FA CUP PREVIEW: Benitez out to avoid upset against troublesome Tykes

Feb 16 2008 by Ian Doyle, Liverpool Daily Post

TO be forewarned is to be forearmed, and Liverpool have already had enough notice of the perils of the FA Cup this season.

Rafael Benitez’s side began their run in the competition by struggling to force a replay against Luton Town in the third round before overwhelming the troubled Coca-Cola League One side.

But that was a mild inconvenience when compared to the humiliation non-league Havant and Waterlooville heaped upon Liverpool after twice taking the lead at Anfield in the next round.

Now another lower-league team, Championship outfit Barnsley, stand in the way of Benitez’s men and a quarter-final place this afternoon.

The Tykes travel to Merseyside confident of creating another shock in an FA Cup campaign that has seen just six Premier League teams make the last 16.

And a wary Benitez has urged his players against complacency as Liverpool enter a pivotal week of their season.

“When you play against a team from a lower division, it’s always difficult,” says the Spaniard. “You have to warn against complacency and to tell your players to be careful.

“But if they score first, you will play with more anxiety and you are nervous. That can happen.

“Normally, in these type of games you don’t have anything to win. People expect you to win. But if you play well and score goals that can be a positive.

“In the FA Cup this season, you can see a lot of Premier League teams struggling. If they have problems like we have had, your players must be aware of what has happened.

Barnsley are in the fifth round so they must have been doing the right things otherwise they would not be there.”

The FA Cup has proven a roller-coaster for Benitez since his arrival at Anfield in the summer of 2004.

Accused of lacking respect for the competition when fielding an understrength team that lost 1-0 at Burnley in 2005, the Spaniard subsequently guided his team to final glory in Cardiff the following campaign, a route that began with the classic 5-3 win at Luton.

And, while hailing the unique appeal of the FA Cup, Benitez knows from past experience at Valencia of the unpredictability of the domestic cups.

“The cup in Spain used to be similar to the FA Cup here, but now they play over two legs and the second leg is at the home of the top stadium, so shocks are rare now,” he says.

“But here in England they are common, that is why everyone knows about the FA Cup. You can have Premier League teams lose to lower league teams.

“In Spain, when I was with Valencia we were beating Alicante, who were two leagues below us, 3-1 with 10 minutes to go. But then we conceded two goals, went to extra time and lost 5-4 on penalties.

“It was a surprise to me, especially as they scored all five of their penalties. It was a good game, but we were better than them in the game but didn’t take our chances and then their keeper did well in the shoot-out.”

Barnsley’s win at Southend in the previous round was only the second success on their travels all season, a record that has left the Yorkshiremen meandering around mid-table in the Championship.

However, they actually won on their last visit to Anfield in November 1997 during their sole season in the top flight, their only victory in 10 trips.

Liverpool’s continued progress in cup competitions has been at odds with their league form, Benitez’s men having won just one of their last seven top-flight matches to drop to fifth.

And the inconsistency that has undermined Liverpool’s season – sometimes even during the course of a single 90 minutes – continues to perplex Benitez and his staff.

“It’s something we’ve been trying to understand,” admits the Liverpool manager. “Sometimes it can be because you don’t take your chances or make mistakes in defence but also we had some bad luck in games.

“We were conceding goals that were going into the top corner and players who don’t normally score were scoring against us.

“I’m not using bad luck as an excuse. Sometimes we’ve had bad games, not taken our chances, made mistakes in defence, but sometimes it has been bad luck.

“But in the last two games against Sunderland and Chelsea, I think we have done well and deserved to win and score goals.

“But I’ve been really pleased with the training this week, especially the last two days. Maybe because we are playing two cup competitions, the players are ready and really concentrated.”

Xabi Alonso, who was suspended for the trip to Stamford Bridge last week, is among several players pressing for a first-team recall.

And with his season having been hampered by a broken metatarsal and a subsequent lengthy recovery and quest for form, Alonso accepts he must redouble his efforts.

“It hasn’t been an easy season for me,” he admits. “If you ask any player what it is like coming back from injury and they will tell you the most important thing is to get a run of games.

“That is exactly what I need now and hopefully I can get that, although I know it will be difficult because Steven, Javier and Lucas have all been doing well.

“But I will keep on working hard in training and hopefully my chance will come. You have to make sure you are ready when your chance does come, so if I am selected tomorrow I will give everything.

“It is always nice when fans tell you they like to see you in the team, and I am grateful for the support I have had from them, but now is the time for me to deliver.”