RAFA ON WIGAN, TORRES AND ROTATION

nesta0013

Rafa Benitez takes five minutes out of his pre-match preparations tochat to Liverpoolfc.tv ahead of our Premier League clash with WiganAthletic.

Rafa, after a frustrating week which saw us draw three matches, howimportant was it to beat Reading and boost the squad's confidence?

You always go into each game wanting to win and it is especiallyimportant in a cup competition as it means you progress and maintain achance of winning a trophy.
It was good for the team spirit as we not only won but also showed great character.

With two months gone what's your overall assessment of your start to the season?

I think that in general it has been good. The only thing that has disappointed me has been the timing of fixtures.
After the international break we had to play an early kick-off awayto Portsmouth and ended up with a draw. It wasn't the best result butin the circumstances it isn't a bad one either.
It is not ideal to play so many games in a row in such a short period of time but it must be like this if you are a top side.

You expected a lot of Fernando Torres. What did you think of his performance against Reading?

I was really pleased. People forget that we signed Fernando Torresso we already knew his quality and we have confidence in him. For methe key is that we have many good strikers and we need to decide whichtwo will be the best choice for each game.
I was sure that Torres could be good for us against Reading away.You don't need to use all your strikers throughout the season and forme the key against Birmingham wasn't Torres.
People say I don't want to say it was a mistake, but it wasn'tjust about starting with Torres. Other players were not playing attheir usual level.

Has his hat-trick guaranteed him a place in the team to face Wigan?

I am not stupid. I know if a player is playing well and is fit, andI don't have a player better than him or at the same level, then I mustuse that player.
But I don't want to say yes, because Kuyt and Voronin are playingreally well, Crouch is playing well also, so why do I need to say thisone must play because he has scored three goals?
Voronin scored one goal in the Champions League then was not playing and Kuyt was the same.
The situation for me is similar. We are creating chances for allthe strikers and they are scoring goals. For me all of them are similarand I need to decide which one is better for each game.

Do you get bored of all the talk about rotation?

At Valencia it was the same. I was there three years and I rememberin my first season we were 13 games unbeaten and they were saying maybehe will be sacked. Even after 13 games without losing.
I was rotating the players and then in one particular game against Espanyol they said if he loses he will get the sack.  
We were losing 2-0 at half-time and I took off (Pablo) Aimar, whowas the star of the team and then we won 3-2 and people said I waslucky! You need to take these decisions and when you analyse your squadyou know that during the season you will make some mistakes.
But you must look at the big picture and maybe with one mistake you have prepared the team for 10 other games.
Torres was talking about having fresh legs but if you use himagainst Birmingham and then against Reading maybe he will not be readyfor playing against Wigan and Marseille.
In this case I am sure 100 per cent certain that I made the right decision.

Torres may have grabbed the headlines but it was also good to see Benayoun score his first for the club at Reading.

I was really pleased with Yossi. He scored a great goal, worked hard and played really well. I think Sebastian Leto and Lucas Leiva also did well.
It is my idea that you have a strong squad so that when you play inthe Carling Cup you can change six or seven players and still win. Ifyou cannot then you do not have enough power in your squad to play inthree or four competitions.

Last season we won 4-0 at Wigan but they have invested heavilyin their squad and have appointed a new manager. Are you expecting atougher game today?

They have players with experience and they will remember that itwas 0-4 and they will try to work really hard to change the result.
For us it will be the same idea as any other game, try to work hard, play well and try to win.
In the Premier League if you are at the top of the table and you want to stay there you need to win almost every game.   

Chris Hutchings was the number two at Wigan last season but nowhe's the boss. What are the main differences when you make thattransition from coach to manager?

The differences are that assistant managers can be friendly and close to the players.
With managers you make tough decisions. So, for example if I say toTorres you are not playing in the next game after he has scored threegoals, he will not be happy.
But as a professional you must make these decisions and sometimes the players don't understand.
You must do what's right for the team.  

Given recent events at Chelsea, how important do think a ProLicence is to manage in the Premier League, especially when youconsider Avram Grant does have a lot of experience.

If someone has the experience they still have to do the paperwork. I think it is important to have both things.
But the experience as a coach is the key. If you talk about five,six or seven years at a club you have enough experience, you know aboutthe press, the players, the owners, the supporters and about the game.So for me it is then just about getting some paper work which issomething simple.

Alvaro Arbeloa is one player who you have not rotated this season. What qualities does he have that has seen him play every minute so far?

Arbeloa has been playing because we didn't have too many options in this position.  
But now we have Aurelio fit and Riise fit again, he will fight with Finnan and we will see if he can play fewer games.
People are talking about letting players play a lot of games now. They can do it.
I don't say that they cannot, they can play 20, 25 games, 30 games in a row if you want, no problem, everybody can do it.  
The problem is at the end of the season after 30 games, after 40 games.  
It is in the last 10 to 15 matches when you are playing for trophies, that you must be fresh.  
If you don't do something now you cannot change it later. If youplay against a club that has 24 players in the squad and they arechanging the players, the last 10 to 15 games they will be ready, theywill be fit and you will not be ready because you cannot change thephysical condition of a player in one week.
You need months and if you cannot change it then maybe you will play for trophies and you will lose.

So it's all about looking at the big picture?

We are playing for finals. We want to play the last game of the season in the Champions League final.
You cannot play the last games, the FA Cup and the two ChampionsLeague finals that we have been in, without the team being fit, withoutchanging players. That is clear.
When you are playing to win trophies, you need to analyse everything. The last 10 to 15 games I need Fernando Torres fit. I don't need Fernando Torres fit for playing against Birmingham now if I have Kuyt, Voronin and Crouch.  
I need maybe the speed of Fernando Torres in the last game of the season, in the final of the Champions League or to win the Premier League.  
These are the decision the manager needs to take.