Champions League - Benitez defends selection

Eurosport - Tue, 20 Oct 23:22:00 2009

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez has defended his decision to play Steven Gerrard in the 2-1 Champions League defeat to Lyon after the Reds skipper was forced off with a recurrence of the groin injury that threatened his participation at Anfield.

2009-2010 Liverpool Rafa Benitez - 0

Liverpool 1-2 Lyon

Rafael Benitez: "It was not a gamble to play Gerrard. He wanted to play and had trained normally for two games. He was given the all-clear by the doctor, and what happened was just bad luck. He felt something wrong in his groin, and it was wise to come off. We have come back before - and we can do it again. We just had too many problems before and during the game. It was a difficult game with all our problems, and we had done well to be leading at the break. Then we had two or three chances soon after the interval. Had we scored, it would have changed everything. The fans know Yossi (Benayoun, whose replacement by Andriy Voronin was greeted by a chorus of boos) is a good player, but I felt he was getting a little tired and I wanted to use some fresh legs. We needed to change something, to put a fresher man on - and it was a chance worth taking."

Claude Puel: "Hats off to the players who made a huge performance. We deserved to win because we played with quality and discipline. We finished better than them and I am really happy. There is still a lot of work to do though. Obviously Liverpool are going to come to our place to win because they have got to win. But we're going to savour the moment. Liverpool were strong to start with and put us under a lot of pressure, but we managed to remain calm and strong at the back."

AZ 1-1 Arsenal

Ronald Koeman: "The late equaliser feels great as we know exactly how it feels to concede a late one. It was our mistakes that caused Arsenal's chances and the opening goal. They were controlling the match but did not have many chances."

Arsene Wenger: "We are frustrated because we felt superior to this team. We had a good performance but we couldn't take our chances and got caught in the final minute. In the Champions League you need focus for 93 minutes - tonight we made one mistake and paid for it. In bigger parts of the game we were superior and in control but as long you don't score a second goal you know they always can find their way back into the match. I felt that they could only score with a set piece situation and that is what happened."

Rangers 1-4 Unirea Urziceni

Walter Smith: "We couldn't have got off to a better start but after that we looked a little bit nervous and they had good possession of the ball. Their goal was their first real attempt although they had dominance of play. But the next three are goals we shouldn't have lost. That was the most disappointing factor and that type of defending is not good enough, at any level of football."

Dan Petrescu: "After we scored the third the game was over - but before that, I thought we could have done better. We must be very happy now. We conceded an early goal and had to change the system. I thought if they scored a second it would be difficult to come back. Now we have to think about the next game, because it's going to be a different game in Romania. It's going to be big if we qualify. If we don't win it's not that big."

Barcelona 1-2 Rubin Kazan

Pep Guardiola: "These things happen. It's not the first time and I doubt it will be the last. I didn't feel like we played a bad match. They had a very well-structured defence and all the teams (in the group) are very good. They are all professionals."

Kurban Berdyev: "The whole team played well and they showed great control during the match and that's why we won today. I am very proud and I think today will be a big party for our fans."

Internazionale 2-2 Dynamo Kiev

Jose Mourinho: "I didn't expect to have just three points after the first three games but in football the difference between winning and drawing is very little. This is a group with great difficulties. It's a group with four champions. I think we'll go through, it's my conviction."

Valeri Gazzaev: "No one is disappointed, we are totally satisfied with what we have done from the start to the finish. Tonight's formula worked well."

Debrecen 3-4 Fiorentina

Andras Herczeg: "If someone had told me before the game we would score three goals and not get a point I would not have believed it."

Cesare Prandelli: "(Adrian) Mutu produced a top-draw performance which obviously helps the team to play at a higher level. I knew he was going to do something extra after his approach and work in recent weeks."

Stuttgart 1-3 Sevilla

Markus Babbel: "We are making far too many silly mistakes. But the result tonight and the performance do not match. I think we had a good game."

Manolo Jimenez: "Team solidarity won today. Stuttgart dominated the first half and we knew we had to be patient. The team read the match very well."

Olympiacos 2-1 Standard Liege

Zico: "We are very happy because we played like a big club and we played with composure. We went a goal down but the players... kept their heads and that allowed us to turn around the result in win the game."

Ladislau Boloni: "It was an unfair result for me. We played well but not good enough to take the victory. I am very disappointed that we have come away empty handed but Olympiakos were simply better going forward. We are still a new team so we can learn a lot from these games and use our experience for the future."

Eurosport

Comment 77 - 96 of 96

Sort comments by: Most recent | Most rated

  1. rafa must go but with his knowledge of football he­ could be a "top" referee.lol

    From Matt, on Thu 22 Oct 11:39AM

  2. Lets give Rafa two more matches,i think he has learnt­ from his mistakes

    From nelson, on Thu 22 Oct 3:53AM

  3. Lets give Rafa two more matches,i think he has learnt­ from his mistakes

    From nelson, on Thu 22 Oct 3:53AM

  4. Keep Ngog, Voronin, Lucas, sktel and you will be­ fine... What a world class Liverpool have right here...­ !!! BOO BOO

    From ekykki, on Wed 21 Oct 5:49PM

  5. Look at the stark facts Liverpool supporters,... Crouch­ and Keano are front-line strikers for Spurs, (currently­ 3rd in the Premiership) keeping Defoe (England striker)­ and Pavluchenko (Russian striker) on the bench waiting­ for a pop. Do you remember those guys?

