In what comes as an astonishing development, Rafael Benitez has completely down-played Liverpool's chances of winning the English Premier League next season—already!
Now, I cannot really figure out whether he was lost in translation, but it definitely seems as if the Liverpool boss has set his sights on the Champions League again.
While Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have very clearly re-iterated the fact that they're going all out for the Premiership title again next season, Benitez didn't exhibit the same kind of confidence in his squad:
"It is an option, for sure," he told the club's website. "We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we'll try to build a new team looking at these things.
"It's more difficult than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money. We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title.
"The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.
"It's more difficult because after two years of Chelsea winning the league and spending big money, United needed to do the same.
"They started spending big money, and Arsenal were also spending big money on young players. We are trying to do the same, but because they (Man Utd, Chelsea and Arsenal) are continuing to spend big money, it makes it more difficult to catch up.
"You also see Aston Villa, Newcastle, West Ham, and Everton spending money and having strong teams. It's not easy to be in the top four and be contenders but because we have a young squad we can try again."
I don't know which of the statements above can be taken as positive ones or ones which show a whole lot of confidence.
Why is Benitez being so conservative? Does he feel as if he's taken Liverpool as far as he can? Or has he been completely lost in translation?
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4 months ago
Mind games? Pity the only people he is messing with are Liverpools own fans!
4 months ago
Maybe its an indiction of lack of support financially. Especially as he mentions what money United and Chelsea are spending.
I also think Liverpool are not expecting him to WIN the league so he's not gonna come out and say, yeas we will contend. Im sur they would just be happy to see further progress and close the gap even further and bolster the squad with good young signings.
Liverpool cant realistically expect to jump from 4th to 1st, but they sure can make 3rd or 2nd, and leave a bright future awaiting.
4 months ago
I don't think its very smart for a manager to downplay his side's chances, no matter what the competition, before it's even begun! I doubt thats what Liverpool fans want to hear considering they haven't won the league in what, 18 years or something?
But if Liverpool are ever to challenge for the title then they're going to have to spend BIG!!!
4 months ago
It's odd because I've never heard any manager accept defeat before the start of the season. I feel that he's getting the fans prepared for another season of squad rotation and no EPL.. I can accept the fact that Chelsea and Man Utd have spent more than Liverpool - to an extent, but how have Arsenal spent more? We're the ones getting criticised for spending too less!
4 months ago
The worst thing a manager can do is loose hope in his them, before a competition has even started. Your only gonna put the pans down and eventually you will end up having no fans at all.
4 months ago
I think what this is all about is a ploy to get the financial backing to challenge for the title. Benitez is loved by the fans and has all the power in the struggle with Hicks/Gillette, he knows this and wants to make sure the fans know that they need cash to compete.
This way he wins in both cases, he either gets the backing to go out and buy the players he wants or if not and they fail to place a significant challenge for the league he can tell the fans "well hey I wasn't backed financially"
4 months ago
Its not about losing hope.. but mere conservatism. Whenever Benitez has gone overconfident he's suffered. He was ga-ga about his team in the begining of last season, that didn't work out too well. Also, remember the second champions league final, when he made sweeping statements about how his team that year was better than the one that beat milan in the previous final - somehow they didn't deliver. So a cautious outlook can't be equated to be a defeatist attitude.
But I'm not too sure about the lack of funds this season, as he's been promised 20m and whatever he makes off the transfer market. Personally, Benitez only needs David Bentley and his youth to deliver - apart from that there's not much wrong. The Dossena deal seems to be done so the left back positions taken care of. Although I cant undertand for the love of God, why would he want to sell Finnan.
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