Thursday, September 18, 2008

Rafa Sees Room For Improvement

Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes his side must find another gear despite coming from behind to secure a vital victory against Olympique Marseille last night.

The Reds triumphed 2-1 in their Champions League opener at the Stade Velodrome thanks to a captain's brace from fit-again Steven Gerrard.

Liverpool conceded the first goal of the game to l'OM skipper Lorik Cana midway through the first half, but Gerrard rallied with a 20-yard stunner and a penalty to put his side ahead eight minutes later.

However, the Merseyside club were under the pump throughout the second period and could well have left the south of France with nothing were it not for the heroics of under-siege 'keeper Pepe Reina.

And while Benitez was pleased with the result, he insisted the performance was not quite up to scratch - especially when compared to their domination of Manchester United on Saturday.

“The key was to get a third goal and finish the game. When we couldn’t do that we were a bit lucky in the end,” the Spaniard told the press.

“Coming from behind tells me we need to improve in defence but also that the mentality is very good.

“We are ready for winning and recovering from bad situations.

“The first game in your group is really important to win. It puts us in a good position. PSV and Atletico Madrid will find it difficult here.”

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