People Hailing Torres and Rafa Explains Alonso Situation
Sami Hails Match-Winner Torres
Hyypia admitted on the Official Website that the Reds will need to improve as the season progresses but he’s more than happy with a victory to kick-off the campaign.
“The first half in particular was not good enough, we know that,” he said.
“It was tough for us at the start of the game. They came out of the blocks really quickly and set a really high tempo, which you’d expect because it was their first home game of the season.
“They put us under a lot of pressure and maybe we were a little bit slow to get going.
“It was certainly not the best game we have played but the important thing was that we got better in the second half and at the end Fernando popped up with a goal and that was enough to win the game.
“It was a good finish from Fernando. I was just behind the shot and I could see exactly where it was going. It was a great strike and it gave the keeper no chance.
“None of us were surprised that Fernando scored in that way because we have seen him do it before in games and he also does it in training. It’s great for us that we have that kind of player in our team.
“The most important thing is that we got the win. We have had pre-season and that was our first game in the league so it was good to get three points on the board and keep a clean sheet.
“We have to be happy with that but we have to look at what we can do better because there are many, many things that we can do better.
“The next game is at home against Middlesbrough on Saturday so hopefully we will do a lot better then.”
Rafa’s Turn To Do The Hailing
He said: “I think it was a difficult game first half. They controlled the game in the opening 45 minutes but didn’t have clear chances other than one. We were a little under pressure but the second half was different.
“We were controlling it and the quality of our passing was much better. We had plenty of possession and were much better going forward.
“The difference at the end of the game was Torres. We know he can score these kind of goals but the team as a whole needs to play well.
“It was also important that we kept a clean sheet.
Alonso Situation…Rafa Speaks
“I explained to Xabi why I needed money by selling players. I told him we also have Mascherano, Lucas, Gerrard and Plessis in midfield and we need to have eight British players,” he told The Guardian.
“I need to bring British players in and I needed a left-footed player.
“When I was talking with him, we needed the money. After some months, it was not a question of money, it was a question of keeping the balance.”
Benitez did hint that he may be rethinking his options though, with Andriy Voronin and Jermaine Pennant both disposable options should Alonso stay.
“Now I don’t know,” admitted the Liverpool manager.
“We will have to receive a massive offer because Xabi is a good player. The question is, have we done things in the right order or not?”
This entry was posted on August 18, 2008 at 3:27 pm and is filed under Other. You can subscribe via RSS 2.0 feed to this post's comments.
Tags: fernando torres, gareth barry, rafael benitez, sami hyypia, xabi alonso
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