IT seems even the weather is against Rafael Benitez at the moment. Liverpool's efforts to build on the momentum of back-to-back Premier League victories were yesterday hampered by the chill that has frozen much of the country this week.
Consecutive top-flight wins had eluded the Anfield outfit for more than three months before Wolverhampton Wanderers and then Aston Villa were despatched over the festive period.
There was, of course, the comedown of the subsequent below-par FA Cup performance at Reading last week.
But Benitez is convinced his team have rediscovered their mojo ahead of tomorrow's scheduled visit of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur which was yesterday postponed.
"For us it would have been better to play because we have been training well but for safety reasons it is clear that it could be dangerous so we have to accept the situation," says the Spaniard.
"You have to make an early decision because you if you wait it could be a problem for the Tottenham supporters coming from London and also for our own fans and people coming from other places.
"We have really good conditions at Melwood. The roads are a problem but the pitch isn’t, so we can train here.
"We are changing the training sessions and in some cases this will mean that we will be able to train harder because we have more time.
"We were preparing everything and we know that for us it will be a problem because of the games we have in the FA Cup and the Europa League as well as the Premier League but we have to accept the situation."
Despite the cold weather, it's the freeze on Benitez's spending this month that has been the real talking point among supporters.
While many of their rivals for fourth place ponder splashing the cash in a bid to improve their chances of claiming that coveted Champions League berth, the Liverpool manager must be creative in the transfer market.
Andrea Dossena and Andriy Voronin are already on their way out, with Atletico Madrid's Argentine right-winger Maxi Rodriguez close to agreeing an 18-month contract.
But Benitez admits it will be a difficult task for his team to force their way back into the top four, with Liverpool currently four points adrift in seventh place.
"It isn’t easy at this moment because there are three or four clubs pushing really hard and they have some money," he says. "But we know that we have a good squad.
"Our squad is better than people think. It is a question of getting some players playing at the same level and then the other players will do the same. It is a question of time.
"We had two wins in a row and then we drew in the cup – this can always happen in the cup competitions – but I am confident that we will improve.
"Always winning trophies is really difficult because there is only one winner of each competition each season.
"With top four it is a question of fighting until the very end and we know that we have to do this but to be first is the most difficult thing. We will try to do our very best until the very end and it is a long, long race. "
