Rafael Benítez, the Liverpool manager, has urged his team to rise above the dismissive comments of Michael Ballack and others who have questioned their title-winning credentials. The Chelsea midfield player wrote off Liverpool’s chances when he said that his team were the only challengers to Manchester United’s crown, but Benítez has told his team to make their point on the pitch, where they face West Ham United at Anfield this evening.
Asked about Ballack’s comments, with the Chelsea player describing Liverpool as “a club for the Champions League”, Benítez said: “It doesn’t matter what people say. At the end of the day, it depends on the players and the team. We are at the top end of the table and we know that if we beat West Ham we will be at the top of the table for another week. I am not worried by what they say.
“My message to the players is the same. We have to concentrate on our own team and on our own games. I cannot change what people think. I can only give my players the right message. The thing for me is that the team is doing well, but it can also improve.”
Liverpool will have to make do without Fernando Torres, who has been ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury, but Benítez maintains that he has the players to cope without the Spain forward. “We have enough people up front with [Dirk] Kuyt, [David] Ngog, [Robbie] Keane and [Ryan] Babel,” he said. “Torres is an important player for us, so it will be different, but we have to think about solutions.”
West Ham have not won at Anfield since September 1963, but Gianfranco Zola, their manager, has urged his players to draw inspiration from their surroundings. “It’s a tough place to play, but it’s also a fantastic place to play and the crowd is magnificent,” he said. “As a player, it’s one of those matches you want to play all the time, so I hope my players feel the same.”
Asked about Ballack’s comments, with the Chelsea player describing Liverpool as “a club for the Champions League”, Benítez said: “It doesn’t matter what people say. At the end of the day, it depends on the players and the team. We are at the top end of the table and we know that if we beat West Ham we will be at the top of the table for another week. I am not worried by what they say.
“My message to the players is the same. We have to concentrate on our own team and on our own games. I cannot change what people think. I can only give my players the right message. The thing for me is that the team is doing well, but it can also improve.”
Liverpool will have to make do without Fernando Torres, who has been ruled out for three weeks with a hamstring injury, but Benítez maintains that he has the players to cope without the Spain forward. “We have enough people up front with [Dirk] Kuyt, [David] Ngog, [Robbie] Keane and [Ryan] Babel,” he said. “Torres is an important player for us, so it will be different, but we have to think about solutions.”
West Ham have not won at Anfield since September 1963, but Gianfranco Zola, their manager, has urged his players to draw inspiration from their surroundings. “It’s a tough place to play, but it’s also a fantastic place to play and the crowd is magnificent,” he said. “As a player, it’s one of those matches you want to play all the time, so I hope my players feel the same.”
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