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Liverpool are ‘80%’ sure of title if Christmas goes smoothly, says Bentez

Rafael Bentez has predicted that, if Liverpool Authentic Prada Shoes Outlet are still leading the Premier League at the end of the Christmas programme, his side will have « an 80% possibility » of ending the season as champions.

The manager’s most bullish analysis of his team’s title Authentic Prada Bags Uk chances was provoked by an interview in a French magazine, translated and reprinted in the Sun, in which he appeared to write off Are Prada Handbags Cheaper In Italy the club’s hopes of a first championship since 1990. He was quoted as saying that for Liverpool to finish first required « Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal to mess up their season and that won’t happen ».

Bentez vehemently denies making the statement in an interview about football tactics and accused the Sun, whose sales on Merseyside were destroyed by their coverage of the Hillsborough disaster, of malice. « Everyone in Liverpool knows about this newspaper, » he said. « We are top of the table and doing well away from home. At home we have made two mistakes [the goalless draws against Fulham and West Ham] but clearly we are playing with a lot of confidence and have players of quality. If we can finish this Christmas period at the top of the table, we have an 80% possibility of winning the title. »

His response could not have come at a worse time for Hull, who face the league leaders at Anfield today. Until now australia prada, Bentez had been reluctant to dwell publicly on Liverpool’s chances of a league title the red half of Merseyside craves even above another European Cup. When asked why he was suddenly so confident, he replied: « One month ago we needed to prove something and one month later we are proving to everyone that we can do it. »

While it is reasonably common knowledge that only one team bottom of the table at Christmas has ever avoided relegation from the Premier League (West Brom in 2004-05), it is less well known that the last four teams to lead the table on December 25 have gone on to be champions. Only once in the Premier League have Liverpool been top at Christmas and they finished that season, 1996-97, fourth. Bentez places much of Authentic Prada Factory Outlet Online his faith on the argument that Are Prada Nylon Bags Worth The Money under him Liverpool have always finished their -campaigns strongly.

« That is why I think we can win the title, » he said. « In the past we have normally been better in the second half of the season. We have some important players who are not playing now [Fernando Torres, Martin Skrtel, Fabio Aurelio] and when they are Agatha Ruiz Dela Prada fit they will be a good addition for the second half of the season. -Skrtel is in the same situation as Torres, he has started running and he is very close. I cannot say whether he will be fit for Authentic Prada Handbags Wholesale Christmas but he is close. »

Torres, who will return to Barcelona for another session with Spain’s leading sports-injury specialist, Ramon Cugat, in an attempt to cure persistent hamstring problems, is most unlikely to be fit for Liverpool’s first and most Authentic Prada Nylon Messenger Bag important Christmas fixture away to Arsenal on December 21. However, since Torres has broken down three times this season, Bentez is anxious not Authentic Prada Handbags Usa to repeat the mistake of rushing him back into action and pointed out that both Manchester United and Chelsea were beaten without him.

What will encourage Luiz Felipe Scolari and Sir Alex Ferguson is that they are chasing a side with little experience of winning championships. The Manchester United manager believes the pressure of Bicester Village Prada Bag Price not having won a title for 25 years contributed to United’s collapse in the final weeks of the 1991-92 season and would hope Liverpool suffer a similar experience.