What a difference a year makes. Exactly 12 months ago today, Rafael Benitez was edging precariously close to an Anfield exit after exposing the discontent behind the scenes by informing everyone he was merely concentrating on coaching and training his team.
Now the Liverpool manager finds himself in a much stronger position, with talks concerning a new contract having started and his team enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign while well placed in the Champions League.
There is one aspect that hasn’t changed, however.
Benitez continues to eschew waxing lyrical over his players, instead concentrating on the coaching and training of a squad that has given genuine hope of ending a championship drought that stretches back to 1990.
Asked about his continued reluctance to drum up Liverpool’s title chances, Benitez says: “It has to be like this. It’s very difficult to win the league and to win every competition.
“You have to think about my idea. One game at a time. It’s the only way. If you talk too much, you lose energy. It’s better to concentrate on winning.
“It’s a better situation than 12 months ago, clearly. Everything is better.
“The most important thing is to win games. We are at the top of the table, in a good position in the Champions League, so it’s a much better position overall.”
It begins an inviting month of Premier League fixtures for the Anfield outfit before the December 21 visit to Arsenal, with Benitez’s side also hosting West Ham United and Hull City and travelling to Blackburn Rovers.
“When you are at the top of the table each game is really important,” says Benitez. “Just one point can be a massive difference because we are in a very good position with enough confidence and playing well, I don’t think we will lose too many games, touching wood.
“The team has quality, the depth of the squad is for me good enough to win games. We will lose some games maybe but we should be in a good position come Christmas.”
However, Liverpool have become notorious for dropping easy points during this time of the season.
And Benitez adds: “This year we have to change that. People are talking about winnable games that we have coming up, and we have to show that they are winnable. We have to respect all the other teams and try to do things in the way that we are doing now.
“It’s an important period for us. We had some problems during this period in the past for various reasons. Now, I think the situation is good so we have to keep on doing the right things properly and we will keep on winning games. I have no doubt about this.”
Benitez’s side drew at Aston Villa and beat Manchester United in the only two league games Gerrard has failed to start this season.
And the Liverpool manager says: “We have shown we can win without Steven. We have the quality, we can change players and have different options.
“That is positive when you talk about a long race to win a championship.
“The squad is better, and although Steven is a key player for us, very important and you always lose something when he is not playing, we have players with different qualities who can come in.”
Gerrard, meanwhile, has told the club he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends stay at the club for the rest of his career.
The 28-year-old, who is back in light training, made the announcement as he approaches the 10-year anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week.
And Gerrard says: “I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool’s first team.
“I have two-and-a-half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career.
“We will have to wait and see about management but I certainly want to get my qualifications to enable me to coach and manage. Then I will have to decide what I want to do.”
Gerrard adds: “Whether I will be interested in the Gary Ablett (reserve coach) type role, the Sammy Lee (assistant manager) role or the Rafa Benitez role, I do not know.
“I just want to get all my badges and then we will see. But I have a lot more football to play before we get to that stage and that is what I want to focus on at the moment.”
Of his relationship with Benitez, Gerrard reveals: “Rafa is the type of manager where you finish the game as man of the match, having scored three, but he won’t mention it.
“He’ll mention that you never used your left foot at a certain point! Which is why he’s the manager he is, one of the best. Managers are changing and going towards Rafa’s way of things. Years ago it was all about pats on the back, man-management. Now the game’s more technical and tactical.
“I’m in my last five or six years, I want the manager to keep driving me on. I don’t think I’m going to get another 10% or 20% better as a player, the challenge is to maintain standards.”
Now the Liverpool manager finds himself in a much stronger position, with talks concerning a new contract having started and his team enjoying their best-ever start to a Premier League campaign while well placed in the Champions League.
There is one aspect that hasn’t changed, however.
Benitez continues to eschew waxing lyrical over his players, instead concentrating on the coaching and training of a squad that has given genuine hope of ending a championship drought that stretches back to 1990.
Asked about his continued reluctance to drum up Liverpool’s title chances, Benitez says: “It has to be like this. It’s very difficult to win the league and to win every competition.
“You have to think about my idea. One game at a time. It’s the only way. If you talk too much, you lose energy. It’s better to concentrate on winning.
“It’s a better situation than 12 months ago, clearly. Everything is better.
“The most important thing is to win games. We are at the top of the table, in a good position in the Champions League, so it’s a much better position overall.”
It begins an inviting month of Premier League fixtures for the Anfield outfit before the December 21 visit to Arsenal, with Benitez’s side also hosting West Ham United and Hull City and travelling to Blackburn Rovers.
“When you are at the top of the table each game is really important,” says Benitez. “Just one point can be a massive difference because we are in a very good position with enough confidence and playing well, I don’t think we will lose too many games, touching wood.
“The team has quality, the depth of the squad is for me good enough to win games. We will lose some games maybe but we should be in a good position come Christmas.”
However, Liverpool have become notorious for dropping easy points during this time of the season.
And Benitez adds: “This year we have to change that. People are talking about winnable games that we have coming up, and we have to show that they are winnable. We have to respect all the other teams and try to do things in the way that we are doing now.
“It’s an important period for us. We had some problems during this period in the past for various reasons. Now, I think the situation is good so we have to keep on doing the right things properly and we will keep on winning games. I have no doubt about this.”
Benitez’s side drew at Aston Villa and beat Manchester United in the only two league games Gerrard has failed to start this season.
And the Liverpool manager says: “We have shown we can win without Steven. We have the quality, we can change players and have different options.
“That is positive when you talk about a long race to win a championship.
“The squad is better, and although Steven is a key player for us, very important and you always lose something when he is not playing, we have players with different qualities who can come in.”
Gerrard, meanwhile, has told the club he wants to sign a new contract when his current deal ends and intends stay at the club for the rest of his career.
The 28-year-old, who is back in light training, made the announcement as he approaches the 10-year anniversary of his Liverpool debut next week.
And Gerrard says: “I do not know what is going to happen over the next 10 years but certainly for the next five or six I hope I am playing in Liverpool’s first team.
“I have two-and-a-half years left on my contract and hopefully I will sign another one and stay for the remainder of my career.
“We will have to wait and see about management but I certainly want to get my qualifications to enable me to coach and manage. Then I will have to decide what I want to do.”
Gerrard adds: “Whether I will be interested in the Gary Ablett (reserve coach) type role, the Sammy Lee (assistant manager) role or the Rafa Benitez role, I do not know.
“I just want to get all my badges and then we will see. But I have a lot more football to play before we get to that stage and that is what I want to focus on at the moment.”
Of his relationship with Benitez, Gerrard reveals: “Rafa is the type of manager where you finish the game as man of the match, having scored three, but he won’t mention it.
“He’ll mention that you never used your left foot at a certain point! Which is why he’s the manager he is, one of the best. Managers are changing and going towards Rafa’s way of things. Years ago it was all about pats on the back, man-management. Now the game’s more technical and tactical.
“I’m in my last five or six years, I want the manager to keep driving me on. I don’t think I’m going to get another 10% or 20% better as a player, the challenge is to maintain standards.”
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