Rafa Benitez[Coach]

[Freddy Adu]

Man City's Hamann: Benitez right man for Liverpool

Manchester City midfielder Didi Hamann says Rafa Benitez is the right man in charge of Liverpool.

Former Reds star Hamann told liverpoolfc.tv: "I think Rafa is very good and is up there as one of the best managers in Europe.

"That's what I said when I left the club and I still believe that today.

"It's different class what he has done since he arrived. If you look at the results we had when I was there, even if we didn't do so well in the league, he did brilliantly in the domestic cups and the Champions League, especially with the players that he had back then."

Asked to compare Benitez with his City manager Sven Goran Eriksson, Hamann added: "They are different but then everyone has their own way of doing it.

"Rafa likes to get involved more on a daily basis, while Sven watches from the background and doesn't speak as much as Rafa.

"But they both know what they are doing and their records are both great and like I say, everyone has their own style."

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool's Sissoko wants crunch Benitez talks

Liverpool midfielder Momo Sissoko has demanded showdown talks over his lack of opportunities this season.

The 22-year-old Mali midfielder has made only four Premier League starts and sees little hope of forcing his way back after slipping behind Javier Mascherano and Xabi Alonso for a place alongside Steven Gerrard.

He wants to grill manager Rafa Benitez over his standing and is ready to demand a move in January if the manager cannot convince him he will have a more active role in the second half of the season, says the Daily Mail.

Liverpool only just pipped Everton to the former Valencia player's signature and there is certain to be strong interest from the Premier League as well as a host of foreign clubs, headed by Juventus, jostling for the chance to offer him a fresh start.

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool boss Benitez eyeing Bilbao's Martinez

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez is moving for Athletic Bilbao midfielder Javi Martinez.

AS says Benitez sees Martinez as a replacement for the unsettled Momo Sissoko and has had the Spain U21 international scouted several times this season.

Martinez, who stands at 1.90m, is contracted to Bilbao until 2012 and carries a buyout clause of £16 million.

[Freddy Adu]

Benitez confident Liverpool youngsters will prove value

Reds boss Rafael Benitez believes that Liverpool's youngsters will settle in during the season, but hopes to see an improvement soon.

"Our squad is really good and hopefully the strength of the squad will become more clear as the season goes on," he said.

"Some young players, especially the likes of Sebastian Leto, Lucas Leiva and Ryan Babel, will grow and progress during the season and I am sure they will play better.

"I am not disappointed with them but I think they do have the potential to play better."

[Freddy Adu]

Benitez confident Liverpool youngsters will prove value

Reds boss Rafael Benitez believes that Liverpool's youngsters will settle in during the season, but hopes to see an improvement soon.

"Our squad is really good and hopefully the strength of the squad will become more clear as the season goes on," he said.

"Some young players, especially the likes of Sebastian Leto, Lucas Leiva and Ryan Babel, will grow and progress during the season and I am sure they will play better.

"I am not disappointed with them but I think they do have the potential to play better."

[Freddy Adu]

Benitez: We're trying to keep Liverpool Scouse

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists he's trying to keep a Scouse core to his team.

He told CNN: "We are trying to keep the British players, the English players, the local players is our idea. They show the rest of the players what the passion means."

Asked about foreign quotas, Benitez added: "The balance is the key. We were talking about Gerrard, the passion he can show to teammates, to have local players and foreign players if they are good enough is the key. If you have 20 local players with enough quality for winning trophies, perfect. If you cannot, you need to bring in foreign players. So the balance is the key."

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool boss Benitez wants new striker, defender signings

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez wants to make two big signings in January.

The Times says Benitez is eager to make at least two high-profile signings during the January transfer window � a centre half, such as Ezequiel Marcelo Garay, of Racing Santander, and a striker.

The need for a new centre forward is all the greater given his eagerness to offload Peter Crouch, who has fallen dramatically down the pecking order.

[Freddy Adu]

Bayern Munich wants Liverpool boss Benitez

Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has emerged as a target for Bayern Munich.

The German giants turned to Benitez after it became clear that, despite topping the Bundesliga, Ottmar Hitzfeld was unlikely to be offered a new contract, following growing tension behind the scenes, says the Daily Mail.

Relations between Hitzfeld and chairman Karl- Heinz Rummenigge have deteriorated so much that the veteran boss has told friends he expects to take over as Switzerland manager next summer, when his Bayern contract ends.

Benitez is Bayern's first choice to take over, and it is believed he has been contacted by intermediaries, but it already seems certain he will quickly rebuff the overtures.

[Freddy Adu]

Bayern target Benitez committed to Liverpool

Manager Rafa Benitez has reaffirmed his commitment to Liverpool amid reports he has been sounded out by Bayern Munich about replacing under-pressure Ottmar Hitzfeld as manager.

