Rafa keeping the faith in his strikers
Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2004 1:58 amRafael Benitez remains confident Djibril Cisse and Milan Baros will form an effective front line partnership - despite both of them mis-firing against Deportivo last night.
Baros missed a number of chances to net a vital goal for Liverpool while Cisse was replaced by Steve Finnan towards the end following a below par display.
Benitez insists his team just needed a goal last night to cap a great display, but he isn't losing faith with his strikers.
He said: "It is natural that if you aren't winning and you come off then you won't be happy, but Djibril worked very hard tonight. He was just unlucky.
"He is working very well in training and it will come for him. It was not just Djibril who missed chances though, Milan and Luis Garcia had very good opportunities too.
"I am sure Milan and Djibril can work well together in time. They did well at Fulham and for 70 minutes against Deportivo. They just didn't score, that's all."
Rafa remains confident the Reds can still finish in the top two of the group, even though he concedes last night's draw makes life more difficult for them in Group A.
He added: "It is going to be difficult to qualify for the knockout stage but if we continue to play as well as we did tonight I am sure we can win our away games and get through.
"We kept the ball very well, we pressed Deportivo all game and we had many opportunities to score. I am happy with a lot of things about this performance but we should have won.
"If we keep this level going I am sure we can win our last three games and qualify from the group."
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The players are now very confident about themselves afteir their performances against Fulham and Deportivo. Their performances in the past two games have lifted their spirits and prepared them for tougher challenges ahead. Perhaps they learned a very important a lesson against Fulham: "Never give up."
Even though that our players could not find the back of the net (which happens in football), they played with a lot of effort and controled the game. Deportivo had hardly any chances and next time I assure you all that our side will be ready to bang in the goals.
We the fans must continue to be patient and supportive. Yes its ok to speak out when a certain player is underperforming in a game but it is not necessary for you to write them off for the entire season.
The next four fixtures aren't difficult and the win against Fulham was important. Now we go against Chalrton with our heads held high.
When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark
Walk on, through the wind
Walk on, through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
YNWA
Cheers!
Baros missed a number of chances to net a vital goal for Liverpool while Cisse was replaced by Steve Finnan towards the end following a below par display.
Benitez insists his team just needed a goal last night to cap a great display, but he isn't losing faith with his strikers.
He said: "It is natural that if you aren't winning and you come off then you won't be happy, but Djibril worked very hard tonight. He was just unlucky.
"He is working very well in training and it will come for him. It was not just Djibril who missed chances though, Milan and Luis Garcia had very good opportunities too.
"I am sure Milan and Djibril can work well together in time. They did well at Fulham and for 70 minutes against Deportivo. They just didn't score, that's all."
Rafa remains confident the Reds can still finish in the top two of the group, even though he concedes last night's draw makes life more difficult for them in Group A.
He added: "It is going to be difficult to qualify for the knockout stage but if we continue to play as well as we did tonight I am sure we can win our away games and get through.
"We kept the ball very well, we pressed Deportivo all game and we had many opportunities to score. I am happy with a lot of things about this performance but we should have won.
"If we keep this level going I am sure we can win our last three games and qualify from the group."
------------------------------------------------------------
The players are now very confident about themselves afteir their performances against Fulham and Deportivo. Their performances in the past two games have lifted their spirits and prepared them for tougher challenges ahead. Perhaps they learned a very important a lesson against Fulham: "Never give up."
Even though that our players could not find the back of the net (which happens in football), they played with a lot of effort and controled the game. Deportivo had hardly any chances and next time I assure you all that our side will be ready to bang in the goals.
We the fans must continue to be patient and supportive. Yes its ok to speak out when a certain player is underperforming in a game but it is not necessary for you to write them off for the entire season.
The next four fixtures aren't difficult and the win against Fulham was important. Now we go against Chalrton with our heads held high.
When you walk through the storm
Hold your head up high
And don't be afraid of the dark
At the end of the storm
There's a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of the lark
Walk on, through the wind
Walk on, through the rain
Though your dreams be tossed and blown
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart
And you'll never walk alone
You'll never walk alone
YNWA
Cheers!