    From Philip B, on Wed 21 Oct 5:06PM

  6. every season since these two yanks have bought ­ liverpool they have always caused trouble no wonder the­ players donot know were they stand to many problems­ back stage either sell up or shut and let the mighty­ reds rule the premier league again and europe once a­ red always a red

    From austriascottishdown, on Wed 21 Oct 4:49PM

  7. NEWSFLASH!!! LIVERPOOL CHASE SOUTHGATE!

    From lemontreesid, on Wed 21 Oct 4:39PM

  8. breaking news..loserpool will loose torres coz the­ Spaniard is wiser now,..he knew that the team will stay­ as a loser and their manager have received an offer as­ a waiter...but the fan dont have to worry coz the team­ has a new star striker name David Ngog,..

    From mrs, on Wed 21 Oct 3:54PM

  9. My friend recommend me this site­ --**ukmillionaireclub---------------com **-- If you­ have worked hard for your Millionaire status and want­ to meet people of the same class, if you want to enjoy­ a millionaire lifestyle, you may join it :)

    ­ ,ad8PPPP88b,　　­ ,d88PPPP8ba,
    　d8P"　&#122­ 88;　"Y8b,­ ,d8P"　　　"Y8b­
    ­ dP''　　　&#1­ 2288;　­ "8a8"　　　&­ ;#12288;　­ `Yb
    8(　　　　&­ amp;#12288;　　"　&a­ mp;#12288;　　­ 　　　)8
    ­ I8　　　　­ 　 ­ 　　　　 ­ 8I
    　Yb,　　　&­ amp;#12288;　　　&#12­ 288;　　　　­ ,dP
    　­ "8a,　　　&#1228­ 8;　　　　&­ #12288;　 ,a8"
    　　­ "8a,　　　&#1228­ 8;　　　　­ ,a8"
    　　　­ "Yba Love adP

    From m.menko, on Wed 21 Oct 3:38PM

  10. I HAVE BEEN A LIVERPOOL SUPPORTER FOR OVER THIRTY YEARS­ . AND THIS IS THE WEAKEST TEAM I HAVE EVER SEEN . THE­ MANAGER TALKS A GOOD GAME BUT IN REALITY HE HAS RUN­ OUT OF IDEAS . IT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE TO BLAME LACK­ OF FUNDS AS HE HAS WASTED SO MUCH MONEY ON MEDIOCER­ PLAYERS . IN REALLITY IT GERRARD AND TORRESS ARE NOT­ IN THE TEAM THEN THERE IS NO TEAM . I THINK IT IS TIME­ TO MOVE RAFFA ON AS HE IS DEAD IN THE WATER . IF UTD­ DONT WIN BY AT LEAST 4 I WILL BE AMAZED THIS WEEKEND .

    From ahorler, on Wed 21 Oct 3:22PM

  11. this rafa guy knows zero about football thats why­ liverfool are loosing badly.
    the guy is a waiter. rafa­ time up to go back to your trade at 'faulty­ towers'
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah­ ahahahahahha

    BEL pa zed

    From Brian, on Wed 21 Oct 3:12PM

  12. this rafa guy knows zero about football thats why­ liverfool are loosing badly.
    the guy is a waiter. rafa­ time up to go back to your trade at 'faulty­ towers'
    hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah­ ahahahahahha

    BEL pa zed

    From Brian, on Wed 21 Oct 3:08PM

  13. Liverpool are just rubbish...hiding behind a thug like­ gerrard and some ancient history...as they have NEVER­ won the prem and never will...lapping up the secondrate­ spanish showponies in an attempt to revive that ancient­ history...benitez is a joke, has lost his dressingroom­ and the confidence of the fans and the owners....cant­ wait till sunday when united put them out of the title­ race,the fat waiter gets sacked and the scouse can shut­ thier ignorant mouths once and for all!Glory glory MAN­ U..!

    From stuartxland, on Wed 21 Oct 3:01PM

  14. URGENT UPDATE...
    Beware the­ name:Foeyp..
    he's the­ ultimate Lfc­ trash­­ bindippin,'Stained Sniffin­ Undies/Panty­ Liner'­­ pervy­­ gutless­ B.astard,that lurkes­ around kids­­ playground,drains­ & sewers,like a­ 'creepie­ crawlie' that­ he's,sniffin away­ for unsuspected­ victims like a­ filthy perverted freak­ whenever he's on the­ losing­ side......
    stamped..
    BEWARE WHATS­ LURKING­ AROUND­ THE­ CORNER!!!..STAY CLEAR AT ALL­­ COST!!!.....
    'FOEYP' IS NOTHING BUT A LOW­ LIFE­­ SADDO & A 'CREEPIE CRAWLIE'­ HIDING­ IN­­ S.HITE/GERM INFESTED­
    'LIVERPOO'­­ PIPELINES/DRAINS­­ & SEWERS AS A LOW LYING­ DISFIGURED­­ 'CYCLOP/HERMAPHRODITE'!!!...
    WARNING:PLS STAY­­ CLEAR FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!!!!...APPRECIATE!!!....LOL...

