Benitez Eager For New Long-Term Deal

Rafa Benitez has stated that he would like to be handed a new long-term contract in order to stabilise the future of the club.

Rafa Benitez has long glanced an envious eye over proceedings at Arsenal, and to a lesser extent Manchester United.

The Spanish boss has declared in the past that he is a fervent admirer of Arsene Wenger's youth policy and believes that clubs cannot throw countless sums away every summer on high-profile names, and to ensure the long term financial stability of the club, a profitable youth academy is a necessity.

Benitez also believes that stability starts at management. If the head coach has the faith of the board to achieve a long term goal, and they provide him with adequate time for those targets, then eventually they will bear fruit.

With this in mind he feels that the length of his new contract should reflect all of the above, and told the Daily Mail:

"The problem in England now is that everyone wants to be successful too soon. It is a part of the game I don't like and I would prefer to have a long-term contract so I can have a long-term plan."

Rafa Tips Skrtel To Bounce Back

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez believes that Martin Skrtel will make a full recovery from his knee ligament injury and will be back to his best by Christmas.

The 23 year-old Slovakian damaged posterior ligaments in his right knee during the course of Liverpool's 3-2 win over Manchester City on Sunday.

The initial prognosis for the defender was not positive; The ex-Zenit St Petersburg man was feared to be out of action until the end of the season.

However, further examinations revealed that Skrtel would not require surgery and would be available for selection in around 10 weeks time.

Rafa Benitez was loathe to lose the 6'3 centre-back, as he had just begun to form a strong bond with Jamie Carragher in the Liverpool rear-guard.

However, he is optimistic that Skrtel will return as strong as ever.

Benitez told the Liverpool Echo: “It is a big loss for us because Martin has done very well for us since joining from Zenit St Petersburg.

“He was playing very well and we were very pleased with him so it is a real pity that he has got injured now.

“But we also know that it could have been worse and the fact that he could be back for our games towards the end of the year is positive for us.

“Martin has a very strong character and he trains hard so I am sure that when he does come back he will be the same player as before he got injured.”

Rafa Keeps His Feet On The Ground

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has reiterated the need for his side to keep their feet on the ground following short-term success.

The Reds, who received their perennial pre-season tip as Premier League title contenders, came in for criticism at the start of the campaign following a sluggish opening.

However, Benitez's side remain unbeaten in 12 games in all competitions and - prior to last weekend's two-goal comeback at Manchester City - have already recorded victories over Manchester United and Merseyside derby rivals Everton.

The Anfield outfit are currently sat level on points with Chelsea at the top of the table, but Benitez insists his squad must remain grounded.

"It's important to send the right messages," Benitez told the club's official website.

"We have a long, long way to go. We have to do things properly both now, in one month's time and in three months' time.

"We can have a lot of confidence in ourselves but we must keep our feet on the ground.

"We (the squad) were talking about this before, although we can enjoy being at the top of the table.

"But the players know we must keep going until the end. You can't win a title now - you can only win it at the end of the season."

Benitez has also backed Martin Skrtel to make a full recovery from the knee ligament injury the centre-back suffered at Eastlands.

"It is a big loss for us because Martin has done very well for us since joining from Zenit St Petersburg," added Benitez.

"He was playing very well and we were very pleased with him so it is a real pity that he has got injured now.

"But we also know that it could have been worse and the fact that he could be back for our games towards the end of the year is positive for us.

"Martin has a very strong character and he trains hard so I am sure that when he does come back he will be the same player as before he got injured."

Americans Eye Exit, While Juventus Eye Benitez

Liverpool’s American co-owner’s Tom Hicks and George Gillett have given no indication that they are to offer manager Rafa Benitez a new deal at Anfield. With the calm coming from the Red half of Merseyside after a summer of washing their dirty linen in public possibly a clear indication that the Americans have their eye firmly on an exit strategy from the Premier League.

Hicks and Gillett have already suspended work on the new Stanley Park Stadium indefinitely, since apparently patching up a reported “unworkable” partnership. With the Americans expected to sell the Reds in the coming months, with the Crown Prince of Dubai Sheikh Mohammed said to be joined by another prospective investor to have shown interest in the Premiership club.

Benitez has less than two years to run on his current contract at Anfield, with the absence of a new deal on the table firmly pointing to the Americans eying the exit door. Given that Liverpool have had their best start ever to a Premier League campaign and are joint-top with Chelsea it is not unreasonable to think that Benitez should be offered one. Hicks had claimed during the fallout with Gillett that he was to offer Benitez a new contract at Liverpool, but this did not materialise due to being unable to buy Gillett out of his stake of Anfield.

This situation has alerted clubs in the Spaniard’s homeland in La Liga, along with interest from Serie A, with Juventus putting the former Valencia boss on the top of their list to replace Claudio Ranieri at La Vecchia Signora. According to Tuttosport on Monday, Benitez has clashed with the Anfield board on more than one occasion over transfer policy in the past.

With the refusal of the Americans to back his bid for Gareth Barry at Aston Villa in the summer the latest, but despite this and no offer or even mention of talks on the horizon, Benitez insists that he is not concerned by his contract situation at the Reds and hopes to remain at Liverpool for many years.

“I'm not worried about the situation at the moment,” he said.

“I am trying to be pragmatic about it and am just concentrating on the things I can improve. It doesn't make it more difficult for me to plan for the future.

“I can only control things on the pitch and try to improve the squad. If I can do that, then things will be easier in the future.

“I'm really pleased and I have two more years [in fact a little over 18 months] left on my contract, so right now I'm just trying to do my job the best I can. I have always said I want to stay here for many years and I have the same idea now.”

However, if Liverpool are sold as expected there is no guarantee that the new regime will want to keep the Spaniard at the helm. So Benitez might have to carefully consider his future on Merseyside with an impending sale looming, which could pave the way for Juve to make their move.

Aurelio Ready For Title Fight

Liverpool defender Fabio Aurelio has set his sights on Premier League glory, insisting Sunday's comeback win against Manchester City highlights his side's newfound grit.

The Reds were trailing 2-0 at half-time against the Citizens, but a second-half brace from Fernando Torres and a late winner from Dirk Kuyt saw them claim a memorable victory at Eastlands.

The win kept the Merseysiders' unbeaten record intact, and only goal difference separates Rafael Benitez's men from league leaders Chelsea.

The season may be less than two months old, but Anfield is buzzing amid its tenants' impressive start and thoughts are already turning toward the possibility of silverware come May.

Aurelio has added his name to the list of players talking up Liverpool's title chances, as he insisted the fighting spirit they displayed against City is indicative of a club ready to end their 18-year drought.

"The win shows how strong Liverpool are now," the Brazilian left-back told the press. "The form we showed to win was unbelievable but we believed in ourselves right until the end.

"It's not easy to play against Man City, especially when you go 2-0 down. But we came back and I think it shows we're stronger than before. It was a great, great result.

"It was really important to win this game. If we want to win the title, these kind of points are really important."