Rafa happy with Johnson's form
20 Nov 2009 - 09:30:23
Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez claims Glen Johnson is one of the best full-backs currently playing in European football.
Benitez broke the bank to land the England right-back from Portsmouth in an £18million deal during the summer.
Johnson has responded with a string of impressive displays and has also chipped in with two goals.
The only blot on the 25-year-old's copybook is a regular criticism of his defensive naivety, but Benitez is confident of moulding Johnson into one of the best all-round full-backs in world football.
"I think he is a very good player," said the Spaniard.
"He is keen to learn, so he knows he can improve in defence, but if you analyse the balance between his attack and defence, then he is a very good player.
"He is a threat for the other team all the time. He has to improve in defence, but if he continues attacking, then he will be more difficult for the opponent.
"How do we improve him? The first thing is to understand the game and the problems and then afterwards he will improve. But he is keen to learn, so we will see how he progresses in this time.
"He is one of the best in Europe - 100 per cent. When you analyse the strengths and weaknesses in his game, he is really good.
"The problems he has are not as bad as people think, but when you are full back and are attacking, you are not in defence. So that is the problem."