Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez remains hopeful of guiding the Reds to their first ever Premier League title, but insists that league glory is a taller order than it was when he won in Spain with Valencia.
Despite a Champions League and FA Cup triumph - and indeed a generally admirable record in cups, European in particular - Rafa Benitez has been unable to drastically change Liverpool's league fortunes in his four years at Anfield.
Many have heavily criticised the manager for an inability to mastermind consistent performances and instead relying on squeezing past opponents in incredibly unpredictable cup ties.
He has always remained defiant despite criticism of his squad rotation and transfer policies and insisted that it is a long-term plan that is still in progress.
Liverpool hold the record for most league titles with 18, but Manchester United have come to within one title of them, having won 10 of the 16 Premier League's since its inception, with Liverpool not having won competition as of yet.
Many feel that, unless Rafa can add the Premier League to his trophy haul within the next season or two, he may well be sacked by the club, whose boardroom situation is still far from clear, though albeit a lot less dramatic and embarrassing than it was earlier in the season.
Benitez won the league title with Valencia in Spain while giants Real Madrid were chasing European glory and Barcelona were in a slump. Consistency was the name of the game with Los Che, but Benitez has insisted that it is not as easy in England, an excuse that not many people find acceptable.
"Yes, clearly it's more difficult [to win the league] here than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money," said Benitez.
"We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title. The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.
"It is an option, for sure. We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we'll try to build a new team looking at these things."
He continued, emphasising the positives to take from this year's campaign: "[This season] we showed character at the end and that's really important. We showed that in difficult times we can be good and win games.
"As a manager, it was also important for me to see how the people around the team reacted to everything.
"When you talk about a winning mentality and winning trophies, you need to see the character of your people. The season was very good in terms of knowing the people.
"We have analysed a lot of things this year. For example, we have conceded a lot of goals from set pieces. We need to understand why because the season before we conceded six, now it's 16, yet we're doing more or less the same things. We can improve in this area.
"We also need to keep the team scoring in open play while at the same time improving a little bit in defence. We have been really good in defence for three of four years, but I think we need to improve a little bit if we want to be at the top of the table."
After another disappointing league season, Benitez has again called for more transfer funds in order to compete with the likes off Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the table, and expects to busy in the transfer market once more.
Full-back Philipp Degen has been signed for free from Borussia Dortmund, while Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry remains a primary transfer target.
"It's always the same: during the season you must do your job with the players you have and afterwards, in the summer, you need to do your job with the staff," explained Rafa.
"It's really important to sign the right players with the right mentality – a winning mentality. You want players who are desperate to come here and win trophies.
"We started last season well and when we had Agger we were playing well. But, after all the draws, it was important to regain the confidence. In the end we were playing really well, winning games in a row and producing good football.
"You could see the understanding between Gerrard and Torres, but other players were also scoring goals. As I've said, we have the spine for next season and now we need to add players in certain positions."
Despite a Champions League and FA Cup triumph - and indeed a generally admirable record in cups, European in particular - Rafa Benitez has been unable to drastically change Liverpool's league fortunes in his four years at Anfield.
Many have heavily criticised the manager for an inability to mastermind consistent performances and instead relying on squeezing past opponents in incredibly unpredictable cup ties.
He has always remained defiant despite criticism of his squad rotation and transfer policies and insisted that it is a long-term plan that is still in progress.
Liverpool hold the record for most league titles with 18, but Manchester United have come to within one title of them, having won 10 of the 16 Premier League's since its inception, with Liverpool not having won competition as of yet.
Many feel that, unless Rafa can add the Premier League to his trophy haul within the next season or two, he may well be sacked by the club, whose boardroom situation is still far from clear, though albeit a lot less dramatic and embarrassing than it was earlier in the season.
Benitez won the league title with Valencia in Spain while giants Real Madrid were chasing European glory and Barcelona were in a slump. Consistency was the name of the game with Los Che, but Benitez has insisted that it is not as easy in England, an excuse that not many people find acceptable.
"Yes, clearly it's more difficult [to win the league] here than in Spain because the top sides spend big, big money," said Benitez.
"We will try to do our best and the key for me is to not talk about the title. The key is to be near the top, to be contenders. If we stay close then I think we are capable of doing it.
"It is an option, for sure. We know our weaknesses and our strengths. We know where we need to improve, so we'll try to build a new team looking at these things."
He continued, emphasising the positives to take from this year's campaign: "[This season] we showed character at the end and that's really important. We showed that in difficult times we can be good and win games.
"As a manager, it was also important for me to see how the people around the team reacted to everything.
"When you talk about a winning mentality and winning trophies, you need to see the character of your people. The season was very good in terms of knowing the people.
"We have analysed a lot of things this year. For example, we have conceded a lot of goals from set pieces. We need to understand why because the season before we conceded six, now it's 16, yet we're doing more or less the same things. We can improve in this area.
"We also need to keep the team scoring in open play while at the same time improving a little bit in defence. We have been really good in defence for three of four years, but I think we need to improve a little bit if we want to be at the top of the table."
After another disappointing league season, Benitez has again called for more transfer funds in order to compete with the likes off Manchester United and Chelsea at the top of the table, and expects to busy in the transfer market once more.
Full-back Philipp Degen has been signed for free from Borussia Dortmund, while Aston Villa captain Gareth Barry remains a primary transfer target.
"It's always the same: during the season you must do your job with the players you have and afterwards, in the summer, you need to do your job with the staff," explained Rafa.
"It's really important to sign the right players with the right mentality – a winning mentality. You want players who are desperate to come here and win trophies.
"We started last season well and when we had Agger we were playing well. But, after all the draws, it was important to regain the confidence. In the end we were playing really well, winning games in a row and producing good football.
"You could see the understanding between Gerrard and Torres, but other players were also scoring goals. As I've said, we have the spine for next season and now we need to add players in certain positions."
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