Rafa in title admission

Reds boss also rues not signing Barry

Last updated: 18th November 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Rafa in title admission

Benitez: Focused on Premier League

If I do not win the title, I'm sure I'd be so disappointed maybe I would have this feeling [of failure].

Rafa Benitez
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Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez admits he would see it as failure if he never won the Premier League title.

The Reds are desperate to end their long wait for the championship with their last success coming in 1990.

Benitez's side face a massive battle to get involved in the title race this season after enduring a miserable run of form which sees them lie 11 points off leaders Chelsea.

The Spaniard has been accused of putting European aspirations above domestic success, but Benitez insists he would rather win the Premier League than another Champions League crown.

"Anyone who knows me knows that I want to win every trophy, every game," Benitez told The Times.

"But if you ask me what I prefer, I will say the Premier League.

"If I do not win the title, I'm sure I'd be so disappointed maybe I would have this feeling [of failure]."

Missed out

Benitez also revealed his title dreams last season suffered a blow when the club failed to land Gareth Barry from Aston Villa.

Barry ended up staying at Villa after a long protracted transfer saga and he has since ended up moving to Manchester City.

Benitez believes missing out on Barry also affected Robbie Keane's chances of being a success at Anfield.

Keane last just six months at Liverpool last season before being sold back to Tottenham with Benitez admitting Barry was his top priority and not Keane.

"The plan was for Barry to play on the left and feed the ball to Robbie Keane, who would play up front with Fernando Torres," added Benitez.

"This blueprint had to be scrapped. The collateral damage was Keane, who signed from Tottenham Hotspur before the Barry deal had been done.

"When we wanted to sign Barry, we were sure we were signing a good player with a very good mentality and the quality to play in the Premier League. The priority was Barry, then Keane."

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