[lfc-news] Rafa builds from the bottom - Echo

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Liverpool Echo, 14 Oct 2004
Rafa builds from the bottom
By Chris Bascombe, Liverpool Echo

It is often said turning a football club around resembles a marathon rather
than a sprint.

For Rafael Benitez, transforming Liverpool into title contenders will be
more of a steeplechase.

The Spanish coach (pictured) has several hurdles to overcome before his
vision for the club is realised.

The squad isn't as strong as the top three's and it's still unclear how
much the manager will have to spend on recruitment in January.

"It will take time," may be a familiar observation, but it's the most
honest one.

What changes have been made so far are subtle. Walk into the manager's
office at Melwood today and the different approach is already evident.

The pictures with which Gerard Houllier once adorned the walls have been
replaced by hundreds of videos of Liverpool's future opponents.

The Spanish coach has made no promises for this year, only that his
preparation will be meticulous and the squad will improve tactically and
technically during the course of the season.

And, just as significantly, Benitez says he's already put plans in place to
ensure the scouting network, which failed to produce recruits of the
necessary standard in recent years, won't fail again.

Expect more thorough scrutiny of potential signings in future - attitude as
much as talent - as well as a more cordial relationship between the
Liverpool manager and The Academy.

"I've been talking to Steve Heighway this week about how we will move
forward in the future," said Benitez. "We know we need to change things.
One of those areas is in the scouting department and we will be talking
more with Steve and The Academy.

"We want to connect The Academy with Melwood far more. We're preparing to
watch every player in The Academy very closely. We want to see if they have
the high level for the first team.

"My assistant Paco Herrera is working alongside our scouting co-ordinator
Frank McParland and the Academy's head of recruitment, Barry Whitbread.
They will be scouting players for and from The Academy and for the first team.

"In the reserve team which played on Tuesday, there were five youngsters
from The Academy. It's important for us to know what we have. After that,
we can decide which direction to go.

"If we have three Owens or Gerrards coming through, okay, we can wait for
them. If we don't, we'll need to work harder with the scouts to prepare the
future.

"We will be meeting all of our scouts over the next month. After that, we
will start deciding which players we want to think about."

It's inevitable Benitez will be linked with numerous players before now and
January, but the manager is understandably cautious about making statements
about potential arrivals. He wants to motivate the players he's got, not
deflate their confidence by publicly demanding replacements.

"At this moment, we don't want to think about new players," insists Benitez.

"The players I have are training very well. I'm very happy with their attitude.

"You also have to understand my view that if I ever want to look at a
player, I don't want to say it to a journalist.

"If you say to the Press you want to sign a player, he immediately becomes
more expensive. You usually find it's the agents who want to talk more
about the players."

That said, the manager is well aware of the limitations of his squad and
will begin an ongoing search for fresh blood until his side is well
equipped to challenge the top three.

Exactly how long that takes will depend on how much is available and how soon,

"Arsenal and Manchester United have had time to put their squad together,"
observed Benitez.

"People have said to me 'You're in the same position as Chelsea, because
they have a new manager and new players'. But I say 'no' to this. They have
put together an expensive team with some players the manager knew very well
from Portugal.

"Carvalho and Ferreira played for the manager at Porto and when I spoke to
him he told me how important they will be because they understand the way
he works.

"We lost our last two away games in the league, but we know Manchester
United and Chelsea are very good teams with top players. They are at a high
level. I'm sure we will get better results against other teams. Now, we
need to get the confidence which comes from results.

"In the ten weeks since the start of the season we've had a lot of
international breaks which haven't helped us.

"I don't know if we have suffered more than all the other teams because of
the international break, but this week, on one day I trained with just five
first team players.

"When you have a new manager there are a lot of new things to learn but we
haven't had a lot of time to train.

"Now is a time for my players to under-stand what I want and practice. I
can't just tell them to do things the way I want without giving them time
to train.

"We've also lost players like Smicer and Nunez who would have helped the
balance of the squad, then we lost Steven Gerrard. When you arrive with a
new team and you need time, it doesn't help to have these problems."

The mood at Melwood, where there is a noticeable change in atmosphere, is
far from downbeat, however.

Benitez is merely in the warm-up when it comes to preparing his Liverpool.
His first task is to make Liverpool the equal of the top three, and then he
can think more realistically about approaching the starting line with a
view to outright victory.

"I'm sure this team will improve and we will win many games this season,"
he insists.

"If we can put together a few wins, we'll go up the table. We also have a
game more to play than the rest. If we had three points more, you'd see
where we are in the table and I know the supporters would feel happier."


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