Is Benitez clutching at straws?

I predicted that Liverpool would win the Premier League this season. I was pretty confident that they would learn from some of their mistakes last season and build on what was their best season in the league for ages. I thought they would go on to do well.

Defeat

They still might, of course, although Sunday’s defeat at Chelsea was their third defeat already in the first eight games. Apparently you have to go back to 1967 to find a team who won the top division after losing three of their first eight.

Whilst I am beginning to lose faith in my prediction Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez has told the BBC that his team are very much still in it despite already being six points behind the leaders.

“It is too early. It is a long race and we must keep going. We are playing good football and creating chances. We are doing the things that you need to do. But when you have chances, you must score with them.”

I watched Liverpool play at Fiorentina and at Chelsea and I am not sure where the good football and the chances were.

Benitez managed to remember the one chance Liverpool had other than a horror miss by Benayoun in the dying seconds.

“If Fernando Torres’ header in the first half had gone in I think it could have been a totally different game.”

Rafa is right, it would have been a totally different game! It was a half chance at best and it was nowhere near to going in. He really is clutching at straws with that one.

The Liverpool boss had been critical of the way his side defended at Fiorentina but felt things were better at Chelsea.

“The defence was much better. There were just one or two things wrong and we paid for them. We played a good game against a good team but if you make mistakes against them, they will score. The game plan was good, but top-class players make the difference.”

Chelsea’s first goal came about as a result of sloppiness from Javier Mascherano and the second goal came about because Didier Drogba is too strong, too quick, too skillful and simply too good for Jamie Carragher. He has been a very fine servant for Liverpool but Rafa must let his head rule his heart and realise that he is not good enough now for a team hoping to win the title.

Benitez thinks that the title race will be more open this season and that Liverpool won’t be the only top team to drop points.

“You will see the top sides losing more points against any team. That’s good for the Premier League, for the competition, but it means we have to keep going. We can’t think about three defeats. We drew a lot of games last season. We lost just two but people were telling me about the draws. Now we’re winning more and losing a few but maybe we’ll have more points.”

There is a certain amount of logic in what Benitez says but I am concerned that he is once again just clutching at straws.

Can Liverpool recover from this disappointing start and go on to have a great season, or can I already accept that my prediction was not a good one?