Rafa on Wigan, Shanks and morale

Rafael Benitez took five minutes out of his pre-Wigan preparations to speak to radio journalists. Here's what he had to say in full.

Rafa on trying to change the mood following the 2-1 defeat to Arsenal...

The best way to change things when you need to win is to play as soon as possible. We need to concentrate on the next game and only that. You can see that the way we conceded the goals against Arsenal, particularly the own goal, can affect the players when confidence is not high. We are close to changing things. Look at the first-half against Arsenal and the penalty that was not given. We could have been talking about a 2-0 lead and everything would be different. When you are in bad moment you have to keep going and try to find the positives and encourage the players to do things.

On why the clash with the Gunners turned so dramatically...

We conceded an own goal on 49 minutes and then another one shortly after. It is nothing to do with tactics because I have watched it back on DVD and they played two long balls in the lead up to the goals. That was the difference. It wasn't a change of tactics, it was because we conceded the goal and lost confidence.

On why last year's top four have dropped more points this season...

If we had won the game against Arsenal then people would be talking about them today. Now it seems to be an issue that the top four lose matches. Why? Because the other teams are stronger too. You can see Aston Villa, Man City, Tottenham - there are now three or four clubs that can beat anyone. It is maybe better for the competition as a whole. Okay, we are in a bad position, but that can also help because if the other teams drop more points, there are still 22 games for us to play and do better in - we have to be positive.

On the importance of being strong as a manager...

It is very important for a manager, especially here in England, to be strong. You have your ideas and speak with your own people every day and try to analyse things. For five years I think we have been doing well. We must keep going in the same direction because the club is stronger than when I first arrived. The squad is much better. We are in a bad moment but I think we can improve.

On why he is confident the Reds will finish in the top four...

I have to have confidence in my team because we are better than the side you are seeing. If we play at the same level as we did against Arsenal in the first-half, then we can beat anyone.

On why the Reds are moving in the right direction...

In a top side it is always more difficult than for one in mid-table. You always have to win trophies. It is difficult to do that every year. Since the topflight became the Premier League there has been a massive difference in terms of money. We fell a little bit behind in terms of merchandising and the capacity of the stadium. Now, we are moving forward, but we currently have a problem on the pitch. We need to solve that.  

On why he believes a winning run can transform our season...

We were scoring goals and have been so close to doing well. We have scored 22 goals at home, but we also have the problem that we are conceding too. We have to improve in attack - if we can - but especially in defence. We kept three clean sheets in a row, but then conceded late goals against Fiorentina and two early in the second-half against Arsenal. The first one of those was difficult to explain. I believe the team is stronger now and we are defending better at set pieces and looking more dangerous at them too. You can see some positives but we need to add these to what we were doing well before, when we were playing with a higher tempo and doing better with the ball.

 On self doubt in the team and how to restore confidence...

The own goal the other day changed everything. It was a difficult one to explain. So how can you change this? It is simple. You must score the second goal when you are ahead. I think we can do that. People criticise the team and say they are not as good but they are more or less the same players that we had here last season. We played a very good team in Arsenal the other day and we had three or four players who weren't really match fit. So, if the likes of Fabio Aurelio, Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres are fully fit I think we will be better. They went three weeks without training and they will improve if they can train every day of every week.

 On Wigan manager Roberto Martinez...

He has more experience than me in England. When I came here many years ago, I remember Jordi Cruyff was playing for Manchester United and we had lunch with Roberto. So, he knows England and has better English than me! He knows all about the Premier League and I think he is doing a good job. He is a young manager with good ideas. It is different when you are fighting against relegation, but I think he is doing a good job.

On Wigan's rollercoaster season...

They need to improve their consistency. That is the key if you want to stay in the league and I think he knows that. It's also a question of the players he has signed settling down in the Premier League. They are conceding goals but doing well in attack. If he can find a balance - after Wednesday - it will be good.

 On Injuries...

Riera , Kelly and Nabil El Zhar are still injured. The rest of the players are okay. We will have to check with Mascherano and Johnson in the morning just to be sure.

On Alberto Aquilani...

He has been training and it will be a tactical decision as to whether he is involved.

On 50 years since Bill Shankly's first game...

Nobody can be compared with Bill Shankly. He was so special. He is such a big name and changed the history of the club. His relationship with the fans was massive. No-one has had such a big link with them. I was really pleased because the fans have supported me from the first day. I think the majority of them realise the situation at the club and are trying to get behind the team and that means the manager too. At the end of the day they know that we need them supporting the players. If they are behind us, we will play better and it will be easier to win games.