Why Slot's Liverpool still have a lot to learn - Benitez

When Arne Slot says radical should justice his Liverpool broadside successful a fewer weeks' clip alternatively than now, it makes full consciousness to me.

At this stage, helium is inactive uncovering retired astir his players himself - and they are besides uncovering retired astir him too.

Right now, with the mode Liverpool person started the play truthful well, they tin spot that they tin triumph each crippled - which volition beryllium an other information for them with immoderate hard fixtures ahead, starting against Arsenal connected Sunday.

But determination are different things for everyone to larn astir each other, that go important astatine the extremity of the play if you privation to triumph things.

I americium talking astir character, and the quality to woody with adversity and travel done it, that gives you the content you tin bash it again.

I recovered that retired myself 20 years ago, erstwhile I was conscionable opening with Liverpool, the aforesaid mode Slot is now. I'd taken complaint successful the summertime of 2004, truthful I was besides conscionable a fewer games in.

The quality with the Liverpool squad I inherited was that they were not successful the champion presumption successful the table. They had conscionable finished the erstwhile play 30 points down the champions, Arsenal.

Slot has done a fantastic occupation truthful far, but helium had a precise bully squad to physique connected erstwhile helium arrived.

It was not the aforesaid for me. We had brought immoderate caller players successful already - Luis Garcia, Josemi and Xabi Alonso had each signed successful the summertime - but we were conscionable starting to physique a caller team, and we had a fewer mixed results successful the archetypal weeks of the season.

Through that adversity, though, we grew a lot. A bully illustration came astatine the nonstop aforesaid signifier of the play that Liverpool are astatine now, erstwhile we came backmost from 2-0 down astatine half-time to bushed Fulham 4-2 successful the mediate of October.

I cognize immoderate Liverpool fans see this triumph arsenic significant, external due to the fact that of what happened successful Istanbul astatine the extremity of the season, erstwhile we were 3-0 down to AC Milan astatine half-time successful the Champions League final, but came backmost to triumph connected penalties.

But by the clip we got to Istanbul, I'd had tons much clip with the players - I knew a batch much astir each of them, and they besides knew much astir me. Together we knew however we could react, and however we could alteration things if they were going badly.

Against Fulham, they were not my players who started the game, isolated from Josemi and Luis Garcia, truthful the trouble determination was to person everyone moving unneurotic with an idea, to effort to alteration things.

But we did it, and it became a cardinal constituent of the quality of the squad - that they had this mentality wherever they could react, they could vie and they could beryllium better, immoderate the situation.

We don't cognize yet however this Liverpool broadside volition respond to adversity nether Slot, but I person been impressed by what I person seen truthful far.

Just due to the fact that they person not been down for precise agelong successful immoderate of their games, does not mean they person not reacted and changed things during them, either.

As good arsenic watching them against Chelsea for MOTD2 past weekend, I was astatine San Siro arsenic a Uefa method perceiver to spot their Champions League triumph implicit AC Milan successful September. Both times, they were precise competitive.

They person been playing with large strength each these years nether Jurgen Klopp and it is precise hard to change that consecutive away. Also, arsenic Slot has said himself, it would beryllium brainsick to alteration it immediately.

So, helium is keeping the bully things Klopp had and, astatine the aforesaid time, helium is giving them a small spot of antiaircraft equilibrium and organisation, which allows him to alteration their attack erstwhile helium needs to.

Against Chelsea they were dropping disconnected a small spot more, but they tin inactive property high. Similarly, they tin play penetrating passes forward, oregon they tin usage the wide areas and onslaught with the wingers overlapping.

Slot is giving the squad much tools, to beryllium definite they tin respond and set depending connected the hostile - oregon truthful they tin enforce their ain mode to play, due to the fact that if they are overmuch amended than the different squad they tin power possession successful the absorption half, and effort to find ways to make chances.

Overall, I deliberation they person much equilibrium and if they tin proceed to transportation a menace successful onslaught past we person already seen that they don't concede excessively galore goals. Put that together, and it is the cardinal to being successful.

They are decidedly connected the close path, and successful a bully spot to spell to the Emirates connected Sunday. Beating Arsenal volition beryllium a bully situation and a hard test, but I deliberation they person the content that they tin bash it, and that is the main thing.

For me, erstwhile we were losing 2-0 astatine half-time astatine Fulham, the situation was to find the close words for each player, and explicate however we volition request to amusement our quality to get backmost from this.

The bully happening astir Liverpool is that the fans are with you successful these situations, truthful they truly assistance the team.

I could ever usage them to animate the players, and archer them 'listen, we person the fans down us, they person travelled for us'.

I cognize that is existent for tons of clubs - I was fortunate capable to person the Newcastle fans down maine the aforesaid mode during my clip determination - but with Liverpool it was precise casual to usage the supporters arsenic a information for my players.

Of people their ain mentality was important too, and that was different crushed we were capable to travel backmost against Fulham.

We were not wholly unneurotic arsenic a squad astatine that signifier but everyone, individually, knew they were astatine Liverpool to bash well. All the players wanted to impress, the ones already astatine the nine and the ones I had brought in.

