Related News
Liverpool keeps sliding in Champions League race
Source: Agencies |
March 22, 2010, Monday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
LIVERPOOL'S defeat by bitter rival Manchester United has left Rafa Benitez's side facing the very real prospect of missing out on next season's Champions League.
Yesterday's 2-1 loss at Old Trafford after surrendering an early lead was Liverpool's 10th of the Premier League season and leaves the team stranded in sixth place, four points adrift of fourth-place Tottenham.
Worse still, Liverpool has played two games more than both fifth-place Manchester City, which it trails by two points, and seventh-place Aston Villa, which leads by only one.
A failure to capture a spot in Europe's lucrative knockout competition -- with the ensuing consequences for the finances and status of the club -- can only heap the pressure on Benitez, particularly as the Spaniard had previously guaranteed the club a top-four finish.
"We know it will be more difficult now but we must keep pushing," Benitez said. "We have to keep going. It depends on some other teams if they lose games. They have some difficult games."
Benitez had no time for looking back at the season so far and hand-wringing over Liverpool's points total to date. "Can we change the situation? No," he said. Instead, he added: "It's better to move forward."
Liverpool was certainly moving forward a year ago, when it was challenging United for the title before missing out on a first championship crown since 1990 by just four points. It's a memory that has not been forgotten by Liverpool's fans or its players.
Though the team's shortcomings may be reflected in lackluster performances like the one at Old Trafford, Benitez preferred to point the finger at the referee yesterday rather than the players or his own management.
Howard Webb awarded United a penalty shortly after Fernando Torres had headed Liverpool in front in the fifth minute. Javier Mascherano was tugging Antonio Valencia outside the penalty area, although the Ecuador winger didn't tumble until inside it. Benitez also indicated that he thought Valencia had dived.
"It made a big, big difference -- one situation changed everything," Benitez said. "I've seen three replays and the last one was very suspicious.
"See the replay and how (Valencia) fell to the ground ... maybe there was contact but the way he fell down was strange."
Wayne Rooney netted the rebound to level after Pepe Reina had blocked his initial spot kick, but Liverpool had around 80 minutes to fight back and produce a winner.
Instead, a lack of support saw Torres become an isolated figure up front and it was United's Park Ji-sung who broke the deadlock.
Park supplied United's winner on the hour mark when a defensive lapse allowed the South Korea international to ghost through unchecked and meet Darren Fletcher's cross with a diving header.
"We have to stop the cross," Benitez said. "If we cannot, we have to be aware of people getting into the box. It has to be the team that is taking care of this situation."
With no match in midweek, the team's next task is to beat Sunderland before turning its attentions to the Europa League and a quarterfinal against Benfica -- the competition which offers Benitez's only hope of ending a bleak season with a trophy.
Yesterday's 2-1 loss at Old Trafford after surrendering an early lead was Liverpool's 10th of the Premier League season and leaves the team stranded in sixth place, four points adrift of fourth-place Tottenham.
Worse still, Liverpool has played two games more than both fifth-place Manchester City, which it trails by two points, and seventh-place Aston Villa, which leads by only one.
A failure to capture a spot in Europe's lucrative knockout competition -- with the ensuing consequences for the finances and status of the club -- can only heap the pressure on Benitez, particularly as the Spaniard had previously guaranteed the club a top-four finish.
"We know it will be more difficult now but we must keep pushing," Benitez said. "We have to keep going. It depends on some other teams if they lose games. They have some difficult games."
Benitez had no time for looking back at the season so far and hand-wringing over Liverpool's points total to date. "Can we change the situation? No," he said. Instead, he added: "It's better to move forward."
Liverpool was certainly moving forward a year ago, when it was challenging United for the title before missing out on a first championship crown since 1990 by just four points. It's a memory that has not been forgotten by Liverpool's fans or its players.
Though the team's shortcomings may be reflected in lackluster performances like the one at Old Trafford, Benitez preferred to point the finger at the referee yesterday rather than the players or his own management.
Howard Webb awarded United a penalty shortly after Fernando Torres had headed Liverpool in front in the fifth minute. Javier Mascherano was tugging Antonio Valencia outside the penalty area, although the Ecuador winger didn't tumble until inside it. Benitez also indicated that he thought Valencia had dived.
"It made a big, big difference -- one situation changed everything," Benitez said. "I've seen three replays and the last one was very suspicious.
"See the replay and how (Valencia) fell to the ground ... maybe there was contact but the way he fell down was strange."
Wayne Rooney netted the rebound to level after Pepe Reina had blocked his initial spot kick, but Liverpool had around 80 minutes to fight back and produce a winner.
Instead, a lack of support saw Torres become an isolated figure up front and it was United's Park Ji-sung who broke the deadlock.
Park supplied United's winner on the hour mark when a defensive lapse allowed the South Korea international to ghost through unchecked and meet Darren Fletcher's cross with a diving header.
"We have to stop the cross," Benitez said. "If we cannot, we have to be aware of people getting into the box. It has to be the team that is taking care of this situation."
With no match in midweek, the team's next task is to beat Sunderland before turning its attentions to the Europa League and a quarterfinal against Benfica -- the competition which offers Benitez's only hope of ending a bleak season with a trophy.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
