Rafael Benitez believes there is still more to come from
table-topping Liverpool.
Rafael Benítez
has warned Manchester United and Chelsea that
Liverpool
will improve in the second half of the season, although he
admits that even one mistake "can be massive" in his club's quest
for a first league title in 19 years.
The Premier League leaders' nerve and
inexperience at the summit were questioned by United's manager, Sir
Alex Ferguson, this week and the Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard
said both Liverpool and United had failed to capitalise on the
Blues' run of two wins from seven league games. Benítez, however,
believes that his team, who have lost only one game this season,
are yet to realise their full potential.
"I believe we can still improve," said the Liverpool manager,
who is expected to return to the dugout at Stoke on Saturday after
a recent kidney-stones operation. "Martin Skrtel has not been
playing, [Javier] Mascherano has been playing much better in the
last few games, [Steven] Gerrard is improving now; we have
[Fernando] Torres coming back now too. I think we will have more
options in the second half of the season and more competition for
each position. That can be important."
The return of Torres and Skrtel, who have recovered from a
hamstring and cruciate injury respectively, presents Benítez with
the dilemma of integrating them into an already functioning unit.
It is a welcome problem for the Spaniard, admittedly, but he
accepts that pursuing the title rather than merely Champions League
qualification means he no longer has any margin for error with his
selections.
"Clearly we are in a much better position than in past seasons.
We are doing what we did before and analysing all the same
details," he said. "The difference now is that you know if you make
a mistake it can be massive, so you have to consider
everything.
"Torres needs minutes on the pitch. It is a problem because the
team is doing well. Some players you have to keep their momentum,
but [Fabio] Aurelio, Skrtel and Torres need to play too. So to keep
the balance will be difficult."
That strength in depth underlies Benítez's view that Liverpool
will be quiet in this transfer window, with the exception of
offloading Jermaine Pennant, who is considering an offer to join
Milan at the end of the season, and encouraging Daniel Agger to
sign a new contract. "It is difficult to buy in January. If you
bring in new players then they need time to settle and if you sell
players then maybe you will lose something," the manager said. "We
don't have any clubs asking for our players. It is important to
keep the squad together, although you cannot guarantee that you
won't sell anyone or sign anyone."