Liverpool Football Club

• Nickname:Reds
• Founded:1892
• Manager:Brendan Rodgers

• Ground:Anfield
• Capacity:45362

Benitez: Reds will benefit

27 Apr 2009 - 12:35:23

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Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez believes his players will emerge from this season stronger, whatever the outcome of the Premier League title race.

The Reds are now Manchester United's only genuine challengers for the league crown as they are three points behind the leaders with four games remaining in the season.

But even if they fail to claw back their Old Trafford rivals this season, Benitez believes the experience of being in the thick of a title race will stand his players in good stead.

"The team, the squad, has shown that it's better and this is a fantastic experience for the next years because we are in a position now that we were not before, for me that is the positive thing," he told the club's official website.

"Always you can talk about trophies but in England there are so many strong sides, it's not easy. At least you have to be there, you have to be contending - then you see what happens.

"We have four games now to finish the season and we're still in the title race so I think it's very positive.

"Normally when you play this level you know that at the end of the season you will play for trophies and can lose but if you analyse the whole season I think the team's done very well, especially without (Steven) Gerrard and (Fernando) Torres for a lot of games.

"I have confidence that we can fight until the end. After that, it's very good experience because we have been in a position we were not before, not for a long time.

"I have confidence United will drop points. So we need to keep going, keep doing our job, put them under pressure and then we will see."