Benitez fires Euro warning
01 Dec 2006 - 09:22:25
Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has warned his side that they face a tough battle to secure a place in top four and ensure Champions League football next season.
The Reds, along with Arsenal, have struggled so far this season, leaving Manchester United and Chelsea to battle it out for the title and giving the likes of Bolton, Portsmouth and Aston Villa hope of a top-four finish.
Benitez said: "Benitez says: "The race this season for third and fourth place is very open, more so than usual between several teams. The reason is that teams are now very close to each other.
"When we talked in the summer of being contenders ourselves, we believed that this season we would see the top clubs all losing more matches than before, you can see now that is the situation.
"Bolton can beat Arsenal, all teams can beat each other. Teams can lose two or three in a row, the competition is therefore much closer and the league is far more balanced than before.
"What we need now is to get our injured players fit for the New Year. Against sides with smaller squads that is now vital.
"Everyone is bunched from third place to mid-table. We need to keep going and do our job. The situation is not clear, so we have to win all the time.
"I do not look at the league table at the moment, it changes so quickly. Only in a couple of months will I start to view it seriously."