination to succeed has been underlined by his commitment to stay at Anfield and he has already made moves to strengthen his squad for next season with the likes of Gonzalez and Paletta.

Having players who can cause problems out wide are essential. Djibril Cisse was used there to effect against West Brom, but he doesn't have the consistency Benitez needs.

Bill Shankly had to be ruthless when he broke up the famous Sixties team, and Bob Paisley was, too, although seem-ingly a friend to everyone at the time!

The challenge next season will be there to match Chelsea, United and Arsenal.

Reds fans will see more changes in the summer. There has to be and rest assured that the manager knows what is required.

IF the FA Cup semi-final was being played this week I would be extremely confident of victory. There are three main reasons for that:

The Reds are playing well and scoring goals again; Chelsea are not half as good this season as last; and Rafa Benitez is a far better tactician than Jose Mourinho.

The Londoners were expected to walk away with the title this season, but I think they are going to have to step up a few gears to overcome United's late charge.

Last season, Chelsea were hard to break down. When possession was lost, everyone was quick to get behind the ball, and rivals found scoring extremely difficult.

Now other teams are using the same tactics against them and their play is looking onedimensional as they try to combat that.

IF the FA Cup semi-final was being played this week I would be extremely confident of victory. There are three main reasons for that:

The Reds are playing well and scoring goals again; Chelsea are not half as good this season as last; and Rafa Benitez is a far better tactician than Jose Mourinho.

The Londoners were expected to walk away with the title this season, but I think they are going to have to step up a few gears to overcome United's late charge.

Last season, Chelsea were hard to break down. When possession was lost, everyone was quick to get behind the ball, and rivals found scoring extremely difficult.

Now other teams are using the same tactics against them and their play is looking onedimensional as they try to combat that.

Mourinho is going to have to work out a new system. When they start struggling in matches they look devoid of ideas.

They have adopted a siege mentality this season on the basis of everybody being against them, but they have not lost that over confidence, almost of believing they had a God-given right to the title. That could backfire.

Benitez has shown during his time at Anfield that he can change tactics mid-game if necessary to give the side greater options.

The Champions League final was one example, the latest derby win when Steven Gerrard was sent off was another.

The pressure on Chelsea seems to be showing, but Rafa and his Reds seem to revel on pressure.

MARCH 19
Rafa eyes early Fowler decision

By Tom Adams - Sky Sports

Robbie Fowler's Liverpool future could be decided sooner rather than later according to Reds boss Rafa Benitez.

The once prolific striker shocked English football by rejoining the Anfield outfit back in January, and scored his first goal in his second stint at the club against Fulham on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old is a firm favourite with Reds fans but his ultimate success will be judged on whether he finds the net on a regular basis until the end of the season when his contract expires.

Benitez has concerns over the striker's fitness and the Spaniard has admitted that the club are keen to decide whether to retain Fowler beyond the current campaign as soon as possible.

"Robbie is working every day with the physios and they are trying to get him fit," said Benitez.

"He will be much better after a whole pre-season, but maybe we can't wait until then to decide because he needs to know and we need to know.

"It will be good for him and us if the decision is made early.

"If we say 'No' then we need to look for another striker.

"We need to look at his situation carefully because if he is fit and scoring a lot of goals, the price of a player like him will be high, maybe £10 million."

Liverpool have also been linked with another old boy as they bid to solve their striking problems, although Benitez has brushed off reported interest in Michael Owen who insists he is happy at Newcastle.

"Have you not read what Michael has said about Newcastle" Benitez queried.

Another option for The Reds could be Tottenham's Jermain Defoe as the England international has been linked with a move to Anfield in the English press.

The former West Ham man is struggling to earn a place in Martin Jol's starting XI and the form of Robbie Keane and Mido could jeopardise his World Cup chances.

MARCH 10
Time to accept that Morientes is a lost cause

By David Prentice - Liverpool Echo

Terry Neill once changed his mind about a striker in six weeks.

The old Arsenal manager signed Clive Allen for a huge transfer fee in the summer of 1980.

He sold him to Crystal Palace for the same fee before he'd even kicked a ball in a competitive match for the Gunners.

No-one knew why. Neill just changed his mind.

Brian Clough, too, on the rare occasions he actually admitted to getting something wrong, rectified the mistake swiftly.

Everton were the beneficiaries when Cloughie decided Asa Hartford wasn't right for Nottingham Forest after just three appearances.

Fernando Morientes has been a Liverpool player for more than a year now - and the time must surely be looming for Rafael Benitez to admit defeat.

Not once during his entire Anfield career has the 29-year-old looked anything more than an ordinary striker.

His record was extraordinary... once.

But the stats since 2004 are damning.

His apparent rennaissance during one season at Monaco is looking increasingly like a last hurrah. One final flourish, a last fitful spark from a dying flame.

And perhaps we shouldn't forget that Djibril Cisse scored a huge number of goals in France, too.

In his last 16 games for Real Madrid, Morientes failed to register a single, solitary strike.

