Rafael Benitez insists he will not be distracted by mounting speculation over his future after Liverpool's latest display all but ended their chances of getting back into the title battle.
The Spaniard is refusing to concede defeat in the race for the Premier League trophy, despite his side dropping more points in a frustrating 1-1 draw at struggling Middlesbrough.
Fernando Torres struck his 17th goal of the season to earn a share of the spoils, but a fourth consecutive draw leaves Liverpool 12 points off the summit with their hopes of claiming a first top-flight championship in 17 years little more than theoretical in most people's view. Champions League winner Benitez's hopes of ending Liverpool's lengthy domestic title drought have not been helped by his uneasy truce with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
It is a strained relationship which has seen the Anfield club linked with potential new managers amid reports suggesting former German national coach Jurgen Klinsmann recently turned down an offer to take charge, instead opting to join Bayern Munich. Benitez shrugged-off the uncertainty, and he insisted: "I don't find the constant speculation that surrounds the club difficult to deal with. I'm just concentrating on the next game because you can't do anything at all about that speculation."
The Liverpool manager insists his side are not daunted by the ground they must make up in the remaining four months of the season if they are to mount an unlikely title challenge. He added: "In our position you can't think about the leaders, you have to think about the next game.
You can talk and talk but at the end of the day you must win out there on the pitch. "An away draw can be a good thing when especially you're looking to close the gap to get closer to the leaders, but we're disappointed at only getting a point." Restored Middlesbrough skipper George Boateng broke the deadlock with his first goal of the season courtesy of a close-range finish midway through the first-half, before Torres earned Liverpool a fully-merited point with a stunning 25-yard finish 20 minutes from time.
Benitez added: "Torres is a great player who has come up with a fantastic goal, he's a constant threat for defenders. When he's around you know he'll come up with a chance almost in every game. "Overall, we're disappointed not to come away with the win.
We didn't control the game in the first-half but there was a massive difference after the interval. We were the ones attacking at the last minute looking for the win." Middlesbrough, who also hit the post through Stewart Downing, remain in relegation danger after just two home wins all season.
Manager Gareth Southgate, who dismissed reports linking Downing with a 12-million-pound transfer to Tottenham Hotspur as "speculation", added: "We were good value when we went ahead, and had we got the second when we hit the post we would probably have gone on to win.
"But when you look at it I think Torres cost about as much as our whole squad of 16, so we can't be too disappointed."
by www.wldcup.com
The Spaniard is refusing to concede defeat in the race for the Premier League trophy, despite his side dropping more points in a frustrating 1-1 draw at struggling Middlesbrough.
Fernando Torres struck his 17th goal of the season to earn a share of the spoils, but a fourth consecutive draw leaves Liverpool 12 points off the summit with their hopes of claiming a first top-flight championship in 17 years little more than theoretical in most people's view. Champions League winner Benitez's hopes of ending Liverpool's lengthy domestic title drought have not been helped by his uneasy truce with American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
It is a strained relationship which has seen the Anfield club linked with potential new managers amid reports suggesting former German national coach Jurgen Klinsmann recently turned down an offer to take charge, instead opting to join Bayern Munich. Benitez shrugged-off the uncertainty, and he insisted: "I don't find the constant speculation that surrounds the club difficult to deal with. I'm just concentrating on the next game because you can't do anything at all about that speculation."
The Liverpool manager insists his side are not daunted by the ground they must make up in the remaining four months of the season if they are to mount an unlikely title challenge. He added: "In our position you can't think about the leaders, you have to think about the next game.
You can talk and talk but at the end of the day you must win out there on the pitch. "An away draw can be a good thing when especially you're looking to close the gap to get closer to the leaders, but we're disappointed at only getting a point." Restored Middlesbrough skipper George Boateng broke the deadlock with his first goal of the season courtesy of a close-range finish midway through the first-half, before Torres earned Liverpool a fully-merited point with a stunning 25-yard finish 20 minutes from time.
Benitez added: "Torres is a great player who has come up with a fantastic goal, he's a constant threat for defenders. When he's around you know he'll come up with a chance almost in every game. "Overall, we're disappointed not to come away with the win.
We didn't control the game in the first-half but there was a massive difference after the interval. We were the ones attacking at the last minute looking for the win." Middlesbrough, who also hit the post through Stewart Downing, remain in relegation danger after just two home wins all season.
Manager Gareth Southgate, who dismissed reports linking Downing with a 12-million-pound transfer to Tottenham Hotspur as "speculation", added: "We were good value when we went ahead, and had we got the second when we hit the post we would probably have gone on to win.
"But when you look at it I think Torres cost about as much as our whole squad of 16, so we can't be too disappointed."
by www.wldcup.com
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