RAFA Benitez has launched an impassioned defence of Liverpool’s zonal marking system, insisting their record of defending set pieces is comparable with anyone else in the Premier League.
Liverpool again came in for criticism following the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League in which Branislav Ivanovic scored two headers from corners.
One TV news channel even went as far as claiming Liverpool have the worst record in the top division for conceding from set pieces even though the statistics suggest otherwise.
Benitez has no plans to ditch his zonal marking system, believing it is the best one for his team and will simply ask his players to defend better against Blackburn today.
"I think that when you have statistics you can manage them in whatever way you want," said the Reds boss in a clear reference to his critics.
"But when you analyse our record at defending set pieces you will see that it is not bad.
"I think Arsenal have conceded seven goals from set pieces, Chelsea have also conceded seven, Man United have conceded six and we have conceded eight.
"So there is not a massive difference between the teams in the top four when it comes to this.
"Then you have Blackburn and Everton who have both conceded ten.
"You can talk about percentages, which depend on the total number of goals you concede, or you can talk about figures but it doesn’t matter.
"We are really pleased in the way that we are working. We know that this is the best system for us and we know that it has been good for us in the past and will hopefully be good for us in the future."
Steven Gerrard remains a major doubt for today’s game with Benitez yet to decide whether to take a chance on his skipper who is suffering from a groin strain.
Should Gerrard not make it, Yossi Benayoun is likely to be asked to play just off Fernando Torres.
The Reds boss is looking for his team to get back to the imperious form they were showing before Wednesday’s setback at the hands of Chelsea and he is confident his players will respond positively to that defeat.
He said: "Clearly we have to change something from the other night. Firstly, we will change the opponent which is very important and the mentality will also be different. People were very surprised because we lost against Chelsea but this is something you can analyse in a positive way because it means we were doing really well previously and it raised people’s expectations about us."So now we have to go back and start doing the same things that we were doing before.
"We have to play well and pass the ball and approach the game with a lot of confidence because we know the fans will be behind the players so hopefully it will be positive."
Should Liverpool win they will go back to the top of the Premier League at least until Man United take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light later today and Benitez is looking for his team to put even more pressure on the reigning champions by collecting all three points against Blackburn.
"If we can win, they will be under pressure," he added. "They are in a better position now so it still depends on them, but we still have to do our job.
"We have to do everything almost perfectly, and that means winning almost every game."
Liverpool again came in for criticism following the midweek defeat to Chelsea in the Champions League in which Branislav Ivanovic scored two headers from corners.
One TV news channel even went as far as claiming Liverpool have the worst record in the top division for conceding from set pieces even though the statistics suggest otherwise.
Benitez has no plans to ditch his zonal marking system, believing it is the best one for his team and will simply ask his players to defend better against Blackburn today.
"I think that when you have statistics you can manage them in whatever way you want," said the Reds boss in a clear reference to his critics.
"But when you analyse our record at defending set pieces you will see that it is not bad.
"I think Arsenal have conceded seven goals from set pieces, Chelsea have also conceded seven, Man United have conceded six and we have conceded eight.
"So there is not a massive difference between the teams in the top four when it comes to this.
"Then you have Blackburn and Everton who have both conceded ten.
"You can talk about percentages, which depend on the total number of goals you concede, or you can talk about figures but it doesn’t matter.
"We are really pleased in the way that we are working. We know that this is the best system for us and we know that it has been good for us in the past and will hopefully be good for us in the future."
Steven Gerrard remains a major doubt for today’s game with Benitez yet to decide whether to take a chance on his skipper who is suffering from a groin strain.
Should Gerrard not make it, Yossi Benayoun is likely to be asked to play just off Fernando Torres.
The Reds boss is looking for his team to get back to the imperious form they were showing before Wednesday’s setback at the hands of Chelsea and he is confident his players will respond positively to that defeat.
He said: "Clearly we have to change something from the other night. Firstly, we will change the opponent which is very important and the mentality will also be different. People were very surprised because we lost against Chelsea but this is something you can analyse in a positive way because it means we were doing really well previously and it raised people’s expectations about us."So now we have to go back and start doing the same things that we were doing before.
"We have to play well and pass the ball and approach the game with a lot of confidence because we know the fans will be behind the players so hopefully it will be positive."
Should Liverpool win they will go back to the top of the Premier League at least until Man United take on Sunderland at the Stadium of Light later today and Benitez is looking for his team to put even more pressure on the reigning champions by collecting all three points against Blackburn.
"If we can win, they will be under pressure," he added. "They are in a better position now so it still depends on them, but we still have to do our job.
"We have to do everything almost perfectly, and that means winning almost every game."
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