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READ OUR EXCLUSIVE CHAT WITH BENITEZ
Jimmy Rice 11 August 2007
Rafa Benitez took five minutes to chat to Liverpoolfc.tv ahead of this afternoon's curtain raiser at Villa Park.
Rafa, how confident are you your side is ready for the new season?
Watching them in training, you can see they are sharp. I think they are ready, but you always need to play against another team before you know. I've watched some tapes and it's clear Aston Villa have had a good pre-season. It will be a very difficult game, especially because they have pace up front. They are also well organised, but it's always difficult in the Premier League.
How happy are you with your summer's work?
I am really pleased with the squad now. You need to see the players after three or four months though, to see if they have settled and can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League. At this moment, it's clear we have better players, more offensive players and the atmosphere in the squad is good. We have a lot of confidence.
Have you enjoyed spending big money this summer?
Enjoy is not the word, but I prefer to have some money. It's better to say, 'Okay, I want this player', and then see whether it can be done, rather than having to find a really cheap player.
What's the difference between Liverpool now and Liverpool when you first came here?
There is a big difference in the squad, especially if you look at the bench in the first year and compare it to now. Now maybe you can see Torres, Kuyt, Crouch or Voronin. We have more quality. We were progressing in the Carling Cup with maybe seven boys in the team – now we'll be able to use seven senior players, and maybe some boys on top of that.
There were maybe accusations that you fielded a weakened side in some competitions, but is there such a thing as a weak Liverpool side now?
I don't agree with this criticism, because the strongest team you can field is the one with players who are ready. Sometimes you have big names but they are not ready because they aren't fit, aren't training well or have some problems at home or with the manager. Maybe it will be easier now with the players we have, but I've always tried to win every game.
How well equipped are Liverpool to win the title now?
If you look at the squads since I've been here, this is the best. Next year will be even better, and hopefully in two years even better still.
You've spent a lot of money on Fernando Torres this summer. Can we expect to see him in the side week in, week out?
We haven't spent as much money on him as people say! He was a very good piece of business for us. For me, it doesn't matter how much you've spent on a player – what counts is whether they are ready for a game or not. You can pay more money for a player because of the market, but once they are here they are the same.
Are you looking for him, or any of your strikers, to score 20 or 30 goals a season?
It's perfect if you have a player who can score more than 20 goals, but really I prefer to have four or five players who can score 10 or 15 goals, with midfielders also scoring and defenders chipping in as well. It's more difficult for teams to defend against a side who have wingers and midfielders who can all score goals, rather than just one striker. Okay, if you have one player who scores more than 20, and the rest still get between 10 and 15, then I'd be very happy.
There's been talk of Steven Gerrard playing more centrally this season – what's behind this decision?
We tried to bring in wingers, because Stevie is not a proper winger. However, it may be I now get asked why I play him in the middle when he scored 23 goals on the right! People will always find something to talk about. However, it's clear he likes to play as a central midfielder. It might be his best position, but because he is so good he can also play in other positions. His position is not a problem.
How many teams do you think could win the Premier League this season?
Normally you must talk about the four teams that are always there, but Tottenham are a very good team also. You also never know what could happen with teams like West Ham, Aston Villa or Newcastle, but I think normally you must talk about the big four teams.
Is this the toughest Premier League ever?
Every year is the same. I remember in Spain everyone always said, 'Oh, it's the best league ever'. It's the same in England. Every year we try to improve our teams.
READ OUR EXCLUSIVE CHAT WITH BENITEZ
Jimmy Rice 11 August 2007
Rafa Benitez took five minutes to chat to Liverpoolfc.tv ahead of this afternoon's curtain raiser at Villa Park.
Rafa, how confident are you your side is ready for the new season?
Watching them in training, you can see they are sharp. I think they are ready, but you always need to play against another team before you know. I've watched some tapes and it's clear Aston Villa have had a good pre-season. It will be a very difficult game, especially because they have pace up front. They are also well organised, but it's always difficult in the Premier League.
How happy are you with your summer's work?
I am really pleased with the squad now. You need to see the players after three or four months though, to see if they have settled and can cope with the physical demands of the Premier League. At this moment, it's clear we have better players, more offensive players and the atmosphere in the squad is good. We have a lot of confidence.
Have you enjoyed spending big money this summer?
Enjoy is not the word, but I prefer to have some money. It's better to say, 'Okay, I want this player', and then see whether it can be done, rather than having to find a really cheap player.
What's the difference between Liverpool now and Liverpool when you first came here?
There is a big difference in the squad, especially if you look at the bench in the first year and compare it to now. Now maybe you can see Torres, Kuyt, Crouch or Voronin. We have more quality. We were progressing in the Carling Cup with maybe seven boys in the team – now we'll be able to use seven senior players, and maybe some boys on top of that.
There were maybe accusations that you fielded a weakened side in some competitions, but is there such a thing as a weak Liverpool side now?
I don't agree with this criticism, because the strongest team you can field is the one with players who are ready. Sometimes you have big names but they are not ready because they aren't fit, aren't training well or have some problems at home or with the manager. Maybe it will be easier now with the players we have, but I've always tried to win every game.
How well equipped are Liverpool to win the title now?
If you look at the squads since I've been here, this is the best. Next year will be even better, and hopefully in two years even better still.
You've spent a lot of money on Fernando Torres this summer. Can we expect to see him in the side week in, week out?
We haven't spent as much money on him as people say! He was a very good piece of business for us. For me, it doesn't matter how much you've spent on a player – what counts is whether they are ready for a game or not. You can pay more money for a player because of the market, but once they are here they are the same.
Are you looking for him, or any of your strikers, to score 20 or 30 goals a season?
It's perfect if you have a player who can score more than 20 goals, but really I prefer to have four or five players who can score 10 or 15 goals, with midfielders also scoring and defenders chipping in as well. It's more difficult for teams to defend against a side who have wingers and midfielders who can all score goals, rather than just one striker. Okay, if you have one player who scores more than 20, and the rest still get between 10 and 15, then I'd be very happy.
There's been talk of Steven Gerrard playing more centrally this season – what's behind this decision?
We tried to bring in wingers, because Stevie is not a proper winger. However, it may be I now get asked why I play him in the middle when he scored 23 goals on the right! People will always find something to talk about. However, it's clear he likes to play as a central midfielder. It might be his best position, but because he is so good he can also play in other positions. His position is not a problem.
How many teams do you think could win the Premier League this season?
Normally you must talk about the four teams that are always there, but Tottenham are a very good team also. You also never know what could happen with teams like West Ham, Aston Villa or Newcastle, but I think normally you must talk about the big four teams.
Is this the toughest Premier League ever?
Every year is the same. I remember in Spain everyone always said, 'Oh, it's the best league ever'. It's the same in England. Every year we try to improve our teams.
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