UNHAPPY Rafael Benitez admits his Liverpool side must improve after they opened their title challenge with a dismal defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.
A 56th-minute Steven Gerrard penalty was sandwiched by Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s spectacular opener and a towering Sebastien Bassong header to condemn Benitez’s side to a 2-1 loss, their third defeat at White Hart Lane inside a year.
It was only the fourth time Liverpool had lost in their last 34 opening day fixtures, with the most recent previous setback coming at home to Chelsea in 2003.
And Benitez accepts his players have to significantly raise their level for the visit of Stoke City on Wednesday, a game the Spaniard accepts his team “has to win”.
“We didn’t play well, especially in the first half,” said the Anfield manager. “We were much better in the second half, we pushed harder and had more options in the final third.
“But clearly we have to improve if we want to win these kind of games.
“We have to improve in the middle, both in keeping the ball and passing the ball, and understanding between the strikers and the midfielders have to be better.
“It’s too early to make too many judgements and we have another game on Wednesday, so we have to improve for then. We have to win the next game.”
Benitez dismissed suggestions his team had felt the pressure of being among the title contenders after seeing all of their main rivals win over the weekend.
“We knew that we were playing against a good team so we needed to perform and play well, but we didn’t lose because of any pressure,” added the Spaniard. “We were just not comfortable with the ball.
“The team were not comfortable in possession during the first half. It wasn’t one player, it was all of them. We were not doing our job. It’s difficult for one or two players if the rest aren’t at the level.”
Asked if Liverpool had missed the departed Xabi Alonso, Benitez responded: “We won a lot of games last year without him. We have enough quality in the squad and we have to prove this.”
A 56th-minute Steven Gerrard penalty was sandwiched by Benoit Assou-Ekotto’s spectacular opener and a towering Sebastien Bassong header to condemn Benitez’s side to a 2-1 loss, their third defeat at White Hart Lane inside a year.
It was only the fourth time Liverpool had lost in their last 34 opening day fixtures, with the most recent previous setback coming at home to Chelsea in 2003.
And Benitez accepts his players have to significantly raise their level for the visit of Stoke City on Wednesday, a game the Spaniard accepts his team “has to win”.
“We didn’t play well, especially in the first half,” said the Anfield manager. “We were much better in the second half, we pushed harder and had more options in the final third.
“But clearly we have to improve if we want to win these kind of games.
“We have to improve in the middle, both in keeping the ball and passing the ball, and understanding between the strikers and the midfielders have to be better.
“It’s too early to make too many judgements and we have another game on Wednesday, so we have to improve for then. We have to win the next game.”
Benitez dismissed suggestions his team had felt the pressure of being among the title contenders after seeing all of their main rivals win over the weekend.
“We knew that we were playing against a good team so we needed to perform and play well, but we didn’t lose because of any pressure,” added the Spaniard. “We were just not comfortable with the ball.
“The team were not comfortable in possession during the first half. It wasn’t one player, it was all of them. We were not doing our job. It’s difficult for one or two players if the rest aren’t at the level.”
Asked if Liverpool had missed the departed Xabi Alonso, Benitez responded: “We won a lot of games last year without him. We have enough quality in the squad and we have to prove this.”
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