Perhaps a number of those appearances came from the substitutes' bench. Maybe. But then that Real side of Zidane, Figo, Ronaldo and Raul was hardly shy at creating chances either.

In his first 15 games for Liverpool Morientes managed just three goals.

Alright, perhaps he was settling into a new country, a new league and felt left on the periphery by his ineligibility for Champions League games.

Perhaps. This season he has totted up 36 appearances - for a paltry return of just six goals - and the excuses are beginning to run out.

Some say he's a foil - a man whose intelligent movement and vision creates openings for other players. Not according to more stats.

Morientes has created three goals this season - and that's being generous - because the pass John Arne Riise received from him on the halfway line at Portsmouth still left the Norwegian with an awful lot to do.

Reverse the roles and it's hard to imagine the Spaniard sprinting half the length of the pitch before firing a crisp finish into the corner of the net.

While strike partner Peter Crouch is missing chances at present, Morientes isn't even getting into the positions to miss them.

And that has to be the biggest concern.

Milan Baros and Florent Sinama Pongolle may not be as polished, as assured in possession or as easy on the eye as Morientes - but their pace and unpredictability made them more of a nuisance to opposition defences than he has ever been at Anfield.

And that has to be a striker's primary responsibility. Benitez never admits defeat - the experience in Istanbul last May proved that.

But perhaps now is the time to accept that Fernando Morientes is a lost cause he can never retrieve.

MARCH 10
Board must back Spaniard to get it right

Comment By Paul Walker - Daily Post

So Liverpool will retreat from the European fray and consider their future - or, perhaps more importantly, Rafael Benitez's future.

The Champions League defeat by Benfica and the obvious lack of quality cover in key positions in Benitez's squad should concentrate a few minds in the boardroom following several days of open debate over the Spaniard's long-term aims.

With Liverpool's reign as European champions now over, Benitez is arguably even more vulnerable to predatory approaches from Real Madrid and Inter Milan.

The Anfield manager has been happy for his own agenda to take centre stage this week; to let it be known that he does not want to be second best and needs a minimum of £20million this summer to re-stock his squad.

He knows as well as anybody it is impossible to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market.

But he can take on Manchester United and Arsenal and most of Europe's top clubs who operate under the same financial restraints which have apparently become meaningless at Stamford Bridge.

In the meantime, Benitez will assess his own future clinically and with the supreme professionalism he brings to his job.

What he does not have is the emotional pull associated with all his Liverpool predecessors since Bill Shankly. He is the first manager since the club's heyday not to have played for, or been associated with the club.

Even Gerard Houllier claimed to have been a fan on the Kop during his days teaching in Liverpool.

And nobody at Anfield is in any doubt that Benitez, born in Madrid and a lifelong supporter of Real, has emotional ties with the Bernabeu.

He wants to complete the final three years of his Anfield contract but knows only too well that Madrid will probably come calling with an offer this summer.

Inter have already made their intentions known.

Many now feel the way forward is to concentrate the club's money on the squad first and their new stadium plans second, with the proposed £180m outlay on Stanley Park proving to be a millstone.

A more modest rebuilding of the main stand and the Anfield Road end would provide the extra 15,000 seats they require.

More pressing is the fact Benitez will want four top-class players in the summer and the board will do well to take note.

After all, for the last 10 months Liverpool have unashamedly lived a dream. As European champions for the fifth time, they have milked the situation - and who can blame them?

But, despite what the detractors might think, it was not a fluke they won the European Cup.

In 51 days last spring they beat the best three sides in Europe to take the crown.

That was no accident; it was all down to the man they call Rafa.

MARCH 10
Reds ponder Luisao move

By Francisco Acedo - Sky Sports

Liverpool could make a move for Benfica defender Luisao after the Brazilian helped knock them out of this season's UEFA Champions League.

The Reds have held a long-term interest in the giant defender and even tried to sign him last summer.

Luisao impressed in the two recent meetings against Liverpool, even scoring the winning goal in the first leg encounter in Lisbon last month.

His performances have not gone unnoticed and Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry has hinted they could rekindle their interest in the South American.

"He [Luisao] is an excellent and interesting player, but now there are no problems in the central defence after the signings of [Gabriel] Paletta and [Daniel] Agger," Parry told O Jogo.

"Liverpool is a professional club and we will always speak with the clubs if we are interested in their players. And Benfica is a club we respect."

Parry also refused to rule out a move for long-term transfer target Simao after being frustrated in their previous attempts to sign the Portuguese international.

Liverpool saw moves for the former Barcelona ace fall through last summer and in January and Simao came back to haunt The Reds when he scored the opener in Wednesday's 2-0 win at Anfield.

The irony of the goal was not lost on Parry and he hinted Liverpool may make another attempt to lure Simao to Anfield in the summer.

"The goal was ironic for us because the player was close to signing for us and now he knocked us out with his goal," added Parry.

"It is not discarded to speak with Benfica at the end of the season."

Thor Zakariassen ©