Benitez: It gets more difficult every year

Sep 6 2008 by Nick Smith, Liverpool Daily Post

RAFAEL BENITEZ has warned that winning trophies for Liverpool is becoming more difficult by the year.

The manager won the Champions League in his first season at Anfield and the FA Cup a year later – but he hasn’t won any major honours in the past two years and has failed to get close to launching a title challenge.

But Benitez has hit back at his critics, who have circled once again following an under-whelming start to the current campaign.

Liverpool won their first two Premier League games against Sunderland and Middlesbrough thanks to late winning goals, while they sneaked past Standard Liege in their Champions League qualifier before last Sunday’s dour 0-0 draw at Aston Villa.

However, Benitez has rejected the suggestion he is just getting his excuses in early as he looks to overcome the obstacles standing in the way of him finally mounting a genuine title challenge

He said: “People need to understand that to win trophies is really difficult. More and more teams are spending more and more money.

“We will try to be closer and have a lot of confidence because the squad is better, but you can’t guarantee anything. We must make sure we do our best ever time.

“I’m surprised when some of the experts criticise us. They don’t analyse the situation, the bigger picture of the Premier League and the levels of the other teams.

“As a manager, you have to analyse things properly, because you aren’t a fan. You have a responsibility. You can’t just say what people want to hear.

“The Premier League is becoming more and more difficult because so many people are spending money. La Liga is fantastic, but now the Premier League is better and more difficult.

“For us to qualify for the Champions League for five years in a row is important for a club of our stature. We want to win trophies, and to win the Premier League would be amazing. But it’s not easy.”

Benitez has already revealed his feeling that Manchester City could potentially launch a threat to the top four elite after their takeover by Abu Dhabi-based business tycoons the United Group for Development and Investment unlocked a vault of riches for manager Mark Hughes.

It brings into sharp context the Spaniard’s own power struggles with the Anfield hierarchy and the refusal of owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett to sanction the money needed to prise Gareth Barry away from Aston Villa in the summer.

But Benitez is still confident in his own squad strengthening despite the resident top two of Manchester United and Chelsea still spending big money in the transfer window.

“If the owners of the clubs keep on spending big, big money, then they will want more and more success. But how many teams can win the title? Just one,” added Benitez.

“So the rest of the teams who spend big money, the owners will realise they haven’t won, so it could be more pressure and more problems for everyone.

“We’re improving the squad every year, the value of the squad has become much better. We know we’re better than before, but maybe the other teams are better also. Look at City, for example.

“As always, it also depends on the other teams. The job isn’t harder, it’s the same. When you are at a top side, you need to be ready to challenge for titles or to be under pressure.

“I don’t have any problem with the pressure. But if people analyse the situation properly, it’s changed a lot because other teams are signing big players.”

But Benitez feels the extra spending power increases pressure on managers and leaves them open to unfair criticism – which he feels he is constantly a victim of because of his selection policies.

He added: “I’m surprised by some things people have said. When I spent a lot of money on Torres, he couldn’t play for a couple of games because he was injured, but everybody was telling me he had to play because I’d spent so much on him.

“But then there was a game of United’s, where they had Hargreaves, Nani and Tevez on the bench, players who had cost £20m and maybe £30m, and nobody said anything.

“At Liverpool, though, if I leave a Torres or a Keane out, then everybody talks about it.

“If I put a player in another position, suddenly 20 experts are going on about it. Experts of what, though? I don’t know.

“They are analysing things without knowing why they have been done. And then another team can have a bench full of £20million players, and nobody says anything.”

Liverpool have added a fourth Hungarian to their ranks by taking 17-year-old midfielder Zsolt Poloskei on a season-long loan as part of their arrangement with MTK Hungaria, which has also led to Peter Gulacsi, Krisztian Nemeth and Andras Simon joining.