Liverpool FC Forum

From .tv

Rafael Benitez today insisted his new look squad is capable of coping with the physical pressures of this season's Premiership campaign.
The Reds' boss was disappointed with his team's lack of fight in certain away games last year, but he believes he has made the necessary additions to his squad to ensure the same mistakes aren't repeated this time around.

"What happened against us a lot last season was teams started matches hitting lots of high passes and fighting for the second ball," said the manager. "They caused problems and we didn't control the games away from home.

"This happens at every level in England. It's interesting to see that Crystal Palace and Southampton lost in their league this week, yet they beat us last season. This underlines what I'm saying. You have to be careful and be prepared for every game in England. Maybe you're a better team with better players, but it's always very difficult to get results. There were times last season when we didn't fight hard enough.

"This is why I've bought the players I have this summer. When I look at the players I have now, I'm confident. Look at Sissoko. Look at the energy he will give us. He is someone who will work hard and fight for us every time he plays.

"Crouch is a player who is good in the air and will keep the ball in attack for us. When you think of the games we lost away last season, maybe it's easy to understand why it's going to be helpful to have players like this available to us.

"There are far more options for me with the team now, but I still want to improve the side. We are trying to bring in at least two more players if it's possible. If we do that, I will have two good players for each position and we will always have a strong side."

Benitez isn't promising a title success to follow last season's Champions League glory, but he doesn't mind hearing people talk about his side as Premiership contenders.

"Because we've won a lot of games, we'll go into this season with a lot of confidence," he said. "We are scoring goals and winning matches, but we know how difficult the Premiership is.

"My message to the players is always the same. Our objective is to win the next game. If we keep doing this, you will see a stronger Liverpool and we can start to think about other goals.

"For sure, we intend to have a better season than last year in the league. That means overall improvements are needed, particularly away from home.

"I'm not going to say we'll come first, second or third. I will say we intend to win a lot of games and then we'll see if this team has the power to fight with those good teams at the top.

"What I want is for us to score more goals and prove we are more consistent. In the Premiership we didn't do this, but I'm sure this year we will be better. Last year we could win two games and then lose two. Now I expect the team to play at the same level all the time."