Rafa - Latics won't be easy

Reds boss admits struggling sides can be difficult

By Lizzie Rose   Last updated: 8th March 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Rafa - Latics won't be easy

Benitez: Latics not easy

Sometimes there is more determination in a team fighting against relegation but maybe they will be more anxious and will make more mistakes, it depends on the character of the players.

Rafael Benitez
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Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has highlighted December's defeat to Portsmouth as the reason why his side cannot afford to be complacent at Wigan on Monday.

The Reds travelled to Fratton Park just days after their victory over the Latics at the end of last year and suffered a shock 2-0 defeat at the hands of the Premier League's bottom side.

Liverpool are now back in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification, having lost only once since that trip to the South Coast.

Wigan are currently fighting to ensure their survival at the other end of the table after picking up only one victory in 13 matches, but Benitez insists the Reds know better than to take struggling opposition for granted.

"In the Premier League you don't have too many easy games. Wigan are a club fighting for relegation so it will be very difficult for us," said the Spaniard.

Determination

"Because Wigan are at the bottom of the table people will say 'You have to win this game', but we know it is not just this one.

"It will be Portsmouth, United or someone else so we have to be ready for every game.

"If you analyse the position in the table you maybe say it is easy, but we have the experience of [going to] Portsmouth so we know we have to be ready and concentrate for this game and be really focused.

"You never know. Sometimes there is more determination in a team fighting against relegation but maybe they will be more anxious and will make more mistakes, it depends on the character of the players.

"It also depends how the game is going. If we score early on I am sure they will be under pressure but if they have more determination it will be more difficult."

Battle

A victory at the DW Stadium would see Liverpool reclaim the fourth spot in the Premier League - overtaking current occupants Tottenham.

However, the battle for that all-important place in the table is not just between the two clubs - Aston Villa and Manchester City are still strong contenders, and Benitez believes focusing on their own campaign is the key.

"We have to see the situation in the table every week because you cannot change what other teams do," he said.

"It depends on the other teams too. No-one was expecting the top teams to lose so many games.

"Last season we lost just two and couldn't win the title. This year teams are losing four or five games so you do not know.

"The main thing for us is to concentrate on our games and try to win every one."