Following the Reds' disappointing FA Cup exit at Burnley last night Rafael Benitez insists there are positives to take from the defeat.
Rafa, how disappointed are you to be out of the FA Cup?
Rafael Benitez: We are all very disappointed. We worked hard during the week to prepare for the game. The fact that we lost is very, very frustrating for all of us.
Was it more a question of a poor team performance than a wrong team selection?
I picked the team which I felt was right for the game and I have no regrets about that. In the first half Burnley were better than us but in the second half we were better. The bad thing is we conceded a poor goal and it was then always going to be difficult for us to score on a bad pitch against a team that was fighting for everything.
How disappointed were your younger players after the game?
We were all disappointed, the young players, the senior players, the staff, everyone. We wanted to pass the ball well but it was difficult. If Burnley had scored a good goal that we could have done nothing about then you say 'okay, that's football'. But for us the most disappointing thing was the way we conceded the goal.
Djimi Traore will probably never make that mistake again...
It will be a good lesson for him. It is important to learn from mistakes. We talk to the players and tell them it is good for the future if they can learn from what they do wrong.
Are there any positives you can take from last night?
It's always hard after a defeat to look for positives but I think there are two things we can take from last night.
Boss on Cup exit
"We have a lot of injured players at the moment and so maybe playing less games will help us. But that doesn"t mean we"re not disappointed to be out because we are."
Firstly, although we would much prefer to have stayed in the competition, now that we are out it means we will have more time to work with the players later in the season to prepare them for the important games we have in the Premiership, the Champions League and the Carling Cup. We have a lot of injured players at the moment and so maybe playing less games will help us. But that doesn't mean we're not disappointed to be out because we are.
Also, as I said before, if we learn from the mistakes we have made then that will be a good thing as well.
It must be driving you mad that individual errors have cost you in the last two matches...
I don't like to put my finger on one thing during a match and concentrate on one mistake. It is important that the players understand they must concentrate all through the game and try to avoid making mistakes.
Do you need more players to make your squad as strong as you'd like it to be?
All the top teams are always looking for new players. At this moment I am very happy and I have a lot of confidence in my players. Sometimes maybe you need to look for different things but I can tell you the players we have here now are all working very hard.
Can we expect any more new signings during the transfer window?
It depends on the market. We will see. Sometimes a player can become available at the right price. It's our obligation to make sure we are always looking at what is available. I'm happy that we have signed Morientes and Pellegrino during this window because they will give us more possibilities.
Why did you allow Salif Diao go on loan to Birmingham for the rest of the season?
We have Steven Gerrard, Didi Hamann, Igor Biscan, John Welsh and Darren Potter who can all play in midfield so that gives us five possibilities. It's good for Salif and good for the club that he goes to play for Birmingham.
How important is it to bounce back now and win at Southampton this weekend?
It's a very important game for us. We know we need to win games to reduce the gap on Everton and Manchester United. It will be a hard game down there because they need the points as much as we do. We are working hard with the squad this week now to prepare for this match.
After a poor week and two bad results, are you still optimistic about the rest of the season?
Of course I am. I am always optimistic. If we make a mistake or lose a game then it means we have to work harder. I don't know how to work in any other way. We are looking at the big picture and making sure we prepare the team for the future[/b]
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