Rafa Benitez: “it's too early for pressure”

Rafa Benitez is confident Liverpool will be challenging for the title come May - and insists his side are under no pressure going into this weekend's clash with Bolton despite two defeats from their opening three games.

The boss believes 'togetherness and hard work' will get the Reds back on track following reversals against Tottenham and Aston Villa.

Asked at a pre-match press conference if his players were now under pressure, Benitez replied: "No, I don't think so. It's too early. Clearly the message for the players is the same - three points from the next game, that's it.

"We have to approach every game thinking about three points and then think about the next game. We cannot be thinking about January.

"Last year I was answering questions in September and October about us being contenders - it was too early. I said we will see in April.

"In football every week is different. You have to start winning games and then confidence will be really high.

"Now everyone needs to be together, working hard and trying to play well.

"Clearly we are not happy with the situation but we talked about draws last year, and maybe now we can manage and get wins instead of the draws and end up with a lot of points too."

Benitez warned against underestimating a Bolton side without a point or a goal from their two opening fixtures.

"We know Bolton are a very physical team that works very hard," he said. "They know how to play, especially at home. The figures don't matter. It will be a difficult game, so we have to approach it with confidence and make sure we are strong."

Gary Megson has come in for criticism from certain sections of the Reebok support, but Benitez rates his opposite number highly.

"He was doing a good job in the last year and hopefully this year, after this game, he will too," said the Spaniard. "For me he's someone who works hard and who is honest."

Benitez was also quizzed on whether Liverpool would conduct any more business in the transfer market before the deadline.

He responded: "Still we are working and we have some clubs asking about our players, but I don't think we'll do too much. It depends on the players, maybe some who are not playing or young players. I don't think we will do too many things."

Asked if there would be any new signings, he added: "I don't think so."

Meanwhile, Liverpool this week discovered they would face Lyon, Fiorentina and Debreceni in the Champions League group stages - three sides the club have never met in European competition.

Benitez added: "It will be good for the fans to see different teams from different cities. The games are not too far away, so that's positive. It will be a really good experience for everyone."

Liverpool Press