But Benitez told CNN International's 'World Sport' he was committed to working with the club's American owners, George Gillett and Tom Hicks, and revealed his future plans.

"When we started talking about the future, we were very clear, we needed to have a plan," he said.

"We have this plan and we are progressing. The situation is positive in terms of things we wanted to do and what we are doing.

"When I signed the team wasn't winning much. They said to me try to win trophies in the future.

"To play seven finals and win four trophies I think is not bad in three years. So we need to see what happens this year, but we have confidence we can do it.

"We know that we are a top side, we play against a lot of teams that have power, money, and experience.

"Our vision is to be successful, have a new stadium, and trying to improve a little bit the structure of the club. We are going in the right direction."

[Freddy Adu]

Benitez: International break good for Liverpool

Rafael Benitez believes the current international break may have come at just the right time for his Liverpool squad.

The Reds have Xabi Alonso, Daniel Agger and Yossi Benayoun all sidelined with injuries, and with Fernando Torres still not 100 per cent match fit after an adductor problem, Benitez admits a fortnight without action could be a blessing in disguise.

"It could be good timing for us, Benitez told the club's website.

"I don't like to see a lot of players going around the world but this time around it gives our injured players time to recover.

"Agger is running and is much better. Benayoun has started working with the physios but will need time.

"Xabi is closer but I do not think he will be ready for the next game."

[Brasil]

Benitez sticks with Liverpool despite Bayern interest Written by: AFP Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez, seen here 23 October 2007, said he planned to stay at Anfield despite reports linking him with a move to German giants Bayern Munich. LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said Monday he planned to stay at Anfield despite reports linking him with a move to German giants Bayern Munich. "I heard about the rumours at the weekend, and it is always flattering to be linked with other big clubs - because it must mean you are doing something right," the Spaniard told Liverpool's official website on Monday. "But even if I was approached I would tell whichever club it was that I am really happy with my club, my squad, my supporters and my city. "There are still many things which I want to do here, so I am planning on being here for a long time." Benitez added he is not planning to buy Athletic Bilbao's 19-year-old starlet Javi Martinez. "He is a young player who we know about, because Bilbao paid good money for him. But we are not watching the player and are not thinking about signing him, as I have read in the Spanish press."

[Freddy Adu]

Angry Hicks hits back at Liverpool's Benitez

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks has put Rafa Benitez in his place by telling him to "coach the players" rather than complain about lack of funds.

The American has spoken out further after originally issuing a statement with joint owner George Gillett which said they wanted all the focus to be on the forthcoming matches and not off-the-pitch issues.

It is believed his frustration was borne out of a refusal by Hicks and Gillett to discuss potential transfer targets.

Hicks, however, was in no mood to back down, pointing to the near £50million Benitez was allowed to spend in the summer on the likes of Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel, Yossi Benayoun and Lucas Leiva.

"After the Champions League final in Athens, Rafa made certain demands of us and we responded to those demands in the summer," said the American.

"We brought in some good players and spent more money than has ever been spent before at this club.

"We now have some crucial games coming up in the Premier League and the Champions League and we want to see if we can win these games with the players we have.

"This was the message we gave to Rafa recently and I think during the international break he must have grown a bit frustrated about this.

"We told him to concentrate on the games coming up and nothing else and I guess he didn't like that.

"But, for the time being, we just need to be focused on what happens on the pitch."

Hicks added in the Liverpool Echo: "George and I will be over in mid-December and that is the time to talk about other issues.

"It is really time for Rafa to quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have."

The Americans are expected to fly in to Merseyside to watch the home clash with arch-rivals Manchester United on December 16.

[egypt man]

Benitez

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks fumed at manager Rafael Benitez, who complained about lack of cash to spend during the winter transfer window.

"It is really time for Rafa to quit talking about new players and to coach the players we have," Hicks was quoted as saying by British media on Friday.

Benitez answered almost every question in Thursday's press conference with "I am focused on coaching my team," hinting at his disappointment over the monetary policies at Anfield.

Hicks and George Gillett spent some £44 millions on transfers during the summer and want to see what they can bring to the team.

But Benitez said on more than one occasion that he needs to sign players in January and secure the permanent stay of Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano.

"After the Champions League final in Athens, Rafa made certain demands of us and we responded to those demands in the summer," Hicks said.

"We now have some crucial games coming up in the Premier League and the Champions League and we want to see if we can win these games with the players we have.

We told him (Benitez) to concentrate on the games coming up and nothing else and I guess he didn't like that."

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez
"I must be pleased to win by three away - it could be more but I'm very pleased. It's important for us to stay at the top of the table so we are in a good position."
- Rafael Benitez

[Freddy Adu]

Newcastle 0-3 Liverpool
Liverpool put the friction between manager Rafael Benitez and the club's board behind them to beat Newcastle.