    From Those Rats likes Bin dippin for free Cheeseburger, on Wed 21 Oct 2:47PM

  15. Beware the­ name:Foeyp..
    he's the ultimate Lfc­ trash­­ bindippin,'Stained Sniffin Undies/Panty­ Liner'­­ pervy­­ gutless B.astard,that lurkes­ around kids­­ playground,drains & sewers,like a­ 'creepie­ crawlie' that he's,sniffin away­ for unsuspected­ victims like a filthy perverted freak­ whenever he's on the losing­ side......
    stamped..
    BEWARE WHATS­ LURKING AROUND­ THE­ CORNER!!!..STAY CLEAR AT ALL­ COST!!!.....
    'FOEYP' IS NOTHING BUT A LOW LIFE­­ SADDO & A 'CREEPIE CRAWLIE'­ HIDING IN­­ S.HITE/GERM INFESTED­
    'UK'­ PIPELINES/DRAINS­­ & SEWERS AS A LOW LYING DISFIGURED­ 'CYCLOP/HERMAPHRODITE'!!!...
    WARNING:PLS STAY­ CLEAR FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY!!!!...

    From Those Rats likes Bin dippin for free Cheeseburger, on Wed 21 Oct 2:35PM

  16. where was the beachball?

    From 1878, on Wed 21 Oct 2:30PM

  17. Unfortenatly Rafael Benitez only has himself to blame.­ At one stage we had a squad, good enough to challenge­ for the title, with Crouchy, Alonso,Robbie Keane. Now­ we have Torres and Kuyt up front, but no Class on the­ bench, unlike Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and­ Man City. I don't believe that we are as heavily­ dependent on Gerrard and Torres as people think!! Yeah­ they score goals and make things happen, but you need a­ good defence, we havent had that so far this season,­ our midfield is out of sorts!! As a result the goals­ aren't going in. Substanders performances from­ Lucus and Voronin have not helped.

    But in all­ fairness, Rafa is to blame, his transfers over the last­ 2 years has ruined the team. Surely the buck stops with­ him, he must go.

    From clivedavies406, on Wed 21 Oct 2:17PM

  18. Should never have sold Alonso, but Lucas and Dossena­ instead. I hope he comes good along with Aquilani. Hope­ we beat the Mancs (although thats unlikely after the­ FOURgONE conclusion that UTD should have won cos­ according to Sir oh so high and mighty you were the­ better team) just to slow their points tally and I want­ Chelsea to win as we are already pretty much out of it,­ I think if we don't win or at least get a point­ Rafa will probably get the boot!

    Y.N.W.A.

    From john r, on Wed 21 Oct 2:05PM

  19. You don't know what's going on,
    You've­ been loosing away for far too long
    You can't come­ back and think you arnt a club in decline

    You're­ out of touch my Rafa
    My poor old fashioned Rafa
    I said­ Rafa, Rafa, Rafa, you're out of time

    Well, Rafa,­ Rafa, Rafa, you're out of time
    I said
    Rafa, Rafa,­ Rafa,, you're out of time
    Yes you are should have­ left Lucus out, yes, you are
    I said you should have­ left Lucus out of there without a doubt
    'cause­ Rafa, Rafa, Rafa,, you're out of time

    You thought­ you was a clever Gaffa
    Giving up your Alonso your so­ silly poor deluded Rafa
    But you can't come back and­ be the first in line, oh yeah
    You're obsolete, my­ Rafa
    My poor old fashioned Rafa
    I said Rafa, Rafa,­ Rafa, you're out of time

    Well, Rafa, Rafa, Rafa,,­ you're out of time
    I said Rafa, Rafa, Rafa,­ you're out of time
    Yes, you are should have left­ Lucus out, yes, you are
    I said you should have left­ Lucus out of there without a doubt
    'cause Rafa,­ Rafa, Rafa,, you're out of time

    Well, Rafa, Rafa,­ Rafa,, you're out of time
    I said Rafa, Rafa,­ Rafa,, you're out of time
    Yes you are should have­ left Lucus out, yes, you are
    I said you should have­ left Lucus out of there without a doubt
    'cause­ Rafa, Rafa, Rafa, you're out of time

    From liam, on Wed 21 Oct 1:55PM

  20. Rafa has blamed the team performance on not having two­ plyers available being Torres and Gerrard, Since he has­ been in charge he has brought in 67 players to the­ club, None have fulfilled any potential thats why they­ are in trouble, and you can only blame one person for­ that, I am sick of hearing all the spainards excuses­ get rid of him.

    From simon, on Wed 21 Oct 1:39PM
Sort comments by: Most recent | Most rated

Not already a Yahoo! user ? to get a free Yahoo! Account