Liverpool FC Forum

[A.B.]

Source: LFC.tv

Rafael Benitez believes Liverpool need to bounce back quickly from the painful derby defeat and says his players are still confident and raring to go against Portsmouth at Anfield on Tuesday. 
Benitez believes there are many positives to take from the season so far as he tries to rebuild Liverpool into one of the most feared sides at home and abroad again.
 
Benitez said: "The derby has finished now and we were disappointed but that's it and we have to look to the next game which is Portsmouth.
 
"We are still in the four competitions and that's the most important thing. We have had six players with attacking mentality injured this season but we have found ourselves still in a good position. That is a great credit to the players who have come in and done well for us.
 
"When you play a lot of games it is important to have a good squad and I believe we will be as good away from home as we are at home very soon." 


Rafael Benitez has defended his decision not to start with Xabi Alonso in Saturday's Merseyside derby and backed keeper Chris Kirkland in the face of mounting criticism. 
Alonso was a surprise inclusion among the substitutes as Benitez opted to play Salif Diao alongside Didi Hamann in the centre of midfield, and only entered the fray with 12 minutes remaining.
 
By that time the Reds were trailing the Blues 1-0 but Benitez has no regrets.
 
"We needed fresh legs and that is why Alonso wasn't playing," he explains. "If you play on Wednesday and then on Saturday, if you use all the same players again then you limit the possibilities for change.
 
"We can talk about why Alonso wasn't playing, but in my opinion you always need to use the whole squad."
 
The manager also refused to point the finger of blame for Everton's winning goal at goalkeeper Chris Kirkland.
 
"Throughout a season, players will have good moments and bad moments," he adds. "The question is you need to use the best players for each game, and for the right game.
 
"You cannot do anything except work hard, train harder and analyse the situation.
 
"I don't know if I can blame the goalkeeper in particular for the goal because there were two or three mistakes in succession which led to the goal.
 
"It was a bad goal because we had enough chances to clear the ball. We cleared the ball to the middle then conceded another opportunity which they scored from.
 
"It was a bad goal but if you give away so many free-kicks and throw-ins around your box, it will be difficult for you. The referee blew for many free-kicks." 


Keep the faith
Following the dramatic events at Anfield in midweek, the 200th Merseyside derby was always going to be an anti-climax for the red half of the city. 
That is exactly how it transpired at Goodison Park on Saturday but it doesn't make the pain of defeat to Everton any easier to accept.
 
It's never nice when local pride takes a bit of a battering and every Liverpudlian will no doubt still be hurting as they read this report.
 
But let's try and look at the positives.
 
In the grand scheme of things, victory over Olympiacos four days previous will have a greater impact on Liverpool?s season than this disappointing 1-0 reverse.
 
For the first time in donkey's years Liverpool went into football's most famous local spat as underdogs.
 
David Moyes' side have enjoyed a remarkable start to the season and no one can begrudge them the lofty perch they find themselves in as the halfway mark of the Premiership approaches.
 
Talk of a power shift in Merseyside football though is more than a little premature.
 
The 2004/05 campaign is one of rebuilding at Anfield and we should not lose sight of that.
 
Victory over the reigning champions Arsenal and exciting progress in the Champions League is all well and good but it should not be allowed to paper over the fact that Rafael Benitez still has a massive job in his hands.
 
Everton's first derby win this century may have left us trailing our near neighbours by a massive 12-points but now is not the time to be worrying about points and positions in the table.
 
There's a lot of football to be played between now and May. That, as Benitez constantly points out, is when the position we occupy in the league matters. And only then should judgement be passed.
 
With a bit of good fortune our current points tally of 24 could have been 27, or at least 25, following Saturday?s game.
 
This was an evenly fought contest from start to finish, which both sides could argue they deserved to win.
 
In typical derby fashion it was not a spectacle for faint hearts. The tackles were flying in from the first minute and the blood and thunder tempo did not let up.
 
The best footballof the first period was undoubtedly played by those in red shirts.
 
The appearance of Salif Diao's name on the teamsheet will not have been greeted with widespread approval by the travelling fans but the Senegal 'Warrior' enjoyed one of his better games for the Reds and can be pleased with his contribution.
 