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez:
"The performance was almost perfect.

"The team played really well and with a lot confidence and they passed the ball around well and kept a clean sheet.

"Our team has kept the momentum and there are a lot of players performing and it's the kind of display that you want to see."

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has named an unchanged squad for Bolton's visit.

[Freddy Adu]

Benitez is still without Xabi Alonso and Jermaine Pennant, both long-term injuries and selects from the men that beat Porto in the Champions League.

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez:

"Last season we won 3-0 just after Christmas time when they were tired but it will be difficult this time because physically they will be fit and fresh.

"They scored early against Manchester United so they had confidence and United were fighting against 11 lions.

"The difference is not so big between the teams in the Premier League and in one game, 11 against 11, anything can happen. You have to be careful from beginning to end."

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez:
"I think it will be difficult for all our players as Reading are physical and they are strong. It is especially difficult for the strikers.

"But Torres is strong enough and he also has ability and good movement, so if the team is playing well he can manage with the physical game.

"Torres can produce good movement and it will be difficult to control him."

[Freddy Adu]

Liverpool´s Benitez wary of battling Rams


Written by: AFP

	Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez directs his players against Manchester United during their Premiership match at Anfield, Liverpool, north-west England, December 16. Derby County´s underdog status for their Boxing Day match with Liverpool should count for nothing, says Benitez.

LONDON (AFP) - Derby County's underdog status for their Boxing Day match with Liverpool should count for nothing, says Reds' manager Rafael Benitez.

After an easy win over Portsmouth at the weekend and a 6-0 demolition of the Rams at Anfield earlier this season, many will see another Reds success as a mere formality.

But Benitez has already seen such expectations blow apart to his cost once this season - when Liverpool lost 3-1 to unheralded Reading - and he will therefore be urging his players to take nothing for granted.

"Everyone is expecting us to beat Derby, but we have had experience of Reading - so we will have a lot of respect for Derby and will try to win this game," he said.

"When you play away against a team which is battling relegation it is always very difficult."

Benitez knows also that three good performances in the next week will go a long way to lifting the speculation still hanging over him about his future at Anfield.

But he remains happy to continue his controversial rotation policy over the festive period.

"Sometimes you can use the same player; sometimes you use the squad," he explained.

"I like to use the squad, because this is the key if you want to reduce the gap (to the teams at the top) - it is using the right players at the right moment.

"When you play four games in 12 days it is such a short time you can change players and they can understand.

"Sometimes when you play one game a week and you leave six players out of the squad it is more difficult to explain - but this situation is easier."

With Liverpool still facing the damaging prospect of being cut adrift from the 'big three' in the title race, key defender Jamie Carragher has called for the side to keep their nerve.

With the backdrop of continued uncertainty about the club's ownership, finances, Benitez's own future as well as problems with the new ground, Liverpool could be facing a tough new year off the pitch.

But on it, Carragher insists there is still hope.

"It does not really matter who the leaders are, as long as we keep them in sight," he said.

"At the moment it is Arsenal up there, so we just need to make sure we keep hold of them for now. I am sure a time will come this season when they start to find it difficult, especially with all the young players they have in their side.

"There is no secret they are a great side, but I am sure they will be tested at some point. We just have to make sure we are there to capitalise when it happens.

"I am sure that Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea will keep winning - so it is up to us to prove we can stay with them. It would be really exciting if it is a four-horse race with 10 games to go."

Liverpool now play Derby, Manchester City and Wigan in a week, games they dare not lose.

Carragher added: "Christmas is always a crucial time of the season. You can look at this period almost as a separate group of games in that sense.

"From these three games we would always say that seven points would be fine, but nine would be excellent. That would make a massive difference heading into the new year - I hope we can them be a lot close to Arsenal by then."

[Oscar Cardozo]

Liverpool football team heading in right direction, says Benitez

Wed 26 Dec, 02:11 AM

LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists his team can live with Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League title race despite being 10 points off the pace.

Benitez has had his toughest season since arriving from Valencia in 2004 with a difference of opinion over the January transfer window seemingly causing a rift between him and the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

"In my mind there is no doubt we have a better squad now than twelve months ago, we have more quality all over the pitch and I am convinced we are continuing to take the club in the right direction," Benitez told Downtown Liverpool - the online magazine and forum for Liverpool, UK.

"It has been a year which has seen us again qualify for the Champions League through our league position, we've reached another European final and of course we have recently booked our place in the last 16 of this season's competition.

"We have been able to improve the squad by bringing in a number of top-class players, all of whom have shown their ability and their desire to play for this great club."

Liverpool travel to rock-bottom Derby on Wednesday determined still to play a role in this season's title battle.

