Benitez shock at reaction

Johnson to undergo scan on knee injury after Villa Park win

By Peter Fraser   Last updated: 30th December 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

I don't see any journalist making a mistake and resigning, so every time that you ask me the same, I will ask you the same.

Rafa Benitez
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Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez angrily explained his surprise at the reaction to his guarantee of a place in the top four of the Premier League this season.

The Reds boss saw his side grab a dramatically late victory at Aston Villa on Tuesday as Fernando Torres added another twist to the race for UEFA Champions League football with his 50th English league goal coming deep into stoppage time.

A narrow 1-0 win moved Liverpool to seventh position in the table and the Merseysiders now sit just two points behind Villa and four points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham, who travel to Anfield on 10th January.

The win came as a major feather in the cap for Benitez, who has maintained throughout the campaign that his under-performing side will qualify for 2010/11's European Cup, and so he was shocked when his promise was questioned post-match.

His reaction was not on a par to last season's infamous 'Rafa rant', but it was almost as cold as a snowy night in the Midlands, as he told Sky Sports 1: "The manager has to have confidence in his team so he has to say that we will finish in the top four.

"I have to be the first one to believe so they (the players) will believe.

"I was really pleased because we couldn't give something to our fans when we played against Portsmouth so I am really pleased for them because it was bad weather and I think that they will come back to Liverpool and enjoy today."

Believe

When pushed further on his guarantee of a place in the top four, he said: "What do you have to do? As a manager of the team you have to believe in the players.

"I was really surprised a lot of people are talking about it like, 'oh Rafa is taking the pressure off his players'. You have to do it like this because I am the manager."

When asked about suggestions he would resign if Liverpool do not qualify for the Champions League, he said: "I don't see any journalist making a mistake and resigning, so every time that you ask me the same, I will ask you the same."

Torres still did not appear to be at full fitness following his long-standing groin injury, but Benitez was in no doubt regarding the predatory brilliance of his record signing.

The Liverpool boss said: "He is a very, very good player, a key player for us. His record is amazing so I am very pleased for him and very pleased for the team."

Liverpool's night was shadowed by a knee injury suffered by Glen Johnson in the second half at Villa Park and the England international is set to undergo further analysis.

Benitez said: "We know now that we have to do a scan. Maybe he has a problem with his knee."

Comments (33)

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Simon Smith (Liverpool fan) says...

People need to give Rafa a break..Liverpool have won there last 2 games and yet journalists ask stupid questions like 'will you resign if pool don't make the top 4'. I'm fully behind Rafa and believe Liverpool will finish in the top 4. People talk about villa, spurs and man city but for me they are simply not good enough. I have watched villa over the season and to be honest i have not been impressed with them, they work hard but technically they are a poor side..

Posted 08:20 30th December 2009

Adrian Dunne says...

I'm pleased with the win which was needed, considering it was Villa. I've supported Liverpool since i was a kid and it would appear that sucess is measured now by finishing 4th in the league! This does help cashflow undoubtably! But what happened to wining something.The team have alot of bad luck this season and got lucky against Villa! Yes Rafa makes strange decisions at times but players being paid alot of money need to take responsibality also! Rafa should talk less and deal with the obvoius inadequacies as actions speak louder than words!

Posted 08:08 30th December 2009

Dan Care (Liverpool fan) says...

Disagree with some of the above, the win was not deserved? Oh yes it was we outplayed villa in large parts of the game, and yes they probaly had more clear cut chances on goal but I thought it was a well earned away win to a good villa side. The passing at times was very sloppy but we worked hard and when you have super torres anything is possible the man is just top drawer and so special. Congratulations on your record fernando!! Also Pepe Reina deserves a special mention you are class and rafa is right to back his team.

Posted 08:04 30th December 2009

Lfc4 Life (Liverpool fan) says...

Stefan - spot on mate.... rafa looked stressed when we were spanking united! We are having our worst run and have only lost 2 more than united.... Sack fergie!

Posted 07:57 30th December 2009

Geoffo Lfc (Liverpool fan) says...

OK it was a step in the right direction we showed a lot more confidence than we have recently but lets not get carried away! its 1 win against a team we have a very good record against so if we dont take it forward its worth nothing.... still more positive. I think Rafa has failed to improve the pool this year as a unit ..no finger pointing needs to be done at the moment if lucas carries on improving and aqualani starts showing his stuff lfc really can finish in a decent position the way the mancs an chelski are doin then raf will have no probs and all you haters will be calling him a god again. ok he has signed a few donkeys but the donkey has really gone up in price due to the likes of city an he aint had 30 mill to spend on 1 player and when he did have it look who he brought prob the best striker in the prem!!!! Rafa should do a Fergie stop talkin to the press (nobody seems to notice this he comes out and pats opposition on the head when the mancs win, and says they made it hard for us blah blah blah haha shutup and show sum respect when u lose instead of acting like a 10 year old!)