Harry Kewell's long-awaited return to form continued and lone striker Neil Mellor linked intelligently with the midfield. Only a point-blank save by Nigel Martyn denied him a deadlock-breaking goal on 32 minutes. Little did we know at the time, but it was to be Liverpool's best opportunity of the match.
 
The impressive Sami Hyypia also went close with a stinging shot that flew inched over the bar.
 
At the opposite end Everton should have drawn first blood when a glorious opportunity was spurned by Tim Cahill. Unmarked, the Aussie midfielder headed wide when it looked easier to have hit the back of the net.
 
While that was a major let off for visitors, they were rarely troubled throughout the half. Chris Kirkland was guilty of two heart-stopping moments when twice he failed to collect a cross but central defensive duo Hyypia and Jamie Carragher remained rock-like figures in the heat of the battle.
 
Prior to the decisive goal being scored in the 68th minute, this 200th meeting of the two age-old Mersey rivals looked destined to finish goalless.
 
Clear-cut opportunities were very few and far between. When a chance did come along it was imperative that it was taken and unfortunately, Lee Carsley was the only player capable of doing just that.
 
His goal was a disappointing one to concede from a Red point of view. A dangerous looking centre from the left should have been cleared and even when it fell to Carsley on the edge of the box there was no way he should have been able to find the back of the net from that position.
 
To be fair, Kirkland's line of vision was blocked but surely he should have closer to what proved to be the match-winning strike.
 
Between the restart and this point Liverpool had offered little as an attacking threat and with Everton now content to sit back and protect their priceless lead the task of breaking through the blue barrier was an even more formidable one.
 
Although Steven Gerrard struggled to exert his usual immense influence on proceedings, a slightly below par performance by his standards is still very good compared to others. He remained our best hope of rescuing a point and twice went close as time ticked desperately by.
 
Another glimmer of hope for the Reds as the final whistle neared was Liverpool's recent knack of snatching late goals.
 
As we entered injury time, lightening looked like it was going to strike again when substitute Djimi Traore went up and won a header in the six-yard box against Martyn. The impressive Everton keeper somehow managed to recover and the ball was frantically scrambled away.
 
Relief swept around the Goodison stands and seconds later the home supporters were put out of their misery. Not since 1997 had they experienced the joy of a derby victory on the blue side of Stanley Park and the final shrill of Steve Bennett's whistle was the cue for ecstatic Evertonian celebrations.
 
Let them enjoy the moment. After all, days like this thankfully don't come around that often.
 
Defeat in the derby is the darkest hour of our season so far, there's no getting away from that, but as you trudge wearily back into work or school this morning, try holding your head up high and remember - form is temporary, class is permanent.
 
Greater glory lies on the horizon for Rafa's Reds andwe must keep the faith, even after a desperately disappointing result as this.

[bigmick]

Don't know if you saw the interview with Rafa on SKY news A.B. He was asked about transfer funds in January, specifically if there were any. He gave the impression, obviously without naming a figure that there was. He even had a telltale glint in his eye and a smile on his face which said to me that there may be more than most of us expect come January. It would be fantastic if there was say, 20 million quid in the fighting fund. Three or four real top quality players could make a massive difference to our club. In the current financial climate and with teams offloading who didn't get into the next stage of the Champions League then four players wouldn't be unrealistic if we had this kind of muscle. Here's hoping.

[A.B.]

Don't know if you saw the interview with Rafa on SKY news A.B. He was asked about transfer funds in January, specifically if there were any. He gave the impression, obviously without naming a figure that there was. He even had a telltale glint in his eye and a smile on his face which said to me that there may be more than most of us expect come January. It would be fantastic if there was say, 20 million quid in the fighting fund. Three or four real top quality players could make a massive difference to our club. In the current financial climate and with teams offloading who didn't get into the next stage of the Champions League then four players wouldn't be unrealistic if we had this kind of muscle. Here's hoping.

Thank you  for that piece of good information.

[LFC #1]

I think a striker will be coming and perhaps a centre-half or right-winger.