As Liverpool continue their push for Champions League glory and regaining a top four spot to ensure qualification to next season’s competition, now is not the time for Rafael Benitez to consider cashing in on one of his most prized assets.
Benitez’s side can regain their place in the Premier League’s top four this evening – for 48 hours at least – with a victory over Middlesbrough at Anfield and a win would cap an excellent week after Tuesday’s Champions League success over Italian champions Internazionale.
It’s all so different than just seven days ago when Barnsley shattered Liverpool’s FA Cup dreams.
But in maintaining his team’s push home and abroad, Benitez insists he needs at least two quality options in each position and that’s exactly why he refuses to entertain any talk that Xabi Alonso’s days are numbered at Anfield.
For all Benitez’s rotations, the Basque playmaker used to be as close to what could be called a permanent fixture in the Liverpool line-up.
However, the emergence of South American stars Javier Mascherano and Lucas has ensured competition for places is now fierce in the midfield engine room and Alonso, returning from injury has found it difficult to get back into the side.
Although several leading clubs from across Europe are believed to be monitoring the ex-Real Sociedad man’s situation, Benitez says that they’re wasting their time. He said: “Xabi’s agent (Inaki Ibanez) was coming over this week to watch both games as he also has a player at Everton (Mikel Arteta) and I was talking to him because we have a good relationship.
“We were just talking about football but because there had been stories about Xabi I was telling him that he is a player in my mind should be here for the future.
“I like to have four midfielders because each one is different.
“Lucas is different to (Javier) Mascherano and (Steven) Gerrard and Xabi so it’s very positive to the team for me.
“He’s not going anywhere. The agent wasn’t asking, we were just talking about football. We don’t think about selling him.”
Benitez added: “All players who don’t play must be a little bit frustrated but they must compete and Xabi knows my idea.
“He’s been injured for a long time so he needs to improve his physical condition and his tempo and match fitness.
“It is always difficult when you can’t play so you must train and try to be ready.”
Alonso, who cost £10.5million in 2004, was one of Benitez’s first signings at Anfield and the manager is adamant that there has been no fall-out.
He said: “Xabi has been here a long time and if you want to win trophies and you want to compete for all the trophies you need top-class players.
“It’s important to have two good players for each position. He’s a holding midfielder with quality so he’s a key player for us.
“Now he has Mascherano playing with Gerrard or Lucas but he played against Barnsley because he can pass the ball long with accuracy.”
Benitez added: “All the players want to play. I’m sure if I said to (Daniel) Agger ‘you’re not playing because Sami (Hyypia) is playing well’ then he won’t be happy.
“If I say to Mascherano ‘you won’t play because Lucas is progressing’ then he won’t be happy – it’s part of the relationship between a manager and a competitive player.
“I didn’t have any problem with Xabi – he was injured. Now everyone is talking about how good Mascherano and Gerrard are plus Lucas is playing well.”
The Spaniard continued: “Xabi is training really hard. The other day when I was talking to him, he said ‘you told me that I had to train harder’.
“I replied ‘Xabi I know that you train hard but match fitness depends on games – if you cannot play you cannot reach this level.
“You must train harder if you want to stay at this level – all the players who are not playing.”
With Liverpool’s second leg in the San Siro coming a week after the rest of the Champions League matches because of Milan’s return match against Arsenal, Benitez’s side have four Premier League fixtures in which to try and regain a foothold in the push for qualification into next season’s competition.
Three of the games are at home with West Ham United and Newcastle United both coming to Anfield after Middlesbrough’s visit today. Benitez said: “We have two competitions now but we have four games to play before Inter again.
“Our priority now is to win all of these games and get into the top four again.
“Clearly we must think about the Premier League because to be in the top four is really important and we know this. We know that we need to improve in the Premier League and be more consistent, it’s something everyone has been talking about in the last few months and we agree with everyone.
“We need to improve, especially at home and it will be easier for us to approach every game with more confidence.”
He added: “I have confidence. My idea is to finish in the top four because I know we can do it.
“But to win the Champions League is really difficult against top sides – you can play really well and lose.
“It’s important to finish in the top four and try to progress as much as you can in the Champions League.”
Earlier this week, Benitez suggested that he found it easier to influence European matches than Premier League games as they depended more on tactics but he does not feel that the Teessiders’ visit will be a case of ‘After the Lord Mayor’s show’ following the high-profile win over Roberto Mancini’s super stars.
He said: “It’s different. In Europe you can do a lot of things tactically that you can’t do in the Premier League because it’s a different style of football.
“The kind of player that you need and the way you approach the games is different.
“Some people forget that in the Premier League we have finished with 82 points, a record in the history of the club, so we can do it. We can win a lot of games – we won 11 games in a row so we know how to do it but to do it every year and be consistent is the key now.”
Benitez added: “If we start well against Middlesbrough we can maybe see a good game.
“If we get an early goal it can change the tempo of the game.
