Rafael Benitez: I will make Liverpool great again
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Rafael Benitez: I will make Liverpool great again
Spaniard vows to "fight for Liverpool"...
Under pressure Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez says he will "fight for the club" and restore their place amongst Europe's elite.
The Anfield club have failed to live up to expectations this season; exiting the Champions League at the group stage and struggling to keep up with the front runners in the Premier League title race.
The Spanish manager is, however, determined to put things right, starting with victory over Merseyside rivals Everton on Sunday.
"When I decided to stay here, I knew that we could be facing a difficult season," he said, as quoted by the Daily Express.
"I was aware that a lot of things could happen and the competition stronger. But I decided to stay because I wanted to.
"Look, I was a Real Madrid fan. I knew off by heart the names of the Real Madrid team that played Liverpool in the European Cup final of 1981.
"I was a fan, and also a Madrid player at that time. Now, considering that, I decided to stay in Liverpool because I liked the city, I liked the fans, I liked the life here and the passion in the Premier League.
"Why am I telling you this? Because when I decided to stay here, I wanted to fight for this club.
"I had signed a new five-year contract because I wanted to fight for Liverpool.
"Sometimes it is good, sometimes there are bad moments. But still I will fight.
"So we will play in the Europa League, that will be a target. We will play against Everton on Sunday and that will be our target.
"Every single week we will fight and try to win. If we can, we will be happier. If we cannot, we will still have to fight."
Benitez revealed he could have left Liverpool for more money, having led the club previously to two Champions League finals, but resisted the temptation to bring more success to the Reds.
"When I signed my new contract I had offers from other clubs for more money, and a lot more money to spend in the transfer market," he added.
"But I decided to stay because I felt we had a very good team.
"We will prove this during the rest of the season. It is long race and we know we are not playing at the level we can, but we will improve, we will be back in Europe.
"It doesn’t matter what people are saying, maybe trying to take advantage of the situation. We will win games, we will improve and things will change."