Benitez unfazed by pressure

Benitez: League leader

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Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez insists he is relishing life at the top of the Premier League table.

The Reds have risen to the summit on the back of an unbeaten start to the current campaign, securing victories over title rivals Manchester United and Chelsea along the way.

They have opened up a three-point cushion on their nearest challengers, with anticipation mounting on Merseyside that the club are set to end their 18-year wait for a top flight title.

The excitement around Anfield has piled pressure on those concerned with generating results on the field, but Benitez believes he can handle that burden.

Confidence

"I prefer to be top. It is better for us because we can approach games with more confidence than when you are playing to catch-up at the top," said the Spaniard.

"If you make a mistake then, it can become very difficult because the gap gets bigger. When you are top there is some leeway. You know that you do have a cushion of some points to do that.

"My view on the season so far is that we are in a very good position, we are glad to be there, but there is still a long way to go.

"We are happy, we are doing well, but we must keep concentration because this is a very long race.

"The pressure does not bother me, it is better to be top than trying to catch-up.

"But we do still have plenty of room for improvement. We need to be more accurate up front and in defence a little more composed.

"We all know we can do it better, we are not bad, but we can be much better."

Momentum

Benitez is also delighted at the manner is which his side have been able to handle the absence of some of their key men this year.

"We must keep the momentum, we have confidence and we are creating chances and not conceding too many," he added.

"It is important to keep the players doing things just as they are doing now.

"What pleases me is that we have been without three of our top players for maybe half the games we have played. Javier Mascherano, (Fernando) Torres and Martin Skrtel have all missed several games each but we are still unbeaten and now top.

"That shows the quality we have in the squad now, it has improved at Liverpool."