Title still within reach for Liverpool, insists Benitez

Rafael Benitez has urged his Liverpool players to put a torrid month behind them after insisting that his stuttering team remains in a strong position to win the Premier League title.

Having started January at the top of the table, Liverpool could be five points adrift of Manchester United by the time they entertain Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday.

Benitez’s side have drawn their last four league and cup games and their only win during January came when they defeated Championship outfit Preston in the FA Cup.

Yet the Spaniard, whose behaviour has come under close scrutiny in recent weeks, is urging his players to start February with a bang by defeating title rivals Chelsea, whose superior goal differences lifted them above Liverpool into second spot in midweek.

“We know in January we have not won games that we could have won. But the positive news is that January has finished,” said Benitez.

“We are eight points better than last season. We are two points from the top. We are in a fantastic position and I’m sure if we beat Chelsea people will talk in a different way. That’s football.

“Again I will say, we are in the best position we’ve been in for the last 10 or 15 years and we have to enjoy it.

“In August we talked about wanting to be contenders. We were in a fantastic position and people were saying, ‘This is your year’.

“But we are still in the title race. We just have to keep the confidence and if we beat Chelsea, everyone will be saying we have options. If we can’t beat them, we just have to keep going because it’s a long race.”

Liverpool have not won a game since Benitez’s infamous rant at title rivals Manchester United and their manager Sir Alex Ferguson earlier this month.

Since then, he has gone public about rejecting an offer of a new contract over a disagreement over his control of transfers, adding to the sense of turmoil at the club.

Liverpool co-owner Tom Hicks is expected to fly from America in time to see Sunday’s match before talking with Benitez, whom he hopes to persuade to stay at Anfield for the next five years.

Liverpool, who have not recorded a double over Chelsea since the Premier League was formed in 1992, defeated the London club at Stamford Bridge in October.

“To win at Stamford Bridge was difficult. It was a very good game and we showed quality and character,” said Benitez.

“At Anfield we beat United and if we can do the same against Chelsea, maybe we’ll write the headlines for something positive.

“It has always been important to win these games but this year it’s maybe more important because we are closer.

“Last season we were a long way behind – it wasn’t the same. But we’re level with Chelsea now so it means even more that this could be three points for us and three points they can’t get.”

It is Chelsea’s first visit to Anfield since John Arne Riise’s last minute own goal earned them a 1-1 first leg draw in the Champions League semi-final 10 months ago.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s side are starting to show signs of a recovery after going through a difficult patch of their own.

Back-to-back league wins over Stoke and Middlesbrough have breathed new life into Chelsea’s title challenge, which was left in tatters following a disastrous 3-0 defeat at Manchester United on January 11.

But Scolari remains wary of the damage a wounded Liverpool team is capable of inflicting upon his side.

“Never, when you play against Liverpool, do you say it’s an easy game,” said the Chelsea manager. “Benitez is a fantastic coach with good players.

“I lost 14 points at Stamford Bridge and I’m not a bad coach, because I draw many games here.

“This is normal. In the Premier League, I think it’s normal firstly because I think the other teams are very good, and secondly because I like Benitez so much and I wish for him all the best.

“Not in our game, sure, but all the best in his life, in the rest of his career.”