Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez has promised that he will make sure his club finish in the top four this season, despite the club slipping to ten defeats in their last 20 games.

After slipping to a 2-1 defeat to Reading in the FA Cup at Anfield on Wednesday, many notable Liverpool icons deemed Rafa now surplus to requirements.

Benitez quipped: "I was guaranteeing the top four as I have belief, and I still have the belief. The main thing is to keep working hard. If I talk too much about other things I will lose focus on Stoke.

"If I was worrying about the future I wouldn't be concentrating on the next game.

"The manager has to have the belief. If we can play at the same level as in the past, with the majority of the same players, it will be different.

"At this moment we are in a race and when you are in a race you cannot speak too much or the others will pass you. There is no panic, but we have to do our job.

"As a manager you know you will have bad times but it's clear if I lose my focus then we will not improve.

"Everything can change in one week. It's the only way in football. You have to think of the positives and if we won against Stoke and Tottenham we'd be closer and everything would look different."