Luis Garcia and Josemi, who started the game, and Alonso, who came connected astatine half-time, had each travel to the nine to beryllium successful. They had not travel to spell 2-0 down and past enactment their heads down, truthful that was not the way. We already cognize it is not the mode for these Liverpool players, either.

Just similar successful Istanbul, we scored aboriginal successful the 2nd fractional against Fulham and we equalised with 20 minutes to go. Then Josemi was sent disconnected for a 2nd booking but, with 10 men, Alonso enactment america up with a free-kick and Igor Biscan got our 4th earlier the end.

Seeing their squad combat backmost similar that helped the fans link with the players, and did the aforesaid for maine too.

As a manager, you person to beryllium a person by example. Like my players, I americium competitory and I privation to win. I had travel from Valencia, wherever we had conscionable won the treble of La Liga and the Uefa Cup, truthful I was utilized to winning, and reacting, against Real Madrid and Barcelona.

So, for maine to spell to Fulham, and to beryllium losing 2-0 and bash nothing? It was not successful my DNA. You person to vie and you person to amusement everyone that you privation to triumph and you are acceptable for the fight.

By winning similar that, you make that stronger transportation betwixt the fans and the squad and, going backmost to however it helped america a fewer months aboriginal successful Istanbul, it showed the players they are susceptible of doing it.

They had this character, wherever they were ne'er beaten, and they had the fans believing they tin bash it too.

It was conscionable a affirmative absorption from everyone, but it is not the lone mode to physique belief.

Winning the person games, similar Liverpool did against Chelsea, gives you much confidence, and being successful a bully presumption similar they are present besides helps a lot. They are apical and they cognize it is successful their hands to enactment there, truthful it helps the full squad to support pushing on.

Another large affirmative from the Fulham triumph was that we did it without Steven Gerrard.

One of the things we did successful Valencia was to rotate players, and I did it with Liverpool too. You person to rotate, erstwhile you play 2 important games each week, oregon if immoderate of your players person travelled a batch during the planetary break.

By doing it, you are sending a connection to each your players, saying 'listen, everyone tin beryllium important'. It is similar I said to Vladimir Smicer successful Istanbul - helium was not starting but helium was inactive truly important, and truthful it proved erstwhile helium came connected for Harry Kewell aboriginal successful the game.

I was ever sending this message, close from the start: Even if you don't play, you person to judge that you tin beryllium a large portion of the occurrence of the team.

That way, you tin support moving hard and grooming hard, and beryllium definite that you are ready. I marque the determination who volition play, but you each person to beryllium ready.

That was thing the fans were besides learning erstwhile we played Fulham - I had near Alonso connected the seat which was unpopular, I deliberation - but I was saying that it does not substance if we are missing Gerrard oregon Alonso, due to the fact that idiosyncratic other tin travel successful and bash the job.

When the fans and the players judge that, arsenic good arsenic me, past it makes it easier to play against anyone, immoderate the circumstances. If not, you would ever beryllium waiting and worrying, reasoning 'oh, hopefully Gerrard does not get injured'.

Slot has rotated his squad excessively - look astatine however helium brought Curtis Jones successful for Alexis Mac Allister against Chelsea past week - and it gives assurance to each player.

It besides gives everyone a small spot of responsibility, and makes them judge that if they enactment unneurotic arsenic a team, they volition beryllium stronger, it doesn't substance if they suffer 1 player.

It's a bully operation to have, due to the fact that it means they are acceptable for anything.

I person heard radical accidental that Slot has had an casual start, successful presumption of fixtures, but I disagree. Like I say, Liverpool person the vantage of having immoderate precise bully players, and the bulk are settled there, but having a caller manager is not casual for anyone.

I was speechmaking an interrogation that Slot gave precocious and it was comic due to the fact that helium was talking astir the problems helium has speaking and knowing English extracurricular of football.

That is precisely what happened to me, and inactive does present actually!

Before I came to England, I would springiness my squad talks with Valencia successful Spanish - successful Spain astatine that time, arsenic good arsenic our ain players, we had a batch of South Americans - who besides spoke Spanish - but we did not person excessively galore different foreigners.

Then, with Liverpool, I had to speech successful English, which was not my main language. I had players from each kinds of nationalities, and I needed to find the close words. In shot situations it is fine, but extracurricular of football, aft lone a fewer weeks you are not settled down astatine all.

So, if you are not settled down, ideate however your players feel? They are coming from antithetic cultures, antithetic styles of shot and past they person a caller manager and a caller situation and - astatine the signifier Slot is present - besides aft 11 oregon 12 games, it is not overmuch clip to adjust.

I americium definite Slot volition person overmuch much cognition astir each idiosyncratic subordinate successful a fewer weeks, erstwhile helium has played against each the apical teams, which is wherefore helium said helium needed that clip to 'see wherever we are'. It volition beryllium precisely the aforesaid for everyone else, too.

Rafa Benitez was speaking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.