Posted 07:41 30th December 2009

Sanjay Baloo (Manchester United fan) says...

Liverpool did not play good football but they got the result, that counts. Villa had good chances and they didn't take them. That's the difference between the big 4 and the rest (Villa, Tottenham & Man City), you win games when you don't play well. This win could bring immense self belief to Liverpool or it could be a shot in the arm and a false sense of security like their win over Man U. Rafa is a good coach, but his decisions to keep playing Lucas, Mascherano & friends is puzzling. Yes, Liverpool did have injuries but he keeps playing them when they are not 100% fit & plays players out of position. Gerrard has a massive impact on Liverpool when he plays in midfield, he commands it. If you look at Rafa, it's time for him to ply his trade somewhere else. He has taken Liverpool as far as he can. Rafa keeps saying our season starts now, you played 19 games, half way through the season & it starts now, YOU must be JOKING!!!!!

Posted 07:31 30th December 2009

David Greenwood (Wigan Athletic fan) says...

Rafa, my team the mighty Wigan have as much chance of a top four finish as Liverpool. Liverpool are a spent force, owned by almost bankrupt American businessmen. Liverpool rely totally on Gerrard and Torres, 2 of the best players in the world - you can't maintain a push for the top four based on 2 players. Torres will probably leave in the summer as finishing top 6 at best is no good to him. Gerrard should have left when he had the chance with Chelsea, bet he regrets staying. For the scousers I hope you get Mourhino as he knows how to win the league.

Posted 06:51 30th December 2009

Jacob Phiri says...

I think Rafa is still in the dark. Look at the performance yesterday which was not convincing. Kuyt and Benayoun were inexistence the whole game. The only crosses came when insua came in front. I think his purchases leave a lot to be desired such as Kuyt, Babel, Aquilani. If I were Rafa I would have resigned to let someone take over as a Manager. The team is not improving. Its zone marking is not working and yet he continues with it. He is so stubborn that I do not expect Liverpool to win the EPL under him. Mark my words.

Posted 06:37 30th December 2009

Nick Nelson (Liverpool fan) says...

Anyone should know you write a team off at your peril. However having lived through the best (Paisley,Kenny and Shanks) and worst (Souness) of Liverpool's managers over the years it is clear that Rafa just isn't quite up to delivering the title. The fact he was close last season until THAT rant says more about the imminent decline of the Prem from it's lofty perch as the best league in the world than about any great ability on his part. Every manager makes mistakes and gets them analysed to the Nth degree, but sadly only the best learn from their mistakes. After 5 yrs at the helm Rafa still seems intent on compounding his. Mancini won the Italian league 3 times on the bounce, and the Italian cup twice in succession and still got the elbow from Inter - if that is the measure by which the 'Big' clubs count success then surely the clock must be ticking on Benitez's tenure?

Posted 06:36 30th December 2009

Andy Cook (Manchester United fan) says...

I have heard so much about Liverpool over the past few weeks, Rafa losing his cool, Rafa getting sacked, Liverpool fans bleating about Rafa. Ask yourselves a simple question, is your squad, player for player better than Man Utd or Chelsea ? My opinion is no, and with your current squad, never will be, so stop kidding yourselves that a new manager will return Liverpool to greatness, it won't.

Posted 06:13 30th December 2009

Dave Bucks (Arsenal fan) says...

Oh come on, face up to it pool fans, Liverpool are not a top 4 club this season. If it was't for Man U dropping unexpected points and having no defence for for a few games the gap would be bigger. Will Liverpool put a run together? Maybe, do they want to play for rafa? Sometimes it seems not. Liverpool have strung two wins together and the suns shineing again, but look at the losses too. Don't think I'm a smug gooner as I know its a long season and we are a fragile 3rd place at the moment and really need to push hard to maintain a top four place. Spurs, Villa and Man City can all break into the top four this year. I do feel for Rafa in some ways but he gets the big bucks to make things happen and Liverpool fans expect more from their team, somethings lacking in that team at the moment, we know the talants there so if the players can't do it for Rafa do it for the fans.

Posted 06:00 30th December 2009

Jeremy Carson (Watford fan) says...

