Rafa Benitez has insisted Liverpool’s derby preparations have been helped by his contract dispute.
The Anfield boss has been accused of sabotaging his side’s title chances by making public his dispute over a new deal.
The Spanish coach has been in belligerent mood in the past week, first taking on Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United with a stinging attack, then rejecting a new contract and turning his sights on his own board.
Benitez has thrown the club into turmoil by offering what amounts to a ‘back me or sack me’ ultimatum, but he argued that this will not undermine his side’s chances in tonight’s clash with Everton.
"I am 100% sure that the players are focused on games and on football. They are concentrating on their training sessions, nothing else, and that is how it should be,” he said.
"When I talk to them, they understand the position clearly and they understand what it will take to stay at the top of the table.
"What I have said and how we play are two different things, but I think what I have said will help us for the rest of the season for different reasons.”
The manager’s controversial outbursts over the last week have already been seen by many to have come at a price.
When he made his attack on Manchester United, his side were seven points clear of the Old Trafford club, but they go into tonight’s showdown now trailing the Champions.
Even more disturbing is the way that he has brought his contract fight into the open, and there are fears that such instability will have a catastrophic affect on their title challenge.
But Benitez is unmoved by such claims, and he insisted yesterday that he is easing the strain on his players by diverting the spotlight onto himself.
"I think that it will take some of the pressure off the players. I am only thinking about the best for my team and especially now, because we are title contenders,” he said.
"I was really pleased, for example, to see the TV cameras following Mr Ferguson and the referees at Old Trafford last week.
"But there are facts and there are results. They are two different things. When you win, you are right. When you don't win, you are not right.
"That is what people will say, but that is a very simple analysis and I would hope that people are cleverer than that. Facts are one thing, results are another.
"No-one was expecting us to be in this position in January, so if we can stay close to the top it means that in May we will have options to win the title."
Benitez has also claimed that he only chose to go public on his decision to reject the contract offer in order to put an end to persistent speculation about the process.
He believes that the constant talk was actually a distraction from Liverpool's title charge, and he added: "I don't know how difficult it will be to resolve. I only know I decided to finish the speculation because I think it is in the best interests of my club.
"It shouldn't be difficult to resolve though. I am only talking about working within a budget, not controlling everything.
"I wanted to finish with the speculation. There is no sense in talking about the contract from now until the end of the season."
Liverpool will have almost a full squad to choose from for the first time this season as they go into the derby match, and Benitez is likely to restore Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso to the starting line up.
The Anfield boss has been accused of sabotaging his side’s title chances by making public his dispute over a new deal.
The Spanish coach has been in belligerent mood in the past week, first taking on Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United with a stinging attack, then rejecting a new contract and turning his sights on his own board.
Benitez has thrown the club into turmoil by offering what amounts to a ‘back me or sack me’ ultimatum, but he argued that this will not undermine his side’s chances in tonight’s clash with Everton.
"I am 100% sure that the players are focused on games and on football. They are concentrating on their training sessions, nothing else, and that is how it should be,” he said.
"When I talk to them, they understand the position clearly and they understand what it will take to stay at the top of the table.
"What I have said and how we play are two different things, but I think what I have said will help us for the rest of the season for different reasons.”
The manager’s controversial outbursts over the last week have already been seen by many to have come at a price.
When he made his attack on Manchester United, his side were seven points clear of the Old Trafford club, but they go into tonight’s showdown now trailing the Champions.
Even more disturbing is the way that he has brought his contract fight into the open, and there are fears that such instability will have a catastrophic affect on their title challenge.
But Benitez is unmoved by such claims, and he insisted yesterday that he is easing the strain on his players by diverting the spotlight onto himself.
"I think that it will take some of the pressure off the players. I am only thinking about the best for my team and especially now, because we are title contenders,” he said.
"I was really pleased, for example, to see the TV cameras following Mr Ferguson and the referees at Old Trafford last week.
"But there are facts and there are results. They are two different things. When you win, you are right. When you don't win, you are not right.
"That is what people will say, but that is a very simple analysis and I would hope that people are cleverer than that. Facts are one thing, results are another.
"No-one was expecting us to be in this position in January, so if we can stay close to the top it means that in May we will have options to win the title."
Benitez has also claimed that he only chose to go public on his decision to reject the contract offer in order to put an end to persistent speculation about the process.
He believes that the constant talk was actually a distraction from Liverpool's title charge, and he added: "I don't know how difficult it will be to resolve. I only know I decided to finish the speculation because I think it is in the best interests of my club.
"It shouldn't be difficult to resolve though. I am only talking about working within a budget, not controlling everything.
"I wanted to finish with the speculation. There is no sense in talking about the contract from now until the end of the season."
Liverpool will have almost a full squad to choose from for the first time this season as they go into the derby match, and Benitez is likely to restore Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso to the starting line up.
No comments:
Post a Comment