“It is always important to see the table and see if you’re in a good position so for us it is an opportunity (to go fourth) and we must take it.”
Benitez’s side can regain their place in the Premier League’s top four this evening – for 48 hours at least – with a victory over Middlesbrough at Anfield and a win would cap an excellent week after Tuesday’s Champions League success over Italian champions Internazionale.
It’s all so different than just seven days ago when Barnsley shattered Liverpool’s FA Cup dreams.
But in maintaining his team’s push home and abroad, Benitez insists he needs at least two quality options in each position and that’s exactly why he refuses to entertain any talk that Xabi Alonso’s days are numbered at Anfield.
For all Benitez’s rotations, the Basque playmaker used to be as close to what could be called a permanent fixture in the Liverpool line-up.
However, the emergence of South American stars Javier Mascherano and Lucas has ensured competition for places is now fierce in the midfield engine room and Alonso, returning from injury has found it difficult to get back into the side.
Although several leading clubs from across Europe are believed to be monitoring the ex-Real Sociedad man’s situation, Benitez says that they’re wasting their time. He said: “Xabi’s agent (Inaki Ibanez) was coming over this week to watch both games as he also has a player at Everton (Mikel Arteta) and I was talking to him because we have a good relationship.
“We were just talking about football but because there had been stories about Xabi I was telling him that he is a player in my mind should be here for the future.
“I like to have four midfielders because each one is different.
“Lucas is different to (Javier) Mascherano and (Steven) Gerrard and Xabi so it’s very positive to the team for me.
“He’s not going anywhere. The agent wasn’t asking, we were just talking about football. We don’t think about selling him.”
Benitez added: “All players who don’t play must be a little bit frustrated but they must compete and Xabi knows my idea.
“He’s been injured for a long time so he needs to improve his physical condition and his tempo and match fitness.
“It is always difficult when you can’t play so you must train and try to be ready.”
Alonso, who cost £10.5million in 2004, was one of Benitez’s first signings at Anfield and the manager is adamant that there has been no fall-out.
He said: “Xabi has been here a long time and if you want to win trophies and you want to compete for all the trophies you need top-class players.
“It’s important to have two good players for each position. He’s a holding midfielder with quality so he’s a key player for us.
“Now he has Mascherano playing with Gerrard or Lucas but he played against Barnsley because he can pass the ball long with accuracy.”
Benitez added: “All the players want to play. I’m sure if I said to (Daniel) Agger ‘you’re not playing because Sami (Hyypia) is playing well’ then he won’t be happy.
“If I say to Mascherano ‘you won’t play because Lucas is progressing’ then he won’t be happy – it’s part of the relationship between a manager and a competitive player.
“I didn’t have any problem with Xabi – he was injured. Now everyone is talking about how good Mascherano and Gerrard are plus Lucas is playing well.”
The Spaniard continued: “Xabi is training really hard. The other day when I was talking to him, he said ‘you told me that I had to train harder’.
“I replied ‘Xabi I know that you train hard but match fitness depends on games – if you cannot play you cannot reach this level.
“You must train harder if you want to stay at this level – all the players who are not playing.”
With Liverpool’s second leg in the San Siro coming a week after the rest of the Champions League matches because of Milan’s return match against Arsenal, Benitez’s side have four Premier League fixtures in which to try and regain a foothold in the push for qualification into next season’s competition.
Three of the games are at home with West Ham United and Newcastle United both coming to Anfield after Middlesbrough’s visit today. Benitez said: “We have two competitions now but we have four games to play before Inter again.
“Our priority now is to win all of these games and get into the top four again.
“Clearly we must think about the Premier League because to be in the top four is really important and we know this. We know that we need to improve in the Premier League and be more consistent, it’s something everyone has been talking about in the last few months and we agree with everyone.
“We need to improve, especially at home and it will be easier for us to approach every game with more confidence.”
He added: “I have confidence. My idea is to finish in the top four because I know we can do it.
“But to win the Champions League is really difficult against top sides – you can play really well and lose.
“It’s important to finish in the top four and try to progress as much as you can in the Champions League.”
Earlier this week, Benitez suggested that he found it easier to influence European matches than Premier League games as they depended more on tactics but he does not feel that the Teessiders’ visit will be a case of ‘After the Lord Mayor’s show’ following the high-profile win over Roberto Mancini’s super stars.
He said: “It’s different. In Europe you can do a lot of things tactically that you can’t do in the Premier League because it’s a different style of football.
“The kind of player that you need and the way you approach the games is different.
“Some people forget that in the Premier League we have finished with 82 points, a record in the history of the club, so we can do it. We can win a lot of games – we won 11 games in a row so we know how to do it but to do it every year and be consistent is the key now.”
Benitez added: “If we start well against Middlesbrough we can maybe see a good game.
“If we get an early goal it can change the tempo of the game.
“It is always important to see the table and see if you’re in a good position so for us it is an opportunity (to go fourth) and we must take it.”
No comments:
Post a Comment