Benitez: Draw shows we can compete at top
Sep 19 2005
By Ian Doyle, Daily Post
RAFAEL BENITEZ believes yesterday's goalless draw with Manchester United was further proof Liverpool can break into the Premiership top three this season.
The Anfield side had the better of a disappointingly low-key encounter that leaves them already 12 points behind leaders Chelsea, albeit with two games in hand.
The draw - the first scoreless game between the clubs since 1991 - halted a run of three successive home league defeats to United, and gave Benitez his first point against Sir Alex Ferguson's side after two losses last season.
And the Liverpool manager pointed to that improvement as evidence his team can now compete with the Old Trafford outfit.
"United are one of the best teams in England and we played at the same level as them," said Benitez. "To me it shows we are another step higher, on another level.
"It is a good point. United are a top-three team. Last season we lost to them, but today we drew and controlled the game.
"Now we need to see how we play against Chelsea and Arsenal. We can improve but we are now controlling games and going forward."
Liverpool's clean sheet means they have yet to concede a goal in four Premiership games so far this season. However, they have scored only once in that time and Benitez has admitted the lack of firepower has become a concern.
"I am worried about the lack of goals," he said. "Normally we are creating opportunities and it has been down to some bad luck that we haven't scored, but we didn't create much today.
"You need to look for positives. We have had four clean sheets and that is a positive. But I know we need to score more goals if we want to win games. That will come.
"We tried to get support for Peter Crouch but United have good players and were trying to win the second ball. There were two or three balls in the box when Steven Gerrard and Luis Garcia almost got on to them."
In contrast, Liverpool have found goalscoring a lot easier in Europe and went into yesterday's game following a fine 2-1 win at Real Betis in the Champions League.
Benitez, though, dismissed the suggestion his team are better suited to European competition than the Premiership.
"It is a different type of game," he said.. "We played away with a compact system in Betis but today we were at home and we have to go forward. United have very good players in counter-attack - it is a very different type of game.
"The most important thing is to play well and win games. Sometimes you can't do that.
"Today we tried, we played it wide and played it forward and then tried to play a counter-attack. We changed our system to try and win.
"If you have very good strikers and very good midfielders maybe you can play a different system but to do that you need wingers and a second striker. Sometimes it depends on the other team also."
Of yesterday's encounter, Benitez added: "It was a tough game. There were two good teams, and while we didn't create a lot of opportunities but neither did they. It was a draw against a good team.
"They are strong and good in defence, they press and we tried to do the same, but it was difficult.
"I think the teams were maybe too similar. The most important thing is that we have shown we can compete at this level."
