Moment of truth for
Benítez and Wenger
'I spent 20 years at Real Madrid and second is no
good'
Rafael Benítez
Delirium or despair awaits Anfield tonight but Rafael Benítez
has insisted that his Liverpool reign cannot be judged on the
Champions League quarter-final with Arsenal. In an appeal for
reason from the club's owners yesterday, the manager claimed that
his long-term plan would reap further reward regardless of the
outcome against Arsène Wenger's team.
Liverpool may hold a slender advantage in the second leg,
courtesy of Dirk Kuyt's away goal at the Emirates Stadium last
Wednesday, but it is Wenger who retains the unswerving faith of his
boardroom despite the prospect of a third trophyless season. By
contrast Benítez is planning for next season against a backdrop of
uncertainty, with Tom Hicks, George Gillett and Dubai International
Capital all vying for control of Liverpool and with only Hicks a
confirmed supporter of the Spaniard.
Having been roundly criticised for another disappointing league
campaign, Benítez wants another Champions League success to help
him develop a winning mentality at Anfield, but he does not regard
victory tonight as essential to the overall success of his
reign.
"It is not easy when you talk about the Champions League and the
money involved to be calm and to see the bigger picture, but as a
professional you need to know it is not just one game that
determines the idea and the future," the Liverpool manager said.
"You need to have a long-term idea. That is quite important. To be
here [in the quarter-finals] means we are doing something well and
it shows we are going in the right direction.
"We need to be more consistent in the Premier League but now the
team is ready to play for another big trophy, and I am not the kind
of manager who will change his opinion on the basis of one game. As
a manager you must be consistent in your plan. If you look at the
young players coming through and our record over the last four
years in the Champions League you must see we are going in the
right direction, and one game will not change my idea on that. If
we beat Arsenal it will be easier, because everyone will agree you
are going the right way, but if we lose they will say it's not the
right way. What is important as a manager is that you keep to your
plan for the future."
Benítez accepts that both he and Wenger are under pressure
tonight but has emphasised his appetite for victory, whetted by 20
years in the employ of Real Madrid. "I am under pressure because I
want to win a trophy, not to prove to people we are doing the right
thing," he stated. "It is normal, after a lot of years competing
for trophies. I was 10 years as a player and 10 years as a coach in
the Real Madrid system and to finish second is not enough. So I
have this mentality, it's my background. It is why I like to play
these kind of games. Ask my wife what kind of loser I am. She
always says that I never let the children [daughters Claudia and
Agatha] win at anything. Sometimes I might let the little one win,
but not the older one."
The Liverpool manager dismissed the idea that Arsenal's relative
youth was a disadvantage. "I don't agree with this," he said.
"Manuel Almunia is not young, Kolo Touré is not young, Emmanuel
Adebayor is not young, Alexander Hleb is not young. You can talk
about Theo Walcott but Cesc Fábregas has played four years at the
maximum level. Two or three years ago I could agree with that but
not now. They were in the Champions League final two years ago and
they have experience of playing in massive competitions."
Benítez is also wary of the favourites' mantle Liverpool
acquired with their first-leg draw in north London and Kuyt's away
goal. "We are in a good moment but I have told the players to be
careful. Arsenal usually score goals away. We need to win. I'm not
thinking that 0-0 would be fantastic. At the end I might say
"fantastic" but we need to score and win."
'If I didn't believe we could win I wouldn't be
here'
Arsène Wenger
Arsène Wenger defiantly insisted last night that Arsenal's
season is building to a glorious finale rather than unravelling.
The Frenchman is confident that his side will not only secure the
club's first European Cup but will recover in the Premier League to
claim the title.
Arsenal may have won only two of their past 11 games in all
competitions, a five-point lead in the league transformed into a
six-point deficit in the process, but Wenger cited Manchester
United's inability to win at Middlesbrough on Sunday as grounds for
optimism. His conviction that his team can prevail at Liverpool
tonight and move into the semi-finals of the Champions League
remains unswerving, with dreams of a double retained.
"I still believe we will finish as champions in this league,"
said Wenger. "The result at Middlesbrough helped a lot. If United
had won, I'd have thought we couldn't [win the league] but, now, I
still believe we'll do it. And if I didn't believe we could win the
Champions League I wouldn't be sitting here.
"We feel as well that we dropped a few points but we've been
consistent since the beginning of the season in the league, so it's
possible we can win the last five games. I said we needed five wins
and one draw before the Liverpool game on Saturday so, now, it is
compulsory that we win at Old Trafford [on Sunday].
"And, as for the Champions League, we have belief we can win
everywhere in the world. Statistically, it will not always go as
well for Liverpool in this competition. It will not always work for
them just like it has before."
Wenger, who may have lost Tomas Rosicky to a hamstring complaint
until next season, was pointedly bullish last night, his desire to
claim a first trophy since 2005 undiminished. "In many ways I'm
becoming physically agitated [on the touchline] more because I want
to score the goals rather than because I'm really nervous," he
added. "I've had periods this season when I've been nervous or
angry, but now I want to help the team.
"We fight very hard, battle very hard to get back into games,
but we miss just a fraction in the final third. We'll need a
similar spirit to the game against Milan [won 2-0 at San Siro] and
we'll have to go into the game with the same positive attitude.
Liverpool will do that as well. Both these teams are under
pressure, but that's normal. This will be exciting."
<!--Article is not commented: 0 -->