"The Premier League is tougher to win than ever before and I think the race could go down to the wire this year," said Benitez.

"Points are being won and lost every week by the top teams and if that continues then there's no doubt we're in for an exciting second half of the season.

"We are closer than we have been over recent years at this stage and that, to me, highlights the improvements we have made.

"We have a squad of players with great hunger and a determination to succeed and I can promise you that we will all be doing everything we can to give ourselves the best possible chance of enjoying a successful season."

[Oscar Cardozo]

Liverpool football team heading in right direction, says Benitez


LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez insists his team can live with Arsenal and Manchester United in the Premier League title race despite being 10 points off the pace.

Benitez has had his toughest season since arriving from Valencia in 2004 with a difference of opinion over the January transfer window seemingly causing a rift between him and the club's American owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett.

"In my mind there is no doubt we have a better squad now than twelve months ago, we have more quality all over the pitch and I am convinced we are continuing to take the club in the right direction," Benitez told Downtown Liverpool - the online magazine and forum for Liverpool, UK.

"It has been a year which has seen us again qualify for the Champions League through our league position, we've reached another European final and of course we have recently booked our place in the last 16 of this season's competition.

"We have been able to improve the squad by bringing in a number of top-class players, all of whom have shown their ability and their desire to play for this great club."

Liverpool travel to rock-bottom Derby on Wednesday determined still to play a role in this season's title battle.

"The Premier League is tougher to win than ever before and I think the race could go down to the wire this year," said Benitez.

"Points are being won and lost every week by the top teams and if that continues then there's no doubt we're in for an exciting second half of the season.

"We are closer than we have been over recent years at this stage and that, to me, highlights the improvements we have made.

"We have a squad of players with great hunger and a determination to succeed and I can promise you that we will all be doing everything we can to give ourselves the best possible chance of enjoying a successful season."

[Freddy Adu]

Touchline bust-up leaves Benitez and Jewell facing rap


Written by: AFP

	Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez (L) and Derby County manager Paul Jewell watch their teams during the English Premiership football match at Pride Park, Derby, central England, 26 December 2007.

DERBY, England (AFP) - Rafa Benitez and Paul Jewell could find themselves in hot water with the Football Association after clashing at Pride Park during Liverpool's last-gasp 2-1 win over the Premiership's bottom side.

The rival managers confronted each other during a stormy second half when Derby goal scorer Jay McEveley launched himself at Andriy Voronin with a crude challenge which left the Liverpool striker lying in a crumbled heap.

Benitez took exception to the tackle and raced out of his dug-out while Jewell thought Voronin had made the most of the tackle to get McEveley booked.

Both managers made their feelings clear before squaring up to each other as match officials struggled to calm the situation down.

The feuding duo were eventually pulled apart as the game continued but both Benitez and Jewell face an anxious wait to discover if they will be charged with bringing the game into disrepute.

FA officials will now wait to discover what is included in the match report of referee Alan Wiley before deciding whether or not to take the matter further.

Benitez said: "The longer the game went on the more physical and aggressive Derby were. For me, it was a bad tackle.

"He (Jewell) said his player didn't touch him but it was a different point of view. At least I didn't receive a tackle from him (Jewell) when he approached me."

A more pressing concern for Benitez is the fitness of influential defender Sami Hyypia.

The Finnish centre back limped out of the action after just 53 minutes with a damaged ankle and will undergo intensive tests and treatment in a bid to be fit for Sunday's crucial trip to Manchester City.

Benitez said: "Sammi has a problem with his knee and will have to go and see the club doctor. We will have to wait and see what happens with him but he will be a doubt."

Jewell has mounting injury problems of his own as he battles against the odds to save Derby from relegation.

Goalkeeper Stephen Bywater withdrew an hour before kick off with a shoulder problem while midfielder Stepehen Pearson was forced to go to hospital after suffering a dislocated shoulder in a challenge with his own team-mate, Darren Moore.

Jewell said: "Everything seemed to conspire against us after what happened with Stephen Bywater before kick off and then with Stephen Pearson during the game.

"We were really stretched at the end and the injury problems are mounting up."

Jewell played down his touchline spat with Benitez but did admit he had ordered his players to get stuck into Liverpool after half time and show more fighting spirit.

He said: "You have to compete and make a few tackles when you play against a side like Liverpool, otherwise they will kill you if you show them too much respect.

"He (McEveley) never touched him. It might have been a foul, I don't know, but that happens in games."

McEveley's first goal of the season, in the 67th minute, looked to have salvaged an unlikely draw for Jewell's side after Fernando Torres had opened the scoring in the 12th minute.

But a frantic finish saw Steven Gerrard bundle home the decisive goal from close range after Lewis Price had spilled Torres's initial shot and McEveley had fired his clearance straight to the England international.