Since Rafa made the comment about guaranteeing a top 4 place the press in the UK have simply been willing Rafa to fail so they can enjoy watching him squirm. This article is another example of them enjoying winding Rafa up. However the reality is far different from this article and Rafa was quite calm despite the interviewer actually posing the question "will you resign if you don't get in the top 4?". Rafa replied by asking the interviewer if he will resign when he next makes a mistake. Rafa's 'guarantee' was simply comments made to show he had confidence in his side when they were being shot at; and to be honest his comments have worked - 3 wins in 4 games. I don't support Liverpool, but get the feeling the Rafa is a very talented manager who has done well at Liverpool in the context of the resources he has been given.

Posted 05:57 30th December 2009

Krishna Kumar (Arsenal fan) says...

Absolutely brilliant answer Rafa!! I am not a Liverpool supporter but this witch hunt against Benitez must stop.

Posted 04:29 30th December 2009

Paul Brinsley (Birmingham City fan) says...

Deserved win for the Reds . Liverpool have played good football and dominated most of their matches this season without finding that cutting edge . Villa were poor by comparion and never put Liverpool under any sustained pressure , they lack qualitity and in truth did not match Liverpool's workrate . A feather in the cap for Rafa .

Posted 04:09 30th December 2009

Peter C (Manchester United fan) says...

Just goes to show how fickle Liverpool fans are, one minute they want Rafa gone the next the think he walks on water. The fact is Liverpool where supposed to be challenging for the league this season and now they're aiming for the top 4 which isnt good enough for the amount of money Rafa has spent over the years. Its not just the results that are bad its his team selections, head scratching subsitutions, terrible buys in the transfer markets and the fact he plays torres and Gerrard when they clearly havent recovered from their injuries- oh and your out of the Champions league. The only reason this clown is still in charge is because you cant afford to terminate his contract- FACT!

Posted 03:10 30th December 2009

Barrie Vesty (Liverpool fan) says...

Last summer everything was set for this to be our year. No squad changes, excellent spine of the team, we would have been well up there. We lost our playmaker, the cog through which everything went and this quality is hard to find again, we have been poor, but luck also went against us. Last night Aquillanni was tired, short of match sharpness and struggling to adapt to the pace of the prem, but he will get fitter/quicker and when Masch is back and Lucas is warming the bench we will win games on the bounce, I have a funny feeling we are in the right place as if we click again, we will be catching the top quickly instead of last season choking at the top. So praise to Rafa for trying to keep confidence a few more wins and confidence will grow and grow, maybe just maybe by May it will be very interesting indeed...one last thought Torres isnt unfit, he just didnt like the snow and only played for 5mins of the game, one heck of a five mins mind.

Posted 02:49 30th December 2009

Christian Brienesse (Tottenham Hotspur fan) says...

Rafa Benitez, who are you kidding? After watching the game today, at the very least you were extremely lucky to come away from Villa Park with a win. Aston Villa were quite clearly the better team and it was more a case of Aston Villa not winning the game, than Liverpool winning it. I agree with Stefan too. Saying you will make the top four only puts extra pressure on the Liverpool players. You got lucky today and the way Liverpool have been playing, I am sure lightning won't strike twice.

Posted 02:43 30th December 2009

Steve Maxfresh (Aston Villa fan) says...

its so dissappionting to lose to a liverpool team that lack any sign of finesse other than the one player fernando torres, how long can liverpool rely on one or two players even if they pip villa or spurs to 4th place theyl become majorly unstuck next season when gerrard and torres realise they will never win a championship with that side. on paper liverpool look weaker than not only villa but spurs and man city too, im sorry to say it but liverpool fans enjoy your scalf waving for now because the glory days are going to avade you for a fair few years to come on tonight and this seasons evidence. as for villa although i am convinced we have a much stronger squad and first 11 to last year i fear we still lack the power to finish off the lesser teams whilst dominating them (i.e. liverpool tonight) even against stoke we were less than convincing. however i am ecstatic with martin oniels contribution and whether we finish 4th 5th 6th or 7th i commend the brilliance of oneil , its a far cry from the o'leary days

Posted 02:29 30th December 2009

Ameir Ameir (Liverpool fan) says...

I would say today we were second of best at villa park but good news Torres has made difference at 92 minutes to reach at 50th premier league goals break record since 1902 for great club that I was please to see that for his carrier mark his name one of the legend in my life time. By the way Rafa has to plea for the 4th spot in theoritical to motivated his scrap players to becomes more solid when they are on the ground so they could build their confidence like one has shown for the last of two games "Insua" has made big impact so other fellow they can follow his strength still wwe have to think the game against Spurs not fourth spot at the moment that will be crucial game for Liverpool to drop the point off them before to compete for the fourth spot.

Posted 02:26 30th December 2009

Nick Roz (Leeds United fan) says...

Never write off a team with Fernando Torres in. Never mind Gerrard, Torres is the real deal........

Posted 02:18 30th December 2009
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