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Reds perfectly primed for Chelsea: Benitez
LIVERPOOL, England (AFP) - Rafa Benitez described Liverpool's build-up to Wednesday's Champions League semi-final trip to Chelsea as almost perfect after watching his side glide to a 2-0 win over Wigan.
The Liverpool manager was able to rest key players, bring others back from injury and saw his team guarantee themselves a place in next season's Champions League thanks to two goals from Dutch international striker Dirk Kuyt.
Everything went according to plan for the Spanish manager and Liverpool look to be peaking at exactly the right time as they bid to repeat their 2005 win over Chelsea at the same stage of Europe's premier competition.
"We were looking for a good game, a good result and we wanted to rest some players and didn't want injuries," Benitez said. "So it was almost perfect.
"It wasn't too hard a game but we had to keep going, keep moving, keep passing the ball and be patient.
"When we scored the first and, especially, the second, we had more space and could run between defenders to create chances. But the best news was we had no injuries."
That fact leaves Benitez with a headache for the first leg visit to Stamford Bridge as he wrestles with the decision over what his starting line-up should be in the vital tie.
"It's always difficult," said Benitez. "With the squad and all the players working hard my idea is to wait and see what happens in training during the week in every training session. I don't know the team myself yet.
"It's a problem but it's a nice problem to have. Some players played well today but I need to wait for these next training sessions. It is better to wait."
The victory assured Liverpool of a top four finish and a place in next season's Champions' League, ensuring them a comfortable end to the Premiership season.
Benitez added: "It was important, with three games to go, to be qualified. The last three years we were playing in the Champions League, or at least, the (final) qualifying round, so it's very positive for the club."
For this victory, Benitez could thank Kuyt, who celebrated the birth of his son Roan Dirk this week by scoring both Liverpool goals.
"You can always see his desire," said Benitez. "He's a very good worker. We know he can score goals and he was working until the very end trying for a hat-trick."
Wigan's concerns are of an entirely different nature. This defeat left them just three points above the relegation zone and manager Paul Jewell admitted the defensive tactics he had adopted for this match had failed him.
Jewell said: "We came with a game plan, to try and frustrate Liverpool and quieten the crowd and I guess it wasn't very good to watch.
"But we gave a bad goal away and we had to come out and try to chase the game a little bit.
"We're playing for big stakes here and it could all come down to goal difference so, even at 2-0, I didn't want to open it up too much because we could lose by three, four or five and that could prove vital. I don't like playing that way, I never have done, but I didn't think we could come here at this stage of the season and attack Liverpool, with the way they are playing.
"We had a couple of chances but, let's not kid ourselves, Liverpool were in control of the game from start to finish and strolled through the game.
"We can't compete with Liverpool on a player for player basis. We've got to play extremely well and they've got to play badly for us to have a chance and they cruised."
Wigan now face a crucial encounter with fellow strugglers West Ham at the JJB Stadium next week, a game in which defeat could lead to relegation and the loss of millions of pounds for either team.
Jewell said: "We'd like to win but it's not a must-win game for us. It's vital for both sides and it sets it up very nicely.
"Sixteen times we have played the top four and we haven't got a result. They're all in the same league as us but they're not really in our league! West Ham seem to beat the top teams but their record against teams below is not too good. Hopefully, that will continue next week."
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